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Seor Ak San
Category: Restaurants Korean Korean [Edit]
357 Spadina AveToronto, ON M5T
Neighbourhoods: Chinatown, Kensington Market, Downtown Core
(416) 977-2788
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 11 am - 11 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
56 reviews for Seor Ak San
Review Highlights
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"I love their Bibimbap because as Eric L." In 16 reviews -
"We also had to order the Spicy Kalbi." In 4 reviews
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"...on Yelp) got the beef soon tofu and while you don't get to..." In 4 reviews
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56 reviews in English
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Review from Lauren M.
Nothing else to say except I'm not sure why I only gave this place 4 stars previously.
This place has become my regular spot, I go a couple times a week for the most part.
Kimchi-chiggae and bibimbap here are top notch. Banchan is awesome and the staff are so friendly.
LoveListed in: My fav cheap eats, An "Egg's" guide to eating in…, Bibimbap Battle
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/10/2011 First to Review
T-DOT'S.BEST.BIBIMBAP!
I rarely venture away from Korea town for Korean eats, but I headed here with… Read more »
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Review from Mark S.
Toronto, ON
5/15/2012
This place is a good place to eat if you want decent Korean food.
Ive tried the Bimbimbop and Soon tofu from here and remember being quite satisfied. The side dishes were nothing to write home about but were ok.
This place would be my second choice to grab food if my first choice was packed and If I was really craving decent K-food.
My rating is 4.1 -
Review from Tara E.
5/1/2012 4 Check-ins Here
I come here mainly for one thing. Their large hotpot of Pork Bone Soup. It says it serves 2, but really, it probably serves more like 3 people. It's a large, hot, boiling wok of spicy broth with hunks of pork bones. Don't order this however if you're squeamish about gnawing on bones.
Their bibimbap isn't as good as Buk Chang Dong, but it's decent.
Last time I went I ordered the japchae with beef, and the fried beef dumplings. Both were very delicious.
Love that they include glass noodles in the taster dishes.
My order usually comes to about $15 not including any alcohol, although my male dining companions were excited for the $3.50 domestic beers, and the $4.50 hite! -
Review from Flouny S.
Toronto, ON
Updated - 4/14/2012
The warmer weather has resulted in a change in attire for Mr. racecar driver. Now he shall be known as former racecar wanna be.
I should have known the good service was too good to be try, how can I say? Well I went today with a friend and apparently I need my mom and sister to be with me in order to get good service. How can I say this? I'm glad you asked,
First off, we sat for a while before he came to ask us what we wanted. Wait, let me rephrase that, he came over and said "what do you want" come to think of it I don't even think he did that. He brought a pad and pen and got ready to take our order.
We ordered the beef ribs, I asked for more pancake instead of the green appetizer and once again I was met with a "huh?" and I had to politely repeat myself. He said he'd give us more pancake but the change wasn't made when the food came.
Top that off, I asked for a refill for some appetizers, he took our plates but never came back. He was talkative to another group of guys (dare I say, 'friendly').
Anyways, when the bill came they didn't even bother to break down teh total with tax. Seemed very haphazard and even getting his attention for the bill was a long time.
I think my desire for their beef and appetizers has fizzled. Time to go elsewhere.2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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3/26/2012
re: Mr. racecar driver man
Improved service but won't chance it by saying it's courteous. Requests… Read more »
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Review from Grad S.
Toronto, ON
5/16/2012
This is a great Korean restaurant on Spadina. Great food and service, delicious and good portion size for your money. For $8 you get a wholesome meal with 5 samplers and hot tea. Definitely recommend this place. It is safe to eat.
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Review from Imran N.
3/13/2012
After all the great reviews, i had to go here, but it's hard to convince friends to eat in China town because of having to take street cars, trains, etc. Finally, my complaining and forcing worked. I went to Seor Ak San.....only to realize i've been there many times, just never registered the name.
I love this place. Fast service, authentic tasting food, great large menu, cheap as hell - it's a hole in the wall that's what you do when you want good food at the end of the month when you realize how much you just over spent. -
Review from Jennifer M.
Toronto, ON
4/28/2012
Went here last night with a group of girlfriends for dinner, and we had a really good time. On Spadina (at about Baldwin) This place offers up really Good, cheap Korean Food. Hearty Seafood Pancake, Impressive Banchan spread and hot or cold tea. Spicy Bulgogi on hot plate (#63) was so good we ordered a second. Kimchi Chiggae is delicious and just the right amount of spice and sour. Friendly staff were obsessively cleaning the restaurant throughout the visit, which pleases me. Must go back to try the soontofu!
