Our quest to bring you some of the best Korean food that the Greater Seattle Area has to offer takes us 15 miles north of Seattle to the city of Lynnwood and its surrounding areas. From banchan and jjigae to K-BBQ and Korean fried chicken, our list of the best Korean BBQ and restaurants in Lynnwood has it all. Let’s get started!
The 11 Best Korean BBQ and Restaurants in Lynnwood:
- Bapmukja
- Kong Tofu House
- Ka Won Korean BBQ Restaurant
- Todamgol Korean Restaurant
- Kochi Po Cha
- Modoo Korean Restaurant
- Gangnam Restaurant
- Arirang Korean BBQ
- Chung Sol Sotttukkeong Korean BBQ
- Stars In The Sky Korean Fried Chicken
- Baekjeong Korean Barbecue
1. Bapmukja
Address: 18623 Hwy 99, Suite 110, Lynnwood, WA 98037
Type: Quick Eats
Bapmukja is Korean for, let’s eat. This bunsik (Korean Street Food) style restaurant has all your traditional Korean street/comfort foods with a contemporary twist on the menu. Bapmukja has a variety of kimbap (banchan and rice rolled in nori), tteokbokki (rice cake marinated in Korean sauces), Korean-style toast concoctions, and Korean specialty drinks.
Recommendations: Short Rib Kimbap | Original Tteokbokki | Steak Toast | Milkis
2. Kong Tofu House
Address: 3301 184th St SW, Suite 210, Lynnwood, WA 98037
Type: Sit Down
Some of the best Korean restaurants in the Greater Seattle Area are located inside Korean grocery stores. That might seem weird, but it’s no different than Whole Foods or even Ikea (now that’s weird). Kong’s Tofu House provides outstanding service and is dedicated to the authenticity and quality of their soon dubu jjigae (tofu soup). That’s why the menu is dominated by it. There are some other typical Korean dishes like galbi short ribs, pork bulgogi, and bibimbap. But when you’re at Kongs, you’ll want to get the tofu soup. Don’t worry, there’s always banchan with your dinner.
Recommendations: Assorted Soon Dubu Jjigae (beef, shrimp, clam tofu soup) | Galbi BBQ Short Rib | Pork Bulgogi BBQ Pork | Hot Stone Bibimbap
3. Ka Won Korean BBQ Restaurant
Address: 15004 Highway 99, Suite A, Lynnwood, WA 98087
Type: Korean BBQ
Ka Won Korean BBQ Restaurant is a great choice if you’re looking for the full K-BBQ experience. That means you’ll be sitting at a table with a grill and you’ll be cooking your own meats and veggies. Ka Won has a large selection of traditional Korean foods on their menu if you’re looking for non-K-BBQ items. The eundaegu jorim (black cod cooked in a spicy sweet garlic soy reduction) is bomb and big-time favorite with the locals. Make sure you have plenty of the banchan with your black cod. If you’re looking for a different kind of Korean experience, go with the kimchi jigae (kimchi soup) but be warned, it’s not for everyone.
Recommendations: Kawon Deungshim | Saeng Kalbi | Yangnyeom Kalbi | Eundaegu Jordim | Kalbitang (beef short rib soup with veggies and egg)
4. Todamgol Korean Restaurant
Address: 1120 164th St SW, Lynnwood, WA 98087
Type: Sit Down
Todamgol is a casual Korean eatery with all the traditional Korean foods you’d expect to see on a menu. They put a particular emphasis on the presentation as I’ve always been impressed with how beautiful my food looked. Their service is always quick and friendly and I’ve never run out of banchan while dining here! Although I labeled this spot a sit down restaurant, it’s a great place to grab a quick bite or take something to go. Garlic fried chicken wings and fried mandu (potstickers) always hit the spot. Some katsu and kimchi fried rice from their quick bites section are great to-go items. If you’re there for a sit down dinner, the jjigaes, bibimbaps, and K-BBQ options are plentiful and really delicious.
Recommendations: Seafood Pancake | Garlic Fried Chicken Wings | Kimchi Fried Rice | Hot Stone Bibimbap | Ukgae-Jang (spicy beef stew) | Marinated Galbi | Pork Belly Bo-Ssam | Grilled Croaker
5. Kochi Po Cha
Address: 18623 Hwy 99, Suite 140, Lynnwood, WA 98037
Type: Sit Down
Kochi Po Cha reminds me of a bar that you would see in a K drama where all the coworkers are going out to eat after a long day of work! Kochi Po Cha has your essential Korean appetizers and entrees but the vibe here really seems more about grabbing a bunch of appetizers and bottles of Jinro Chamisul Soju with friends. Don’t worry though, there’s plenty on the menu if you’re looking for a legit dinner.
Recommendations: Corn Cheese | Shrimp Tempura | Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wings | Honey Garlic Chicken Wings | Spicy Stir-Fried Rice Cake | Rice Ball |
6. Modoo Korean Restaurant
Address: 18601 Hwy 99, Suite 100, Lynnwood, WA 98037
Type: Sit Down
A nice spot to take the family out for dinner if you think the kids will like Korean food. It’s a clean and low-key atmosphere with friendly wait staff and good food. Korean fried chicken and kimchi or seafood pancakes are a favorite for most. Modoo sticks to traditional Korean-style meats like pork belly, beef bulgogi, and spicy pork bulgogi. Their biggest section on the menu boasts a variety of jjigaes, tangs, and jeongol (soups, stews, and hot pots). Rounding out the menu is the ever-popular bibimbap dishes.
