Mouthwatering Korean in Portland

Umma Korean Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.4 (115) • $$

"I don't eat Korean food often since moving out of LA -- maybe a yearly BBQ or AYCE and biannual trip to Nak Won. And I don't order adventurously when it comes to Korean cuisine but the kimchi soup, mandu, and bibimbap I ate here were all tasty. Other reviewers have noted that the place/food has a homemade feel and I agree. Our server Hannah was sweet and helpful, and I think she said her mom or grandma was cooking in the back. No-frills inside. Bathroom was an undisguised supply closet.Prices about a dollar higher than what's on the pictures of the menus. (Sry, didn't grab a photo!) We spent about $90 to feed three people, without ordering too extravagantly (each got a main, plus the aforementioned mandu, plus one $9 bottle Terra of beer). Came with rice and half a dozen banchan.I think we will be back due to proximity and when in need of a heart-warming meal."

Mukja

★★★★☆ 4.1 (7)

"Food cart in the asylum food cart. Excellent Bibimbop. Mine included japchae noodles like my mom does. The sauce is added so if you don't like spicy then tell them before. It was perfect for me once mixed. Also got dukbokki and it was children approved. Lots of fish cake. Not stingy with the good stuff. We loved it."

Buranko Cafe & Bar

★★★★★ 4.5 (236) • $$

"This place is honestly pretty underrated - we went here on a Saturday dinner around 6:30pm aka supposedly prime dinner time and there were only 2 tables occupied. We got to sit in one of the nice hammock-like chairs and ordered 2 cocktails and 2 entrees to share for the 2 of us. We tried:Kyoto Fog - nice matcha flavor and the alcohol did not taste too strong. It was a nice touch to seePinkitini - very floral and fruity, light and refreshing drink with lychee but the lychee was not sweet at all (perhaps a bit watered down) for some reason.Million Dollar Shrimp Tom Kha Ramen - sooooo delicious! Coconut lemongrass soup with noodles that were just al dente and fresh shrimp. It is to no surprise this is one of the most popular dishes on the menuMoo Kra Tiem - garlic pepper pork. I do like the grilling of the meat and the spicy sauce, but the rice was way too mushy so that was a miss. This is one of their seasonal specials.Service is good as water refills were apparent and the servers were fairly attentive to take dishes away as needed. I would recommend this place if you want a place that serves good Thai/Korean inspired food and want a casual, not overly crowded dining experience."

Kim Jong Grillin'

★★★★☆ 4.1 (382) • $$

"Who doesn't want a Korean food truck in their neighborhood?Small portions just right for a midday snack.Galbi is good but with plain chopped lettuce.Hot Dog simply garnished with kimchee.What to expect:Street parking off of Division. If you want to dine under the carport eating tables are limited.Rice has been hit or miss. Food takes a bit of time so order ahead."

Bonchon

★★★★☆ 3.8 (164) • $$

"I was excited to see Bonchon here on the west coast. This pIace is legit for serving Korean Chicken Wings. The provide either a garlic soy or spicy gochugang glaze. We chose the half and half batch of wings. The double fry on the chicken wings made them so crispy! They cooked them just right so the meat was still juicy and piping hot. The glazes were a perfect mix of mild and spicy. They also give you a small container of daikon radish to serve as a pallet cleanser if you moved between the different flavors of wings."

Hearty K-Bop

★★★★★ 5 (9)

"This little hole in the wall has great quality food! The service was quick and the food was piping hot, I really appreciated the flavor of the bulgogi. Everything was well seasoned and plenty of servings for the pricing. While not the most adventurous Korean food out there, it serves the basics and does them very well. Will be back!"

Mama's Teriyaki

★★★★☆ 4.4 (125) • $

"We ordered at a kiosk that had pictures of all the menu items , man seemed friendly! Food was fast and girl lemme tell you the amount of food we got was insane!!! The photo attached is what was LEFT . It's now my dinner for later lol . The portions were huge AND it was very delicious! The salad was crazy good ! Everything was great !!! Thank you !"

