10 out of 10 food, 10 out of 10 staff (literally so much props to them, actual troopers going up and down those stairs), 10 out of 10 ambiance and hospitality. I wish this place was in California, probably the best restaurant we've been to so far to our trip to Calgary. Thank you! read more

While visiting Calgary for work, I had a mad hankering for some Korean food. My meetings got out a bit late so I looked up late night Korean food spots and found Namsan... which was a 26 minute walk from my hotel one way. My craving must have been intense because I didn't even think about it and started my long walk there. The layout of the restaurant is interesting. The bathroom is in the basement, the first floor is a bit small but has some tables, and the second floor has most of the dining area space. Interior decoration was pretty minimal but there was kpop playing and it was a bit dark in there so if you're looking to get a few drinks and Korean food with some friends, this would be a great spot. When I was sat at my table and I looked through the menu, the first thing that popped in my head was that they had quite an extensive menu. From army stew, bibimbap, bulgogi, and what I decided to get Dakgalbi (marinated chicken bbq). The Dakgalbi was really good and marinated well. I wasn't expecting the fried rice at the end to come with it like in Korea which was also really good. The only critique I have regarding the food is that there weren't that many side dishes (banchan) and the lettuce on the side was an extra $5. Service was on point. Thu and the woman server, I forgot her name, worked well as a team to make sure everyone was taken care of even though they had to walk up and down those stairs probably 10+ times just when I was there. read more

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DELICIOUS KOREAN DINNER During our visit to Calgary, we had a delicious dinner at Namsan Korean Cuisine. Housed in a converted home, Namsan's main dining area is on the 2d floor with a few tables on the 1st floor and the bathroom in the basement. This is one of those restaurants where you come for the food and not the decor. Service was friendly - and amazing when you realize that the staff carries every heavy plate of food and hotpot up those stairs. Our waitress quickly served us a selection of banchan that included macaroni salad, a mild napa kimchi, seasoned bean sprouts, crunchy radish kimchi and hot dog slices. The banchan was a meh opener to what would be a very good meal. We started with a fantastic Seafood Pancake ($20 CAD). Often prepared at other restaurants as a thin chewy pancake with bits of seafood, Namsan's seafood pancake resembled a thick crisp funnel cake that was loaded with a generous amount of shrimp and squid. The Seol Leong Tang ($16 CAD) was a warm comforting hug of goodness - a rich tasting ox bone broth with thin slices of beef shank and cellophane noodles. Described on the menu as a small serving for one, the soup was large enough for our table of three to share. We enjoyed the milky broth but the beef could have been more tender. We also ordered the LA Galbi ($29 CAD). It was a huge platter of 10-12 large pieces of thinly sliced bone-in short ribs in a sticky sweet soy glaze. While it was bit greasy, it was soooo good - finger food at its best. Tip: if you have difficulty climbing stairs, beware that there are stairs at the entrance as well as inside the restaurant. Be sure to make reservations for a table on the 1st floor. read more

Namsam introduced me to Korean food that I've never tried. Coming from San Francisco, I'd thought I'd tried it all, but apparently I hadn't. The atmosphere reminded me of a place you go to chill after work. The staff were friendly and accommodating. The seafood pajeon was the crispiest pajeon ever. The pajeon that I usually tried is very pancake-like. This is light, airy, and crispy. It was a kind of mix of tempura and pancake-like but not really pancake-like. Naeng Myeon was my very first time trying this dish. With me never having been to Korea, I'm appreciative of this dish. The dish was served with cold ice broth and gochujang sauce, with a slice of pork. This was a satisfying and filling palate cleanser in preparation for the next dish. Dak Galbi Fried Rice was a spicy endeavor for my usual bibimbap order. The egg skirt can be thought of as a wrapper for the savory and spicy flavors. If you like spicy food. This should be your go-to order. read more

