Owl of Minerva

Reviews

• Stacey V.

  star star star star star_border 13 June 2026

  A Korean friend recommended this place, she is a foodie so I was excited to give Owl of Minerva a try. BF and I came on a Saturday around 1pm. The place was busy, we got the last available table.
  
  The menu is pretty big, there's a lot of variety. It's not only Korean, there are also some Japanese dishes. We decided to stick with Korean and ordered Pork Bone Soup in hot pot (for 2). The food came quickly and the portion was huge. We also each got a bowl of rice and some side dishes. It was delicious and fatty! Just the way we had when we were in Seoul, SK. I really enjoyed it and would return to try the other dishes.
  
  The only hick was that the wait staff seemed a bit flustered. We had to ask 3 times for glasses of water.

• Frances C.

  star star star star_border star_border 30 May 2026

  I came here with a friend because we wanted to try the Korean food in Ottawa. Service was okay. Food was okay too.
  
  We did understand that there was only one server, but it was hard to get his attention. I eventually had to go up to the counter and ask for things that I needed.
  
  As for food, we ordered the spicy tofu soup, pork belly bowl, short ribs, and the egg omelette. The best dish has to be the short ribs. It was juicy and flavourful. I didn't like the spicy tofu soup much. Primarily because the paste that they used in there was not mixed in properly. I could still taste big chunks of it in there. The egg omelette was definitely not authentic but still taste good. Lastly, the pork belly bowl had no flavour at all. It was just meat.
  
  I wouldn't say I'd definitely come back, but also wouldn't say that I won't be coming back. It's okay. Not great, not awful, just okay. Service and food was mediocre to me overall.

• Alexander N.

  star star star star star_border 30 May 2026

  Fast service! I had the Jeyuk Bokeum and the Kanjatan. The Jeyuk Bokeum needed a bit more of seasoning and was lacking some flavor. But it was still good, the meat was tender. The Kanjatan was good, lots of meat in it. You get 3 side dishes. The kimchi looked very fresh and i think is home made as well.

• Lui Xia L.

  star star_border star_border star_border star_border 24 May 2026

  Food was not fresh at all - everything from the side dishes to the Kimchi Jjigae.
  
  The servers were great but the food was bad. Would not go again. My friend and I only went there because other Korean restaurants in Chinatown were closed.

• Jongmu O.

  star star star star_border star_border 22 May 2026

  The Owl has been known very well for its late night openings (particularly GTA) and last year they opened up in Ottawa which was great news especially as a Korean Canadian who used to live in Toronto. Recently they started delivery so I gave it a shot (I eat delivery very often). Experience might differ as I'm reviewing based on delivery. Food tends to taste better when eaten right away at restaurants.
  
  Delivery
  -came extremely quick actually. Probably the fastest in my two years of delivery experiences. Order was picked up almost as soon as I placed on order and came to my door.
  I ordered two items: gamjatang (porkbone soup,their specialty and what they're popular for) and gganpoongi (deep fried chicken swet and sour sauced)
  
  Food
  -Interestingly, gamjatang (pork bone soup) was delivered perfectly sealed the way they do at bubble tea places. This is not the case when you eat in at the restaurant. However, the soup was lukewarm. Like...literally 50:50 mix of hot and cold water you get, that's what it was like, which contradicts what I said on quick delivery (quick means it should be hot) because people don't do delivery expecting to reheat at their own places (which I had to because it was basically neither cold or hot soup) and typically, other gamjatangs and phos I order on delivery come in hot or relatively hot. Some might say delivery time (and maybe delivery guy had window open in this cold weather) makes food cold but again it contradicts what I said about super fast delivery, my past experiences ordering soups and fully sealed food. My assumption is they already have a bunch of prepacked stuff like this manufactured at a central location and just shoot it out the door but I do not know if it's true and just a guess (they might have seal machine but regardless doesn't change my opinion about the rating). Unfortunately the taste was not that different from the same branded premanufactured pork bone soup I buy from T&T. As for the soup itself, it was ok, but I think I tasted better pork bone soups in Ottawa and I had to reheat it. gganpoongi (deep fried sweet sour chicken) is average or  below. The owl's specialty is on convenience and quick porkbone soup eats at least in GTA, so I already set my bar low when ordering this and my guess was correct. Better ordering this type of Chinese fusion styles at proper Korean Chinese Fusion restaurants, but not here. It tasted very ketchup-y, fry coating was so big and damp that I couldn't taste the meat much and for the same price I think I can be treated better at other restaurants if I want sweet and sour chicken.
  
  Considering limited option of Korean foods here in Ottawa, this place does taste close to actual Korean and I approve (compared to some Korean places that I am not sure how they call the food Korean when it's not) and it's great that they bring similar experiences from other places to Ottawa keeping brand consistent. I cannot comment on restaurant experiences, but delivery and food quality-wise, it was ok, just that I don't think I'll order delivery here anymore, but maybe visit in person.