Seoul Korean Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.2 (89) • $$

FOMO Chicken

★★★★☆ 4.3 (123) • $$

"I don't know why it took so long for us to try FOMO. It's been out list forever. We met some people at a Yelp event who highly recommended it, so we finally decided to give it a go. The person who answered the phone was incredibly nice! Very easy to order. We ordered two pounds of chicken: one of each flavor. The pieces were massive, with plenty of meat. They were hot and covered in sauce. So many places skimp on the sauce, but FOMO did not disappoint. The chicken pieces were good... no gross stringy pieces. They were huge too! I could only have a few pieces before I was super full. The flavors were excellent. For once, I think I liked the soy garlic better than the spicy one. I'm a massive spicy fan, but the soy garlic was amazing! We'd definitely come back!"

Fairview Deli and Korean Food

★★★★★ 4.6 (22) • $$

"Friends!DELI Sandwiches and Korean food next to The Fork in Fairview, OR... this is a great deli with home cooking dishes like chicken or beef curry but --also --yummy Club sandwiches. Look what we had today :-)Plenty of comfortable seating, really clean restaurant /deli. The owners are so nice!"Fairview Deli and Korean food""

Yuginong

★★★★★ 4.8 (60)

"We happen to drop by this lovely little spot while exploring the St. John's area and we are so fortunate that we did. Everything from the decor and ambiance to the staff to the food, we couldn't stop raving about.As a quaint Korean shop, you order by using a touch pad. As it was our first time, the staff, who happen to be the family that owns the spot, were more than happy to explain the dishes and tell us their favorites! Although there were only two of us, we order three entrees. The mom of the shop even came out to make sure we had our order correct and didn't want to overcharge us!The food was simply amazing. Truly comfort food at its finest, but never lacking any details to the flavor profile and makes you feel right at home.The steak was cooked very nicely and the mint butter glaze on top was absolutely amazing. The vegetables were cooked nicely and served underneath with the gravy of the steak that brought a good balance to the dish.The tofu bibimbap was a good take on a classic dish. Probably one of the better bibimbap's I've had in my lifetime, had a good sense of savory flavor with a hint of sweet behind it. They provide two sauces, we loved both. The green sauce was more like a creamy pesto sauce and the red sauce was a gochu jang blend that really added to the dish.The ox bone soup was probably my favorite out of the three. This really made me feel at home. While being light and having a pure taste, the ox meat was hearty and good subtle taste.Each meal came with their own banchan. Because we order different entrees, I'm not sure if they gave us different ones to try on purpose or if the banchan are unique to the entree. Either way, we have kimchi, one with cabbage and one with daikon, beansprouts, and miso soup. I loved the kimchi, as it had a good sour taste while not being overly spicy.I thoroughly enjoyed my meal here and would definitely come back and highly recommend! If you're ever in the area, stop by. It won't disappoint."

Soul Korean Fusion

★★★★★ 4.7 (6)

"A new Korean cart at the Troutdale food carts. We stopped by on a Sunday evening, and had bibimbap and a honey chicken. The honey chicken was underwhelming. The flavors in the bibimbap were good, though texture and temperature were so-so. I love Korean food and honestly was a bit disappointed. There is a ton of choices at the food carts, so I will experiment a bit. But I'm sure I will return again and update the review after they have been operating for a bit."

