This food is amazing, best Korean meal I have tried on Bloor Street. The waitstaff are very efficient and helpful in recommending dishes or making substitutions to accommodate vegetarians. There was a long wait for a table on Saturday night, and obviously they did not put a lot of resources into the decor, but the plentiful servings of delicious food make up for that. read more

TLDR - Affordably priced. Good portion. Reasonable taste. There were so many Korean restaurants on Bathhurst and Bloor that were highly ranked on Yelp that we decided to choose one based on the second most reliable pointer - there were many Koreans dining inside. Hence we entered Jin Dai Lae. Good decision (yes, I am patting my back). Entree pricing was $3 to $4 lower than Markham/Richmond Hill. Portion was so big that you would be full, and might have to doggy bag. Most importantly, food tasted good. Short ribs stew had many pieces of beef. Squids hot plate was saucy. It wasn't too spicy, so it was good for me (menu didn't have a chilli sign either). For people who like it hot, you can ask for some chilli sauce. read more

Jin Dal Lae - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

It's a small place with great flavors and hospitality. The crew that works here was extremely helpful, polite and patient. I was starting to get really hangry and irritated after walking around the city all day. We started with Korean beer and shots of Jinro Is Back Soyu. It was a good idea. Overall the food was quite good. I recommend everyone to check this restaurant out for themselves. The Korean pancake with seafood and vegetables was huge and much crispier than the one I've tried before. My beef tartare bibimbap was perfect. Just thinking about it makes me want to have it right now. The sizzling hot plate with pork and squid also looked very impressive. It must have been delicious as well, because one of my companions ate the whole thing with no problem. The spicy shredded beef brisket stew/soup 'Yukgaejang' was something which i wouldn't survive, but my man finished everything to the last drop. Jin Dal Lae is the number one restaurant when searching for Korean food in Toronto on Yelp. I'm glad we gave this place a try. read more

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Place is very small and they do k-bbq so some people take awhile. We waited a good 30-45 minutes to get a table during dinner hours. Service was good and quick. Honestly, food was disappointing. We were both looking forward to having delicious korean dishes that we couldn't make at home but everything was missing something. Bossam was a bit too chewy, but the pickle Napa they gave us to wrap it in was great. The radish kimchi tasted like it'd already over-fermented and gone bad so we stopped eating it after the first bite, which was unfortunate because it would have paired well with the Bossam. The gamjatang was okay. It needed more potatoes and the broth tasted watery. Would still go there to try other dishes. Not sure if this was a one-time issue with the food. read more

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Not quite authentic and a bit heavy handed on the MSG. Portions are good, service is good.

Great food at great prices!! I tried the bulgogi japchae stew which was very nice. It came out piping hot. It wasn't the best version of this dish I've ever had but it was great! The price was amazing for what you got. The banchan was so good. I really enjoyed everything. The staff was nice as well. The bathroom floors were insanely slippery and there's not a railing on the wall for the stairs so I was nervous lol. read more

Jin Dal Lae - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

After reading reviews on Yelp decided to give this restaurant a try. On arrival, there was a line up to get in so it must be good. After waiting 1 hour we finally go a seat. The restaurant is small. The booth table and seating distance is big distance between, so it was a bit uncomfortable to sit and eat. I started with the Tteok Manduguk - dumpling soup with rice cake. 3* - This was a bit salty and lots of the sliced rice cake dumplings (like the frozen one you buy in the supermarket). There were also large meat dumplings. After the initial salt note, the soup was OK. Bulgogi - 3* - The serving size was OK and served really hot. This is the noodles and beef. The server warned that it was sweet, which it really wasn't, so that was fine. The beef was chewy, not the best quality. The flavour however wasn't bad. They brought my soup and Bulgogi out at the same time so one dish was getting cold while I had the other. With the line up and wait time, the staff could do more to move the finished diners out faster. Overall, will not return, even though the prices were reasonable vs other surrounding restaurants. read more

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My family and I came here on a Sunday around 5:30pm. It was our second time at this restaurant and we purposely had dinner a lot earlier to avoid the long line ups as it can get really busy here. It's a nice small Korean restaurant. The prices are pretty decent for the portion you get. The food was on point. We ordered a variety of dishes from appetizers to mains. We would definitely come back again when we're in the area read more

