Seoul Korean Restaurant

Hidden gem with unforgettable flavors and generous portions! This review is long overdue! I’ve been a regular customer for the past year thanks to my son introducing me to this cozy, family-owned spot, and I’ve been hooked ever since. What makes Seoul Korean stand out is their amazing variety of banchan (side dishes). Besides the standard Korean favorites, they always offer one or two rotating sides that are delicious, unique, and keep the experience fresh. I’ve tried most of their seafood dishes, and the flavors have consistently impressed me. My personal go-to? The combo veggie soft tofu stew with pan-fried mackerel, packed with flavor, perfectly cooked, and plenty of food with leftovers to take home. Located in the same shopping area as Ross, Michaels, and Margarita Factory, there’s plenty of parking, and the service is quick, friendly, and always welcoming. Support this local gem, they deserve it!

Located conveniently in a shopping plaza. The restaurants dining area was very tight. Had about 4 tables only. Bit the food was authentic and on point. Everything is fried is sesame oil, so if you're alegic to sesame seeds or sesame oil, this might not be the spot for you. But if you're not allergic, definitely stop by and try check this place out.

Very delicious and comforting Korean food. The atmosphere was nice and quiet and the hostess/server was very courteous. We got the Korean fried chicken, marinated spicy pork, marinated beef short ribs, fried dumplings and the seafood pancake. All were delicious.

This was my first time trying Korean food, and it certainly did not disappoint. All the sides were very delicious, food came out pretty quick, and everything was filling and full of flavor. It is very small inside with limited seating, which is the only thing. It's not a problem at all, tho just a heads up to anyone going. The girl working there was very nice as well. This was the restaurant I chose to try on my birthday 😁 would return again.

Very great Korean foods and wonderful service. Place is small and may sit about 25 people. Food comes out hot.

We've been regulars here for the past four years, always enjoying the delicious soon tofu and seafood pancakes. However, recent changes, like converting half of the space into lottery machines, have made the dining area smaller and more crowded. While I highly recommend the food, the dining experience has become less enjoyable due to these changes.

Picked up food to go. They were fast and my order was packaged in a box which was nice for my small order. The food was delicious! Their sides were fresh and all had good flavor. I got the bibimbap and they did not skimp on the toppings. The gochujang sauce for it was good but not great. The chicken wings were tossed in a sauce so they weren’t crispy but they were really tasty! I will be coming back to try some more items.

Wanted a light dinner so we tried Seoul Korean Restaurant. It's Chinese run. Service was the least friendliest we've experienced at a Korean restaurant. No tea or banchan refills offered. There’s a few $10.95 USD daily lunch specials (12:00-3:00pm). - Banchan - kimchi, cabbage/carrot, cucumber, radish, mung bean sprouts, celery and tomato. All were shockingly bland. - Bulgogi and sundubu (#34) ($20.95 USD) - tofu stew had no depth/complexity. Beef was an okay portion but unmemorable. Wouldn't go out of the way to return to SKR.

12/25/2024: 4.95 out of 5 - This update is long overdue, but I've been coming here for years and never ceases to amaze me. I often get the Kalbi as one of my main dish and, to this very day, I still feel it is the best in all of Oregon. THE. BEST! Also, along with the Kalbi I do like to get the Seafood Pancake, the Grilled Mackerel, Japchae with shrimp, Sundubu with oysters, and the variety of Banchan. The place is kept clean, unassuming, and the food is deliciously made by a very kind, local couple who have been working together for most of their life. Definitely worth the try if you are craving something local and spicy.

This is a hidden gem! And this review is way over due! I have been a frequent customer here this past year since my son introduced it to me. I love their sizes!!!!! Beside the typical Korean sizes you get at most Korean restaurants, they always have at least one or two new and or rotating sizes that delicious and unique. I have had most of their seafood dishes and love the flavors of most of them. My go to is the combo veggie soft tofu and pan fried mackerel! This combo with their sizes are plenty to eat and still have left over. Small cozy place tucked within the same area with Ross, Michael, and Margarita Factory so parking spaces are plenty. Small family own business with quick and friendly services.