JCD Korean Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4 (388) • $$

"Since I'm not a Beaverton regular, I can't tell whether if JCD Korean restaurant had just relocated to the other part of the same plaza, if it's a grand opening, or if the restaurant had been operating for a while. We came here Sunday night on Labor Day weekend and even at 8pm there was a bit of a wait for a party of 4. There seems to be a lot of large parties and celebration when we walked in. We were seated at 830 and tried to order as quickly as we could as we were starving. The restaurant seemed extremely understaffed and we felt bad for the servers as they were running around in a big restaurant. It probably took us over 30 minutes before we received our order. The banchan were also not delivered to our table until our main dishes arrived. We felt bad rushing the staff since the kitchen was probably backlogged, but a lot of tables were doing KBBQ so the cooked items we ordered shouldn't have taken long. I did like the seafood tofu soup (Haemul soondubu) and the glass noodle (japchae) were the highlight of the meal. Portions were on the larger side and we were beyond full sharing 3 dishes among 4 people. There's a lot of potential for the restaurant but really wish they would figure out their staffing issue on the floor as well as in the kitchen!"

Nak Won Korean Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.2 (449) • $$

"My family and I wanted Korean food one evening, and I had heard good things about Nak Won. I'm so glad we ended up going here because the food was all super tasty and up to our expectations.The prices here may seem high, but the portions are wildly big. I think each order could have fed up to two people. We got the Galbi, the Beef and Mushroom Soft Tofu Soup, Soybean Paste Soup, The Remedy (Spicy Seafood Noodle Soup), and Stone Pot Rice. We had five people, and this was more than enough for all of us. I really enjoyed the Galbi and the Soft Tofu Soup. The Galbi was marinated super well, and the soup had a generous portion of beef. The soybean paste soup was also very flavorful, and both of the soups were literally served in huge stone pot bowls. Service was quick and friendly throughout our meal. It was fairly crowded even on a Thursday evening, but definitely an awesome spot for Korean food staples."

Kkoki Korean BBQ

★★★★☆ 3.9 (324) • $$

"So I pay money to cook my own food ? Alright then ! This place had been on my bookmarks for years and one fine evening when we were particularly hungry we decided what better day than today to stuff our faces . We came in on Sunday evening and there was a 20 minute wait before we were seated . Annoyingly there were plenty of open tables however . The setting is a little different than most Korean BBQ joints -its not all you can eat and keep that in mind before you go . The various meat options come with a price and you can pick what you like otherwise there is a couple mix n match combos as well . Menu also has a selection of a la carte Korean dishes . We got the BQ Combo and a side of Korean pancakes . The meats though limited in selection comes in huge quantity and it was definitely more than we can eat .The grill was a little wonky at first but turned out ok after a while . The combo comes with a bowl of rice , stew and side dishes -mostly pickled veggies .The pork bulgogi was our favorite . The good thing about the fixed menu is that you can take the rest of it to-go which most KBBQ place don't offer . Service is alright , they do what you ask for and that's about it . Wont come check up on you till you ask . we also got a traditional Korean drink that went very well with the food . Overall , I would say they are alright although ,I don't see myself returning anytime soon ."

Coredam

★★★★☆ 4.2 (107) • $$

"Came here on a Tuesday afternoon before their closing for lunch break. It was quick service and quiet and friendly as well. It was perfect for us after hectic afternoon and just wanted to dine in peace and quietness with a newborn too Ordered their dolsot bibimbap so good. Stone pot mixed rice with veggies and beef. Sizzling hot! With fried egg on top, perfect! They didn't have seaweed to give to customer but still offered me the ones they would eat themselves so I could wrap it with the rice in it.Cannot go wrong with traditional sullungtang on a chilly day, so try mixed meats of tripe and tendon. Silky broth that warms your soulAnd spicy galbitang, sooo seasoned and an abundance of flavor! Soup was perfect amount of spicy and goes so well with rice.10/10 korean comfort food place and they've expanded their menu with even more soups!!! Just want to order everything there!"

