Apkujung Restaurant

One of my favourite Korean restaurants seems to have changed owners or something. The sign is new and the menu choices have changed a little.
Prices have gone up with no improvement in quality, and they are much more stingy with the side dish refills. Like most Korean places, they seem permanently understaffed. Prepare to take forever to get a hold of the server.
They still specialize in Chicken Ginseng Soup 3 course (dak han mari) but it doesn’t taste as good as before. Also, they seem to be getting into more exotic Korean dishes like duck or maesengyi (seaweed), which I suppose is nice niche filler since most Korean places don’t serve these.
I would still come back but my perception of this place has changed.

If you enjoy Korean Ginseng Chicken come here! Came here with my family for dinner on a weeknight at around 8pm so there were plenty of seats and no wait time. If you wear glasses and if it is cold outside your glasses may fog up the moment you walk in due to the the slight humidty inside from all the boiling soups and hot dishes.
We decided to try the Ginseng Chicken, bibimbap, and korean beef with purple rice.
The Korean Ginseng Chicken was great and was also my highlight. I was impressed with the soup as the Ginseng really added a nice and interesting bitter but earthy sweetness to it. The chicken itself was pretty big and tender, and stuffed with sticky rice and a red date. It came with a couple pieces of ginseng root which really enhanced the flavour of the chicken and the soup. If you chew on the Ginseng root it has a strong bitter taste but in a good way that may take some time to get used to at first. Not to mention Ginseng roots are super healthy as well!
The bibimbap was nice as well and tasted good with the Korean hot sauce. I also enjoyed the Korean beef with purple rice as the beef was soft and sweet.
As for the side dishes, it came witth potatoes, kim chi, tofu, seaweed? And radish with vingear. The potatoe side dish as well as the tofu seemed uniquely home cooked in a korean authentic way. The tofu slices were nice as they serve the whole piece of tofu rather than a hollow one with the just tofu skin, and was not dry. The potatoes were more of the stewed potatoes so I really liked it. The kim chi seemed tastier as well in comparison to other korean places I have tried that serve side dishes to start. The plates that you eat with are moon shaped plates
The service was relatively quick possibly because it was a week night. In terms of the restaurant itself its not too fancy inside but still comfortable.
Not to mention we got yoduly drinks for dessert!
Would definitelty come back again for Gingseng Chicken.

1 hr to get food. Horrible service. How does someone take 15 mins to clean a 4 person table. They literally had 2 waitress doing stupid task like arranging the menu at the counter instead of cleaning up tables or seating customers.
1 hr to get food and I’m still waiting on ¾ of my other dishes.

UPDATE: Went there 2 weeks ago. They changed the kind of chicken they used for the Ginseng Chicken. Very disappointed with it. The chicken has no taste, the soup had no taste, can’t even see any ginseng in it.
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It’s a very authentic and humble place. No fancy decorations nor fancy eatery. However, the food is very good, especially those cooked at the table. Their signature ginseng chicken is a must. Ginseng taste is not too strong (it was stronger before, guess they changed it over the years to cater for most people). The chicken is tender but not too tasty. It is best to eat with their homemade hot sauce. However, the best part is the soup which they used to cook noodles and congee after you eat the chicken.
Other dishes like bulgogi, BBQ duck (available on the board), lamb stew are all very good. They make a very yummy fried rice with the remaining sauce when you finish the lamb stew.
Service can be slow when they’re busy. Only 2 girls work in the front, but they are extremely nice! The owner will also come out to take care of his customers when he’s not tied up in the kitchen. Not to mention the price is unbeatable!
Only downside is they have specials written in Korean only on a board at the back. You may have to ask what’s on it if you don’t know Korean.

Horrible service. They don’t serve you the tea until the food comes. Only serve well to Koreans.
Definitely won’t come again.
When you say hi to them, they just ignore you even if they see you.

This is a great place for ginseng chicken! It’s so warm and soothing on a cold winter day. We got the two-​person pot that comes with a whole chicken, noodles and congee.
If it’s your first time ordering this dish, it could be a little confusing. To ensure that each item is cooked correctly, the servers seem to like having full control of the entire cooking process. They don’t leave you with a ladle or scissors, and whenever I tried to turn down the heat, they ask me to not touch it! Regardless, I appreciate their efforts to have my food cooked properly.
You get to eat the chicken first, followed by thick and chewy noodles, and finished off with congee. The soup becomes increasingly flavourful as it simmers — the congee is a real treat at the end!
I haven’t tried the other dishes they offer but I highly recommend this dish!

