Korea House; if you haven’t heard of it, you are missing out.
On the corner of Cannon Street and Victoria Avenue North, Korea House Restaurant is one of Hamilton’s best kept secrets. Driving or walking by the restaurant, despite their signage, you will most likely miss it. On the outside, it doesn’t look like much. All their windows are covered up, as is the door that seems like it would lead to the restaurant. This is more of a word-of-mouth kind of place.
Off to the side, near their small parking lot, is the entrance. Stepping inside, the first thing you will notice is their impressive indoor plant collection, complete with a coveted pilea succulent. Plant lovers will understand what I’m getting at here. Pileas can be tough to find locally!
Other than the hand-painted artwork adorning the walls, there isn’t much that stands out about the décor in Korea House Restaurant… but we aren’t here for the décor, are we? Bring us the food!
The menu is extremely large, so unless you have been before and have a favourite, you will most likely need a while to look over the menu. Pages and pages of Korean, Chinese and Japanese specialty dishes listed in a laminated paper book (with the same hand-painted artwork as the walls, decorating the front) is handed to you.
The menu is sorted into several categories: Appetizers like deep-fried dumplings and tofu tempura, Korean and Chinese Cuisine, Table BBQ, Jeongol Stew and Korean Traditional Dishes including Bibimbap and Bulgogi.
If it’s your first time visiting, a great option – and my personal favourite – is Bulgogi Dupbap: Marinated semi-sweet beef, cooked and served on rice.
Dishes at Korea House are also served with a starter noodle soup, and banchan (traditional Korean side dishes). From the photos I have seen online, it looks as if they change these up, but when I visited we received a variety of Baechu-Kimchi (fermented napa cabbage, spicy and delicious!) KongNamul (cold boiled bean sprouts marinated in sesame oil ), Saengseon-jeon (Fish coated with eggs and pan-fried) and salted peanuts. All that for just $9.99. Great deal!
Once you have initially ordered, the servers will basically leave you to your own devices, so if you want to order another dish or ask for something, you may have to flag them down.
Otherwise, the meal is a great experience. Large, inexpensive portions of delicious Korean food.
Korea House Restaurant
281 Cannon Street East, Hamilton, ON
905-526-1492
HOURS
Sunday – 12pm to 1pm
Monday – Saturday – 11:30am to 11:30pm