K-Town BBQ

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (147) • $$$

"Was craving kbbq while in Portland and opted for K-Town BBQ as it was one of the few options open during the day and time we were around. We showed up as a walk in for a group of 3. The experience started mid for us as the restaurant only had a few patrons dining, yet we waiting about 7 min before anyone even greeted us. No acknowledgement upon entering, no acknowledgement as someone walked past us. We just were kept standing there and I was about ready to leave. Finally we were greeted and brought to a booth style table. The menu is offered all you can eat style during which you can order 4 selections of meat at the same time before ordering the next round. Meats that we ordered included:- LA galbi : our favorite- bulgogi: very solid with great flavor- spicy bulgogi - same as the above bulgogi with a little heat- beef brisket: meat was very tough and we did not enjoy it- pork belly: solid, decent flavor, not too tough- melona soju cocktail: a bit too sweet for me but my partner enjoyed it - banchan: not great but not bad; decent"

Chinese Delicacy

★★★★☆ 3.9 (167) • $$

"Loved every dish we got here! Everything was made super fresh and came out piping hot. Was pleasantly surprised at how not oily their food was either, eventhough most of them was fried or stir-fried. The flavors were also well-balanced, not overly salty. Portion was great for sharing as well.Noodles ans dumplings are homemade and you can taste it. Really vouche for their pork dumplings, thin wrapper and juicy filling. Jajangmyeon also really hit the spot with the smoky wok taste and fresh seafood. The best dish still went to the Peking Style Sweet & Sour Pork, ask for the sauce on the side so you can have crispy tender pork throughout the whole meal!Really fell in love with this place. Super casual and homey ambience inside. One lady sort of served everyone; she's very kind. Service was fast.We will return!"

St John's Kitchen

★★★★☆ 3.8 (72) • $

"My kid lives near this tiny take-out restaurant and gets dinner here every 1-2 weeks. She and her beau say the food is great and reasonably priced and the portions are huge. So we decided to get a few dishes tonight as no-one wants to cook the day before Thanksgiving (right??!). I went with her to pick up the meals. The place is small but really quirky and cute, with lots of plants and greenery. (I was surprised to read that someone complained about the plants in their review. Really? Who doesn't like plants?). And yes, the place felt cluttered, with the plants and the desk of condiments and chairs to sit on as you wait for your meals to be prepared. The place won't win any medals in Architectural Digest. But I thought it was quirky, and cute, and it is quintessentially Portland. (And when I was there, there was absolutely no odors in the place, as another reviewer wrote. If the place smelled bad, there's no WAY ON EARTH my kid or I would ever patronize the place!).And the food was great. We got my kid and her boyfriends' usual teriyaki beef and we also got orange chicken (both these meals came with rice), and also my kid's favorite yakisoba noodles (omg they are so good. I have no idea what seasoning they use, but these noodles are reddish in color and taste amazingly good). The portions are humongous and easily enough for 2-3 meals.We like supporting local businesses. And this one is great!"

Asian Sister Cuisine

★★★★☆ 4.1 (12) • $

"An amazing Asian food cart at Ala Carts pod. The first time I went here I tried the home made potstickers ($3 for 7) and the chicken fried rice. They were both excellent, but the specialty of this cart is the Korean food. I tried their bulgogi on my next visit and was blown away, and their kimchi is the best I've ever had. Next time I'll try the bebimbop. Welcome to ala carts, ladies!"

1st Street Pocha

★★★★★ 4.6 (166) • $$

"Merlin's Beard ! This place is truly remarkable, and I'm glad we ended up here after deliberating between a couple of other options. The restaurant is quite small, with only a few seats. I noticed the server had to turn away at least six or seven parties after ours because they just didn't have enough seats. The place looks like a local Korean spot with movie posters adorning the wall .We started with a round of Korean soju that our server suggested and followed it up with Korean style hot dog. It was cheesy and delicious, and I am so glad that we were able to get the last one. We followed this up with green onion pancake and rose Tteokbokki . The food does takes time to arrive because this place truly was a two people show - They only have one chef, and just one server. Between the two of them they were doing it all - taking orders, seating , serving ,cooking , takeout orders etc .The food is phenomenal , we were appreciating every single bite we put in our mouth. The Tteokbokki had great flavours , the sauce was creamy and spicy and packed a punch. The Haemul pajeon was excellent - thick , crispy edges and soft texture in the middle with a lot of seafood . Despite the food being excellent there was no way we could finish all of it so we brought it home and they heated up very nicely next day . Service was good but I do feel they can do with at least another server. Pricing seemed fair for the delicious and big portions ."