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Review from Michael L.
Richmond Hill, ON
3/23/2012 1 Check-in Here
The past reviews make it hard not to have high expectations for Seor Ak San. Somehow they didn't disappoint even my inflated expectations! Automatic star awarded! =)
The orders were for bibimbap which was a great mix of quality of veggies and quantity of the veggies. I found that the egg ($0.50 if you don't order the beef bibimbap) was a bit over cooked and came to be food well done which made it difficult to mix it into the rest of the dish (they charge $1 extra to eat from the stone bowl).
Banchan served was very good in both quality and quantity, they serve a slightly sweet/spicy kimchi rather than the usual spicy and sour kimchi which I thought was interesting. additionally they serve fresh seaweed which is different that other korean places I've been to.
The eating environment is a mixture of radio top 40 and student chatter, very different from the other places I've been to, but considering their location and target customer it isn't surprising.
I would definitely go here again, though if I had a metropass I would probably head over to koreatown for a stonebowl version...
They accept Visa and Mastercard for orders over $10. -
Review from Kelly K.
Toronto, ON
3/8/2012
Food was amazing, but the service not so much.
I highly recommend the seafood pancake and the beef bibambap (washed down with a bottle or two of Hite, of course) -- but be prepared to wait in case you are one of the ones whose order they completely forget.
With one guy serving the entire PACKED restaurant and not writing down people's orders it's amazing we got anything we asked for right. As it was, he forgot to bring us our Hites, and then later my bibambap (all the while I had to sit and watch as everyone who came in after me received plate after plate of deliciously sizzling food. Agony!)
I would go back and give them a second try as I thought the food was really tasty, but my friend would not. She said its better on Bloor street, and that next time we're craving Korean she'd take me to her favourite spots there. -
Review from Jonathan W.
Calgary, AB
2/9/2012
Great location....right on Spadina, who would have thought?
Bimbibap is very good, better than Buk Chang Dong? nah but close.
Tofu is pretty solid.
Seafood pancake with vegetable is very comforting.
If you're downtown, this is the best spot for some Korean cuisine. -
Review from Robert K.
Listen, I'm just some dumb white guy who doesn't know a god damn thing about anything. Hell, I can barely use chopsticks. I'm just your ordinary, garden variety moron, splashing around in his pork bone soup like a half-witted 12 year old. Why would anyone care what I think?
That said, I do enjoy the food at Seor Ak San. You throw down ten bucks and you get a huge bowl of tasty stuff that tastes good. That's alright in my books.
I often get the pork bone soup, but sometimes I get the bibimbap. -
Review from Viviana M.
Toronto, ON
1/29/2012 2 photos
Dining Experience: Dinner
Specialty: Korean
Menu items: Bibimbap and random Korean appetizers
In the heart of China Town lays a small Korean joint that is home to one of the best Bibimbap, at a very affordable price.
So what exactly is a Bibimbap? A Bibimbap is a signature Korean dish. The word literally means "mixed meal" or "mixed rice". To me, is a bowl of goodness with a ton of flavour, a "yolky" attitude and a price that makes it taste even better.
From what I noticed, the rice starts sticking and toasting in the bottom of the bowl as it is being brought to your table. The julienne vegetables are perfectly seasoned and cooked and start warming up as you mix them with the rice. The dish, if you wish, can be topped off with an egg. Once your knife breaks into the yolk and your veggies and rice get coated with all that buttery goodness, you realize you can't wait to get to the bottom of the bowl. That rice crust that forms at the bottom is exactly what I look for as I take that last bite at my Bibimbap.
Seor Ak San, which is the name given to the restaurant as a tribute to one of the highest mountains in South Korea, welcomes all guests with a complimentary set of appetizers that are, well, appetite-opening.
When I got all these little tapas-style appies on the table, I did not know which one to try first! These all looked really yummy and being complimentary (on the house), tasted even better. From taste and with a bit of explanation from the waiter what we got consisted of a spinach pan-fried rice cake (my favourite of them all), seaweed, chapchae (a popular Korean noodle dish), sweet potato and kimchee (a Korean fermented cabbage dish). There were two more that I was not a fan of and I guess as a result I cannot recall their names.
