Hanjan

I’ve been really into Korean food lately! One of my current go-to places is Hanjan, located on 99 Street in the Southside. It’s more modern and hip compared to other Korean restaurants in the city but still offers traditional Korean food. The interior is really cute with string lights hanging from the ceiling and an indoor patio vibe. My friend says it’s very similar to cafes you’d find in Korea. Avenue Magazine recently gave them 2nd place for Best Late Night in Edmonton, for good reason. Edmonton lacks in the late night food scene with mainly Chinese food and Mcdonald’s as options. Thankfully, Hanjan is open till 3 am on weekends (with karaoke as well)!

Disclosure: Although I was invited for a complimentary lunch experience by Hanjan, my review is 100% unbiased and based on my own, sincere experience. 

Lunch Combo 2 $40

I’ve been here a few times for dinner and late night eats but this was my first time trying out their lunch menu. They’ve been offering lunch for awhile but just rolled out their new lunch combos, which I had been invited to come taste. There are 2 lunch combos, combo 1 for $30 and combo 2 for $40. I tried out combo 2, which includes: rice, kimchi jigae, galbi or dak galbi, gamja croquette, japchae, salad, banh chan, and pa jeon. Combo 1 has all the same items except for kimchi jigae and pa jeon. If you have no idea what any of those words mean, don’t worry, I’ll be translating them for you in this post! The lunch combos are perfect for sharing between 2 to 3 people, and also gives you a chance to try out multiple items.

Dak Galbi

For the main dish in the lunch combo, you can either choose from galbi (grilled BBQ short ribs) or dak galbi. We went with dak galbi, which is a traditional Korean spicy stir-fry of chicken and rice cakes. I’m usually not a fan of spicy dishes but I enjoyed this one! I didn’t find it way too spicy, and it tasted great with rice.

Gamja Croquette

These deep fried pancakes were filled with potato then covered in mayo and a soy-like sauce. They weren’t too crispy but the filling reminded me of mashed potatoes that had been fried. I like anything that’s carbs or potatoes (most of the time) so this was a winner in my books.

Pa Jeon

Pa Jeon is a traditional Korean pancake consisting of seafood and green onions. It’s lightly fried then served with soy sauce. Compared to other places, I found that they didn’t use much pancake batter so it wasn’t as crispy as I would’ve liked. There was also more green onions than seafood.

Banchan

These are the typical small side dishes that you get at any Korean restaurant. They’re usually free and unlimited. At Hanjan, the banchan you get are kimchi, mashed potatoes, bean sprouts, and pickled radish. I only tried the mashed potatoes which were served cold but had a hint of sweetness to it.

Japchae

Japchae are glassy noodles served with vegetables. This was my first time trying it at a Korean restaurant because the only other place I’ve had it is at Koryo. These noodles clumped together a bit but they tasted very light in comparison to the rest of the items. It paired well with the rest of the lunch combo.

Salad

The salad is served with a light soy vinaigrette dressing. It was a nice addition to the otherwise heavy meal and I really liked the dressing that it came with!

Not pictured: a stew, kimchi jigae, also accompanied the lunch combo I tried. I only had a spoonful of it because it was way too spicy for my taste but if you want some heat, you’d like it.

Mandu $7

This dish isn’t part of the lunch combo but it’s one of my favorite things to order here! Mandu are deep fried pork dumplings served with a creamy mayo sauce. They are delicious and will leave you wanting more, trust me.

Strawberry Waffle $13

Literally one of the freshest waffles I’ve ever tasted! It was topped with fresh strawberries, whipped cream, vanilla ice cream then drizzled with chocolate sauce and powdered sugar. I’ve tried most of the other desserts here but I think that the strawberry waffle is my new personal favourite.

Interior

It’s safe to say that Hanjan has become one of my favorite restaurants. The food is delicious, the vibes are cool, and the hours are great (minus Monday cause they’re closed). I love how during the day it’s a cafe but on weekend nights it has a different atmosphere – more livelier I’d say. Definitely stop by if you’re in the area but even if you’re not, it’s worth the trip for some yummy Korean eats!

Address & Hours

3735 99 Street

Edmonton, AB

Mon: Closed

Tues to Thurs: 11 am – 12 am

Fri & Sat: 11 am – 3 am

Sun: 11 am – 12 am