Korean Bamboo Reviews

We walked a little off the beaten path. We had heard this is where all the locals go. It was good. Hot and fresh. Probably just not my cup of tea. I would probably try somewhere else if I ever come back to Seattle.

This is my Seattle, go-to Korean restaurant spot. I've tried a lot of their dishes, ranging from beef/seafood and beef tofu soups (soondubu), to their bulgogi soup and kalbi dishes. All of them are fantastic. They're also generous with regards to their side-dish portions, and even good with packing to-go. I highly recommend this place for fast, good Korean food!

This small restaurant is a short walk from downtown. My husband had a bulgogi combination lunch with seafood tofu soup. The tofu in the soup was delicious. I had the spicy squid stone pot - let it sit to get the crunch rice - really good. We also ordered the black bean noodles - make sure to sure this thoroughly. Another yummy dish. Really good choices and good food.

Stopped in for supper and ordered the soft tofu soup with pork dumplings. I’ve never had this dish before, therefore have nothing to compare it to. However, I do know when I enjoy something. The soup came out bubbling hot and my server asked if I wanted an egg cracked over it (which I did). About half a dozen sides accompanied my soup - fermented items, potatoes, rice, scallion pancakes and a delicious kimchi. The soup was spicy but not too crazy. The flavors were rich and the ingredients fresh. This is a small place (about 10-12 tables) with a very welcoming and friendly atmosphere. Prices are very reasonable.

I had the spicy beef bulgogi. It was very good and came with some good side dishes. The service was fast and friendly. The place was full. Good times.

In the heart of the resto area in Sattle, Belltown - Korean Bamboo offers a good range of classical Korean dishes and all the requisite spices & seasoning that make Korean cuisine so popular... A telltale sign for any 'ethnic' cuisine resto are the amount of countrymen that frequent it and if that is a gauge (and, usually a good one), Korean Bamboo is a good spot...

I ordered a hot pot bibimbap (dolsot bibimbap). It was good but not great. Ok, I am used to eating some in Korea, but I had some in Europe that were ways better than that one. The service was a bit below average, which is the main reason why I will not give it a high grade. In the other hand the price was fine.

I was here last time 7 years ago. The beef dish (Bulgogi) is just as good as I remembered. Good flavor and generous portion, tasty banchan side dish. A very comforting meal.

We're not experts on Korean food but have had it several times. I had bibimbap with chicken. It was very good and a large portion. My husband had the spicy BBQ pork which he enjoyed. Food was good and hot and service was fast and friendly.

A cute and cozy restaurant in Belltown with about eight tables, Korean Bamboo is charming, warm, a great value, and their food is delicious. Six of us went on a Saturday night and didn't have a wait for a table. The two waitresses were attentive and accommodating. They brought us hot tea to warm us from the driving rain outside, and then brought out the pork dumplings we had ordered, which were superb. These were followed by an array of side dishes and, with only a short wait, all of our entrees. My jap chae (only $9.99) was delicious and too much for me to eat--a lunch-sized leftover remained. The others loved their hot soups in the stone pots, the kimchi fried rice, the bulgogi, and the dish with a rice cake. Great value--for six of us with an appetizer (two dumplings each), one beer, six entrees plus a soup, it was $103 with tax. We will be back!

We had a group of eight and were greeted by a very grumpy hostess (male). We sat down ourselves as he pointed to the table. We were given luke warm water and waited about 10 minutes to get menus because they didn't have enough. We ordered and same male seemed irritated we were even there. Was very short and didn't replace water, or a utensil that fell on the ground. After asking, he did bring water but it was in a used beer jug that had been washed out and refrigerated. We were given our sides but only give two sets for the eight of us. I looked at other tables and one man had his own sides by himself and another couple had a side to share. We had 8 people! The place was hot in temperature and not until we were leaving did they turn on fans and it made a huge difference. I did notice about 3/4 of the way done with our meal that a woman came and was very friendly and did give us more water without asking and she is the one who turned on the fan. So although the service was bad, the food was absolutely delicious. But still not sure it would be worth it to go again. Parking was $8.25 for two hours BTW.

My partner and I ordered fried mackerel and bibimbap. Both were very good and tasty. A lot of side dishes like kimchi and sweet potatoes, all delicious.

The restaurant is located in a really pretty spot of Seattle. I ordered a beef dish, I was surprised by the size and also by the little side dishes that come with the main plate. The beef was good and also the side dishes. I really liked the restaurant, it was pretty and clean and when I was there it was full. They also have a huge TV screen and they were showing a NFL game.

I have eaten there two times. The first time the food was pretty good, especially the tofu soup and the Kimchi fried rice. So we went again last month. We ordered the food, when it came, my husband asked for "a bowl". Since during the first meal there we had problem getting just a bowl and the server brought "a bowl with rice", we were careful this time. However the server brought a bowl with rice again. My husband told her he just asked for "a bowl but not rice", the server got mad and impatient and said something rude to him. That made my husband really angry and cursed her, which is his fault of not acting like a cultured person. The boss saw what happened and came over trying to defend the waitress, from there the situation worsened to the point we decided to take food home. She refused to let us pay for the food so we could take it home. The whole scenario was an unfortunate ending and we would not go back again. This review is just to alert diners that be very clear and careful what you request because their English is poor, and misunderstanding arises easily. I would still recommend their Korean cuisine especially the soup.

