Blue Ginger Korean Barbecue

Loved this place before they changed management. It was my to go Korean restaurant for a cheap $ 9 hot stone bibimbap and $ 9 seafood tofu soup.
NOW the food is way more expensive and tastes terrible! Service is also not good at all. Probably won’t be going back ever gain. I’m still trying to find a cheap yet good Korean restaurant.

I had a bad experience with this place, the waiter is very unfriendly and didn’t come to serve for a long time. By the time we finish eating, the waiter saw me waved and ignored me at least 3 times before coming. Then when we ask for help packing up the food to go (it was the hotpot which is too big for us to pack), he first came to help with the bill and watching me sign the bill. After taking the bill, he leave the food half packed and just ignored me forever, that’s pretty ridiculous. The food in this place is not bad but the service sucks too much and I don’t plan to go to this place for a while.

Maybe if you are Korean, you can come here, but if you aren’t, don’t! The worst customer service ever! It took forever for them to get us seated even though there were tons if empty tables and 20 minutes to take our order. I thought that maybe because we didn’t get BBQ, the servers were more attentive to everyone else. But once we glanced over at another table, that turned out to be incorrect because they ordered the same dishes as us but got far better service probably cause they speak Korean. When we finally got our food, the server slammed the food on the table and quickly scurried to help other customers. No one ever came by to ask us if we wanted more side dishes. Which by the way, we only received 5 and the table next to us got 8. I ordered Seolleongtang, and it tasted like rice water. Once we finally got the check, we didn’t get a «thank you», they just threw it on the table and ran off. Save your money, and just avoid this place.

Sad face for Blue Ginger. Very disappointed! The sign says «Sushi» but they don’t have Sushi? After I was seated and started looking at the menu I realized they don’t serve Sushi. I’m not sure why their sign says they do (see sad face pic). I didn’t feel like leaving at this point because I already got water and have been sitting at a table for 5 minutes. I ended up ordering some beef something-​or-​other and got a small portion of unseasoned beef along with Kimchee, bean sprouts, carrots, pickled cucumber and macaroni salad. Go figure? Food was lame and no sushi was a big let down. Maybe it’s time to change the sign to «no more sushi»!?

Really like the tofu soup! The BBQ is a bit pricey! If you have more than 3 people, recommend a larger seafood pancake!

The customer service is great! The kimchi was fresh I think the new chef from Korea is doing a wonderful job! I recommend this!

I used to love coming here. The waitresses were very friendly and the food, delicious.
Today, I stopped in for lunch and ordered my usual: yukhejang. When it arrived, I found it to be bland and not spicy. I told the waiter this and he apologized. I then heard him tell the other waiter (in Korean). The other waiter laughed and called me «bahbo» (Korean slur meaning moron or retard).
I paid my check, said I understood what they’d said, and left.
It’s sad that a restaurant I’ve enjoyed for more than a decade, would employ people who bad mouth customers. Just because someone doesn’t look fully Korean, never assume we don’t understand what you’re saying.
Very disappointed.
I’ll never dine here again, and never recommend Blue Ginger to friends.

Took a long time to seat us, good was good. Would be nice if they served booze, it’s in the menu but for some reason not available.

Meh. This was my first time back at blue ginger in a while and it was really nothing special. I got the beef bulgogi and while it was visually appealing, it lacked the texture and flavor that made me crave it. In the past, I had gotten the dolsot bibimbap (stone pot) that was hot as well as the Korean barbeque and I have yet to try those again but my experience here was really that it was a bit mediocre in terms of food taste. In terms of the environment, it is nicely kept. It feels much more quiet around lunchtime nowadays, but that’s not a bad thing. Service was iffy since we had to flag down elusive waiters and they did not come by to check how things were going super regularly.

Sadly, awful awful (yes, repeated that intentionally) experience. Under new management and boy, it’s painfully obvious. Understaffed servers were slow and inattentive. Food was at best subpar along with the quality of the galbi beef meat. Overpriced with no real special reason. Just plain awful. We used to really enjoy this place. Not returning most likely. Oh this pushed me over the edge: the spicy beef had broth that strangely tasted too much like ramen soup base packet. I know my ramen broth. We are definitely sticking to Southgate Garden. Not necessarily superior but far superior compared to this sad place. Ugh Eastside needs more quality Korean restaurants.

