Mirak Restaurant
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
14 Reviews for Mirak Restaurant
I love this place. As a Korean, I know what good homemade korean food tastes like and I've been eating there since I was a kid.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
Mirak is the insider's well-known korean restaurant go to in Federal Way.
While nothing to look at on the outside (or the inside), this hole-in-the-wall restaurant has some mean BBQ dishes! I went here for a family graduation and sat in the BBQ section of the restaurant (which is only really about 3-4 meters away from the normal tables). The prices are reasonable and the quantity of meat is more than enough, not to mention delicioso.
I've also tried other Korean dishes that are non-BBQ but found they're usually not up to par with the meat sections.
Service really does depend if you are Korean or not.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (1)
Meh. That's how I feel about this place. When I order the #1 gourmet special (it had to be good since it was the first item in their menu, right?), I was surprised that the portions were really for two. But that's okay, it just meant that at $20, it was a good value.
But when I had the soup, it was meh. Bland, and didn't taste right. Luckily I had plenty of other food.
While the bugolgi was good, it wasn't as tasty as I've been used to in LA's K-town. Maybe it's because they marinate it in some sauce, while Mirak doesn't? The beef was still pretty good.
But the fish was the highlight of the meal. It was good. And those little appetizer things were good as I expected them to be.
So compared to other Korean restaurants, the food here is about the same. Maybe I'll try it again to make sure that it wasn't some fluke.
Im hoping Im reviewing the right place, cuz Im not a local. In any case, this was a very very very very average korean restaurant. Granted, we came in at 11:00AM right at the opening, but I was very unimpressed. Service, its typical, but not bad. Food wise, bleh....
I usually gauge my korean cuisine on one of the simplest dishes ever.... Kalbi Tang. Beef Short Rib Soup. Its simple. Its the one dish that if you make it properly, then it shows that simple fare can also be GREAT. This failed miserably. The short rib was tough and old tasting. Like it was boiled a day or 2 ago. The broth was watery with little flavor. The noodles were lackluster, and the green onions looked liked it was re-used several times before being put outta its misery and shoveled into my bowl. AND, they gave a whole 2 1/2 pcs of short ribs. Come on now, I give my labrador 4 pcs of short ribs and he eats it off the floor even! Portions were like small prison rations...
The pan-chan' was avg. Pickled veg. can only get so sour. The tables were sticky, and the flatware coulda used another round in the 3 compartment sink.
Oh relax, im not slammin the place....I just think it coulda been a much better experience. Im thinkin the chef was off that morning. Chances are, I will be back for another shot at Mirak.... the relatives love this joint.....soo i have no choice.
At first, I thought the place wasn't bad because the food was tasty. However, thinking twice, this is NOT a place you want to go to if you do not speak korean and are planning to pay with a credit or debit card.
FIRST, they gave my friends and I an unwelcoming look. Perhaps they sensed that we were "outsiders".
SECOND, they did not give us any menus. We had to ask for them. Is this a joke?
THIRD, they DO NOT SPEAK ENGLISH. I mean. Yes, it is a Korean restaurant but at least know how to say WATER, which they didn't even give to us until after the THIRD time of asking and using body motions to show them what water was.
FOURTH, Stop being so rude just because we can't speak your language.
FIFTH, Why don't they get some real walls. Yes, be careful. They nearly screamed at us for accidentally tipping their separation wall over.
SIXTH, DON'T RUDELY ASK FOR TIP IF YOU DIDN'T GIVE GOOD SERVICE, EXCUSE ME, ANY SERVICE!!!! Why do people not understand what tip is???!!!!!!
SEVENTH, DON'T CHEAT YOUR CUSTOMERS BY CHEATING ON THEIR CREDIT CARD TRANSACTIONS. Yes, these horrible non-moral grown adults charged me an extra $5.00 on my card when I had CLEARLY written $0 on the tip section of my receipt. I don't care. Yes, it's $5.00 only but hey, $5.00 is a lot when you are a student.
What kind of rude people would do such a thing to someone over half their age. People like this DO NOT DESERVE A RESTAURANT WITH GOOD REVIEWS, NOR DO THEY DESERVE THE MONEY THEY ARE MAKING OR A RESTAURANT AT ALL.
Sorry. As much as you yelpers love this place, I'm going to have to disagree. I'm sure there is a better place that serves ten times better and WILL NOT cheat their customers.
