Soban Korean Bistro

We waited for more than 40 mins to our appetizer. Very disappointed. We were on our way to Vancouver to stop by for lunch. There were two tables before us. The food was ok but they definitely need to improve their speed.

Our food took 40min to arrive and there was barely anyone in the restaurant. Food is average

Food is always well made, fresh and very good. I love the spicy pork bibimbap!
I think the music and lighting could use some improvement and I would be so happy if they made pork bone soup, but all in all great Korean food, and the staff are so incredibly nice and friendly.

This place has a lot of rave reviews and I believe it’s for the tacos. I came here with great expectations but ended up with bad pork belly.
To be fair, I do hear they are known for their fusion and tacos and they’re not popular for the pork belly it seems.
My brother ordered the ramen, typically Korean student food consumed near campuses in South Korea. The noodles are instant ramen. Don’t be offended, that’s how it’s made. In case you were trying to make a comparison to Japanese ramen shops that are popular these days.
I’d give the ramen 3.5 out of 5 and was pretty decent.
I won’t vote on the port belly dish but they did serve bad meat. It tasted off and stoopid me I kept eating it thinking it was some special pork, but at the same time wondering why it smelled bad and tasted bad.
I’m writing this with hopes they will double check their meats in the future and contact me to let me know it’s been fixed.
Aside from that, I hope it’s all good.
It’s clean, decent service. I just hope their quality control on a dish that isn’t likely served as often is better in the future. The rest of the dishes were good.
So I’m giving it a generous 2.5 stars.
Sorry. I want to come back and try it again.

This place was pretty good we ordered 4 things and ¾ dishes were good. The beef tacos are definitely recommended. The beef was marinated and so juicy! Tacos were perfect amount of spicy — it was perfect! The pan fried mandoo/​potstickers texture was crunchy and juicy. The soonduboo tofu soup was similar to most of the ones I’ve tried at good Korean restaurants. We also tried the soy bean paste soup but it was just tad too salty. We came here for lunch over the weekend. Prices are fair for Kelowna. If you compare to a similar joint in Vancouver dishes are a little bit more expensive by $ 1 – 2. Clean washrooms. Good service. Clean restaurant.

This place is such a gem. The food is consistently always great. I can’t believe that they’re not packed every night. Their prices are almost too low for the quality of the food!

Super good food here, very standard Korean menu — until you get to see their take on tacos.

Reviews about the food are bang on — definitely the place to go to for authentic Korean food. We had the dol sot bulgogi bibimbap — gotta get it with the stone bowl. Good amount of beef and veggies — taste was well balanced and the stone bowl created an ample amount of crusty rice. Would have garnered 5 stars easily if the service was not SOOOO SLOW! We visited on a weekday night — half of the restaurant was filled with only 1 server. No place settings on our table; we were never asked what we’d like to drink; server never came to take our order; after we went up to the counter to let him know that we were ready, he came and took our order; 15 minutes later, place settings, 5 min later food; asked for a fork (for my child — never came until asked again); server came around once to ask how everything was; when we asked for the receipt — it took another 5 min to come to our table; waited another 10 min for him to come back to take our money and then went up to the counter to pay — don’t get me wrong, we were the last party that came into the restaurant, so it was not as if there were more guests to be tended too. So, final thoughts — come for the food, just don’t be in a hurry or really hungry because you’ll be in for a wait — a well rewarded wait nonetheless.

I wish this restaurant was in Calgary because I love Korean cuisine, but few places provide substantial vegetarian options. Soban Korean Bistro breaks the mold & offers a very large vegan & vegetarian selection, while also making quite a few dishes gluten free as well. One of the servers told us that the management has tried to make sure that a wide variety of diets can be served here.
Did i mention they were vegetarian friendly? Seriously, I had more choice on this menu than I do at many Indian restaurants, which is amazing because most popular Korean dishes have at least a bit of fish or meat. They even make their kimchi animal & gluten free
Don’t worry, there is still a lot of meat! My dining partner practically inhaled his beef bulgogi — it apparently was delicious. Prices are quite reasonable for downtown Kelowna.
I really enjoyed the bi bim dol sat — vegetarian bi bim bap in a hot stone bowl, which crisps up the lower level of rice in a delightful way. Enjoyed as in, I inhaled it both times I ordered it. Like most meals here, it comes with the traditional sides of kimchi, potatoes etc. I did ask for a bit more hot sauce the second time, but otherwise it was perfect!
Accessibility: front entrance is a bit small to get some power chairs through, but the restaurant space is accessible, with room to put a wheelchair at the end of any booth. As usual, I haven’t checked the washrooms for accessibility — guess I will have to go back …

The food was very good! A lot of taste and spices. Saw the reviews here on Unilocal,and decided to go here for dinner, and we weren’t disappointed! The service was very good. Would highly recommend this place!

Very good! I had never had Korean before and it was awesome. I forget the names of the dishes but the number on the menu was 29, 30 and 40. The 29 & 30 dishes were amazing and flavourful. 40 was a seafood type soup and it had all types of seafood which was great and a good amount of tofu, but it was spicy and not very flavourful. But I still give this place a 5 because I will be going back and I recommend others to try it! The waitress was very helpful and friendly.

Absolutely delicious. I’ve had Korean in both Toronto and Montréal, and this is just as good if not better. Fresh ingredients at not too absurd prices. I’ll definitely come back! The pork bulgogi bibimbap is worth the trek!

Went there for lunch the other day and had the Mandu Gook. It was delicious! The food was fresh and yummy! Nice atmosphere as well. I definitely recommend this place! :)

This place was unreal. Good authentic Korean and some unique dishes as well. The customer service is amazing. The prices are fantastic. I wish this restaurant was in Calgary. This was a great experience.

Super tasty. Highly recommend (especially for the price). We got the dumpling and interesting tofu salad appies which were both awesome and then an udon noodle dish and seafood tacos, also great! The waiter was a bit inexperienced but in an endearing way. Get the tacos!

Really good, fresh and yummi food! Family owned business, the 15 year old son was serving us, he was much around and very helpful. I would definitely go there again! Good prices as well!

I was there planning to try the sampler, but the menu has changed. The food looks pretty but the portion is very small. Soup is salty. A bit pricy comparing to other Korean restaurants in lower mainland.

Great food!!! Really bad service dishes stacked up on table and walked by twice without picking up. Also the waiter had no idea about one of the most popular dishes on the menu. His excuse was I’ve only been working here for 4 months LOL

Awesome food, great atmosphere, nice staff. It doesn’t get much better.
No complaints what so ever.
Also — try the Corn tea!

Ordered kimchi… Yes, you must order it for $ 2. I suppose you need to pay for the kimchi fridge somehow. We did get beansprouts and potato for free. Kimchi is good if you’re craving it.
The soft tacos are yummy. More Mexican flavour due to the tomato salsa. Wish it had more Korean flavour and meat. The dish was well executed: everything cooked right.
Tokboki was good. The rice cake was slightly chewy; and that’s a good thing. Nice and saucy, though not enough protein.
My biggest issue with this restaurant is the small meat portion. They should charge a little more and give more meat.
Service is good, owners are friendly.
3.5 stars.