The food is good; but they can make it tastier. This is a self serve place with plastic utensils and paper plates. The staff is nice. Now the best part = VIEW. The place is by seaside and you get the best view of Seattle. It will be good in the summer for it; but not in the winter. read more

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I've never visited this area of Seattle before, so decided to check it out. When I looked up for a place to eat lunch, Marination Ma Kai caught my eye because I really enjoy Hawaiian food. I was very lucky to find a parking spot right beside it. We browsed the menu and decided on the following: - Spam Musubi - Good. What you expect, and that's not a bad thing. - Kalbi Lu'au Plate - Not bad. I expect more when I see the word kalbi, but it's a pretty unexciting portion of beef. Otherwise, still a typical plate lunch, which i still enjoy. - French Fries - Good. Double-frying is the secret to any good fries. - Malasada - Good. I didn't see it until the last moment, and glad I got one. Not as good as a fresh made one, but still enjoyed it. Service is pretty minimal, but still friendly, in a super casual environment where the main focus in relaxing by the water. Great view of the city. Overall, happy to visit. Don't think the food was particularly outstanding, but glad that I got to get a malasada, and it's a nice place to relax. read more

Marination Ma Kai - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Fantastic food and great outside seating. The food was fresh and had a lot of milk free options (dare I say almost all of it is milk free). They use a vinegar base for their salads which was refreshing. read more

Love the outdoor patio and plenty of seating for a spot that stays busy on the regular. We ordered many things on the menu! Macaroni salad: could have used more salt from behind, but can't go wrong with this simple classic. Taco salad: huge fan of this, it was a generous serving as well. Pork tacos: tasty but add a side unless your appetite is light Lychee margarita: could have used more lychee flavor but I'm a girl that loves more of a fruity taste than an alcohol taste Spam sliders: these are the best. The spam is cooked perfectly and the ratios are on point. Don't pass on these. read more

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Tried tofu, kimchi & furikake for the first time & it was sooo good! Ordered Kimchi fried rice ( tofu added) and it was amazing! Marination is a beautiful spot located on the waterfront across from the popular Seattle Pier 55. It has a beautiful view, located on their private parking lot next to a kayake dock and beautiful patio overlooking the Elliot Bay. Service was good and we ordered quickly, there was a line out the door and it moved fast. Ordered: Kimchi fried rice (tofu & ginger chicken), fish & chips, shaved ice & Malasada with filling and Spam Musabi Everything was really good and flavorful my kids loved the shaved ice & the Malasada was a fist sized sugared donut filled, also very good & sweet. Fellow Yelpers didn't disappoint again! read more

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Decided to try this place to see what the buzz was about. It did not disappoint. The outdoor seating by the beach on a warm summer day is really wonderful. I had the Kahlúa pork sliders and the Hawaiian Mac salad with a papaya pineapple tea. It was all really delicious. I left out a star for a couple reasons. One of my sliders was full of pork had just the right amount of coleslaw and sauce and was delicious but the first one I picked up had hardly any meat on it and was sort of lacking an ingredients altogether just mostly bread. So when they are putting the sandwiches together, they just need to work on consistency. Because of the first slider I picked up was sort of disappointing, but the second one made up for it. The Mac salad was perfect and fresh. And the tea was good, but I'm not sure it was worth $8. I went for a walk on the beach afterwards and came back to enjoy a mango ice pop. These things are really good! It's like they froze some fresh mango nectar juice and put it on a stick which is really refreshing and yummy on a hot summer day. I will definitely be back to try more things at this place because the flavors were pretty good. read more

Marination Ma Kai - Inside order area - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Pork Sliders: Could have more pork for a better roll to meat ratio. It could also use more sauce, as the sliders were dry. Miso Ginger Chicken Tacos: This was also very dry. There was little to no sauce. The "signature slaw" was just chopped up cabbage. The meat itself was good. Fish 'n Chips: The fish was overcooked--it was dry. The fries were good. I liked the miso tartar sauce. There are plenty of seating both inside and outside the restaurant. It's conveniently located right next to the water taxi pier. read more

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What a GEM this spot is in West Seattle! Overlooking downtown over the sound, this local Hawaiian spot was truly delicious. Don't let the long line scare you-it goes quick and there were plenty of spots to sit (and we went on Saturday night!) the food was incredible, best Hawaiian food I've had in years. Cocktails were good too, strong (though I'm still ISO a proper mai tai). Top that off with a nice walk along the dock, it's the perfect happy hour or date night spot! read more

