We went here for very late night food. There's plenty of seating and staff provided sufficient amount of water to all of us. Food came out rather quickly after we ordered. It's a good option if you need late night food after 4am because almost all restaurants in downtown are closed by 3am. The only thing I don't like is the music video that is constantly bombarding your ears in the background. read more

Most of the items on the menu are great but I had to come here to leave a review on the Seafood Pancake. First, it had been a couple months since I ordered from here and this past Sunday I remembered why. This was a pickup order and I don't live very far from the Bloor and Christie location so being in the container for approx 5 minutes wouldn't have changed the state of the dish. The pancake was grossly undercooked and for something with the word "Seafood" in it, the amount of seafood in it was negligible at best. Not being overly dramatic but I seriously think I came across 4 maybe 5 tiny shrimp. The kicker is that the pancake is almost $30 bucks!! $30 dollars for an undercooked green onion pancake! Korean Village, Seor Ak San any of the other Korean restaurants I frequent make a Seafood Pancake that puts this one to shame for like $10 less. And to top it off, it made my wife sick and we ended up throwing almost half of it in the trash. Unfortunately I will no longer be ordering from the Owl of Minerva. There are just too many better options a short walk away. read more

I'm updating my review to state that I had no issues paying with my U.S. debit card (Chase Visa).

Great food taste was authentic, service was good employees are respectful. Environment overall is great. Highly recommend should have higher reviews on here read more

I'd originally planned on hitting another Korean restaurant in the area, but it was sadly closed that night, so I began the hunt for a new spot. Owl of Minerva seemed like a good option, given that it had plenty of tables available and a bunch of comforting Korean classics on the menu. After checking out the menu for a few minutes, we decided to share the Bulgogi and the Kimchi Fried Rice. First up was the banchan, which included the best kimchi I've tasted in a while. It also included these pieces of cooked potato that were surprisingly delicious. The Kimchi Fried Rice arrived shortly after and it's terrific. The flavorful rice is enhanced by the kimchi and the fried egg on top, and I only wish I could make fried rice even half as tasty as that. Even better was the Bulgogi, which kind of blew our minds. I've eaten plenty of bulgogi over the years but this has to rank among the very best. The plentiful meat was super tender and free of inedible pieces, while the sauce was so flavorful and a perfect accompaniment. The other components, including very tasty rice cakes, complemented the dish perfectly. I guess it's a good thing that other restaurant was closed, because Owl of Minerva thoroughly and completely satisfied our craving for Korean food. read more

Enjoyed a delicious meal here. We went late, close to 10 pm, on a Saturday. There was no waiting. The place is small and looks chaotic but isn't claustrophobic. Cardboard boxes were used to create temporary barriers between tables, which was amusing and unsightly. The food, once it arrived, took away these visual inconveniences. We ordered glass noodles with beef, bulgogi, and kimchi pancake. The spice level was yum, but be careful about it if you cannot handle spicy. The kimchi is just mouth watering. The meat is well cooked and easy to eat. I think I ended up overeating The portions are good, enough for one person. We requested a takeaway box for the pancake and the server was kind enough to pack us fresh dipping sauce in a small container. The place is not accessible due to the steep stairs, which could be a let down for many. Good food, good service, will return if I'm in the area. read more

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This place has gone way down hill. I ordered Kalbi Tang for delivery (the most expensive soup on the menu!). They cut corners and used the cheap meat instead of the traditional spare ribs. When I called to complain they lied and said they use spare ribs. It's a shame because I've been supporting this business for decades. I'd avoid it if I were you. read more

Owl of Minerva - Terrible Kalbi soup. Did not use the spare ribs. They provided scraps instead. - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Admittedly only went here because our first option was full, but it definitely satisfied our cravings. The server said their bulgogi portion was only for one person but it actually fed two. It isn't that cheap but the portions are pretty big and you get refillable banchan. The place overall could be up-kept better but it is open 24 hours so you can't except the highest standards. Overall not a bad option in the area. read more