All in all, I would highly recommend Seor Ak San if you are in the mood for good, tasty and affordable Korean dishes. The staff is very friendly, the place is clean and the dishes are really well put together. I would almost say this is a rather healthy place to eat at given all the veggie intake you get in one seating.
Buen Provecho,
Viviana. -
Review from Edwin A.
Seor Ak San, continues to be consistent and reliable for me.
Not only was the main order good, had ordered a tofu soup with beef this time, but the side dishes (potato, green beans, kimchi, pancake) are equally good!
The service is ok. I never needed to ask more than to place the order or get the bill.
The food was brought to the table in a reasonable amount of time. About 12 mins or so from placement of the order.Listed in: Edwin's Best Restaurants
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/6/2011
I have to agree with Lauren M. this is "T-DOT'S.BEST.BIBIMBAP!"
Got around to trying this place out… Read more »
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Review from Zachary G.
Toronto, ON
3/13/2012
I had almost the exact opposite experience of some of the recent reviewers of this place. I was impressed with the service but disappointed with the food.
SERVICE - Our waiter was incredibly attentive and polite and everything was brought out quite quickly. My friend and I were chatting for a long time without ordering anything after we were done our meal and he seemed to have no problem letting us sit there until we asked for the bill. While the decor could be slightly less cheesy, the atmosphere was decent, especially for a Monday night.
FOOD - I had very high hopes given the reviews of this place but I left underwhelmed. The miso soup lacked any real punch and was overloaded with green onions. It couldn't even live up to the relatively low standards of something you might expect to get at a Japanese restaurant as part of an $8 lunch special. The banchan (Korean appetizers) were similarly lacking flavour. I wished that the various pickled vegetables had more of the strong flavour of the juices that were used to pickle them. Furthermore, the two non-pickled dishes (a potato and omelette-like concoction) were cold and seemed very out of place. Finally, I tried the bibimbap with beef. Like the dishes that preceded it, it simply lacked any kick. The beef was barely seasoned and so I was left with a bunch of tasteless beef and raw vegetables. In addition, the rice and beef were lukewarm, making the entire dish a rather unpleasant temperature.
After trying some of the places on Bloor, I don't think I would come back here again. -
Review from Leeor J.
12/20/2011
I'll throw in my 2 cents.
This place is great. Lots of choices. cheap. near my house. great. the seafood pancake thingy was delicious. There's various korean beer choices you couldn't hope to get drunk off of. The bibimbap is pretty good too. Incidentally, I also love that this place is in a basement.
It's not the best Korean restaurant in the city in my opinion (see my review of Sariwon http://www.yelp.ca/biz...), but its a winner.
I'll be a repeat customer. -
Review from Blair M.
2/2/2012 1 Check-in Here
Decided to break from my normal Korean lunch tradition of Ka-Chi and try Seor Ak San for their Pork Bone Stew in order to get a little change and see if I was missing something.
I had done my research first and heard this place had the best Pork Bone Stew around, well.... I'm gonna have to disagree, sorry Seor Ak San but Ka-Chi still has you beat in that department but you are a very close second. Price was right flavor was really good and as with Ka-Chi you guys have a nice variety of Banchan (the small snack side dishes that come with all Korean food)
I will definitely be back to Seor Ak San but next time it will be to try all the other wonderful dishes that they have on the menu. -
Review from Cheyanne S.
Toronto, ON
2/18/2012
The menu that this place has is pretty wide with a lot of choice! The side dishes are good and plentiful. I like the Jajamyung since you can't get that in a lot of places in Toronto. And the Hot Stone Bowl Bibimbap is what I crave when it's a cold outside.... YUMMM!!! :)
Saw their website here: http://phenu.com/seora... and the restaurant is clean with consistent service. Definitely worth a try next time you're in the Chinatown area and hankering for korean food. :) -
Review from John M.
Toronto, ON
2/6/2012 1 Check-in Here
I'd arrived in Chinatown to purchase the bestest cheapest computer keyboard I could find. Afterwards I met up with a friend in the neighbourhood. A beast of a man. A real eating machine. Not a glutton. Not a gastronome. Something in-between. Man knows how to eat is what I'm saying.
We were looking for lunch. I'm familiar with the neighbourhood and had lived there for years but left our dining selection in his capable hands. Once you leave a place you never know if your favourite place to eat has shuttered, or burned to the ground, or was shut down by health officials, or simply isn't very good anymore. You leave dining decisions to the locals, whether you're in a strange country or just the next neighbourhood over. It's common sense man!
