Review Mu Goong Hwa Garden - Ottawa

The food is delicious! You should try bulgogi and grill ribs. It’s good 🤤🤤🤤 1 combo has rice, meat and soft tofu soup. The portion is very large, so if you can’t eat too much, you should order 1 combo for 2 and some side dishes like kimbap,…

Food was not too salty and well balanced. Felt like home cooked Korean food. Price was reasonable and generous portion for downtown location. Much enjoyed!

The food is so-so The rice cakes were overcooked and the entree was oily and too salty The service is also not good. There are always dirty dishes on the tables around you. It really kills the atmosphere staring at other peoples’ half-eaten food. We stayed for an hour, and all those dishes were there the entire time.

Nice little restaurant. Divided into regular dining and BBQ section. Lots of good authentic Korean dishes. Reasonable prices.

The food is pretty amazing, we ordered more than we could eat but I don't regret it. I would go back and bring my friends with me. I've been to few Korean BBQ places between Toronto and Montreal and this is by far the best. The server was really nice and very attentive versus some other places I've been too. Please keep in mind that Korean BBQ means that you cook your own meet as is traditional in Korea. Great for hanging out with friends and having drinks.

Have been going here regularly for the past 5 years. Korean staples of jiggae and main entrées are always of excellent quality and big portions. Family faves are the beef soon dubu jiggae, the mandu (dumpling) jiggae, the dolsot bibimbap, tteokbokki, LA Kalbi, and the pork tangsuyuk. Their banchan is also excellent, though simple ( its always kimchi, bean sprouts and a veg - usually broccoli) are fresh and delicious. Kimchi is house made and it is probably the tastiest kimchi I've had anywhere!

The food is fine and the portions are quite big, but if you want Korean BBQ and it's your first time and you don't understand what to do - it's not the best place for you, because you have to do everything yourself and there's no one to ask for help or instructions. I didn't expect that (I thought they will at least ask me if I want to grill the meat myself or not, cause I had no idea what to do).

My favourite Korean restaurant in Ottawa. My partner and I have been coming here since 2014. Food has consistently been fresh and tasty, and service is always friendly and attentive. We normally order from the regular menu (they also have AYCE table BBQ), and our favourite dishes are the seafood pancake, seafood tofu soup and the grilled short ribs (kalbi). Will continue to support them as long as they are open :)

Wow! Wow! Wow! Did I say wow?!?!? Authentic Korean for sure! I have been on the hunt for months here in Ottawa! We finally found our gem! Honestly, it's not even worth doing the AYCE. If you order from the table top BBQ a la carte menu you get unlimited side refills, rice and lettuce. They also told me (at the restaurant) that the a la carte meat is better quality. I didn't try AYCE - instead my husband and I did 1 plate of beef(TB2 -$16.95) and 1 combo plate(TB6 -$17.95). We received 4 side dishes (bean sprouts, kimchi, seaweed and Bok choy). We also got rice, lettuce and an amazing sauce to go with the lettuce wraps. Honesty, this was more than enough food for 2 people. If you are looking for just BBQ. This is it!!!!!!!!!!! Compares to authentic Korean BBQ from Toronto, Montreal and NYC! Yes I've been around ! Do not shy away because it's downtown - it's worth the hunt for parking. There is metered parking outside and around the area. The staff is amazing! Super friendly and kind. They explained everything to me. I had a million questions to ensure I got the best meal for my $! They also answer questions on Facebook if you are looking to ask anything specific. All the haters on here, you truly are missing out or have no idea what authentic Korean food tastes like.

I had the bibimpa vegetarian and the kimchi pancake. The food was really well done. The chapchai noodle is also good.

Food and service is great. Definitely coming back. Had a hard time to decide what to eat. Had a stone rice bowl with beef ribs. It was a really good.

The food was amazing. The server we had was fast and polite. Can't wait to go back.

Delicious food! Service is sometimes hit or miss but the food is excellent regardless!

Food is always good- make a reservation as it's often super busy! Already thinking of who we will take next! Service seems to be improving.

To start I’ll say that kalbi was excellent - tender and tasty and looked perfect. Would have it again. It pains me to say though that I was very unhappy with most everything else although I’ve heard others have loved it here. Service was scattered with many needing to check with others for various matters that could’ve been easily solved. Limited beverages, no ice, waiting for napkins and cutlery and chopsticks etc. Bulgogi was the worst I’ve ever had - possibly an unlucky day as it was dry and cold and had. I flavour. Chapchae noodles clumpy and cold in parts - I am sure reheated items. Went to pay the bill and had to wait - felt like people not trained to deal with things. Mentioned politely that they should alert the kitchen about their dishes just to help out. Seemed oblivious without regret. So, this lover of Korean food will not be back.