Still didn’t serve tea until all food came, waited almost 30mins for food when it’s not that busy, we ordered a beef bone noodle on the side but we found out there are same noodle comes with the gingsing chicken soup. Gingsing chicken with noodle was not bad tho.

If you are craving traditional Korean ginseng chicken — look no further for the very best provider in the GTA. The glutinous rice that is stuffed in the chicken was stewed with ginseng and herbs, and it is steeped with the rich flavours of chicken and of course, the deep richness of ginseng. This dish is great for sharing with friends and is perfect for nourishment during the hot Toronto summers. You must also order the Korean grilled short ribs or kalbi, which has the delicious char from the grill and of course the famed Korean bbq marinade.

Disappointed. first time come and this is our last time too. not tasty and dirty place! Not recommended. but service is good

This place is the 2^nd closest korean resto from my work (the closest one is not even worth a mention). The side dishes are okay. Kimchi is on the fresher and definitely spicier side. Dumplings mandu from here are pretty good — I like em boiled. The taste is clean and the portion is sufficient for me — but these dumplings are pretty hard to mess up. I just ordered a chicken congee from them (love hot foods) and it looks really unappetizing I think because they use several types of gains so the colour is greyish like gruel. I could tell they are using some pork broth because the flavour tastes more like pork than chicken which is a bit overwhelming when I wanted a cleaner not so rich taste. The congee is more ‘ricey’ as opposed to ‘smooth’. It’s the closest place I can get congee in my belly. would not order again.

I come here all the time in the winter for their ginseng chicken soup. It’s awesome and it’s basically 3 meals in one. You start with chicken and broth then they add in their handmade noodles and serve that you then they make a congee with rice… Just fabulous. And unlimited side dishes too!!! Price is great and service is fast. They also do the cooking for you.

Don’t go if you don’t have a big group as most menu items are meant for sharing

Koreans love this place! But it wasn’t for me, they have a signature whole chicken dish, it’s a must if you go there, so I’m told.
I thought it lacked flavour, but it was the dish that kept giving as 3 dishes came ou of this one pot. Also I’m not a fan of cooked fish and we got the table top with fish in it. Really just might be the choice of dishes that were ordered. The staff is super nice and price is fair, just not my Kind of Korean resturant, I’ll try it again tho

Disappointed. The whole experience was just disappointing and expensive.
Arriving Friday evening at around 6:30pm, there were 1 – 2 tables occupied. We were seated and given menus. After much debate over the menu, there’s quite a selection. A lot of items are meant for sharing with a friend. They had pork belly for 29.99 $ if I recall correctly. We ordered the Beef Tripe Stew (27.99 $) and Pan fried oysters (17.99 $). The side dishes we received were salty and meh nothing to talk about. I usually always look forward to the ban chan :/​
The oysters were flavorless and more or less tasted like it was battered with egg. There was no other seasoning besides the soy sauce they provided. For 17.99 $ I expected something more appealing if not something that tasted remotely good.
The Beef Tripe, ended up being being the Beef intestine (?). She gave us the wrong item and we didn’t realize until it was entirely cooked. After, we told our server and she allowed us to order something else. We ordered Chicken and Veggies Stew (22.99 $) which consisted of potato, onions and chicken. It tasted like boiled chicken and nothing particularly special about it either. My friend and I were very disappointed with everything.
Our server never came back to check up on our meal after her error. It took double the time to dine at the restaurant and left dissatisfied. The food was mediocre at best. Never again will I come back.