The gastrobeast recommended "a Korean place. It's in a basement." Is it grody man? "No, it's clean. It's good. We go there all the time." Fine man, fine.
We wander down the stairs and straight into Seor Ak San. The dinner room is stereotypical Chinatown. Plain tables. Cold tile floor. Handwritten multilingual menus on multicoloured posterboards. Thank the gods they don't have plastic tablecloths. And the K-Pop. Thank the gods for the K-Pop playing over the PA. No Sino adult contemporary dreck here sir!
The K-Pop continued with our server. Young man. Handsome lad. Dressed like Tom Cruise in Top Gun, down to the fur-collared leather jacket. I'm slightly wounded he's not strutting around the restaurant wearing reflective aviators. He's quick to our table with a pot of tea. This becomes a theme for our meal - stunningly quick service.
We start with potstickers. Dumplings are the true measure of a civilized cultural menu. Don't ever trust a national or regional cuisine that doesn't wrap tasty ground up stuff in a pastry and fry it. Or boil it. Or, best of all, boil and fry it.
The gastrobeast has been here enough to have worked his way down the menu. Today he gets a sparerib soup. It comes to our table promptly and boiling hot before our appetizer is even finished. He hasn't got anywhere else to dump the rib bones from his soup and they end up competing for space with the dumplings on their platter.
After working my way through the multi-paged menu I settled on a Hot Stone Pot Bibimbap with Spicy Squid. A good choice. It arrives more quickly than expected and, like the soup, is sizzling hot. I nibble on the kimchi and other banchan that arrive with our meal while I wait for my bibimbap to cool. Then I tear into it with my metal chopsticks. This is the good stuff. I just wish I had some more cephalopod in my bowl.
I end my meal full and content. We talk about Kim Jong-un. A little too thematic but we'd end up talking about him no matter the venue. I let the gastrobeast have my leftovers. He covers the now crispy rice in hot sauce. I think he liked my meal better than his own.
I'll be back, Seor Ak San. May your Stone Pots stay forever Hot. -
Review from Mauricio A.
Toronto, ON
I read a few of the reviews from some Yelpers (Thanks Anni, Vivek & Lauren) and headed down there hoping this place to be everything everyone had written about.... and IT IS!
Like most Chinese/Korean/Well... most Asian places in the city, this locale is not too much to look at nor visually inspiring. It is located in the basement level of a nondescript building. However if you are an Asian food aficionado then you know, general aesthetics have little to do with what goes on in the kitchen of these places. What matters is that it is clean and the place is at least, overall welcoming.
I have been here five times already, and each time I ordered the Pork Bone Soup and it came both boiling and delicious. Their extra spicy is in fact extra spicy and the broth did not have any of that orange goo PBS sometimes comes with when served at other places --Seoul Restaurant, I am looking at you!
The broth was excellent, with the right amount of veggies and potato. My date and a friend ordered a Chicken Spicy Soup and a PBS respectively. All agreed the quality was top notch and quite the welcoming hit to the palette.
The banchan were varied and each of them held their own to our main dishes. They were quite tasty with very varied flavours, especially noteworthy at this low of a price point.
For you see, in a lot of Korean restaurants you get the vibe that banchan is put on the table as an afterthought. Something that you are expecting, something they are expected to give, so they give you some: 'Here, random customer, have some banchan.'
But not here! At Seor Ak San their seaweed salad, potato banchan and their small taste of korean pancake are all enjoyable and again, they vary as I had dishes on my first visit that had been replaces by my second which of course was unexpected and quite a surprise. As places like Ka-Chi are as predictable with their side dishes as knowing that Oprah will gain weight again.
I really think this is one of the best Korean restaurants I have ever tried in Toronto. Next stop? Try their Bibimbap, as you know I will be coming back.
Highly recommend for a homey, laid back meal.Listed in: 30 Day Movember '11 Challenge
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Review from Grace Y.
12/9/2011
Thanks to its stellar Yelp reviews, I came here for dinner while visiting Toronto and it was tummy-warming . I'm afraid I cannot cough up what was ordered since my boyfriend did all of the ordering for us, but everything we ate was very fulfilling.
