Haenam Kalbi & Calamari

Never ever ever knew this was here. Also. this is what I get for asking my non Korean friends for a good Korean food joint.
I live in Marysville but when I do go out it’s usually in the Shoreline/​Lake City area. I had no idea this place existed. When I brought my little god sister in (because we were both craving food from the home land) I didn’t expect the food to taste that good. I didn’t expect the banchan to be so plentiful. It just looked like any other Korean restaurant but the food.
THE FOOD was amazing. So much banchan! We got bo ssam (steamed pork with cabbage) and it was fantastic. They steam it in a very non traditional way with, I believe, star anise to give it that slightly asiany/​licorice flavor. I could have used a lot more sewoo jjut (shrimp … something. i don’t know the English translation) but it came with all the fixings.
This is probably the new go-​to Korean place for me. Its not super fancy but they a few bbq tables, too. Prices are pretty average for Korean restaurant but the food speaks so much louder. I will definitely be bringing the husband with me next time.
I’m doing the happy Asian Clappy Dance-​y thing right now. (just FYI)

This is a very authentic Korean restaurant near/​in Seattle. This is a great place if you want to have some late night food!
Parking: Easy parking in a plaza. Lots of Korean restaurants nearby. This restaurant is the one near the street.
Our party was trying to find a place that offers dumplings at around 9pm on a Thursday. However, a lot of Chinese restaurants that offer dumplings are closed. SIGH. So many Asian restaurants close at 9pm in Seattle (Last call at 8:30pm) when it was still day time outside. It was even bright outside at 9:40pm in Seattle in June.
Anyways, this is a great restaurant that is decently priced.
FOOD:
1. Mah’s-Doo Gook (aka Handmade beef dumplings, eggs, vermicelli noodles seasoned in the beef soup) (#2)
This dish is absolutely delicious because it is perfectly seasoned. However, I don’t think the beef dumplings were homemade tho. They tasted exactly like the ones I bought at H-​Mart. I thought the homemade Korean dumplings were in the round shape, yet the dumplings I received looked like the Chinese potstickers that were boiled. Also, the dumplings were overly soft/​boiled that they broke apart when I tried to take them out with my chopsticks. Besides that, the dumplings and the vermicelli were very tasty, and the egg went well with the soup which were perfectly seasoned. I ended up drinking most of the soup after eating all the dumplings and the vermicelli noodles.
2. Potatoes in Pork Bone Soup (#43)
This dish is very authentic. It came out in a big pot on the electric stove. It tasted just like the ones I had when I was in South Korea. It was a perfect size for 3 – 4 people. There were enough pork bones in the soup to make you full. However, very limited amount of potatoes could be found in the soup because the potatoes basically melted in the soup. The pork was very soft and chewy, and the soup was delicious (Went well with the white rice).
I recommend this restaurant if you are in the area when its late at night and looking for some authentic Korean food!

I have been to this place a bajillion times and every time I go I order the oh bool sah (number 59). This dish is everything I want in Korean comfort food: sweet potato (glass) noodles and a spicy, slightly sweet sauce. And when I say spicy, I mean it burns my lips but I can’t stop eating it. The calamari is never rubbery, that’s about my gauge for good calamari.
I like to take the left over sauce home and cook up some noodles for a repeat when I get hungry. Just bc I don’t want it to end.
I’ve had other dishes and they’re good, but man. That sauce. Is amazing. I would eat anything in that sauce.
Sidenote: the broiled eel is worth every penny. Sushi joints definitely don’t have enough eel in one dish for me, so $ 20 for a slab that can feed two people… or one… Is amazing.