OH FUCK!
joey y's first review on a korean restaurant! i love this place. i was supposed to meet my parents for lunch in feddie way and my mom wanted to take me somewhere i hadn't been before, so i was expecting a swanky, upscale place [why, i don't know, because our family isn't really the classy type]. when we crossed the street from the h-mart, i was pleasantly surprised to see a hole-in-the-wall establishment, instead.
our hostess greeted and promptly sat us and i looked over the menu. mostly standard korean fare, but it had all the essentials a good korean eatery should have. jahp chae [rice noodle stir-fry], dwaen jahng [tofu, soybean soup], and other miscellaneous items, but the most obvious choice in such a restaurant is the "korean bbq".
see that goddamn contraption in the middle of your table? it's a FUCKING GRILL. the waiter/waitress will bring you a heaping pile of some sort of meat and you will cook it your goddamn self.
don't like it? fuck you. you're in korean territory now.
the waitress brought out enough bahn-chan [side dishes] to fucking drown a third-world-country's army. i mean, seriously, we hardly had any room to fit our gigantic plate of meat when it arrived. as for our bbq, we ordered the sahm gyup sahl [think thick, uncured, unsalted slices of bacon], and the gahl beeh [beef short ribs].
the pork was downright tasty. like they had cut it fresh, the stuff just melted in my mouth. roll that shit up with some lettuce leaf, throw some greens and garlic in there, you got yourself a mouthful of pure WIN. the gahl beeh was good, not the best i've had, but i did like the way they cut the beef and the marinade was pretty okay.
and just when you thought that this would be joey's first review without the presence of alcohol? FUCK NO. my dad kept insisting that i drink some beer with him and i kept refusing. i don't know how you guys/gals feel about that shit, but i think it's fucking awkward to drink in front of my parents.
anyway, my dad said something about growing some balls and ordered soju. for those of you not in the know, soju is an alcoholic rice beverage that tastes slightly of vodka, but much sweeter. you sip it from a shot glass and it's fucking awesome.
if you're of age and want to have a real fucking korean experience, don't even think of eating your korean bbq without some goddamn soju. it's like a slap in my face when i see you shove all that delicious meat down your maw without washing it down with the sweet, sweet nectar from korea.
finally, this place is relatively pretty fucking cheap. not like, "hey frat bros! let's order a feast from the wendy's $1 menu!" but like good-eatin' cheap. especially for a korean bbq house.
the owner showed up later and came up to our table like she knew us and was all smiles before moving on to the next table.
the one star was docked for the fact that our water/tea cups were empty halfway through our meal and stayed that way.
also, the hostess is a young, hot-as-fuck lady. i will return to this eatery, make love explosion with her and we'll have the best-looking, best-fed korean kids in this nation.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (3)
Cool (2)
This is my whole family's favorite Korean restaurant!! We are Korean so we know good korean food when we eat it! It's like a little hole in the wall type restaurant but the little hole in the wall places are usually the best and this is the best! Get there early because it's a tiny little place but they do get busy! The staff is (well since my mom speaks of course fluent Korean) very friendly, but even if you don't speak korean they are still great! just not as great with conversation but they try! =)
If you go during lunch you can get a great meal with all the little side dishes for like $6!! (before tax and tip) still a great deal!! Dinner is of course family style with again a million yummy little side dishes!! I can't even begin to name some of my favorite entrees!! So I suggest trying everything at least once! Great for families and groups!
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (1)
Mirak is pretty well known by those who know Korean BBQ in the Northwest. Even though it is located in the Seattle suburbs' equivalent to O.C.'s Garden Grove, blvd., L.A.'s Vermont street or NorCal's El Camino in Santa Clara, amongst seemingly legions of Korean restaurants in Federal Way (20 miles south of Seattle), several locals I know (1 Korean, 1 Japanese) agreed that it was a good place.
My guess the reason for its popularity is its value. It is hard to find, as it is offset from Pacific Highway, behind Indochine and Mi Casa Bella in a little strip mall next to an empty lot. Decor is simple and a bit greasy spoonish, although they do have the wide screen Plasma to show KBC variety shows on DVD to keep you distracted. Half the restaurant is table service and the other half is BBQ your own on the table grill.
Its mostly Korean diners, with your smattering of local Japanese and Chinese. The staff is unattentive and speaks little English (I know because they couldn't give me directions over the phone), but all the dishes are numbered, so you can order without knowing Korean.
What I liked were the appetizer/side dishes. You get 10 of these, even for 1 person; including white raddish soup, kimchee, spicy daikon, spicy long beans, spicy baby romains, sweet azuki beans, bean sprouts, spinach greens, and a couple of others, plus rice. I ordered the Bulgogi (beef) and it came on one of those metal cow plates for steak, except my meat wasn't sizzling, but boy was it piled high! With all those side dishes, a mountain of Bulgogi, and a large OB beer, the bill was only $17.50, with enough food for two! Excellent value!
So if you have a craven for KBBQ, and want to feed a few mouths for only a few dollars, this is the place to go!
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Fantastic!
I cannot even begin to describe the huge array of pickled and sliced goodies that came to the table - I'm not sure of the names, and I don't even know what was in most of them. I DO know that they were almost all super-delicious!
Big, intimidating menu for a honky like me. But everything we ordered was really, really yummy. The prices are sinfully cheap and the portions are huge. Love it!
People thought this was:
Useful (7)
Funny (6)
Cool (8)
Alright, so I had never had Korean food....save for the slop served at Uwajimaya food court.
