Nowadays, izakayas are popping up all over Vancouver eager to hop on the trend. This Korean joint is also subtitled as an ‘izakaya’ — traditionally, izakayas are Japanese pubs serving up ‘good with drinks’ tapas. However, having lived in Japan, I would argue that E Hwa is a truer izakaya in some senses than more popular Japanese izakayas around town. While E Hwa can’t compete with the trendy, high-end ‘izakayas’ in terms of quality and flair — it holds one core tenement of izakayas in Japan: they are CHEAP! Izakayas are the ‘dive bars’ of Japan — not pricey, pretentious gourmet joints with overbooked reservations. Drawing a crowd of hip, young Koreans, E Hwa is(relatively) cheap and has great drinking food. Beer selection is very limited(I remember only seeing Honey Lager on tap last time I was here — ~$ 15/pitcher) but there are tons of Korean liquor on demand and ‘pitchers’ of flavoured soju(Korean vodka) cocktail in tons of flavour(try the aloe or yogurt). The food here is pretty good with a big menu selection. Of course, I am reviewing E Hwa as a drinking establishment and there’s probably better Korean food to be had in this end of Robson — as I came here once in the daytime and wasn’t impressed by the food/value without the aid of alcohol. I love the yangnyum chicken. About $ 13 for a big plate of tender, juicy chicken in a hot and spicy sauce — perfect for sharing over drinks. Probably not a traditional Korean item, but it kicks the crap out of uninspiring chicken wings at Western bar/pub. The only complaint would be that I wished the portions were smaller and cheaper, so your group can sample more items. Also, being a Korean place, expect a selection of little complimentary appetizer dishes. The place is pretty small and popular, so expect to wait for a table in the cramped room. The servers and owners don’t usually speak a lot of English, but service is pretty good nonetheless. On my last visit, arriving at about 12:30AM on a Saturday, the server informed me that they were no longer serving alcohol — a half-full room confirmed this. Sadly, it looks like they are no longer ignoring the liquor laws(sigh). But overall, probably my favourite Vancouver ‘izakaya’ to drink at — despite the Korean twist, closer to the real thing some other self-proclaimed ‘izakayas’ around town.
Dennis P.
Place rating: 2 Vancouver, Canada
First of all, there were no side dishes with our dinner, which was very unusual with Korean restaurants. When we asked the for it, the waitress told us that we would only get them from ordering alcohol. It wasn’t very friendly at all. It seemed like all they care about was money. Food was small on portions and way overpriced for it.