We ordered 30 take-out meals for a large work group and they executed it flawlessly! The food tasted amazing and they were so accommodating! I highly recommend this place and I would definitely order from here again.

Went here purposely avoiding the Korean BBQ. If it's not an actual table grill the food always takes too long to cook. I wouldn't recommend this place for Korean BBQ as I watched as groups of 4 can cooking meat pretty damn slowly. <br/><br/>The overall experiment was decent. The place was cold as they wanted to save on heating and the environment was bare bones with plain tables and chairs (I prefer that, as I come for food and not for the atmosphere). I got the sm1 item - bulgogi with spicy tofu/seafood soup. The food quality was between low to average as the beef was dry and the seafood had been sitting in the soup for a while which made it tasteless. They overcharged me 4 bucks for some random reason because they didn't keep track of who ordered what. Wasn't too happy about that . I will definitely come back, and it's worth the try. The prices are good for what you get. Ottawa just doesn't have a big enough Korean population for amazing Korean food.

The AYCE options are pretty great and for the price it is quite affordable for korean bbq. The banchan (complimentary items) are delicious but getting refills proved to be difficult. The sushi is also very fresh and delicious even compared to full on sushi restaurants. <br/><br/>The service was pretty subpar it took us three tries to get a hold of a server to give us cups and to take are plates away. Getting the sever to take our order from the AYCE sheet was also difficult since they do not check on you often. When we asked for 1/2 order of meat they were accommodating but very slow to bring it to us. <br/><br/>Overall the experience of the restaurant service is not great but the food makes it worth it.

Never have I been more angry eating at a Korean BBQ in my life till I came here. Even before entering the restaurant, my friends and I called ahead of time, to which they replied "sorry there are no seats available" but when we walked by the restaurant to find another location to eat, we noticed there were only maybe 2 or 3 others tables taken.On top of that we still decided to go in but there was terrible service as half our order wasn't brought out, asked for side dish refills multiple times but never brought back till the third time. Asked for water to be brought to our table 20 minutes into waiting but no water was given till asked a second time. Food was mediocre at best, little selection of food, meat was flavourless, sushi was brought out wrong at the END of our meal, when we ordered it at the beginning. Two male servers who seemed to care little to none about their jobs worked at the time and both seemed extremely out of it. The list goes on of things that were terrible.

One of the Best Korean BBQs next koreana .they feel the same. But one is close for me. It can get pricey. But this korean bbq is the place to go in Ottawa. It is in great location. This will fill you up for sure if you are willing to wait for the cooking of meats. We usually just cook beef and order sushi

The range of selections is not wide enough. Certain dishes like spicy pork can only be a part of a meat and tofu soup combo. That means you can't order an entree sized spicy pork even if you really like spicy pork. They only give you the cheap appetizers which are only veggies. If the owner of the restaurant serves you, you will almost never get the fried pancake as one of your appetizers while the other waiters give you that.<br/><br/>The experience here also depends on the staff there. There is one waiter that constantly avoids to serve customers. He is usually quite confused. Sometimes he would forget to give us water. There was also a time that we didn't get any appetizers until we asked him. You can't expect to get much service if he is the only one there.

This is a great place to go if you want some delicious Korean food. I had the Soft Soon Tofu and it was quite tasty. Of course, as customary with Korean meals, there were plenty of sides as well to excite one's palate.<br/><br/>The restaurant itself was pretty busy when I was there, so I did have to wait a while to be served, but it was clear that the staff were working hard and I think I was given an extra side while waiting, which was a nice gesture.<br/><br/>Food: 8/10<br/><br/>Loner Rating: 3/10 (Not the easiest place to go alone, to be honest).<br/><br/>Atmosphere: 6.5/10<br/><br/>Location: 7.5/10

Gamjatang is a satisfying bowl of meaty pork bones and potato chunks, simmered in a deeply flavoured and hearty broth. Excellent value for under $10! Sushi is of good quality and quantity. This is the perfect Korean restaurant for families who don't all love spicy stews and grilled meat. The banchan are more generous than other Korean restaurants in the area.

Their Korean BBQ left a lot to be desired. Not much variety in terms of meat and vegetables.<br/><br/>However, for their buffet, they have a decent selection which includes appetizers and sushi. Their sushi is so fresh, not too much rice, and probably rivals actual AYCE restaurants and a-la-carte places I've been to so far in the Ottawa region. They do not skimp on the fish on their nigiri, that's for sure. I would go here alone just for their sushi - even if it is a limited number of items on their menu.<br/><br/>Only complaint is that it's really hot in the restaurant. Made even worse with a grill in your face.

