Han Ba Tang

Great bar food. Not very traditional when it comes to Korean cuisine, but that’s what makes it great. They’ve got a very western take on traditional Korean dishes, such as Kimchi Poutine, one of the most popular items on the menu. Staff were very welcoming and attentive. A fun place to hang out with friends, but a bit noisy during peak hours (hip hop noisy, not k-​pop).

An interesting place! A friend and I stopped in for a night cap, but the name is not on the outside of the building. Odd. He had been before and wanted me to try some Korean drinks.
It was a Friday night and it was packed! We got the last 2 seats at the bar. The bar only seats 4 people, so it was tight. We got drinks and hung out for about half an hour when our server offered us a table that had come available. Nice!
I’ve tried soju before, so we had the plum wine. I liked it! 2 bottles later, I really liked it!
Would like to revisit to try the food.

From outside, you wouldn’t know it’s a Korean tapas place. Through the large open window, one can see their resto’s name from inside. Better yet, found it with the exact address.
The place has a rustic feel. Lots of dark wood on the walls and ceiling. A fusion of patio décor left inside.
We ordered: 1. The kimchi fries which appeared like an Asian poutine. The fries itself was crispy and it didn’t really get soggy which was a good sign. Not spicy at all. 2. We got three lobster tacos which it was a surprise to me that the meat was fried. It could have been fish and I wouldn’t be able to taste the difference.
3. Got the Pan Bulgogi dish which I found was the best dish since it’s a traditional dish. Too bad it didn’t come with some rice.
Not happy: the service was a bit slow, but they did refill our drinks a couple of times. It can get pricey if you want to try many dishes.
Verdict: the good was alright. The atmosphere can get loud with the noise level plus the music. I would only go back with friends or a special occasion.

The concept: Korean food as tapas — served in a kitschy bar atmosphere. Think Guu, but with Korean food. As most of you know, most Korean joints sell family-​style portions. While traditional with most Asian cuisine /​home-​style cooking — this is really not the trend now with everybody’s unique dietary restrictions and glutton like me that want to try a bit of everything.
We had a pretty wide selection of their offerings and most items were solid. The tacos were surprisingly good. I say ‘surprising’ because everybody and their uncle is doing ‘tacos’ now to fit the trend. It’s easy to slap anything into a tortilla and call it a ‘taco’. But they use a spinach tortilla here which had a nice chew to it.
We also tried the baby octopus spicy mac & cheese, which was reportedly the ‘spiciest’ thing they had. While some at the table were sweating and tearing up, I found the spice pretty easy to handle. In fact, it was probably the least liked dish of the night for me. The spice really didn’t add anything to the mac & cheese and I found the texture really mushy.
So, you’re probably thinking: «How is tacos and mac & cheese ‘Korean’?». It’s a controversial word, but I guess part of the menu is Korean ‘fusion’ bar food. ‘Fusion’ — so controversial, I didn’t dare start this review with that word as not to scare everyone away. Regardless of your feelings on ‘fusion’, I think it appropriately serves the crowd, they have drink specials on most nights here and we were here during a Raptors playoff game and the place definitely had a college sports bar vibe (fries on every other table) to it despite the hipster-​influenced décor and the craft cocktail available; there is a very familiar feel to this place.
So what about ‘real’ Korean food?
The pork belly (bossam) came with a flambé salt crust which was a really unique presentation. I was told the pork belly is sous vide which explains why the pork belly was very moist. I liked the kalbi jjim — a tad sweeter than I’m used to, but still a solid representation.
However, I will say that these dishes were $ 20+ so it does stray a bit into the ‘family style portion’ thing they were trying to avoid. That said, it’s a pretty good price point/​portion size and it definitely amenable for sharing. And definitely cheaper (and smaller) than the same dishes at a traditional Korean restaurant.
The service was excellent and the proprietor came by a few times to check in on us and was very passionate about her menu.
Typically, I dislike places like Han Ba Tang — places that try to be all-​things to all people and a jack of all trades. It’s simultaneously a trendy bar/​lounge (with the craft cocktails and infused soju flights), a sports bar (with the flank of TVs, drink specials and most patrons ordering fries/​tacos/​mac & cheese — just missing nachos here), and a Korean tapas joint.
However, at the end of day, I like this place. The owner clearly cares about her food and business, all the food has a very experimental edge to it and it’s overall a fun atmosphere. I still can’t really pinpoint how to categorize Han Ba Tang — but I have a feeling I’ll be back and try.

