Haeundae Seafood Restaurant

Spent almost $ 200 and when I asked for more salad that came out as a side dish and they said they have to charge for it. Done said.

i am here eatin now with my friends, we order the steam seafood when they brought out the pot of seafood and open it, it kinda smell cus the mussel wasnt fresh, all the seafood food wasnt fresh. so one guy was cuttin the oyster and those big clam into pieces but he drop one big clam on the floor and never return a new one for us. i dont recommand this place they charge alot of money for dead and frozen seafood. i rather go to jae bu do on western, but anyway the service is really bad and they dont even speak any english. so stay away.

What happened to this place!!! Used to be good with horrible customer service but it’s just getting worse and worse. The only good thing is that it’s seafood which is obviously good and they make gooksoo with the seafood water.
First of all… when I walked in I thought I came to a sauna. Then my bf had a hard time finding the entrance because it wasn’t obvious.
The quality of this place has gone down a lot from when I used to come about a year ago.
They bring this thing called «cheese fondue» which is watery and has no fondue texture whatsoever and tastes like barf (I’m not exaggerating). We complained about the fondue and they explained that’s how it’s supposed to be. Then we complained to the owner or owner’s son and he said that it’s supposed to be this way and it’s because they mixed it with wine. Uhm… the basic essential ingredient is wine for fondue. And I’ve never had fondue that had no texture and dripped off my spoon like water with white specks of cheese (kind of like rotten milk) and tasted like spoiled cheese. Then I got more upset, the more I thought about the fact that he thought it’d be ok to let us think that it was normal for fondue to be the way it was. as if I didn’t know what fondue was. So I got upset and told him later and then that’s when he apologized and admitted it’s not supposed to be like that and the kitchen must’ve not made it right and etc.
Okay so then if that’s not how it’s supposed to be then why are they serving it to us and acting like it’s normal? And why arent they doing something to replace the nasty crap they put at our table? They didnt do anything to make up for it. I’d expect him to give us some kind of service or discount for having a meal in this manner but nothing was done (not even a can of soda to wash that nasty «fondue» down). They should take that fondue off the menu.
During the whole 1.5 hours of dinner the waiter didn’t come even once to check up on us or ask us if we need more water or anything. We didnt even get one refill of water or side dishes. The only time she came was when she had to open the shells and etc in the beginning of the meal.
I’m pretty upset that I have to write such a bad review for a restaurant I once liked!!! I used to tell people to go eat here instead of the other comparable seafood restaurant (which I won’t name here), but now. I definitely do not recommend this place.

best part after the jjim was the noodle soup. handmade noodles, soup w hint of jalapeños!

Grilled over Steamed anyday
Small $ 45
Medium $ 75
Large $ 100
XL $ 120
For 3 people, the S or M is perfect because they’ll make you kalgooksoo (noodles & soup) in the end. I’ve ordered the lobster for $ 25 with a M combo and I was so full I couldn’t eat the lobster. Perfect to pair with soju!

wasn’t as great as i expected. service was slow and very unfriendly. took forever for our food to come out and the place wasn’t even busy. waitress wouldn’t come around so a member at my table got up to grab napkins for himself as if napkins were selfserve. portions for the combo wasn’t worth the price. we tried to order live octopus which they didn’t seem to have. we asked if it was seasonal and the waitress said they rarely get it in so we would have to be lucky to come on a day they had it.
other than that the seafood itself was good and pretty fresh considering the prices. if you take kids and want something to keep them quiet at the table, order the corn cheese. it’s REALLLLLLY sweet.

Klingon cuisine here we come. Live octopus writhing helplessly on a plate, to be chewed speedily so that they stop squirming and won’t try and attach themselves to your walls of your buccal cavity. We did not have that. Thank you very much. Something less Star Trekky. I think the writers of Star Trek got the Klingon cuisine idea from Korea.
We had the large steamed seafood, not as exciting but non the less impressive in appearance but not necessarily in taste. The banchan was delicious.
The main course was tiers of mollusk steamed in a tower of steel trays. There were clams, conch, abalone, octopus, cuttlefish, scallops, shrimp and lobster. It was quite an adventure since I don’t see a tower of seafood in front of me ever, and some of the textures and flavors are not familiar so we were exposed to comments at the table. Something like I just tasted the ocean and no, more like the pier.. . whatever.
The meal ended with a hand made noodle in the essence of all the seafood we had. This noodle soup was the best part of the meal. Will try the BBQ seafood next time to compare with Jaebudo. I do find Jaebudo BBQ more tasty than steamed seafood and also quite exotic even for Los Angeles. It is like dining in the far east.
Comparing it with oo Kook i find this place to be tastier and more adventurous. It was fun and will be returning to try the BBQ version of the seafood. Meanwhile live long and prosper or something more Klingon, Qapla’!

Came here with a group of 4 people and we ordered the large steamed ($ 130) Live octopus ($ 25), Lobster ($MV), and EEL ($MV). On top of all this food, they make you noodle soup at the end. With alcohol, we spent about $ 260 before tip. When you usually spend that much $$ at a korean restaurant, its courtesy to give us some SERVICE (usually free alcohol) but we got NOTHING.
Other than that side not, the food was fresh and yummy. The size and freshness of the eel was impressive. They bring out the whole eel and cut/​cook it in front of you. The size of that thing was ridiculous! lol! Another dish that stood out to me was the live octopus. Very fresh!
The steamed seafood was average. Nothing special, but nothing specifically lacking.
This restaurant is a good alternative to JAEBUDO. I, personally, would recommend haeundae over jaebudo, though, because jaebudo has bad circulation in the restaurant, whereas, Haeundae is much larger in size and has a better ventilation system.

Many of my Unilocal friends know, once I’m hooked at a place I go until I get sick of it or no one wants to go with me anymore… and so this is one of those places. I’ve been going to eat at this place for the past 2, 3 months and I’ve enjoyed it every single time.
The place is quite hard to find and they don’t have an alternative name in english so it might be harder for people to find so let me help you out. It’s located on western and 4^th in a plaza that’s 2 stories high it’s in the second floor towards the corner next to the elevator (which isn’t working).
I tried both steamed and grill and loved both but I’d say the steamed is a bit less work… for the worker and yourself hahaha
Steamed, like I said is a bit less work because it’s pre-​steamed inside the kitchen so when your server brings it out they’ll cut everything and put in out for you so you can start eating it right away. Also while you’re eating the seafood on top the juice.(sound pretty gross) goes all to the bottom where they’ll use that as the base for your noodles at the end of your meal… so yes, I like steamed… for the noodles hahah
Grilled…equally amazing but you wont be able to enjoy the rich noodle broth because they’ll just use the broth they have in the back instead of the clam juice from what you were eating… (once again sound really unpleasant but it’s damn delicious).
Oh, another about the grilled is it doesn’t pop and crack all over the place because it’s not cooked on open fire and you don’t have to be scared to cook or grab a clam like other places I’ve been to.
The side dishes don’t disappoint you, I’ve made the mistake of eating too much of the side dishes before the main course my first few times… and was too full to eat the main course… so don’t make that mistake. It’s hard to resist when the side dishes look and taste so delightful. They give you seaweed, sea snails, broccoli, korean pancakes, tofu. Recently they changed the side dishes a little and they have spicy seafood mix with cheese, cheese fondue (I love cheese), spicy cold squid dish and… soup I can’t quite remember.
I’ve also tried their sea squirt and sea cucumber, which are an acquired taste but if you’re feeling adventurous, go for it ! I honestly like sea cucumber a lot more than the sea squirt but some people like the other more… preference. Oh, they do have live octopus, yes, live octopus hahaha it’s so delicious but so many people think it’s so nasty. Dip the live octopus in the sesame oil with salt and you’re good to go.
*Warning* they can get stuck in your mouth… chew thoroughly. HAHAHA
They also have live shrimp but it’s seasonal.
I love seafood raw and cooked. This place always brings out the freshest seafood and I had no complaints for all the times I’ve gone. Although I do complain that koreans and seafood always attract alcohol and I end up drinking too much … but I guess it’s inevitable ahhaha
If you get lucky and find this place without getting lost, AWESOME! :)
Definitely give it a try if you’re in the area. IF you do compare this place to jaebudo… it’s different they’re concept and idea is very different. At least you get the option of having steamed!
Oh there is a bit of a line if you go during the dinner rush.

jaebudo all the way
it’s different here and not necessarily in a good way
pros
no wait
more space
ventilation so you don’t come out smelling like you crawled up a chimney
that’s about where it ends
i prefer the variety of seafood and side dishes at jaebudo
also the quality of the seafood is better at jaebudo
most of the stuff we had here was tough after being cooked
or just had this funky taste/​smell to it

If your a fan of seafood (steamed, cooked, raw), you should definitely check this place out.
My gf took me here to eat for my belated birthday meal.
I’ve never heard or tried this place so I had no expectations.
For two, we ordered a small-​sized steamed seafood platter which comes with clams, mussels, oysters, abalone, shrimp and more! We also ordered live octopus (nakji)
The nakji was pretty good. When I was younger, my parents would always order and eat live octopus in Korea. The thought of the legs/​tentacles moving in your mouth freaked me out. Never wanted to try it until now. and dude, I’ve been missing out! It still does scare me if the legs are very thick; I feel like the tentacles will get stuck in my throat… =X Just make sure keep chewing until you feel confident enough to swallow the legs!
They offer you sauces for you to dip the steamed seafood in. After you eat all the steamed seafood, they use the left over broth and whatever seafood you didn’t finish and make KALGUKSOO (Korean noodles that are usually handmade, knife-​cut wheat flour)
The crowd are like old korean folks. but what do you expect? lol
I had a good time and enjoyed the food. The service wasn’t the best but I didn’t really expect it to be, I didn’t come here for the service, more for the food and experience!

We came here on a Saturday evening after trying to go to jaeboodo and my friends wanted to have seafood dinner. It was over an hour wait so we ended up here as a second choice
Three ladies. We ordered the medium steamed order of clam shrimp mussel abalone dish but the side dishes was nothing like jaeboodo …
The girls and I finished and we were still not full but good thing they give you noodles after .
We kept on calling the servers but they didn’t pay attention to is! It was a small restUrant with two or three servers
I’m really sorry about this place

Came here for the first time to treat my bff from San Francisco, but not too many these grilled seafood places open for lunch hours…
Thanks to Unilocal for leading us to this gem in Ktown!
The service was great (with slight language barrier).
The portions were somewhat smaller comparing to the same amount price of bbq beef in usual Ktown restaurant (we ordered small size grilled seafood combo $ 44).
But that’s exactly what we wanted because we wanted to get our «drinks on» LOL!
We definitely come back here with bigger group and try XL combo next time!

My parents took me here and I have brought so many friends and introduced this place to so many others! Each time, it is such a fun and wonderful dining experience.
A bit on the pricier side (as seafood usually is), but if you go with a group of 4 – 6, it’s not bad at all. If you love seafood (whether grilled or steamed), you will love haeundae. I recommend it more than jaebudo also but that is mostly because of the fact that their kalgooksoo is better!

Steamed shellfish, clams, mussels, abalone, oyster all in one pot!
I definitely recommend this place and it really feels like you are in Haeundae.
The one thing is that their service is really slow… and horrible. It takes 2 – 3 tries for the server to bring what you asked for. Also, the alcohol price is on the higher end. I recommend making a reservation if you plan to come on Friday or Saturday night or if you are coming with a big group.

This place has so much potential but the service is horrible :/
I can see the anxiety consuming every server that they can’t even deliver standard customer service whilst the owner is having a jolly old time drinking with his girlfriends in the corner. Smh.
Bad management ruining a good meal.

the seafood is very very fresh and tasty.
the service earned the –2 stars. Our server was preparing for the oysters and the meat fell on the table (pretty dirty), she didn’t even think twice before pick it up, put it back on the shell, and gave it to us. I was a little shocked then she did the same for our guests at the table. We did not touch the oysters and felt pretty disappointed and wonder if they do the same in the kitchen with food that falls on the floor.

6 of us went there for a seafood dinner few days ago. They were busy when we got there but we made a reservation so we didnt wait. We ordered grilled fresh water eel and XL size steamed clams. It os pretty expensive comparing to foods quality. Eel was not tasty at all and too chewy. I was expecting tasty eel like the one I have had in korea. It was totally different. They used to serve good amount of steamed seafood but not anymore. We were dissapointed that their portion got smaller and even the quality was bad. And they need to hire more severs during dinner time. Servers were not able to take care all the tables so the service was chaos! We had to ask them to bring some sauce several times. I think i will never go back to this place again.

I was craving some grilled seafood, like that of jaebudo, but was not in the mood for a smokey place and wanted to try somewhere new! So we came to Haeundae.
A friend and the server both recommended thier steamed seafood over grilled seafood and we got the XXL for the five of us which included pretty much everything from lobster, abalones, clams, oysters, scallops, mussels… etc. Overall, you can get cleaner taste that that of the grilled and I really did enjoy some of the seafood there! But… problem is steam kept cooking and cooking the seafood and they really didn’t time out which would cook faster than the other so 70% of the seafood we had were SUPER RUBBERY. Ugh! What a waste of ingredient!
Also, the portion wasn’t big enough for the price you pay.
Service was also lacking because even though the restaurant was actually quite empty, the servers didn’t really care for us and actually «sighed» multiple times when we asked for something!!!
I really did enjoy the kalgooksu broth because it was so clean! I might have liked this broth the best from my meal.
Overall, I would not come back here and I do think Jaebudo is better too.

OHHH WEEEE. Thank you mama kim for introducing me to a new hot spot in Ktown. SHELLFISH HEAVEN– So simple: They serve it either steamed or grilled in small, medium or large. I would say 95% of patrons choose the steam method as the clams are softer and less chewy in the steaming process. The grill seems interesting, but beware you will be left with lots of chewy seafood.
The mix– clams galore, mussels, big/​small scallops, oysters, shrimp, abalone, and conch. I’m sure I’m missing some others. Everything was freshly steamed upon ordering and the banchan spread was different from what I am used to seeing. The steamed seafood was AMAZING. The waitress opened the steamer and we wow-​ed at the contents (see picture). She then cut up all the large pieces and placed them on the large shells. All you gotta do is dip in the sauce and eat away! At the very end, she takes the broth from the steamed shellfish and throws some noodles in there for fresh kalgooksoo. Yummmmmm!
Warning: It’s a hole in the wall so limited seating. I would limit the party to about 4 or less. You will wait if you come later in the evening – suggest coming on a weekday.
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Valet parking: $ 2. The building is on the corner of 4^th and Western (actually on 4^th St towards Downtown). The restaurant is located on the second floor all the way at the corner end near the Western Clinic. Signage is all in Korean so I have posted a picture.