I walked in hoping to be impressed. The decor....not so much...things started looking up when they asked Barbeque or no? I didn't know what to say...so I said yes. We were seated at a table with a gas-fired grill built into the center of a granite surface.....the "cool" factor just rose significantly. We were told to order from the barbeque section of the menu...there were an assortment of meats available...from chicken to tripe...seafood as well.
We each got different cuts of beef. The suprise came when the server came over laden with plates of food. These were small plates of appertizers, sauces, and lettuce wraps. Things looked pretty spicy...but were more flavorful than painful...there was seaweed....which really made my son's eyes wide...he loves spongebob...so he was happy to eat it.
We cooked, laughed, ate...it is a very interesting place to eat...and there are also pre-cooked items on the menu; in fact, most of the menu is as such.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
i think mirak has gotten better with age. in hs i wasn't a fan, but their service and food have both improved dramatically since i was there last.
the night my band and i couldn't eat at kokiri, we ended up at mirak and, any disappointment i may have felt at not eating at the elephant was forgotten when trays and trays of korean goodness started to pour out on our table.
the food was plenty, soulful & the service was really great.
you also know you hit a great place when, post midnight hour, there are koreans still coming in and havig a good time.
the ah juhm mah's and ah juh shee approval is key to a good korean experience and mirak delivers!
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Funny (2)
Cool (2)
There is something about Korean food thats very comforting. My Girlfriend is Korean and this is where they go for Family gatherings, They know the deal so this place is where its at, if you want Great Tasting Korean Food.
This place can get very busy so be patient, it will be worth the wait. The servers are very courteous. The atmosphere is busy busy but nice. The prices are reasonable but its worth it. Dont worry you dont have to know Korean to eat here, dont be afraid gogogo!! The Lunch Specials that they have are amazing =D
If you haven't tried anything Korean yet, you must experience Korean Barbeque thats where you cook yummy marinated meat to your liking yourself...very fun .When you order a meal you are given a bountiful array of side dishes that are very unique and part of everyday Korean dining. If you run out of a Particular side dish you are welcome to ask for more with no extra charge =)
Kimchi is good for you, so check out Mirak =)
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (2)
I actually learned about Mirak from one of my friends. Having had korean food many times by now I decided to give Mirak a try. Expecting yummy things, I asked my friend for the address and I was off. I went around dinnertime and already the night was off to a bad start.
First things first, the place was kinda hard to find. It took me and my friend several U-Turns to find the place. The parking wasn't too bad ( I parked at the mall parking lot).
As soon as I walked in the Decor turned me off quite a bit. It was rather tacky. We were greeted and seated fairly quickly, although we had to wait a little bit because it was rather busy. The waitress who seated us only spoke fractured english which was barely understandable but luckily my friend spoke Korean and she took care of the translation.
The atmosphere was less than favorable. The customers were all very loud and with the Big Screen TV going off the place was very very noisy. I had trouble holding a conversation with my friend. The staff seemed very unorganized at times and seemed confused at some points but I gave them the benefit of the doubt because it was rather busy.
My friend suggested we get a DIY BBQ table so I was game. The grill was smack in the middle of the table and I thought that was pretty cool. The waitress came over with tea and a tray of side dishes which looked pretty good. I tried almost all of them and they were all pretty good, some were better than others.
We ordered a kimchi stew and two kinds of meat (Bulgogi and Kalbi) and the waitress came over with two big dishes of meat in marinade sauces.
The grilling was very fun but the ventilation system didn't do much and I was coughing from smoke half the time. The meat was very tasty and the stew was pretty alright.
At the end of the meal I opted to pay the bill. Everything was surpirsingly cheap and the portions were big.
Overall my verdict is:
Good food for the price, location is a little annoying, atmosphere is very noisy and lively (not a romantic dinner spot), and the service leaves a lot to be desired. Again, plenty of food and cheap. However, the cheap prices and the huge portions didn't make up for the service and poor atmosphere. I probably wouldn't go back to Mirak again. There are plenty of other good Korean places in Seattle and Federal Way and losing Mirak is no big blow.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
hey just moved to the seattle area from cali. i must say the korean food here is consistent. still new to the area so was browsing this site for tips on where to dine. thanks alvin and erin, recommendation was right on at mirak. food was yum. some really good restaurants in this area. kokiri was also excellent. any other spots i should check out? please post some reviews, i could really use the help here. search for korean food in the 98003 wasn't too helpful! thanks.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
People Who Viewed This Also Viewed...
Related Lists
-
Top Restaurants
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
Hot and New
- South Sound Running
2 reviews
Tacoma, WA
- Dog & Pony Ale House
11 reviews
Renton, WA
- Samurai Noodle
90 reviews
Neighborhood: International District
- Thai Thai
3 reviews
Seattle, WA
- Szechuan Noodle Bowl
32 reviews
Neighborhood: International District
