Local Guides World
Steve Midas
14 reviews on 1 places
This is for the Seattle Chinatown International District (CID) location. They have another location in Lynnwood.
Street parking is the only offering here. As with other city businesses, you are likely to be parking a couple of blocks way, then walking to this spot.
Plenty of seating inside and the restrooms were clean. They only have hand dryer ls that initially look like a paper towel dispenser, so don't get startled when it blast you with air.
Note: As the restaurant states, it's Gangnam-style food or "city food." That means that if you're expecting the more southern traditional spicy (more salty, garlicky and fishy), or what I call "more flavorful" take on Korean, then it won't be that. It's a moderate approach to Korean, so if you're new to Korean food, this is a great start.
The best start is to get the stone bibim-bap or dolsot bibim-bap. It's a got stone bowl filled with your choice of meat or tofu with an assortment of veggies. It grills crispy on the hot bowl and is topped with an egg with the spicy go-chu-jang sauce on the side so you can control the spice level.
Portions were good here. They have the smaller and regular sizes on the menu. The smaller 1-person serving will be about $16 a dish, and the 2+person serving will be about $30 a dish, so specify when you order.
They do have the traditional barely/corn tea or bo-lee-cha, but the day we went, the machine was broken. The tea is usually a good indicator of the food experience, so it was a toss-up, but we were pleasantly surprised. And that is what you'll in the reviews. An assortment of 5-star and 1-star reviews for this location.
The side-dishes were good. When we went, they had kimchee (not fishy), bean sprouts, zucchini, and mushrooms for the offering. All fresh, except for the kimchee that is supposed to be fermented.
The soft tofu soup was good and it comes with rice and they drop the egg for you so stir or don't stir the soup depending on how you want your egg. They only offer white rice, but it was perfectly sticky. The spicy grilled pork was good also. Not too sweet or overly seasoned. (*Pro-tip: scoop the spicy sauce with grilled pork and veggies and mix it with the rice to raise your rice game to the next level )
They have a giant display for the assortment of soju they have to offer. I recommend the peach. It usually "pairs" (*pun intended) and goes well with meat dishes.
The service was good. He was newer, and was very polite but not intuitive. He was also the only person seating and serving, which was why we still tipped the regular Seattle 20%. We did have to ask for additional side-dishes (as with most Korean restaurants) but I did wish that he bagged our leftovers rather than handing me containers and me asking for a bag. But as I mentioned, he was new.
Midas 5-stars for the food and cool Korean K-pop bar atmosphere.
Street parking is the only offering here. As with other city businesses, you are likely to be parking a couple of blocks way, then walking to this spot.
Plenty of seating inside and the restrooms were clean. They only have hand dryer ls that initially look like a paper towel dispenser, so don't get startled when it blast you with air.
Note: As the restaurant states, it's Gangnam-style food or "city food." That means that if you're expecting the more southern traditional spicy (more salty, garlicky and fishy), or what I call "more flavorful" take on Korean, then it won't be that. It's a moderate approach to Korean, so if you're new to Korean food, this is a great start.
The best start is to get the stone bibim-bap or dolsot bibim-bap. It's a got stone bowl filled with your choice of meat or tofu with an assortment of veggies. It grills crispy on the hot bowl and is topped with an egg with the spicy go-chu-jang sauce on the side so you can control the spice level.
Portions were good here. They have the smaller and regular sizes on the menu. The smaller 1-person serving will be about $16 a dish, and the 2+person serving will be about $30 a dish, so specify when you order.
They do have the traditional barely/corn tea or bo-lee-cha, but the day we went, the machine was broken. The tea is usually a good indicator of the food experience, so it was a toss-up, but we were pleasantly surprised. And that is what you'll in the reviews. An assortment of 5-star and 1-star reviews for this location.
The side-dishes were good. When we went, they had kimchee (not fishy), bean sprouts, zucchini, and mushrooms for the offering. All fresh, except for the kimchee that is supposed to be fermented.
The soft tofu soup was good and it comes with rice and they drop the egg for you so stir or don't stir the soup depending on how you want your egg. They only offer white rice, but it was perfectly sticky. The spicy grilled pork was good also. Not too sweet or overly seasoned. (*Pro-tip: scoop the spicy sauce with grilled pork and veggies and mix it with the rice to raise your rice game to the next level )
They have a giant display for the assortment of soju they have to offer. I recommend the peach. It usually "pairs" (*pun intended) and goes well with meat dishes.
The service was good. He was newer, and was very polite but not intuitive. He was also the only person seating and serving, which was why we still tipped the regular Seattle 20%. We did have to ask for additional side-dishes (as with most Korean restaurants) but I did wish that he bagged our leftovers rather than handing me containers and me asking for a bag. But as I mentioned, he was new.
Midas 5-stars for the food and cool Korean K-pop bar atmosphere.
Located in Columbia City in Seattle, this is the place for crafted donuts.
There is very limited parking and 2-hour street parking around the neighborhood. And you may need to use all 2-hours. The average wait is about an hour, and they will run out of donuts!
The donuts are basically beignets with filling. The ingredients are all-natural. Not too sweet, very light and fluffy and just one is never enough.
I also recommend the coffee, as it is ALWAYS a good indicator of how good the food will be. A blend of Ethiopian and Brazilian, it pairs perfectly with anything your heart chooses.
Midas 5-stars for the food and service.
There is very limited parking and 2-hour street parking around the neighborhood. And you may need to use all 2-hours. The average wait is about an hour, and they will run out of donuts!