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Husband was wanting Korean food and found this gem of a place! It was cute and we were greeted by Steve. He sat us in the upstairs area where there was plenty of seating. Mort was our server and she was sweet and kind and gave us some recommendation's. We ordered galbi, yuk gae yung, chicken skin and pork belly skewers that was in like a tempura like batter. We also ordered asahi beer and sugar free soju. The food was delicious and came out hot! The soup was so delicious and just the right amount of spice. I loved that there was japchae noodles in it. The banchan they brought was all pretty good! The chicken skins were nicely seasoned and so crispy, that is a definite must to get! The galbi came with plenty of pieces and wasn't too sweet. The pork belly skewers were just okay and not something you need to get. We would definitely come back to visit if we were in Calgary! The customer service was great, fun and friendly and the food was delicious! The place is more of a 4.5 out of 5 but thanks to Steve and mort for the great customer service and time read more

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Came in here late after work on a cold weeknight. They are open late and I was excited for a cozy meal. The exterior of the building appears that it is situated in an old house, which definitely adds to the charm. The staff greeted me an led me to a table on the upper floor. Immediately, I noticed that most parties in here were large and the portions were family style. Definitely something that I wish I had brought friends to and not just come in as a solo diner. However, the staff did not make me feel weird about this at all. I ordered a Lychee Time cocktail and a Rose Rice Cake curry. They brought out an included kimchee plate, which was certainly enough for 4 people. The Rose Rice Cake dish was the same, enough for 2-4 people to share. Both the kimchi and the curry were amazing, I enjoyed both immesely. My only complaint was that my drink was far too sweet, I had to water it down to finish it. When it came time for my inevitable leftovers, the staff had great suggestions for reheating and I was even able to purchase udon to go for the leftovers. Amazing homey experience that I would recommend to anyone in town (preferably with friends!). read more

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After getting off the flight YYZ TO YYC I was hungry! We were picking up a friend in downtown Calgary before getting into Canmore. So we looked up a Korean place that had late operation. The restaurant is seated upstairs so if you're going with older folks just be mindful the stairs are difficult to get up and the washroom is on the main floor. I guess one could be asked if they could be seated downstairs but I don't know how they run their business. Greeted by what might be one of the Owners he was asking why we were there. We said to celebrate a bday weekend for two of us and they were so nice to bring these oversized fried sticks of stuff and shared that Sunshine was a bit on the slush side- BUT we had a snow storm coming in so we weren't worried. The meal was overall great, just the right size- quite affordable. I would definitely return, the vibe is hipster efficient all black- nothing fancy in look but food is good and shareable. read more

This an assuming restaurant from outside is actually a 3 level restaurant just at the edge of downtown. There's decent street parking that's free after 6 pm. The dak galbi was decent portion for 2-3 and it comes with seaweed fried rice at the end. The gamjatang was just ok and the tea was lukewarm but overall service is good and the staff were friendly. Banchan were kimchi, pickled yellow radish, macaroni and mayo, sausages chopped up and fishcake. read more

I'm from Los Angeles, but this is one of the best Korean food experiences I've ever had! Parking is a bit tough since it is downtown. They have fun music playing all throughout the restaurant which makes the vibes all good! Friendly staff greeted us upon entry and helped us get on the waitlist of approx 25 minutes. The wait was SO worth it! The menu was simple, had good options, and they all tasted great. We ordered and our food/drinks came out pretty quick. As soon as we dug in, everything tasted good and the serving sizes were PERFECT for what you paid for. Each food was a unique eating experience that I've never had. Lastly, they gave us all a shot of complimentary drinks on our way out. I definitely recommend coming here. read more

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Great seating, delicious food, reasonable price with great service. Perfect evening with the family. Will definitely return. read more

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Enjoyed dining at Namsan while I was in Calgary. Great food size portions. Great service as well. We received a complimentary pitcher, which was a very tasty drink. We came at a good time also. The restaurant had two levels that weren't crowded, so we had a comfortable experience. read more

This review is quite late (7 months) but I wanted to share my great experience here. The food was all fantastic and full of flavor, you can tell it was made with love. My new wife and I met the owner and he was gracious enough to comp us a bottle of champagne and a dessert. Needless to say, my wife has raved about this place ever since. A great food establishment ran by a great person. read more

The place is a little bit ghetto but it's has really good food. The restaurant is super dark and it was really hard to even see my food. The bulgoi hot pot had really good flavor and they give unlimited rice bowls which is awesome. The soy sauce is kind of freaky but it's all good. The side dishes were all pretty disgusting so I would just give it back to them if I were you. They also gave us a free mocktail at the end which was very tasty. Service was good and there was no wait even when we walked into without a reservation. Parking is annoying but I would still recommend coming. Solid place 8.4/10 read more

