Jeju Restaurant

We recently discovered a hidden gem in Portland serving a delightful blend of Korean and American cuisine. Visiting for the weekend, we were lucky to snag one of the last Saturday night reservations via OpenTable. Though we didn't realize it was a prix-fixe menu until we arrived, the portions and selections were outstanding--exactly what we were hoping for.The ambiance is perfect for date nights or a girls' night out, with a cozy dining room, an open kitchen, and a small bar for counter seating. We noticed a few couples dining with their babies, but overall, it feels like a charming spot for adults to enjoy a night out. My only gripe is that we asked the hostess if we could get another table close to the glass door and she told us it was reserved for a special occasion. There were 8 other empty tables of 2 and she could've tried to accomodate us in any of those others away from the one we obviously didn't want to sit at, but she matter a factly walked away. This always sets the tone for guests and although we thoroughly enjoyed the food, this is something that could be worked on. The only real choices you'll make are from their impressive selection of sakes and wines, plus deciding whether to add sides--but don't miss the fried chicken! It might just be the best I've ever had. The pan-fried mandoo (dumplings), included in the prix-fixe, were absolutely divine, and the peach dessert was the perfect sweet finish to the meal.If you're in Portland, this spot is a must-visit!!

Every now and then I have a meal that makes me sit and wonder where we went wrong as a species. Like, we could have just focused on making incredible food to eat with each other, like they do at Jeju, and I think we really would have been better off. Instead, I have a credit score and a cubicle job. One bite into the banchan, and I realized the gravity of our collective folly.The steamed egg with roe was an extremely cool take on the traditional Korean banchan. The zucchini was perfect, and the sesame on top really sent the dish into a totally wild direction from what I was expecting. The mozzarella, cucumber, and tomato salad was fantastic. The kimchi was a bit on the less flavorful side, but the texture was great, but the kkakdugi was very, very good and paired super well with the same. The dough they used for the mando was special too, I'm not sure why I've never really noticed it elsewhere. The hamachi crudo was great, and the kimich foam was a very cool touch! The pastry (I wanna say ot was a shepherds pie?) with corned beef and kimchi was flaky and went really well with the homemade thousand island dressing.The ssam was good, but as others have mentioned, some of the meat could have had a bit more flavor. That said, I don't think it's worth knocking a star for, the sausage was damn good, and the soybean paste that came with it was so good I almost ate it by itself!The meringue for dessert was insanely good too, like legit some of the best dessert I've had. The pear frozen yogurt was great as well, but my son ended up being the bigger fan of it between the two of us, he literally drank the bowl The restaurant itself was nice inside as well, we caught it as the sun was setting and the lighting was great, but the food is always the more interesting thing to me, hard to eat sunshine unless you're a plant

Can't wait to go back and try more. The mandu was fabulous. Honestly though, the tomato cucumber banchan with the whipped ricotta was so freaking good. The Brutus salad was perfect. Can't wait to go back and do the chefs tasting menu. Well done!

This is Korean fusion. Kimchi was fresh and not fermented much. I really liked the pot stickers. Service was good since the servers were attentive and we didn't have to wait long. There's outdoor seating as well.

This was on my Portland bucket list, and it was such a stellar meal. Most of the patrons dining here weren't Korean, so I wasn't expecting the most traditional dishes, but the dishes were so creative and fun to try. My parents were very impressed too. They have a set menu for $75 per person and then have a few add ons that we tried. If you are hungry, I definitely recommend trying the additions, as those were such standouts for me. The Roasted Snap Peas were my favorite dish, and this was an extra addition. So flavorful, crunchy, and a generous portion of pastrami. The banchan were amazing, especially the roasted broccoli one, and I thought the kanpachi was also very fresh. I love the whole animal butchery concept they do here, and I enjoyed the variety of meat. There was one cut of steak I didn't like as much -- it had a kimchi marinade and it added a sourness to it I didn't love. However, the other cut of steak, along with the sausage and pork, were delicious and fun to eat as ssam. Do not sleep on the dessert here! The Vanilla Flan is one of the best desserts I've had and it had such a strong vanilla flavor and love the toppings they added, though it could have used a little more of the misugaru crumble. We also tried the Bingsu. This was very refreshing, but the flan was definitely the better dessert if I had to choose. Overall, one of the most memorable meals I've had recently. The service was also great throughout, and the interior here is clean, polished, but not overly stuffy.

Remodeled industrial building with exposed wood decor. Spacious atmosphere, comfortable seating. Enjoyable outdoor patio.Service is not in a hurry relaxed friendly, casually dressed, with not much to do except bring back drinks.Banchan is a petite 4-dish mix of Korean & fusion. Meats are prepared ready to eat, grilled in the kitchen. Portions are noticeably smaller than typical. The server makes no suggestions over empty dishes unless you request for refills.A taste of some contemporary Korean without the traditional feels. With pricey drinks, expect $100+ per person.Hopefully the small private parking is available; street parking not recommended.

Excellent modern Korean in the old Renata space. Wood fired ovens produce delicious Korean BBQ including beef short ribs, pork belly, flanken steak, the great pickled accoutremonts. Good wine and shoju choices, excellent service. Awesome!

