Toronto · Korean
Korean Village Restaurant
Koreatown pioneer opened in 1978 by Ok Re Lee; family-run barbecue, banchan, and a long menu that helped define Bloor Street Korean dining.
- Price
- $$
- Opened
- 1978
- Neighborhood
- Koreatown628 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON M6G 1K7
About
Ok Re Lee and Ke Hang Lee opened Korean Village on February 9, 1978, soon after arriving in Toronto, and helped shape the Bloor and Christie strip into Koreatown. The Toronto Star profiled Lee as a neighborhood legend after her death in 2019; sons Jason and Sean Lee continue the restaurant. The house style is classic rather than trend-driven: table barbecue with long-marinated meats, in-house kimchi and banchan, and a broad menu of Korean standards. BlogTO and Foodism have covered it as one of the city’s longest-standing Korean restaurants.
Menu highlights
- Tabletop Korean barbecue (galbi, bulgogi, and related cuts)
- House kimchi and banchan
- Haemul pajeon (seafood pancake)
- Mandu, bibimbap, and other Koreatown standards
Diners say
Public reviews often praise authenticity, generous banchan, and family hospitality, including owners who still work the floor. Common caveats include an older dining room, variable waits, and a menu large enough that first-timers can feel overwhelmed. Regulars usually treat it as a neighborhood institution rather than a polished new-wave barbecue lounge.
Review synthesis as of 2026-07-28. Synthesis of recurring themes in public Yelp and Google Maps reviews sampled July 2026; not a rating or ranking.