Kimchi House

My group came here on a whim and were knocked off our feet. it's a small restaurant, but it has big flavor. I had the spicy chicken but got it mild cuz I'm a wuss. Everything we ordered including the sides was delicious. We picked our plates clean.

This cute little Korean restaurant in Ballard is one everyone should go to. Great authentic Korean food! Made by Koreans!! And great banchan too!! Only downside to this little place is it’s too little!! Not much seating so you might have to wait! But you can always do take out!!

While visiting Ballard, we tried take out from this restaurant. He had the grilled tofu and it was very good. When we stopped in to pick up our order, all the dine in seats were filled. All the food looked great. They also had bottled beer to purchase. If back in the area, we’d likely visit again and maybe dine in.

Came here for a dinner with a friend at Kimchi House. We walked in on a weekday at 4:30pm shortly after they opened so seating was available but it began to quickly fill up by 5:30-6pm. We ordered the Bibimbap with chicken and a fried egg on top and a sizzling plate of Bulgogi beef - both entrees came out quickly and full of flavor. The banchan (side dishes) were a great complement, with crisp and tasty kimchi, pickled cucumbers, and fish cakes. Only the bulgogi beef came with the sides. The staff was friendly and attentive, making sure we had everything we needed throughout the meal. Will definitely be coming back to try more dishes. Highly recommend for anyone craving quality Korean food!

I was craving kimchi and it was delicious! But the hidden star was the pork belly. 🤩

A small decent shop. 순두부찌개 is really delicious. Remind me of family’s dishes in busan Korean. Good taste. Yummy. Good service. Reasonable price. Will definitely visit again. Oh

Every dish was steaming hot. The kimchi is definitely made in house and super good. The bulgogi was tender and delicious. Prices were reasonable. Some of the best Korean food I have ever had!

Decent food but nothing terribly exciting. The restaurant was so slammed with takeout orders (and it does feel more like a takeout place than a dining atmosphere), they ran out of the soup I wanted to order. I ended up getting something else, which was good but not what I planned. My friend and I also ended up waiting almost an hour after ordering. Staff apologized but I think you might have to be careful what time you come here to ensure your order goes through and you don't have to wait. Free hot tea and takeout container station was handy.

Really good food at a very low price point for what it is. At other korean restaurants, I'd expect to pay nearly $30 for each dish, but this place was under $20. Came here with some friends and had a great time. They also have kloud beer, which is authentic korean imported stuff. Everything tasted great, especially the pork belly, which was marinated. It's a small restaurant with not a lot of seating. A lot of their service seems to come from take out, so the front of the restaurant was packed with people waiting for their takeout order. It can also be a bit annoying to take a sit down order because you're contending with the people who want to take a takeout order -- they don't have waiters to take sit down orders.

I was really craving soondubu so this hit the spot. I really liked their banchans, they were all perfectly seasoned and spicy. The soondubu wasn't as spicy or seasoned as I hoped for. It has a good portion of seafood. The shrimp was deshelled and I typically like the ones when it still has the shell and it contains the nice juices. The service was okay. You can tell they were hustling. Three cooks in the back and one host/waiter manning the front as well as to go orders. Though I can appreciate that, it was slow. It's a smaller restaurant so during dinner time, it's going to take a while to get a table. And even if you ordered ahead as they would encourage you, you would think you'll get your food pretty quickly when you get seated, that's not that case. Or you would think you'll get the banchans to hold you over while you wait--nope.

Super delicious food in a cozy little restaurant! We went here while visiting a friend and everything we tried was awesome. The kimchi pork pancake was our favorite ~ know that it is large and shareable! We also loved the pork belly. Staff was friendly and super accommodating trying to seat us and others in a small space while also managing the register. Great local spot that I hope others will support. Next time we're visiting, we will definitely be back!

