Dae Bak Bon Ga Korean Restaurant

Not only the best Korean deal but perhaps the best lunch deal in DT.
Had been meaning to try this upper floor resto — take note of your leveraging power in negotiating a better lease for future Unilocalers planning to own one — just hard to walk up 2 flights of stairs when others are on ground level.
It’s an elongated layout, kinda squishy in fact once you start to get to the middle of room.
As soon as I saw pork belly, I went for it but the better surprise was the glass noodles or «chup cheh»: the best I’ve ever had. Who knows what type or how much cooking oil, it was heavenly!
Add in the usual side dishes like kimchi, sweet potatoes (also incredible), sprouts PLUS soup too, for $ 13?!
Easy repeat.
You won’t regret it!

not. Korean BBQ expert but great service will come here again. This restaurant is underrated in my opinion. We ordered too much food …

Since I’m not familiar with Korean food, I tried the lunch box which has a bit of everything. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount and variety of food that came out.
Potatoes, sprouts, seaweed salad, mild kimchi, lettuce salad, kimchi pancake, dumplings, rice ball, tofu, potato noodles, and beef bulgogi on rice.
Oh and miso soup prepared with what tasted like beef broth.
I really enjoyed trying so many things in one meal. And because the portions were small, I didn’t worry about wasting anything I didn’t like. Not a problem — I liked everything. And I couldn’t finish it all.
If you are a meat lover, this isn’t for you. It’s a lot of everything else. If you’re tired of salads, this is a hearty, satisfying option. And at $ 10, you can’t go wrong.

Located on top on Robson. I never actually went inside until finally my girlfriend said we should go. So we went.
It wasn’t that busy so I was getting skeptical (I always do lol) we were seated and given menus no issues. Nice table, with a decent view of Robson. Nothing too special. I like the tables cause they arent that close to each other, adding more privacy.
The menu looked like your typical Korean BBQ place. You got your individual items and you got your set menu. We opt for the set menu.
The food looked really fresh actually and it tasted great. If you had to compare to another korean BBQ place this one is just as good if not better. Its better than Shabusen for comparison.
The service was excellent.
Pricing was also fantastic.
I am surprised I dont go back there, it was a decent experience. Only went one time though. Will have to re-​visit.

We came all the way around 11pm because it posts close at 2am, when we entered, the staff said it is closed. Very disappointed.

Came and ordered the AYCE menu B with friends. The menu comes with beef, chicken, and pork which we barbeque ourselves. It comes with a choice of many sides such as japchae, pancake, gyoza, sweet potato, etc. Overall the food was great but a bit on the pricier end ($ 28/​person — Or I just don’t eat that much). The one disappointment was my rice had a little bug in it. Got an apology, an offer to exchange (the waitress was nice) but no discount, I’m sure this is very very rare but bleh… I don’t eat bugs.

Wow this place is pathetic. Coming from Hawaii where there are limited AYCE places, I thought Korean food here in Vancouver would be better. I never had such crappy food and crappy service at the same time that I REALLY regret coming here. It took these idiot waiters 10 minutes to ask if we wanted water or tea (which it never came), 20 minutes to drop off our beers, and another 20 minutes to approach us to take our order. $ 30 per person to eat AYCE bulgogi and pork bulgogi… REALLY??? And they offered pork belly for the cheaper option but pork belly doesn’t include in the more expensive option. I don’t get it. I SHOULDVE TRUSTED MY INSTINCT AND WALKED OUT WHEN WE HAD THE CHANCE. The service was sooooo shitty and the shittier part is that they auto grat 15% tip on our bill bc it was AYCE. No wonder their service was shitty. Fuckahz.
And the food… Let’s not even go there. It was so shitty. I never ate such terrible Korean food. It makes you wonder if a Korean really made this food. The miso soup was beyond pathetic. Tasted like straight up dwenjang mixed with water with no seasoning or such. So gross. Ended up paying $ 90 for a shitty ass crappy meal from these Korean crooks. God what a shame to be Korean. I know I’m on vacation and don’t really budget but this is something else. Being ripped off by your own terrible race. What a disgrace and shame. Save your money and stay FARRRRR away from this shit hole.

