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Madangcoul Korean Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Korean Korean [Edit]
847 Denman StVancouver, BC V6G 2L7
Neighbourhood: West End
(604) 688-3585
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 12 pm - 12 am
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
26 reviews for Madangcoul Korean Restaurant
Review Highlights
"...a choice of kimchi soup, spicy tofu soup, and soybean soup."
(in 3 reviews)
"All five side dishes were all delicious."
(in 6 reviews)
"Kimchi selection is very good as well."
(in 7 reviews)
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26 reviews in English
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Review from Wendy Y.
11/7/2011
I was craving for Korean food on a Saturday night. After walking along Robson St. and reading yelp reviews on every Korean restaurant in sight, my partner and I decided on Ap Gu Jung. I've been here once and the food wasn't bad. However, it wasn't until we were seated did my partner suddenly remember that there is a Korean restaurant on Denman St. that has been getting consistent 4-5 star Yelp reviews. Since we hadn't ordered our food, we made a quick exist and apologized to the server that "we got the wrong restaurant".
Less than five minutes later (walking) we arrived at Madangcoul Korean Restaurant. This little joint camouflages itself well (AKA it doesn't look unique or special). There was no line up outside though the capacity inside the restaurant was 95% full. My partner and I got seated quickly.
After analyzing the menu, I finalized my meat-craving decision on marinated beef short ribs (served on a hot iron plate) and a spicy tofu soup. If you order the short ribs a la carte, it's $8 ish but with the soup, the combo is about $14. You have a choice of kimchi soup, spicy tofu soup, and soybean soup. The waitress said to go with the spicy tofu soup. I complied. My partner ordered a Bibimbap.
I was impressed when our food came. Let me start with the side dishes. There were five sides in total. Kimchi. Marinated potato. Seedweed. Iceberg lettuce (with tangy salad dressing). Cubed mung bean jelly.
All five side dishes were all delicious. My favourite was the lettuce which I ordered 3 places throughout the meal. The tangy salad dressing helped big time in cutting the yummy grease from the short ribs. The meat was on the hard and chewy side but they were scrumptious. The marinate was just right. It wasn't overly sweet or salty. This was the same with the spicy tofu soup. The flavor was well balance and I had A LOT of tofu in my soup. My partner's Bibimbap was one of the better ones I have had in my life. It was smooth and creamy, thanks to the egg yoke. The toppings were plentiful. This is type of food you'd expect to be fed by Korean moms. The food is just so homey and hearty.
I can't wait to come back and try other items on the menu as they have quite an extensive list and the prices are affordable (considering the location is on Denman St). My partner and I will definitely come back for more.Listed in: Korean Food
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Review from Alvin L.
Vancouver, BC
12/28/2011 1 photo
I was shopping downtown one day around lunch time and stumbled upon this small, quaint Korean restaurant called Madangcoul on Denman and Robson. Cold and hungry, I thought 'what the hell' and went in. Not really knowing what would be good, I flipped through the menu and casually selected the Lunch Bibimbap.
To those not familiar with Korean cuisine, Bibimbap is similar to Fried Rice in Chinese cooking and is a very common dish that forms the foundation of Korean cuisine. It is a relatively safe selection as the dish preparation is relatively simple.
After about 15 minutes, my bibimbap arrived and after only a few spoonfuls, I knew I had found a new regular Korean restaurant. The rice was fresh and hot, mixing in smoothly with the myriad of fresh ingredients in the metal bowl. The side dishes were also very fresh and were refreshing and tasty as sampled in alternation. Overall, the meal was cheap, fast and very tasty. I will definitely visit again in the future! -
Review from Simon K.
11/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
I tend to forget when wanting Korean cuisine in downtown, that I just need to walk a little farther and turn off of Robson for a real hearty meal. Faced with a cold night, and with my partner, scavenging downtown for a great Korean restaurant to comfort our appetite's we decided to come here, after much searching on the street, and using the Yelp app on my phone on what was rated the highest!