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ONe of the best seafood pancakes. Soup was good, service was great. Very friendly staff

We are from Southern California and I work in downtown Los Angeles. As such, I have had many a great meal in K-town. Furthermore, my wife is from Rowland Heights and if you know the area, you'll know the Korean presence there is second to none. Also, I lived in the Cerritos area for 20 years too and most of my closest friends in junior high were Korean. My daughter's BFF is Korean too. My point is, we've had a ton of Korean food (great as well as subpar). We arrived in Calgary at around 7pm on a Saturday night flight and needed to eat something before heading to Banff for the week. We weren't looking for a sit down restaurant and certainly not Korean food (the experience can be quite long), but after I saw the reviews and mentioned it, my daughter just had to go. We are SO GLAD we did. It was the best meal we had on our vacation. We had the bulgogi hot pot, two orders of Kalbi, Naeng Myeon, and the Seol Leong Tang. Only the Seol Leong Tang is something we probably wouldn't order again. We actually only ordered it because I thought it would be good for my daughter who was a little under the weather. I think there is a Namsan in Los Angeles but I don't think it's affiliated as the menu is not the same. I wish it was! read more

Came to this restaurant on a whim, my family and I had a long travel day and were looking for something to eat and close to our hotel. So glad we came here! First off, we were a very large walk in group (20 people to be exact!) and they were so accommodating to our group to fit us in and have us seated all together. Now to the food, we were starving so we ordered a little bit of everything and everything we ordered was SO delicious! We ordered the following: - seafood pajeon - japchae - braised chicken - dak galbi - la galbi - pork belly - gamja tang - soju, beer and makgeolli (I mean how can you have Korean food without the drinks!) Did I mention we were starving?! LOL Everyone loved every bite of food we ordered and the food portions were plenty for our family of 20, we even had a bit of leftovers! So glad we came here, the food and staff here are amazing. So much so that we seriously considered coming back again before we head to Banff. read more

Impeccable service. Almost uncanny. Never experienced anything like this at a restaurant ever. banchan was refilled multiple times without asking. We asked to make a soup dish spicy and the waiter mixed in the chili sauce but later came with extra bone broth just in case it was too salty, which it wasn't. After we finished the meal, which was delicious, we passed by the waiter holding a tray of food and he offered it to us asking if we wanted to try it and at that point i don't know if he was joking. read more

Namsan Korean Cuisine - Korean Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

We arrived in Calgary pretty late and was looking for food. This restaurant open till late and we drop by to try our luck. It is fully packed. Local usual booked ahead. As walk-in obviously we have to wait. Greeter was kind enough to ensure us the wait time a couple of times. Honestly, we didn't wait for too long and a table was available. We've order a L.A. Galbi & a medium Dak Galbi among the 3 of us. Just like all Korean restaurant, we were served with complimentary banchan. To me, they are a bit westernised but hey, you get refill and we were mega hungry. L.A. Galbi is superb! Dak Galbi was perfect heat level with complimentary rice where we can cook it in the pan. The quality & culinary skills can step up a bit, you can tell it's not a Korean mama at the kitchen but more like Korean uni students, if you know what I mean. I have to say, service is exceptional. The server noticed I was wearing white & offered me a bib to make sure I don't mess up my top (but I kindly declined, as I know I'm pretty good with my chopstick skills) All in all, exceptional service, good food, great portion and speedy service. Will definitely come back again. read more

Namsan Korean Cuisine - Dak Galbi - Korean Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

If you are looking for the best Korean food in all of Calgary then here it is! If you are also looking for the best customer service then it is also here! You really need to have the pleasure of being helped by the nice Asian guy there I think he's the owner because he definitely treats the customers as if he's the owner and truly cares about the customers. This is our go to spot for Korean pork belly and one of the best sides and dipping sauces and of course their cheesy chicken Galbi!!! read more

The service team here works so hard to give their patrons a great experience. My tofu soup was perfect after a long day on the mountain and despite a short wait for a table on a busy night, the staff was extra kind and attentive. Highly recommend. read more

We were on our last day visiting from florida. The three of us enjoyed the amazing food but the service and hospitality was outstanding. We felt right at home we will be back to visit with our large group of friends hopefully in the near future. Cheers to canada! read more

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The service was great and the waiter and waitresses were very attentive and helpful. There's 2 floors, we sat upstairs and it was spacious We had hot bowl bulgogi and pork belly bulgogi which was both great. The waitresses gave me and my husband both complementary drinks which tasted delicious. They how to treat customers well read more

Food was great and the location although small is nice. Felt pretty authentic. They were busy so I ordered mine to go.