This spot was so delicious! I've been looking for some authentic and yummy Korean food around Seattle and haven't had too much luck. However, this is definitely one that I'll bookmark. We came around 1:30 on a Sunday and all the tables were full but slowly clearing out. They were nice to let us order in advance while we waited for a table so that they could get started on the preparation. I got the pork belly which came with a bowl of rice and all the side dishes. I do find it a little odd that the banchan doesn't come with all the items on the menu. All the side dishes were so good and there was a great amount of variety too. My favorites were the fishcakes, sweet potato, and pickled radish - those were the more outstanding ones. I also absolutely loved the pork belly! It was grilled to perfection and the fattiness paired so well with the meaty parts. There was also a nice soy glaze that was so good with the meat and rice. We were able to get refills of the banchan too which was nice. Service was sweet and food came out quick and was all so tasty! We all loved what we ordered. I'll definitely be back to try more!

THIS IS NOT A KIMCHI HOUSE, IT IS A KIMCHI HOME. As a husbandless woman traversing the plains of Seattle, I discovered a universally acknowledged truth here: any person in possession of at least $40, must be in want of an entree and appetizer at Kimchi House. This restaurant embodies comfort, home, and warmth. Every bite I took had me feeling like food critic Anton Ego in Ratatouille (2007) when he was eating the ratatouille. I transcended the mortal plane when I tasted the seafood pancake and felt one with the universe as I ate the spicy chicken entree. Every piece of kimchi, fish cake, and radish sent off fireworks in my mouth that can only be due to complete, total bliss. The food at Kimchi House will make you grateful for every choice that has lead you to this moment in your life. In the words of Chappell Roan, I was knee deep in the passenger seat eating the leftovers on the drive home. And no, it was not casual.

Someone picked up several plates for a picnic so all I know is what I tasted. Don't know exactly what they ordered but took some photos. We eat a lot of Korean food here in Honolulu, but I could taste a difference in this food. Don't know exactly how to describe it, but it was very good. Good enough that I asked the name of the place, took photos, and posted this review so I'll remember to go back when I'm in Seattle!

All the flavors of Korean dishes you want. Crispy rice in the hot bibimbap , bulgogi was flavorful. Great banchan! And can I say I think every restaurant Should offer free hot tea. They offered barley. Great service. Street parking only, some seating inside and out, this place would be worth parking to walk a few blocks to get to.

Yo. Pork belly. Win win win win win. All day win. White rice with the sides. Feels like an 120 minute movie. I don't need the series. I don't want the 90 min pop edition. I bet the book reads really well but I won't read it cuz this version had the best cast and execution. Well done. Great service. Simple ambiance. Thanks Kimchi House.

Great hidden gem! The food was so great, came out piping hot, and banchan was delicious. We saw a lot of people getting takeout, and you cannot beat the pricing!

Solid Korean food, we really enjoyed the Kalbi and soondubu stew. Cute restaurant and parking on the street was easy and free. Would definitely recommend. Good prices and friendly service too.

A great spot for classic Korean dishes in Ballard. The kimchi soondubu tofu soup is the perfect comfort meal on a cold and rainy day.

The food is amazing and served at a reasonable price. Get the kimchi fried rice, it's amazing and a huge portion. Also get the short rib and do the extra meat upgrade. The service is also great, and ambiance feels like a Korean home but the food has very flavorful and spicy taste

While the food is great, the ambiance of the place is not that good. The place is filthy and have spider webs in the corners and the wooden furniture has grease accumulated from several months or even years of cooking. Unfortunately not a place where you can enjoy the great food, but maybe you can try take out.

Our favorite Korean place in Seattle! I highly recommend Hot Stone BIbimbap! Also get the kimchi assortment!

We were really craving tofu soup and saw that this place was nearby. It's a really small store with street parking. Small space inside, with mostly pick up/food delivery orders. They were pretty slammed when we got there and it took a while for our food to arrive. It was to the point where we were wondering if they forgot to make one of our dishes. My (Korean) partner felt that the food was unauthentic and the taste was very one dimensional. I thought that the food tasted pretty standard. Wasn't worth the wait, but I would consider ordering takeout.