There have been many times I have noticed this little shop on Denman, packed right to the door with people, and have said, I will try this one day, well Saturday was the day, and a meat craving partner in tow, we came in to a very delightful meal. I have eaten at many of Robson's Korean restaurants, and I have to put this one at the top. From coming in, the tight cramped restaurant, and smelling the flavors coming right from the kitchen, we knew this was going to be the spot tonight.
I had the 'stone bowl' bee bim bop, and my partner ordered the bulgogi spare rib with a side of spicy tofu soup. Before we got our meal, the fixings in terms of the small dishes came out. From the well marinated potato, seaweed, ice berg lettuce with a hint of sauce, and the kimchi, it was a great start to the anticipation of our main dishes. What came, did not disappoint, from the sizzling meat pile that my partner had, to the sizzling rice bowl dish that was placed in front of me with all the crackle from the heat that was just waiting for me to dig in.
The food was tasty, the environment, not as hip as the others on the block of Robson, but when you have good food, you do not need the 'smoke screen' of a good looking restaurant to know your having a great meal. That is one of the things about this restaurant, family run, looking like a simple canteen where most of the time you probably would just get take out from the place, it gives no apologies for what they stand for, and that is serving the Denman area some 'homey' like Korean food, and not some hip hang out to chill with your buds.
The menu here is quite extensive, and is on my list for a return visit when I am back in the neighborhood!Listed in: Kimchi and that type of…
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Review from John W.
Richmond, BC
2/9/2012
the side dishes were delicious and the food is very homestyle korean
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Review from Kai C.
Vancouver, BC
1/14/2012
My favorite place to go for authentic homemade Korean food at a decent price, Introduced to me by my close Korean friend. They make a killer Gamjetong (pork spine bone stew/hotpot)here, with real fresh herbs, instead of just powdered spices and herbs, and pork sbones with lots of meat. Best shared with 3 other fiends :) They also serve the rice beer, dondonju or makgeoli, made seasonally. Comfort food to the max :) it can get a bit chilly in there, so wear layers .
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Review from Kathleen L.
Vancouver, BC
11/2/2011
I love Madangcoul. My most visited Korean restaurant in the city. The prices are reasonable and the food is actually tasty. My favourites are:
dolsot bibimbap, bulgogi, rib-eye soup, and the tofu jjigae soup (very yummy here). The seafood pancake is huge and delicious. The side dishes are the standards.
I love the workers and owners here. They are always polite and pretty fast in service.
As people have said before, the place is always full of Korean College students. Which in my eyes is awesome.
All in all, a great place to eat authentic Korean food. -
Review from Quan H.
Vancouver, BC
10/29/2011
Students on budget but want good Korean food fix. Oh, it closes late, too!
Most of the single-person dishes are $10 and under. I find myself going to this place when I want something nice and hot (i.e. On a chilly Vancouver night).
I've tried (not all at once, of course!):
dolsot bibimbap - stone-bowl [?] rice bowl thing. No complaints about it yet.
rib-eye soup - comes with a bowl of rice. I prefer this over the other beef soup... because the beef was so dry in that one
spicy tofu jjigae (stew) - not overwhelmingly, but enjoyable level of spiciness.
spicy seafood jjigae (stew) - almost the same as the spicy tofu one, except there are shrimp, mussel etc
egg custard pudding - steamed egg pudding, which I thought was bland, but my egg-loving friend loves it
seafood pancake - one of my fav places to order this dish. But 3 people with their own order shouldn't try this; leftoverss are inevitable otherwise.
My friend's favorite is the spicy pork jowl dish, which is about $15-17, I think? Also comes with rice.
These are the dishes that I remember the most, because the other ones I've tried were too long ago. Will probably update.
Oh, and did I mention that my Korean exchange friend recommended it? -
Review from Alice A.
6/14/2011
Pretty authentic Korean fare at reasonable prices. Side dishes include extra spicy kimchi, lettuce with a tangy asian dressing, traditional sweet spuds, tapioca cubes(?) topped with an unknown yummy sauce and extra large bean sprouts. They always make or break a Korean meal for me.
I say this place is a winner. Best one since Seoul for me. -
Review from Mark H.