Du's Grill

★★★★☆ 4.3 (503) • $$

"My last review of Du's was in 2016, but I've been going since at least 2007. Still--one of if not the best tasting anything in Portland. That's what she said. Honors: They were about to close for about an hour to service the grill (in the early afternoon), but after learning I was visiting from DC, fired up and made me two chickens extra sauce to go."

Ate Oh Ate - Beaverton

★★★☆☆ 3 (45)

"A friend brought me here for dinner. I really only got into Hawaiian food thanks to friends from the islands so I am not in the know for authentic.The very sweet guy at the counter was great as we were complex getting an order to go for her husband and me being completely clueless as to all the things. I was happy she clued me in on the slushies and we both tried them both. Lime and coconut were the two and they were both made with coconut milk, having that creaminess. Delicious! I was getting brain freeze though - it was pretty hot out and I just cannot do super cold when I am super hot. Delicious as they were I had to just get a Mexican coke with a big old cup of ice. My friend grabbed a slushie and added a shot to it which you can do!The food was great - I tried her Kahlua pork which was great. I got the teriyaki chicken and the chicken katsu - both were very good though the BBQ sauce served with the katsu was a lot more liquid and vinegar forward that I like so I used their teriyaki sauce. Their mac salad is a lot more sweet than previous experiences at other places and my friend said that they use a lot more pineapple. It is very creamy and I did like it. What I was not a fan of was the butter mochi cake but I am not a fan of that texture which I think is correct. I could see people liking it but I just find the sticky tacky texture to be unappealing so you might love it!"

Pixiu Mala Hongtang PDX

★★★★☆ 4.3 (54) • $$

"Eh, probably one and done for me as nothing wowed. The thinly cut beef was the standout. I don't quite get the allure, hasn't Chang's been doing this for decades?Kudos to the busser/server who moves around the dining area with lightening speed. However, she ran into a customer with her cart and looked frazzled. Just chill as your aggressive mobility probably only saved seconds.Good for the neighborhood, I hope they prosper."

The Bulgogi DuKuhBee Noodles

★★★★☆ 4.4 (447) • $$

"Ordered door dash and man this was delicious! I recommend the mandoo (deep fried dumplings). It was packed with flavor. The hand pulled noodles were made fresh and lots of protein was included, which is a plus. I want to try other dishes next."

Rice Junkies

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (40) • $

"The sign at Rice Junkies describes my current feelings about Rice Junkies ... "Healthy Addiction". I'm a Rice Junkie Junky. I've been hitting up Rice Junkies for lunch quite often and have tried most of the menu by now. Whatever mood or craving I have, I can satisfy it with the menu at Rice Junkies. My favorite is the bimbambop wrap with egg, veggies and pulled pork. The Mexican wrap is also pretty fabulous with guacamole, cheese, rice and beans. Everyone who works here is really nice and friendly. Quick, tasty, and convenient."

Wok' n Guys

★★★★☆ 3.8 (152) • $$

"Get your Korean-Chinese food fix here! But be warned: you might get sticker shock at some of the prices.I have been craving Jjajang myun (black bean paste noodles) and saw that this is the place to get it. We ordered your typical trifecta (also our waitress said that's what everyone orders haha) Regular jjajang myun, seafood jjambong (seafood noodle soup) and pork tangsooyuk (fried pork with sweet and sour dipping sauce) I will say that the food is really good and authentic here (given by the people we saw eating here while we were here) The noodles were chewy and flavorful, seafood stew with just the right amount of spiciness and plenty of seafood, plus the fried pork was freshly fried and crispy - ready to dip into the sticky sauce full of veggies.The service was quick and friendly and it was cool to see actual flames in the kitchen behind when they were cooking up the dishes. The inside decor, tables and chairs, the removal dividers seemed simple if not a bit outdated. I really was impressed by the food and we all really enjoyed our meal. However I do think the price tag (even given the portions) is a little steep for certain dishes - $35 for the seafood noodle soup? Not great. But with that said, I do recommend coming here if you get a craving for Korean-Chinese food. Please give them a chance!"