Found this place on the second try. There’s no English sign outside, so for non-​Korean speakers, this place is the one with the greenish storefront and no distinct name. Inside, it’s very loud and fairly cramped.
Had:
Tuna tartare ($ 12) — Tasty, but absolutely not worth the price. The menu says «yellow fin tuna, cucumber, onion, garlic oil, deep fried Korean sweet yam, deep fried perilla leaf». I was expecting a scoop of tuna tartare surrounded by fried yam chips to scoop my tartare with. What I got were five small sweet yam chips topped with less than a teaspoon’s tuna tartare on each. I could have fit the entire order of tuna tartare into my mouth at once. Even the lime wedge was tiny. I’ve never even seen a lime wedge that tiny on a drink. I feel totally ripped off.
Spicy Pork Taco ($ ¹⁰⁄₃) — Also tasty, but not particularly unique, other than their taco shell. Soft taco shell with what I’m guessing was perilla leaf shreds in the dough of the shell itself. Not bad for $ 10, but not outstanding either.
Creamy Rice Cake ($ 10) — Served in a hot skillet. Bacon, sliced mushrooms, and rice cake in cream sauce. Comes with a side of pickled cabbage (?). Not kimchi. Looked like it’s been dyed with beet juice (although for all I know, it was a totally different color. It’s really really dark inside, so it was sort of hard to see… or take pictures…). Tasted sort of like a crisp cabbage pickle. Rice cake was the most satisfying of the three dishes we ordered, but some of the bottom pieces of rice cake were extremely salty.
As a cheap foodie and an introvert, this really isn’t my scene. The food’s okay, but for the prices, I’d much rather go elsewhere.

Celebrated with a group of friends here this past Saturday. A good place to grab a drink (it seems like cocktails or flavoured soju are their specialty) but there is a limited amount of beers on tap. It’s easy to walk right by the restaurant because there is no English sign out front and you need to peer through the window to see it. It’s good idea to give a heads up to friends who haven’t been here before or they will be circling around the block looking for it.
Once you get inside, I would recommend trying their tacos. The spicy pork tacos were good, plenty of meat but it tasted like any other cut of meat I would expect to find so it didn’t set itself apart, The unagi tacos was more interesting. Definitely on the sweeter side and benefited from the hot sauce that was passed around the table. For sharing, the kimchi fries would be best. A large platter of well made fries (and some random tortilla chips??) covered with sauce, kimchi and optional bulgogi.

Was here the past Friday at about 9pm. The place gets really busy. It was just a friend and I so it was easy to just take a seat at the bar. The bars have hooks underneath so that you can hang your coats and bags which is something I think every bar needs. They also play top 40 music. The service was quick and friendly.
We had a beer, two bottles of soju (regular and grapefruit), cocktails we had the peach beach and a clean cut. They also have shot specials, I believe it was buy one get one free which is great for those drunks that like to buy rounds of shots. :-)
I liked the grapefruit soju the most. The cocktails were only okay, but I think if you enjoy sweet drinks you would enjoy these cocktails. Pretty good spot if you want to have soju with good ambience. I would come again but if I had to wait I’d just opt for another spot since there are so many places close by that offer similar food a drinks.

Han Ba Tang opened up in 2014, and is one of the latest additions to the Yonge and Sheppard area.
The restaurant may be unsuspecting from the outside as there is no signage. However, there is a large bright sign inside the restaurant and it kind of illuminates from the outside. The reason for the no signage is that the owner, Chae, wanted to preserve a rare Vitrolite tiling which was uncovered during the removal of the previous establishment’s sign in the construction period.
We started the night off with the chilli shrimp ($ 8) — lightly battered shrimp dipped in sweet chilli sauce, which arrived in four small dishes with 3 – 4 pieces each. It was dipped in a chilli sauce that tasted both sweet and spicy at the same time.
My favorite dish of the night had to be their kimchi fries ($ 8) with bulgogi (+ $ 3) — extra crispy fries topped with kimchi, aioli gravy, sizzling bulgogi and green onions. The small portion is $ 10 while the larger portion is $ 15. If you’d like to add bulgogi to your kimchi fries then it’s an additional $ 3. The one that we got was the small and it was more than enough for the three of us to share. I loved how the fries managed to retain its crispiness even though it was topped with hot gravy and bulgogi. Additionally, there was a generous amount of fries and bulgogi, and in my opinion, worth the price.
A fusion dish that we got to tried was the black squid ink pasta — squid ink pasta, mussels, with a house made gochujang cream sauce topped with Korean beef cake. The briny flavor of the ink pasta pairs rather well with the mussels, and the gochujang cream sauce added the Korean flavor to the dish.
Personally, I have never heard or tried spoon pizza ($ 8) — mashed sweet potato crust with vegetables, tomato sauce topped with cheese and bacon or kimchi, before and I am glad that I did. Instead of a hard crust; mashed sweet potato is used as an alternative and works as the base for the pizza. You’d need a spoon to scoop up the sweet potato crust that is layered with cheese and vegetables. It was an interesting dish!
The upper Yonge area is one of the quintessential haven for traditional Korean food. However, Han Ba Tang is a welcome addition to the area as they offer a more modern take on Korean food, and is sure to please the younger crowds looking for late night eats and drinks.