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How can I start.... Hands down the best seafood (or whatever flavour) pancake in town. Portion is great as well, but I would say other than that one dish the rest are average at best. read more

Hands-down one of the best korean food. We had the Octopus & Bulgogi stew and it was out of this world. I'd recommend coming earlier than the dinner rush, ie before 5:30pm. There is not that big of a waiting area, so if there were too many people, you have to wait outside (which is not that fun when the snow and wind are present). The place is typical korean joint with bathrooms in the basement with steep steps, which I imagine would be hard for older folks. But the service was super fast and the food will make up all of that. Plus the prices can't be beat! read more

A very popular local favourite in the area of Koreatown. The day I went was particularly chilly and the queue wasn't as long but still had to wait around 15 mins as there's very limited seating. We came around 5pm a bit before the dinner rush. They have an extensive menu and we decided to get the hot stone bibimbap, spicy beef soup and the seafood pancake. Bibimbap: Great sizzling bowl of bibimbap. Their sauce isn't too spicy, more so sweet. The portions for the meat were generous and so were the rest of the toppings. Yukgaejang: I requested for spice level to be less spicy and it was the perfect amount for me. It was a great soup for the chilly winter day to fill you up. The soup had a lot of flavour and tasted quite delicious. Good amounts of shredded beef. Seafood pancake: Basically every table had this pancake, so we decided to get the popular appetizer. It's really crispy and had a lot of variety of seafood. The sauce with the pancake was good too. I ended up bringing some home as leftovers. Delicious food and affordable prices especially in this economy. The restaurant is always busy so expect a wait-time to get seated (especially with large groups the wait will take longer). The service was quite quick and the waitresses were nice. You get a cash discount if you decide to pay in one bill. Overall, I would come back again to try out their other dishes, the only downside is just the wait-time here. read more

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I can always count on Jin Dal Lae for great eats at economical prices! There is good reason why there is always a queue outside and not for their cheap prices, but for variety of classic Korean dishes ranging from gamjatang to seafood Pancake to Korean BBQ! I always swing by this spot in Koreantown and I hope many of you do the same! read more

Jin Dal Lae - Seafood Pancake - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

First time trying this restaurant. There was quiet a wait to be seated but once seated we were served quickly. I had the Bibimbap. This was served nice and hot in a stone bowl. This was prepared well except that the beef was chewy and not enjoyable, even though there was a good flavour. read more

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I have high standards for Korean food since I been to Korea, as well I have been eating Korean food my whole life. Most Korean food places arent as authentic as the ones from Korea but that's understandable. The food here are very very close to being authentic, one of the best places for Korean food in Toronto. If you go please ask for recommendations. Price is amazing, it ended being under 20 bucks for 5 of us each. You can't find this fair prices high quality Korean food else where in Toronto. They don't take reservations, first come first serve. Line ups are longer than an hour during busy hours read more

Jin Dal Lae - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

one of my go-to eateries in the Korean town There are a lot of Korean restaurants in Toronto Korean town, why did I like this one over the others? because it is cheap and delicious. must order: seafood pancake we have been to this place many times, and this place always has a long lineup during its lunch/dinner time. this place is very small, not so many tables, however, the staff is friendly. it mostly serves home-cooking Korean food. the portion is good and I really like the seafood pancake, almost every table orders it. also, it has bbq stoves, and apparently, this place is also famous on social media for its Korean bbq. even though i have not tried it, it seems like a good option for a large group. the wait time would be long if you come in a large group during busy hours. read more

Jin Dal Lae - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Delicious, authentic, and affordable! My friend and I were looking for Korean food spots around Toronto and decided to give this one a try. We came around 1:30 on a Tuesday and the restaurant was almost completely full, but we managed to get the last remaining table there. They have quite a large menu with a ton of options that made it really hard to decide what to get since everything looked so good! We ended up getting the seafood pancake to share, and I got the beef tartare dolsot bibimbap. I've never seen beef tartare offered in bibimbap before and I had also never tried it, so I was especially curious. The bowl came hot, and there was plenty of rice, assorted veggies, and a hefty portion of the raw marinated beef on top. I will say the texture took a little bit to get used to, but the taste was great! I did end up mixing some of it with the hot bowl to cook it a little which was also good. Both of us collectively agreed that the seafood pancake was exceptionally good -- SO large and crispy and filled with so many delicious ingredients. I would come back just for that, and it can definitely be shared among 4 or so people! The banchan were also delicious and i really liked the potatoes and fish cakes. Service was quick and friendly and they were all really sweet! I would certainly recommend this spot for some great Korean food :) read more