TLDR: Hearty food. Noisy kitchen sounds. Slightly understaffed. Not for spice intolerant folk. Tasty tiny appetizer dishes.
When you first walk in, the aroma kicks in and really gets your salivary glands going! Got seated rather quickly on a Friday for dinner but our order wasn’t taken until minutes later. It seems like they are slightly understaffed – plenty of open tables with dirty dishes. Casual atmosphere with talking and lots of clinging and clanging of utensils and dishes – the wall dividers kind of help dampen the sound. No music.
Mini appetizer cold plates come with entrees. Variety of pickled veggies to try. I was a fan of what I think was pickled daikon radish. The noodley crunchy things in mayo were also tasty – I think it was jellyfish judging from the texture?
Stone pot bi-bim-baa’p: steaming hot, nicely presented and arranged. Mostly bland because it’s supposed to be eaten with the red sauce. I’m an absolute wimp when it comes to spice so I had it without the sauce. Beef was the only thing slightly flavored. Amount of beef was a bit disappointing – a few bites and it was gone. Contains mushrooms, bean sprouts, carrots, sting beans, zucchini slices, rice, egg, and beef. The rice touching the stone pot gets grilled and toasted – kind of a nice treat of you like grilled rice.
A plastic bottle of water is provided for you to pour from.
The food was good, but I do have to say that my nose enjoyed the food more than my taste buds did.

I have been to this restaurant at least 7 times and this is my first review for them. Every time I go I do the Kalbi short ribs and they are amazing. The service is a little slow but the entire staff is welcoming and friendly. On thing to watch out for here is it can get expensive really fast.

This place is painfully uneven, both with service and food. On a bad night, the service is really slow and the food is not very fresh. On a really good night, it really hits it out of the park. The new front of house staff are young and energetic, as well as helpful if they’re not overwhelmed. The clientele is also young, with lots of young families compared to a few years ago.
Last night was a good night. We had the mussel soup to start. It is a light broth with big tender mussels and small pieces of tofu. It’s well seasoned but not heavy. My boyfriend had the dol sot bibimbop which he enjoyed. I had the black goat sesame leaf stew which was a thick heavily spiced (but not very picante) broth with sliced tender goat meat. Most places cook the goat for a long time, and end up with dry stringy meat. This had enough connective tissue to stay supple and flavorful. We love the banchan here, it is the most consistent element throughout our visits.
We’re trying to figure out what are the best nights and times to go to get great service and food.

Whenever I crave Korean food, this place always come first in my head. I normally order tteokbokki (rice cake with fish cake), sundubu jjigae (soft tofu stew), kalbi (beef short ribs), and yangnyeom chicken (korean spicy fried chicken). The kalbi is pretty mediocre and sometimes underseasoned. The tteokbokki and yangnyeom chicken on the other hand are flavorful and never disappoint! The side dishes and rice are free so that’s a plus ++ This place also tends to be crowded and sometimes the service could be quite slow with only 1 server working.
Food: ⁴⁄₅
Service: ³⁄₅
Ambiance: ³⁄₅

Their intestine soup and squid pork belly stew is the best. Order these two if you come with 4 – 5 ppl. Soup is very rich. Perfect amount of spiciness.

18 of us met for a meetup at haenam. as much as korean restaurants are used to large groups, this evening’s the staff seemed very unfocused and pulled every which way. luckily we had a korean speaking couple who took charge and made sure we had the proper attention from the wait staff.
my uguji kalbi tang was like dish water broth disguised with spicy seasoning. the lovely beefy broth was not there. the ground soybean soup was sent back because it was not hot.
the mandu was good.
the seafood pancake was soft and limp.
3 stars because the wait staff were as pleasant as they could be and did not mess up our request for separate checks.

My go to Korean spot! Nothing but great food here. Always hits the spot with great service and good sized portions. The ban chan variety is nice. My go to is always the soon du boo, short ribs, seafood pancake, and calamari and bacon hot pot are all amazing.