Marination Ma Kai - View from restaurant - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

When you think about Marination Ma Kai. You think of a beautiful Seattle view with delicious Hawaiian food! We had the pork tacos, kimchi fried rice, Mac salad, aloha fries. This is a perfect place to come enjoy a beautiful Seattle summer and have great Hawaiian food! The food was so good we didn't take a picture. We were to busy enjoying what Marination MA Kai has to offer! read more

When visiting Seattle you have to hit up Marination Ma Kai. They have an outdoor patio with a walk up bar. You order your drinks at the window and enjoy the view of downtown Seattle. Great family spot. The service is pretty quick. The food was fantastic. Especially the beef bulgogi, kimchi fried rice. I wasn't a huge fan of the fish tacos but still great flavor. read more

Great food with great views. Always hit up this location when I'm in West Seattle. I love their different taco options. The service is really quick too. read more

A good restaurant with a great view of Seattle! Has nice outdoor seating for nice Seattle days I have been to this place now about 4 times. Every time for me is a bit of a hit and miss. I want to really like it but have been disappointed. My most recent trip, I ordered the fish sandwich and it was really dry and overcooked. I wish I could recommend this place for the view, food, and drinks but can really only recommend it for the view and drinks (although quite expensive) as that is what I really am going there for now. read more

I wish I could rate this higher :( Being born and raised in Honolulu, I already have high standards for local food. We had the luau plates - one Kalbi, one chicken - and it was not great. It just wasn't flavorful. It wasn't giving me Hawaii vibes. It's a great location right by the water and I'm glad they get so much business! But as a Hawaii girl, I wasn't impressed. Maybe I'll have to try the other things on the menu. Tip, if you don't wanna wait in line (when we got there it was out the door) you can order ahead online! read more

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I can never get enough of Marination Ma Kai. Their food is delicious! A great place to eat whenever you are near Alki beach. I have gone several times and it will always be my go-to in West Seattle. A great place to be by the water in rain or shine (there is both indoor and outdoor seating). I enjoyed their fried rice and their aloha fries. A classic go-to and MUST TRY! The service is quick but it does take a while for the food to be done. But its definitely worth the wait for the fusion of flavors and to get to enjoy the Seattle skyline. read more

Once in a blue moon, when my motivation overcomes my laziness I trek down here for food. I usually only visit during the summer with my friends or the last time was with my sister. We had eaten dinner already but was on the hunt for Italian ice. Couldn't get that here so we settled for shaved ice. The lady working was so nice, I think she was going to turn us away because they were really busy but she decided to make my sister and I one anyways. I got passionfruit and guava with vanilla ice cream and my sister got coconut and matcha. My sister was pretty good but I loved mine just because I prefer sour flavors. We didn't get food this time but food is pretty good! It also comes with a great view and on a nice day, this place is packed. read more

Marination Ma Kai - Passion fruit and guava shaved ice with vanilla ice cream. - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Three great things about this place 1- food is fun fresh and a nice fusion of flavors 2- very pretty location with views of Downtown 3- dog friendly! Met so many dogs there, the highlight of the visit. read more

The vibes here are immaculate. Imagine a sunny day, looking over pugent sound and the Seattle skyline, watching the ferries come in, all while you have absolutely amazing food for a decent price. We got the Luau plate lunch with spicy pork ($12) to share and it was delicious and generously portioned. Getting a non pretentious restaurant with great food and a great view was literally one of my favorite things during this Seattle visit, it's a rare thing :) read more

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hmmMmMm I think this place is a very cute establishment by the waterfront and the views are wonderful. It is a very convenient spot if you are near the beach or just wanted to have a nice view to accompany dinner. The food however to me is just OK. Perhaps it was because I got the Hawaiian pulled pork as my protein. It was quite bland to me and a little on the dry side. I really liked the macaroni salad and coleslaw sides however. They were very refreshing and a good accompaniment. Hawaiian roll was squishy and soft. Rice was rice. There is some outdoor seating which is great to take advantage of the lovely water views. There are also desserts available like donuts and shaved ice. Service was fine. read more

Marination Ma Kai - Loco Moco plate (with pork) - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

