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The tofu soup and galbi were delicious! The Hambok steak was unique. A bit tangy.. tasted like mustard and Worcestershire.. but still good. Def will be back for tofu soup and the Army Soup!
The four of us came on Fri night around 7PM and were able to get seated right away. They have a few bottled beers available including Terra. We started with the Tuna Kimbap and it was solid. All four of us ordered Dolsot Bibimbap - two with bulgogi, one with spicy pork and one with Galbi-jjim....and we all had the same reaction - WINNER! The tastes and portions were spot on and we left very satsified and content with our decision to visit Mama's Kitchen!
Food was good, but service very bad. Had to call over the server multiple times to get items that we needed to eat our meal. The seafood pancake, ban ban fried chicken, and vegetable bibampap was ordered. Only 2 small banchan dishes was given. I thought cost was high for portion size and service. 2nd time here to give it another try. Will go to my go to Korean restaurant in Bellevue and Issaquah instead.
Yum!!! Came here for the first time for a later lunch, food was incredible! Inside was clean and nice, can't wait to come back!
Portions are very generous! I ordered the dolsot bibimbap and usually this is enough for one person, but they gave so much here that it could've been shared with my party! It was a lot, but good. I was able to try out the wings and kimbap as well and it was all pretty good. No hate. Service is as expected. Not going out of their way to give an outstanding experience. Just enough to get you what you need. There aren't too many tables and I can see the larger table in the middle being shared by different groups cafeteria style. Overall, good spot to eat and grab some Korean food on a cold rainy day.
The ambiance is modern with a few casual tables, and it felt cozy overall. I came to meet a friend around 7:45 PM on a Tuesday. The kitchen was open, clean, and maintained good hygiene. The server was incredibly friendly and sweet. Since I arrived quite early, he kindly offered me a hot tea, which was very tasty and refreshing. I ordered the bibimbap, which was quite good everything appeared fresh, and the egg and flavors were enjoyable. The best part was that the server didn't rush us at all, whether it was with the order or the check. We ended up staying for nearly two hours, talking about everything openly.
Solid spot for Korean food in Bellevue! Would recommend coming with more people so you can share. I came here with 2 friends for dinner on a Tuesday night around 6 pm and it was still fairly empty. It was completely full by the time we left with 1-2 groups waiting, so it's definitely a popular spot. We came in the middle of a heat wave, but it didn't feel like the restaurant turned on their AC, so it was super hot and stuffy inside. I was hoping to escape the heat by coming to the restaurant but sadly that wasn't the case. On top of that, they gave us room temperature water at the beginning, and we had to specifically ask for iced water. If it's that hot inside and out, at the very least they could've given everyone iced water by default... Anyways, moving onto the food. We shared the following items: Veggie eggroll ($6.99) - pretty standard Ban ban chicken ($24.99) - didn't realize their fried chicken would be in the form of chicken wings and not drumsticks, which is what I'm used to. The menu doesn't call out that it's chicken wings either, which would've been helpful. I liked it but thought it was pricy for the portion Galbi-jjim bibimbap ($24.99) - my favorite dish of the night. Galbi was flavorful and they include plenty of egg and veggies to mix together with the rice Katsu mayo over rice ($16.99) - I personally found this dish bland but my other friends liked it. I didn't think there was enough flavor in the chicken and egg to eat with all the rice they give you
I first saw Mama's Kitchen while visiting another restaurants in the plaza. I always like trying Korean food restaurants and this one was very good! We went towards the end of lunch and were seated quickly (there's no reservations, only a wait list). While the seating area isn't large, they're able to fit quite a few tables in and there is an open kitchen at the back. Everything was very clean and the staff were very efficient in bussing tables. They were also quick in taking our order and the food also came out to us quickly. As for the food, I have my favorites and had to get the soondoboo soup. I'd say this is higher on my list of good ones, nice flavor without it being too spicy and I only wish the bowl was bigger. We also ordered the beef bulgogi over rice, also with excellent flavor and quality meat and the seafood pancake. The pancake had lots of seafood but I wasn't used to the panko-like breading. Altogether very good and would go back next time I'm in the area.
