The Bottom Line
Great "happening" place in North York with fusion Korean American comfort food and delicious soju infused fruit cocktails. Come early, restaurant fills up fast.
Overall rating
- Overall rating: 4.5/5
- Overall rating: 4.5/5
Time to Spend
- Budget 2 - 2.5 hours
- Budget 2 - 2.5 hours
Recommended Dishes
- Kalbi dish
- Kimchi bulgogi poutine
- Spicy pork taco
- Fruity soju cocktails (I got the pineapple soju)
- Ask the server for recommendations and you won't go wrong by choosing from that list.
- Kalbi dish
- Kimchi bulgogi poutine
- Spicy pork taco
- Fruity soju cocktails (I got the pineapple soju)
- Ask the server for recommendations and you won't go wrong by choosing from that list.
OK dishes
- Bacon spoon pizza
- Cutlet combo
Han Ba Tang
It was an cold spring evening when I visited Korean restaurant Han Ba Tang near Yonge and Sheppard to met up with a few of my old school colleagues. The restaurant entrance was cryptic, with no English signs at the entrance indicating its location. As I sat at the empty restaurant waiting, I saw my friends one by one walk past the restaurant entrance several times, back and forth, in confusion, until I waved frantically at them through the glass. It was actually pretty funny watching them pace in frustration.
As I sat there cruising my fingers up and down the menu, trying to decide what to order and waiting for our remaining friends to arrive, the restaurant rather quickly filled up. It almost magically transformed from a quiet quaint diner to a busy hustling restaurant for get-togethers.
I was exhausted from a day full of meetings, so I didn't really want to have to "think" about what to order for the group. So I waved at the server and asked him recommend a few dishes for us. Without hesitation, he named several of the most popular dishes, and I proceeded to order all of them.
The first dish that came was the Kalbi dish. I wish I remember the name, because it was so succulent and delicious. Well, here's a picture of the dish - let me know if you figured out what it is!
Next came the chili shrimp. I couldn't really comment much on it since it was devoured by my group before I could even sample one. I take that it must be good, otherwise it wouldn't have been all gone within a minute. :)
Next came the famous Korean style tacos. I love them more than the regular tacos, since the marinade was waaaay better than any taco sauce I ever had. We ordered 2 sets of 3, and all 6 were gone in a matter of minutes. I wish we had ordered even more!
Next came the chili shrimp. I couldn't really comment much on it since it was devoured by my group before I could even sample one. I take that it must be good, otherwise it wouldn't have been all gone within a minute. :)
Next came the famous Korean style tacos. I love them more than the regular tacos, since the marinade was waaaay better than any taco sauce I ever had. We ordered 2 sets of 3, and all 6 were gone in a matter of minutes. I wish we had ordered even more!
The kimchi poutine with bulgogi is another one of their specialty, and it was, of course, delicious and one of the "must orders". At this point, I'm starting to wonder why no one has thought of combing Korean with American comfort food before, because the results were obviously delightful. Hmmm, what other cuisines can we combine?
The spicy chicken fondue was only so-so, although it *could* be due to me feeling completely stuffed at this point. I thought the "cheese" was a bit on the clunky side, and it didn't really go well with the chicken.
Our final dish was the cutlet trio. Again, maybe I was full and therefore not as enthusiastic, but I thought they were in general on the dry side.
What I was a big fan of was their soju cocktail menu. There are many different types to choose from, and I selected the Pineapple soju concoction. It was sweet and delicious, although I couldn't really taste the soju (is that a good or a bad thing?).
As we leave the restaurant on our way out, I noticed several jars with different types of fruits in them. I thought initially that they were flavoured water, until something in my mind clicked and I realized they are the soju infused fruits that formed the basis of the soju cocktails. Both functional and pretty to look at.
All in all, I'd say Han Ba Tang is a great place to meet up with friends for a fun relaxing evening of adventurous Korean cuisine.
My tip is to arrive early. Word gets around and this restaurant fills up rather quickly!
My tip is to arrive early. Word gets around and this restaurant fills up rather quickly!
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