South Korea · AFC
South Korea Is in the World Cup. The 3 Best Korean Restaurants in Montreal.
Three group games. Three Korean rooms. From a Plateau BYOW to a Ville-Marie KBBQ, where Montreal eats when Son and the Taegeuk Warriors play.
Published
South Korea qualified for the 2026 World Cup with Son Heung-min still wearing the armband and a generation behind him that has matured at top European clubs. The Taegeuk Warriors reached the round of sixteen in 2022 and lost 4-1 to Brazil. The 2026 squad goes deeper. The question is whether they break the quarter-final wall that has held since 2002.
Montreal's Korean community is small but Korean food has become one of the city's most reliable casual cuisines. KBBQ rooms downtown. Fried chicken counters in Côte-des-Neiges. BYOW classics on Rachel. Concordia students keep the lunch traffic steady year-round. Match days will lean early thanks to the time zone.
These three rooms cover the spread. Luna for the BYOW bibimbap dinner. Lee N Kim for the Concordia-area lunch on a school day. Jako for the loud group dinner with Korean fried chicken and beer. Soju on every table. The lineup conversation will be about Son's last shot.
Three group games. Three Korean rooms. Pick one per match.
The three picks
Restaurant Coréen Luna
Plateau · 917 Rue Rachel E, Montréal, QC H2J 2J2, Canada
BYOW Korean on Rachel where the bibimbap arrives sizzling and the bulgogi is grilled the way you remember it. The menu reads classic. The portions land generous. Lunch is fast, dinner is full, the room is friendly. Bring soju if you have it. The kimchi rotation is the tell that the kitchen is paying attention.
Lee N Kim
Ville-Marie · 2055 Boul. Robert-Bourassa, Montréal, QC H3A 2A5, Canada
Grab-and-go Korean counter inside McGill metro station, weekday lunches only. Bibimbap bowls, kimbap rolls, triangle kimbap for the run between classes or meetings. The line moves fast and the bill is fair. Banchan rotation respectable for a metro-station counter. Take-out friendly. No tables, no booking, no Saturdays.
Restaurant Jako
Ville-Marie · 1862 Blvd. De Maisonneuve Ouest, Montréal, QC H3H 1J9, Canada
Korean fried chicken executed with the double-fry discipline the style requires. Soy garlic and sweet chili are the two orders. Banchan come fast. Beer is cold. The room is built for groups and the music helps. Sunday evenings are surprisingly empty. Match days will not be.
Frequently asked questions
Where do Korean Montrealers actually eat?
The community is centred on Côte-des-Neiges, Ville-Marie, and parts of Outremont. Concordia and McGill students drive the casual lunch trade. The KBBQ and fried chicken rooms cluster downtown. Plateau BYOW spots fill at dinner.
What should I order on a first visit?
Bibimbap (mixed rice bowl), bulgogi (marinated grilled beef), and a kimchi pancake. Add Korean fried chicken if it is on the menu. Drink soju if it is BYOW, or makgeolli if it is on offer.
Where to watch South Korea play during the 2026 World Cup?
Korean matches will run early morning Montreal time for most group games given the AFC schedule. Downtown KBBQ rooms will do breakfast openings. Concordia-area cafés will run screens. The community is small but the matches travel well in the city.
Is Son Heung-min still playing?
Yes. Son captains the team and turns 34 mid-tournament, with 2026 widely framed as his last World Cup. The Taegeuk Warriors run their attack through him and Lee Kang-in. A round-of-sixteen exit is the baseline expectation. A quarter-final run is plausible.