I'm writing this review based on two separate visits. I wanted to share my experience--especially with the Half & Half (H&H) chicken--and see if others had similar thoughts. During my first visit, I ordered the H&H chicken and the hamburger steak. The hamburger steak lacked seasoning and had an unpleasant ground meat smell that wasn't masked well. But the worst part was the plating. The plate was full of water from the salad, which had run into the rice and meat. Every time I picked up a piece of food, I had to shake off excess water--it was really off-putting. The H&H chicken was the most disappointing. I took most of it to go, and while packing, I noticed all six pieces were wings. I had already eaten a couple, so I was confused--how could there be more than two wings from one chicken? I looked around and noticed other tables who ordered the same dish didn't get just wings, so I'm not sure what happened there. On my second visit, I ordered the chadol jjolmyun, veggie kimbap (their best and signature item), and chicken katsu. The chicken katsu is basically the same as the hamburger steak in terms of sauce and plating--just a different protein. I'm not a fan of their sauce. I wish they offered something with more kick or a tangier flavor. The overall taste was bland, and I quickly got tired of it. The chadol jjolmyun was pretty good--plenty of veggies and nicely cooked meat on top. The initial presentation was scrumptious. However, the noodles were buried at the bottom and hard to mix in. Also, the flavor leaned greasy due to the meat and extra sesame oil. A bit more vinegar or something refreshing would have balanced it better. The veggie kimbap remains my favorite. It has a minimal rice-to-veggie ratio and is packed with fresh ingredients. The side of pickled radish kimchi adds a nice kick and helps reset your palate between bites. Overall, I still feel the prices are a bit high for what you get, but since everything is expensive these days, I might come back occasionally. When I do, I'll stick to their signature items like kimbap and tteokbokki.
Very authentic Korean place. Small place and the wait around dinner time can be hectic since they are understaff and waitlist is confusing. But the food was great. I particularly like bubibamp. Lots of veggies and they even have some jelly like veggies that I rarely seen in other places. Their kimbamp are huge with lots of filling and less rice. But would skip on the tofu soup. It taste a lot like msg with lots of chili powder.
Mama's Kitchen is a small mom and pop shop serving Korean classics. We came here for lunch and was lucky to get a table right away. It was quite a wait before we got our food but they were all delicious so all is well. We got the seafood pancake, the gyoza, the ban ban chicken and a cup of sikhye. - The seafood pancake was great, it had a different texture compared to pancakes that I've had in the past, not better or worse, just different. - The gyoza I couldn't remember, it was mostly consumed by our kid. - We enjoyed the ban ban chicken; I liked their yangnyeom sauce. - The sikhye (traditional sweet Korean rice beverage) was pretty good but is an acquired taste, so some might not appreciate it. They seem to be known for their kimbap so I would try that next time.
Delicious Korean comfort foods! Mama's Kitchen is great for those classic Korean dishes that you can never go wrong order. The menu is huge and is full of the favorites - Bibimbap, Korean Fried Chicken, Budae Jjigae, tteokbokli, and much more. I had a really hard time just choosing what I wanted, and their prices didn't make that choice any easier as it could get a bit pricy. We had the Korean Fried Chicken, Budae Jjigae, and the bibimbap. I do have to admit some of the flavors weren't as amazing as the menu sounded. The bibimbap was a bit too sweet and the budae Jjigae a bit salty. I still really enjoyed the Budae Jjigae but it could've been better. The quality and portion sizes of the food was solid though, especially the huge chunks of Korean Fried Chicken. I also loved how the Budae Jigae came in a hot stonepot, which let the food stay hot and steamy. If I could recommend one dish that I had, it'd be the Budae Jjigae. Service was solid here. Our server was efficient and friendly. The restaurant itself is pretty small though. We were lucky enough to have an empty table next to us so we were able to combine the two tables, but during a busy time I could see things getting pretty tight. Looking forward to returning and trying out more of their menu! read more
I was really hesitant on trying this place because it seem so pricey for just typical Korean food but decided to try anyways. My brother and I came at around 5 and we were the only one there. Eventually more people came though. We ordered the combo which came with the bibimbab, the soondoboo soup. We also ordered the Kimbap because I heard it was so good here. Food came out pretty fast and everything was delicious. The bibimbab came with these gigantic beef ribs that was super tender and juicy. I like that they put the sauce on the side you can put however much you like. The soup was also tasty. It was filled with seafood, tofu. It looks small but was pretty filling. The combo came with two side of soup and a kimchi side and rice. So we had A LOT of rice. The Kimbap was ok, it was big in size but flavor was just standard to me. Service was ok as well. They gave us one cup of tea and then go off to do other things and never came back until the end to give us the check. Price is on the higher side though and although the quality was higher than most Korean places, it hasn't justify the price point to me yet. Overall, a good addition to factoria and I would come back if I'm in the area and craving it. read more