This was right by my hotel and I happened to pop in for food and I was so happy about it! Great menu and great service!

Picked up from Korean Bamboo for dinner. Ordered the veggie silk tofu soup, Jap chae with tofu, bibimbap with tofu and a kimchee fried rice with tofu. They were all excellent but I like the silk tofu soup the best. The lady who took my order was nice enough to give us 2 portions of the sides with our to-go order. It didn't take long to get our food and the price was typical for Korean food. We love that there are so many vegetarian choices and will be back to try more.

I came to this 3rd Ave spot in Belltown out of curiosity as much as to satisfy the appetite. Basic place, the service was not particularly effusive even as i was the one of two guests; you can tell they calibrate their friendliness to the value of the dish ordered. The food was good. The side dish hors d'oevres are a great way to start the meal; kimchi, made for Korean palates made me sweat and was excellent. Miso soup was bland and underwhelming, clearly not their forte. I had a sizzling dry pot with tofu (and egg) which took forever to cool down. Large portion, i took 1/2 of it with me ... it was just as delicious the next day. Reasonably priced, worth the visit.

There aren't many choices for Korean food near where we live so we had to venture out to Seattle to get take out. We've tried this restaurant a couple of years ago so we decided to try it again. This time we ordered Tofu japchae, Veggie dumpling tofu soup, and bibimbap. We called in the order for pickup due to Covid-19. Food was ready for us when we got to the restaurant and it was an easy pay and pick up. Food was as delicious as we remembered. Portions were large and along with the side dishes, we had leftovers for another meal. If you are craving Korean food in the Seattle area (there are a lot of choices in the University District but our kids were not at UW so we didn't want to go that far), this is definitely a great option!

Seattle does not have a lot of Korean restaurants and most of them are in the International District. Korean Bamboo is in the Belltown part of downtown Seattle which is a bit surprising. It is a sit-down, full service restaurant with a variety of traditional dishes. I was seated immediately and ordered a combination plate consisting of bulgoki and tofu soup. The waiter gave me a variety of traditional side dishes. My food came out in about 10 minutes. Everything was very hot, just the way I like it. Very tasty! My total bill came to about $18.00. I highly recommend this place. It's extremely easy to get to and the food is great. What more could you ask for?

Walked 30 minutes to get here to be told they are closed when I arrived at 800. It clearly says 830 on their door and every website. I guess they don’t like money. Do yourself a favor and go somewhere that appreciates their customer and abides by the hours they tell their customers.

We came here for the first time yesterday, and were very happy with the experience. The service was quick, the food was delicious, cheap, and plentiful. I was also really happy to get the small assortment of side dishes with our meal. Every single item was delicious. We all ordered hot pot bibimbap, and it was great. It's a TON of food for $10. Most of us ended up taking home leftovers. I highly recommend this place. Great food, great staff, well-priced.

We are from Hawaii where Korean food is fairly common so we know the difference between excellent, good, & average. Taken to Korean Bamboo by wife's cousin who knows that we love our food when we are travelling so they have to take only to where the tastes are excellent (ambiance is not a factor for us). Sunday (11/03/19, 5:30pm) late afternoon for early dinner. Ordered the galbi with the mandu tofu soup combination. Owner says that they make the banchan (could taste the freshness) on site twice a day & I could taste that they use sesame oil & apple for sweetening. She said she thought the chef used apple in the marinade. Only had better traditional galbi (w/ butterflied short rib beef) at one restaurant in Hawaii (owner & chef retired & did not sell recipe to anyone so we can't get it any more). After dinner we discussed whether we could return later this trip for another experience. Would like to try the bulgogi (grilled style) next time. Again, this is a family style restaurant so no fancy ambiance, but restaurant filled quickly while we were there, including a table for 10 (they called ahead). Maybe 10 tables for 2 to 10, & people waiting outside when we finished. They recommended the Hite (Korean) beer which went very well with the LA style galbi (thin cut w/ bones peeking out along the long edge).

I visited Bamboo in mid-April 2018 and ordered Bibimbap(rice with beef and vegetable inside heated stone pot), but so disappointed at the taste and quality of food. My guess: Bamboo is not a true Korean restaurant either cooked by a genuine Korean chef or run by a Korean owner. I thought Bibimbap is run by a Chinese or non-Korean Asian who does not know an essence of Korean Food but imitates it. I hope the owner honestly reveals the true identity of himself and his track record in Korean food. Finally, Cashier and server never can't speak Korean and look not Korean. So sad to go to not true Korean restaurant. Bad experience indeed!

We found this gem and boy did we feel like we struck gold! This place had an opening for 7.5 on a Friday evening last minute and when we went in, it was all locals (Koreans)! EVERYTHING came out fast and hot: -Seafood Pancake (seemed to be missing some seafood) -Grilled Octopus was perfectly spiced and Bomb-dot-com! I feel like this dish stood out as the star by far. -Beef Tofu Soup -Kalbi -Chicken Bimbibop Despite the fact that we aren't Korean, the waitress' were attentive and amazingly kind to us, even quickly refilling our requests for extra sides immediately when we asked! They were super quick to clear off empty plates, so we could make room for more food, and even quicker whenever we ordered rounds of soju! We honestly devoured everything. E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. Highly recommend this place!