I'm sad we didn't take any photos of our food. There were 6 of us total and we ordered several dishes. Our favorites were the Pork Belly Bulgogi (with added lettuce wrap set up) and the Pork Jiggae. We also loved the Korean cold noodles. Super refreshing and tasty with the nice crunch of cucumber. What was even better was the service. They were very warm and made us feel very welcomed. We are visiting from California and live very close to a Korea town so this gem was a nice find for us. read more

My last day in Calgary. I went to namsan which means good flavor or good smell in Korean. I ordered spicy beef soup and grape flavor soju which my ex husband ordered for me when I first time visited him Korea. Really tasty. For anyone who likes alcohol: you can try a small cup of soju added Into beer that's a Korean way to make depth bomb cocktail, really tasty. The staff and the owner(not sure) in namsan were really generous and asked my if anything all right all the time and offered me another cocktail which I didnt know the name, but it had rose and grape fruits flavor, a new flavor cocktail I assumed. Anyone is interested can definitely ask the staff for it. I really appreciated namsan staff that I had a really good traditional Korean meal and a wonderful night in Calgary. Everyone was so cared about the customers. It was the best experience that I've ever had in Canada. Appreciated. read more

Namsan Korean Cuisine - Korean Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

Great service, delicious food , and a comfy atmosphere. Highly recommend visiting if you have a craving for spicy soup or Korean style meats. I am familiar with kbbq and tofu houses in LA, but this restaurant serves classic traditional Korean food that is a must try. The pork belly is a classic dish that can't go wrong, and the Spicy Ogaji Gom Tang is delicious. A bit spicy and lacking in solid foods you can eat, but it will warm you up fast. read more

Namsan Korean Cuisine - Spicy Ogaji Gom Tang, pork belly stir fry and makgeolli - Korean Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

Visiting from LA California. Staff are very courteous and accommodating. 100% Legit Korean Food . We ordered cheese DaK Galbi large and Seoul style bulgogi hotpot ! Flavors are amazing ! Serving are large enough to feed a group of 7 people ! Definitely a must visit and try when in Calgary ! Will recommend and come back again ! Plus it's open til 1am!! read more

Namsan Korean Cuisine - a group of people eating a meal - Korean Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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My favorite restaurant in Calgary! I go time and time again and the service never disappoints. The staff is beyond friendly and helpful. It's a cozy little place with the best and most authentic Korean food. Truly one of Calgary's hidden gems! Thank you Stephen and team! read more

Great meal and awesome service. The seafood pancake was absolutely amazing and better than I've ever had in a Korea and NA!! The spicy kimchi and pork stew was excellent too. Great late night spot. Excite to come back again. read more

Namsan Korean Cuisine - Spicy kimchi & pork stew and epic seafood pancake - Korean Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

Starters Banchan. We get five assorted dishes of Bonchon, all of it is fresh made daily with a combination of savory, hot and sweet. I asked for more of the fresh made kimchi. Absolutely delicious. Beef Sashimi. $29. The beef is julienned with the fat removed, then mixed with house made seasoning. A raw egg yolk is added on top of the dish. Feeling adventurous, then give this a try. The beef has a slight sweetness to it. Mains Cheese Dak Galbi. $40 for medium. Spicy Stir-Fried Chicken Marinated in Red Chili Paste-based sauce with Freshly Chopped Vegetables topped with a generous amount of cheese. Supposed to feed 2-3 people but we felt it could feed all 4 of us and we took some home. After we were done, she offered to stir fry the Dak Galbi with rice seasoned with sesame oil, seaweed, and green onion. The result of fried rice Dak Galbi? A full pot that you can eat it all over again. Will try the one without cheese next time. So full and lots of leftovers. LA Galbi. $22. Flanken style cut short ribs BBQ in sweet and savoury house marinade. Loved this dish. Dessert. Bingsu (shaved ice) with mung beans, rice cake, fresh fruit and condensed milk. This isn't on the menu but we had such a good time with our server, she brought out a dessert for us. Omg soooo good! Atmosphere. Located on west side of downtown. In an old house with great character. Staff are very friendly. We will definitely be back. read more

