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Ho Soon Yi II Restaurant
Rating Details »
14 reviews for Ho Soon Yi II Restaurant
This place is laaahhhhh-git.
My mother is super picky about where she dines, and she gives two thumbs up to this Korean joint on South Korea/Tacoma Way. The banchan could be more varied, but the portions are healthy. I don't think I've ever heard English spoken in this particular restaurant, as its mostly Korean clientele. If that doesn't say authentic, I don't think you know what does.
Casual dining for sure, since the bldg used to be a fried chicken joint or something.
The first Ho Soon Yi has a bajillion reviews and I'm going to give restaurant numbah II well-deserved praise. And I shall now proceed to count in Korean, phonetic words in asterisks. This is your language lesson for the day:
1. *Hana* In my semi-frequent visits, 95% of the clientale are Korean. Korean people eating at a Korean restaurant? ++++ !
2. *Dool* The prices are b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l. Most of the soon-doo-boo (soft tofu soup) bowls shyly sport the number $7.95. I've bought plates of kalbi (marinated ribs), flaky fish, soon-doo-boo & more for 5 people and the bill was barely $65.
3. *Seht* Ban-chan = little modest side dishes that are complimentary with your meal. A well balanced array of pickled veggies, kimchi, potatoes, etc. The service here is so good that they'll happily re-fill any of them if you find yourself mowing through a dish or 2 before your main course arrives.
4. *Neht* I heart their soon doo boo! It arrives bubbling merrily away & don't you dare turn down the offer of a raw egg being cracked into it. (refer to uploaded picture). The egg sinks into the hot broth without a complaint. The tofu is soft, fluffy and there's tons of it. Plus there's bowls for the seafood crazy & for those simply wanting just mushrooms or beef. I dare say it's their specialty.
5. *Dah-suht* Last but not least, free dessert! Shikeh is a just sweet enough drink of rice and barley malt powder. Cold, refreshing and definitely kicks silly little mints to the curb.
And there you have it ladies and gents. One of my top Korean restaurants that don't break the bank!
Occasion: Lunch for 3
This is a very casual small restaurant that is clean. The bathrooms were decent (ie. no stench, etc.) It was highly occupied with Koreans.
The Banchan (ie. side dishes) I would rate it as 2 stars. Excluding the dipping sauce, there were not many side dishes nor were there a lot of variety. Very forgettable in my opinion (ie. It's only been 30 minutes and I'm having a hard time even forgetting what they gave us, etc.)
The three lunch entrees that were ordered were Seafood Tofu Soup, Goh-Deung-Uh-Goo-Yi (aka Pan-fried Mackerel) and Bhee-Bhim-Bob. The Seafood Tofu Soup had at least 8 clams and 2 shrimps. The broth was good (ie. not oily, etc.) The Goh-Deung-Uh-Goo-Yi was good. It was a little oily, but this could be contribute to the type of Mackerel and not necessarily attributed to the preparation. The Bhee-Bhim-Bob was good. It is your standard Bhee-Bhim-Bob.
The Shikae we received at the end was good. I still can't figure out what else they mix with the sugar and water.
The service was overall good. Our waitress forgot the extra napkins that we requested. Also, we were only given white rice and not offered Japgok (ie. mixed rice.)
I'm Korean but I do not know how to make Korean food. I usually go home to Dad and Mom's place for authentic yummy Korean food but they don't live close-by. I was driving through Tacoma when I saw HoSoonYi. I used to visit the one in Edmonds and loved their soondubu so I figured I'd give this a try.
I enjoy this location a lot more because the service is actually pretty good. They'll check to see if you need any additional side dishes (banchan) and they have the traditional items that I really enjoy.
My husband is Caucasian (mostly Swedish) so he sticks with the dwe jee bulgogi (marinated bbq pork) and a seafood pancake (hae mul pajun). I stick with the soondubu and I get a different kind of rice other than white when available (jah ko bap).
I enjoy the cracked egg in my soondubu and I immediately stir it so that it will cook in the very hot and spicy dubu (tofu) soup. I've taken my mother-in-law and sister-in-law (both not asian) and they have enjoyed it too.
The portions are generous and the prices aren't too bad. It's very casual and seating is cozy.
It's the next best thing to going home to Momma's for some jinja Korean food!
I fed four hungry women at Ho Soon Yi today for $40.00, including tip. Two of our party shared a large order of bulgogi and two of us got our own orders of bi bim bap. We all walked out very satisfied.
I got the "cheaper" bi bim bap today - if you want it served sizzling in a stone bowl, it's $2 more. It was very good - not the best I've ever had, but satisfying and cheap. The pickles are good, a nice variety, although my favorite - spinach (we call it goma ae) - was missing today.
Super casual, yummy and so darn inexpensive. If you are new to Korean food - this is the place in Tacoma to go & get acquainted!
