Kimchi Bistro

Every time I go the service is great, the food is great, and the kimchi is nice and bubbly! I lived in Korea for a few years and feel I am familiar with the food, and enough so to be a discerning reviewer. This place is the best I have had in Seattle!

Every enjoyable for a quick lunch. Had the Bibimbap, which was a healthy portion, and the banchan were pretty tasty, especially the cucumbers. I came away satisfied for pretty about $ 10, which seems reasonable. The place is super tiny, though. If you’re coming for a sit-​down meal, come during a slow time or get to-​go.

Ambience. B–
Service. A
Food. A
Price. A
Still my favorite Korean tucked away hole in the wall on Briadway.
PDelicious and very authentic. Like the variety of free Kim chee that comes with meals. Just take and eat what you can.
I always seem to get the dohl soft hot stone pot with rice beef and various Kim chee. I love that they have such a variety of veggie sides! So healthy!
Also, get the refreshing hot or cold barley tea. Deliciously refreshing to the palette.
Lunch was $ 9. Dinner is $ 10! Good deal.

The service here is friendly and attentive and the food is consistently delicious and seemingly lovingly prepared. You can’t go wrong with the Dol Soht or Kimchi Dol Soht (if you like a little more spice/​flavor). The veggies are fresh and tender, with just a little crunch remaining. The slivers of beef are tender and full of flavor. The rice is warm, fluffy, and where it’s come into contact with the stone bowl? It’s nutty and toasted. Yum. The vibrant yolk of the over-​easy egg tops it off nicely.
Be sure to try all the ban chan options. It’s a rotating cast and there’s always something a little new or different to experience. Don’t be afraid to ask for refills of one you really like — the polite waitress seems happy to oblige.
The only downsides? The space is small and intimate, so it can get crowded and loud fairly quickly. Catching a meal with a book or partner during a slow time is an absolute pleasure though. Also, the food can take a little long before it comes out — but that’s the nature of a home-​cooked meal. Getting an appetizer (the Ddukbokkie, with thick cylinders of tender rice cakes in a spicy sauce, is tasty) should help keep the hunger at bay while you wait for your dish. Also, large parties may find themselves waiting to be accommodated — the space isn’t really set up for huge groups and kids will find themselves bored to tears.
But for the solo diner, couples and smaller parties? Kimchi Bistro is a great place for simple, but tasty Korean cuisine. They’re one of my favorite places on the hill for a no-​wait, late breakfast.

Location: Broadway is a popular place in Capitol Hill Seattle. But this restaurant is kindof hidden in between buildings. That hallway is pretty tight and dirty. Definitely not a super classy location
Ambiance: the inside looks pretty cheap and small. The menus haven’t been changed for years, even the white stickers they have over parts of it that have changed look old. There is no restroom so you have to use the one in the hallway
Menu: great menu options, seems traditional and easy to read. Not too many options so it doesn’t stress you out.
Service: super nice people and quick to service. My water was never empty and I didn’t have to wait for the food for too long. They brought our appetizers out first, but did not bring our entres out together.
Food: delicious, stealing as it’s brought and continues to cook on hot plates. We keep coming back here with the girls. Nothing has been over seasoned or overcooked so far. Tastes are authentic feeling and kimchi is brought with appetizers.

I LOVE Bibimbap. And I was really excited to try out a new place. I live so close and had walked past a million times but never stopped.
I got the kimchi bibimbap and it was fantastic. Very flavorful and not overly spicy to start with which I like because I can bump it up on my own terms. The sides that come with it were also tasty.
I came in for dinner and it was 10 bucks for the bowl but portions were huge and I left extra satisfied. Thank you Kimchi Bistro for a very pleasant experience. I’ll be back!