Seeking Korean we have never tried in PDX made this gamble trek down south worth it. Unpretentious, standard Korean restaurant decor. Clean, well kept but nothing new. Service ~ the lady was so kind & welcoming. She was hustling between an almost full house but gave every table warm greetings and attention. Food ~ simply tasty, delish, and we over ate by adding another dish! Banchan sides were plentiful & fresh. Happily refilled them before we asked. Hearing the staff call out customer names told us this is a neighborhood favorite in Happy Valley.

Wanted a light dinner so we decided to try Seoul Korean Restaurant. It's a Chinese run Korean restaurant in the same plaza as Banh Mi Fresh. We dropped in on a Saturday evening (7:30pm). A couple tables were occupied with Kpop playing in the background. Service was the least friendliest we've experienced at a Korean restaurant. No tea or banchan refills were offered. Menu consists of appetizers, wok and grill, sundubu, tofu stew combo specials, soup and stew, fried rice and bibimbap. They have a few $10.95 USD daily lunch specials (12:00-3:00pm). - Banchan - kimchi, cabbage/carrot, cucumber, radish, mung bean sprouts, celery and tomato. All the side dishes were shockingly bland. - Bulgogi and sundubu (#34) ($20.95 USD) - beef bulgogi and vegetable tofu stew with a bowl of rice. Soup had no depth or complexity. Seemed they threw all the random vegetables they had on hand. Beef bulgogi was an okay portion but unmemorable. Wouldn't go out of the way to return to SKR.

On the East side, this is a solid Korean restaurant. Probably, best samgaetang (chicken soup) for sure. Being a family owned and operated restaurant, service can be slow but portions are generous and reasonable prices. Inside seating is limited and you may need to get food to go.

Solid place. I ordered the jap chae and fried rice. I felt both were slightly under seasoned and my jap chae noodles were overdone which makes them pretty slimy.

Love their home cooking style, not too oily nor too spicy. The reasonable price is definitely a plus. The place is small so do make reservation for a group more than 4. I like their Seafood noodle soup and the Spicy Pork and Soon Tofu soup combo the best.

This is a cute little Korean restaurant in a plaza, right behind the Ross, so it's very easy to miss. I came here for lunch one day, and it was pretty slow with just my friend & I + another table. There was a woman working at the time who was very sweet, and although the wait for both service and food to come out was a bit long, I didn't mind much. We got the cheese corn which was very good and there were also so many good side dishes. Both of our entrees (the bibimbap and soup) were so so filling and we definitely had leftovers. Super comforting place and very cozy. Would come back again.

Just love this place. Very authentic and reasonable. Tried their lunch specials and they are perfect portions and very tasty. My favorite is the Jap chae. Best one in the Portland area.

The restaurant is small and tucked away in a plaza with Ross and Michael's, so it can be very easy to be missed or overlooked, but it is well worth to pay a visit. The servers are great and provide wonderful customer service, and I've been back three times already. Their cheap lunch specials are a good option, but the star of their show is the spicy pork belly and squid. The pork belly is crisp and the squid is delicious! We've branched out to try their soondubu and spicy pork combos, both which are flavorful, and their seafood udon also provides lots of mussels, shrimps and other squid. The ban chan is also to die for: I love their cucumbers and bean sprouts and could just eat their ban chan forever! If anything, order the pork belly and squid with rice: it's the dish I'll continuously order when I come back to this lovely restaurant.

Food was a 4 and service was a 2 so that left me with a 2 stars for this place. I was very ready to love this small, cozy Korean spot because I've been scouring PDX metro area for a go-to spot for piping hot soup and delicious banchans. And, like I said, their food was indeed good! Might be the best I've had in Portland and the closest too what I'm used to in LA. Super fresh banchans. The Yukgaejang was flavorful and delicious. The Squid Stirfry was fresh and had plenty of squid in it. Mandus were so-so but it ok. What really rubbed me the wrong way was how pushy the person waiting on us was. I'm sure they meant well and wanted to be attentive. It was just a bit much for me. I felt rushed to order and pushed to get things that I wasn't sure was what I wanted. Anyhow, I'd be willing to give this place another try and maybe stand my ground a bit more lol. Go check them out.