New chef from Korea really upped the standard here. The meat is a lot fresher tasting. I only review when something is great and it’s become great. Like if Donald Trump wanted to make America great again he would put more Blue Gingers around. The staff paid good attention to us too.
I’m not saying this place will make you cry it’s that good, I’m saying compared to alternatives the price to quality is satisfying.
I went with some old ahjushi from Korea and they approved of this place.
It had been on a down turn, but someone made a great decision and turned up the heat at this kbbq

I do not recommend this place. Bad service and bad food. They tried to rip me off on my bill. They added 20% on to the bills with 4 people. So check your bill before you pay. I would give it to them if the service and food was good. Awful do not come here you will be disappointed

Pretty pricey but the meat is good. I’ve ordered half of Beef Brisket and half of Pork Belly. Their Tofu Stew and Spicy Fried Chicken are also great.

I went there last weekend and had a horrible experience. There was no water, no napkin and no one came to take our order for 20 minutes.
I ordered a beef and potato stew that was undercooked and cold. Even after our food arrived we still did not get place settings and had to get napkins and utensils ourselves. We had to get the water and tea ourselves. Overall the service created a very undesirable experience for us.

Alright, I think I’ve given Blue Ginger too many chances and I’m ready to call it quits. It recently changed management so my mother and I were willing to give it another shot after a disappointing last couple of visits.
The service here was known to be pretty awful and with the new management, it’s gotten even worse. Half way through our meal we asked for more side dishes, and instead of fulfilling that ask, they simply took our side dish plates away and never returned. Cool. No one refilled our waters and we had to ask for rice and bean paste… The only time someone came by on their own was to drop off the food and the check.
And to add to that, your food will now be more expensive! Absurd. An order of pork belly was $ 20 and it was cut way too thick and way too tough. Unfortunately it’s not the first time I’ve hard too-​tough pork belly here. They used to have a meat combo for 2 but now their minimum meat combos are $ 69 and meant for 3 people. It really just seems like sad ploy for more money, and they’re now charging extra for lettuce, sesame leaves, etc.
The only good thing was the Bibim naeng myun, but that was also good pre-​management change. I won’t come back here – bye, Felicia!

this restaurant is so nice, all food is so delicious and side dishes also are great:) you guys should come and order ! Staff is so kind and good Atmosphere is great and the chair is comfortable. I ordered number20 and beef, they refilled side dish a lot:)

Food was good, had the short rib soup and the onion pancake. The quality was good and the flavors were good. The cold spicy noodles were also tasty. Service was average, food came out fast, but the servers did not watch the tables well after the food came out.

Worst service in a korean restaurant. My friend was not white or Asian. Her dish NEVER came and I didn’t even get a utensils. Slowest services and all waitresses basically ignored me.
Their nang myun was the worst ever, the noodles were not even the kind you use for that dish. They had nerve to charge for the good that never came. Yuck. Bad service is one thing but a bad food worse than any other korean restaurant in history of my 25Plus years of living here? Hard to beat.

I guess this place changed management. Came here for a family dinner and order the combo 11 pork BBQ, bibimbap, and the hot pot. We were seated but it took nearly 10 mins to get our order, it took 20 mins to ASK FOR WATER. Our hot pot was not available but another table after us got it. I asked for the menu again so we can choose a second option for soup.– the menu never came to us. When our food got to our table, our grill wasn’t turned on nor ready but the time our food arrived. The food was so bland. The service was horrible. We had to ask for rice twice and it took about 10 mins each time we asked for it. We were fed up with the service that we asked for the check. When I reviewed the check before paying, I told our waitress that we didn’t get the soup that as part of the combo and that I wasn’t going to pay for it. The hot pot was still listed on our check and told them to take it off as we did not get it. The second check came, they took 6 $ off but the hot pot was still on our check. I felt frustrated and told a them again that the hot pot should not be on the check. The manager came by and I told them that this experience was horrible. He made excuses saying that tonight’s hour felt odd and it must be a full moon. I felt completely ignore by the staff members during my dinner. For sure I’m not going to be returning.