Not super impressed.
After thinking of trying this place out… and then passing it by… I should have stuck to my gut. However I did indeed try it out as I was craving some spicy eats.
The service is fine and the place is small. Prices seem a touch high for the quality.
The ban chan (is that what it’s called?) small bites before your meal comes out… eh. I’ve had much better. It was mostly bland. The cucumbers were OK. Cabbage with soy on it?! That just seems a bit cheap. Not to complain though if it’s free.
We ordered the Bulgolgi and Spicy Octopus. It came out rather quickly which was pretty awesome. What was not awesome was how darn chewy the octopus was. Like couldn’t eat most of it chewy which means it was overcooked likely. Also side note EXTREMELY spicy if you get some of those bottom juices under the cabbage. My nose was sweating. Sadly for $ 13 it was not good.
The bulgolgi on the other hand wasn’t too bad. Decent enough flavor although much of the meat had too much fat on it.
For a shared beer and 2 meals we spent around $ 40 and left unsatisfied. Lack of flavor overall. Should have gone for the typical Bi Bim Bop. I would probably not come back here.

Love this place!!! I was always really hesitant to try the food and even just to walk in because its tucked way in the back of the building and the sign out front looks fairly tattered — but as soon as I walked it it was a complete 180 of what I expected.
The food is FANTASTIC, full of flavor, and a good selection of kimchi on the side. I get so many things in one meal its like a little journey of eating different things. Everything felt like it was cooked and seasoned to perfection.
Even the take out/​take home containers are top notch, durable, and microwaveable.
The staff is super friendly and I saw the some diners asked the waitress about some traditional-​looking decorations and she was more than pleasant answering his question and mingling. When I left the whole front/​kitchen waved and said goodbye to me — SO SWEET.
This is definitely my new favorite place to eat on broadway!

Best KimChi soup I’ve ever had. Though the place is a bit small, the food is great. Good for casual lunch

OK yesterday I stumbled upon this little gem. We were famished and Charlies on Broadway closed (yesterday) and there were few alternatives. Next door to Charlies is the little mall with the tattoo shop on top and the tobacco shop near the rear; Kimchi Bistro is just beyond the tobacco shop on the ground level.
We entered the restaurant and the smell of Kimchi was in the air. We were seated right away and given menus. We then got tap water. The waitress/​cashier was young and pretty. The cook looked like her Korean mother. There were three other people in the place, each eating solo.
There are pictures on the menu, which was nice. I can’t remember the names of the dishes because I’m somewhat new to Korean food. That being said here is a description: I had a bowl of veggies and rice with firm tofu and a sunny side up egg. I was instructed to stir everything with a spoon then eat with the spoon. everything else was to be eaten with chopsticks: It came with a bunch of little bowls of various goodies, like cabbage with a sweet teriyaki dressing, kimchi, spicy pickled radish, some kind of cabbage and tofu chicken tasting dish, etc. It was all so good. My man had a spicy pork dish which came on a stone plate and a hot bowl of something, which came in a stone pot. I also had a bottle of soju, yummy Korean rice wine (20% alcohol) that you drink in the form of shots.
If you’re new to Korean food, just try everything. It’s really good. If you have picky (annoying) friends or kids, I would recommend an alternate place, but if you have cool friends or kids, or it’s just you, 100% worth coming here.
Did I mention the prices were AMAZING (low) ?!? Great Value!

Whoa Kimchi Bistro. You have really stepped up your game. I heard there was a new Korean joint on the hill and checked it out. Their their dish was comparable, but they packed their Bi bim bap with so many veggies that it was a real toss up when I craved this delicious dish. On a Sunday, my partner and I were craving Korean and by default, we wound up back at the tried tested and true Kimchi Bistro because it was open.
Kimchi: you blew my mind. You have retained your delicious flavor and texture, but you packed the Dohl Soht (forgive my spelling) with a very impressive amount of veggies. Well done, Kimchi Bistro! I will never stray again.

Awesome Korean food! The potstickers were amazing. The food was fresh and fabulous and the service was excellent. I highly recommend this restaurant.