The donuts are basically beignets with filling. The ingredients are all-natural. Not too sweet, very light and fluffy and just one is never enough.
I also recommend the coffee, as it is ALWAYS a good indicator of how good the food will be. A blend of Ethiopian and Brazilian, it pairs perfectly with anything your heart chooses.
Midas 5-stars for the food and service.
Located in Belltown, this is the place to get a "home" version of Korean food. This is what you would expect from a family restaurant and all the warmth and attention to customers that should be the standard.
They are a storefront located on the corner, so like you will have to find street parking and walk a block or two.
As a caveat, I am a bit more strict on the Korean food, so just add a star to everything rate for the food, because I am honestly VERY picky.
Having said that, the meal started off great as they served us the corn tea, which is something that leans towards the more traditional. The tea set the tone for the experience I would have and the food I would be getting.
The tea was good, but it was served in a metal cup, and it was just lukewarm. And that is how all of the food came out, except for one dish that came out perfectly perfect. (*watch the video) The rest of it fell a bit flat. The ribs came out chewy and not sizzling at all (in fact, we had to ask to have it cooked some more). The same with the beef in my kimchee soft tofu soup, it was chewy. On the flipside, the jjajangmyun was good, but the noodles were very overcooked and lacked the chewyness that you should have in the noodles.
All in all, the flavor was good, and the additions like the side dishes and multi-grain rice they served complemented the meal very nicely.
Midas 5-stars for the corn tea, side dishes (banchan), and warm attentive service.
Midas 3.5-stars for the food and the lukewarmness.
They are a storefront located on the corner, so like you will have to find street parking and walk a block or two.
As a caveat, I am a bit more strict on the Korean food, so just add a star to everything rate for the food, because I am honestly VERY picky.
Having said that, the meal started off great as they served us the corn tea, which is something that leans towards the more traditional. The tea set the tone for the experience I would have and the food I would be getting.
The tea was good, but it was served in a metal cup, and it was just lukewarm. And that is how all of the food came out, except for one dish that came out perfectly perfect. (*watch the video) The rest of it fell a bit flat. The ribs came out chewy and not sizzling at all (in fact, we had to ask to have it cooked some more). The same with the beef in my kimchee soft tofu soup, it was chewy. On the flipside, the jjajangmyun was good, but the noodles were very overcooked and lacked the chewyness that you should have in the noodles.
All in all, the flavor was good, and the additions like the side dishes and multi-grain rice they served complemented the meal very nicely.
Midas 5-stars for the corn tea, side dishes (banchan), and warm attentive service.
Midas 3.5-stars for the food and the lukewarmness.
Located in the center of downtown, Stateside is a blend of elevated Vietnamese and American fare food.
You will need to find street parking. And the outside is very much the city but inside is a stylish private eatery. This place fills up very quickly, so make sure you get those reservations.
The food menu is short and sweet. But the quality of ingredients and the flavor profile from the small plates to the large plates is nothing short of amazing. A good riesling pairs nicely with most of the offerings. We ordered the mushroom springrolls, the crispy shrimp, ahi crudo, the chicken, and rockfish.
Michael was our server. He was intuitive and really great at understanding what we were looking for. Professional and responsive, he helped pair the amazing food with amazing service.
Midas 5-stars for a place worth UBering to for the food AND service.
You will need to find street parking. And the outside is very much the city but inside is a stylish private eatery. This place fills up very quickly, so make sure you get those reservations.
The food menu is short and sweet. But the quality of ingredients and the flavor profile from the small plates to the large plates is nothing short of amazing. A good riesling pairs nicely with most of the offerings. We ordered the mushroom springrolls, the crispy shrimp, ahi crudo, the chicken, and rockfish.
Michael was our server. He was intuitive and really great at understanding what we were looking for. Professional and responsive, he helped pair the amazing food with amazing service.
Midas 5-stars for a place worth UBering to for the food AND service.
This is for the Dearborn location. This location has a drop-off as well.
The parking lot is big, but as the sign says don't leave belongings in the car. You will see shattered glass on the street from the regular break-ins.
When you walk in, it's the size of a large gym, actually 2-large gyms because the area from the entrance is clothing and there a second area for household items, furniture, toys, sports and entertainment.
This place moves at a quick pace, and isles are littered with things dropped on the ground with no one picking things up.
Pack your patience, the isles are tight, people are close and there are many looking for the "right find." There are treasures to be found here but I didn't see a deep discount verses getting it brand new from Amazon but if you're looking for vintage, this is your spot. I was able to find a brand-new pair of Cons for $25 and a new fleece hat for $8.
Midas 5-stars for the quick lines at the register. There were 8-registers open to get people checked-out and moving.
Midas 3-stars for the tight isles and selection.
Midas 4-stars overall.
The parking lot is big, but as the sign says don't leave belongings in the car. You will see shattered glass on the street from the regular break-ins.
When you walk in, it's the size of a large gym, actually 2-large gyms because the area from the entrance is clothing and there a second area for household items, furniture, toys, sports and entertainment.
This place moves at a quick pace, and isles are littered with things dropped on the ground with no one picking things up.
Pack your patience, the isles are tight, people are close and there are many looking for the "right find." There are treasures to be found here but I didn't see a deep discount verses getting it brand new from Amazon but if you're looking for vintage, this is your spot. I was able to find a brand-new pair of Cons for $25 and a new fleece hat for $8.
Midas 5-stars for the quick lines at the register. There were 8-registers open to get people checked-out and moving.
Midas 3-stars for the tight isles and selection.
Midas 4-stars overall.