4 years ago
A great spot to go to if you're craving Korean food. We came on a Sunday and it was busy! I recommend coming early to get your name on the list. They call you when your table is ready so you can get some shopping done across the street. The restaurant itself is small. We shared a table with other people and didn't mind it. We ordered the cold noodles, bibimbap, and mayo katsu egg rice. Food itself was really good! I think for next time I would pass on the mayo katsu egg rice. I didn't like it as much as the other 2 items. The price range is on the pricer side but worth it if you are craving good Korean food. read more
This was a perfect meal after hiking at rattle snake! If you're craving some Korean food I would suggest going to this place! It's a bit expensive... but the food is quite tasty. Galbi bimbimbop was delicious! But I don't think two meats is worth that much... 25.99?? Crazy! Never had a bibimbap worth that much. It sure was tasty tho! Kimbap was pretty good! Tteobokki was a bit too sweet. I would say cut back on the sweetness and bring more depth in flavor. For regular spice level and it wasn't that spicy. Spicy pork- prettiest spicy pork I've seen. Lol Also I liked how they had free hot tea which was a nice touch! read more
3 years ago
Food- high quality comfort Korean food. Tofu soup- straight forward, warming for the soul. Chicken Katsu over rice- yummy but on the sweet end, not how any of my mamas I know would cook. Bibimbap is good! Volume is filling. Only banchan (korean sides) they have is homemade kimchi- not too garlicky or tart, which I like. Ambiance- nice, clean lines, airy for small space, simple, causal classy. Service- very nice. Kid friendly, has kid utentils and bowls. Location- in strip mall behind 76 gas station on SE 38th st. Easy to find, moderate amount of parking available for all the businesses. Value- expensive, I find 30% more expensive than other Korean restaurants for the type of food. Bibimbap is $20!!! Recommend- good to try, thought not my a place I would return over and over due to value. read more
This place was delicious!! I love korean food and this place did not disappoint at all!! The cheese Tteokbokki was perfectly spicy (we got the regular spice level) and sweet. The rice cakes were super fun to eat because they were long (almost like a noodle!). The bibimbap was also great, I loved all the veggies on top. It was super refreshing. The beef was also perfectly tender and juicy. We waited around 20 minutes for our food which wasn't too bad considering there were a lot of people. Will definitely be coming back here to try more things. read more
3 years ago
It's pretty cool seeing more Korean restaurants popping up outside the Federal Way area. Especially coming from the Atlanta suburbs I've been craving some decent Korean food. Ambience - It's located in a strip mall in Factoria, and seating is pretty limited. There's one large table in the center of the restaurant you share with multiple people, but because of how wide the table is it's awkward to having conversation for two especially if you're sitting across the table. During the evenings you should expect to wait if you have a large party Kimbap - my girlfriend and I were a little hesitant ordering this at first, especially since we're used to eating these at home and never really ordered them at restaurants. The rolls themselves were pretty large and I loved how fragrant they were, but for the price of the combo I felt I would pass on them next time. Dubboki - Tteokbokki, however you spell it. It's hard for me to gauge on dubboki quality because at the end of the day, most places I've been to and ordered this dish they all tasted pretty much the same. I don't know if they make it in house or buy the rice cakes from the supermarket but it tasted pretty decent. The gochujang sauce was okay and I wish there was a little more heat to it. Seafood soup - This was the banger for me. The broth was very flavorful, rich seafood taste and creaminess from the cheese or whatever fat they put inside. The ramen noodles were cooked just right and the broth clung onto them very well. Even eating them in the summer they weren't too heavy for me. Verdict: At the end of the day, the prices are too high for me. Kimbap and dubboki to me are more bar/street food and I'm not used to the prices being so high. A lot of other reviewers pointed out the lack of side dishes that I also felt was an issue too. A few pickled radishes aren't enough to provide a Korean 'mama's kitchen' experience. Interesting concept and I hope they honestly add banchan to the menu. read more