1/25/2011 1 Check-in Here
Good Korean food has been hard to find at least for me. Not that I know what to expect.
Family-run, home style cooking feel, this place is decent. We had the egg custard, rib eye beef something, and some spicy seafood/veggie dish (memory is fuzzy). As always, they loaded up with unlimited kimchi and other nibbles. I usually can't stand the taste of kimchi, but this was good stuff.
Service was attentive and friendly. Food was pretty fast.
Will be back for more. -
Review from Steph H.
Vancouver, BC
11/2/2010
Doesn't really get better than this place for Korean in downtown Vancouver. And I think I've tried every one!
Having lived in Korea for a couple years I have a fairly good idea of what's authentic and I might even call myself a kimchi connoisseur. The kimchi chigae (kimchi stew with tofu and pork) is perfection here. Not-overly-spicy, served piping hot and has a delicious tanginess to it.
I always order the bulgogi sizzling plate and pay the $3 extra to get a bowl of the kimchi stew. The bulgogi is tender and yummy also. The combo costs around $12 and when you include the rice and 4 or 5 free side dishes you also get it is an outstanding bargain. Although not the best tasting beer in the world, order a Korean Hite beer (and/or soju, of course) to wash it all down with.
It is family owned and operated, so the wife is cooking up a storm while the husband seems to focus on service and manning the cash register. He is quite charming with his limited English :)
The atmosphere in here is pretty good too. They really maximize the limited space and it's nice that you can see the cooks working from parts of the restaurant. They usually have K-pop playing in the background which adds to the authentic vibe in here. -
Review from Marlies D.
Vancouver, BC
9/6/2011
Delicious and delightful. Ma & Pa operation. Love it! Price is right.
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Review from Quddous B.
Vancouver, BC
1/12/2011
Their spicy grilled chicken is pretty amazing.
Side dishes are typical. -
Review from Judy H.
Vancouver, BC
10/7/2010 1 Check-in Here
This little dive down the street just became our favorite neighborhood Korean restaurant in Vancouver (not Burnaby or Coquitlam). Not phenomenal, but tasty and not over-seasoned in that more "authentic" home cooking way. Perfect for days when I want soup. And not disgustingly dirty or grease-coated like some of the BBQ joints in the area.
The service (or at least, the one very competent waitress) was very good. When I pointed out there was no roe in my soup (after all, it was fish & roe soup), no problem, they took it right back, and the soup came back with lots of roe the second time. Food was a little slow, but in my book, that's more promising than too fast. -
Review from Wei P.
Vancouver, BC
8/3/2009
Small local place owned by a Korean family.
It's nothing fabulous but everything nice.
It's inexpensive, tasty, warm and welcoming.
It's like visiting a friend in Korea and your friend's mom cooks up a feast for you.
I agree with what Marc said but I would like to add one thing: it's not a good way to experience Korean "cuisine" but it's a perfect way to experience every-day Korean home dining. -
Review from Peter C.
Coquitlam, BC
7/3/2011 1 Check-in Here
Food 3 stars. Service not even one. Worst service ever in a Korean restaurant. No smile at all kimchi comes later than main dish. Will never come back.
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Review from Susan D.
7/27/2010
Came here for lunch with a large group of about 8. It was slightly empty, but the waitress did pretty well with taking orders and bringing the drinks. I got my seafood soup with long udon-like noodles that was delicious. I asked for a substitution with the noodle element, but apparently they don't accommodate with specific requests. Ergo, order from the menu and everyone will be happy.
Overall, the food was delicious and inexpensive! -
Review from Fiopo F.