Because of all the great reviews, I decided to stop by and give this place a try. Unfortunately, my experience was disappointing.
The atmosphere is brilliant though. I absolutely love it and the décor. However, the price for the portions of food served are not really worth it compared to other Korean eateries around the area.
I’m sure this place is a great hit for drinks and cocktails with friends around the area (especially after karaōke!). Kind of disappointed on the service; our food and drinks took over half an hour and the friendliness from the staff seemed to be replaced with the cold shoulder.
For drinks, I’ll come by again when there is less of a crowd (maybe that’s why the service wasn’t up to par?). But for the food, I might think twice as there are several other options around the area.

Han Ba Tang was on my list of places to go in a while and when my friend went for her birthday last weekend I was quite excited. The environment was cool, there was music in the background but not loud enough that you’re not able to hear the people you are sitting near. I ordered the Peach Beach as a drink which was fairly strong so I would not recommend it if you want a drink that doesnt have a strong alcohol taste. My friends ordered some dishes to share. We ordered Crispy King Prawns, Kimchi Fries with Bulgogi, Beef Kalbijjim, Spoon Pizza and I also ordered a bulgogi taco and a waow bun.
Crispy King Prawns — These were delicious! I could eat it over and over again. It was $ 11 for about 6 prawns so reasonable in price. It was a little spicy but sweet at the same time
Kimchi Fries with Bulgogi — $ 13 The fries were really good. The bulgogi was also really good too. Although they were called Kimchi Fries, I didn’t really like the kimchi. The best part is when the bulgogi sauce is all over the fries. Just so good!
Beef Kalbijjim — This was a little on the pricier side since it was $ 18. The server recommended it so I was hoping that it was really good. It didn’t fail to meet my expectations. The beef was really soft.
Spoon Pizza — This was just sweet potato yam and some cheese on time baked. It was alright but not the best.
Bulgogi Taco — I ordered a single bulgogi taco and I thought it was just «okay». It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t the best thing either. Would probably not order again.
Waow Bun — Should’ve been called the Waow Bao instead! They use a bao as the «bun» and added pulled pork with coleslaw. It was good. I didn’t like the perilla leaf with it though.
Overall, Han Ba Tang is a great place to hang out with friends and grab some food. Looking forward to visiting again and trying other items such as the lobster taco!

Came here with a group of friends last weekend and we all had a fantastic experience here! Food was great and absolutely delicious. Menu items are quite unique so I highly recommend giving this place a try!
Service and Environment:
We came at 7:30pm on Saturday and surprisingly there was no wait time to be seated. Service was great but at times could be slow. It’s a dimmed light restaurant with good music and an overall great vibe. It’s definitely a perfect place to come with a group of friends because most of the menu items are definitely shareable. There is also a parking lot behind the restaurant which was really convenient since most of us drove.
Food:
Tacos
Their tacos were delicious! I love how you have the option of just buying a single taco or buying three to share. We tried the Spicy Pork Taco, Kalbi Taco and the Lobster Taco. All tacos were exquisite and a reasonable size for their price. My favourite out of the three would have to be the Lobster Taco, SO GOOD.
Spoon Pizza
My friends and I were a huge fan of this. It’s basically mashed sweet yam and potatoes topped with an oozing amount of mozzarella cheese, mushroom and their home made tomato sauce.
Kimchi Fries
This was another favourite from our table. Fries were really crispy — they kind of reminded us of those really good fries they sell at Costco! The toppings on the fries included: kimchi, house gravy, herb mayo, scallions. They added in just enough that it didn’t make the fries too soggy. You also have the choice of paying extra to add in bulgolgi! There were also some surprising nacho chips hidden at the bottom the kimchi fries and it just worked haha.
Overall a wonderful Korean Fusion restaurant with really good food and a fun night out atmosphere.

*3.5 stars
Its my second time going to Han Ba Tang with friends. One of my fave Korean bars.
My group ordered chicken wings, mac n gochuchang and I had a peach beach. In my opinion, the price for the portions served are not really worth. The food were all pretty kind of spicy too (I was dying at every bite of my mac). My peach beach was made of peach liquor, soju, and vodka. I think this place is a good place to get beers and soju shots with friends.
On a Friday night, this place gets loud! Even at around 1am, the waitress told us that it is usually more busy and the place more full too! Also everyone here working are attractive people lol. While not checking up on customers, some of then would take shots with regulars.
The décor is also super cute.

I like this place! Been here twice and for sure coming back again. The food is great and the atmosphere of the bar is good too. I went here on two different weeknights and they always have daily specials. Always full house but never overcrowded so you can take your time while hanging out.
Over my two visits, I tried some different food. On my first visit I tried the Kalbi Salad which was surprisingly one of my favorite menu there. I also tried Spoon Pizza with Kimchi, Crispy King Prawn and Black Calamari. All of them were yummy! The crispy king prawn was little bit spicy but tasted really good since prawn is my favorite seafood. I also tried the Strawberry Inception cocktails. It was pretty good and I didn’t taste the alcohol at all.
The second time I went, I tried the same Spoon Pizza Kimchi, Kimchi Fries, and the Spicy Chicken with with the Cauliflower Cream Sauce. They were all great too. I liked the Kimchi Fries and Spicy Chicken! I ordered the Sangria too and I loved it! Having all these food for two people were so filling.
It’s a tapas style Korean food. So, don’t expect to have a huge portion like the other Korean restaurants.

3.5 stars.
I finally stopped by this place after walking pass it a million times! Every time I ask my bf if we can go to han ba tang, he’d be like nah he’s not into Korean bars. But today I put my foot down and i said we’re going, end of story! So we arrived here at 6pm, and it was empty except for maybe two tables. We were seated quickly at a table which is right next to an outlet (yay for those that needs to charge their phone).
I was really excited to try their flavoured soju and ordered their soju flight — $ 16 (Friday special). Flavours were strawberry, pineapple and apple cinnamon (which are apparently the popular ones). My favourite would definitely have to be the pineapple soju, not as strong: p — I have a low tolerance for alcohol.
As for the food, we ordered three items. First, was the kimchi fries with bulgogi — $ 10 + $ 3 add-​on. Adding the bulgogi is a must. Second, was the creamy dukbokki with bacon — $ 10 and finally the spoon pizza (sweet potato base) — $ 11.
The kimchi fries were good but nothing spectacular, I do like the kimchi fries more at banh mi boys though. Creamy dukbokki was good because it had bits of bacon and was also cheesy. And the spoon pizza has a sweet potato base which I like because 1) I felt like I was eating something healthy, 2) I love sweet potato.
Please note that these are small portions and are meant to be shared. As for the service, it was not too bad. Our water got refilled throughout our time there, but it was a bit hard to wave down someone for the bill because it got super busy later on the night. I tried waving down the manager? Or was he a waiter? Not sure, but seemed like he was busy flirting with one of the hostess lol. Anyway, finally got the bill and bam! Total was around $ 60! So be prepared to pay a little bit more than expected.
Overall, I’d come back again because I really enjoy the vibe here. They got good music and great drinks and food! If you don’t like coming here when it’s busy, come right when they open!

I adore korean food and when I first heard about this place, I was skeptical but I decided to give it a try! The restaurant is one of the many many options available near Sheppard/​Yonge.
There were definitely a few items that I wanted to try during my visit. As a party of three that night, we decided to order a few items and share for dinner.
1) Spoon Pizza– yummmm, it was super cheesy and heavy but because we shared the food, we had just enough before feeling overly stuffed.
2) Kalbi tacos — We ordered three of these so that we could have one each. The kalbi was juicy and so flavourful! This was definitely a highlight of the night.
3) Creamy Rice Cake — I can never get enough rice cakes so of course I had to order this item. With that being said, I thought the combination of the cream sauce and the rice cakes was interesting but not what I had expected, it was a bit too heavy for my liking.
It was also cocktail night so we opted for the strawberry inception (yum! this was light and refreshing) and the peach beach (wasn’t as fruity and light as the other drink). We also noticed infused soju by the walls and the kitchen; I definitely will give some of these a try the next time I’m back.
Overall, the menu items are unique and worth a try! It was a balanced mixture of korean and mexican :).