One of the first times I ever had galbi-jjim (and food from Mama's Kitchen) was actually the first night I moved into my current apartment. I had no table set up, so I had to awkwardly eat MK's galbi-jjim bibimbap off my kitchen countertop which was slightly too high for the only chair I had. But man was the galbi-jjim oh so delicious. It made that meal memorable in more ways than one. I finally ate inside Mama's Kitchen recently and was happy to find that I did not have any of the issues with the service that some of the other reviews mentioned. I didn't have to really wait long at all for the staff to take my order, bring my food out, or bring me my check. As for the galbi-jjim bibimbap, it was as delicious as ever. If you've never had galbi-jjim before, you definitely need to try it out as the beef is so tender, sweet, and savory. The rest of the bibimbap ingredients (spinach, bean sprouts, carrot, egg, cucumber, mushroom, seaweed, and noodles) were nice too. I am not used to noodles in bibimbap, but the contrast in texture between the chewy noodles and fluffy rice was nice. A perk of eating at Mama's Kitchen is that they leave you with a bottle of the bibimbap sauce so you can apply as much as you want. The only other thing you should be aware of is that the galbi-jjim bibimbap is pricey ($30 after tax and tip), but galbi-jjim always seems to be on the pricier side from my experience. TL;DR: galbi-jjim bibimbap is worth it read more
I absolutely love kimbap, so I made the 40 min drive out to try and it did not disappoint! The kimbap here is definitely the highest quality and they literally have like 10 ingredients in this roll! It is soooo good. It's definitely on the pricier end, but you're truly paying for what you get. Also tried the cheese chicken breast katsu and damn its super good! Anything with cheese, I'm there! The flavor is phenomenal and the special sauce they use is so addicting. Definitely stop by because they use quality ingredients here! read more
3 years ago
First visit, delicious and authentic Korean food open until midnight on the weekends. Winner of a place very organized and clean! read more
4 years ago
WOAH- I absolutely LOVED the food that I had here. We got the Budae Jjigae (aka Army Stew), half and half chicken, and kimbap. The Budae Jjigae and chicken are not to be slept on - the soup was just what we needed to warm ourselves while the chicken was just so amazingly crispy and yummy. I've been to Korea and I'm from Koreatown in LA and I can confidently say that this is one of the best spots I've been to. The portions of the food were also so huge so even if you are really hungry, I recommend ordering a couple of dishes at first and then order more if you are still hungry. I heard from locals that the wait can get really long so we went a bit earlier to try and avoid the crowd. We got there at 6 and it was packed, but we luckily got sat right away. read more
So was hopping around the Seattle/Bellevue area for the weekend and was looking for a solid bite prior to heading off to the airport for my flight home. After a quick search I saw that this place jumped up on the list and of course I could not deny my Korean roots so decided to give it a shot as it was only 10 minutes away from my hotel. I was definitely a fan of the menu as it basically had pocha (Korean pub) style food and has a variety of things for anyone searching for some K cuisine. The joint itself is very clean on the inside and of course observes all the COVID protocol. The service was friendly when I walked in at opening time and placed an order. There were many options I wanted to try out but went with the chadol jjolmyeon and the spicy pork over rice. The spicy pork is my usual comfort food and I love jjolmyeon and loved that these guys were using chadol to give is a bit more flair. I ordered take out so they had everything packaged and ready about 15 minutes after I ordered. Each dish came with a good portion of food for the price. Yes its probably a tad pricey but I think the quality of the ingredients and the way it was made hit straight on. The one knock I would say is that the jjolmyeon did feel a bit light on the meat ratio. The quality of the food was great and it was definitely better than some of my east san Francisco bay area eats for Kfood and definitely on par with the vegas Korean food scene. The jjolmyeon had the right cook time so loved the noodles and the plethora of veggies really made it a nice dish. The spicy pork was not too spicy but the right amount without overhitting on the sweetness. Loved the quality of the pork as well. This is a solid comfort food spot especially for those in this neck of the woods. Would definitely recommend folks give it a shot as I will be hitting up other menu items when I am back in town. read more
We craved Korean food and came to this place for some takeout. Their food is so great, tasty, large portion and reasonably priced. We ordered Soondooboo soup, kimbap, fried chicken (half and half). In Bellevue area, this is one of the best Korean places we tried. Next time, we plan to try some bbq. read more
