UnderGround Kitchen

Underground Kitchen is a great Korean fried chicken place. (Best one so far I have tried in my life)
The restaurant is actually underground when it called “Underground Kitchen”
Anyways back to details
Food 5/5 I like their honey garlic chicken
Service 5/5 nice young Asian people
Atmosphere: they could use cleaning the tables a bit more

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 5

Service: 5

I rarely write reviews, but my experience at Underground Chicken in Federal Way was so astonishingly bad that it feels almost like a public service to warn others. The name “Underground” couldn’t be more fitting, because the entire establishment looks and feels like it belongs beneath street level. The dining area was cluttered, grimy, and downright filthy. Tables were sticky, trash cans overflowing, and there was a faint smell that made you question whether anything in that kitchen sees soap or sanitizer. It’s the kind of environment where you hesitate to touch anything including the food.

The service somehow managed to be even worse. There were three staff members working on the floor, a young woman, a guy in a hat, and another younger boy with a styled, Korean-inspired haircut who stood out for all the wrong reasons. He was by far the worst of the three. The young boy at the counter was rude, dismissive, and completely uninterested in doing his job. No greeting, no urgency, just a glare that said customers are an inconvenience. Another customer waiting beside me was clearly frustrated too and with good reason. There’s no sense of professionalism, no pride, and certainly no understanding of what hospitality means.

When my order finally arrived, it was the final insult. The chicken tasted like something thawed from a freezer and microwaved until barely edible and bland, rubbery, and completely lacking in flavor. It’s amazing how a restaurant can serve food that tastes exactly like the environment it’s made in: cold, lifeless, and unclean.

This place needs a serious wake-up call. A full sanitation overhaul wouldn’t hurt either. Until they learn that cleanliness, respect, and edible food are the bare minimum for running a restaurant, Underground Chicken will remain exactly what it is a dirty, dismal experience best left buried where it belongs.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

The chicken is consistently good here, service has been good both times I’ve been. The underground location is cool.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

Really good fried chicken!

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

Excellent

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 5

Service: 5

Underground Kitchen in Federal Way is a local gem, and their wings are seriously top-notch. We were a group of five and went for three wings, two sides, and a rice cake. The food was absolutely delicious, but we might hold off on the soy sauce wings next time because they were a tad dry. It was our second visit, and we didn’t miss a beat—the service was just a bit slow, especially when it came to getting our orders and the food. Still, it was a fantastic experience overall, and we’re definitely planning to return!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

I ordered delivery. I had beef bulgogi and sweet potato fries. Both very delicious. I recommend both.

Food: 5

Great hidden place for late night food! The chicken wings are top tier!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

great fried chicken, slow service, the twice friend French fries were spot on.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 5

Service: 2

Dive bar vibes, great food, slow but great service.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great place to get Korean bar food like Korean fried chicken and creamy udon. Food came out fast, large menu, fun, casual spot, the chicken fried chicken was good, the flavor was good although I’ve had better, it tasted like general tso or sesame chicken, the creamy udon was good too.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

We ordered yumyang, honey garlic chicken, and stir-fried glass noodles. The yumyang is genuinely delicious, while the honey garlic chicken has a nice taste and a strong honey flavor, but I wish it had more garlic flavor. The noodles are fantastic! Overall, it's a satisfying meal!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The best chicken 👍

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Bathroom is always dirty or out of something (ie toilet paper, paper towels, and or soap). I enjoy the music they play, sometimes it’s rap, and sometimes it’s kpop / pop. The food is amazing— it’s like the only reason I come back. I’ve been coming here since 2019/2020ish and the service is very inconsistent. Some visits it’s almost impossible to get the servers attention. I came a few weeks ago and waited for 45 minutes as a table of 3 just to be seated and I kept noticing people walk up to the server and get seated immediately. When I confronted the server, all he said was that he was sorry about the confusion and sat us then. Other times, service is wonderful and they even check on us multiple times. It really just depends honestly. I say it’s worth going and trying the food regardless of the service but don’t have high expectations with the staff and tip accordingly!

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 5

Service: 2

Food was good, but definitely expensive. The atmosphere wasn’t as enjoyable, the music was so loud that I had a hard time talking with my friend who was sitting right next to me. On top of that, some of the writing on the chalkboard walls was inappropriate (including political and sexist content). The idea of chalkboard walls is fun in theory, but it really needs better monitoring to maintain a welcoming environment.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 4

Service: 2