Probably one of the best mid-tier restaurants you can find in Seattle. Each dish has great curated flavors and surprisingly, the portion of the dry aged steak is not too bad for its price point! I recommend the squid, the yellowtail (for unexpected refreshing taste), squid ink fried rice. The steaks are good if you’re feeling the occasion but it’s definitely more on the leaner side (still tender). The beef tartare with seaweed is yummy too.
If the portions for dishes weren’t so small given the price point, it’d be a more frequent place for me. But it’s a great special treat!
Minh Phan
Paju has been my fav restaurant for years. Their food is so unique - fried rice, bingsu and appetizers are always something I’m excited for. I hadn’t visited since they moved, and I’m sad to say I’m not a fan of the new location / direction. The old location gave a different vibe - cozy and intimate. It was a place that we could take friends and family and had a good time. The new one seems to be geared more towards corporate dinners, and the price also reflects it. The 3% surcharge written hidden somewhere in a corner isn’t it. Price has increased significantly (x2) on top of that as well.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dasha Rodina
Pricey, but delicious food. I had a wonderful time here. The ambiance was amazing too. Everything we ordered was delicious. I would come back many more times. We had octopus, mushrooms and fried rice to share and loved every single bite. Their duck special was good too, but the portion was small. Definitely recommend to make a reservation, the place was packed.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Octopus, Paju Fried Rice
D.
Had a really good dinner there. Food was tasty, creative and very well prepared. I will come back
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Welly Lee
We recently dined at Paju and ordered yellowtail, octopus, bugak, mushrooms, Paju fried rice, seafood jeon, and a New York steak. The meal was a wonderful showcase of how this restaurant blends traditional Korean flavors with inventive twists.
Our favorite dish of the night was the Paju squid ink fried rice. It had a deep, rich umami flavor that felt both comforting and elevated—a dish that really stood out as something special. The octopus was another highlight, cooked to a perfect tenderness and paired with a sauce that complemented rather than overpowered it. The seafood jeon was also excellent, with a crispy texture and balanced seasoning that made it one of the most memorable bites of the evening.
The other dishes were all very good, showing the kitchen’s consistency and attention to detail. The yellowtail was fresh, the bugak offered a nice crunch. The only dish that didn’t quite shine as brightly was the New York steak. While it was nicely cooked with smoky notes, it felt more conventional compared to the other plates. Unlike the uniquely Korean-inspired takes on the rest of the menu, the steak and its banchan felt more standard and less inventive.
Beyond the food, the location is convenient. The restaurant sits next to an Amazon building, and there’s free parking available after 4 PM, which is a big plus in the South Lake Union area. The atmosphere inside is stylish yet welcoming, making it a great spot for both casual dinners and special nights out.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
yifan
very decent fine dinning place in Seattle. good!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Audrey L
A truly enjoyable experience; I’m so happy to see elevated Korean cuisine.
Our waitress was exactly our vibe - genuine, knowledgeable and present, but not overly so.
We sat at the Chef’s counter, and it was great. We ordered the beef tartare and octopus as starters, cauliflower and mushrooms as shareables and the NY strip.
Right off the bat, both starters were incredible, but the octopus was extraordinary. The mushrooms with the white kimchi was something special. Steak was cooked to the perfect temperature over the fire, but it was a touch dry… it could have used a little drizzle of something on top.
Highly recommend the bingsu for dessert.
Only complaint about the service was being given our bill along with our dessert, which seemed a little like being kicked out.
Otherwise a great experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Maria Fern
Came to Paju for lunch and had their bibimbap. The portion was very generous and the ingredients were great quality, absolutely delicious!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Chiara Gallo
We had such a yummy time at Paju! Everything we tried was delicious, but the highlights were definitely the branzino, celeriac dip, and octopus, all perfectly cooked and beautifully presented. Don’t forget to ask for the special (duck two ways)! The service was excellent. We’ll definitely be coming back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Octopus, Branzino Gui
Court Lorenzini
Wonderful dinner here to celebrate our anniversary! Helpful and friendly staff gave us a terrific experience. The menu is outstanding and unique.
We got the yellowtail, octopus, and fried nice. They were all good, especially the yellowtail and octopus
However, we have a pretty bad start to the meal. Two of us got here at 5:30pm with plenty of empty tables. Went to the front desk and was told to put our names down then was told “one second” and nothing else. Proceeded to wait for 10 minutes without a word. I went to check with another person at the bar and she said it will be 10-15 minutes. Some clarification on the status would be nice instead of just assuming that we should know that there would be a wait in a half empty restaurant and left us standing by the front desk. Once we got seated the service was fine.
Food: 5
Service: 1
Kim’ s Family
Always have a great dinner here. Whenever guests come to Seattle, I always bring them here. Among Korean restaurants, this is the best one!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
David Woo Hyeok Kang
Food: octopus had amazing texture, as well as the steak. Wish I got more octopus; salad was meh (interesting texture but didn’t taste fresh)
Service: was prompt for my reservation
Overall a nice atmosphere with innovative well executed dishes. Would love to come back to try fried rice
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Whitney Veloski
I’ve been to Paju twice now. The first time was at the old location and this time was at the new location. This time around was a bit of a let down. The food was tasty, but the menu itself was generic, nothing special. The old location the menu was AMAZING, if I had known they changed the menu I wouldn’t have come back. It was disappointing.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Brian Wee
Highly recommend - among if not already the best korean food in Seattle. Both lunch and dinner were phenomenal.
Lunch is more traditional korean - super tasty, reasonably priced, and great service (shout out and thank you Bill!). Great bibimbap and easily the best bone broth soup (seollungtang) in Seattle.