Not your traditional Korean restaurant. First off, you don't get any banchan (side dishes) except for a little bit of radish kimchee if you order certain dishes. You have to pay for a side of cabbage kimchee, if you want it. This is the first sign that the name, Mama's Kitchen, is a misnomer. My Korean mama's kitchen and dining table is overflowing with banchan. Paying $17 for jjolmyun (spicy noodles) just cuz it has a few slices of beef on it was mind blowing and the same with the $19 bibimbap though I will say the beef short ribs in that was really tender and good. This is the second sign that this ain't no mama's kitchen. Over priced. Also got the spicy pork over rice. More sweet than spicy. Needs more heat. Liked the sprouts on top. Finished with some shikae (sweet rice drink) which was pretty good. The good: fresh ingredients and tastes clean (maybe cuz the interior is so clean), great attentive service. The bad: EXPENSIVE. $$$ I know they gotta pay Bellevue rent, but c'mon. $17 for some noodles and $16 for some ddokboki? I live on the Eastside and am used to paying more, but this is over the top. I want them to do well - we have a serious lack of good Korean food over here, but I can't do it in good conscience. If they would bring the prices down $2-3 per plate, I would go back. Or, capitalize on the good galbijjim and make that your specialty. I'd pay a handsome fee for really good jjim. read more
After reading some of the reviews here, I was a bit hesitant about going but my friend really wanted to try the place out so here we are! FOOD: between the two of us we ordered the combo meal that consisted of kimbap and the tteokbokki. And then also ordered the chadol jjolmyeon. Everything came out to be around $42 which I do think is a little more on the higher end but the food was really good so I'm content with what we got. Kimbap - They're biggggg. And just stuffed with different ingredients. They're not like the ones you'll find at a Korean grocery market. And everything about it was fresh. It was delicious! Tteokbokki - I was a little afraid that it would be too spicy. But it wasn't! Flavor and spice was a good blend and rice cakes were chewy and delicious. Chadol jjiolmyeon - I've never had this before and I'm really glad that my friend recommended it! He described it as cold spicy refreshing noodles. Which it pretty much was with the fresh greens added to it. I loved how chewy the noodles were and the spicy sauce that they used was good too! It differed from the sauce in the tteokbokki but tbh I'm not an expert in Korean cuisine so it could have been the same ENVIRONMENT: Nice clean interior and it's relatively spacious. I like the decor and how minimalistic it was. SERVICE: Fast and kind! Overall, I would come back here! It is a more on the pricey end and they don't have side dishes like at other Korean restaurants but for the quality I think it's worth. And I was super full so I'm satisfied :) read more
Mama's Kitchen is the place to go for Good Korean food. Being a Korean myself, I am usually hesitant to go to Korean restaurants as I have never really had a good experience where I thought the food was worth paying for. After a bit of contemplating, I decided to try it out and I am so so SO in love. This place is an absolute GEM and I am still thinking about the delicious meal I had here. I got the seafood ramen and there was a generous portion of seafood: squid, scallops, etc. and the mayo katsu rice was so yummy. I would rate this place a 10 out of 10 and it's my new favorite spot! I definitely recommend! read more
3 years ago
7 years ago
Taste: 4/5 Quality: 4/5 Quantity: 2/5 Service: 3/5 Price: 3/5 Really it should be a 3.5 star, but I'm feeling nice, and I feel like their service could improve. First of all, I would not recommend anyone who has work to come here at lunch hour. It took forever to get our orders in, and even longer time to get our food. The crowd cleared up exactly at 1, so if you have flexible lunch time, that's the time to come. I understand that mamas kitchen says their quality is a lot higher than other places, due to the fact that the import their ingredients from Korea. I actually don't think that's a plus. I think they should support local farmers, and local stores, and wouldn't it be fresher if it didn't have to be ocean lined here? Plus.. we have an hmart!! If only they could lower prices... or up their quantity if they want to be charging those prices!! Everything tasted good, but let's break it down. Hambak: $20!!! ok tasting, too little food, way over priced. hambak was also too thin, and tasted over cooked. It wasn't as juicy as ham bak/hamburg as I usually get in Korean/Japanese places. Also you get one hambak for this dish, which is way over priced! A tiny scoop of rice and some salad... Chicken Katsu: $17! good! And quantity was about right. They have about 2.5 portions of chicken Katsu. I think the hambak should also have at least two patties. I didn't feel as gipped for this dish. Tteokbokki: $15!!!! good, but holy moly.. quantity was sad. No joke.. there's probably 12 pieces of rice cake in there.. for the price they are charging.. that's just a tad more than $1 per rice cake... I mean that's crazy! There was about 3 slices of fish cake, and a gyoza, a spring roll and a tempura... but still.... cater toward your customers.. and add a few more rice cakes. I didn't order the soondooboo... but I did see how tiny they were. Probably the smallest hot tofu soup bowls did I ever did see. I was still feeling hungry when I left. I think portion needs to be worked out better... since taste is solid... but for this type of Korean comfort food.. price or quantity needs to be corrected. read more
3 years ago
Great bibimbap as always. My only complaint would be the price; at $24 plus tax and tip puts a lunch meal over $30 with only water to drink. read more