Great place, to be honest I only have been there once and I liked it but the sides weren’t the best.
Would go back and try the other dishes to get a better feel. The parking is also a bit aloof it is in a sector that has dim lighting so didn’t feel super safe at night

Kalbi & Calamari? That’s 2 of my favorite Korean dishes combined into the sign. Must go for anyone who likes Calamari. Previously, I ordered the squid and pork belly entrée (under specials) and had a feast together with the 10 – 12 side dishes (once it goes past 8, I lose count). The anchovies were awesome — large anchovies are rare as panchan. Quality of Panchan in most Korean restaurants north of Seattle are good and Haenam is no exception.
Back to the entrée, this time I ordered the squid and pork belly + noodle (which is actually glass vermicelli). The vermicelli soaked up the squid and pork goodness — taste of lard and the sea = foodie heaven. If there’s one dish you’ve got to try, its the squid and pork belly.
Also ordered the soon tofu soup, which was a disappointment compared to other tofu soups along Aurora. I’ll skip that and try something else the next time

This is a 3-​star restaurant. 3-​star. Not above or below, but just exactly 3-​star quality. Period. Do not get excited because of some of 4 or 5 star reviews. People who left them anything more than 3 star reviews probably have never been to other good Korean restaurants so they don’t know what a 4 or 5 star Korean restaurant should be. Condidering their food quality and portion, their price is way too high. Customer service is not bad but nothing above average. Everything is just very mediocre. They are open until 2am everyday so when you crave some Korean food after 11pm or 12am you have a place to go which is the only plus they have.

It makes me feel like I am back in Seoul because it reminds me of real Korean food. Fried Rice after Ohsamgeub (portbelly squid meshup) is DIVINE.

When you think about Korean food, your mind will automatically visualize barbeque, kimchi fried rice, rice cake with hot and spicy sauce (tteokbokki), kimchi soup and some other regular Korean dishes. I bet that you may feel bored and disappointed about the same dishes whenever you go to Korean restaurants. Therefore, I am here to recommend and encourage you to try a new-​fangled Korean restaurant called Haenam Kalbi and Calamari because this restaurant serves many new Korean dishes that I had never seen in other Korean restaurants in the US before. For example, rice mixed with raw beef and vegetables, O bool sah (calamari and beef), Bo Ssahm, Ham Hock, Smoked Duck, etc.
My friend and I went to Haenam Kalbi and Calamari for dinner on a cold and rainy day. The exterior design of the restaurant is literally Korean style — simple but effective. When you walk near the restaurant, you will see a signboard with the name of the restaurant and a little happy pig and a squid are holding hands on the left hand side on the signboard. After I went into the restaurant, I was impressed by the design of the restaurant’s interior because it was divided into two rooms: one is Korean traditional sitting style and one is modern sitting style with tables and chairs.
After we took a look through the menu, I ordered Bo Ssahm (boiled pork, boiled cabbage, kimchi), and my friend ordered kimchi soup and O bool sah (baby octopus and calamari). After a while, they came out with many side dishes, such as: kimchi, fishcake, braised potatoes, sweet and sour seaweed, etc. Even though it only side dishes, I could not tell how delicious such dishes were because those side dishes have made or cooked as tasty as art main dishes. Korean side dishes are known as Korean custom because it is always served in every Korean family meal as well as Korean restaurants around the world.
After 10 minutes, our food was ready to be served. The way they decorated the food is so attractive, and it made my mouth water. I tried out kimchi soup first because it was cold outside. My energy and my mood increased after I tried this hot, rich and strong tasting kimchi soup. The taste, the garlicky smell, the kimchi, the tofu, the meat and the thickness of the soup were all combined together which made this kimchi soup absolutely tasty and delicious. I could tell this kimchi soup is the best kimchi soup I have ever tried. Next, we tried the O bool sah: baby octopus and calamari. This dish is actually baby octopus and calamari cooked with vermicelli and hot sauce. The hot sauce in this dish is very unique because of the sweetness and spiciness. Unfortunately, this dish is only suitable for those who can eat spicy food. Last but not least, Bo Ssahm is one of the dishes that I wanted to try the most because of the way it looks on the picture. When I tried a slice of boiled pork, the meat was tender, tasty and moist. If you want to fully taste Bo Ssahm, you will need to wrap it with boiled cabbage and kimchi. It would be a perfect combination.
I highly recommend Haenam Kalbi and Calamari restaurant for those who want to try something different from regular Korean dishes because you can taste the authentic Korean cuisine and try so many new dishes. The price might a bit higher than other restaurants, but the food will definitely be worth your money. Try something new and different — why not?

