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My expectations when going to a Korean restaurant may be high, compared to what you may get elsewhere in Montreal, but Sam Cha fell short on several points. Note - My introduction to bulgogi years ago was Woo Lae Oak in the U.S. and since I've stayed a regular diner in NYC's K-town. My friend with me had never had bulgogi before, so we went excited for her first try. Here's our experience: First, called in advance, but they did not take more reservations - something they limit, although they leave do take walk-ins, but you need sign up in-person for the waitlist. A permanent extension that spills into the sidewalk adds seating, but still it's a not a huge space. As the host warned when we arrived, it took about 30-40 minutes to be seated. Without a bar to sit at while waiting, it automatically forces you to go somewhere else, as we did to have a beer while waiting. Given it was packed, I expect this is normal. Second, a big WARNING! Sam Cha has no bulgogi main course and there is no grilling at the table, compared to what I read about online! They only have an appetizer, which we ordered. Alternatively, you can have it in a bibimbap dish, but that really isn't the same thing. The waiter explained the end to the on-table grilling was due to some new Montreal regulation. (Question: Is there anywhere still in Montreal you can grill bulgogi at the table and provide the lettuce wrap?) Sam Cha's bulgogi appetizer came liquidy on a plate and lacked the lettuce, etc., to wrap the meat in like everywhere else I've had it! While my friend enjoyed it as her first exposure to bulgogi, to me this was a major let down! Third, I'm used to kimchi and other nibbles to be automatically complementary part of the meal, but such an appetizer had to be ordered extra. They served a standard kimchi with a more mild slaw. (See pic.) Fourth as a main course, we ordered two soups, myself a seafood soup and my friend a chicken "katsu" (cutlet) ramen soup. Both soups were steaming upon arrival. My soup was filled with assorted seafood, but it was nothing to write home about and even "less spicy" was strong. Although Sam Cha's prices were fair, I haven't visited other Montreal Korean restaurants to compare it to. If you have the opportunity to eat great Korean elsewhere, my recommendation is to explore Montreal's other restaurants first - there are many fantastic eats out there!
I've been here couple times and every time the food has been good. Service was nice We had a party of 10ppl so they have the back of restaurant to host larger group. We made a reservation at the opening time and was seated right away. Love the beef tartare- so good Everything was good also.
We visited Sam Cha on the recommendation of a friend and it was great. There was a line going into the restaurant, and we had to get onto a waitlist to get a table; I would definitely make a reservation in advance, as we waited about 40 minutes before we were sat. It was well worth the wait, and there are a number of shops to check out in the area while you wait for the text to let you know that the table is ready. he restaurant atmosphere was very busy, with lots of chatter from other diners, but the service was good overall despite the number of customers. We ordered the Kimchi Fried Rice, the Rosé Cream Udon, and the Tofu Salad; all were tasty, especially the udon. I would return just to order that again and to try other items on the menu.
We ordered bibimbap, kimchi soup with tofu and pork and fried rice cake. All three dishes were good and overall they toned down a bit the spiciness to cater locals. We also tried the sojo with the original flavour. It was a bit bland. Should have ordered other flavours. The service was a bit slow on a raining Sunday evening but there were quite many people still. It seemed like the restaurant lacked stuff but the front desk told us it was like this all the time. We arrived at around 6:30 and did not have a reservation and waited for half an hour to be seated. So if you want to have a try, better take a reservation. The ambiance was okay but I feel the music was a bit too loud to have a good conversation.
I ate plenty of Korean soft tofu soup and this is really bad. I added full 2 cups of water and still salty. Don't they taste the food before they send it out? Also, the bibimbap beef tartare was so chewy ...
I was a little annoyed at the beginning because they were making us all wait in a physical line instead of taking names or giving out numbers, and it was 90 degrees and there was zero ventilation in the doorway. Also they told us the wait would be 5-10 minutes, and then after a while they told the people ahead of us that it was going to be 5-10 minutes for them, so we waited a lot longer. When we were seated we realized that they actually had a lot of empty tables in the back, but they just didn't have enough manpower in the waitstaff and/or kitchen to keep up with a full house, hence making us wait to be seated. We ordered takoyaki ($4), two cold noodles ($13 each), and a kimchi pancake ($13). The kitchen was super considerate and mindful about my garlic/onion intolerance, and the chef came to our table twice to double check with us and make adjustments. Everything was amazing. The prices were really reasonable and the portions were on the larger side. The takoyaki was hot, chewy, and tasty. The noodles had great chew and the beef was tasty too. The kimchi pancake was topped with slices of pork belly and was overall such a good combination of tastes and textures. We spent about $50 for two people. Highly recommend!