The crowd was predominately Asian (good sign for an Asian restaurant), the decor was lacking but the place was clean. They give you a pitcher of water if you request it- magnificent! However, the servers tend to have a more hands off approach. We had to raise our hands in order to get our servers to check up on us.
Regardless, this place is authentic and well priced. -
Review from Coy W.
I came by here to try the best bibimbap in town from all the Yelp reviews. The place is in Chinatown so I was expecting dingy but it wasn't to bad at all. It's located in the basement of the building and has been renovated fairly nicely. Nothing fancy but definitely newer and clean.
So we ordered our meal and they brought out all the little extra things that make eating at Korean restaurants awesome. I liked all the dishes but the stand outs were the kimchi and the glass noodles...especially the glass noodles. They were very tasty!
My spicy chicken bibimbap came out and I mixed it up added some hot sauce and dug in! MISTAKE! Never dig into this thing as it's piping hot! The bibimbap is excellent and definitely one of the best I've had in Toronto and actually one of the best I've had in Canada.
Is it possible to get your bibimbap even spicier? I tried to add more hot sauce and that didn't kick it up a notch. The only thing that sucked was the service but the food is definitely excellent! -
Review from Tony F.
12/1/2011
Didn't realize Seor Ak San was such a date place! :)
Maybe because of Yelp reviews, my expectations were set really high, kinda like when everyone tells you how good a movie is, and when you go watch it, you're like, that was good, but 5 star worthy?
I've been here a couple of times now, and don't get me wrong, everything was very good, but not blown away, since my first time here, our server "forgot" about us, even though there was only 4 covers. We had to have an early dinner (5:15) because we had somewhere to go, and the service this day couldn't have been slower. We literally had to go to the waitress to place our order, and when we tried to get the bill, we had to go to them again. Some how waving our arms in the air frantically is completely invisible to them.
Back again recently with a 3/4 full restaurant, and the service was still unacceptably slow, but since we were there to just hang out, none of us thought much about it. Friends of mine live around the corner from here, so we've been popping by here for a quick bite on occasion.
Food is good, we've sampled quite a bit of it now, but to be honest, I prefer my K-food from Yonge/Finch area. -
Review from Anni L.
11/16/2011
I read all the reviews, got all hyped up and decided to drag another one of my dates for a tasting.
Although everyone was raving about the bimbimbap, I decided to have the Pork bone soup since I had a craving for it.
As everyone mentioned, the apetizers they brought over did not disappoint. It was generous portions and delicious.
The pork bone soup came in the usual piping hot stone bowl. The flavor was exquisite. I ordered regular spicy. The pork morsels were very tender and flavorful. By far the best pork bones soup i've had in this city hands down.
The price was the usual. The bill was approximately $20 for 2 people. The service was good and fast. I went during a Sunday night so there was no wait to be seated.
I highly recommend this place. You won't regret trying it.Listed in: Best Pork Bone Soup
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Review from Peggy W.
Markham, ON
1/16/2012
This is a small Korean joint below a spa in Chinatown, which supposedly has some of Toronto's best bibimbap and pork bone soup. Neither of which, unfortunately, I ended up trying on my initial lunch visit, because I have a quest of my own--namely, to find some of Toronto's best soondubu (soft tofu stew).
I picked the beef and vegetable soondubu--the tofu, being the main attraction, was hot but silky smooth, with no traces of air bubbles on the surface (a sign of overcooking, and a problem that I've encountered with some other versions of soondubu before I become an active Yelper). The beef was a bit curled up and overcooked, and I wasn't quite sure if I could detect any vegetables in my stew, but with the tofu being so satisfying, I think I can forgive this...
Seor Ak San brought out 6 side dishes for our table--kimchi cabbage, kimchi bean sprouts, non-kimchi bean sprouts, japchae (glass noodles), potatoes and some fried nuggets which I wasn't sure was fish cakes or not (I really ought to have asked the server) but was the favourite of the side dishes. In addition to the side dishes, the server was nice enough to bring Korean onion pancakes to our tables--very savoury and chewy, although it might get a while to get used to if you're more accustomed to crispy Chinese-style onion pancakes.
I'll likely be back again--this time to try these other things that are so highly recommended but I abandoned as part of my soondubu challenge~ -
Review from Joel G.
Toronto, ON
12/21/2011 1 Check-in Here
The tea is surprisingly good. The food is ok too. Not great, but probably better than you'd expect from a place that looks like a giant underground bubble tea shop.
