BULGOGI HUSTLE — Restaurant in Lacey

I LOVE BULGOGI HUSTLE. I live near BH, and saw the opening soon signs whenever I drive by. When my family saw that they were open finally, we decided to stop by a week or so ago for our first bite. We went about 45 minutes before closing. The inside of the restaurant is cozy and modern. They don't have a very large menu, but what they do have, they do it well. I ordered two Gangnam style combos to go; one with tofu and bulgogi and mandoo, and the other bulgogi and pork and spring rolls(I wanted the chicken, but understandably being close to closing, didn't have any fresh, and I'm not an a**hole to ask), and did lvl 2 on both. While I waited for them to make my bowls, the employees were very friendly, with one chatting with me like an old friend, and another being so sweet to offer me a sample of the freshly fried chicken that another customer ordered. The chicken was so sweet and delicious, juicy, with a perfect panko crunch. My partner and I ate our meals and were pleased with how tasty everything was! A few days later, my partner made another visit to BH specifically for an a la carte order of the Korean fried chicken. It did not disappoint, and I was regretting not getting my own order. I just ordered another bowl to satisfy my nursing munchies, and after a mix-up on doordash, they were super friendly again, and happy to fix my mistake.

Definitely a repeat...

I was stationed in Korea for a year. Of course Bulgogi over there was amazing! I've since eaten plenty of Bulgogi here stateside. And it's just never quite as good. That being said, this is the absolute worst Bulgogi I've ever had in my entire life. Look, I rarely go out of my way to leave bad reviews, but I feel like this time it's warranted. If you're looking for the fast food version of Bulgogi, then this is the spot I guess. The meat itself, which is just thinly shaved slices of beef, is dry and flavorless. In fact, the only flavor present in this dish came from the Sriracha mayo they squirt over the top. It comes with rice AND noodles, which I've never experienced before. But both were overcooked and mushy. So I couldn't even enjoy that part. And why would you put lettuce in a warm dish? Idk, but it doesn't work well for obvious reasons. I couldn't even finish it. We also got the "Asada" Fries. Sidenote: Just call them Bulgogi fries, because that's what they are. Why use a Spanish name in a Korean place? Makes no sense. But I digress. They weren't good either. I took like two bites. The rest went in the trash. I ended up tossing like $40 worth of food. I don't like to complain. I won't ask for a refund. I just won't come back. The staff were friendly and attentive though, so no hate to them at all. But the food here is terrible....

Bulgogi Hustle is excellent for a quick Bulgogi Bowl that includes a little salad, sweet potato glass noodles, rice and a variety of spicy sauces. It didn't look quite so big when the very nice gal building the bowls, but it really took a bit of work to finish it off. We had 2 bowls. My friend had the Bulgogi (she'd never even heard of bulgogi before) with 1st level spice, which is essentially just savory, no spice, and I had the marinated pork and level 3 spice. I could have done 4, probably, but 3 was the perfect enhancement without taking away from what seemed to be a bowl of pork candy, it was so good! It's tiny in the store, only 2, 2 person tables. We are in and I was glad we did since the music playing was pretty lively. I enjoyed it a lot. I want to give Bulgogi Hustle 5 stars, because it is that good, but, and here's the big but, it was $35 for 2 bowls, a very small side of kimchee and 1 iced tea that my friend and I split. I gave a tip, reluctantly, and I was charges a percentage automatically because I used a card to pay. Will I go back? Maybe. If I do, it'll be a while before I do. I walked out feeling like I really spent much too much on a lunch. That said, it was a very tasty lunch that I didn't have to cook... 4 stars. If not for the high price tag and the automatic surcharge for a card, I would have give 5...