The dumplings, seafood pancake and glass noodles were all solid, as well as the meat which was high quality. However the service was mediocre as expected in a Korean or asian restaurant as the waiter took 20 minutes to pin down. Their karaōke library was quite nice also and even had WWE theme songs.

We really annoyed it last time so we brought more friends to try it this time. The portions are great if you are really hungry. We enjoyed every thing that came with the personal set combo for one… Which came with a choice of meat, then 6 Korean side dishes, with mini stew, steamed egg, mini bowl of noodles, shrimp tempura, lettuce for wrapping your meat and a bowl of rice! All for $ 20+.

More like 3.5, but rounding down since 3 seems more accurate. BF and I were wandering Robson when we saw their sign advertising an AYCE Pork Belly option, and since we’re huge fans of KBBQ Pork Belly, we couldn’t resist. We showed up to a fairly empty restaurant around 5 PM on a Sunday so service was pretty decent, even when our section started to fill up with mostly Korean patrons.
The AYCE Option A (pork belly) has tons of different flavors listed (miso, spicy, coffee, garlic, ketchup, etc.). I found this to be mostly gimmicky since none of the flavors were really too prominent and the flavors were pretty haphazardly slathered onto the slices of pork belly, but the spicy pork belly was pretty distinguishable. However, it was still fun to experiment. The side dishes were all pretty good, and they had some interesting ones that aren’t typically included (black bean noodles, korean rice balls, gyoza, etc.).
Their menu set up is a bit confusing since you have to order in «rounds». You’re limited to 8 pieces of pork belly per «round», and if you want more of certain side dishes, you’ll have to mark that on your sheet with your «round», instead of simply asking for more. Our eyes were bigger than our stomach and we were first appalled to see that there was only space for 4 «rounds» on the paper, but we could only make it through round 2!

Food is good. Service is a little bit on the lag side, took like one hour just to get my god damn cranberry juice. the guy with the bull cut is a lag…

Oh, everybody… I quite like this place! The food is very decent and the lunch «box» is nice. Seafood pancake is delicious anywhere but they do make a good one. I love Spicy Soft Tofu Soup and it’s not bad here. It’s nice and convenient for me in this neighbourhood. It’s located upstairs so if you get a window seat, you can Robson-​watch. I noticed they had karaōke rooms although I’ve never seen the inside of them — maybe one day.
The servers are generally helpful. I have not had trouble getting more of the yummy seaweed and bean sprout stuff on the side. They like to leave you alone for the most part (which can be nice) but we have always managed to get a server’s attention when we need them. So far so good.
As far as drinks go, I’ve only had tea there. It’s tea.
So, hey. I’d come back for the food.

I was walking by and thought the lunch board outside had a picture of ramen. It looked really really good. The ramen slut never passes up a chance to explore a new ramen place. When I got inside I pointed to the picture and was told it was not ramen but a bulgogi stew that is meant to be eaten with rice. Well I was already there so might as well. First out came three small dishes that I stared at wondering if they were mine. Cold kimchi, cold sprouts and cold chunks that tasted kind of sweet and I determined they were potato. I had no idea what to do so I started snacking on ten thinking they were an appetizer. When the meal came it was very hot boiling soup with an assortment of mushrooms, onions, veg and bulgogi. The broth was super flavorful. It was really really freaking good and I was amazed at home much food I got for $ 10. The service was prompt and polite as well.
Ramen is my number one lunch go to so I don’t think I will replace that anytime soon however I won’t hesitate on coming back here again, fantastic food and prices. (I glanced at the rest of the menu)
They have karaōke rooms in the back so I bet it’s bumping at night, during the day it was a nice comfortable place to eat.
Oh yeah on the way out I saw a hot stone bibimap that looked freaking amazing.

Once I walked into the restaurant, the smokey smell was very strong and the tables and chairs were kind of sticky (oily/​greasy due to the BBQ place?).
The restaurant was quite busy but there were not enough waiters or waitresses. My friends and I had to look for a waiter or waitress whenever we needed something. Most of the customers were students or young adults here. The waiters and waitresses who worked here were quite young in general.
We went for lunch ordering different lunch combos. The food was great overall. The portion was big and the combos had a lot of varieties.
There are many Korean restaurants in downtown Vancouver. I may want to try them instead of going back to this one.