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So happy we got to enjoy their delicious food. This definitely will be a highlight from our summer trip. If you're looking for exceptional Korean food provided by an amazing staff, you gotta check this place out! read more

Namsan is close to the end of downtown in a house. This place is awesome for food and beer and opens late as well. When you enter there are seating on the main floor but there are additional seating upstairs. Today was a hot day so we ordered cold noodles and we all felt hungry, so we ordered the cheese dak-galbi. Happy everyone at the table could eat spicy! The cold noodle was good! it had a good balance of sweet, sour, and spice. On a hot day it was perfect! The cheese dak-galbi came out on a huge cast pan! it took more than half of the table and it was placed on top of a burner for additional heat. Each scope had sweet potato, chicken, korean rice cake, onion, cheese, and spicy sauce! It was very delicious! You could order this without the cheese but! the cheese made this dish soooo much better! When you finish the dish to about 70-80%, they will come out with rice and a mixture of egg, seaweed, and sauce, they will mix it for you (almost like fried rice) let it sit and heat up for a bit before you eat. The mixture was even better with 'fried rice style'. I was happy to see how this one dish turned to be two dishes. Definitely will come back for fried chicken! heard it was also very good! read more

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This is one of the best Korean restaurant I've been to. Service is really good, they're very friendly. The food taste so good. Portions of food is also a lot. read more

Their service is AMAZING - one time, we asked for extra lettuce and the waiter came back after a few minutes and kept apologizing because they had run out. But then, he told us the owner had already left to run down to the Korean market to pick some up, like what?! Definitely not something we would have asked for nor expected, but it spoke to their service for sure. Our go-to's are (1) Cheese dak-galbi - don't forget to ask them to add rice in near the end, because it makes a super tasty fried rice topped with seaweed and sesame seeds (they let you pack this to go too, if you're too full!). (2) L.A. Galbi - this is hard to go wrong with at most of the Korean restaurants I've visited. It's well marinated, and not overcooked. (3) Pork Belly ($16 per order, but minimum order is for 2 people, so it's $32/2 person order since you can't order less than 1 order). You cook this one yourself in front of you (as with most pork bellies) and it comes with a really delicious side salad of green onions, lettuce, garlic and serrano peppers (I really really like this salad...). I love pork belly also, whether on it's own, in lettuce wraps, or just with rice. (4) Pork Rib Kimchi Stew. This isn't the best kimchi stew I've had, but it's not bad. I've also had their Gamjatang before, and I definitely prefer the spice level and meatier taste of the soup in that one. Their assortment of side dishes is also so great, and their kimchi is freshly made and so SO good (in my opinion). read more

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5/5 food 5/5 experience 6/5 for our server Steven First time traveling to Canada with a group of friends! We made a reservation as soon as we landed at 11pm! They close at 1am a With kitchen closing at 12:30. They were quick to accommodate us and we didn't have to wait at all when we came! Steven, our wonderful server, was amazing! He was such a vibe! He ate good food and downed some soju bombs with him! If you ever come ask for Steven as your server! read more

The food is amazing and all the people working there are even nicer. The portion sizes really come through. The ambiance is very nice.

The food is authentic and the portions are large. The staff are extremely friendly and excellent service.

A warm little restaurant. Staff is friendly and food is good. We had chicken rice, seafood pancake and should. Taste good. read more

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This is my favorite Korean restaurant in Calgary. We ordered the budae jjigae and seafood pajeon. The food was great and they did not skimp on portion size/ingredients. Furthermore the service was excellent. All the staff members were extremely friendly. My wife and want to go back and try other things on the menu. I would definitely recommend this place. read more

Extremely hospitable and friendly. The food was great. Our host, Steven gave us the most welcoming customer service ever . Would highly recommend this place to go eat! read more