Small space and small menu compared to many other korean restuarants but the food is consistent. Not the friendliest IMO but fast service and food is delicious. Kimchi fries, seafood pancake, spicy chicken, tofu soup, bulgogi - it's all good!! Glad we have this in the neighborhood.

Been here a couple times now and love it each time. I always get the stone pot bibimbap which is delicious. My bf gets the bulgogi which he also really likes. Portions are pretty generous as well. Not too crowded the times I've gone and staff is always great. Pretty casual seating and they have barley tea and water that are self serve. Overall, would recommend!

Excellent food at an incredibly fair price. This is a favorite takeout spot for me and my girlfriends

We did take out from this restaurant on a Sunday evening. All the food we ordered was very tasty. The Bulgogi was a favorite as was the seafood pancake. I will go back.

Having had no luck finding great Korean place in Seattle, I was hoping this one would work, especially since I live really close by. But the jjigae was just ok - I've had worse but I've had jjigae eons better than this. Oh well, I'll probably be forever loyal to Cho Dang Gol in Manhattan until I find something better on the West Coast. I'm pretty sure there are really good places in LA even if I can't find one in Seattle.

Ordered the kimchi fries which was pretty good and the seafood soondubu. The seafood soondubu was okay for me- I feel like it almost hit the spot but didn't. I came here because it seemed to be the only highly rated Korean place in Ballard but I definitely don't think I'd come back again. :(

delicious mom and pop Korean restaurant in ballard! we did take out and everything tasted so good and we'll definitely be back again. the restaurant was packed when we arrived so I'm glad we were planning for take out anyway! The host/server was super nice!

I ordered the kimchi fries, which were delicious. It was also a large portion for the price, which I was happy about. I appreciated the fact that the staff poked holes at the top of the box to ensure the fries would not become soggy and allow for air to flow freely. I'm interested in trying other menu items and my rating will surely change, but at this moment, I don't have anything else to add. Street parking is available, but may be difficult to find. Kimchi House is located on 24th Ave NW in Ballard. This is not to be confused with Kimchi Bistro on Broadway in Capitol Hill, as it also comes up when you type it into Google.

Ordered jjampong, soft tofu soup, and grilled mackerel. It's nice to have a place in the area that sticks more to the traditional style of Korean food (vs. lots of fushion / westernized options). It wasn't the best Korean food I've ever had, but it definitely satisfied the craving for some soup on a cold day. It's self serve style, and I appreciated the unlimited barley tea and take-as-you-need takeout boxes.

My favorite 순두부찌개. really delicious A nice tidy Korean restaurant. Service is good. Reasonable price.

The service was friendly and professional and our food came out in a timely manner. Ambiance was fine but nothing remarkable. The real problem, though, our food was more bland than not. Our fries were good, but my fried rice lacked flavor and I had to douse it in the gochugang sauce that was available to make it palatable. Disappointing. Just not much flavor.

Pros: location...this is the only Korean restaurant in Ballard, price/value Cons: on the spectrum of Korean food in Seattle, this is probably middle to the road at best, small menu therefore limited selection

Delicious. Warm n Friendly. Peaceful vibe if that makes any sense. Clean. Fast. Complimentary barley tea (hot). I got there right when it opened on a Tuesday, the portions for both the main and banchan was great. And for bulgogi, the price was right! Not cheap but not unreasonable. Thank you Kimchi House!

My gluten-free, tofu bibimbap was tasty. Customer service was friendly and helpful. The pick-up process for our to-go order was smooth and hassle-free. It took nearly 10 minutes for us to find a place to park on the street, but that's very typical for the Ballard area, so we had expected that. The windows of the restaurant were lighted brightly, however, the "Kimchi House" sign wasn't lighted in the dark, and it was difficult for us to see the sign and know that we were in the right place. For any other first-timers who may also encounter this issue, I have included a couple of photos of the front of this restaurant after dark. These photos were taken today, 1/16/22. The Banchan that we received was mostly pretty typical: kimchi, spicy radish, and bean sprouts. However, they did include one unusual and interesting banchan that I haven't seen (or tasted) before, which was made up of peanuts. The texture of the peanuts was somewhere in between soft and crunchy. The flavor of the peanuts was quite good. I'm a fan of this new (to me) banchan. My husband had the pork belly. He said that the sauce was tasty and that it wasn't too spicy or too salty, but he said that the pork was a bit tougher than he had hoped for. He loves pork belly, and he strongly prefers for his pork belly to be quite tender. We're trying to branch out this year and try more Korean restaurants in the Seattle area and on the East side of Seattle. We're hoping to find one or two new favorite Korean restaurants. We wouldn't go out of our way to get food here again, but we'd stop by again if we were already in the Ballard area. For us, this was Korean comfort food that wasn't quite as comforting as we would've liked it to be.

