Hae Song BBQ Korean Restaurant — Restaurant in Federal Way

This restaurant became my new favorite Korean restaurant in town now. I ordered porkbone stew-Gamjatang and soybean soup. They are less MSG flavor but still delicious. I forgot to take a picture of side dishes, but I love their side dishes. They were fresh &delicious, and got 1~2 different side dishes whenever I go there. These days, a lot of Korean restaurants(in Seattle metropolitan area) became very stingy on the side dishes(it is understandable if I think of rent, labor, grocery price increase and Covid 19, but quite frustrated at the same time). They don't change the side dish menue, and serve very basic easy dishes such as store bought kimchee and mashed potatoes with mayo which is not a real Korean traditional side banchan. Bean sprout dish is a very basic side dish, and I noticed more Korean restaurant do not even serve that. But Hae Song includes more traditional Korean vegitable dish-Namul as side dishes, and I got dry Pollock dish as a side dish yesterday, which can be cost more and more "hands-on" dish when they make. It is true that there could be frustrating waiting time to get seated, water or paying a bill. However, it is understandable to me. Although they might be inefficient at serving, but they are not rude, at least they are kind. I noticed most servers are middle age of Korean ladies(assuming do not have much experience working in restaurants, this is only my impression), and their English was not that great. So, there could be a communication problem. However, hey, please be generous on that please. I've got so many bad services at other restaurants by young rude waiter/waitresses who doesn't have a communication problem. If you experience a bad service at HaeSong, I really think it is not intentional, more likely communication problem and inexperienced Korean lady servers who's not fluent in English. For the tip of paying a bill, just go to the front desk and waiting there. They notice you faster than just sitting on the table. Another, calling a waitress in loud is allowable in Korean restaurants in my opinion. Waive your hands or say in loud "hello" when you have a really long waiting period to see a waitress. As far as I know, all waitresses in the restaurant cover everyone. I don't think they were assigned to cover certain tables. It means that you can ask any waitress close by you. I hope these tips help you when you...

I love Korean food. I always go to Palace Korean in Bellevue but I’ve been trying to convince friends in Fed Way to try the cuisine. Unsure of what was good in the area, I took the risk and brought some friends to this restaurant. The ambience look decent and I was excited to try out the dish. But what a major disappointment the service was. We felt ignored when we walked in and I get it, the place was busy but no excuse for a good welcome. We waited for a table for a long time as we weren’t even given an expectation of wait but oh well. When we were seated, we were unsure who out server would be and again waited till we felt unattended. A waitress finally took our order. I ordered their spicy beef stew and a friend of ours ordered a tofu substitute for the egg on his bibimbap as he is incapable of eating meat (he’d get sick). We made that respectably clear when we made our order. Our orders also took another long wait. We tried to follow up, and were at times dismissed when we asked for assistance. Red flag when it comes to customer service. They didn’t even get our side dishes till our main orders came. The sad thing is, even after perfectly making our orders clear, they brought meat for our vegetarian friend. We asked them kindly to rectify the order. Not like we want to be difficult but we want to avoid someone from getting sick. They took the dish back to the kitchen but instead of remaking it, they just took the meat off which still has the rest of the dish contaminated. We found out as after a couple of bites, there were still meat on the dish found (not all were taken). Our friend got sick. They didn’t enjoy their time eating a good Korean dish which is sad because I did love my spicy pork stew. Right flavor and amount of spice. I wanted more people to love Korean food the way I love it, and this place did not serve that. Customer service needs to change. Be more people oriented, attentive, responsible, and promote the good experience one can have with...

My husband and I have been to Hae Song a few times, both with friends for barbecue and just by ourselves for amazing Korean food. The first time we went with friends for barbecue, we were pretty much the only people in the place, so service was amazing.

As for the barbecue, the meats are top quality. The chicken is thigh meat, tender and juicy. There are a couple of different cuts of beef included with the marinated combo A - short rib, cubes, bulgogi - and spicy pork, all very good. Their combos are well put together and the meat is delicious and tender with flavors on point.

They rotate sides, so it's always something different, but there are always a couple of varieties of Kimchi along with lots of other items. I've gotten their fried rice a few times and it's always perfect - a good amount of veggies and eggs, and they've offered brown/black rice and with/without egg also, so you know it's freshly prepared.

So why only two stars? Well, we went to Hae Song for a family/friends dinner with my mother-in-law recently on a Thursday night. There were eight of us. It was fairly brisk when we arrived, but not super busy. We had made reservations and we were on time. We were seated right away, but then ignored and it was 100% clear that all of the Korean/Asian families around us were being served prior to us. The couple sitting next to us arrived after we did, but received their barbecue before we even ordered food or drinks! The older Asian woman pushing the cart around with tea and sides completely skipped us, but gave everyone else their tea and side dishes, even people that arrived well after we did. One of our party finally had to get up and ask one of the gentlemen bussing tables if we could get service. Incredibly disappointing.

It's a drive for us, so we'll definitely think twice before...