West Vancouver, BC
12/13/2011
3.5 - 3.7 stars. My last meal here was a revelation. I have dined at this establishment several times and had good meals here on every occasion, but the meal I had here last night was for some reason different (in a good way). I've never done heroine or cocaine but I imagined my dining experience last night to be akin to an addict getting his fix after a long abstinence from the drug. This restaurant was like my crackhouse. The slightly decrepit surroundings and the dubious neighbors breathing down my neck no longer mattered once I took my first bite. I was transported to a happy place. A place where it was just me and the food. I was floating in ether with every single one of my brain cells focusing on processing the taste and texture of whatever I put in my mouth. The deep fried chicken had the perfect crispness, giving was to the perfect tenderness of the meat, all of it enveloped by the perfect amount of sauce with all the flavours suspended in the glaze. You can see each individual flavour particle as your eyes focus like never before on this perfect piece of sweet spiced meat. To pull myself back from this trip, I took a sip of what I thought was a sobering antidote, the ginseng chicken soup. But instead I was transport to another place. I was up in the clouds at the gates of eden consuming this manna that I faintly remember tasting briefly in a former life as a wide-eyed tourist in South Korea. Every trip must be concluded and mine ended as the very last drop of soup slid beyond the reaches of my taste buds.
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Review from kate y.
7/15/2010
Great restaurant that we stumbled upon on a Monday night. We were heading to Kintaro's down the street for some ramen, but unfortunately, it was closed. ::sad hungry face::
So we wandered the street and found Madangcoul. For a small restaurant, at 9p on a monday night, it was pretty full. Only one waitress, but she was so fast and efficient! Amazing!
The menu was pretty impressive too. It looked like there were lots of homestyle dishes that I've never seen before. I've been to many korean restaurants, but they all have the usual suspects--- jigea, bi bim bap, short ribs, korean pancakes... etc. But this one had some amazing looking stews.
Too bad we were only looking for a small dinner (and only a few days in town) because i wanted to come back for more =D -
Review from Gina K.
Updated - 10/5/2009
Yup my last trip up to Vancouver was a walk down memory lane. Ah Memories...
But hmm... somethings not quite the same. I'm talking about the food. It's still homestyle food but I almost felt like there was MSG in her cooking.
Her Kimchee which I still think is best in Vancouver was still good.
I can't quite put my finger on but I'll have to go back to make sure. =)1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/7/2008
Darn! Darn! I kick myself for not writing about this place sooner. Marc D. is right, this is truly… Read more »
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Review from karen c.
9/1/2011
Good find! Nothing elaborate, but fairly quick, friendly service and yummy, fresh quality food at decent inexpensive prices. They also have pictures on their menu and good descriptions for those who are not familiar with Korean food and want to try something new. If I end up in the same part of town next time i visit Vancouver i would definitely go again.
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Review from Jane G.
12/8/2010 1 Check-in Here
I'm so glad we ended up here on our visit to Vancouver! We were in the mood for a cheap, satisfying meal and Madangcoul was just down the street from our hotel. We ordered jjol myeon (very sweet, I really enjoyed it) and mandukal guksu with seafood. If only we lived in the West End, I'm sure I'd be back.
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Review from Marc D.
Vancouver, BC
11/6/2008
This is a homestyle casual Korean restaurant. The beef broth used for several of the soups and hotpots is very smooth and gentle. For what it is, this is a decent neighbourhood place. But for truly excellent Korean food you have to head out to Burquitlam.
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Review from B R.
Vancouver, BC
8/18/2010
I like the staff and the ambiance - always full of Korean students. Decent prices, and consistent food. Soups are fantastic on a cold day. Kimchi selection is very good as well. Cheap + fast + tasty.
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Review from june Y.
8/30/2010
the glazed potato side dish's to die for! i usually get the bulgogi and the spicy pork sets... the sweet flavor of all the above mentioned dishes is unbeatable!! it's been around for at least 5 years and i'm so glad it's still around when i visited vancouver after leaving town for years... i think they redecorated a bit. i could not find food cooked the same way when i visited korea - i really love the food here!!!
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Review from anne c.
Vancouver, BC
7/5/2009
My boyfriend and I fell in love with this place a year ago and since then things seem to be going down hill. Food is great but its expensive with small portions. It is too bad because we use to really enjoy their food.
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Review from Ali Y.
3/31/2009
Great cheap eats! This restaurant is very cozy, the food is great, the price is very reasonable, and the service is good. I can't wait to go back. It's a great find.