I gave this place a 3^rd attempt as its under new management… Worst Korean BBQ ever!!!
The other two times were during lunch… both were one star as well!
We walked in on Saturday dinner and it wasn’t that busy, we got seated right away.
Had to wait to get menus and waters as the table next to us came well after and already got their drinks and bon chans (side dishes) on the table. Servers never check up on you and you have to yell to get their attention. The meat is very tough and no flavor. They don’t even set up the meat on the grill as KBBQ places do. (We are Korean, so we know how this routine is suppose to work) We have to continue to ask for assistance or refills.
I also had our baby and they decide to keep placing raw meats and dishes in front of her and also attempt to change the hot grill pans in front of her.
The worst part is the owner (guy) sits at the rear table and eats his meal while his restaurant is in chaos. Tables not being busted and customers left alone during their whole meal.
No thank you or acknowledgment as we paid and left the restaurant.
I will never be back here again. We prefer Seoul Garden in DT Bellevue.

I’ve been to this place a few times and always had their delicious bulgogi soup hot pot thing. I went in today and there was a new menu. The waiter informed us that the menu changed a few months ago and they no longer make the bulgogi soup dish. He didn’t really offer anything else similar either, so I left and went somewhere else. It’s a shame, the soup was delicious. Hopefully it will come back.

New owners so we decided to give it a try. Bad decision. Service was terrible. Had to ask for extra ban chan three times and the waitress took it off someone else’s table.
Worst of all, the marinated kalbi that we ordered was tough with no flavor. One of the worst Korean bbq experience and will never go back.
Bad service and bad food = don’t go

I loved this before they changed ownership and management. Food selection decreased. And price went up. Service was very bad. They ran out of shrimp but did not informed us until much later. They brought meat for us to grill but did not bring utensils for grilling for another 10 minutes. Big disappointment. Will not go back

Good environment for family and group parties, not very noisy as many other Korean restaurants are. Their food is delicious and in good portion, and their service is always good!

Blue Ginger used to my favorite place. Been visiting there for over 6 years. Lately the service has been really bad. Waiters come around once every 30 mins (we times them) and the menu has changed. The pork belly is so thick and the old combo menus are not available any more. So sad to see this restaurant go downhill. Had so many good memories with family there. Sigh!

Change in management. Food is good. We had the marinated beef that you grill on the table. It was delicious. Wished it came with some sauce to dip in. Ordered the soft tofu stew with seafood. It had a lot of seafood in it so that was wgood. The service was slow. We kept waiting for our check and no one brought it, even after asking for it. We finally had to go to the front desk where the lady was apologetic. Good food, but service could use some work.

Wow, amazing Korean food!
Grabbing a Korean food for lunch before a meeting as I had craving and I am so satisfied.
It was closed for couple of weeks recently and it got much cleaner with new menu.
I got Gal-​bi tang as the weather got so cold and it comes with a dipping sauce just like the high end traditional Korean restaurants and the side dishes have gotten a lot better!
Pretty rare for me to write a good review for Korean restaurant, but this time experience definitely deserves it.

Bad service. Got in there at 9:20pm, told us they are closing in 5 minutes after they served tea. The chicken hot pot is bad, chicken was raw when they served, and it was bland.

Wow! I started off with there family size meat with assorted beef slices and pork slices. I was told they use high grade Angus beef and it’s for real! we also ordered there cold and spicy bbnengmyun and regular nengmyun… It’s amazing. The service was extremely quick and responsive. This place has very good vent system so you don’t come out stinky like most Korean Bbq place. I have been to all Korean bbq place from Tacoma all the way up to Lynwood and this by far the best price, quality, service and over enjoyment of my meal.
Highly recommend with new owner!

I was excited when I saw the hours for this place were till midnight on Saturday night because I was having a late night craving for Korean Bbq, but when my boyfriend and I arrived at 11:20 the doors were locked and the employees were sitting at a table chatting and eating, I’m sure they saw us at door trying to get in but didn’t even acknowledge us whatsoever. If your hours are till midnight you should be taking in guests till midnight’ ridiculous ! Will not be coming here again and would not recommend this place, I see the reasoning for the awful reviews now.