This was everything I expected and more. I'll profess a semi-connoisseur status of Asian fusion since my wife is Hawaiian-Filipino and a chef, so I gotta say that the pork katsu sandwich is on point. This rivals anything I've had in the Oakland/SanJose Bay Area and Sacramento. Staff are super friendly, and the food came out quickly, had a cool beverage to that you can't be sitting out back looking at the view of the Seattle skyline, this is a must visit. read more

The food was amazing and the service was very quick. A lot of seating available in the back where the bar is. Great casual place to come with a group of friends. Only wish it was open till a little later! Everything was phenomenal. read more

Marination Ma Kai - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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I can review both the to-go pick up and the in-house drinking option in this review. Our group wanted dinner on a weeknight and it was easy to place the order online, with the options to customize and write notes to the staff. When we arrived, the food was not ready as they looked quite busy. So we grabbed a drink at the bar, which had a short line. Their cocktail menu is pretty good. We enjoyed our drink outside on the patio a sit was completely empty and looked over at the Seattle skyline, which you can view from here. This is also where the water taxi leaves from, but that's a side note. Once we finished our drinks, we got our food and headed back to the house. Everything was still warm when we got there 5 minutes later. This was important because I got the fish and chips and they were good. This is a great location of this local chain. read more

Went to marination for a nice sunset dinner. I took the fast ferry from Seattle to west Seattle. And it drops us off right in front of marination. Super convenient. And it feels like you've been transported to a nice coastal town. It seems like they get a good number of patrons coming from the ferry. Once arriving to the restaurant, we ordered first and pick up your items when it's ready. They have a lot of picnic tables outside as well as a few indoors. Food was ready in 5minutes on a Friday night. Short rib Plate lunch ($13) - generous portions, but lots of carbs! A full scoop of rice, roll, and Mac salad. The short ribs were more like beef strips. A little dry and tastes like its been sitting for a while. Overall favor wise, it could be better. Good option if you're hungry and want to try it all. Aloha fries ($14) - fresh fries with lots of sauces and a handful of Kalua pork pieces. I wish there was more pork, but it was good. I like the balance between the spicy kimchi sauce, creamy mayo, crunchy green onions, and fatty pork. Great dish, but can get messy. read more

Marination Ma Kai - Short rib plate lunch ($13) and aloha fries ($14) - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

A very disappointing visit - the food was way too salty. I hate wasting food, but we couldn't even finish half of the food and had to throw it away, it was just way too salty! We were keen on visiting Marination Ma Kai while we were in West Seattle due to the good reviews, but it ended up being a big disappointment. We got the Luau Plate Lunch with katsu and the Aloha Fries. The katsu was quite dry and the macaroni salad was not Hawaiian style. The Aloha Fries was absolutely salted to the brim. The fries were salty and the kalua pork was even saltier. The only positive was the nice outdoor seating views of the Seattle waterfront and the staff were friendly. read more

Marination Ma Kai - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Yum!! It was so busy when we got there. We had half our group wait at the table and the other half order. There was a line out the door. The view is amazing and it's a perfect place to be in the summer. Their cocktails were also really yummy. There were lots of dogs, too. They were out of spam musubi when we were there. I loved the Mac salad! Definitely expect to wait in line if it's summer time! But the views, breeze, and food make it worth it. read more

Marination Ma Kai - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Great location, considering that there is nothing else at the dock. Had tacos and a drink and sat on the patio. Nice staff, tasty food. Then we took the last boat back to the city to hang out with the homeless. read more

Horrible bartending service. Discriminatory, perhaps racist. Attempted to buy more than one drink, they requires the other person to be there, except not...as the next person in line bought more than one drink. read more

Location location location! You don't need much more to satisfy customers here, but Marination do! One of GMonkey favorite places, Marination provides great food, cocktails, with both indoor and outdoor seating. Incredible views of downtown across the bay, nearest food to water taxi and kayak rentals, it hard to miss this place. GMonkey do: FISH TACOS SLIDERS DOUBLE COCONUT MUFFIN Anytime, any weather, any day, GMonkey do! read more

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TLDR: Lovely people, great location but the food is hype. Modest bar on site for drinks. Plenty of seating. Food: -4 Aloha Kalua pork sliders - Decent -Aloha Fries wit Kalua pork - Also decent, thanks to some good pork -Kalbi Rice Plate - This I can't recommend. The beef was dry and chewy. Hard pass. Would've been ok with the pork -Mac Salad - Pretty light in flavor, if you're into that. I am not. -Spam Musubi - hard to go wrong here -Shaved Ice - Pretty light in flavor. Would pass on this as well. Overall I'd say this was disappointing on the food front. For a view and maybe a drink, a nice place to hang with some friends. Would I Return Rating? Even if my friends suggested it, I'd at least ask to consider an alternate, unless we literally just got off the ferry and were starving. I'd give it another go. read more

