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Norboo Korean Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Korean Korean [Edit]
1536 Robson StVancouver, BC V6G 1C2
Neighbourhood: West End
(604) 806-0369
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Late Night
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
19 reviews for Norboo Korean Restaurant
19 reviews in English
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Review from Florence C.
Vancouver, BC
4/24/2012
To be fair, Korean food is no fine dining but bloody comforting, and I approve this place. Run by Korean family and very humbly priced, decent food. I still miss the family restaurants I visited often in Seoul some years back when I was working there though.. a simple kimchi fried rice topped with sunny side up egg, topokki with spicy pepper sauce.. yum
At Norboo, I always have bibimbap and seafood pajeon. Recently I tried their seafood tofu soup, it's soo good. They are always generous with side dishes, and I am a slave to kimchi so I always have second portion. The Korean customers always have hot pot or BBQ, I don't know why I tend to avoid that. When the meat is so heavily marinated, I don't know if the meat is fresh or old, and the extra unnecessary calorie (yes it's full of sugar) -
Review from Alice A.
1/20/2012
Shall I just say that the reviews evened out and 3 stars is about right for Norboo?
For lunch, I had BBQ beef ribs. The side dishes included potatoes, kimchi, bean sprouts and pasta salad. None were particularly outstanding. The ribs were very yummy though, tender with a slight chew and full of sweet and salty flavors. The pot of tea I was served immediately was tepid. I would have liked it hotter.
Not to say that I'll never return, but I won't be making reservations. -
Review from Tim A.
8/31/2011
OK, you crazy Canadians! This place only gets 3 stars, and you give The Templeton 4 stars. Wow.
Just tried this place on Robson as it looked busy (lots of Koreans), and the menu looked very reasonably priced. We ordered the Kim chee Miso soup, the beef Bulgolgi, and the BBQ chicken. The soup had fantastic flavor with just the right amount of spiciness. The beef was tender and delicious. It was sweetly marinated and I couldn't stop forking it down! The chicken was a little more on the bland side, but was still more than passable. The sides were pretty good. The cooked potato was interesting and sweet, as well. There seemed to be more sweetness than I normally associate with Korean food which made me concerned about the potential MSG-inspired headache later that night, but that never happened. The sweetness was a great compliment to the spicy, IMHO. The service was not fantastic, but not horrible.
Regarding my opening statement, I revisited the Templeton after three years. My 2-star rating still stands, and may be a little generous!! -
Review from Christina P.
2/27/2011
Their Boo Dae Jji Gae is good - don't try anything else there... (for those of you who gave bad reviews)
Norboo (in Korea) is a place that specializes in Boo Dae Jji Gae... and so is the Norboo in Vancouver.. but they try to accommodate other people who are not too into the spicy soup.. and include bunch of other stuff in the menu and end up disappointing everyone.
Whenever I go here, I get the Boo Dae Jji Gae and nothing else. Maybe their Gam Ja Tang is OK too... but don't get anything else !
Their food (based on Boo Dae Jji Gae & Gam Ja Tang only) is good - would have been solid 4 stars.. but the bad service brings it down to 3 stars. Will update my review to 4 stars when the service improves ! -
Review from Dru C.
2/9/2011
One of the places where a lot of the local Koreans hang out. My Korean friends pulled me to this amazing establishment on a weekday night for Korean food. They said that this place was a cheap underground Korean food house.
It seems like a normal usual Korean resutrant on the outside, based on the bottom of the Robson street where ALL the Korean resutrants are located. The Green painting on the outside is terrible, but very flashy as you can see where it is. Their out door patio was dirty, but because it was in the winter, I would assume summer it would be packed.
The service here was very well trained. I enjoyed it a lot. The waitress was very nice and the played my favourite songs on the stereo!!
This place had the usual small dishes that were served with our food. The small dishes were sweet potato, kimchi, daikon, and seaweed. I wasn't that surprised, but until the food came, I couldn't hold chops sticks properly because the food was that amazing.
The combo I ordered was a tofu hot pot with rice and green bean noodles, it was so good I couldn't stop eating. Maybe it could have been that it was my first meal of the day, but I was just enjoying every single bite of the meal.
Next time I will go back with more of my friends so we can have a traditional Korean Family gathering!! -
Review from Irena L.
3/15/2011 2 Check-ins Here
It's ok, nothing special. Kimchi is ok, and I like seafood pizza:)
there are so many Korean restaurants around, and to me they are so similar:/ I guess I am not an expert (yet)
so if you are in the neighbourhood just stop by at one and give it a try, they are all pretty decent! -
Review from Daniel S.