TL;DR: 10/10 would go again.While I usually find it hard to justify splurging on Korean food, the portions, food quality, flavors, service, and ambiance proved to be a delightful surprise! The two of us had our fill and took home some leftovers. Did I also mention you can get a refill on banchan?? Priced at $75 pp for the set menu, the offering includes 4 banchan, 2 starters, the main ssam course that features 4 different meats, and a choice of dessert. We started off with a couple cocktails from their creative and clever cocktail menu that lent inspiration from Korean pop culture and puns (ie: H-MARTini, Han Oat). We got "The Man From Nowhere" (fun fact: it's the name of a famous Korean action/thriller movie), "Married With Children," and the "Jolly Kick Negroni". The drinks were good, but pretty strong (at least for me). I liked "Married With Children" because it was on the slightly sweeter side.The meal kicked off with 4 banchan:* kimchi - slightly tangy and not spicy at all* flash fried broccoli & cauliflower, buttermilk tofu - probably my favorite banchan because the buttermilk tofu was really interesting and I liked the charred flavor of the veggies* roasted delicata squash, chili peanut crisp - hearty and had a bit of a kick from the chili crisp* egg drop egg, house cured salmon roe - imagine a fancier gyeranjjim with a heavy anchovy broth flavorThen 2 starters:* dry-aged hawaiian kanpachi, yuja chojang, chilled dong-chi-mi broth, daikon thread and vermicelli noodles - I really liked the combination of flavors in this dish. The dong-chi-mi broth was refreshingly sweet and sour and paired well with the daikon, kanpachi, and noodles.* pan-fried mandu, beef, pork, & veg under lace, bone broth supreme & black vinegar - these mandu were really tasty. I couldn't help but dip more broth on them with every bite. Keep the broth to enjoy with the main ssam dish!The main course was a ssam set. Four different meats -- pork, assorted cuts of beef (including a galbi marinated one), and sausage -- accompanied by a variety of greens (lettuce, chicory, perilla, radicchio), house made ssam-jang, rice paper (dduk bossam), radish and scallion mix, and a buttered dolsot rice. We wrapped, we dipped, we savored each delectable bite. And just when we thought the feast was reaching its crescendo, the dessert dilemma hit -- asian pear & chocolate cake or bingsu? We decided the right choice would be to have both. While the cake was delicious, with its blend of crispy and soft textures complemented by the light sweetness of the chocolate sponge and tangy notes from the lemon gel, I was a bigger fan of the bingsu. The bingsu was light and fluffy, and featured a not too sweet mandarin orange jelly at the bottom. The misugaru crumbs on top were a nice finishing touch. The sweet finale was a harmonious blend of indulgence and satisfaction.

We grabbed an early reservation here for the day after Christmas. It was relatively quiet when we arrived, but pretty booming when we left. The space is large, open, and beautifully homey. It had beautiful greenery strung about for the holiday which made it feel so festive. It's a set menu, which is great, no decisions! The Banchan arrived quickly and everything was super delicious. I especially liked the seasonal delicata squash with chili crunch and the broccoli and cauliflower dish. The hot starter of the pan fried mandu was absolute perfection! Lacey, crunchy, and beautifully delicate and flavorful. The star of the show was definitely the Ssam which included two types of perfectly cooked steak, some pork loin, and a sausage. I could have eaten the steak by itself, it was well seasoned and just perfect in every way. I did enjoy it with the allium salad, some pickled daikon, and ssam-jang though. The buttered rice is also just insanely good. It's crispy and buttery and I couldn't stop eating it. We really enjoyed the pear and chocolate cake for dessert, but I do wish they also included the Bingsu or at least gave you the option to pick one. We were offered the Bingsu for an additional charge and I likely would have gotten it but it had a matcha custard and matcha isn't my favorite so we skipped it. I'll be back to try one for sure though!This place is a wonderful option for a special meal, a date night, or just because. The food is stunning and the service was great too!

We've been bummed that Han Oak folks had decided to close down Toki. We had made it our mission to always eat there whenever we traveled to PDX. But nevertheless, the world goes on and so must we. I've been curious about Jeju, their latest addition to the PDX eatery scene. Reservations were luckily not difficult to get a few weeks or days in advance.Super laid back ambiance with picnic tables and cute linoleum table coverings - walking in you'd feel as if you'd been invited to a friend's cozy backyard party.Like Toki, the banchan offerings at Jeju blew our mind away dish after dish. Each plate was crafted with such care and modern twists on classic Korean side dishes. I mean, who knew that hazelnut cream could complement roasted zucchini? The sweet and mildly spicy gochugaru seed brittle brought a surprising and fun texture to the zucchini. I also love the comforting flavors of egg drop and roe dashi... I could eat that every day! The staff was also gracious letting us know that we were more than welcome to repeat any of these dishes.Following our banchan adventures, the main course of ssam wraps was an act of utter indulgence and creativity. Starting off with a base of mildly fragrant shiso leaf, you'd sprinkle a bit of that buttered crispy rice, layer some sausage slices, topped with pickled onions, and finishing with a dab of gochujang sauce - and voila a ssam quickly came to fruition. The flavors deep and complex while the crispy rice and sliced meat provided extra textures.After countless wraps we held our belly and quickly entered food coma. I then realized we still have desserts to complete!And the final course of desserts did not miss a beat either. It consisted of an airy meringue cake layered over a bed of light cinnamon chocolate mascarpone mousse and fruits. Pure decadence to finish the night.Highly recommend checking out Jeju, as chef Peter Cho has mastered the art of elevating modern Korean cuisine so effortlessly. Can't wait to come back next time!