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Stopped by Marination on Alki and not only was the food amazing (as always), but I saw something that honestly made my day. One of the employees, a middle-aged blonde lady, noticed a young woman outside who looked cold and possibly homeless. She went out and handed her a bag of food, even making sure to tell her there were napkins and silverware inside. It was such a simple act of kindness, but it hit me hard. In a world where people rush past each other, seeing someone take that kind of care was beautiful. Huge respect to Marination. they're not just serving great food, they're serving humanity too. read more

Love this place for many reasons - great Seattle skyline views, nice interior setting and the awesome food! Cutting to the chase we always order the kabli beef tacos (each order comes with two) filled with marinated Kalbi beef, Nunya Sauce, slaw, pickled jalapenos in a corn tortilla. The Aloha sliders are a must have and filled with kalua pork, Nunya Sauce, slaw and nestled in a sweet Hawaiian roll. My wife has been getting the kalbi beef taco salad which is the same as the tacos less the tortillas. We also tried the Loco Moco and it was alright but nothing stellar. All in they have a wonderful service staff and it's no frills when it comes to seating yourself and getting you food on a tray when the buzzer for pick up goes off. One nice item we had never tried was the coconut filled malasadas and the mango tajin filled malasadas that were devine! read more

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Solid, casual lunch spot with waterfront view. Line moves fast so don't be intimidated. Plenty of seats inside and outside. The chips in fish and chips were especially fried well and seasoned. Fish tacos were small but for $7 it was solid. Surprisingly the standout was the coconut chia popsicle that I got back in line for. They had flakes of coconut on it that was still crunchy. Got a spam masubi Togo for my flight and it if saves pretty well. read more

Heard about this place just in time for the heatwave! Short drive, but long search for parking, but if you don't need your car, take the water taxi instead - they're right at the dock :) The lines didn't seem to wane the whole time we were there! You can tell this place draws people in from all over - as hot as it was, people patiently waited! Everyone who worked there seemed really genuinely happy to be there! Friendly and pleasant, smiles all around! The spirit of Aloha is definitely alive here! As hot as it was outside, I can only imagine what it was like inside the kitchen! I liked the very casual atmosphere, indoor and outdoor seating, to see the beautiful view of downtown Seattle and Space Needle. We definitely wolfed down the cheese quesadilla, spam musubi, pork sliders, and of course, the shaved ice! Everything really was delicious, absolutely worth the wait! With the weather staying hot, this is definitely the spot to go to! (And if you feel guilty about all the great eats - you can work it off on a kayak or SUP!) read more

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I love the atmosphere in here! Friendly people, great fish and chips, everything looks so good. It's really nice being able to see the bay, and they have an amazing Sakura blossom Malasda (a bun filled with Sakura blossom cream)! read more

Marination Ma Kai - Sakura Blossom filled Bun - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Great spot to take in the views and enjoy some casual Hawaiian food. The views were gorgeous and a must-see especially for taking some out of town guests. Plenty of seating options available. My friends got frosé, lychee martini, and I got a P.O.G. with rum. The drinks were a little sweet, and the P.O.G. you really had to keep stirring or else all the flavor just sunk to the bottom of the cup. Still, very good though and definitely got the job done. The aloha fries were a little disappointing, completely soggy and cold, but the toppings were great. The fish n'chips were great. The plate was solid, and a great well-rounded item. I do regret the kalua pork - it was far too dry and cold, but eating it with the Mac salad was definitely the move. Overall, the food could have been better, but the options were exciting, the drinks were fun, and the views make up for everything else. Great hangout spot. read more

Marination Ma Kai - View from the restaurant - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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If we all had beloved auntie's that invited us over to eat, that's how I can best describe Marination Ma Kai. Talk about food made with love. I've never had kim chi fried rice. It is my new favorite fried rice. The fish sando is like, how good you remembered a McDonalds filet o fish to be as a kid, except this one is infinitely higher quality. Ordering online is easy. Picking up is easy- there's a parking lot!! On the water!! Drive 2 min up the road, park on the side of the road- there is street parking, and eat overlooking Alki Beach. If it's raining, casual seating inside as well. Worth a long drive, prioritize going during the day tho so you can check out the epic views of Seattle and the Sound. read more

Marination Ma Kai - Kimchi Fried Rice with miso ginger chicken - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

After taking the ferry here, it was a memorable way to finish our day trip with good food, personally one of my favorites. My group ordered a variety of food items, and none of us had anything to say but eat eat eat ! Service exceeded my expectations, especially with the long lines around rush hour + the bar's extra long line. Overall, a good place to experience and chill. read more

Marination Ma Kai - Loco Moco - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

My friend recently moved here and wanted to try this place out. Walked in, it was bright and open throughout the small building. Perfect spot with views of Seattle and the water. Ordering was quick. I got the Loco Moco, she got the Luau plate with kalbi beef and some spam musubis. First time trying their Loco Moco and it was great! Good portion with flavorful gravy, 2 sunny side up eggs, fluffy white rice, and a delicious beef patty. Her plate was good too, but the kalbi beef was lacking flavor and sauce. We regretted getting the spam musubi. For the price of $4.75, I'd atleast expect the spam to have that glaze flavor spam musubis have and not dry. This alone would've been a 4 star...but there was one issue. A pigeon came in, which is usually fine since we were in Alki and the building has most windows and doors open. BUT, it almost flew into us while we were eating and started excreting on tables nearby.. Talk about gross! I walked up to the counter to tell the lady what was happening. She then explained to me that they have been trying to get rid of the bird, but there is nothing else to do. I don't know how long the bird was inside, but if it starts to poop in the building, ESPECIALLY tables?, I'd start trying harder because that is vile. It's equivalent to a rat running around in a restaurant pooping everywhere, which is what the pigeon did. Why would you continue business still and serve food that day when there's birds passing feces on something that has contact to where we eat. Get rid of it first, then continue! What if the bird flew into the kitchen and started contaminating stuff? Not sure if we will be back. read more

Marination is one of our regular go to's. We always get the tacos as they are packed with meat, cabbage and lots of flavor. This time we got the spicy pork and miso chicken tacos. The marinated meat and the sauce on the tacos is really what makes the tacos stand out as a must buy. The fish and chips is actually one of the best beer battered fish in West Seattle and their fries literally are to die for. Ambiance: you can't go wrong with the location of Marination. You have amazing Seattle city scape views that you can enjoy inside the restaurant or out on their patio. This place gets pretty busy in summer and seating it limited but definitely worth the wait. Service: the staff are generally friendly but can be rushed as they are pretty busy in the summer. There are really long lines but once you order the food comes out fairly quickly. If you want awesome food with breathtaking cityscape views then you can't go wrong with this place! read more

Marination Ma Kai - Spicy Pork Tacos & Miso Chicken Tacos - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Ordered the ginger chicken tacos and a side of fries to go. Everything is always so delicious and the portion sizes are no joke! The tacos a filled to the brim. Quality and quantity on point. The staff is alway so friendly. Love this place! read more

Marination Ma Kai - Ginger chicken tacos with one already eaten - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Once in a blue moon I'll grab some tofu tacos, or their vegan breakfast tacos. I honestly like their breakfast tacos most but they're only served on the weekends until a certain time. So sometime I'll miss that window. I really like their nunya sauce it's so good. A descent combo of spicy, sweet, and savory. Their tofu is marinated and seasoned and cooked well. I prefer firm tofu so it's the perfect texture to my liking, and the fact that it's flavorful makes it even better. Sometimes the tortillas can be a bit dry, so I like extra sauce. As a Pacific Islander (Samoan) who grew up on hawaiian/pacific Islander food, and have lived in Hawaii. Marination doesn't have that "authentic" Hawaiian taste it's more of an inspiration, BUT of all the dishes the kalbi beef does have that delicious Korean BBQ flavor. When I used to eat meat I would get the kalbi as a salad or tacos. Very delicious! I love that they have Hawaiian Sun juice options it just makes the meal better. I haven't had a drink at the bar yet, but I like the idea of it. The back room gives me a beachy cafeteria vibe. Clean ambiance, and the view makes it better! Also if you know what you'd like I'd suggest ordering online ahead of time. The line can get a bit long, especially in the summer, the line can go down the sidewalk. Standing in the heat hungry isn't my vibe so I order ahead of time. read more