Ho Soon Yi Restaurant — Restaurant in Lakewood

Having lived in Korea for 8 years, I’ve had my fair share of Korean restaurants all over the world, so I’ve got a good sense of what to expect. This place does a lot of things right. The food is great, and the portion sizes are perfect, which is always a win. The service could definitely improve. I tried the 갈비 비빔밥 (Galbi Bibimbap), and it was excellent. The portion was just right, and the flavors were spot on — really satisfied my craving for a good bibimbap. I also had the 갈비탕 (Galbitang), which was hands down the best I’ve had in Washington so far. The broth was incredibly flavorful, and the meat was tender. I’ll definitely be coming back for that. However, the service was a bit of a letdown. The staff aren’t the friendliest, and it’s a struggle to get their attention. They don’t seem to check on the tables regularly, which can be frustrating. Every time I’ve been, they rush you as soon as you order, even when you're the only customer in the restaurant. I’ve been here twice, and both times the service was pretty much the same. I also tried the 냉면 (Naengmyeon), which wasn’t great. The noodles were cold, but the flavor was lacking, even though they gave a generous amount. Still, the food overall is solid, and I’d recommend it for the main dishes like the Galbi Bibimbap and Galbitang. If they could improve the service a bit, this place would be near perfect. But the food alone is...

We had never been here so we wanted to try it out. Coming in, it was cute and very clean. They had all the classic Korean dishes I’ve come accustomed to seeing on the menu. So we ordered beef bulgogi and a soup. All the food came out and we promptly dug in. Immediately we noticed the beef bulgogi was super dry. The bulgogi had a good flavor, but very dry! Loved the flavor of the soup and the sides were very good as well. Serving size on the bulgogi was very generous, again very dry. I didn’t want to do a review without letting the waitress know how we felt and have an opportunity to make it right! When I said something she stated that this was how bulgogi was, I said to her that I’ve had bulgogi many times over the years and have never had it this dried out. I think she was nervous about me saying something and didn’t seem to know what to do. She then asked me what can she do to correct it and I stated I wanted to let them know we were very disappointed. With that we asked for our bill. Didn’t expect to get anything for free, but thought we may get a discount on the meat. Nothing was offered to make it right and not even a discount. Oh well, our dogs seem to love the bulgogi. So we will give it to them for the next few days since we didn’t eat more than a couple pieces and had a huge pile of bulgogi left over. On to the next...

What a find! I am new-ish to Tacoma coming from the Midwest. I have not had any dolsot bi bim bop or bulgogi for 7 months because I wasn't sure which place to try. Today, I was on my way to Gilchrist Chevrolet to get some work done, but I was way early which is quite out of character! I Googled bulgogi and this place was nearby and had good reviews. Thank you Google!

I skipped the $2 cheaper bi bim bop lunch special to try to beef bulgogi in the hot stone bowl on the regular menu. It came out sizzling like a fajita on fire! As I stirred the soft fried egg in through the hot rice, veggies and marinated meat, I found the crispy rice from the bottom layer closest to the hot stone! Jackpot!! It was accompanied by SEVEN side dishes of goodness adding sweet, creamy, tart, or hot at will. This is the BEST kimchi I have ever had being flavorful and spicy without the sulfuric effects. The portion was definitely enough to share with another, but why when you can take it home for tomorrow's lunch!?! ** Please LIKE my review, if...