I really liked this place! It was small but quaint and beautifully built out. Nicely done! Friendly welcoming customer service though they were super busy. We ordered: Hamburg steak - yum! Chicken katsu - yum yum! Ddukbokki and Kim bap combo - yum and beautiful! Shikke- sweet rice drink, again yum! All tasty and beautifully presented. I want to return immediately for the food and try more if not all the menu items. But the price though... So pricey. I grew up eating all of the above so they are truly Korean comfort food. And it was all tasty. But comfort just shouldn't be so pricey. For food and service I give 4 stars plus plus. But with that kind of price, it's hard to give a wholehearted 4 star here. Hence 3 stars. read more
3 years ago
The Ban ban chicken was really good! The meat slid right off the bone, the sauce was very flavorful but not too over powering. Perfect amount of sweet & spicy. The Bibimbap had fresh veggies over white rice, the meat was juicy & tender, mouth watering! overall I enjoyed this meal! The place is clean and spacious with lots of seating. The service was really nice, didn't mind helping me out with curious questions I had about the ingredients. read more
5 years ago
Came early on a Friday night dinner, before rush hour. They were busy with to-go orders for Doordash, etc. Getting seated was fast, but the host/waiter was rude. We asked to be seated at the corner table, but he refused and sat us at this tiny table next to other occupied tables, which were not "social distanced" (but they have the 6ft apart social distancing stickers on the ground for the cash register, makes no sense). I know their place is small, but the tables should at least be somewhat of a distance apart. If he sat other guests at the table on our other side, they would literally be breathing on our food. I was very impressed with the food here though, wow! Everything was delicious! We ordered Mama's Seafood Pancake, Mama's Kimbap, Ban Ban Chicken and Katsu Mayo over rice. Some of the service was slow and we felt ignored. We thought they forgot the chicken we ordered, had to ask if it was still coming out because we were almost half way done with the other dishes and it still wasn't being brought out to us. All in all the food was amazing! I want to come back to try more dishes on the menu, hopefully service will be better next time. read more
5 years ago
We have been wanting to try this place ever since I saw yelper Katherine Y's glowing review a few weeks ago. About a week ago, I saw another glowing review for Mama's Kitchen from yelper Scott L. So, we called Mama's Kitchen 2 days ago (Thursday) and we asked them whether or not they could make some of their dishes gluten-free. Interestingly, they responded that yes they could make some of their dishes gluten-free, but they would need 24 - 48 hours advance notice for a takeout order in order to do so. I was actually really impressed by that. To me, that meant that they were going to put a lot of thought and care into making the dishes this way, and maybe even go out and buy ingredients to make some of their sauces gluten-free just for us! So, we placed a take-out order FOR today, Saturday, ON Thursday 2 days ago. My husband was working a half-day in Issaquah today, so this set-up ended up working out really well for us. I originally wanted the Seafood Pancake, which is one of my all-time favorite Korean food dishes, but unfortunately they couldn't find a way to make that dish gluten free. No other restaurant has ever made that dish gluten-free, either, but I had to ask! I have a medical condition and gluten has the potential to flare it really badly, so eating gluten hasn't been worth it for me for several years now. So, the 3 dishes that we ended up ordering were: *The Kimchi Fried Rice, GF version (shared appetizer) *The Veggie Kimbap, GF version (for my husband, but I ate a few pieces too) *The Veggie Bibimbap Bowl, GF version (for me). I actually tried to order 2 Veggie Bibimbap Bowls initially, because I told my husband I was unlikely to share my bowl with him. I love bibimbap a lot. But my husband actually switched our order to only 1 of these dishes, then he wanted some of my Bibimbap bowl today and I said no way, I told you I probably wasn't going to share mine with you, and I tried to order one for you! Usually I WILL share food with him, unless I really love a particular meal, so this indicates how much I was enjoying my Bibimbap Bowl! (Also, he really should have listened to me! LOL) All 3 dishes are bursting with flavor. I have eaten at probably 15 Korean restaurants in my life, give or take, and I have also eaten at probably 10 Korean houses in my life where the food is homemade by my Korean former neighbors or my Korean friends. I would say that Mama's Kitchen's meals definitely compare favorably to these other meals, although the kimchi fried rice and the bibimbap were slightly greasier than typical (just very slightly) and less spicy/pungent than usual (which for my husband is actually a plus, he prefers the more bland Korean foods). We're very happy and we would definitely order from this restaurant again. Next time we are getting 2 Bibimbap bowls, LOL. And we'd like to try some of the other dishes on the menu, if they can make them gluten-free for us. Customer service was excellent, the guy on the phone was super nice and he didn't make me feel like he was put out by my request to make these dishes gluten-free. He was very polite and kind throughout the process of our phone order (both of us were on speaker phone during the phone order on Thursday). So happy we finally tried this place! Highly recommended for great customer service and excellent Korean food. read more