1/7/2011
The food was edible, but definitely not traditional Korean food. Even crappy Los Angeles Korean food is better than what they serve here. And people in Korea would probably refuse to eat here. I'm just saying the soon-tofu was awful, tasted more like Heh-mool tang (fish broth).
The service was worse than the food. Enough said. Save your money and go to Sura next door. Seriously, avoid. -
Review from Alick L.
Vancouver, BC
10/7/2010
well after wondering down Robson street for about an hour we come across a places that looks funky and cool. they had some what of an out door patio and somewhat busy. I was so happy that they had a all you can eat menu cause me and my buddy was so hungry at the time.
So we go in order the beef bulgogi hotpot AYCE menu which was decently price and the food was all prepared and ready to be cook when they bring it out. almost like it automatize or something.
OK so after getting hotpot and trying to cook up a storm on our table. me and my buddy decided to make some BBQ beef bulgogi from the hot pot pan. (buy was that a funny but dumb idea) so we let the beef cook all the juice out and by the time the beef started to burn we started to eat it. it really tasted like BBQ bulgogi minus the charred beef. only problem was our table product so much smoke from the meat burn on the hotpot that have the Restaurant smoked up and the waitress had to come and turn off the hotpot lol.. we order a second round of the hotpot and this time we didn't try and BBQ the meat.
over all the experience here is great for group or for more then one person and the Price is reasonable..
this place get my two chopsticks up award!Listed in: two chopsticks
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Review from Krsna V.
3/31/2009
I loved it enough to return for dinner the next evening.
It looks like a divey Korean restaurant... and guess what? It is. I expect horrible service at divey ethnic restaurants. I don't expect them to be at my beck and call, that is what upscale restaurants are for. In fact, I may even walk out if I get great service at such places. Makes me feel uncomfortable. Service at Norboo is just at the right level. The waitresses ignore you long enough to the point of frustration, and then shower their attention. Very typical of ethnic restaurants I've been to.
So, I walked into Norboo because it is close to my hotel (Westin Bayshore), and I was walking around Robson street. The smell of dol sot dragged me inside. I was quickly seated by a lovely lady who brought me a menu. As I perused the various selections, I noticed the walls. There were signs in Korean plastered haphazardly all over the walls, some advertising lunch specials, some I don't even know what they mean because I don't understand Korean. Nice!
On the first night, being the pig that I am, I ordered the spicy pork dol sot, spicy rice cakes, and rice wine. Loved the dol sot and rice cakes. The waitress was kind enough to suggest I try a sip of the rice wine first, because not everyone likes it. I followed her suggestion, liked it, and ordered a whole bowl. Got tipsy after downing the entire bowl of rice wine.
The waitress seemed a little surprised that I ordered all that food for myself. Oh dear, you have no idea how much food this body needs to sustain me for the night.... if you know what I mean *wink wink*. After all, I have a whole night planned to check out the boys of Vancouver.
On the second night, feeling somewhat guilty for scaring the waitress with my gluttony, and because I already had a snack before, I ordered just the bulgogi (spelled bul go gee on their menu). The beef was succulent, and I downed the whole bowl is 5 minutes flat.
They only offer 4 banchan. Sweet potatoes, bean sprouts, kimchee, and a weird-looking pasta salad. WTF is that pasta salad for?
One interesting thing to note here is all the Korean students. It seems like a gathering spot for all the Koreans who come to Canada to study. Sort of an expat meeting centre bustling with young energy. Tres cool! I was the only non-Asian person on both nights. That should tell you it is fairly authentic, right? They are open late, and serve a late night menu.
I'll happily go back when I am in Vancouver.Listed in: Vancouver - nature lover's…
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Review from Jeffrey S.
4/24/2010
I guess I'm one of the crazy ones who really like this place. It's not breathtaking floods of endorphin inducing spectacularity, instead it's goodness stems from many average reasons:
It's fresh, inexpensive and gooooood eatin. And in my experience, places like this that look like haunts students visit in order to escape crappy dorm food, are usually pretty good.
The 4 peeps I was with, now consider Korean food as one of their top favorite food groups. Note, they are not Korean and this was their first time eating Korean food. Myself on the other hand, have eaten Korean food from Busan to everywhere in between, and say unto you, this place is a tasty choice.Listed in: Top Restaurants
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Review from Marc D.
Vancouver, BC
1/21/2009
I've got to agree with several of the recent reviews. The food is just ok here, the service really is pretty bad, the selection of banchan is pretty limited, and overall it just isn't worth a repeat visit. The best dish I've had on their menu is the grilled mackerel.