Very delicious Korean restaurant. We came here with our friends. Two persons shared BBQ and two persons shared Budae Chigae Very tasty. With a pitcher of cocktail. A very nice event
Montreal has a surprisingly high amount of great Korean restaurants and Sam Cha is definitely one of them! Located at the edge of downtown Montreal, it is rather conveniently placed near Atwater metro station. One of the downside of this place is that there is often a line-up at peak hours (eg. on weekends at dinner time). But don't worry, the wait is worth it for the quality of the food. Their menu is standard for a Korean restaurant, which includes their various stews and also a selection for Korean BBQ. However, one of my favorite dishes there is something that is not found on the menu: KIMCHI FRIES. Oh man, that thing is straight FIRE. Makes poutine look like a sloppy cousin. I won't go on too much about it; you have to taste it yourself.
You might wait a little bit before you sit on a table but it is worth it! We did not order a lot because we were invited somewhere else. But i saw the food on every table and they were delicious! I will come back this is for sure ! The staff were friendly and respectful !
Amazing sea food crepes,huge amount of shrimps and calmaries on every bite. Bibimbap with the beef stew was very yummy too. Great portions.flavor and price.absolutely recommend this place.
After seeing the new avengers movie at atwater cineplex, my SO and I came here for dinner around 5pm. There was one table before us. After we finish our dinner there was already a long line. We had a beef tatare, a kimchi pancake , a spicy soup with tofu, pork and kimchi. The portion was huge, I thought the pancake was an appetizer, but it was a main dish size. I shared the stone bowl rice with my husband. The soup was tasty too. Only one draw point my husband complained about was too much oil in the pancake and too much fatty meat in the soup. They put generous amount of pork in pancake and the soup, but I think it's too much.
This was our second time at Sam Cha and the experience at this restaurant just gets better and better. Nothing hits the spot better than a hot bowl of soup on a cold, rainy day in Montreal to warm the soul - that and immersing yourself in soft, Korean Pop/R&B vibe. The servers were friendly and casual - the whole atmosphere gave off a homey feeling. We ordered the usual seafood sundubu - a seafood soup (definitely one of the best in town!) and the Vegetable Okonomiyaki as an appetizer - a sort of pancake - which I definitely, definitely recommend to try (absolutely delicious). The portions were extremely generous, hearty and quite reasonably priced! The place usually gets busy towards 6-7pm and there's usually a line up, but DEFINITELY worth the wait! We would recommend this place for eating with a couple of friends (as they are usually very busy, I feel like they would have a hard time accommodating a large group) and for a fun date night!
The food here was great! We got the melona (honeydew flavor) soju pitcher and it was really delicious. I got the pork dupbap and really enjoyed the meal. The Takoyaki was alright wouldn't recommend but the duk skewers tasted good. Would recommend this place for a casual night with drinks and good Korean food.
2 months ago
Really good udon rose. The Sundubu is also great. Came here before church not really hungry but finished it. All the way from Texas to find this little jewel read more
This was one of the higher rated Korean restaurants in the Montreal area. The food overall was OK and the portions were decent and good for sharing. Service was one of the better things about this restaurant. Our server was attentive quick and the food came out fairly fast after ordering. Restaurant has a lot of small tables and is better for smaller groups and you can squeeze multiple people into the smaller tables as long as you let your server know that you're fine with squeezing in. It's got a fun vibe to it with nice decor and maybe a good place to go to hang out with your friends and grab some drinks. read more
It's small and all tables are mostly reserved, so we were told we would have to share a table with others. We aren't keen on sitting at a table with total strangers at all. May be getting carry out instead? We were able to get seated at a two top picnic table before 7pm, only about a 5-10 minute wait. Ordered two sides of kimchi, Kim gui, tteokbokki, regular spicy chickie, Buldak chicken. C$74.23 The kimchi side comes with a side of shredded radish, which is quite sweet. Was hoping it would be the cubed radish kimchi instead. The shredded radish clumps together, it's ok. The kimchi is also so-so. The seaweed is good. The tteokbokki is a small portion, the gochujang sauce tastes smokey, it's pretty good. Comes with mushrooms. The spicy chickie is good, the breading is light and crispy. The chickie is nicely fried, not too dry. I should have read more carefully, the Buldak is smothered in cheese, had to removed it all off the top of the meat. The meat is oddly cut, it's nicely cooked and tender. It's a big portion of meat. There is no complimentary rice with the BBQ Buldak chicken, that's a first. No banchans here as complimentary here either, not very Korean of this place at all. :/ read more