Solid, homecooked food. Quick service. Homemade kimchi. Customers seem happy. Try the soft tofu soups, which are served bubbling hot with banchqn and a big scoop of delicious purple rice

I have tried several Korean restaurants in Seattle. I'd love to say this one is the best. We had soft tofu soup and galbi. It is really awesome. They also offer little side dishes like other Korean restaurants. Unfortunately, it is a small restaurant. So, it's better to go a little bit earlier than normal meal time to get a seat. I'm just worried that it would be crowded due to my recommendation :)

This is the real deal. A conventional Korean menu supported by locals. We had spicy beef soup and spicy pork, and they were very hot and spicy. They also have more moderate dishes. This is just on 3rd Avenue in Belltown.

Korean food was very good. Came out with a few side dishes (not too many as that can be overwhelming). Food was delicious and the atmosphere was good. Booth seats are a little far from the table but that didn't stop my wife or I from enjoying the meal.

5 star mando and panchon, 4 star spicy tofu soup. 3 star neighborhood and atmosphere. We enjoyed our dinner very much, since our environment expectations were already low from staying across the street : )

This small restaurant does most things well. From very attentive and quick service to outstanding food. We had the hot stone pot with spicy shrimp and the other with chicken. Really delicious and very well priced. We will be back !

My husband and I love Korean food, so we were determined to find a great Korean restaurant and this is it !!! The food is great and there is no bad dish!

Limited side dishes. Waiter seemed like he didn't want to be there. When he cracked the egg for our tofu soup, he dripped all over the table. He didn't even come back to wipe it up. The tofu soup came in bigger bowls than what you usually see. The dishes that we ordered came out separately with about 5 mins in between. We also asked for a refill of one of the side dishes. They said, sure please wait. Never got the refill. Would not recommend. Will not return.

Just about everything about this restaurant was absolutely perfect. There beef short ribs were amazing and so was the bulgogi. We got the combo 5 for bibmbap and silk tofu kimchi soup. The soup was great, spicy, but great. The only drawback was some things were a bit too spicy, but if you’re the kind of person that likes that sort of thing then go ahead. The only thing I haven’t talked about yet is the spicy fish cakes. Whenever I get these at other restaurants it tastes like a spicy eraser but this time they were a whole lot better with more flavor. All in all this was the best Korean food I’ve ever had.

We came here on a recommendation. At lunch we found a crowd and had to wait ten minutes. Service was fast and friendly. The Korean food was excellent. Tofu soup, kal bi, bologna, beebimbab, we found all our favorites on the menu. Reasonably priced, no wonder it was crowded. While there was a generous portion of Korean patrons, the patrons were of varied ethnicity. So there were indicators of ethnic validity but also of welcome to all. We had the tofu soup. I had an add on of short ribs (kalbi). It was delicious. The waiters were quick and continued to come by to ask as to our needs. I and my partner plan on returning soon.

Deservedly popular, small space, only one table available at 6 PM on a rainy Tuesday. Mostly Asian, under 40 clientele, apparently office workers and students apparently regulars. Standard Korean menu with variations: e.g. dumplings veggie or meat, fried, deep fried or boiled. We two had a huge bowl of veggie dumpling soup and a big plate of japchae, five tasty appetizer dishes, barley tea - overfilling for <$30, Can't beat that for taste and price. Will return.

Stumbled into this joint straight from the airport to an hour ride on the light rail, dropped off stuff at nearby motel and straight to the Korean BBQ! A small place with one waitress at lunch time but she did not seem overly stressed. No wifi available. Quick service and not long to wait for food to arrive. Bibimbap was standardly good. I'm giving it the 4th star because I was really hungry after the trek and it satisfied me well. $11 served in a stone pot. Yum.

I had high hopes because I love Korean food. However, I thought everything was rather bland. I ordered the bibimbop in the stone bowl. Very little crusty rice and the bugolgi beef was lackluster. However, I did enjoy the little side dishes quite a bit. I'm allergic to chili peppers (I know...sad) so I can't have anything spicy. It seems that if you can't add Siracha or any kind of spice to their food you get bland and almost tasteless food. Shouldn't food still taste good without adding any spice to it?

The decor of the restaurant is really like it's restaurant name. All bamboo and wooden. The restaurant is quite small. I saw the max capacity for the restaurant is 48. I ordered a seafood soup and spicy pork combo which costs USD15.88. Really ate until full. Food was good!

The Bibimbap was great both chicken and beef. From my Korean daughter, to my globe trotting son, to my slightly less cosmopolitan daughter in law and two teenager grandchildren.. all loved their meal. Authentic, tasty and filling. Try it!

black bamboo was my favorite downtown chinese place, huge services everything tasty oh I miss the hot and sour soup! New name, new menu prices higher, food servings smaller, not my place anymore. Gone is what was good.