Recommendations: Kimchi Pancakes | Modoo Bossam (house special boiled pork belly) | Spicy Kalbi Jjim (house special braised short ribs in spicy sauce) | Gamja-Tang (pork back-bone potato soup with cabbage) | Makgeolli (traditional Korean rice wine made from fermented rice)
7. Gangnam Restaurant
Address: 19505 44th Ave W, Lynnwood, WA 98036
Type: Sit Down
Gangnam Restaurant is another casual and small sit down eatery but with a pretty big menu. They have an item on the appetizer menu that other Korean spots don’t have called the labbokki, which is a play on traditional ddukbokki (rice cake stir fried in a spicy red pepper paste) but they’ve added ramen to the mix. It was good, but my Korean taste buds are a bit more traditional so it wasn’t for me. Where Gangnam really dominates is their jjigaes and tangs. They have 15 different options on the menu and sometimes they’ll be running a special that’s off the menu that you definitely want to ask about. If you’re having a hard time deciding between a soup dish and the KBBQ, go with the combo and get a little of both.
Recommendations: Potato Hot Pot (if dining with others) | Galbi and Soft Tofu Soup Combination | Spicy Bulgogi | Seolleongtang (beef brisket, vermicelli noodles, and green onions in a lightly salted beef bone broth) | Yukgaejang (spicy soup made with shredded beef, egg, bean sprouts, onions, noodles, and bracken) | Gamja Tang (spicy Korean pork spine soup) | Sweet and Spicy Fried Chicken Wings
8. Arirang Korean BBQ
Address: 18623 Hwy 99, Suite 150, Lynnwood, WA 98037
Type: Korean BBQ
A big shoutout to Arirang from me. When restaurants started to re-open in late 2020, many offered outdoor seating. Well, Arirang had set up rows of tents in their back parking lot. Each one was set up with heaters, a table, chairs, and a portable grill that ran on propane. Staff went in and out of the main restaurant and came around to each tent to serve customers. Beyond the fact that I’ve eaten at Arirang during non-covid times, that particular experience somehow made the food taste extra good.
Although they have a full list of all your traditional Korean foods, you don’t come to Arirang for them. You come for the All You Can Eat (AYCE) Korean BBQ! They have three different options that are set at different price points. As you add more items that become available to you for the AYCE KBBQ, the price goes up. Look carefully at the menu and decide what you really want to have access to.
Recommendations: K3 Unlimited BBQ | K2 Unlimited BBQ | K1 Unlimited BBQ
9. Chung Sol Sotttukkeong Korean BBQ
Address: 14920 Hwy 99, Lynnwood, WA 98087
Type: Korean BBQ
Depending how hungry you are and how many people are in your party, the best option here is to go for the combo plates of meat if you’re planning on doing KBBQ grilling at your table. If not, there’s plenty of options to choose from, even KBBQ that’s prepared in the kitchen and brought out to you ready to eat. Banchan is always flowing at Chung Sol Sotttukkeong, and they are big time for their fried chicken. So you don’t want to miss out on that.
Recommendations: Crispy Soy Garlic Chicken Wings | Crispy Yangnyum Chicken Wings | Gaeran Jjim (steamed egg) | Kalbi Short Ribs | Ribeye | LA Kalbi | Thinly Sliced Brisket | Thin Cut Pork Belly | Combo (see menu for full details)
10. Stars In The Sky Korean Fried Chicken
Address: 23830 Hwy 99, Edmonds, WA 98026
Type: Quick Eats
Known for made-to-order fried chicken, you’ll wait 20-30 minutes depending on how busy they are for your food. But trust me, it’s worth it! Stars In The Sky Korean Fried Chicken knows how to do Korean fried chicken! 65% of their menu is focused on fried chicken. The other 35% revolves around various ahnjoo (appetizers) dishes such as duckboki (rice cake stir fried in spicy red pepper sauce), french fries, pizza corn cheese, bacon wrapped ricecake, mandoo (dumpling), and Korean steamed egg. They have a small noodle and soup section with various udons and ramen if you’re in the mood for that.
Recommendations: Korean Style (not sauced) Fried Chicken | Asian Garlic Fried Chicken | Honey Butter Garlic Fried Chicken | Bacon Wrapped Ricecake | Spicy Dduckboki | Spicy Ramen | Pickled Radish | 30/60 Minutes Karaoke
11. Baekjeong Korean Barbecue
Address: 3000 184th St SW, Suite 922, Lynnwood, WA 98037
Type: Korean BBQ
Baekjeong is legit Korean BBQ. With that being said, it comes in at the end of my list because it’s a chain. Not that there’s anything wrong with that and there are plenty of chain restaurants that I frequent, but just trying to give a little more attention to the mom-and-pop Korean immigrants working their butts off.
Baekjeong restaurant is a large space with a high ceiling and lots of vents popping down to take away the smoke from all the grilling. They have a few menu items outside of the BBQ like bibimbap, jjigaes, fried rice, and seafood pancakes, but it’s all about the BBQ at Baekjeong.
A few things to note, the staff will cook the meat for you. I’ve tried unsuccessfully to try to do it myself. I’d say overall the food at this Korean BBQ restaurant is a bit more on the sweeter side. So if you’re into that, great. But if you’re like me, you enjoy less sweet and more original food flavor. That’s why my recommendations will be for the meats that are not marinated. You get some side sauces to dip your meat in so you can regulate the taste a bit more.
Recommendations: Cast-Iron Prime Ribeye | Prime Boneless Short Rib | Prime Beef Belly | Prime Thinly Sliced Brisket |