I dropped by last weekend with a friend since we wanted korean food. She got a tofu soup while I got the stone pot bibimbap with beef. It's mostly self serve although they do make sure to give you the sauce if you order bibimbap. The bibimbap had some very nicely crispy rice and was one of the easiest I've ever scraped off. I wouldn't say their side dishes were my favorite but they weren't awful. It should be noted that the tofu soup was a bit too spicy for my friend and unlike the places I've been to on the Eastside, didn't ask for a spice level. So just a warning if you're not great with spicy foods. They don't have their own parking lot so you do need to find street parking.

Kimchi fries are bomb here and same with japchae!! The japchae had a lot of veggies and "stuff" I loved it.

Delicious food, helpful staff, cute little hole in the wall. When I walked in, I was greeted by the guy running the front and he let me sit wherever. He was friendly and made me feel welcome. I got the Japchae and veggie potstickers. It was a large portion of food for a fair price, considering this is in Ballard. The flavors in the Japchae were heavenly! And the potstickers were perfectly crispy on the outside and fresh inside. The restaurant doesn't have a good parking situation, so finding a spot on the side streets around it is the best option. They have hot tea and water for you to get yourself, and the tea was a barley non-caff that was honestly perfect for the meal. Overall, major recommendation. Great Korean food.

I'm Korean, live in Ballard and almost always cook at home or make the long trek up to Lynnwood for delish Korean food. But tonight, didn't want to drive far, had a hankering for soondooboo (silken soft tofu soup), and thought, you know what, I'm going to give Kimchi House a try. I had some hesitation because I thought they might water it down or add some sugar or take out the funk that makes it so awesome aaaaand, it was as good as the Korean food I get up in Lynnwood or Federal Way. Lots of umami, I got the pork and nice cuts of meat, everything was fresh. The portion was serious - way more than you'd get at a ramen place or one of the small rice bowls somewhere else. You could probably get away with stashing away a bit of it for the next morning's breakfast if you're a savory for b-fast like I am. The banchan (side dishes) were solid as well. You don't get a lot like at a traditional Korean restaurant but then again you're not paying the $3 or 4 more you usually do up there, plus this place is more a "we have the 10-15 most popular Korean dishes and we do them well" kinda place. No fushion BS. Traditional, freakin delicious Korean food. Next on my list to try will be kimchi chigae, one of the standard protein dishes and jjampong (Chinese/Korean noodle dish, spicy with lots of seafood.)

Quick, affordable and yummy! We tried several dishes and shared. I really loved the sandwich - kind of like a Bahn mi but with Korean sauces. The veggie potstickers were great too. We ordered 4 entrees, two apps and all was ready in 15 min. Give it a try!

Everything we had was really tasty and priced just under the average for the area. Tons of neighborhood regulars grabbing quick take out. We'll definitely come back again soon.

they wont serve unless we get our table, even though we have already ordered and have asked in advance for one

Been wanting to try Kimchi House for awhile now cause it's literally a couple blocks from where I live and I love me some Korean comfort food! They're a little casual mom and pop shop that serves yummy Korean food. Came here on a Sunday evening and it was quite packed and the line just kept getting longer. After 10 minutes or so, we got seated outside. When you come in, you order at the front and then they bring your food to you. Entrees come with ban chan which includes fish cake (my personal favorite), kimchi, sprouts, and cucumbers. We tried the seafood soondubu, kimchi jjigae, and bulgolgi. I really enjoyed the soups because they were flavorful and they don't skimp out on the seafood. The bulgolgi was pretty good too. Everything is reasonably priced for the portions you get here! Plenty of free street parking so you don't have to worry about that!