5 years ago
First off, I would say if you are not patient and don't like waiting, you may not want to come here. Don't get me wrong, the food is delicious but they're short staffed for the amount of tables they have and to go orders that they have to manage. There's really only one person waiting all the tables and one person bagging all the Togo orders. The rest are all kitchen staff. They just don't have enough people to manage the amount of orders and tables. So be prepared to wait. We got the bibimbap, seafood pancake, tofu soup and ban ban fried chicken. Everything was delicious except the seafood pancake. The pancake was a lot darker than usual and way too oily/greasy to my liking. The fried chicken took a while to come out but it was really good. For the tofu soup, we got mild but it was still very spicy so be warned; however, the broth was delicious paired up with rice! The braised meat in the bibimbap is really good! You can taste the sesame oil in the vegetables. The staff is nice but I wish they hired more people to help out. Some of the customers had to wait a long time and were starting to give hungry stares at the staff lol read more
7 years ago
Tl;Dr good Korean food at a slightly above average price The Eastside has never been known for its Korean food so when I saw this place opened and that a lot of Koreans were going there I had to check it out. The food here is probably some of the best Korean food on the Eastside. Classic items like tteokbokki were delicious and had good spice levels and even came with some tempura which was a nice touch. Kimbap was also very good and had some great presentation. Personally this place was a bit pricey for what you get, however if you're on the Eastside there aren't very many other options so you either gotta pay or drive out to fed or Lynnwood for the less expensive items. read more
Forgo the cluster of BanChan side dishes as commonly given at other Korean restaurants and appreciate their focus on noticeably better quality traditional Korean main dishes. Togo here seems popular in this unassuming little place! 5* Mama's Retro Kitchen: -mama's kimbap not as cheap as supermarket ones but you get what you pay for and they make the best kimbaps around with the focus on the fillings and just a thin ring of rice $11.99. 5* -veggie kimbap is so good you don't miss the meat! $10.99. 5* -tteobboki can choose spice level; daughter loved it $14.99 4.75* -dolsot bibimbap love the finely sliced vegetables & its bigger ratio to rice. Comes out sizzling hot for a crispy rice bottom that is slightly oily (that seems not sesame oil) $15.99. 5* -mama's budae jjigae with spam, sausage & ramen; son loved it $19.99. 4.75* -chadol jjolmyeon love these al denté-like chewy spicy noodles with plenty of brisket $16.99. 5* Beverages -sikhye malty sweet drink taste so good to have or end with the spicy dinner $4.99 5* Service Courteous, quick and easy to get his attention Dining 5 Small tables, a big communal table and some seating by the window (with black out shades for the sun). Located -in the same plaza as Katsu Burger and ShangHai Garden (but in the middle of the adjacent building) -across from KFC and the new Amazon Go in the Factoria Marketplace Mall, where we parked since their plaza parking lot was full read more
3 years ago
This has been a personal favorite spot for a while now and for good reason! The food always comes out within a timely manner and is consistently delicious. I usually get the cheese ttebokki and the tuna gimbap. The service is generally pretty good as well. Overall, I highly recommend! read more
We chose to dine in but this place prioritizes to go orders way too much. We put our name on a list, got a call after about 15 minutes that a table was ready, seated and placed an order for three items. At 25 minutes, we asked the waiter how much longer our food would be (we were hungry!) and he said "soon". We asked again at 40 minutes. The. The table next to us that had placed their food after us received their food. Then he brought us one of the dishes and we asked him to check on the rest of the food again. He made a comment about how "it's coming, the other tables are waiting just as long as you, the kitchen is small..." when my partner said "okay well if it's going to be much long, let's just go ahead ahead cancel the rest of the order." At 45 minutes, he said the chef had just put on the other food five minutes ago (so he had lied to us when he said it was on the way previous). At 60 minutes, still no food or update and the waiter was totally avoiding our table even more than before. My partner had to walk up and tell him to cancel the rest. We were charged for the Chadol Jjolmyeon ($20 before tax). It was decent but I don't think we'll return. I'm confused about why they chose to seat us and other tables if they can't handle the volume with their current staff and kitchen setup. I would have rather had a longer wait time before being seated at all (or just told they didn't have space for us) rather than be held hostage with the promise of kimchi cheese fried rice. The table next to us waited for 40 and they had ordered after us but got their dishes first. read more