My go to Korean place, nice home cooked korean dishes, good pan chans. Too bad I don’t live around the area anymore.

Definitely one of the best Korean joints I’ve had in Seattle area. While there is no soft tofu menu or fried chicken, the BBQ options and Korean standards are amazing. Everything is at a reasonable price as well! And the staff is ultra friendly. I will definitely return when I need my fix!

The worst reataurant and not suggest to go there. Terriable service and the pork rib which I ordered is not cooked properly, undercooked meat. Hope we, don’t get sick. Generally, all foods tasted so bad. Strongly not recommend this restaurant. It certainly wasn’t worth the moneywe paid to see it.

I personally dislike the bulgogi and their side dishes. I think it’s too overpriced for a regular taste bulgogi. I can get bulgogi at different place with better taste than this place offer. But the service was friendly.

This place has a lot of authentic dishes, so if you want Korean BBQ… don’t come here. We got hot pot and the egg Omlette appetizer, it was super yummy. Definitely authentic Korean food.
The wait time was pretty ridiculous, there was hardly anyone there but we waited for about over 25min for any food to finally show up.
My fiancé liked this place more than I, but I rather stick to Korean BBQ. Giving 4 stars because quality of food.

So good! I love that it’s open late just wish it was closer to me as I’m in Capitol Hill. Had the soon dubu and Kalbi. The Kalbi was especially tasty and cooked perfectly. Sometimes other places use poor cuts of meat or it’s way too fatty or bone. This one was perfect. All was delicious including the banchan. Friendly service as well. I wanted to order more Kalbi but held back. If I’m ever in the area again I’ll be back!

HaeNam Kalbi.
How much more can I love thee. Hmm, let me count their ways.
Is it your atmosphere that leaves you wanting to be part of the regulars, as they chat with staff like friends. Or your side dishes always suprising, as you remember clean your plate I don’t care who’s watching. Or your food which has me traveling way across town, because eating anyway else feels like cheating. I have tried several korean places, but once you eat here. You will abandon the rest. And the best part, it’s so hidden, if you’re not careful you’ll drive by it without knowing and I think they like it that way. So if you’re not ready to graduate from places who seem to drown their food for hype, and want a clean feel to actually savor your senses. Then HaeNam Kalbi is not for you.

Honestly one of my favorite Korean Restaurants in the North end. I have taken friends here, my family and my love and each time the food was awesome and service was EXCELLENT. The staff are very friendly and attentive.
I love their seafood dishes. The spicy calamari with pork is spicy and crispy, it’s to die for. The ubagi is also very fresh and flavorful. The soups here are also delicious. I’ve never had a bad meal here. Definitely one of my go to places.

I visited here with a group of friends, 8 total, and we had a lovely dinner. We got 4 dishes and went family style with them, sorta; a few of us, myself included, weren’t beef-​eatin’ types, so I can only comment on…
…the fried spicy octopus = amazing, the best thing I had… great balance of flavor from the octopus and vegetables and the smoky heat of the chili sauce, and SO GOOD with rice – the rice and the chili sauce just worked magically together… I wish there had been more of this dish;
…the halibut collars with tofu = okay, not the greatest use of halibut in my opinion;
…the banchan, which Mr. Internet tells me is the name for the little plates of kimchi, pickles, and all of the other little sides = fantastic;
…the tea and the water, both of which I think we could have used more of, not because the food was overpoweringly spicy but just because we were a herd of 8 adult mammals and we needed us a waterin’ hole!
…the service, which was efficient and kind and far less hovering than practically any other restaurant that I typically go to;
…the décor, which was spare and haphazard and cute and ramshackle and all sorts of other adjectives… I especially liked the cartoon squid-​n-​pig mascots;
…the crowd – get here early, by 6:30 the place was packed.
…the price: super affordable, like 10 bucks a person, although we barely ordered any beverages so it would have been a teense more if more beer were ordered.
I would definitely come here again. For the 8 of us, 4 dishes seemed like exactly the right amount. Next time I’ll do a better job of focusing my camera before I take a picture of food, but I was in a hurry because my friends were ready to tear into everything and I didn’t want to lose a hand.

I was surprised to find a Korean restaurant like this on Aurora! Seems very authentic and can get quite busy around dinner time. However, the restaurant is fairly big — lots of tables/​booths, which is perfect for large groups.
You get complimentary Korean side dishes aka ban chan here, which is of course, a plus. There’s a huge variety ranging from kim chi, fish cake, egg plant, and other pickled vegetables. ⁴⁄₅ stars for the ban chan!
Even though I ordered bi bim bap to-​go the first time here and they still give me some of the side dishes. There are two types of bi bim bap — regular or the one in the stone pot. I like the stone pot version because you get portions of crispy rice, which adds a nice texture to the dish. The bi bim bap comes with a great variety of veggies, but not that much meat, unfortunately. Also, it isn’t seasoned well and definitely needs the hot sauce that comes with it. I would give the dish 3.5÷5 stars.
Since the name of the restaurant mentions Kali and calamari, the 2^nd time I went here I had to try the Oh Bool Sah — one of their specials. It is kind of like a hot pot dish loaded with vermicelli noodles and TONS of beef and calamari. However, instead of a broth, it’s covered in a generous amount of some sort of bean paste spicy sauce. I thought this was absolutely delicious! The flavors are bold and I especially liked the calamari. ⁵⁄₅ stars!

Wow this place is the absolute best Korean house I have ever been to in my life. I’ve been to Korean Tofu House quite a few times and explored various Korean places in the U District, but it does not really compare to the Korean eats in Shoreline off of Aurora.
Some of the PROS:
Enormous portions.
Ton of food dishes for appetizers, including sprouts, potatoes, leek, soup, and so much more (see picture)
Taste very yummy.
We ordered the Oh-​Bool-​Sah (per Unilocal’s recommendations) with beef and calamari. The calamari was incredibly soft and tender, making it very easy to swallow and chew, and it tasted very delicious. The beef was a little bit on the chewy and tough side, but it was in small cut up chunks so it was easy to digest, and it tasted very yummy.
The atmosphere of this place is very cozy, and seems to be authentic korean. There are several dining tables that are close to the ground (guests sit on the ground) as is common for traditional Korean BBQ places.
The only downside to this place is it is not in the best location. Many people are sketched out by Aurora restaurants, but trust me, this place is yummy! And clean. Another downside is it is a bit on the pricier side.
As far as Korean places go, I highly recommend this one!

Yayyy, so happy to discover a cute homey like place to eat some yummy Korean food. Located in a small plaza on Aurora, this place is pretty hard to miss with its bright signage and such. The venue itself is average, with booths along the wall for KBBQ, and big tables in the center for larger parties. Over to the side of the restaurant, you do get the option to dine the traditional way which is to sit on the ground and such (similar to how one can eat at restaurants in Seoul or something).
For a Wednesday night, this place does get packed pretty quickly! Service is decent and overall, I really did enjoy the atmosphere where everything felt homey and quiet.
Ordered the standard stone pot bibimbap and it was delicious! Plenty of veggies, crispy rice on the bottom, and numerous side dishes, this was a pretty filling meal. Miso soup accompany this dish (instead of tofu soup like other typical Korean restaurants) and was pretty average.
Definitely would like to come back here again to try out more dishes and it’s nice how this place stays open pretty late.

3.5 stars
The food was good but it did not stand out like those I have had at Federal Way. Gamjatang is one of my most favorite Korean dishes, and they served the soup in a big pot, which might have affected the flavor a little bit. In a personal bowl, the usual gamjatang flavor is strong but not overpowering. I did not find the broth to be as flavorful nor the meat to be as tender. It seemed like the neck bone meat were not cooked as long. The potatoes seemed underdone as well. However, the dish was huge. My GF and I have big appetites but we still had a lot to-​go. The banchan were okay, again nothing great but decent. The kimchi was not very memorable. They serve the mung bean jelly as part of their ban chan, unfortunately it was not very good.
Overall a nice Korean place if you are at the area. Good Korean places in Federal Way are hard to top but they are just too far. This place was better than the other Korean places I tried in the International District. They are known for their O bool sah, maybe I would try that next time. If you are at the area craving for hearty Korean soup dishes, this is a good place.

Gas grills are only used here if you want to grill your meat. If anything order the O Bool sah. It comes with squid and bulgogi in an awesome sauce and they’re known for it. Extra star because you can ask to have your O Bool sah leftovers turned into kim chee fried rice. 2 dishes for the price of 1. O Bool sah BOO YAH!
We also ordered their soups as well. the meat and vegetable medley and their Alaskan cod spicy soup. Soups are ok. Meat and vegetable medly wasn’t worth it since it was just Shin ramyun (2 packages) in a hot pot with bacon and hot dog pieces all for $ 9. Alaskan cod was ok, but the broth used didn’t make it memorable at all.
Galbi is good here as well as the bulgogi (which can be too sweet sometimes).
Banchan wasn’t memorable at all…

Just tried this place with a group of friends, and it was exceptionally good. We had the Bo Ssahm (steamed pork, pork belly, and Kim chee wraps), the O-​bool-​sha (calimari and beef with noodle not pot) and also a stone pot bulgogi Bibimbap.

One of the virtues that I value the most in a restaurant is consistency. It is not always easy to maintain, especially when there are multiple cooks in the kitchen. I have been much happier with my food in past visits.
We ordered the Baby Octopus Stew expecting tiny, tender, whole baby octopi. What octopi we got were pieces of a larger one that was old enough to be tough and chewy. We added the noodles for $ 2.99, and it was about ²⁄₃ of the pot. I can’t imagine how sad our stew would’ve been without it.
The Steamed Eggs were pretty tasty, probably the second best we’ve had locally (Ka Won was first).
With the competitive scene in good Korean restaurants, one can’t afford too many quality dips.

Great weekend lunch experience with my family there. Love their special raw beef bibimbap.
The place was half empty when we went there for a late lunch at Saturday. The TV was playing news in Korean, so I assume their food is authentic. Plus, the restaurant is in Shoreline, which has lots Korean communities, so their Korean food must be good.
There was only one waiter but he’s pretty fast and efficient serving us hot tea and complimentary small plate side dishes. There were nine plates in total, mixed of spicy and non-​spicy Korean pickle dishes, all pretty good. I like their kimchi, which got a nice kick but not too spicy.
The seafood pancake is hot and crispy, with lots of scallions. The seafood amount in the pancake is OK, just about average. The texture is really nice though, not too chewy and not too starchy, perfectly balanced. A nice choice for appetizer.
Grilled short ribs is my kid’s favorite, because the meat is really tender and juicy. I mean, really really tender. Of all the Korean short ribs I’ve ordered in various restaurants, this is one of the best I’ve tried. It really impressed me.
Of course, the most impressive dish here is the raw beef bibimbap. Bibimbap is my favorite dish and I’ve ordered it in many Korean restaurants. It usually comes with beef or seafood. This is the first time I saw this dish with raw beef, and I got to admit it’s a very pleasant surprise. Good thing I like beef tartar so raw beef is not an issue to me.
Now some details on the dish. Above the white rice is the layers of thin shred cucumber, Asian pear and few sliced garlic. On top of the vegetables is some generous portion of seasoned raw beef. A raw egg yolk is placed on top of raw beef. Once you break the egg yolk and mix everything together, the taste is surprisingly perfect. The egg yolk’s smoothness combines everything together while cucumber and pear provides crispy texture and fresh sweetness. The garlic and hot sauce gives the dish a really nice kick makes the flavor more complex.
This is definitely one of the best raw beef dishes I’ve tasted so far. Considering the other raw beef dishes in other restaurants, I could totally see this same dish selling for $ 30 in some high end fusion style restaurants. So for $ 11.95, it’s a steal.