Alirang Korean Restaurant (Merivale)

A highly recommended Korean restaurant in Ottawa offering generous portion sizes. They serve excellent soups and stir-fry dishes. All the staff are genuinely friendly, creating such a warm and inviting atmosphere—you'll feel right at home. It's a perfect spot for family gatherings too.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The quality of this place is worse every time I come . There is no authentic flavor it’s like a mix mash of whatever spices they have . This to me is not authentic Korean food .

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Amazing experience! The food was fresh, flavorful, and authentic. Everything we ordered was delicious, especially the BBQ and side dishes. The service was excellent and the restaurant was clean and cozy. Highly recommended

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Beef Bulgogi Bibimbap, Kimchijeon, Chicken Bokum, Jajangmyun, Beef Stew Noodle Soup, Pork Katsu, Bossam, Cheese Chicken Galbi, Pork Stomach Soup

Alirang is a long-standing favourite for a reason. It offers authentic, satisfying Korean comfort food in a busy, lively atmosphere. While the focus isn't on fancy modern decor, it’s the kind of unpretentious spot where you know the kitchen is focused entirely on flavour and quality ingredients. The portions here are incredibly generous, providing excellent value for the price. The banchan (side dishes) were fresh and varied, which is always a great sign. We ordered the cheese chicken galbi and the gamjatang. The gamjatang was good, however the flavour for the chicken was not what I had hoped. This dish is better with pork belly and squid. However, the main issue with the dish was that there were very large pieces of cabbage which was not enjoyable and made it hard to stir the dish. The service staff were polite and friendly, managing the busy room well. While it can get crowded during peak hours, the experience is consistent. If you’re craving authentic Korean cuisine, give Alirang on Merivale a try for yourself.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 5

I have been visiting Alirang for years (mostly the downtown location before it closed). They offer all the Korean staples. Service can be slow at times but overall no complaints. Food always tasted as expected.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

Recommended dishes: Kamjatang Pork Bone Soup, Beef Stew Noodle Soup, Bossam

The food is amazing but time and time again as I go back the servers are not happy, not accommodating and seem like they are annoyed when you ask a question

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 5

Service: 1

I'm glad we tried it, I don't think I'll come back. It wasn't bad, there are just better options.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 2

The atmosphere feels cozy and authentic. The bulgogi was tender and full of flavor. The japchae was balanced and satisfying. Some of the sides didn’t taste very fresh, and the service was a bit slow. Portions were on the smaller side, but the food overall was comforting and well made. A solid spot for classic Korean BBQ with a relaxed vibe.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 4

I really enjoy Korean food, and while I don’t go very often, I usually visit about once a month. I’ve tried other Korean restaurants, but this one is definitely the best in town. The Bulgogi and Bibimbap are highly recommended. I’ll definitely be coming back more often!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I eat here once a week, and I always eat the same meal, either M3 or M21. And I've always been pleased for many, many years. But lately, the two last times, this time was chicken, and it's so hard. The quality of meat has been changed, or I don't know what they're doing. And the same for last week's beef. It's very difficult to chew on. So I made a note about it last time I came, and this time again, I made a note of it to the waiter. It's not his fault. They don't know. But somebody has to tell them. So I may try one more time, but if this is what they've now chosen to buy, a cheaper product, I don't know. I'm just saying. Then I'm out. And I'm a long time, maybe 10 plus-year customer. I don't know. But I used to love this restaurant so much

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 1

Service: 5

The best Korean food in Ottawa. The only thing that is not available is the on table Korean BBQ but you don't miss it.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

It might still be a decent Korean restaurant for 1st time customers, but as a customer for more than 13 years (with Nelson location), I feel the place is going downhill for both food quality and services. We walked in for Saturday lunch. Service is quite slow and people who came after us got food served earlier than us. Kimchi doesn't taste right at all. You can still tell the raw cabbage taste so I suspect the cabbage was not seasoned properly. We regretted for ordering fried kimchi pork rice, which used to be right on point and one of my favorites. Gamjatang, flavour is not as good as before but is ok, the problem is the volume is small at the price of $20. Also ordered a fried squid and the squid was too hard to chew. Overall very disappointed and not consider coming back.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 2

The food is absolutely amazing 🤤

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

First time visiting and overall a good experience.

Prices were reasonable and portions fair. Service was friendly and I liked that most tables had some privacy with dividers.

We ordered the Army Pot which was spicier than expected, but still enjoyable. Side dishes were okay, and the kimchi pancake was a bit salty for my taste. A nice touch was being served both water and tea pitchers right away. Descent spot for Korean food in Ottawa.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

Nice place for Korean

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5