Jin Dal Lae - Beef tartare dolsot bibimbap - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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We decided to try Jin Dal Lae as we heard about their great prices and tasty food. We arrived around 5pm on a weekday night and was seated after 10 minutes. Luckily we went early as there are usually long line ups so go early! Our group ordered many dishes to try: 1) Spicy Rice Cakes and fish cakes - We liked this! It came with an egg, had perfect amount of spice and we liked the noodles. 2) Seafood Pancake - Do not recommend this. Batter was way too thick and hard. Didn't have a lot of seafood for me. If you like a thick crispy batter you may enjoy this, but we like a thinner batter so we can taste and see the seafood and veggies. 3) Porkbone Soup Hotpot - Really enjoyed this. It came with rice cakes, instant noodles, enoki mushrooms, bean sprouts and lots of pork. The only comment was that the soup got really thick from the boiling (despite being low heat). Would have been nice to get a top up of a little liquid or soup. Leftovers were brought home and tasty once I topped it up with chicken stock! 4) Tofu Stew - Friend commented that this wasn't the best tofu stew she has had, but it was still enjoyable 5) Veg Bibimbap - Friend commented this was good but tastes similar to any bibimbap at other restaurants Service was just okay, they didn't really check up on us until it was super busy and I think they wanted us to leave lol. We would come back again. The prices are amazing, cheapest dinner in Toronto that I had in a long time! read more

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My friends and I came for early dinner on a Saturday since most of the places in K-town were closed till 5pm. The side dishes were a great way to start our meal as they were tasty and fresh. Of the dishes we tried, the highlight for me were the seafood pancake! It was very flavourful and crispy. The other dishes, including the Bibimbap, beef stew and seafood stew with scorched rice (I forgot the names) were good. My least favourite item was the fried chicken, which was very plain. I started dipping the pieces in the stew to get some type of flavour. The prices were reasonable and the service was good. I had a good experience overall here and may come again to try their KBBQ. read more

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I do love this restaurant in particular along this entire strip of Korean restaurants. The seafood pancake is so crispy and juicy at the same time. The tteokboki is also great and comes with some glass noodles in the mix. It's usually pretty busy during peak times but if you catch it in the middle of the day or before the dinner rush, you usually don't have to wait. read more

While walking along Bloor, we noticed this restaurant always seem to have a few people waiting for a table so we decided to try it. There was a short wait before we were seated. Between two people, we ordered the naengmyeon, seafood with scorched rice stew and seafood pancake. We definitely over ordered, but everybody was ordering the seafood pancake so we had to have it. The seafood pancake is delicious, crispy and not soggy at the bottom! The naengmyeon was good, but I personally needed something a little extra on it. The seafood stew scorched rice is delicious, stew is more like a sauce on a chow mein with pieces of scorched rice that smells and taste toasty. The pricing was pretty good for the amount of food too! It's worth a try, definitely go for seafood pancake too! read more

A tiny place with limited seating, nonexistent service, but damn delicious food! We arrived at a an off-peak time on a weekend, and the restaurant was already bustling. We were unhurriedly seated and given a menu (no QR codes for this one) and browsed through the pages upon pages of dishes offered. It took forever for us to get even a sip of water - someone came by 3 times to ask if we wanted water or tea, but no water ended up arriving until after we placed our orders. We had a heck of a time getting anyone's attention! It seemed like the restaurant only had 1 waitstaff (if there were more, they were keeping well hidden). The whole experience was almost funny as we would wave our hands around only to realize no one cared at all. BUT the food was so good! I had the nurungjitang, a savoury and slightly sweet stew consisting of vegetables and seafood along with scorched rice. I was utterly astonished with the amount of seafood they stuck into it, and the scorched rice provided just that beautiful slight crisp to the texture of the dish. Absolutely flavourful without being overwhelming. My friend's yeomsotang- a goat stew - was delicious as well, perfectly spiced and containing a ton of goat meat mixed with a good variety of other ingredients like enoki mushrooms and glass noodles. The prices are extraordinarily reasonable - most of their stews are between 10-15 dollars, and are also accompanied with 6 side dishes. I would most certainly come back again! read more