My expectations when going to a Korean restaurant may be high, compared to what you may get elsewhere in Montreal, but Sam Cha fell short on several points. Note - My introduction to bulgogi years ago was Woo Lae Oak in the U.S. and since I've stayed a regular diner in NYC's K-town. My friend with me had never had bulgogi before, so we went excited for her first try. Here's our experience: First, called in advance, but they did not take more reservations - something they limit, although they leave do take walk-ins, but you need sign up in-person for the waitlist. A permanent extension that spills into the sidewalk adds seating, but still it's a not a huge space. As the host warned when we arrived, it took about 30-40 minutes to be seated. Without a bar to sit at while waiting, it automatically forces you to go somewhere else, as we did to have a beer while waiting. Given it was packed, I expect this is normal. Second, a big WARNING! Sam Cha has no bulgogi main course and there is no grilling at the table, compared to what I read about online! They only have an appetizer, which we ordered. Alternatively, you can have it in a bibimbap dish, but that really isn't the same thing. The waiter explained the end to the on-table grilling was due to some new Montreal regulation. (Question: Is there anywhere still in Montreal you can grill bulgogi at the table and provide the lettuce wrap?) Sam Cha's bulgogi appetizer came liquidy on a plate and lacked the lettuce, etc., to wrap the meat in like everywhere else I've had it! While my friend enjoyed it as her first exposure to bulgogi, to me this was a major let down! Third, I'm used to kimchi and other nibbles to be automatically complementary part of the meal, but such an appetizer had to be ordered extra. They served a standard kimchi with a more mild slaw. (See pic.) Fourth as a main course, we ordered two soups, myself a seafood soup and my friend a chicken "katsu" (cutlet) ramen soup. Both soups were steaming upon arrival. My soup was filled with assorted seafood, but it was nothing to write home about and even "less spicy" was strong. Although Sam Cha's prices were fair, I haven't visited other Montreal Korean restaurants to compare it to. If you have the opportunity to eat great Korean elsewhere, my recommendation is to explore Montreal's other restaurants first - there are many fantastic eats out there! read more
I've been here couple times and every time the food has been good. Service was nice We had a party of 10ppl so they have the back of restaurant to host larger group. We made a reservation at the opening time and was seated right away. Love the beef tartare- so good Everything was good also. read more
3 years ago
We visited Sam Cha on the recommendation of a friend and it was great. There was a line going into the restaurant, and we had to get onto a waitlist to get a table; I would definitely make a reservation in advance, as we waited about 40 minutes before we were sat. It was well worth the wait, and there are a number of shops to check out in the area while you wait for the text to let you know that the table is ready. he restaurant atmosphere was very busy, with lots of chatter from other diners, but the service was good overall despite the number of customers. We ordered the Kimchi Fried Rice, the Rosé Cream Udon, and the Tofu Salad; all were tasty, especially the udon. I would return just to order that again and to try other items on the menu. read more
3 years ago
3 years ago
We ordered bibimbap, kimchi soup with tofu and pork and fried rice cake. All three dishes were good and overall they toned down a bit the spiciness to cater locals. We also tried the sojo with the original flavour. It was a bit bland. Should have ordered other flavours. The service was a bit slow on a raining Sunday evening but there were quite many people still. It seemed like the restaurant lacked stuff but the front desk told us it was like this all the time. We arrived at around 6:30 and did not have a reservation and waited for half an hour to be seated. So if you want to have a try, better take a reservation. The ambiance was okay but I feel the music was a bit too loud to have a good conversation. read more
2 years ago
I was a little annoyed at the beginning because they were making us all wait in a physical line instead of taking names or giving out numbers, and it was 90 degrees and there was zero ventilation in the doorway. Also they told us the wait would be 5-10 minutes, and then after a while they told the people ahead of us that it was going to be 5-10 minutes for them, so we waited a lot longer. When we were seated we realized that they actually had a lot of empty tables in the back, but they just didn't have enough manpower in the waitstaff and/or kitchen to keep up with a full house, hence making us wait to be seated. We ordered takoyaki ($4), two cold noodles ($13 each), and a kimchi pancake ($13). The kitchen was super considerate and mindful about my garlic/onion intolerance, and the chef came to our table twice to double check with us and make adjustments. Everything was amazing. The prices were really reasonable and the portions were on the larger side. The takoyaki was hot, chewy, and tasty. The noodles had great chew and the beef was tasty too. The kimchi pancake was topped with slices of pork belly and was overall such a good combination of tastes and textures. We spent about $50 for two people. Highly recommend! read more