Owl of Minerva - banchan - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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The Owl on Bloor is an authentic spot for a variety of affordable traditional Korean dishes. I'm not certain if they're associated with the other Owls of Minerva throughout GTA as this location's sign is missing the smiling granny! Either way, they serve good pork bone soup (gamjatang) and we come occasionally when we're craving the BBQ pork bellies. The Owl's BBQ pork bellies are served on a decently-sized platter. The steps are easy to follow: place pork bellies on BBQ pan till sizzling, then place cooked pieces on the lettuce leaves, add salt/sauce, and finally enjoy each fresh bite of the lettuce wrap. The crispy pork belly is simple yet tasty with ideal fat content. Mushrooms and onions added to the BBQ pan are also tasty once grilled with the pork belly fat. There's typical side dishes to go along for a filling meal. read more

Owl of Minerva - Front Entrance - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Ordered off UberEats yesterday and I must say their portions are so worth it! We ordered Porkbone Soup and Spicy Stir Fry Pork belly. They came in huge containers and packed all the way to the top! It also came with kimchi and radish on the side. We really wanted all the other side dishes that's normally in the restaurant for dine in, as we were watching Start Up and it made us crave Korean food. We expected more and I even added a note to include potatoes, seaweed salad and japchae but sadly didn't get any. Nevertheless, the meal was still amazing and there was so much food we have left overs! Super excited to eat round 2 of it :D Ohh and we also got shrimp tempura as they currently have a promo with free shrimp tempura on orders over $30! read more

Owl of Minerva - Pork bone Soup - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Simple, comforting Korean food - what can go wrong! I always buy the frozen meals from this chain, so I had to stop by a stand alone location to try it fresh! The service was extremely fast, so we were able to enjoy our meal very quickly! All the dishes were simple yet tasty, and had the perfect flavour. read more

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Best gamjatang in the city IMO. Very humble space. Definity nothing fancy but the food is so delicious. We also enjoy the kalbi and the dumplings. read more

The food was good but a little expensive. And the La Kalbi's meet was a little hard. Very noisy place with very loud music. Nice waitress. read more

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Amazing soups for great prices. I highly recommended this restaurant a try. I definitely going back next time I visit Toronto. read more

Owl of Minerva - Soon Dae soup - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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I have had a lot of kimchi stew, and all I can say about the kimchi stew here is that it was unsatisfying and plain. The kimchi didn't have much taste to it, and the stew was just spicy. No real flavour other than spicy, definitely used kimchi that wasn't ready, and nothing else to redeem it read more

If you want late night Korean food, I whole heartedly don't recommend coming to Owl of Minerva. You're better off just ordering Pizza Hut a few blocks down the street, especially if you're non-Canadian. They only except Canadian debit cards or cash... which i didn't know! Also, the food was not great, we ordered a $38 CAD budae jjigae - like the most expensive budae jjigae on planet earth - and it was terrible! read more

They made us wait 45 minutes and did not even ask us what our order was. They also made us wait 15 minutes before they attended to us. We cancelled and they did not even apologize. Worst customer service and experience. This is Owl of Minerva at Christie station. read more

The Owl is the same as always: okay Korean food at higher prices. Service was a bit on the slower end. One of the few restaurants that you cna depend on to the open - holidays and late into the early morning. I used to eat here when I was young, way before they opened up a Minerva in Dragon City, but have since avoided it because I discovered a few other delicious options down the street that are priced lower as well for a more affordable meal. I came here here on nye because my staple (Sunrise Kitchen) was closed and I didn't know any other places to go; surprisingly, the flavours were much better than I expected. It was busy, but never a long line. We had pork bone soup and bulgogi - two typical Korean dishes. The pork bone had a broth full of body and spice, as well as a bit more oil than expected. There was about an inch of oil at the top when it seperated from the rest of the broth. The pork texture was inconsistent, some sections were tough, others soft. None were fall of the bone so it was a bit of a battle getting the meat. I am not sure if I would order pork bone from here again - as great as the broth was, my fingers were so sore after my meal from all the digging. On the bright side, the portion size was very reasonable. The bulgogi on the other hand was great! Portion was reasonable and very flavourful! It had a bit more sweet than expected which wasn't too bad. Overall, if I don't need or have to, I wouldn't come back here becuase of the price and limited menu options for the single entrees. However if I did ever come back, hands down the bulgogi is what I'd recommend. read more

One of the most delicious bulgogis I've ever had! This place is awesome! Hey have a few bbq tables and majority normal tables. The service was super quick here and the bulgogi was amazing. All the dishes that you order come with several sides to share which is an awesome bonus. Portion of meals are huge! read more