Looks like this place changed management and it has gotten a lot worse. If you like no service and overly salty soup, this place is for you.
We came in on a Saturday evening and the place was half full. We were walked to our table and clearly needed a booster or high chair but we weren’t offered one. We got our water right away but it took another 15 minutes before we could get our servers attention again. Food took forever. We were about to walk out and head over to Café Ori but decided to wait it out. Our food arrived 45 minutes later (only two soups) and one was wrong. Another take left because they were not attended to. When we got our soups they were as salty as the ocean.
Anyway, just avoid this place now.

Blue Ginger used to be one of our favorite restaurants, and we enjoyed the Korean dishes there. Last time we visited, however, we noticed some differences. For example, the menu used to be full of photos, but now their new menu is small with limited food choices and zero photo. We ordered dishes like bulgogi beef, seafood pajeon and Korean hot soup, and they were not as great as before. The service was another story. We asked for things like tea, water or additional rice, and we waited over thirty minutes just to get those. Very disappointed.
We wonder if the ownership has changed there, but in any case, we will never visit Blue Ginger again.

Came in for lunch today. Was quickly seated and the server came to take our order in prompt time. Waited 30 minutes and our side dishes weren’t even served yet. There were multiple tables that were seated after us and ordered before us and they had already received their food. We walked out after another server came by to take our order thinking that we hadn’t ordered yet.
In addition to the terrible service, menu has become a lot smaller and is lacking any sort of pictures… Some dishes aren’t even in English, only Korean and then romanized Korean. Never receiving my business again.

We wanted to try Korean food after hearing the buzz.
Once we walked in I was charmed by the grills at every table, which reminded me of hot pot. I was comforted by the fact I could always order sushi, however they have since discontinued it. We ordered two bowls and were promptly given some small appetizers. My food was made wrong three times and I was told everything brought to the table was gluten free. Unfortunately, this was also not the case. The staff seemed unfamiliar allergies. In the end, I had a bowl of rice, unseasoned meat, and vegetables that was bland and quite forgettable.
The highlight was the imported berry wine which I could have drunk all day.

I love Korean food and have a fondness for Blue Ginger Grill. I have been coming here over 6 years and the same staff is still working and always greets us with a smile.
I never get a grilling table — but order from kitchen. I recommend their spicy chicken and Kalbi beef. We always order pot tickers too! All their side dishes are excellent!
The only issue is when we eat here I always over stuff myself by aging too much; for some strange reason I can’t stop eating. All in all great food, great service at a great price. Family of 3 – 4 can’t eat a nice meal for under $ 40.
Clean restaurant, clean bathrooms and plenty of party. Family friendly!

If I could, I would rate Blue Ginger as 2 ½ stars.
We stopped by in the evening, right after the first dinner rush, and there were a ton of dirty tables that weren’t cleaned. Once we were noticed, they cleared off a table for us. After we were seated, it took quite a while to get our orders put in. We ordered:
Kalbi short ribs: good, but hard to mess up
Mool nengmyun: definitely cold, and good on a hot day
Seafood tofu soup: not my favorite version (too many vegetables in it)
I probably should have ordered the Combo A: if you only order one BBQ item, they won’t let you cook on the grill. As others have mentioned, the service is not their strong suit: seems like they have enough workers, but very unorganized. If I want Korean food next time, I’ll head north or south instead.

Came here to celebrate a friend’s birthday.
We each ordered the hot stone bibimbap. Was decent (I think it could have used a little more salt). It was a decent sized dish, as well, and was a good price.
We also ordered some KBBQ (note if you’re looking for all you can eat, this isn’t the place to go)! The spare ribs were my favorite — it was well marinaded. the only thing that annoyed us was that the grill was so deformed, that we had meat falling through it!
The service was decent — at first we had to ask multiple times for water.
The other odd thing was that the menu I was given was practically falling apart — everything was falling off the binding and there was scotch tape everywhere.
I would totally come back for bibimbap and not for KBBQ.