Halgatteok Korean Rice Cake — Restaurant in Federal Way

The food was actually pretty good. We got the Rose tteokboki with some of the add ins and loved it. I go to Korea multiple times a year and it’s delicious even compared to that!

The problem was our experience with the service. When my friend and I walked in, the woman employee at the counter told us to take our time and nothing else. We looked at the menu and noticed the bar with all the tteokboki and toppings. Having never been here before, I assumed it was much like going to a mandarin wok place where you load everything into the bowl and they cook it for you. We were never told about the way to do things even though I watched the employee tell the next 4 people how to order.

I even asked the employee at the counter how many of the garae tteok come in the order as it wasn’t clear. After she said three I said allowed, okay, I’ll just grab the three in one bowl and the toppings in another as the sign mentioned the toppings had to be weighed. We continued grabbing the toppings we needed and the nice at the register handed her the two bowls. She asked what kind of ddeok and I pointed to the bowl and said garae. She then put the ddeok on the scale and clarified again that it was just the three from the order and explained why I put it in two bowls. She asked what kind of topping for the ‘second one’ and I said ‘oh no, we just one order of the three for rose.’ She said okay and we paid the total which came up to $44. I assumed that the weight was super expensive. Later, when the SIX ddeok came out I asked her for clarification as we just wanted three. She then said that of course they were both weighed as those are for toppings. I repeated that I’d explained repeatedly I only wanted three but she just said it was a topping Odin apology and no rectification. I didn’t feel like arguing about it so just walked off. I watched the two of the employees laugh about it while pointing to the sign after.

It’s just frustrating to pay so much...

We wanted to try out this spot as I have been following their Instragram page for the longest time and even got a coupon from them. We arrived and the restaurant was half full of customers sitting and another line of customers that were paying or ordering, which was confusing. Additionally, it was a bit confusing that you can pick your toppings as you wait in line cause if you're a solo diner or have friends then it's weird to do that suddenly at the front of the line. I feel they should have a sign or something that lets you know you can get the toppings separately as I thought we would let them know and they will get but it is self-serve.

The inside has a cute, cozy vibe. They have lots of posters on one side while the other wall has a mural. The menu is pretty big and the text is large enough to read from far away. They have several tables and chairs to accommodate different size parties but definitely more towards 2 or 4 seaters.

There isn't much service as you get your plates, utensils and napkins after ordering and then they bring you your order then you never see them again. The lady at the front had some trouble as she took like almost ten minutes trying to figure out some orders? But our food arrived not too long after we placed it and it was pretty delicious. The jjajang sauce was savory and everything was cooked to perfection. The garae-tteok was really good and massive! The texture was pretty good. The prices are kinda on the higher side for what you get but the portion is definitely more for two or more people. I did want to order from their side menu but other reviewers seemed pretty disappointed with their sides so I...

Disappointing overall. The prices were fair, but ultimately, it comes down to taste - and this just didn’t deliver.

We ordered the Grandma Tteokbokki, and it was just average - not good but not too bad. What made the experience worse was the timing: the fried sides (squid, kimmari, vegetable) came out first, and the tteokbokki came out much later. Since most people dip the fried items in the tteokbokki sauce, they just got cold. The order should’ve been reversed. As a Korean street food restaurant, understanding how dishes are traditionally enjoyed is important.

The Garae Tteok was especially terrible - dry, tough, and felt like it had been sitting for a couple of days. Definitely not soft.

Service was decent and the space was clean, but that’s not enough to make up for the disappointing food. I wouldn’t return unless there’s a significant improvement.

Cleanliness: Pass Service: Pass Vibe: Pass Taste & Flavor: Fail Revisit...