Very enjoyable lunch on a beautiful Friday. Three of us I enjoyed a lovely lunch today at Mu Goong Hwa Garden Restaurant on Rideau... two of us chose the bulgolgi plate and one the combination bulgolgi/tempura.... The food was delicious; we even ordered kimchi to go... kudos to the server; she kept the plates flying and the smile constant, friendly, menu savy and worthy of the tip we left..... thanks... will be back for sure....!!

Good Stuff. Ate here a numerous times. Had their all you eat bbq a long time ago and normal stuff off the menu. Last occasion i ordered some items on the menu, really good food, but i just wishes the ingredients that were used would be bigger pieces. i feel like they were smaller than bite size. Seemed fresh and good sides dishes. Will return again to try out other dishes.

Victim of straight racism at this restaurant.. Me and two friends went this weekend to Mu Goong Hwa for a second time. We went for the AYCE, and it was great. The first time, it was amazing, even with a delay caused by our part, the service and everything related was amazing, even down the food.<br/><br/>And that is what is the problem, the food there is terrific. But this time, when we went this weekend, we were met by the server we had last, we were having AYCE again, I was very happy that we would be served quickly and well. But for whatever reason during the dinner, the servers swapped, and it all went seriously down the crapper afterwards. We ordered 2 different times, our first order was fast and great, as it was brought out by the regular girl. Then we waited, and waited. We waited over 30 minutes for 4 sushi rolls which, mind you, was confirmed by our server can be made in under 5 minutes after my buddy went to complain. We sat back down, less than 5 minutes later, our sushi arrives. After that, we aren't sure if we insulted them, but they NEVER came by to check on us until we decided to leave. We TRIED to order some bbq and some more sushi, never obtained it after over another 25 additional minutes of waiting. We also never got either of the two vegetable pancakes we ordered, which were included in the first orders. So I don't know what to say, the food is awesome, but the service was so bad, I mean, they locked eyes with us, and walked away, how insulting can you be. Will never return, as I refuse to be profiled, considering everyone around us who were eating was of asian descent, this was quite unpleasant watching the servers run to those tables 2-3 times in under 2 minutes. We left, left zero in tip and will never return.<br/><br/>*edit of November 17, 2015*<br/><br/>I had my fiancee over this week and wanted to show her a good time. She loves Korean food and while I had several problems with returning here, the appeal of a good meal was too strong, as I have said previously, the food here is actually good. Well, little to my surprise, it is no longer an All you can eat! Instead, they have now DOUBLED or even TRIPLED the prices on these dishes. Hahahahah, I will NEVER understand why idiots love being gouged out of their money for less food/service. We walked in, were given our menus, realized this place was nothing but a loser family wanting more money for less service. We walked right out, and the funny part. I think this is a new policy, as we saw another couple walking out at the same time as us. Oh, and the IDIOT male server was there again. I KNEW I was going to be sitting here for WAY longer than I wanted. Pardon the idea, but this place can burn. <br/>

Went for dinner here the other night for AYCE BBQ and Sushi, and it was really good! For $20.95 you get all you can eat sushi rolls and BBQ meats, which are very tasty, tender, marinated well, which gives the meat a great taste. espite the horrible service (kind and friendly) but slow and inattentive. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for some good Korean BBQ and sushi with an AYCE value. Warning: don't go here if you don't want to pay to cook your own food, because that is essentially what you are doing, but that is half the fun. That being said, they do have a regular menu you can order from. Overall, I like it, go check them out!

Yum!. Great food. Try the beef! Service was just ok. Decor was definitely lacking. Would have been nice to get dessert with the AYCE but the BBQ is really the star here. Would go again.

Meilleur Coréen ;). Nous sommes tombés en amour avec la cuisine Coréenne en voyage à Vancouver, depuis nous avons essayé plusieurs restaurants à Ottawa et celui-ci est selon moi le meilleur! Les petites entrées (dont le Kim Chi) sont les meilleurs que j'ai mangé, notre repas principal était excenllent (moi la Bento Box Bulgogi et tempura et mon conjoint les shorts ribs) et sans parler de l'acceuil qui est super même si nous ne sommes pas Coréen! Le service étaint un brin lent, mais avec toute la nourriture que l'on avait, avoir des pauses a fait du bien et en plus les serveuses se sont excusées à plusieurs reprises. Par contre nous n'avons pas aimé les dumplings... Mais c'est vraiment un mini bémol, le reste était délicieux!!