I tried the bibimbap, as per other yelpers' suggestions. It was plentiful, and fairly tasty. Something about it though, like the rest of this place, was chirpy and cheesy.
The place is in a sparsely but horribly decorated largish basement, with lime green- and salmon-coloured walls and ugly fluorescent lighting. The music is unbelievably cheesy (k-pop!). I spent most of my meal trying to figure out which songs they were knocking off. "Lady in red" and Avril Lavigne's "what the hell" were definite stand-outs! -
Review from Velshin C.
12/10/2011
Fantastically diverse menu full of delicious dishes. The pork bone stew and soft tofu stews are not to be missed! The bi bim bap is not as good as some other places. Take the opportunity to branch out and try Korean dishes you haven't had before!
The service can be dreadfully slow but they're usually quite nice. Staff is Korean and the food's mostly authentic.
The standard sides can be super delicious, but it's luck of the draw. If you're lucky you'll get one of those yummy green rice cakes! (It has the consistency of mochi.) -
Review from Emily H.
12/18/2011
Yelp wins again! While I am a veteran of the Korean places along Yonge St and Christie, I had never thought of venturing to Chinatown for Korean food. And never would I set foot into a basement restaurant unless I could be certain of their food! For all you other sub-ground-food-phobic folks, don't worry. It's good here.
Big pluses: prompt service, the waitress has everything brought to your table by the time you descend their steps and open the door. GIANT tea pot (really shiny)! You'll never have to ask for a refill. A slew of side dishes, something for everyone! And, definitely not least, DERICIOUS SOON DUBU!!!! (err...Tofu, just going with the Seoraksanese pronunciation)
I found their Kamjatang not as good as I've had at other places. Its sour hint was really strong. But try the Soon Tofu here, I would say it's one of the best flavours I have ever tried.
Atmosphere - 2.5/5
Service - 3/5
Food - 5/5
Price - 5/5 -
Review from Joanne W.
12/15/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Located closely to University of Toronto, I came here yesterday with a friend of mine during lunch. The layout reminded me a lot of Hana Korea on Baldwin Street.
Anyhow, I ordered myself soon dooboo (like always), and my friend ordered the jjajungmyun. The banchans that they offered were delicious -- I think my favourite was the spinach pancake (which, I still need to figure out how they made it)!
The soon dooboo was quite good -- full of tofu! I ordered myself the soon dooboo with kimchi, pork, and dumplings. Spicy level was pretty good - but I think I would've liked it spicier. Prices were decent, about $7.50 for the soondooboo -- considering that it's downtown, and close to U of T, that's actually not too bad.
In regards to service, it was okay -- not amazing, but you can't expect much out of an Asian restaurant.
At least now I know there's another convenient Korean restaurant in the vicinity! -
Review from Tricia Z.
Toronto, ON
4/20/2012
I've tried all the signature Korean dishes here but I wasn't exactly impressed. They are definitely not bad, but not good enough to keep me coming back for them. The only thing that I am in love with at this place is their Pa jun pancake.
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Review from Helen Y.
Vancouver, BC
1/25/2012
hmmmm i'm a little puzzled.. what's the big rave about??
i went there after reading so many amazing reviews,..
as korean i may be a hard critique but i thought it was so-so and so did my non korean bf..
after trying their bibimbap and pork bone soup, we both agreed that buk chang dong is the better of the two..
just sayin... -
Review from Lesley W.
Toronto, ON
12/22/2011
Normally I don't enjoy basement restaurants but Seor Ak San does not make me feel like I'm below ground level, perhaps because it's so spacious and well lit. This eatery earned 2 stars right off the bat because it didn't smell like bleach. Yes, I know bleach kills everything - and that includes my appetite.
Huge pot of tea, nice selection of banchan, meaty and flavourful pork bone soup, and a heaping portion of sizzling hot stone pot bibimbap (we got the beef bulgogi) all contributed to the 4 star rating. The food was very yummy. Relaxed atmosphere, large portions, inexpensive prices, and clean washrooms. Service was inattentive but prompt - just the way I like it when I'm having a casual meal.
I've been here twice (lunch & dinner) and I'm looking forward to another visit soon! -
Review from Cindy Y.
Scarborough, ON
12/15/2011
Hahah of course both my friend and I ordered the pork bone soup.
Spicy is the way to go!