The service is really really slow, but should be expected since the ginseng chicken needs to be cooked by the waitress 3 times per table, including all other tasks they have to do (they look really tired)
I have been here a few times and all at bad timings because the restaurant is always full, each time the waitress tells us it’s a really long wait and they don’t know how long, in a tune that they want you to not wait and just leave. Each time I waited anyways and it turned out less time than I expected or what they tried to imply.
The ginseng chicken is really good and all 3 ways of the cooking is delicious. The ginseng chicken, the noodles and the congee in the end. The 2 people portion is really big and just a good amount for 2 people and no need to order dishes of you came as a couple.
However if you come here, expect to spend a long time here, because the cooking is really slow and it takes forever for the food to come.
There is 6 side dishes (it’s delicious) but no refills (75 cents per dish refill)
They seat 2 people at the 6 person tables, which I think is a bit ridiculously, they should rearrange the seats around so they can maximize the amount of people that can be seated at this restaurant, so there isn’t always people waiting.
Anyways the food here is good and if you have a lot of time to spare for dinner, then it is fine.

My friend suggested we go to this place, and I did my due diligence on Unilocal to see what to order. Ate the Dak Hanmari as most suggested (it wasn’t written like that in English, but it was on the first page of the menu as one of their main specials: Chicken, Noodle and Congee).
The 6 dishes of Banchan were delicious! They bring a big pot over and cook the chicken in front of you. The chicken itself is as it sounds: boiled chicken, so the meats were moist and pretty good. The buckwheat noodles cooked in the broth was even better, but the congee cooked in the remaining liquid was the star of the show for me. Not that I have had much experience with Korean juk, but to me it was way more delicious and hearty than Chinese Congee! It was super busy but the 2 waitresses did their best to attend to every table’s pots and grills. It only came out to 26 dollars after tax for this, and both of us came out super full!
Parked in Centerpoint across the street, very close by.
Would definitely come again!

This isn’t your typical korean bbq, soon dofu, or ricecake place.
gladly consumed:
potato pancake
kanpungi — sweet spicy deep fried chicken
sam gae tang — Whole poached chicken ginseng soup; noodles; congee.
Great selection of banchan!
on the downside, I was very thirsty later that night. if you know what I mean…
limited (double) parking in the back OR
park across the street at Centrepoint mall and walk over; there’s a traffic signal steps from the entrance

Went there today — the first time since last winter. One word: OUTSTANDING!!! This is the way real, traditional, home cooking is supposed to taste like. The owner’s wife does the cooking and everything she prepares is with the utmost care. Had the yanggogi jongol with minari and gaenip (lamb stew with watercress and shiso leaf). They give you extra seasonings on the side to add to it — OMG … its impossible to stop at just one bowl …
The panchan was not as good as I remember but the yeolmu kimchi, baechu kimchi and the tofu were very, very well prepared. Be prepared to experience a LOT of red chili in the food. Spouse and I agreed that this is one of the best Korean meals we have had in a very long time.

I’ve went back approximately once-​every-​year, almost like a Field Trip.
Always had the Dak Hanmari. If you like au-​naturel Whole Boiled Chicken.
Spring Chicken pcs almost too healthy. Add Gochujang, Soya, etc as needed.
Samgyetang is also on the Menu if you want the Whole Chicken to yourself.
Tip: Waitress WILL be busy doing the 100-​metre sprint all night Table-​cooking.
If you’re Hungry and Banchan cannot satisfy you while you wait for Food.
Order something on the Menu that is cooked by the Kitchen and sharable.
Dak Hanmari is not a Meal to-​be-​rushed. Soju m a y b e helpful, F-​Y-​I.

There are some dishes that are meant to be share, as sharing is caring?! or just some of the dishes are suppose to serve 2 and up?
Apkujung Restaurant’s Chicken Ginseng Soup with Noodle & Congee ($ ²³⁄₂ people servings) would be a dish that I would love to share with my friend or vice versa.
BTW, Ginseng Chicken Soup traditional are supposed to be consumed on the hottest day of summer. for me anytime is a good time!
Watching the food heating up from in front of you while munching on banchen, hot pot style. Then when the chicken is ready, the waitress would come and cut it up and serve that to you… then you wait again for the noodle to be cooked… and she came back and serve you again… then you wait for the congee to be cook, and now you have this congee that has all the nutrients from the chicken and ginseng that suppose to be really good for you?!
Healthy, Tasty and Wholesome! That’s how I felt after having my meal. And drinking the yogurt drink after as dessert did help with digestion.
The question now is when am I coming back to have that again? I need support, I could not do this alone…