If you want authentic Korean food at a good price, this is the place to go. It's easy to tell it's good because every time we go here, there are several Koreans eating here, and my 80+ year old Korean mom gives it her stamp of approval, so how can you argue against that? Note that it's not a fancy restaurant and it's not particularly big either. If you are looking for a more upscale dining experience or a place that is good for a large group, then Seoul Korean Restaurant is probably not the best fit. On the other hand, those fancier/larger restaurants will also be more expensive and probably not appreciably better in terms of flavor and quality. Bottom line: good home cooking style Korean food at a good price.

I ordered the Bibimbap and LA Gabli from this restaurant. The restaurant itself is very cute and homey. The customer service was great. Additionally, there is a lunch special from 12-3pm everyday. I got the bibimbap from the lunch special. It was a pretty good deal for what I got. The food overall is OKAY so that is why I rate this as 3 stars. A. Bibimbap 8. LA Galbi

This is so not real korean food. I wish I could leave a zero stars. Don't get the Kimchi soup its literally just water and kimchi. I wish I never came here to try it out. They also barely give any meat in the soups.

This place is the Korean bomb..the food is so good.I wish I had a pic to support. The lady that greets you and takes your order is nice.

WORST EXPERIENCE EVER! Sunday June 30th, 7:30pm dinner and by 12:30 in the morning I knew I was in trouble with severe stomach cramps. Vomiting and explosive bowel movements and by 3am it was constant heaving. Do NOT ever eat here! I had the teriyaki chicken.

Very good service and came out very fast. My first time here and don't regret it. Server was very kind and attentive. Very good pricing for the food too.

Went last night- four of us-- it was the night before memorial day. Silly little place w/ 4 tables. Our server was very very very good. Attentive, but not intrusive. The food was quite good. Two seafood dishes, a vegetarian, and short ribs. Everything tasted close to perfect. Two appetizers and four entrées four $88.00 such a bargain for a wonderful meal

I ordered the Dolsot Bimbibop and it was pretty good, but the soup I got was not as good

For around 17 bucks, you can get a comforting ginseng herbal chicken soup, with a whole young chicken. Taste just like home on a cold winter night.

what the hell? I ordered delivery from GrubHub and I get a box of rice full of mold? Never had this happen in my entire life.

Small, family run restaurant. Looked clean and well kept-- it's not very big, unsure if it can accommodate large parties. The restaurant offers traditional Korean dishes. We ordered the Korean style chicken soup and stir fried squid. While we waited, we munched on an assortment of delicious and fresh banchan. My favorite were the pickle kimchi and cabbage kimchi. The dishes were on point! I haven't had samgyetang in so long-- it was well made. The rice inside the chicken was perfect, and they were generous with the jujube and pine nuts. It included real ginseng root inside the soup, which a lot of restaurants unfortunately skip. It's the perfect soup for a cold day (or if recovering from a cruda). My mom really enjoyed it too. The stir fried squid was also great-- and most importantly, not over cooked. It's easy to overdo seafood and make it gummy or rubbery, but they got it just right. It wasn't as spicy as I would have liked, but the meat to veggie ratio was good. Some places give you 60-70% onions, but this place didn't skimp out on the squid. Lastly, it was nice to see people from different backgrounds enjoy Korean food. The server was polite and attentive to all. Overall, recommend this place!

I was unsure of what to eat, so you can never go wrong with Korean food. I was so satisfied from the last visit I decided to come again. This time I ordered the kalbi. The portion was huge. This was enough for lunch and dinner. Of course, the banchan was amazing, too.

This Korean restaurant is the best one in Happy Valley and one of the best in SE Portland. Their selection of food is everyday Korean food, not Korean BBQ. Don't except an all you can eat Korean bbq place. They have what Korean people everyday here. Their bibimbap and soondubu is solid. The banchan (side dishes) is better than most places in Portland. Check it out!

My boyfriend and I go here almost once or twice a week. We always get #33 & 34. We love this place and their customer service as well as their side dished highly recommend !!

This place is so welcoming and the food is delicious! I've come here like 5 times and have had a good experience each visit. We always order the seafood pancake. It's a must-have!! So satisfying. This time around, we got that along with the seafood stir fry udon and the galbi tang. The galbi tang was fantastic. They give you huge, tender pieces of meat and the soup is somehow light, yet flavorful too. I am obsessed with soups so I'm so happy I tried this one. It really hit the spot for me. The udon was good, but not amazing like the other two dishes. The noodles weren't exactly what I was expecting (we thought they were going to be thick chewy noodles), but they gave us so much seafood that I was more than content. 10/10 recommend for delicious Korean food!

Food was good, service not so good but I'm here for the food more than the service I got the beef soup or whatever with the bone and that was rlly good the chicken soup that had rice in it was very herbal not my taste, besides that the Galbi and that pork and squid thing was good and spicy

Wow: great food, big portions, fair price, excellent service. I got the spicy seafood soup noodle, with a wide variety of sea creatures, a lot broth and just enough noodles. The broth was a little thin, the noodles could have been a tad chewier. The little plates they give you were varied and tasty, the bean sprouts and kim chi among my favorite. Abby had the tofu kim chi soup that comes to the table bubbling raucously, with a raw egg on the side you crack and stir into the soup. The fried dumplings were different than others I've had--thinner dough--but very tasty. They have a fairly extensive menu, including mackerel. not much ambiance from the physical surroundings, but the waitress was most cheerful and helpful.

Went in this restaurant during their 12-3pm lunch specials and got the bibimbap and bulgogi (came with rice and side dishes), as well as their tteok-bokki. Unfortunately, the bulgogi was kind of dry and bland. The tteokbokki was decent, but can find better elsewhere. My friend mention the bibimbap was ok and didn't seem seasoned enough. The service was nice and refilled our waters. Our total was $29.85 which isn't bad in this economy. I wouldn't come back again though.

Food was good, and I'm happy to find a Korean restaurant near me, but not the best Korean food I've had. The kimchi fried rice tasted more like a regular fried rice with some diluted pieces of kimchi in it (I think there wasn't enough kimchi or kimchi juice). The spicy chicken had all the elements of a Korean spicy sauce I was expecting but was way too sweet. The side dishes included kimchi, bean sprouts, and a few others that tasted fine but not traditionally Korean. Food was overall good and portion size was good for the price, but just not what I hoped from a Korean restaurant. I'll probably try some other items on the menu and see if they taste more authentically Korean.

Love their food & service! They gave a good amount of sides & every single one of them was delicious! I had the bibimbap in a hot stone pot & it was very comforting. I would definitely come back here & would recommend this place to anyone who is looking for Korean homemade food.

This play is legit. Dining room is a smidge cramped but I don't mind bumping elbows for some good bulgolgi beef. I got the combo stew and bulgolgi beef. My friend got some noods dish which I'm sure she spilled on herself. I would have to say that I was pretty impressed. I was thinking I was going to have a lot of leftovers but I couldn't stop eating. Everything was so good. The tofu stew tried to burn me from the inside out though. Be careful. Obviously I didn't take the hint when it came out boiling still that I should probs wait a hot minute or 3 before taking a bite. The bonchon was pretty tasty. Good variety. Haven't had boiled peanuts in bonchon before so that was a new experience. I'd probs come back here again.

Came here for lunch at around 12:30. I was the only customer there. Every other table is marked so they are not used. Order was taken quickly. Server was friendly and helpful. She noticed that I was not touching my ice water (I just forgot about it), and promptly brought me hot barley tea. I ordered the seafood pancake and seafood noodle soup. The noodle soup was great. I asked for extra spicy and it cane out perfect for me. Seafood is plenty and cooked well. Noodles are chewy just like how they are supposed to be. Seafood pancake was OK. Not the greatest. They are perfectly crispy and fresh, but not enough seafood and green onions. So it ended up tasting a bit doughy. Dipping sauce was good. Not bad Korean food in general. Will probably come back to try the tofu stews.

Delicious wings! We tried the spicy and the sweets and sour. Both were really good. Nice meaty wings cooked perfectly! Will definitely be our go to wing place in Clackamas. Great packaging too.

Very good food. Came put fast. Service was great. Small place but very cozy. 10/10 would recommend

Really delicious kimchi soondubu (kimchi pork tofu soup). This is the best one I've had in a long time, and I've had a lot of soondubu in my life lol. Places usually don't give much pork or kimchi, but they're generous here. And the banchan/free side dishes are made home style with quality. So many places have bad banchan. If you're Korean and from Portland you'll know what I'm talking about. This place probably has the best banchan I've had in town. Also the fried chicken was really good but I ate it all before I took a pic because I have no self control.

Heard about this place from my parents and had to come here. The owners used to own Chinese Delicacy (served Chinese and Korean dishes) and we loved the food when they were there..so had to try their new restaurant. Got the japche and kimchee pancake. Both were phenomenon! Japche was not greasy- and veggies as finely sliced so it's easy to get a nice mix per bite. The garlic flavor was prominent but not overwhelming- these are the best noodles I've had in years. Kimchee pancake had a nice crispy edge to it and loaded with kimchee. It wasn't soggy and not too oily. It was delicious. Service was great- fast and attentive. We will definitely be back.

Nice cozy Korean food joint near 82th, Fresh ingredients, great services. Authentic food The Korean Ginseng chicken soap is very good Chicken wings very tasty

I had the kimchi tofu soup, it was watery and lacked in flavor. Like it was just made when kimchi tofu soup is best when it's simmered for hours. The Kalbi ribs were good however the meal was too expensive for the quality of the food.

We ordered the galbitang, ginseng chicken soup, and spicy pork bulgogi. All of them were bland. The galbitang was okay, but the pork and ginseng chicken soup especially had no flavor. The spicy pork bulgogi was also not cooked well and served very differently from the traditional Korean style.

This place is such a hidden gem! We went for the first time tonight and it was amazing. We were blown away. The portions were huge and the flavor was out of this world. The staff was lovely as well. I can't wait to return.

This Korean food was yummy! So very close to being as good as Korean food back home. The Kalbi (Galbi) was really tasty and tender and so yummy. The teriyaki chicken was pretty good, not quite as good as Korean back home. Overall... we will be coming back again!

This little hole in the wall is the best Korean food I've had in Portland. The kimchi jiggae is worth trying. I'd also say they have the best pancheon around.

I love this place!!!! The food is always delicious!!! Before pandemic hit my sis and I would go in and enjoy the food. This place is always very clean inside. I like that!!! I eat more comfortably knowing they are clean. Currently-due to COVID19 I haven't been able to enjoy it inside the restaurant but, they do a magnificent job packing the food to go or for delivery. Thank you for being so clean and delicious. Give a huge thank you to the chef!!!! Yum!!!!

I was in the area and wanted something that wasn't fast food. This place came up as highly rated and well... had to try it. AGAIN yelp bamboozled me. The first impression was ok only half of the Resturant has tables for dining. And the rest is for video lotto. Definitely not what I was expecting. The sides were mediocre at best and not fresh. Yes I came on a weeknight but maybe could be a better day for what I was expecting. I ordered a combo with soup and spicy pork bugoi. The tofu soup had shrimp in it and thy seemed frozen and dried up. But yes they were cooked with no flavor. The spicy pork has hints of Korean spice but no on par with any of the spicy porks that I've have threw the years of Korean experiences Seemed Chinese spices. If you know what I mean.

Ordered takeout from here for the first time tonight, and really liked it-- delicious and authentic, reasonably priced. They easily accommodated my request for vegetarian bibimbop, and the service was friendly. We'll definitely order from here again.

Tastes good. Price is good for what you are buying. very limited seating though. Workers are nice. very much recommend this place

This review is about the customer service I received, not all about the food. I called to do a take out order for spicy seafood udon noodles (exact description I gave the person I spoke to because the Korean pronunciation is challenging for me.) I arrived and the restaurant made a completely different/wrong order. I tried to like it but didn't and politely asked if I can have my food either replaced or refunded but the OWNER refused to do neither. She basically shrugged her shoulders and said "too bad." I paid $20 and tipped for food I didn't want. What a rip off and one of the most unprofessional customer service restaurants I have ever been to. The wrong order I received consisted of stir fry noodles. They claimed the noodles are "udon" but it is actually thinner like chow mein. With the one bite I had before walking out and leaving the food behind, I would advise to order anything here but the noodles. The texture is off, unflavored, soggy and slimy. Don't bother wasting your money on their stir fry noodle dishes or expecting the owner to respect your requests if you dislike a dish and would like to order a replacement.

Excellent food! A little unassuming place that I came across recently. Will definitely be a regular here!