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We happened to be around Christie Pits and we're in the mood for Korean food. Saw this place was highly rated on Yelp and decided to come. This place is busy all the time, there's easily a line out the door when it's peak times. Service is pretty quick and courteous. Food: Bulgogi and octopus hotpot - it sounds like an odd combination but it's really, really good. Designed for 2-3 people, it is definitely worth it. Tons of bulgogi beef that's sweet and tender, octopus is served raw to be cooked in the boiling broth. There's plenty of tofu and noodles and vegetables as well. I really enjoyed the sweetness of the bulgogi against the spiciness of the broth. 5/5. Seafood pancake - this pancake has a nice rise, full of seafood like shrimp and mussels, and crispy exterior on both sides. It's pretty big which I appreciate and most importantly is filed with seafood. 4.5/5. The meal came with 6 side dishes - all of which were flavorful and fresh. There was a decent variety between them as well to make the side dishes interesting. Price: We got pricier dishes but a lot of the more traditional dishes aren't expensive at all. Really great quality and quantity for the price! read more

Spent the weekend in Toronto, and this spot was amazing - service, authenticity, and food were all spot on. The kimchi fried rice and soups were perfectly balanced and full of flavor, and decently priced. We keep thinking about this place and would definitely recommend it. Such a fantastic hole-in-the-wall! read more

I was so satisfied with the meal we had here. Super tasty, warm and hearty food. Love places like this. No frills Mom and pop restaurant that serves comforting Korean food. Just the thought of the meal is comforting. Honestly, 'nuff said. If you like Korean food, you won't be disappointed with Jin Dal Lae. read more

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They give so much food and all the food is amazing. Prices are also very decent. The seafood pancake came with a lot of seafood ingredients, and it was fried so that it wasn't burnt, but very crispy on the outside. The pork tofu soup had a slightly sweet taste, so it may not be for those who like their dishes purely salty, but I quite enjoyed it. It came with mushrooms some veggies and a good amount of pork. This place is really busy, so expect to wait during prime hours. read more

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This place was amazing!!! They have such a great variety of menu items and every single one is executed so well. The staff was friendly and attentive even though we may have been a bit disorganized and chaotic. To start, I really enjoyed the banchan - the potato in particular was great. Between 4 people we had the gamjatang hotpot, chicken bibimbap, seafood pajeon, and galbi and it was so much food. The gamjatang in particular says it serves 2 but there's SO much meat, it's amazing. We were absolutely stuffed at the end. Things here really aren't all that spicy so if that's something you're wary of, don't worry. We also saw a line build up after us so obviously the place (rightfully) gets pretty busy. Amazing food at an amazing price. We were so filled up and happy afterwards that we were happy to brave the cold afterwards to walk 40 min back to our hotel. read more

Jin Dal Lae - Pa jeon, gamjatang, bibimbap, galbi - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Our go-to Korean restaurant in downtown Korean Town is Yummy, but many of our friends have raved about the pork bone soup broth at Jin Dal Lae. We have never had an opportunity to try it because of long waiting times whenever we passed by, but we walked in for an early dinner the other day. We were quickly seated when we arrived at 5 pm, and it quickly became busy as we ate. Between the two of us, we ordered dumplings, gamjatang, and the soon tofu with seafood. Service was excellent, and the banchan was quickly refilled. The fried dumplings were crispy, and the filling was delicious. The gamjatang broth was terrific and tasted slightly more of a subtle herbal flavour. The soon tofu with seafood was somewhat spicy and had a good amount of seafood. All of our dishes were very filling and well worth the price. read more

This is one of my favourite Korean restaurants in Toronto! I also feel super safe eating here as they fully sanitize the tables all the way to the edges prior to us sitting down, and they provide hand sanitizer on the tables. My favourite dish to order is the mackerel with soon tofu or soybean soup, the mackerel is always cooked to perfection and the soup is delicious! There are not too many tables but we usually do not have a hard time getting a seat. Service is quick and super friendly. The bibimbap with beef tartare is good, but I found that the beef tartare tasted better on its own rather than mixed into the bibimbap, so I prefer just regularly cooked beef. read more

