Non Korean people may enjoy it but Korean people should stay away. The food is expensive for the level of actual flavor. I appreciate their attempt to be creative in how they approach Korean food but the way they describe their menu is more impressive than the actual food. The two biggest issues I had was they describe their steak comes with seasonal banchan... and I think three out of four of them were just fermented kimchi type banchan which is literally not seasonal. Also their pajeon was a complete joke. They put okonomiyaki sauce and katsuobushi on top of the pajeon, which hid any flavor of the pajeon itself and the texture of the dish was too soft because pajeon isn't meant to be eaten that way. 한국인 입맛엔 이도저도 아닌데 가격은 비싸서 짜증낼듯 합니다. 파전과 오코오미야끼를 둘다 좋아하는 사람으로서 파전은 특히 최악.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Jonathan Proctor
Decent food, small portions, pretty overpriced. Was looking forward to coming here but was underwhelmed. Way better options around at this price point.
Wayne
Awesome!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jason Xu
Amazing fusion. Every dish is great except the kimchi pancake (maybe I had high expectation but it’s really just what it is).
Update: service is really slow...
Service: 2
Jimmy Zee
Perfect bibimbap - every piece of the dish is perfectly flavored and seasoned. I get this for lunch at least once a week. Unbeatable for healthy food and taste in the SLU area! Bill is also super friendly and welcoming - great energy
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Elisabeth Frerichs
I cannot recommend this place less. The service is abysmal which is a bummer because it used to be incredible at the Queen Anne location. Similar to what another reviewer mentioned, we showed up early for our reservation, there was already a line of 8 people in the very small waiting area. Nobody was greeted by a host, we were all ignored for about 10 minutes before anyone acknowledged the long line of people in the front of the restaurant. When we finally got seated we were given menus and that was the last time anyone acknowledged us for another 20 minutes. No water service, no drink orders, no questions about the menu. I absolutely understand busy restaurants, but waiting 20 minutes for someone to bring water to the table is pretty ludicrous. Eventually, after 20 minutes of being ignored at our table, we got up and left. I'm sad because I really loved this place at the old location and was excited when they moved to SLU but I'd never go back and I definitely wouldn't recommend it.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Benjamin Chung
Been here twice and I’m shocked that this place isn’t more packed during all open hours. As a Korean with an insatiable appetite (particularly for Korean food) this is now on the top of my list for both everyday meals and for when people come into town. Well done! Looking forward to coming back over and over again
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Andrew C. Hafenbrack
Paju was a transcendent meal. The flavors were delicious and textures were perfect. My favorite dishes were the yellowtail, chips and dip, cauliflower, and bingsu. Service went above and beyond. I wish the Michelin judges came to Seattle. We are lucky to have such an excellent restaurant here!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
D. G.
Really poor service, at best mediocre cuisine for a high price, followed by a duplicitous reservation deposit made for a stressful and overall upsetting birthday evening. Line of 12 people at the entry when we came in (early) for our reservation. Nobody had yet been greeted by a host. We waited another 5 minutes for anyone acknowledged the long line. Everyone was agitated which was unpleasant in such a small space. Finally was sat 15-minutes past our reservation. Food was truly mediocre at best and so overpriced. Then, when the check came, they didn’t deduct the $30/person deposit we had to give them in order to reserve our table. In the reservation confirmation email the language says the reservation amount will be deducted from the bill. Not true. We finally found a server to help us and they said “it will be refunded to you.” I asked when that would happen and they said “next week.” I asked for this in writing because their own reservation system said the money would be deducted from the bill. Only then did I get an autogenerated email saying the actual refund policy. Genuinely awful experience from start to finish on what was supposed to be a special night. I never want to disparage small businesses but this was a truly upsetting experience.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
Laura Dang
Seems more hype for dinner than lunch. I went for lunch and got a spicy pork bowl, which I thought was cooked well, but too salty
If the fine dining vibe throws you off, Come here and try their lunch! They offer competitive prices and the service is great.
The spicy pork bowl and the gimbap are both delicious fusion Korean dishes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Monica Griesis
The food is way overpriced! The ingredients are not fresh!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
Manka Varghese
Absurd!!! The info and website say the restaurant closes at 9 pm and when we came by 8.30, they first refused to serve us. When we complained, they said that we could order food but would have to leave by 9. Never coming back here!
Rachel Park
I had absoutely the best lunch at Paju in Seattle!! I had been to Paju for dinner at their previous location and became a huge fan of them. I heard they recently opened for lunch at this new location and they didn't disappoint us. Our lunch was a poke bowl and chicken wings followed by shaved iced desert. I liked the poke bowl very much when I lived in Asia but couldn't find one in Seattle I liked as much until today. Paju's poke bowl was the one I have been looking for and maybe the best one in Seattle. I am so glad they make this authentic poke bowl with their own style. I highly recommend it. It was a great mixture of vegetables and very fresh great quality of fish. The chicken wings were also another hit and the dessert was outstanding. I can see chef Bill's innovative desert skill. Also, the new location is insanely clean and such an open place. I was there at almost the end of lunch and saw how hard they clean their grill. I will defenitely go back for lunch and for dinner for their fine dining concept.
Went to this restaurant at 9:15 on the 4th of July to order drinks while waiting for the fireworks show to start. Was told they’d already had last call. Sat outside for the next 40 minutes watching them serve drinks to Korean patrons.
Non Korean people may enjoy it but Korean people should stay away. The food is expensive for the level of actual flavor. I appreciate their attempt to be creative in how they approach Korean food but the way they describe their menu is more impressive than the actual food.
The two biggest issues I had was they describe their steak comes with seasonal banchan... and I think three out of four of them were just fermented kimchi type banchan which is literally not seasonal.
Also their pajeon was a complete joke. They put okonomiyaki sauce and katsuobushi on top of the pajeon, which hid any flavor of the pajeon itself and the texture of the dish was too soft because pajeon isn't meant to be eaten that way.
한국인 입맛엔 이도저도 아닌데 가격은 비싸서 짜증낼듯 합니다. 파전과 오코오미야끼를 둘다 좋아하는 사람으로서 파전은 특히 최악.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Decent food, small portions, pretty overpriced. Was looking forward to coming here but was underwhelmed. Way better options around at this price point.
Awesome!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amazing fusion. Every dish is great except the kimchi pancake (maybe I had high expectation but it’s really just what it is).
Update: service is really slow...
Service: 2
Perfect bibimbap - every piece of the dish is perfectly flavored and seasoned. I get this for lunch at least once a week. Unbeatable for healthy food and taste in the SLU area! Bill is also super friendly and welcoming - great energy
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I cannot recommend this place less. The service is abysmal which is a bummer because it used to be incredible at the Queen Anne location. Similar to what another reviewer mentioned, we showed up early for our reservation, there was already a line of 8 people in the very small waiting area. Nobody was greeted by a host, we were all ignored for about 10 minutes before anyone acknowledged the long line of people in the front of the restaurant. When we finally got seated we were given menus and that was the last time anyone acknowledged us for another 20 minutes. No water service, no drink orders, no questions about the menu. I absolutely understand busy restaurants, but waiting 20 minutes for someone to bring water to the table is pretty ludicrous. Eventually, after 20 minutes of being ignored at our table, we got up and left. I'm sad because I really loved this place at the old location and was excited when they moved to SLU but I'd never go back and I definitely wouldn't recommend it.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Been here twice and I’m shocked that this place isn’t more packed during all open hours. As a Korean with an insatiable appetite (particularly for Korean food) this is now on the top of my list for both everyday meals and for when people come into town. Well done! Looking forward to coming back over and over again
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Paju was a transcendent meal. The flavors were delicious and textures were perfect. My favorite dishes were the yellowtail, chips and dip, cauliflower, and bingsu. Service went above and beyond. I wish the Michelin judges came to Seattle. We are lucky to have such an excellent restaurant here!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Really poor service, at best mediocre cuisine for a high price, followed by a duplicitous reservation deposit made for a stressful and overall upsetting birthday evening. Line of 12 people at the entry when we came in (early) for our reservation. Nobody had yet been greeted by a host. We waited another 5 minutes for anyone acknowledged the long line. Everyone was agitated which was unpleasant in such a small space. Finally was sat 15-minutes past our reservation. Food was truly mediocre at best and so overpriced. Then, when the check came, they didn’t deduct the $30/person deposit we had to give them in order to reserve our table. In the reservation confirmation email the language says the reservation amount will be deducted from the bill. Not true. We finally found a server to help us and they said “it will be refunded to you.” I asked when that would happen and they said “next week.” I asked for this in writing because their own reservation system said the money would be deducted from the bill. Only then did I get an autogenerated email saying the actual refund policy. Genuinely awful experience from start to finish on what was supposed to be a special night. I never want to disparage small businesses but this was a truly upsetting experience.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
Seems more hype for dinner than lunch. I went for lunch and got a spicy pork bowl, which I thought was cooked well, but too salty
Restaurantji Recommends
If the fine dining vibe throws you off, Come here and try their lunch! They offer competitive prices and the service is great.
The spicy pork bowl and the gimbap are both delicious fusion Korean dishes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food is way overpriced! The ingredients are not fresh!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
Absurd!!! The info and website say the restaurant closes at 9 pm and when we came by 8.30, they first refused to serve us. When we complained, they said that we could order food but would have to leave by 9. Never coming back here!
I had absoutely the best lunch at Paju in Seattle!! I had been to Paju for dinner at their previous location and became a huge fan of them. I heard they recently opened for lunch at this new location and they didn't disappoint us. Our lunch was a poke bowl and chicken wings followed by shaved iced desert. I liked the poke bowl very much when I lived in Asia but couldn't find one in Seattle I liked as much until today. Paju's poke bowl was the one I have been looking for and maybe the best one in Seattle. I am so glad they make this authentic poke bowl with their own style. I highly recommend it. It was a great mixture of vegetables and very fresh great quality of fish. The chicken wings were also another hit and the dessert was outstanding. I can see chef Bill's innovative desert skill. Also, the new location is insanely clean and such an open place. I was there at almost the end of lunch and saw how hard they clean their grill. I will defenitely go back for lunch and for dinner for their fine dining concept.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Wings Soy Garlic, Bibimbap
Went to this restaurant at 9:15 on the 4th of July to order drinks while waiting for the fireworks show to start. Was told they’d already had last call. Sat outside for the next 40 minutes watching them serve drinks to Korean patrons.
Service: 1
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