At the price point, this is some of the best Korean food I've found in Seattle. I love coming here and am so glad they have been able to stay open through the pandemic!

This is such a magic place! A steady flow of any person who appreciates the level of quality in dishes; the chefs, staff; the atmosphere. The kimchi ramen is delicious; the kimchi fry cravings are real. Make sure to say thanks to the team when you stop by to try them out ‍

Best kimchi soup (kimchi jigae) in town and one of the best hot stone bibimbap too! The interesting thing about this place is that they seasoned the soup and tofu so so well that is not really the standard I have had everywhere else. There is something else to the soup taste other than just kimchi and pork. You can taste it immediately and yet it is subtle. Same as the hot stone bibimbap, I got tofu. Usually it is just the plain tofu everywhere else that has no flavor but this place sautéed the tofu before serving the bibimbap. Banchan is not as many as other places but I am in love with the cucumber and radish banchan they have and got refills 3 times! We will come back for sure. May even be biweekly. Small place in Ballard but legit.

Omelet's ambiance, spicy, titillated tongue. Adequate table service. Most intriguing dishes from far away.

This is the best Korean food we've had in the Seattle area. It's literal food crack. There are other Korean restaurants about the area that give you a finer dining experience, and the prices are much higher.. but the food isn't as good! I cannot control myself in this place. I order extra to take home and munch on later. I have late night cravings for Kimchee House. We drive from Lake Stevens to eat there. That should give you an idea of how good the food is. Also, the husband is Korean. We took his mother here and two thumbs up from her. And that says a lot..

Kimchi house always hits the spot on those nights where you just want a nice hot homey meal. Their prices are so fair compared to other Korean restaurants. They serve stone pot bi bim bap, my favorite! Most things come with ban Chan if you're dining in. If not, you can just ask! I would consider this a hole in the wall and one of my favorite finds in Ballard. We've been going to kimchi house for years and there's always a familiar face working the register. Highly recommend! You can't go wrong with the kimchi friend rice, bim bap, kimchi jigae, or seafood pancake. Indoor seating is also limited but we've never had an issue getting a seat upon walk-in.

I was so excited to try this place. Unfortunately, most of our entrees tasted awful -- colorless, flavorless, and, overcooked. I don't understand why they would serve us bland dishes with overcooked food, including way over done egg, boiled, pickled cucumbers, and finally, rice burnt till it is completely black, far beyond the tasty, charred, browned socarrat that we were expecting. We added sauces to our dishes, but they did not help. It was especially frustrating as the meat itself, fries, sake, and customer service, were all good. I wish this could have been a better experience.

Everything is delicious and the prices are good. They do takeout but there's really no substitute for eating in and getting banchan and hot stone bowls. We literally named our dogs Kimchi and Kalbi partially due to this place.

Ordered carry out: bibimbop, kimchi pancake, pork belly, and japchae. Everything was pretty delicious. Been craving Korean food all the time lately, and this hit the spot. The kimchijeon was nicely seasoned and came with varied banchan.

We took this as take out. Their portions for their Bulgogi entree and Bibimbap were generous! The total came out to be about $28 before tip. Take out took 10 min from the time I called. Food was ready and hot! I would definitely come back again to try more of their entrees!

Absolutely delicious food! I had their kimchi fried rice, kimchi fries and tofu soon and every single one was perfect!!! I am definitely going to go there all the time specially thought grey winters!

Dined here in November on a weekend for lunch before noon. They served us the side dishes which were all delicious! We got the stone pot bibimbap (5/5) and the bulgolgi with rice (5/5). The flavors were authentic and tasty. The bulgolgi was sweet and thinly sliced for ease of chewing. This was mainly a self service place where you would bust your own table. I would come here again to try their other dishes. This place had great food!