PodoNamu Korean Cuisine - Kingston, Ontario

My food was tasty, and the atmosphere was nice--its a nice small and quiet place. However it wasnt a super enjoyable experience, the service was not very good and they made me pay more than I should've. no physical menus were provided so our meal started off with everyone staring down ... at their phones looking at a digital menu. Vegetarian and vegan options were NOT marked on the menu. When asked about vegan options, they made a good suggestion but then brought the food out with an egg on top. They took the food back when I mentioned it and they came back one minute later with a bowl without an egg. They didn't really apologize, and when they took the bowl away they didn't let me know how long it would take to prepare a new one and I was sitting their while everyone else had their food. Luckily it was very quick. The lack of communication and just in general lack of words didn't make for a pleasant enjoyable experience though We ran out of water at our table and our pitcher was never replaced. The restaurant staff didn't check on our table after the food was served. Also note you have to go up to the counter to pay--we didn't realize that at first. Maybe a sign (or a larger sign) to indicate that would be nice, or if a server mentioned it or something that would be nice (our server didnt talk to us other than getting our order). It isn't a big deal but some more communication and conversation would have made it more pleasant. Another issue was my final bill. The waiter suggested bibimbap to me, and I said that sounded good. They asked if I wanted it in a stone bowl and I said sure. A stone bowl is $2 extra and I would not have said yes if the waiter mentioned that--I feel cheated there. Additionally, the menu prices are not accurate. The stone bowl bibimbap is listed at $16.45, and I paid $19.72, which would have to mean it was taxed ~19.9% which doesn't seen correct. If they are charging more than the menu price then that's pretty unethical and I want my money back. My receipt isn't itemized either it just says "custom amount" which is completely unhelpful. It also doesn't show the before and after tax amounts which makes it even worse. The receipt was totally useless. They need to change that. My food was quite tasty, and the mushrooms were super flavourful. I got the tofu bibimbap in a stone bowl and it was all very flavourful. The service and shady money practices were sub par though. I don't think I will be coming here again. 2 star rating because the actual food was good once it was all sorted, but there were too many problems with the service. Read more

The food here was authentic, flavourful and very well priced! The portions were also great and there was a fair variety on the menu. The fried chicken was very crispy and fresh. The bulgogi and bibimbap were all very flavourful and the sunny side up egg was perfect. Our server ... was incredibly friendly and offered us suggestions for menu items and answered many of our questions. The atmosphere was very homey and warm. We could come back! Read more

Lovely Korean restraunt with lots of chicken options. I've been wanting to go to Podonamu for a while after hearing good things. I went for dine in and was impressed by how nice the interior was, it was modern and clean. The menu was large, it had a list of fried chicken ... options (although notably no seafood pancake). We got the soon tofu soup and the scallion chicken. The soup was good, but the chicken was a stand out. It came in a large portion, boneless, and was enjoyed by all! The reason I give it 4 stars is that the service I'd quite slow, the person who came 1 ahead of us ate his meal and left before we got ours, but it could have been a short staffed day. Otherwise fantastic place to go for food! Read more

Podonamu is our favourite restaurant to visit in downtown Kingston. The Korea sauce fried chicken and jajangmyeon are must tries! A tip, if you get the chicken, make sure to ask for extra napkins!

This was one of my favourite spots to go to when I was in undergrad, and is still one of my favourite spots after recently visiting Kingston after 5 years. The atmosphere, charm, friendly service and delicious food have always made my experiences here a wonderful one. I wish I ... could dine here more often, but I will make it a priority to come here whenever I visit Kingston. Read more