Awesome! First time dining.... Awesome! <br/>First time dining here and we were pleasantly surprised. The little apps you get to start were tasty. Yummy homemade kimchi and greens. Delicous marinated beef (good grade meat). Service was efficient and friendly despite the many times she had to run back and forth for our table. So glad we found this little restaurant. We will definitely be back again.

I always (always) get the chicken dolsot because I'm not an adventurous guy (lie), and I think that the ambience is different depending on where you're sitting. The brighter lit end is good if you're with many friends, and the back corner is more dimly lit, good for getting drunk with few people. This is my 'go to' place when my friends want to get Korean. One of the waitresses is really cute too :)

Pleasant Experience!. If you're craving Korean food and can't stand waiting in line for more than half an hour at Alirang, this place is worth a look. I haven't tried the all you can eat, but the individual dishes are very nicely done and the meats are flavourful. I believe that all meals come with complementary side dishes, which is also an added bonus (although our miso soup today was cold). Service is also quick and nice, a pleasant change from a lot of Asian restaurants in Ottawa ;P

Had the Bulgogi for lunch. It came with a few small portions of greens, miso soup, and the lamest kim chi I have ever tasted. The lousy kim chi ruined the whole meal. Otherwise, the waitress was nice, the place was clean, and the prices were reasonable. I really miss the Joy restaurant. Now THEY had good kim chi.

Had a super yummy meal in an almost empty resto. Don't let the blinds fool you - go inside for a reasonably priced, delish meal! Really friendly service - fun to grill your own meat and love the side dishes.

SO GOOD!. Having never eaten Korean food before, I was persuaded to go to this restaurant by a friend who said it was fantastic - and boy was she right! I've gone back several times since.<br/><br/>You get a huge quantity of food for a very reasonable price - and the food is delicious. I always see a lot of people go for the BBQ, but my favourite is the Dol Sot Bi Bim Bap. At $12.95, it is amazing.<br/><br/>The service is extraordinarily friendly and very quick. I would recommend this place to anyone who is looking for a good deal on Asian food in Ottawa. And certainly a great place to go before heading over to the Bytown Cinema.

Mindblown food!. Was looking for good korean bbq. This place was amazing! Usually larger franchises have either good meat or good sushi but never both. MuGoongHwa Garden was amazing! The grill comes out as a separate tool which kind of made it a bit messy, but the meat was so tasty and the sushi was so good! The side dishes were great and all food was definitely made with care. Would love to go back!

Great Korean bbq!. This place is owned by the same people who used to run Korea Garden a couple streets down- I think they just moved locations.<br/><br/>The beef is byfar the best tasting in the AYCE korean bbq menu, and the pork is really good too. We didn't try the chicken because we find chicken usually gets too dry on the grill at most bbq places. Small selection of sushi, just enough to hit the spot.<br/><br/>The korean pancakes and deep fried tofu with teriyaki sauce are addicting! We didn't expect to keep ordering them over and over but they were so good.<br/><br/>Overall, a great place for dinner.

Good Korean BBQ with some Japanese options. We went here for an evening Korean BBQ. We both got the "all you can eat" menu, which is small but has most of the expected favourites. The attentive waiter brought over a table grill and lit it for us while he took our order.<br/><br/>We had a variety of BBQ meats and vegetables (chicken, beef, squid, some sort of sweet potato, onion); several deep fried pork dumplings; two bowls of miso soup; side dishes including bean sprouts and kimchi; and sushi including a few california rolls, some spicy salmon, and an egg sashimi.<br/><br/>Everything tastes as expected. The miso soup was on the mild side and my partner, who doesn't generally like miso, enjoyed it. The pork dumplings were small but very tasty and served piping hot.<br/><br/>Of the barbecue meats, the beef was the best. It had a very original sauce on it that I couldn't really describe, a little on the sweet end of things. The sushi was good but not particularly exciting--I found the spicy salmon to be generally mild.<br/><br/>As I said service was very attentive and friendly. The kitchen was playing a classical, jazz, and showtunes CD when we ate. Personally I actually liked the music, but it was a little unusual for a restaurant. Price for AYCE was $20.95 a person, which is a little more expensive than most buffet options but I believe still a fair price.<br/><br/>We'd definitely go again :)

The restaurant is owned by a really nice Korean family and the food is delicious! Great service with a smile :)

Great place to eat! You get an array of appetizers with every meal. The Bulgogi beef is awesome.