Owl of Minerva - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Great food and great service. Was craving a pork bone soup at the Owl of Minerva. Was it the Owl? I don't know. But the kamjatang was insanely good. Perfect combination of broth, meat and potato. Despite being photographically compatible, the taste was absolutely spot on. Huge portion of meat, soup broth was amazing. All in all a great experience. Tip: cash only. read more

Owl of Minerva - Gamjatamg - Pork Bone Soup - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

There is no better place for late night Korean food after a club. The food here is authentic Korean and everything from the side dishes are delicious! My favourite and the most famous meal on the menu here is their pork bone soup. It comes with a select amount of side dishes such as kimchi, potatoes, bean sprouts, etc. and they refill them as you eat. The pork bone meat is fall off the bone goodness and I often pick every last bit as it tastes so good! All in all they are a great place to eat and very inexpensive for a Korean restaurant in Toronto. Probably my favourite Korean place to eat and the fact they are open late night all week is a bonus. Can't wait for my next trip back here! read more

Owl of Minerva - Love dat pork bone soup tho! - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Had the Kam Ja Tang (pork bone soup), and wouldn't order it from here again. Meat was pretty good but broth was way too salty. By the end of my meal, all I could taste was salt. Sides were just ok as well (potato, bean sprouts, kimchi, radish, and pork skin). Besides the food - service and atmosphere was good. Open 24 hrs which is a plus. However, there are so many options in koreatown that are so much better. read more

Owl of Minerva - Kam Ja Tang (pork bone soup) - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I promised you, their pork bone soup is NOT the best in GTA, but the flavour is always the same, no matter which location I go, whenever I go. The generous amount of pork bone that is packed with flavour, and that super strong flavour soup mixed with rice is absolutely delicious! read more

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The food at this location is really bad.. even their famous kimchi was terrible. We ordered basic items; bulgogi, tofu stew and kimchi pancake. Tofu stew has zero flavour despite its bright red colour, and the pancake was super chewy with no flavour. I can't speak for the bulgogi as I didnt have any. We did go late night so maybe that was a factor... but I have been to several late night Korean restaurants with great food and service. Might try the North York location and see how that goes.... read more

I heard so much about Owl, and was pretty excited to give them a try. Before entering the restaurant, there was a notice that said, "cash only", so my friend and i had to go in search of a bank up and down Bloor. Once paper money was ready, we went back to Owl. We were excited for soup as it was a cold day. My friend ordered tofu soup with seafood, while i ordered pork bone soup. I wanted to compare pork bone soup from this place to the other places to see how it was. The server brought 3 side dishes, but my friend noticed that kimchi was missing, so we asked about it. She then brought 2 more dishes over, one of which was the kimchi that Korean restaurants are known for. My pork bone soup arrived, so i eagerly dug in. The taste was ok. It was pretty mild compare to other restaurants. The bones were not as meaty as i have experienced in other places. For $10.99, i could get the soup elsewhere for cheaper and better tasting. read more

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Best Korean restaurant in my opinion. I am white but I just love the owl. Sooo good and cheap! read more

Owl of Minerva - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

TL;DR Always a reliable Korean go-to for excellent pork bone soup, generous portions for a good price. We ordered takeout from here for dinner on DoorDash, delivery was just $1 and it arrived 40 minutes later. We've been to 3 different Owls across the GTA many times, and can confidently say they all have decent Korean food. The dishes came with purple rice. Pork bone soup (kamjaetang) 5/5 the broth is rich, flavourful, and the perfect consistency. We always appreciate how tender the pork bones are. The seasoning on it is great. $10.99 is a steal for pork bone soup downtown that's this good. Tofu soup (soondubu) was a disappointment. The broth was very watery and didn't taste like much. I love soondubu, and this is one of the worst variations I've tried. The pork bone soup was a lot better, go for that instead! read more

Owl of Minerva - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Came here late Friday night with some friends for pork bone soup ($9.29). The restaurant was about 95% full and we were lucky to get a table right away. The pork bone soup tasted similar to what you get at many other korean restaurants. The bones I got had an average amount of meat on them but most of it was between the bones which made it difficult to get access to. The side dishes were all good and they also refill the side dishes. Also note that they only accepted cash. Would probably visit this place again for future late night treats. read more