I was looking forward to the side dishes but they weren't THAT great or anything. I liked the unique spinach pancake thing, as well as the japchae, but portions seemed small and we had to get refills twice! Also, the potato one wasn't as good as other places, where they've been just pure caramelized goodness (like Buk Chang Dong).
But: the pork bones had plenty of tender meat and it was very flavourful. Perfect for a winter day. -
Review from Christopher C.
8/23/2011
Excellent bibimbap. The most flavorful version was served on a plate with rice on the side. The dolsot bibimbap was delicious too; served in a hot stone pot that is hot enough to continue cooking the contents for a quarter of a minute after being served. This is the way it should be as the rice and other ingredients (aided especially by the egg) crisp up against the sides and become the absolute best part. The free mini dish of japje (glass noodles) was noticeably delicious. The seafood pancake was packed with flavor and had the perfect amount of seafood. The kimchi soonduboo chigai was delicious, but I was hoping it would be way more spicy.* Very relaxed atmosphere. Besides myself and two colleagues, the other diners were all Korean--a good sign if you are looking for delicious, authentic Korean food. The servers are super nice as well!
*I like my soup HOT but I've found that Korean restaurants often serve me dishes that are less spicy than when Korean friends are dining with me. Perhaps that is what happened in this case.Listed in: Best Korean Food Worldwide
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Review from Elvis A.
I finally made it to Seor Ak San. Even though they get recommended for Bibimbap I was in the mood for some Kalbi (Beef Rib) and the spicy version was mentioned quite a bit on Yelp so I went for it. Ordering was effortless as I knew exactly what I wanted.
The banchan arrived quickly and was a nice variety. Some were OK some were hohum. I would like to point out they were not refilled as is the case with other Korean places. Never mind I didn't come here for banchan. The spicy Kalbi arrived in a reasonable amount of time and had nice sizzle going which made a lot of patrons look up.
Initial impression was good, nice sauce covering the meat which is served on a hot plate on bed of onions. Nicely dotted with some sesame seeds.
First few bites made a good impression and it was very good version of this dish. However I was still hungry as the portion was not enough for me. Sensing this the server brought me a bowl of rice that helped a bit.
So 3.5 Stars overall as I would like to come back and try their Bibimbap. -
Review from Denise S.
1/29/2012 4 Check-ins Here
Came here in a big group for lunch. The menu is extensive, with something for everyone, even the vegans in our party. We got a big round table at the back. Most people went for the dolsot bibimbap, which were served sizzling hot and looked fantastic. For the extra dollar, it definitely seems worth it to go dolsot. The regular bibimbap is served on a big, flat dish and just doesn't look as appealing. I went for the beef chapjae (glass noodles), which were delicious. Portions are big! The Korean appetizers that they bring out in the beginning were also very tasty, including kimchi, potatoes, and green beans. Service was fast and friendly, and prices are very reasonable (lunch for under $10 including tax). Decor is pretty simple and they play random clubbing music.
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Review from Lynn C.
10/4/2011
Side dishes in Korean restaurants here in Toronto vary in size, quality, and quantity. Here at Seor Ak San, they give you good and plenty. I loved all the side dishes they gave us, especially the pickled cucumber and jap chae, but I ate almost everything else.
My friend and I ordered a Bibimbap and a kimchi stir-fried pork on rice. My friend said his bbp was REALLY good...I had a taste and it definitely felt like it was rightly good by the aroma. The kimchi dish had a different flavour in than the kimchi side dish and i think it was because they put a lot of hot sauce in there, which became the only flavour in the dish. It was a good flavour though (who doesn't enjoy good hot sauce). The meat quality was a bit skimp though. I have yet to find a good kimchi stir-fried pork dish since a place I went to in Waterloo, whose name i no longer recall :(
The price was cheap, less than $10/dish, and you get full. One of the best Korean places I've been to so far in this are. -
Review from Huntting B.
6/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
This place is definitely inexpensive, and rather authentic, even down the to lower quality meat that you'd expect, but hope not for, in the dishes.
The reviews are so great here though, so I may have just ordered the wrong things: We ordered the Soon Tofu Soup with Pork and the Spicy Pork Bulgogi on metal plate.
The Tofu soup had chunks of pork that were 60% gristle and some of which had tough spots that tasted like bone. I had to spit out several pieces because I couldn't chew through them. I've never had this experience at a Korean joint and this is somewhere between number 20-40 of Korean places that I've eaten in. So, not an expert, but well versed in the Soon Tofu soup.