Frybaby

★★★★★ 4.6 (47) • $$

"Stopped for a quick biteHeard this spot was voted the number 1 food truck for 2023Ordered the snow cheese drumsticks and Mac and cheese and the no spicy wings with rice. Both were delicious The server was super cool and explained the menu to us and we appreciated thatIt's a food truck park, I would say they should have someone clean the tables more consistently though but it was coolWe ended up taking it to go, it was chillyLooking forward to going back next time I'm in Portland"

Namu

★★★★☆ 3.6 (117) • $

"hit this place up on our bicycle food tour.we were pretty stuffed already;however, we really enjoyed the food even still.they have a few food carts here to choose,but if you're in the mood for some legit bulgogi,well, then, stop on by and get some.asian/hawaiian fusion is on point.loved this place!"

Kkoki Korean BBQ - Portland

★★★★☆ 3.5 (197) • $$$

Paik’s Noodle

★★★★☆ 4.1 (71)

"When this place first opened I heard a lot of mixed reviews, also had some food my friend brought home. Now since going back it's much better. The sauce is good, noodle portions are balanced. Staff was super nice in asking if I wanted more pickled radish. Also ordered tangsyuk (crispy pork) which was really crispy and not too hard to bite into (have also been to wok n guys) and prefer the pork here. Overall the place is super clean and would return."

88 Seoul Food

★★★★★ 4.9 (54)

"Reading 'Crying in H Mart', which is about an Oregon woman's re-connection with her Korean heritage through food as she nurses her mother through cancer, reignited my desire for Korean food close to home. As one of my family's favorite cuisines, we have always driven to Portland for our Korean BBQ fix. So it was a great pleasure to discover this unassuming food cart in Gladstone tucked in behind the Bikini Coffee stand on McLoughlin Blvd. I've had a couple meals (to go) here and highly recommend the Seoul Bowl, which is your choice of meat (Bulgogi Beef, Sassy Pork, or 88 Chicken) with pickled Daikon radish, mac salad, and rice.The Mac Salad is spicy and creamy mixed with corn, and the pickled radish with shredded carrot is just the right counterpoint to cool off your palate. Very nice proportion of meat, rice, and salads with arugula on top. I've ordered a couple of the side dishes to round out our meals, and the Kimchi is excellent, but comes in a very small container for $3. The Mandu fried dumplings (10 pieces) are a nice side dish as well.On these rainy days, a couple additional pluses are a covered dining area and a parking lot that is shared with a convenience store so you can pick up drinks while you wait for your order. Thank you, book club, for an interesting read which led me to delicious, local Korean food."

Koko’s Seoul Food

★★★★☆ 4.1 (14)

K-Bop

★★★★☆ 4.4 (24)

"Well, I see I'm having troubleWith my tight blue jeansBlame it on the carts in Happy ValleyHey, I've been thinking of hot HawaiianI'm picking up cool KoreanOop K-BOP!Do I wanna go for a Bowl on FireOr a Fusion Entrée to take me higherThey say Cyndi Lauper sends good vibesThey better take cash or I won't biteOop K-Bop! K-Bop!Hey, hey I say gimme-em-all veggiesBecause I'm obsessin' on BulgogiValue meals and I don't sweatAin't no reason to go in debtEat bop, we bop, a K-BOP!I bop, you bop, a K-BOP!Clean carts have the upper handEat bop, we bop, a K-BOP!I bop, you bop, a K-BOP!Eat bop, eat bop, a lu K-BOP!"

JD brothers

★★★★☆ 4.2 (9)