Owl of Minerva - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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We had a party of three and all of us love bibimbap. It's our go-to order at any Korean restaurant. So we were extremely disappointed that our three dishes had almost no bulgogi included. Unfortunately we never noticed it until we were well into eating, since step one is mixing everything up, and the ingredients are hidden under a fried egg. I know this wasn't some mistake or oversight because all three of us noticed the absence of bulgogi. All three dishes were the same in this regard. I understand that beef is expensive, but a hallmark of Korean food is the generosity of the meat, and never in my life had I had bibimbap that was like this. I initially thought they made a mistake and gave us a vegetarian version, but then I found the meat, which was without exaggeration about half a teaspoon's worth. I wrote an email to the head office of Owl. What I want to know is whether this is their normal bibimbap, or did someone in the kitchen hold back our bulgogi? Either way, this restaurant ruined what was supposed to be a great night out. It's hard to enjoy things when you're feeling ripped off. read more

CASH ONLY | ATM ON SITE | LATE NIGHT | Great food, service and portion sizes! It's always open so you can count on it for late night munchies. The giant portioned soup in the photo is the Gam Ja Tang! read more

Owl of Minerva - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Food was ok. Service was good. I always choose to have korean food every time I come to use laundry service at 24 Hour Coin Laundromat. What kind of food I should eat in this area right? Korean food is inexpensive, fast and comes with small side dishes which are my favourite. I usually stick with my tofu or kimchi soup. I like spicy and sour taste. So it was perfect for me, especially in the winter. I also got a stir fried squid dish this time. It was very tasty but I couldn't finish it. The server was polite and helpful. I hope I will get this kind of service again when I come back next time. PS. I asked for more side dishes and the server gave me a lot of them! Cheers! read more

Owl of Minerva - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Minerva only has three stars on Yelp? The nerva! This brightly lit, slightly dirrrrty dame is my friend. She's always there for me, no matter the hour, and she always feeds me quickly. Her deep fried dumplings, her hot pots, her shockingly good pork fried rice. It's all good. Do I order her more authentic dishes? No. I'm very confused when it comes to ordering Korean eats, and I've accidentally ended up with some pretty questionable (for my taste buds) pickled squid soups before, so I stick to the Canadian-ized faves. But boy are they faves! Their dumps are cash only. read more

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First time here; I love Korean food& have been to a lot of Korean joints. However, I wouldn't come back to this one ever again. I guess people come back here because they're open 24 hrs & hey if you have the munchies why not. Food was okay: - how could ddeokboki only be ok? I was really looking forward to this - kalbi was the only good thing; but thank goodness for the sauce Note to add: they only accept cash = they won't be taxed by the government. My question is: why is tax included in our bills then? read more

Definitely an amazing late night eat. There's one close to my crib at Finch so I'll be popping by there in the near future. I didn't try their famous pork bone soup but i did try the following: - Korean Spicy Rice Cake (Duk Boki) - so saucy. I don't like this stuff, i just don't like the rice cakes. They're chewy and the sauce they come with is too sweet for my taste. Sometimes too much sausss is not the best thing? - JAPCHAE NOODLES!! with beef. Ommggggg the thing that Nak Won is lacking, just a Japchae dish, nothing on the side. It was amazing, I can eat this stuff until I literally collapse and die. - Banchan were meh, the potatoes were small, and there were only 5 of them. Kimchi was pretty standard and they had another type of kimchi-like raddish, larger pieces, fermented in what looks like the same kimchi sauce. - Deep fried dumplings were amazing too, there were 10 or so and they're big and juicy and crispy and just friggin delicious. I will definitely come back here - it's cheap and it's yummy!!! read more

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We were out late and needed food.... my friend suggested we come to Owl of Minerva. It was 2am and the place was busy. They cleared a table for us and took our orders. I ordered the oxtail soup. As I placed my order, the waiter asked if I'd had it before. I replied not. He said that many first timers do not enjoy it. I decided to take the plunge and order it anyway. While waiting for the food to be served they put down some bowls of things to eat; kimchi, potatoes, a salad (kind of like a seaweed salad). The soup is almost entirely flavourless EXCEPT that they bring you a tray with seasonings and you are meant to add them yourself. Salt, an anchovy kimchi mix and a pepper paste. Once those are added the food was very delicious. It has noodles and some beef slices inside and comes with a bowl of rice on the side. It was a very satisfying meal. My friend ordered the beef ribs. They came hot and sizzling to the table and were rich in flavour and smothered in a rich dark sauce. The meat was soft and delicious. Each meal cost about $15 read more