I had some trouble communicating my desire for a raw egg for my soup, but it was eventually understood, and gladly brought out.
The spicy pork...I have no idea what that was. It was unlike anything that I have ever been served at a korean place. Here's the thing, all the ingredients were there, though it was LOADED with vegetables instead of pork, but the flavor was COMPLETELY off. There was no spiciness to it, it was just sweet, and in a really weird sweetness way. I had two bites and couldn't eat any more of it.
The wait staff was very kind, they asked if everything was OK when I asked for the pork boxed up after not eating any of it. I didn't have the heart to tell them that the pork was wretched.
I gave the food to a homeless person after leaving the place.
The last thing of note was that I was the only non-asian in the restaurant. That's a good thing, frankly. It makes me think that I just ordered the wrong things... -
Review from Mimi C.
Toronto, ON
- fast service
- good prices
- great bibimbob! -
Review from Vivek S.
I haven't eaten enough bibimbap to declare Seor Ak San's the best in Toronto (and "best X in Y" is thrown around way too casually in Chinatown, amiright?), but I can make a few related declarations. Namely, that a) this is some tasty, tasty stuff, b) it's a fantastic quantity for under a sawbuck, and c) sweet sriacha that stone bowl remains blisteringly hot for a strangely long time. Are these bowls part uranium?
This subterranean spot on Spadina could be easy to miss so keep an eye out for the bright orange sign. I was hoping for more orange inside, but the walls are painted a weird lime-green colour. It's actually quite spacious in here, so you'd get away with bringing the whole family, a few friends, and even a few hangers on.
Service was brisk, and they were quick to replace our tea and bring out kimchi (aka gimchi, kimchee, or kim chee) and the like. When the food came out our group attacked our bowls with glee. It's certainly the best bibimap I've ever had, and I want to eat here again soon.
And Now A "Bryan G" Amusing Story: While we were in there, the same K-pop tune was looping repeatedly. When we casually mentioned this to the server, she misunderstood and cranked up the volume (at least I hope she misunderstood). After a few more excruciating listens, we tried again and successfully explained our plight. But she didn't know how to fix it. So -- bless her soul -- she manually selected new tracks one-by-one. DJ Bibimbap!
Go now!
Obligatory Title Pun: Their bibimbap is MOUNTAINOUS.
Menu Readability: It's actually quite well made. But just order the dolsot bibimbap would you please?
Need to mention: An extra fifty cents for a cracked egg on top.
What this place teaches me about myself: If I was a Korean DJ I would surely be DJ Bibimbap. And if I was a Korean porn star, I would surely be Kim Chee. (Star of such films at Pork Bone Superstar and Bulgogi Gangbang... (I've got more.))Listed in: Chinatown, Korean Eats in Toronto
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Review from Yvonne T.
The rumours are true, this is home to T-Dot's BEST BIBIMBAP - even better than Buk Chang Dong Soon Tofu. Seor Ak San has been opened for about a year and even though its pretty far away from Christie & Bloor (Korea Town), this place does not lack in authenticity!
I came here with a friend after work because I had a hankering for Asian food, but not Chinese.
I ordered the Dolsot Bibimbap and my DC ordered the Pork Bone Soup. We also had to order the Spicy Kalbi. The portion sizes are gi-normous. I couldn't finish mine and had to doggy bag it. The appetizers are also generous, with 7 dishes altogether. This included a spinach pan-fried rice cake, seaweed, chapchae, marinated peanuts, kimchee, sweet potato and a Korean-style penne.
I love their Bibimbap because as Eric L. mentioned, the rice forms a nice crust at the bottom of the bowl, and it gives it a nice crunchy texture. My bowl of Bibimbap was piled sky high with all the fixings... bean sprouts, shiitake mushroom, spinach, beef, cucumber, carrots and to top it off - a fried egg. I was stuffed! This is optional, but I love dousing my Bibimbap with the hot sauce. Yummy!!!!
The Spicy Kalbi was get down get down. You can tell they marinate their beef thoroughly as you could taste the intensity of the flavours. Coupled with the seared goodness of the sizzling plate, this is a MUST TRY item. It is for sure THE best kalbi I've tasted in Toronto and I've had quite a few.
The damage at the end of the day was about $30 plus some change. I will be coming back again and again. This might have just become my favourite place to eat in Toronto!