Side note: Is it just me, or does the menu seem identical here and at Insadong in Coquitlam? Are they the same owners? Insadong has a much higher level of service, and the food appears to be a slightly better quality though.Listed in: Vancouver Korean Food
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Review from Joyce P.
Vancouver, BC
8/1/2010
It was late at night after the fireworks, we wanted to go eat something quick and easy. Our first choice had a lineup and Norboo was just a couples stores down and we noticed an empty table so we ventured in.
Most of us weren't extremely hungry but wanted a drink and a quick nibble before heading home.
We ordered the typical Korean foods that non Koreans would order. Kalbi, jap chae and seafood pancake.
I actually ordered the wrong Kalbi and the one we got wasn't bbqed but in some soup with noodles. Think soupy jap chae, not bad. The seafood pancake was decent but it wasn't crispy enough and I've had way better in other Korean restaurants. The japchae was kinda soggy.
Now my complaint was our waitress did not speak English? Is it wrong of me to complain about that? Are they only expecting Korean clientele? It was such a pain to order drinks, the server couldn't even explain that the special was beer in a pitcher or when we asked for soju mixes we got a blank stare. Also, we had to ask for the usual condiments like kimchi and such.
I would probably give this place a 2.5 star but I don't feel like rounding up today.
I probably won't go back unless I'm really hungry and it's the only restaurant opened in that area. -
Review from Claudia L.
Burnaby, BC
1/21/2009
The food was decent but nothing extraordinary and I could do without the florescent lit atmosphere and boxy structured seating. My first time trying Korean food on Robson and I'm whining for something better.
Atmosphere: The heavy waft of garlic, seaweed and short grain rice made my stomach turn as I walked into the restaurant.
Food: After ordering the standard dishes (BiBimBap, house salad and seafood pancake), our mini appies came. Any place that serves kimchi out of a can is banned in my books. -
Review from Bob P.
Vancouver, BC
8/17/2011 2 Check-ins Here
One of my regular haunts if I looking for decent Korean food and am not sure where to go. Their spicy tofu soup is good. Also, their special ginseng chicken soup is especially tasty. There are a few other Korean restaurants all around the area that I'd say are pretty decent. This one is one of them.
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Review from Luisa S.
Vancouver, BC
9/25/2008
The scent of kimchi, ginger, garlic and soy sauce wafts out from behind the dark nether-regions of Norboo Korean Restaurant. Chopstick clatter and meat sizzles call out to your other senses. The menu reads colourfully with the promise of tasty foreign delights ready to tickle your taste buds. Shame things didn't really work out that way.
The red-tinged broth in my spicy noodle and vegetable dish bubbled with promise but fell short. It was only after a generous helping of red peppers did it even come close to mimicking the taste explosion connoted by the description. The noodles, which were supposed to have been ramen, were closer to udon. My friend, who had waited in hunry anticipation for his dish, was equally disappointed. His ginger, pork and onion noodle dish had only four tiny little pieces of pork and an entire onion. The onion dominated the dish and, apart from that, there was only a ghostly hint of the promised ginger. -
Review from J K.
1/11/2009
Yeah, good stuff, but I wouldn't go crazy about this place. My friends in Van go here often.
You can cook your food in a hot pot at the table, which is fun with big groups -- unless there are vegetarians who have to watch a live crab wriggle as it gets cooked alive inches from your face. -
Review from Q B.
Vancouver, BC
Updated - 1/12/2011
The pork and veggie pancake is still my favourite of anywhere I've been but all the rest of the dishes are similar quality to any other korean restaurant you would go to. Good if you are in the area and don't want to spend too much.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/12/2010
I love Norboo. It's my go to Korean restaurant. The food is cheap and well done.
I'm quite obsessive… Read more »
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Review from Tyler b.
6/1/2009
this place kind of looks like a dive when you first go inside. neon lights, cheap tables and chairs, not much atmosphere.
we were a big group, and so got a pretty good sweep of items. the coolest to see was the multiple hot pots they brought out to the table and brought to a boil in front of us (don't sit too close, though).
the food was pretty good. there's one thing that stands out. the bulgogi. the best i've ever had, anywhere in the world, ever. we wound up ordering thirds and then fourths of the bulgogi, and should have kept on going.
next time i'm in town i will definitely come back here, specifically for that one dish. -
Review from Sally M.
4/12/2010 2 photos
The food here is just OK. Nothing spectacular or unique taste, just OK. The kimchi pancakes were a little bit more spicy than other restaurants. Their service was ok, and their food was ok, and their price is fair.
