Founding selection · Portrait 02

RestaurantGIWA

The memory is traditional. The movement is forward.

Verdun · KoreanChef Alex WooOn Wellington since March 2025

The portrait and participationRegulars participation is awaiting confirmation. This portrait belongs to our founding selection; it does not confirm activation or Regulars Pricing.

The house · 01

Food memory,
given a new service.

Alex Woo’s first restaurant under his own name begins long before professional kitchens—with the dishes his grandmother made when he was a child.

Woo opened GIWA on March 14, 2025, after working at Nora Gray. That Montréal training shows in the precision of the room, but it does not replace the Korean structure underneath it. Fermentation supplies depth. Seasonal ingredients keep the short menu moving. Earthy, spicy, sweet and umami flavours are held in deliberate balance.

GIWA is not interested in modernity as decoration. The cooking borrows technique freely while leaving its centre visible: rice, broth, banchan, the patience of a ferment and the pleasure of a table assembled from many small things.

GIWA in five principles

Five ideas that explain how the house cooks.

01Fermentation provides depth.

02The stone pot anchors the table.

03Korean structure comes first.

04Technique moves freely.

05The menu follows the season.

Chef & room · 02

A small room with a clear point of view.

Tradition is not placed behind glass; here, it is given another service.

Around forty seats keep dinner close enough for details to register: the crisp edge of rice, the order in which the banchan arrives, the heat that unfolds rather than announces itself all at once.

On Wellington—an avenue known for daytime counters, terraces and constant movement—GIWA gives Verdun a reason to stay after five. It can hold a family meal, a date or a table of friends without changing its voice.

The table · 03

Begin with the stone pot.

The menu is concise enough to understand and broad enough to build a shared meal. Prices below reflect GIWA’s public menu checked August 3, 2026 and can change with the house.

A stone-pot rice service with banchan at Restaurant GIWA

The signature

Sot-bap

Rice cooked and served in a stone pot, with oyster mushroom, fish of the moment or beef. The first spoonfuls are tender and aromatic; the bottom becomes nu-roong-ji, the crisp layer diners wait for. Banchan turns the pot into a complete table rather than a solitary plate.

$10

To begin

Gimbap

Seaweed roll, fish of the moment, cucumber, avocado and gochujang vinaigrette.

$17

Crisp

Gochu twigim

Green pepper stuffed with pork, tofu and glass noodles.

$22

Raw

Yukhwe

Beef tartare with pear, sesame, soy, egg yolk and nasturtium.

$19

Fried

Dakgangjeong

Fried chicken with smoked Gouda foam, pistachio and gochugaru.

$12

To finish

Hodumaru

Brownie, chocolate mousse, dark-chocolate pearls and maple ice cream.

The glass · 04

The drink tells the same story.

Makgeolli and soju sit beside Canadian wine, local draft beer and cocktails built with Korean references. Heritage and Montréal share the same table.

OmijaGin · five-flavour berry · lemon · $15

SikhyeRum · St-Germain · sikhye · $15

SomaekFresh soju · Origine lager · $10

Original makgeolliKorean rice wine · $21

Regulars

A house to discover.

Regulars participation is awaiting confirmation. This portrait belongs to our founding selection; it does not confirm activation or Regulars Pricing.

All house portraits →

Plan the visit · 06

Wellington,
after five.

Address: 3780 Rue Wellington, Verdun
Hours: Wed–Sat 5–10 p.m.
Sun 5–9 p.m.
Reservations: Through GIWA’s website ↗
Contact: 514-766-5777
info@restaurantgiwa.ca
Service: Dinner · indoor · group-friendly
Regulars: Founding selection · Portrait 02

A Korean table worth returning to in Verdun.

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Sources: Restaurant GIWA official website and current menu · public restaurant information · Tastet Montréal · The Main · profile details and menu checked August 3, 2026. Regulars participation is awaiting confirmation. This portrait belongs to our founding selection; it does not confirm activation or Regulars Pricing.

Food memory,given a new service.