I’m shocked this place is so underrated, because I’d literally be willing to make treks and day-​trips across the border just to eat here again. The $ 10 lunch special is AMAZING — HUGE proportions, and a taste of everything; the meal itself keeps you entertained with all the entrees it comes with. It’s sort of like a very large bento box, and comes with the traditional appetizers of kimchi (pickled cabbage) to start. The noodles in the lunch box set was amazing. Probably one of the best Korean restaurants I’ve ever eaten at.

Solid place. I used to go to the one on west 4^th but now I come here. The side dishes are amazing especially the kimchi and the potatoes. The prices have been going up though.
Most of their customers are all Koreans so it is quite authentic. Get some of their bbq meats. Beef, pork, chicken bbq are all great! Stronger flavours. The authentic dishes would be the pork steaks and pork belly– which have less flavour.

Went here with limited expectations given how overpriced and mediocre most Korean restaurants here are.
Had the $ 10 lunch bbq special and it was great! Meat was deliciously marinated and the side dishes included my two faves (potatoes in a sweet sauce, sesame been sprouts). Service was very brisk and friendly. Good atmosphere!

My partner is a meat-​lover, so for his birthday, I made a reservation at Dae Bak Bön Ga for Korean BBQ with his friends. The all-​you-​can-​eat option was very well-​liked by those who ate meat. In comparison to the Korean BBQ in LA, this place was not as good in terms of meat variety, quality and price, but I was told it was still good.
When deciding between this restaurant and another Korean BBQ place, I checked both menus online to see if either had any vegetarian options for me. Dae Bak Bön Ga had about 4 veg options, so my decision swung in its favour. I was very much looking forward to a noodle dish with veggies. When I arrived, the waiter informed me that the online menu is very out of date; they had only one option on the current menu that was vegetarian (a bibimbap with or without a hot stone bowl). I was disappointed, but the bibimbap was just fine. If you do not eat egg, make sure to mention that to the waiter since the bibimbap typically comes with an egg on top.
In an attempt to surprise my partner for his birthday, I covertly asked our waiter near the kitchen if the restaurant does anything special for birthdays (like sing or offer a complimentary dessert). The waiter said he would ask the manager. About 20 minutes later, he came to our table and announced that he was still going to talk to the manager about a birthday treat, so the surprise was over. About 40 minutes into the meal he came back with complimentary cocktails. We all appreciated the gesture; it was quite kind to offer us free drinks. However, very few of us touched the bright blue, artificial, lemon-​flavoured drink. A pitcher of beer or even a happy birthday song (in Korean or English) would have been more enjoyable.

I love Korean BBQ and I’m willing to travel and spend a lot just to get some but, when I have gone to this place with just 1 friend, the service we got was horrendous and I have come to the assumption that they don’t serve you well if 1, you’re less then 3 people and 2, if you can’t speak the language.
My friend and I had simple orders and weren’t picky on price, and if they didn’t give us such a cold shoulder, we would have easily binged on the menu. However, getting water was near impossible and we even noticed that the table behind us (which contained 3 Korean speaking individuals) had gained exceptionally amazing service. They got water they didn’t even seem to have asked for and the waiters waited on them instantly/​constantly while my friend and I were left in the dust. And on that same occasion, despite having asked more then 10 times, and to 10 different people in a nearly empty restaurant, we were NEVER given the soup we ordered. SOUP, JUST SOUP.
But what has made me more bitter is during the rare chance that I was with my family and it was the closest Korean I could find. We were a big crowd and we were greeted with so many waiters, they were constantly watching us so they could quickly come to assist us, and even helped with cooking and explaining how to best eat the food. The service was so nice, but I knew it was fake.
Overall they were extremely expensive and gave unreasonably small portions.

One of the better Korean restaurants in Downtown. I find the service here quiet friendly and the quality of the food never disappoints. It’s not a five star but I don’t really want to drive all the way out of the city for a quick lunch to get great korean food. At least not all the time.
There are a couple lunch specials available, you have to see if these suit you or not. Usually I order from the regular menu and the bill for two usually runs around 50 $.