We had the hotpot with bulgogi and octopus. It was really good and reasonably priced for $40CA. We also ordered the doldot bibimbap but with beef tartar. The best beef tartar I've had. The service is good and fast. The restaurant is clean and typical for Korean restaurant. It is crowded so make sure you come early. I don't know if they take reservation. read more

I've missed going to places like these to be honest. That hole in the wall business that is always hustling and bustling! I'm so glad we went here. They serve authentic Korean fare and I am here for it!! I got the kalbi tang and my husband got the gamjatang. We both loved loved loved! I highly recommend going here but definitely expect waiting for a table. So bring a book or scroll through your phone. It's worth the wait!! read more

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Such a gem. Small place. But great service. And great food. Will definitely return again. read more

Jin Dal Lae - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Don't feel like paying $15 for PBS and you're in Koreatown? Well, since there's soo much competition, you're bound to save a few bucks if you feel like Korean in the area! Jin Dal Lae is a small restaurant and wasn't busy when I stopped by on an off-hour. Half of the restaurant has booths which I feel safer dining in. I ordered a PBS and a Soon Tofu Stew (seafood). PBS in comparison was a much larger portion! It was eaten for lunch and for dinner by 2 people. Tofu Stew was easily finished in 1 sitting! Lunch came with 6 sides. Female server was kind and pleasant. Food was pretty solid! In my Seafood Tofu Stew there were 2 chunks of something that I think was chunks of an octopus tentacle which was chewy and hard, so after my jaw got tired, I discarded it. It was impenetrable, but the rest of the stew tasted fine! PBS was good too, but it had a ginger taste which was a bit too prominent than what I prefer. (Unless it's in a drink, I don't really enjoy the strong, taste of ginger in my food!) Still good, but just a tad heavy-handed on the ginger. Overall, Jin Dal Lae is a good, solid, mom 'n pop style, smaller restaurant on the Bloor strip! Would recommend especially considering the large portions and pre-Covid pricing. :) read more

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I went here for lunch around 11am. The restaurant was relatively empty at the time. I got the kimchi stew and it came with rice and side dishes. The service was relatively quick and friendly. The kimchi stew was delicious but it was a LOT! I couldn't finish it at all and I felt bad there was so much left over. I recommend here for your Korean food fix! It's also good to support local businesses. :) read more

Jin Dal Lae - Kimchi stew - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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The food is very delicious and not expensive. The Galbi is very yummy including the beef broth soup. The service is OK. You may have to wait for a long time because the restaurant is not big. read more

Jin Dal Lae - a person using a cell phone - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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had beef short rib bento ($17) which was alright nothing too special. kelsey had the spicy seafood stew which was good

Amazing Korean food and affordable price! I've been here a couple of times with different friends, including korean friends and friends from other cities with a big food scene like NYC. They've all been impressed by the food here. The seafood pancake is the best I've ever had at any korean place. I still think about it from time to time. read more

gotta write this as i'm eating cuz it's the best korean food ive had bro. like there's a bit of a line. and they take a long time to cook. but it all leads to quality. now imma go back to nyc and starve cuz it just won't be the same. i think im getting scammed back home,this was some real shit. best seafood pancake i ever had. ambiance just normal but that doesn't matter when the food is buss. read more

This is a hole in the wall korean restaurant that tastes like my mom's cooking. The banchan is simple but delicious and I really liked their gamjatang and galbi tang. Their haemul pajun was a little too crispy for my liking but still good. There's a long wait here even around 6pm and it doesn't appear they take reservations so be prepared to wait in line or get here early. read more

There are so many restaurant in ktown but Jin Dal Lae definitely puts up a good fight to being one of the best! The food is greatly portioned for a great price with good Korean dishes from stews to BBQ! The service is great and hospitable! The restaurant can definitely get busy with a line up to get a table but we'll worth it! The ambiance is great with kpop playing in the background and overall good vibes! read more

Jin Dal Lae - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Loved the steamed pork (bossam). Banchan includes radish kimchi, fishcakes, cabbage kimchi, cucumber kimchi, glazed stir-fried potatoes, etc. Only subtracting one star because the octopus in the soondubu jjigae was super tough and virtually unchewable :( Friendly and efficient service. read more

Jin Dal Lae - Bossam, haemul soondubu jjigae - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario