Tacoma Cheong Guk Jang

I have hit every Korean restaurant in Lakewood and this was my last stop.
I definitely saved the best for last. If you want authenticity, this is where the Koreans go. It’s not a Korean place trying to get by catering to the general public via a teriyaki menu but can’t repeat myself enough in saying how many childhood memories this place brought back.
It was so good, I wished my dad was still around to share this place with him.
Will definitely become a new family favorite.

They have great and friendly service. The food is really good. The tofu soup is a little on the Smokey side rather than spicy. A little far but we will try and be back.

The food was wonderful!!! I would definitely come again every time I came to Tacoma. My family and I couldn’t stop eating and were disappointed when the food was gone. My father said «this is the best Korean food in the states.» I can’t wait to come again!

Born and raised in korea, I was so glad to have come across this place. They have authentic korean food (at least about 10 different dishes I tried here) and the side dishes are above average compared to other korean restaurant in greater seattle area in terms of quality and taste. My favorite so far is the fish soup, the first item on the menu. Good service, fair price. Love their food!

I’m from LA and moved up to Cap Hill. Have been desperately looking for decent Korean food in the area while Fed way and Lynnwood restaurants do a decent job, my favorite restaurant in terms of food, authenticity and service is this one. When I’m in the area, I always stop by for some deliciousness. Their jun gols and bossam is legit.

I have been here a couple times. The food was good for the first two times I went along with the service. However, the 3^rd time I went, the tofu soup tasted so bland and we never got service after they brought us our food. At Korean restaurants, the waitress would normally come by and ask if you would like more side dishes or water. We got none of that on the last visit. They brought us our food and never came back to our table. Plus it wasn’t busy at all, probably 4 tables with customers.
The bland food and terrible service = not going back.

This place doesn’t accept customer! I went to there at 9:00pm, and the waitress said they are closed. We knew they close at 9:30pm because we went to there several times before. Also, there were some customers who were still having a diner with their family. I was so humilated and just got of there with my wife…

If I could give no stars, that would be more appropriate. We came in, were seated, and waited almost 20min before we were asked if we wanted anything to drink.
When we walked in, it was fairly empty, so she seated us at a large table. We were then asked to move due to a large group walking in after about 10min in the restaurant. I didn’t mind moving, but what irritated me was that the family that walked in was served drinks before we were even served ANYTHING. THEN three guys walked in, and the server/​hostess came and got their order. Only then did she realize that she has not visited our table… at all… She was extremely rude, never checked up on us, and I had to flag her down to finally get some carry-​out boxes and our bill finally leaving this bad dining experience behind.

Like every asian says, if u see a lot asians in the restaurant, you know this joint is the real deal. This restaurant looks straight like — KOREA and I love the casual, homey, set-​up. Of course they have the flat screen TVs w korean comedy or soap-​opera on, haha! The soups are the bomb. Good variety and really great ban-​chan (side dishes). I have had about 4 of their soups– which were all so perfect, no too salty. Also, they don’t use MSG in their foods. Service is alright. Definitely a hidden jewel, all I can say is that it is authentic and legit!

Food is good here, but the service can be hit or miss. It can get crazy busy here which means you don’t get enough attention. It’s a little slower then it’s a better experience.

A true Korean Resturant. It is as authentic as it gets. Very good comfort food for Koreans. If you are not use to Korean food, order the Kalbi; very tasty and well made with quality product/​ingredient.
Highly recommend. Do not get discourage by its appearance from the outside. I am assuming it is par for the area.

This baby is on fire. Highly recommend their soups. They have a variety of traditional korean food. Great location to hang out in Lakewood.

Reprise
So you’ve tried Korean food in the form of Korean BBQ and even dabbled in the dol sit bibimbap and soon do boo, and you’re ready to try more because you realized that you love Korean food but you don’t want to go somewhere where the mystification of Korean food is debunked by something crappy.
If that’s you, then this place is for you.
They’re consistently good and their service is awesome. I’ve tried at least half of their menu and I have yet to find something I don’t like. My favorite, however, is their bossam and their beef cabbage soup. If you don’t know what bossam is, look it up, start salivating then head over to try it.
So good.
But my favorite reason for going here is their side dishes. I mean they had chanterelle mushrooms that’s was tossed in light mirin sauce for heaven sake! They even had small green scallion pajun and steamed egg!!! Soooooo gooooood
So yeah awesome food but even better than average side dishes. Def worth a try

Do not order the seafood tofu soup! It made me feel sick after eating the clams and sipping on the broth. I was going to order beef instead of seafood… maybe it wouldn’t have been bad if I had ordered that instead.

