The Famous Owl Of Minerva

Having Korean food is the number one way to comfort the soul, especially on a rainy day. That's why we headed to Owl - one of the few Korean restaurants in the Loo, and it may just be the best.

Arriving on a Friday night with a big group, it was not too busy in the restaurant. We were seated in a booth so it was roomy and comfortable. They had kpop playing on the TV which was nice and entertaining to watch.

We ordered the spicy ricecakes and kimchi pancake as our appetizers, which were delicious! It was my first time trying the kimchi pancake, and it was so crispy and fresh. The refillable side dishes were tasty as well, particularly the kimchi radish and potatoes.

There were many options on the menu to choose from but I finally settled for spicy bulgogi which comes with a bowl of rice. The spicy bulgogi came on a sizzling plate, mixed with different veggies and glass noodles. I haven't tried glass noodles in bulgogi before but I found that it was a nice addition since it carried the sauce well. It was a really yummy dish and I'd order it again.

I'd recommend coming here if you're looking for a tasty and satisfying meal. Can't wait to be back for more!

Really nice and cozy restaurant. The Korean food here is way better than the place by the University. I came here with 15 people for my friends birthday and they were very accommodating. If you have a large group and make reservations in advanced you will have a table prepared. The service was good, everyone is very friendly. The only thing is that they didn't provide us with any napkins which I found very weird.

The food was great. I got the bulgogi. It was very tasty and not as oily compared to other places I have been. There are side dishes that come with the meals which is your standard kimchi and potatoes. They're both very good as well. The price point is about $15-20 unless you're there for lunch. Compared to other restaurants it is a bit pricey since the other Korean restaurants have an all day lunch special which is just as filling.

Last thing to mention is that if you're with friends or a group you can't split the bill unless you pay with cash. This means you have to pay 1 bill for the whole table if you want to use your card. Also, they don't accept credit or debit for bills under $30. Although they have an ATM on site, I don't want to pay ATM fees. There is a TD and BMO right across the restaurant.

Price is a tad high but this is such an awesome place for korean food- the fact that they have different flavoured sojus is a plus (as it compliments quite well with the cuisine!)

I normally get the pork bone soup but this time my friend and I got the pancake and pork belly for 2. We were not full as the portion sizes were not enough for us (we're big eaters though haha). We ordered the table top pork belly with a special deal of buy 1 soju bottle and get the 2nd for half off. Nonetheless, the food is awesome and delicious!

The service and wait time is average. The staff are very nice and friendly! I noticed that if the waiter saw anyone struggling with cooking their meat or forgot to tend to it (us), they would take the initiative to cook it by maintaining the fire, flipping the meat, and mixing the food around to ensure even cook time. That was a very nice gesture of them to do that.

As someone from the GTA, I've had the owl of minerva before at their other locations but something about this location is just so much better. The staff is super nice and the food is so good, I personally love the seafood soondubu. They have raised their prices (guessing due to covid) but it is still super worth your money and a great place to stop in for korean food in waterloo.

Literally can't complain about this place. It's almost always packed but they still deliver top services. The service has always been fast and they can be very accommodating too.

The food tastes amazing, you can't go wrong with the Owl in general, they are a big Korean food chain that has location every major cities. My recommended dish: the chicken hot plate, pork bone soup, and their hot pot.

P.S it's cash only, or above $30 to use the credit card.

Had the KamJaTang Jeongol today, shared between 3 people in total. It did not disappoint! The flavour was all there, with just the right amount of spice. The pork was extremely tender, and the dumplings were really tasty too. I felt that it was just the right amount of food for us all, although I did notice that it was missing the potato and did not have as many rice cakes as it did the times I've ordered it before. Lots of other options as well - normally I go for the O-Deng Tang or Kimchi JjiGae for myself, but this is a great dish to share at a very reasonable price.

The side dishes were also really good and the server was quick to refill them whenever we needed. One of my go to places to eat!

SoonDubu Jigae with Pork that is all.

(Since my original review wasn't long enough I'll elaborate a little more)

SERVICE = very friendly, and while it's bad form to re-order copious amounts of banchan, the server was kind enough to keep refilling my potatoes.

FOOD = the SoonDubu with Pork + Pork Kimchi Stew are to die for. Portions are perfectly sized.

AMBIENCE = not the nicest looking place, but it exudes an 80's vibe that jives well with the Korean theme of the restaurant. A lot of students come here, and it's not uncommon to see a lot of solo eaters with textbooks

Read some of the reviews and decided to give this place a try. As King street in Kitchener is under construction in front of the restaurant, we had to park a ways away and then walk through the construction to get there... but the effort was worth it. Simple decor inside typical of many pho type places. The staff was very friendly and greeted us on our entrance and exit, even came by to see how our meal was shortly after service...excellent!

I had the pork bone soup and my wife had the bulgogi, both were very hearty with good flavor. Will likely come back again to sample more of their menu and would recommend.

Owl is a famous brand of Korean food in Ontario. This restaurant offers very authentic Gam Ja Tang (Pork bone soup). The Owl Waterloo is a very good Korean restaurant in K-W, which offers high-quality food and authentic Kimchi which all my friends like it! I have tried most of the Korean restaurants in Waterloo, and I can say that Owl of Minerva is the best! The Soon Dae Guk (Blood Sausage Soup), Budae Jjigae (Spicy Sausage Hot Pot) and Ddukbokgi (Spicy Rice Cake and Fish Cake) are also excellent! Highly recommended!

I had high hopes for my first time eating at Owl of Minerva. I ordered the Dolsot Bibimbap which I found extremely bland and the spinach was VERY bitter. Looking at pictures on Yelp I realized why I didn't enjoy my meal... THERE WAS NO MEAT IN MY BIBIMBAP. AT ALL. Of all things how do you forget to add the meat???

Will definitely not be returning.