3 years ago
This restaurant is crave-able and makes me drive all the way from the island of West Seattle to get my hands on all the comfort food. The tuna kimbap and cheese tteokbokki are my go to items. I have dined in and taken to go and they package everything so well that it is just as delicious both ways. Ermgahddd I can't forget about the refreshing sikhye. It is the perfect refreshing cold slushy sweet drink. read more
5 years ago
Came here on a Sunday night, it was very busy with dine in and take out orders. The servers tried their best to serve, they constantly offered water refill. But food served very slow, feel like the kitchen is not capable to serve that many people. We tried 3 items - overall no good Kimchi cheese pancake- deep fried pancake, greasy and cannot really finish the whole dish Tteokbokki- surprisingly good, very traditional Korean style, although the fried item on the side are meh.... Kimchi cheese fried rice- you can only taste spicy rice with cheese, not a pleasant flavor, not recommend at all They don't serve any side dishes, so if you are expecting those Korean small side dishes, you will be disappointed like I do. Feel like this place is overrated and overpriced for the portion they serve. Will not come back again. read more
3 years ago
We ordered variety of items as "take out" on our visit to Washington. It was recommended by local resident that lives in Bellevue. We enjoyed the food and the owner included egg rolls and dumpling as extra because of large orders. Mama kimbap and seafood pancake are two of my favorites. read more
2 years ago
6 years ago
Huge portions, includes lots of veggies, tastes delicious, what more could you ask for? I'm so glad this restaurant is closeby, so I can come eat their food more often! The kimbap was so fresh and crunchy, and the texture of all the veggies were so perfect. There wasn't much rice, so you could taste everything and the combination of all the tastes were perfect. The cheese tteokbokki was delicious! The rice cakes were very chewy and delicious and went well with the fish cakes. We asked for them to make it extra spicy, and they didn't disappoint! The tempura set was very crunchy and fried perfectly. The bibimbap was humongous and all of the ingredients were so fresh and delicious. There were lots of veggies so it didn't feel too heavy, and went wonderfully with the rice underneath. read more
Drove by this restaurant many times and finally decided to give it try. Clean space, friendly staff. Foods were almost made to order, fresh and quick. I like their "open kitchen" concept that you can actually see who is making your food. Kimchi side dish was very good, they asked if I wanted more- of course! Only downside is it's a bit pricy, limited selections. read more
Business owner information
Ki M.
Hi Emily,…
3 years ago
The food was really good. True Korean comfort food. I definitely would recommend to my friends and family. Dishes were very flavorful. The service wasn't bad but not amazing, I would say it was ok. I ordered the rice cake was never asked the level of spice. I didn't realize that there were different level of spice til I looked at the menu again. Once I realize it, I told the server that I wanted mild. The server said it was too late and he assumed I wanted regular level of spice cause that's what people usually get. I explained this was my first time and I didn't know and I can't eat spicy. He did not change my order and still said it was too late and gave me what he ordered me. Thank goodness I was with someone who can eat spicy. Will definitely order the mild rice cake next time. read more
Cute & clean decor +1 Teokbokki was just right slightly spicy &!sweet +1 Spicy pork bowl was sweet & not too spicy. Husband enjoyed it. Little side of green salad would be better than a chunk of sprouts for most people. Chicken Katsu -1 little weird. Weird white sauce needs to go away. Tonkatsu sauce would elevate this dish vs brown gravy. Radish kimchi & pink pickles were on point. Gimbop rolls were good -- little overstuffed. A few less ingredients would be better. E.g. fake crab is not needed. Good selection of soft drinks +1 Fast & friendly service +1 Tip: just order teokbokki vs the gimbop combo which is way overpriced! Other dishes are priced accordingly. 4 of us came out to just under $100 with tip. Great addition to the Eastside! Try it! Overall on the sweeter side but most folks will enjoy it. Will be back to try the bibimbop & tofu soup. Thank you for the great meal! *Update: white sauce that comes with the Katsu is actually soup FYI. read more
5 years ago
All the food was fresh and delicious. Everything came out gradually and we were able to enjoy one plate at a time. The waiter sat us down at a clean table and was friendly. My husband and I had a view towards outside which we enjoyed. We saw a lot of people come in for takeout. It seems popular. read more
5 years ago
Visiting from Hawaii and wanted sushi. The kimbap was so good. I got the traditional or Dolsut (?) bibimbap which was just right. I ate it all! My daughter got the Katsu Mayo over rice and she loved it! Highly recommend! read more
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12672 SE 38th St
Bellevue, WA 98006
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(425) 747-2950
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