Absolutely in love with their vegetarian kimchi fried rice and the tteokboki! Their portion sizes are generous and the prices are reasonable. read more

This was the next on my list of places to try pork-bone soup. Upon walking in, my first impression was "Do I REALLY want to eat here?!?!" Wow. The place definitely has a hint of sketchiness. I can't quite pinpoint what gives, exactly, but there's some sketchy vibes going on for sure. No air conditioning - not sure whether it was just broken or they don't have it. You can feel the slight tinge of humidity in the air and the low buzzing sound of fans whirling. Each table and set of chairs are kind of kitschy - random and do match others, as if collected from various garage sales. I sucked it up, noticing the place was pretty full (surely for a reason) and grabbed a table. Service was very prompt and friendly and my order (pork bone soup, of course) was taken immediately. Appetizers were brought to the table straight away. Soup arrived a few minutes later, delivered on a plastic push-cart (cute!) I got 5 appetizers so I was pleased, most places serve 3 or 4. The pork bone soup itself was good. I liked that the broth was not oily/fatty (Ka-Chi's is tastier, yet often bubbling with lots of added oil). The meat here was good - tender and fall off the bone, I didn't have any problem with bone shards as mentioned by another reviewer. The soup didn't have the usual sprouts and cabbage added, but it did have some green onions and whole white pepper corns sprinkled on top which both looked and tasted nice. This place just has the real genuine FEEL of being in Asia. I immediately felt as if I had just stumbled in to some roadside restaurant after a 12-hour-overnight-bus-ride-from-hell packed with chickens, goats and onions. Loud Korean love songs were playing and a few families were laughing together and enjoying a cheap meal. I've been do at least a dozen places in Korea Town and this is the first time a place has made me feel this way!! I would go back, just for the ambiance. Cheap too - $7 including tax. read more

Owl of Minerva - $7 with tax' pork bone plus apps - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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My friend and I came here for lunch. We have to say we may not come back. There are lots of other better choices in ktown. I had pan fried glass noodles with extra vegetables. It had a weird flavor of heavy cream. My friend had their most famous pork and potato soup, that was not hot enough, piece on the very top was even cold. read more

Owl of Minerva - Glass noodle with extra vegetables - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I've always wanted to try Owl because of the many good things I hear about it. I came here for dinner with one of my friends today. My friend ordered the pork bone soup and I ordered the ox tail soup. Both soups came with white rice and a few side dishes. I did not expect the ox tail soup to be BLAND. The first sip of the soup tasted like water with a hint of ox tail flavour. Just a tad hint! I had to spoon in some salt and some spices they had. After flavouring the soup, it just tasted like water mixed with salt and a bit of spice. I was not impressed. I tried by friend's pork bone soup and it was delicious, however I've had better. (My friend said the same as well). The side dishes were not that great either... Another obeservation I've noticed is that the soup was not that hot even though it was served in a stone bowl. Usually, when soup is served in a stone bowl it's super hot to the point that it burns your tongue. The stone bowls help conserve the heat while you're munching away however, in my case... it didn't own up to its responsibility.. ): Perhaps, the soup was not served hot to begin with so I shouldn't be blaming the stone bowl haha. Nevertheless, it was an inexpensive meal. The pork bone soup was about $8 and the ox tail soup was about $9. I might visit Owl again, but for now... it's a low 3 stars for me. read more

Owl of Minerva - Top: Pork Bone Soup Bottom: Ox Tail Soup - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Flew in late and was looking for a korean spot to eat at. This was the only place open as it's 24/7. Ended up ordering the seafood tofu soup and pork belly bulgolgi which come with complementary sides however it was an extra $2 for rice and kim chee. I went up to pay and realized that it was CASH ONLY. Luckily they have an ATM here otherwise I would've exchanged money at the hotel before heading out to eat. read more

Owl of Minerva - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario