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Korean BBQ in Puget Sound: tabletop grills from Capitol Hill to Pacific Highway South

Puget Sound, Washington

Part of Korean BBQ

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City of Shoreline gateway at N 145th Street and Aurora Avenue N

Puget Sound's tabletop Korean barbecue runs along four corridors rather than one Koreatown. Inside Seattle the rooms are scattered: East Pike Street on Capitol Hill, 7th Avenue South in the Chinatown-International District, Alki Avenue SW in West Seattle, and Aurora Avenue N at North 132nd Street. North of the city limit the trade follows Aurora Avenue N into Shoreline and Highway 99 into Lynnwood, then crosses Lake Washington into Bellevue and Redmond. South of the city it runs from Burien through Tukwila, Renton and Kent down to Federal Way, where two rooms stand on Pacific Highway South. In Pierce County it settles on South Tacoma Way in Lakewood. In every one of them the meat is cooked at the table on a built-in grill, over gas, over charcoal or on an induction plate, and the published closing times run from 9pm to 1am.

  1. 500 East Pike Street on Capitol Hill, where a server grills the meat at the table; Japanese A5 wagyu is among the cuts cooked that way.

  2. 509 7th Avenue South in the Chinatown-International District, with grills set into the tables and a clean grate swapped in partway through the meal.

  3. 2516 Alki Avenue SW in West Seattle: tabletop grills, marinated and unmarinated cuts, open to 10:00 PM Sunday to Thursday and 11:00 PM on Friday and Saturday.

  4. 13231 Aurora Avenue N at North 132nd Street, where staff cook the cuts at the table on the grill set into it, under a per-table extraction hood.

  5. 12912 SE Kent-Kangley Road on Kent's East Hill, with tabletop grills and hours to 9:00 PM Sunday to Thursday and 10:00 PM on Friday and Saturday.

  6. 15200 Aurora Avenue N in Shoreline: all-you-can-eat over charcoal grills seated in the tables, topped up by staff during service.

  7. 605 SW 152nd Street in Burien, where staff start the grilling at the table and change the grill paper as the meal runs on.

  8. 911 N 10th Place, Suite D, in North Renton, where staff assist with the grilling at the table.

  9. 974 Southcenter Mall in Tukwila, inside Westfield Southcenter: all-you-can-eat rounds cooked at the table on the grill built into it.

  10. 31656 Pacific Highway South, where the buffet island supplies raw meat and diners cook it on an open-flame grill set into the table.

  11. 32703 Pacific Highway South in Federal Way, where diners grill beef ribs at the table themselves.

  12. 10518 South Tacoma Way in Lakewood, with ten meats grilled at the table on a burner tray and a menu section headed "Great to Cook at Table".

  13. 19400 36th Avenue W, Unit 102, in Lynnwood: gas grills at the table, open Tuesday to Sunday and closed Monday.

  14. 19226 Highway 99 in Lynnwood, where diners grill their own beef at the table and order all-you-can-eat rounds from a tablet.

  15. 989 112th Avenue NE, Suite 205, in downtown Bellevue: grilling at the table, with a published closing time of 1:00 AM on Friday and Saturday.

  16. 8976 161st Avenue NE in Redmond's Bella Bottega center, with smokeless grills set into the tables and all-you-can-eat service, 11AM to 10PM daily.

Inside Seattle

Four rooms stand inside the Seattle city limit, and no two of them are in the same part of town. There is no Korean restaurant row here; the addresses are Capitol Hill, the Chinatown-International District, West Seattle and the Aurora Avenue N strip in the far north of the city.

Meet Korean BBQ is at 500 East Pike Street on Capitol Hill, at the corner of East Pike and Summit Avenue. A server does the grilling at the table in front of the party, and Japanese A5 wagyu is among the cuts cooked that way. Down the hill at 509 7th Avenue South, in the Chinatown-International District, Baegopa sets its grills into the tables and swaps a used grill for a clean one partway through the meal rather than letting one grate carry the whole service.

Across Elliott Bay, Do Si Korean BBQ is at 2516 Alki Avenue SW, on the Alki Beach waterfront in West Seattle. The operator publishes tabletop grills, marinated and unmarinated cuts, and hours of 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM Sunday to Thursday and 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM on Friday and Saturday, with reservations taken for the room. It is one of two Do Si rooms in the region; the other is in Kent.

The fourth is ONMI Korean Cuisine & BBQ, at 13231 Aurora Avenue N, at North 132nd Street. Staff cook the cuts at the table on the grill set into it, and each table has its own extraction hood over the grate. North 145th Street is the city limit twelve blocks further up the same avenue, which is why the Aurora Avenue N room in the next section is in a different city.

Aurora Avenue N, Highway 99 and the Eastside

Aurora Avenue N and Highway 99 are the same road under two names, and the Korean trade follows it north out of Seattle through Shoreline and into Lynnwood. Two of these five are on that road. Of the other three, one stands on a Lynnwood side street and two are across Lake Washington, on the Eastside, where the addresses are office-and-retail blocks rather than a strip.

Yetgol Old Village Korean BBQ is at 15200 Aurora Avenue N in Shoreline. Its charcoal grills sit in the tables, staff check the grill and top up the charcoal through the meal, and service is all-you-can-eat. The address prints as Seattle, WA 98133, but 15200 Aurora Avenue N stands north of North 145th Street, which is Seattle's city limit, so the restaurant is physically in Shoreline.

Lynnwood holds two. WuJu Korean BBQ is at 19400 36th Avenue W, Unit 102, where the meat is grilled over gas grills at the table and staff help with the cooking and the cutting; it opens Tuesday to Thursday 11am to 10pm, Friday and Saturday 11am to 11pm and Sunday 11am to 9pm, and closes on Monday. New Gangnam BBQ is at 19226 Highway 99, where diners grill their own beef at the table, set the heat themselves and order all-you-can-eat rounds from a tablet; the business formerly traded as Sura Korean BBQ.

On the Eastside, Woobling Korean BBQ is at 989 112th Avenue NE, Suite 205, in downtown Bellevue, and its published hours are Wednesday and Thursday 11:30 AM to 12:00 AM, Friday and Saturday 11:30 AM to 1:00 AM, and Sunday to Tuesday 11:30 AM to 11:00 PM. Eight miles north east, Woomadang is at 8976 161st Avenue NE in the Bella Bottega center in Redmond, with smokeless grills set into the tables, all-you-can-eat service and hours of 11AM to 10PM every day of the week.

Pacific Highway South: Burien to Federal Way

South of Seattle the trade lines up along the airport corridor. Pacific Highway South runs from Burien past Sea-Tac and on into Federal Way, and the six rooms here are strung along it or a short drive off it in Tukwila, Renton and Kent. Two of the six share one stretch of the highway in Federal Way.

KW Korean BBQ opens the corridor at 605 SW 152nd Street in Burien, where staff start the grilling at the table and change the grill paper as the meal runs on. Gen Korean BBQ House is at 974 Southcenter Mall in Tukwila, inside the Westfield Southcenter complex; diners cook their own meal at the table on the grill built into it and order all-you-can-eat rounds for the group. Exit 5 Korean BBQ is at 911 N 10th Place, Suite D, in North Renton, where staff assist with the grilling at the table. Do Si Korean BBQ's second room is east of the highway at 12912 SE Kent-Kangley Road on Kent's East Hill, open 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM Sunday to Thursday and 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM on Friday and Saturday.

Federal Way carries the last two. Kum Kang San BBQ Grill Buffet is at 31656 Pacific Highway South, where the buffet island supplies raw meat and diners cook it themselves on an open-flame grill set into the table, the flame reaching the meat directly. Hae Song BBQ Korean Restaurant is at 32703 Pacific Highway South, a thousand address numbers further south, where diners grill beef ribs at the table themselves.

South Tacoma Way, Lakewood

Lakewood is in Pierce County, at the southern end of the region, and one Korean barbecue room stands there. South Tacoma Way is the old highway alignment through Lakewood, and the room sits on it.

Cham Garden Korean BBQ is at 10518 South Tacoma Way, where a selection of ten meats is grilled at the table on a burner tray and diners serve themselves. Its menu carries a section headed "Great to Cook at Table". No source states its opening hours, so none are given here.

Frequently asked questions

What is tabletop Korean BBQ, and what counts?
Tabletop Korean barbecue means the meat is cooked at the table on a grill built into the table — gas, charcoal or a built-in induction plate — either by the diner or by a server working at the table. All-you-can-eat service does not change that, and several of the rooms in the region are all-you-can-eat. A soondubu or tofu house, a Korean fried-chicken shop, a braise finished on a portable burner set down on the table, and meat grilled in the kitchen and carried out are all a different format, whatever the sign says. The test is the grill: it has to be in the table.
Which of these are inside the Seattle city limits?
Four: Meet Korean BBQ at 500 East Pike Street on Capitol Hill, Baegopa at 509 7th Avenue South in the Chinatown-International District, Do Si Korean BBQ at 2516 Alki Avenue SW in West Seattle, and ONMI Korean Cuisine & BBQ at 13231 Aurora Avenue N. Yetgol Old Village Korean BBQ, at 15200 Aurora Avenue N, prints a Seattle mailing address and a 98133 ZIP code, but it stands north of North 145th Street and is physically in Shoreline. ONMI, at North 132nd Street on the same avenue, is south of that line and inside the city.
Which restaurants publish their opening hours?
Five of them. Do Si Korean BBQ at Alki Beach opens 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM Sunday to Thursday and 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM on Friday and Saturday; the Kent room opens 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM Sunday to Thursday and 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM on Friday and Saturday. WuJu Korean BBQ opens Tuesday to Thursday 11am to 10pm, Friday and Saturday 11am to 11pm and Sunday 11am to 9pm, and closes on Monday. Woobling Korean BBQ opens Wednesday and Thursday 11:30 AM to 12:00 AM, Friday and Saturday 11:30 AM to 1:00 AM, and Sunday to Tuesday 11:30 AM to 11:00 PM. Woomadang opens 11AM to 10PM every day.
Where is the all-you-can-eat barbecue?
Yetgol Old Village Korean BBQ in Shoreline runs all-you-can-eat over charcoal grills seated in the tables. Gen Korean BBQ House at Westfield Southcenter in Tukwila is an all-you-can-eat chain room where the group orders rounds and cooks them at the table. New Gangnam BBQ at 19226 Highway 99 in Lynnwood takes all-you-can-eat orders from a tablet at the table. Woomadang in Redmond runs all-you-can-eat over smokeless grills, and Kum Kang San BBQ Grill Buffet in Federal Way works from a buffet island that supplies raw meat only.
What do the grills burn?
It varies by room and it changes the meal. Yetgol Old Village in Shoreline burns charcoal, topped up by staff during service. WuJu in Lynnwood grills over gas. Kum Kang San in Federal Way uses an open flame that reaches the meat directly. Woomadang in Redmond and Baegopa in the Chinatown-International District use smokeless downdraft units set into the tabletop, and ONMI on Aurora Avenue N puts an extraction hood over each table instead. Cham Garden in Lakewood cooks on a burner tray set at the table.

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