Eating Korean food is my forte. I can eat it all day any day.
Don’t underestimate this place by its exterior. It may be a small restaurant but it knows how to serve good Korean food!
I’ve only had the Dwaen Jahng Ji Gae and the Kimchi Dol Sot Bimbimbap. Both were extremely tasty! The Dwaen Jahng Ji Gae is a fermented soybean soup with shrimp, tofu, zucchini, and some other vegetables that I probably can’t remember! The Kimchi Dol Sot Bimbimbap has been my favorite so far. The sizzling sound of it coming out is amazing. You know it’s going to be nice and hot and when you mix your egg too… just watch all that yolk drizzle away onto everything else. They will also give you hot sauce for you to put on as much as you like. Even if you don’t like spicy food, just squeeze a bit for that kick!
Overall, good Korean food that’s pretty cheap. Server is really attentive as well. Would come back again for sure!

Tiny, cute little Korean restaurant peacefully tucked in between other businesses. The tofu soup was great. I also ordered a seafood pancake which was okay. I definitely recommend this place.

Decent food. Most of it is right around $ 10, so your actual bill will be closer to $ 12 (contrary to the $ rating).
I got the soon do bul (tofu soup) and found it perfectly warming for coming in from a rainy night, but it was pretty one-​noted in terms of flavor. It tasted like they used quite a bit of MSG and didn’t have any fresh seafood flavor. I was super thirsty afterwards too. There was only a white rice option and the ban chan (side dishes) were forgettable. The kim chi was ok — not super spicy or pickled, just salty.
Service was fine but my biggest annoyance came with the takeout container. I had finished about half my tofu soup by the time I ate the rest of the rice (again, the soup was pretty salty) so I asked to have the rest of it packed. It was packed, but in a Chinese takeout container which, while being waterproof as a container, is not watertight at all. It was placed in a plastic bag, so most of the soup spilled and held up in the bag.
Overall it was the most stripped down Korean restaurant I’ve been to. I’ve had better meals at restaurants in Korean grocery stores.

This place may be worth it for lunch, but the dinner prices go to the moon and back – and the food doesn’t. I had a spicy tofu stew (the name eludes me). It was decent, but certainly not worth a price in the teens. Again, I’d probably have been okay with the lunch price, but I don’t see myself coming back here for dinner again.
Service is prompt and polite, which is a nice touch. Their location is a bit tucked away and hard to find (hint: they’re way inside the building), which I’m sure doesn’t help business. However, I personally will head a few blocks down Olive to Bluestone the next time I want Korean food as I find the (consistent) prices much more reasonable.

What a disappointment. I really didn’t like this.
I ordered the yook gae jang to go.
The service was very nice but the food was a total miss for me. Bland and I swear less than an ounce of meat. And who puts soup in a box? What a mess!

First off, the service was great. The waitress was nice and attentive to all her customers.
The food was flavorful– and really hot! I got the bibimbap dohl soht and it came out sizzling :) music to my ears. My friend got a tofu soup I think. All the sides were also pretty good.
Would definitely come back.

Came here with a couple friends and ordered the Dohl Soht Bibimbap with beef. My friend described it to me as the Korean version of a salad (haha) and it was great! The vegetables were fresh and still crisp, the seasoning was perfect, and it arrived sizzling in a stone pot. I’d recommend it to anyone. Seriously, food should always sizzle when it’s served.
This place is like the definition of a mom and pop shop because it’s so small with minimal furnishing but it’s like eating in someone’s home. I felt like I got an added personal touch when one of the women (maybe one of the owners) saw me looking at my food and came by to tell me to mix all the ingredients together to get the best experience. Reminded me of my grandmother!
Kimchi Bistro can be a little hard to find but I believe the trek is worth it. Come here for the yummy, homey food and the personalized service.

Korean tofu soup is the ultimate in comfort food. I came here on an especially cold winter evening and knew that’s what I wanted.
I really like the way the menu is laid out with bim bim bap and then several varieties, noodles and then varieties, tofu soup and then the varieties and so forth. I selected the tofu soup with seafood.
As usual, the meal came with Korean appetizers. The soup also came with a rice to dip into the soup. This soup immediately warmed me up! It was tasty and filled with veggie, tofu and seafood goodness! I know this isn’t traditional but my only thing would be that I wish brown rice were an option. Blasphemous I know.
I will be back to Kimchi Bistro for more tofu soup and then other dishes in the summer!