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Jin Dal Lae

4.4 (144 reviews)
ModerateKorean
Closed • Closed

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JIN DAL LAE ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Good for kids
Dogs allowed

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Recommended Reviews - Jin Dal Lae

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Gamjatang
Rachel A.

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.

Becky C.

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.

Terry C.

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.

Peggy C.

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

Cindy N.

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.

Seafood Pancake
Arnold L.

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!

Alexander C.

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.

Jiaqi Z.

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

Emily X.

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.

Beef tartare dolsot bibimbap
Katherine G.

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 :)

Banchan
Lana D.

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!

Side Dishes
Yoland E.

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.

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1 month ago

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

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11 months ago

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

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Jin Dal Lae - korean - Updated May 2026

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