My favorite Korean restaurant in Tacoma for galbi and soondubu. Like many other cultures, there are places that have a "specialty": think steakhouse, ribshack, sushi place, Italian joint. I'm confident in saying Hosoonyi is a "soondubu-jip" (tofu soup house).
Several different versions, including kimchee, beef, seafood, and various combinations. Fairly spicy for palates not accustomed to Korean fare, but just ask for a milder version. Very flavorful. Large volume of food in the traditional clay bowl - sometimes spilling over the top. Excellent! Will ask you if you'd like an egg dropped in, which I highly recommend. Scramble it or carefully eat around it as it hardens while you eat. Yum.
Good-sized selection of fresh banchan (vegetable side dishes). Always comes with a bowl of white rice - servers may ask if you'd like another bowl and as with most Korean restaurants, there is no charge. But things change, so don't hold me to it. Always bring you a glass of sweet rice water as a palate-cleanser after the meal.
This is not a galbi-jip but their galbi is excellent - just the right size for 2 people to split with a soondubu each, or maybe for yourself if you're in a meaty mood (or just meaty).
Decor is typical for mom/pop Korean casual restaurant - homey, but practical. This ain't no California Pizza Kitchen. But the bathrooms are clean and fresh, the utensils are well-washed, and the waitstaff are polite, but sometimes hurried.
And just as important, it's pretty affordable. All soondubu meals are $7.99 and the galbi plate is $14.99. As with all Korean places, there is no charge for banchan side dishes - they are standard with every meal and as such, you usually can't request certain ones. Of course, it never hurts to ask.
As background, I'm Korean and lived in Chicago for most of my life. I'd say I know K-food pretty well. Go forth and eat! I think you'll like it.
You must try their soon du bu (spicy tofu soup). My favorite is the one has everything. Really good broth - you can taste fish and meat. I'm not sure if you're supposed to eat those small shrimp in there. Rice is nice and sticky. Ban chan is not so bad either.
Don't forget to add an egg in your soup! They'll put one right in front of you.
Their d-way-ji-boool-go-gi (pork) is THE STANDARD for this area. Banchan was not so good, off-tasting kimchee when their kimchee used to be A+
Best Korean food I've had in Tacoma. Side dishes especially good. The seafood tofu soup--I started looking forward to my next bowl as soon as I finished my first. Service was good, though they kept apologizing for being so slow. Got a second round of side dishes with the meal as we'd wolfed down the first so quickly. Cute place--definitely casual but pleasant.
Though the business location can look shady to many people, most people who've eaten here knows it's one of Tacoma's gems in regards to Korean food. This is the place I go to whenever I need my soondubu (spicy tofu soup) or dwaeji bulgogi (spicy korean BBQ pork) fix. I always order my tofu soup extra spicy and I love how they carmelize their onions and set it under the pork so it is extra flavorful.
The restaurant has limited options, but the place was never meant for that - it's a specialty restaurant.
Service is can be inconsistent from attentive to absolutely no service at all (which has very much to do with your age and f how busy it is). But what else can you expect from a korean owned business?
This is still my favorite Korean place to eat on S. Tacoma way and I've eaten at a ton of places over the years. Unfortunately, most of the other places became Korean BBQ places or other shops. But I digress....
Yea, this place looks like a dive because it was probably a Taco Bell at one time and is now a Korean restaurant with a weird old decor but who really cares when you get the best food ever. Whether you eat the mackerel, soondubu or bibimbap you'll come back for more spicy goodness.
Tried this place for lunch...or I guess I should say dinner...arrived at 210 pm and learned that lunch ended at 200 pm and from that point on you pay dinner prices. 10 minutes apparently makes a big difference because the meal was twice as much at the dinner price.
But...the food was excellent so no worries. We had the fried mackeral and the bbq kalbi short ribs. Both were awesome.
Probably one of the best Korean places around.
Hubby's 1/2 Korean, lived in Korea for a number of years (though born in US) and his mother makes predominantly Korean food at home. When we originally moved to the PNW, we moved to the Tacoma area. And felt like we struck gold in finding Ho Soon Yi.
The menu is limited, but what they have is fantastic. The Mackerel is mouth wateringly delicious and practically melts in your mouth. The Bulgogi is off the hook, with just the right amount of sauce, sesame seeds and almost raw onions, served on a sizzling platter. Their soups are amazing, and there's almost nothing on their menu that we haven't tried.
Our daughter really enjoys the Rice Juice they often serve at the end of a meal during the warmer months. The tea is brewed in typical Korean style. There's always a variety of Kim Chi always served (seasonal, mostly).
It's a great little hole-in-the-wall and most dinner platters are enough to feed up to 4 people. But I recommend everyone order something new to try and then do a share-around!
If I'm not eating their pan fried mackerel, I'm thinking about eating their pan fried mackerel. Drool.