7 years ago
Montreal has a surprisingly high amount of great Korean restaurants and Sam Cha is definitely one of them! Located at the edge of downtown Montreal, it is rather conveniently placed near Atwater metro station. One of the downside of this place is that there is often a line-up at peak hours (eg. on weekends at dinner time). But don't worry, the wait is worth it for the quality of the food. Their menu is standard for a Korean restaurant, which includes their various stews and also a selection for Korean BBQ. However, one of my favorite dishes there is something that is not found on the menu: KIMCHI FRIES. Oh man, that thing is straight FIRE. Makes poutine look like a sloppy cousin. I won't go on too much about it; you have to taste it yourself. read more
4 years ago
You might wait a little bit before you sit on a table but it is worth it! We did not order a lot because we were invited somewhere else. But i saw the food on every table and they were delicious! I will come back this is for sure ! The staff were friendly and respectful ! read more
3 years ago
8 years ago
Amazing sea food crepes,huge amount of shrimps and calmaries on every bite. Bibimbap with the beef stew was very yummy too. Great portions.flavor and price.absolutely recommend this place. read more
After seeing the new avengers movie at atwater cineplex, my SO and I came here for dinner around 5pm. There was one table before us. After we finish our dinner there was already a long line. We had a beef tatare, a kimchi pancake , a spicy soup with tofu, pork and kimchi. The portion was huge, I thought the pancake was an appetizer, but it was a main dish size. I shared the stone bowl rice with my husband. The soup was tasty too. Only one draw point my husband complained about was too much oil in the pancake and too much fatty meat in the soup. They put generous amount of pork in pancake and the soup, but I think it's too much. read more
4 years ago
8 years ago
This was our second time at Sam Cha and the experience at this restaurant just gets better and better. Nothing hits the spot better than a hot bowl of soup on a cold, rainy day in Montreal to warm the soul - that and immersing yourself in soft, Korean Pop/R&B vibe. The servers were friendly and casual - the whole atmosphere gave off a homey feeling. We ordered the usual seafood sundubu - a seafood soup (definitely one of the best in town!) and the Vegetable Okonomiyaki as an appetizer - a sort of pancake - which I definitely, definitely recommend to try (absolutely delicious). The portions were extremely generous, hearty and quite reasonably priced! The place usually gets busy towards 6-7pm and there's usually a line up, but DEFINITELY worth the wait! We would recommend this place for eating with a couple of friends (as they are usually very busy, I feel like they would have a hard time accommodating a large group) and for a fun date night! read more
The food here was great! We got the melona (honeydew flavor) soju pitcher and it was really delicious. I got the pork dupbap and really enjoyed the meal. The Takoyaki was alright wouldn't recommend but the duk skewers tasted good. Would recommend this place for a casual night with drinks and good Korean food. read more
To be honest it wasn't our first choice, we didn't want to wait for hours at another restaurant so we came here instead--- TOTALLY WORTH IT. It is a tiny store but super cozy, it smells like BBQ in the air because they also do AYCE bbq there. We got a good seat and we decided to get chicken Katsu dolsot bimbibap which is fried chicken cutlet in stone pot stir rice! We also got takoyaki which is Japanese octopus flour ball and I got yuju tea which is a sweet citrus tea. The portion of the bimbibap is amazin! It is giant and I could not finish half of it! One sad thing about it is that the stone pot wasn't boiling hot, and the sauce they gave us was ice cold so the rice is just cold.... it is not that authentic tbh. But everything else is great! Definitely will come back ! read more
4 years ago
Walking past this neighbourhood, I was always curious about this restaurant as the interior seemed welcoming. I decided to come here with my friend, since we both like Korean food. We ordered the Ramyun and Okonomiyaki dishes, which were really good and delicious. The okonomiyaki had bulgogi on top which was to die for. The ramyun was well seasoned and had a kick to it. My only negative feedback was that the food took a while to get to us. Make sure to come early as this place fills up really quickly. read more
Came back to Sam Cha to satisfy some Korean food cravings and to give this place another go. Our menu selection was so much better this time around. Went with the beef tartare (our favourite from last time) and the entré-size bulgogi which was pretty good. I definitely recommend the tofu kimchi entrée (but actually what an enormous portion!) and the gamjatang, both tasted amaaazinnggg!!!! I honestly can't wait to taste the other soups here! Loving this place so far, I would rate it 4 1/2 stars if I could! read more