Dinner is upscale modern korean and made for a perfect date night. Ambiance, drinks, and food were great. It can get pricey but it’s a home run experience
Probably one of the best mid-tier restaurants you can find in Seattle. Each dish has great curated flavors and surprisingly, the portion of the dry aged steak is not too bad for its price point! I recommend the squid, the yellowtail (for unexpected refreshing taste), squid ink fried rice. The steaks are good if you’re feeling the occasion but it’s definitely more on the leaner side (still tender). The beef tartare with seaweed is yummy too.
If the portions for dishes weren’t so small given the price point, it’d be a more frequent place for me. But it’s a great special treat!
Paju has been my fav restaurant for years. Their food is so unique - fried rice, bingsu and appetizers are always something I’m excited for. I hadn’t visited since they moved, and I’m sad to say I’m not a fan of the new location / direction. The old location gave a different vibe - cozy and intimate. It was a place that we could take friends and family and had a good time. The new one seems to be geared more towards corporate dinners, and the price also reflects it. The 3% surcharge written hidden somewhere in a corner isn’t it. Price has increased significantly (x2) on top of that as well.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Pricey, but delicious food. I had a wonderful time here. The ambiance was amazing too. Everything we ordered was delicious. I would come back many more times. We had octopus, mushrooms and fried rice to share and loved every single bite. Their duck special was good too, but the portion was small. Definitely recommend to make a reservation, the place was packed.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Octopus, Paju Fried Rice
Had a really good dinner there.
Food was tasty, creative and very well prepared. I will come back
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
We recently dined at Paju and ordered yellowtail, octopus, bugak, mushrooms, Paju fried rice, seafood jeon, and a New York steak. The meal was a wonderful showcase of how this restaurant blends traditional Korean flavors with inventive twists.
Our favorite dish of the night was the Paju squid ink fried rice. It had a deep, rich umami flavor that felt both comforting and elevated—a dish that really stood out as something special. The octopus was another highlight, cooked to a perfect tenderness and paired with a sauce that complemented rather than overpowered it. The seafood jeon was also excellent, with a crispy texture and balanced seasoning that made it one of the most memorable bites of the evening.
The other dishes were all very good, showing the kitchen’s consistency and attention to detail. The yellowtail was fresh, the bugak offered a nice crunch. The only dish that didn’t quite shine as brightly was the New York steak. While it was nicely cooked with smoky notes, it felt more conventional compared to the other plates. Unlike the uniquely Korean-inspired takes on the rest of the menu, the steak and its banchan felt more standard and less inventive.
Beyond the food, the location is convenient. The restaurant sits next to an Amazon building, and there’s free parking available after 4 PM, which is a big plus in the South Lake Union area. The atmosphere inside is stylish yet welcoming, making it a great spot for both casual dinners and special nights out.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
very decent fine dinning place in Seattle. good!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A truly enjoyable experience; I’m so happy to see elevated Korean cuisine.
Our waitress was exactly our vibe - genuine, knowledgeable and present, but not overly so.
We sat at the Chef’s counter, and it was great. We ordered the beef tartare and octopus as starters, cauliflower and mushrooms as shareables and the NY strip.
Right off the bat, both starters were incredible, but the octopus was extraordinary.
The mushrooms with the white kimchi was something special.
Steak was cooked to the perfect temperature over the fire, but it was a touch dry… it could have used a little drizzle of something on top.
Highly recommend the bingsu for dessert.
Only complaint about the service was being given our bill along with our dessert, which seemed a little like being kicked out.
Otherwise a great experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Came to Paju for lunch and had their bibimbap. The portion was very generous and the ingredients were great quality, absolutely delicious!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had such a yummy time at Paju! Everything we tried was delicious, but the highlights were definitely the branzino, celeriac dip, and octopus, all perfectly cooked and beautifully presented. Don’t forget to ask for the special (duck two ways)! The service was excellent. We’ll definitely be coming back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Octopus, Branzino Gui
Wonderful dinner here to celebrate our anniversary! Helpful and friendly staff gave us a terrific experience. The menu is outstanding and unique.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
We got the yellowtail, octopus, and fried nice. They were all good, especially the yellowtail and octopus
However, we have a pretty bad start to the meal. Two of us got here at 5:30pm with plenty of empty tables. Went to the front desk and was told to put our names down then was told “one second” and nothing else. Proceeded to wait for 10 minutes without a word. I went to check with another person at the bar and she said it will be 10-15 minutes. Some clarification on the status would be nice instead of just assuming that we should know that there would be a wait in a half empty restaurant and left us standing by the front desk. Once we got seated the service was fine.
Food: 5
Service: 1
Always have a great dinner here. Whenever guests come to Seattle, I always bring them here. Among Korean restaurants, this is the best one!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food: octopus had amazing texture, as well as the steak. Wish I got more octopus; salad was meh (interesting texture but didn’t taste fresh)
Service: was prompt for my reservation
Overall a nice atmosphere with innovative well executed dishes. Would love to come back to try fried rice
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
I’ve been to Paju twice now. The first time was at the old location and this time was at the new location. This time around was a bit of a let down. The food was tasty, but the menu itself was generic, nothing special. The old location the menu was AMAZING, if I had known they changed the menu I wouldn’t have come back. It was disappointing.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Highly recommend - among if not already the best korean food in Seattle. Both lunch and dinner were phenomenal.
Lunch is more traditional korean - super tasty, reasonably priced, and great service (shout out and thank you Bill!). Great bibimbap and easily the best bone broth soup (seollungtang) in Seattle.
Dinner is upscale modern korean and made for a perfect date night. Ambiance, drinks, and food were great. It can get pricey but it’s a home run experience
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Octopus, Seafood Jeon, Paju Fried Rice, Chicken Wings Soy Garlic, Tteok-Bokki, Bibimbap, Banchan
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