I LOVE Korean food !! It’s even better that my bf is half Korean, because I really fell in love with his mom’s cooking ! Nothing better than home cooked meals. I was told that this place is just as good (Thanks Veronica and Leo) so we definitely wanted to try it before leaving Tacoma, Washington.
Ambiance:
Hole in the wall type restaurant
Private lot
Very homey feel and inviting
Small/​casual spot
Menu:
I love the side dishes (ban-​chan). Some simple ingredients can make the most delicious meals. I really enjoyed the kimchi and pickled veggies !! Granted I can do this at home, but I love the presentation and set-​up of dishes in front of you and you get to pick and choose what you want. I also love that most side dishes are vegan-​friendly and healthy too !
We also ordered kimchi pancake (vegan-​friendly) and I thought it was quite flavorful and filling. It was a bit on the greasy side, but still delicious. Great for sharing and plentiful for us four.
Soft tofu stew (vegan-​friendly) — DAMN this baby was on FIRE (see pic) !!! If you like SPICY then get this !!! I didn’t even have the option of picking a spice level, but it was definitely clearing up my sinuses ! Not a bad thing. It was very flavorful and authentic in taste. I ended up eating all of it and it was quite a large bowl ! My bf was impressed, especially since he can’t handle spicy dishes as well as me.
The multi-​grain rice is one of the best kinds I’ve had. Definitely prefer it over white rice. I was able to balance the spiciness of the stew with the rice and cool it off with some ban-​chan in between bites ! YUM !! This was a fun way to eat !
Everyone else seemed to enjoy their meals as well and we were so STUFFED after that we even had leftovers !
Service:
We were immediately seated on a Saturday night. There weren’t many customers.
Quick and efficient — Food came out promptly (fresh and piping hot). Other than that, there wasn’t much communication with the waiter/​waitress even though it seemed dead that night. I notice service is a hit or miss in these establishments.
I also thought it was odd seeing the employees prep veggies next to our table. I would think they would do that behind the scenes in their kitchen, but they were completely exposed. Unsure how I felt about that, but it sure made it feel extra ‘homey’ if you know what I mean. Hehe
Overall, it’s a great casual spot for a quick bite to eat. It’s not fancy in any way and service isn’t the best, but if you want good old-​fashioned Korean food and you’re missing the real thing, then this place won’t disappoint !
Glad I got to check it out before leaving Washington. Would love to go back for sure !

No other words need to write for this place
GO GO GO GO PLACE!!!
Everything about this place is good.
Clean
Taste is amazing
Side dishes are amazing
People are nice
Waiting time is fair
Standout of the standouts in S. Tacoma Way

There banchan was quite interesting, spicy crab legs, Korean eggplant, baby bok choy to name a few. There kimchi was very flavorful and the multi grain rice was a nice a accompaniment to my black goat meat soup. Which by the way was packed with goodness. The goat meat was very tender, the spice was just enough to tickle your tongue and the dul jae is sure to revitalize you!

Best soft tofu stew I’ve had here in Pierce County! The beef in my stew was actually edible and not dry like some other places I’ve tried. Wish it was spicier. Love the variety in their ban chan.

HOLY MOLY!!! THe Best Old style Korean Restaurant EVER!!!
What makes this place awesome and different from the other Korean places???
BAN CHAN!!! It has alot of variety and all of them are fresh!!!
VEggies!!! it’s a very veggy friendly restaurant and has lots of good harty food for everybody :)
Reasonable prices and awesome service!!!
I only have only good things ot say about this place and I only wish I knew about this place sooner!!!

Good food, good prices, good service… what more can I ask for?
They have lunch special deals, starting at $ 5.99, that come with all the side dishes (about 6 or 7). My favorite is the bijii jigae (ground soybean stew) with rice. It’s a must try. :)