I think this is one of my favorite Korean/Japanese restaurants in Montreal. I've been here many times and have never been disappointed. The okonomiyaki and the takoyaki are absolutely delicious and you can't go wrong with the all you can eat BBQ. However, I wasn't a big fan of the bulgogi and beef tartare appetizers here. This is still one of my favorite places to eat and the prices here are very reasonable. If you're coming here, be sure to make a reservation first. This place is always packed and often has a lineup out the door. Also, be prepared to smell like Korean food for a few days. The ventilation here isn't the best and my clothes have smelled everytime I've come here. read more
Sooo bomb. We've only gotten the pork bone soup for 2 ppl, so we definitely need to try everything else next time! The veggie bibimbap they provide is soooo worth. Just wish they had bancha! They don't do any free side dishes like most Korean restaurants do! The quality of the food makes up for that though It gets soo busy and loud, which is great if you like that kind of vibe. If you come at a busy time or the weekend. don't expect a seat within 10 mins. However, they do an amazing job trying to accommodate everyone by seating separate parties in one table Best part is their music. One of the Korean boys plays amazing music from his sound cloud profile read more
4 years ago
This Korean restaurant has been a hit or miss experience personally. At times, I received excellent service with succulent food. At others, service was practically inexistant with stale dishes. Strangely enough, this stark inconsistency manifested itself during a single visit last time I had dinner there. We were greeted by a young woman with a sunny disposition and were seated in the solarium. I ordered some tea and two dishes of Yukhoe (Korean beef tartare). Up to this point, the service was courteous, attentive, and brisk. My first dish of Yukhoe came and was absolutely delicious. The meat was tender and just melted in my mouth. Unfortunately, my second dish of Yukhoe came and bore no resemblance to my first dish. (See photo attached). The meat was darker and the sesame seeds were missing. As soon as I took the first bite, I realized that the taste was different too: acrid and pungent. To make matters worse, our waitress disappeared and no one was available to refill our water for the remainder of our meal. This visit just epitomizes how service and food can be inconsistent within the same establishment. Although the prices are very reasonable, your experience here might very well be the luck of the draw, in the lap of the Gods... read more
4 years ago
4 years ago
If you like good food then you'll come to this restaurant. Best Korean food I've ever eaten. Deserves more than 5 stars. The picture shows it all. I even forgot to take a picture because of how appetizing the food looked I just mixed the bibimbap all up. Eat here if you like good food. They're great :) read more
10 years ago
Great food. One the rare asian places in Montreal with authentic. Price is good for food and high for drinks. They accept credit cards but not AMEX. Overall a great experience, will go back again. read more
Food: So-so. They offer a bunch of typically Korean items, along with some pot options to be shared between two. However, no banchan! T.T (how is this possible in a Korean restaurant?) Bibimbap is well assembled but the items inside are very ordinary. The tofu stew had 4-5 small tofu pieces inside and a few pieces of sad vegetables floating in a sea of red soup that only taste spicy with no taste. Also ordered chicken bibimbap here once, after I removed the deep-fried dough layer, the amount of chicken meat was less than 1/2 size of the total amount... =.= Service: Fast, friendly Price: Not worth it~ Ambiance: Homey style decor with wooden benches and tables. But I must say it's really dark inside, maybe to create an intimate feel but... really creepy... read more
11 years ago
I went there twice with large group of friends in the VIP room. Big tables, couches, water you can fill yourself, KTV and big TV screen. You pretty much go in the front and order when you want, pay, then they deliver the food when it's ready. Pricey for food and alcohol. I tried the Chicken Katsu ramen. Dayum it was good. Always my Sapporo to accompany me during the night. I had a great time singing and chatting. The VIP room really makes a difference. Staff is kind and always available at the front desk. Strongly recommend for big group gathering. read more
7 years ago
Second time coming to Sam Cha and second time looking forward to coming back again. We ordered many different dishes and we all agreed the food is amazing. The staff is also very nice and the food arrives fast. read more
Went there with my mom and niece for my mom birthday dinner and the overall experience was great! We've ordered a seafood pancakes, spicy seafood tofu soup and BBQ beef ribs. The seafood pancake was a bit of a turn-off, doesn't taste as good as I expected, it wasn't crispy enough. The seafood tofu soup was amazing! Very spicy, I mean very very spicy but very tasty. The BBQ beef ribs was also good but I find it weird, they place the grill in your table but they cook it for you... I mean what's the point of having the grill on the table if we are not doing it ourself?? Both main dishes cones with a bimbimap (rice inside of a hot stone bowl) I'm usually not a fan of bimbimap but the ones they have are very good. The service was very nice, most korean restaurant are very polite and take good cares of you. Will go back for sure to try other stuff read more
4 years ago
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