They have very good rice cakes, kimchi fries with bulgogi is one of my favs. Tacos are great fillers — many different choices I tried chicken, pork belly, unagi were all good, the lobster taco was a bit too spicy and crispy for me. Spoon pizza is good as well as their Mac and cheese dishes. The squid was mediocre. Fried shrimp prawns was delicious– comes in 6 pieces great flavour.
Their sangria is very good! Had a chance to try their Soju flights, it’s unique with different flavours. The most unique was ginseng– if you like ginseng you should try it out, if not don’t because it is very strong ginseng flavour. The best one I enjoyed is the pineapple.
Previously I was not pleased as they did not honour my specific seating reservation, however since then the owner Chae as well as the hostess from that night had messaged me to resolve the issue. I decided to give HBT another try. They ensured that the seating was as expected at the main communal table as requested. The hostesses were all very friendly. As well as I left the manager Harry had personally spoke to me and ensured that the seating issues would not occur again. I was pleased with their service and efforts to resolve my dissatisfaction from my former visit.
Will be back again!

Like some people here, we walked across the place, saw the sign for their daily specials and said, «why not?» The place has nice décor, awesome service (from Cindy), and some good music playing at the perfect volumn. Although there are restaurants around the area that has very good food that this place offers, still come by for their daily specials and very fun atmosphere.
Go for: their daily specials (check out the pics), late-​night relaxed hangout spot, fast service
Don’t go for: a quiet night out, the best food on the block

Came here in a Fri night, expecting it to be busy and live… and it was!
Great atmosphere, with the rustic décor and fancy sign inside.
Hard to find since there isn’t a sign outside but we found after a few minutes of walking back and forth.
We had a table booked ahead of time for a birthday, and although it wasn’t what we expected, we did get seated quite quickly… at the very back table.
The food and drinks were uniquely ‘fused’ between modern cuisine and traditional Korean dishes.
Some favorites: spicy pork tacos, Kimchi fries with bulgogi, creamy rice cakes, and the spicy soup were all delicious.
Drinks were great as well, they have ‘bottle service’ that comes in 375ml bottles of a few liquors and comes with a bottle of chaser juice or pop.
What comes highly recommended is the white sangria. It’s absolute fantastic.
Service was overall quite good, they’re quick with the orders and making sure we were alright. I guess that’s a perk of the table in the back, right beside the bar and kitchen.
Aside from the seating occurrence, this restaurant is a thumbs up!

Delicious cushion style food with a mix of Korean cuisine and Mexican dish. This restaurant may not be obvious to pedestrians because it does not even have a sign. You had to go close to the door to really know the restaurant is Han ban tang.
The ambience is very hipster like and the front features their own signature cocktail drinks, most notably the old-​fashioned since most places don’t even serve this alcohol.
My friends and I ordered the beef bimbamjim and cheese pizza. My beef dish is very tender and the meat falls off from the bone. I’m also surprised to see that they serve jalapeño at the side (I guess this is mexican cushion afterall)
We also ordered tacos. Amazing yummy pork taco with mayonnaise sauce. Although this isn’t exactly authentic mexican food, remember this is cushion style and this can be forgiven.
Oh, I forgot to mention that the owner was nice enough to give me free bowl of rice — goes really well with the beef.

So my brother’s girlfriend suggested this place and it was nice! Very hipster and trendy!
The place is small, so I wouldn’t recommend bringing very large groups for more than 10 for a gathering.
Now I have mixed emotions when it comes to the food, I give food alone between 3 – 4 stars as it was ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ with all the food we got. Some was really good and others were okay. The drinks we got were good as well as they had $ 6 cocktail drinks on Wednesdays so we lucked in there.
The staff were very friendly and polite, checked in from time to time. The food came out at a steady pace, one after another which gave us time to enjoy a dish together one at a time. So we didn’t have to wait long at all for our food or drinks.
I had my 3 year old daughter with me and she ate some of the stuff but if your child is a picky eater and doesn’t like to eat new things, I probably wouldn’t recommend bringing children to eat here. They did have a booster seat so it is available if needed.
Overall, I would probably go again if I happen to be in the area.