GoldinBlack

Generous portions. Good service. Good food. Will be back!
FOR VEGETARIANS: The menu is laid out really well to help find what items are vegetarian. Many dishes can be made with tofu as a protein option. We tried the bibimbap and the japchaebap with tofu so far and both were tasty. If we are in the mood for a bibimbap again we would order the bibimbap + avocado + a side of japchae, essentially combining the two (really liked the egg + sauce on the bibimbap, and the japchae from the japchaebap). Will be back to try more veggie options! Particularly eyeing the soft tofu stew and dumplings :)

I recently moved into the area and it’s been a bit of getting used to. Especially since I moved from an area that had GREAT Asian cuisine to here, where there aren’t as much Asian cuisine. Looked up on Unilocal for this restaurant and decided to try it out. Got the bibimbap to go. The restaurant is half family diner, half go wild at night soju places. The bibimbap was a bit more expensive than I expected and it wasn’t really worth the price. However, according to the principles of supply and demand, it’s adequate. There really aren’t any other Korean places nearby. But I’ve had better Korean food/​bibimbap. I think that the cheap side dishes would be a better deal and eating in over take out.

I came to this place based on the great reviews but sadly I have to say it was underwhelming. Most korean restaurants have some complimentary applies for going with their mains but that does not apply here. The meat portions is very small either so don’t expect to load up on the protein. When we went on a late Friday night, it was quite empty and quiet and didnt quite reflect the high ratings I saw on Unilocal.The flavour was good but I think maybe the portion of meat could be improved. We had a avocado kimchi roll. It was underwhelming and mediocre. Definitely not what we expected.

Hole in the wall but the food is so good! Definitely worth a stop if you’re in the area.

It is nice place with Korea style hot spot, large size and it is also taste great!

It was nice for us to find a Korean establishment best our place.
Food was really flavorful and they use a lot of organic ingredients. I had the kimchee stew and it definitely hit the spot. Hot, spicy, and that kimchee tang.
Décor could use an update and maybe most side dishes but overall would come back

Delicious little hole in the wall! Very pleasantly surprised by the freshness and depth of flavor. We got the Ramen and the Thursday Special the pork bibimbap. Yummo!

Less than mediocre food.
I ordered the kimchi fried rice and the tofu soup. Both were edible, but definitely missed the flavors of true Korean food. The soup was very watered down and the fried rice was overly greasy. These dishes are nothing special and I definitely won’t come back. This is not the place to go if you want actual authentic Korea food.

Best Korean fusion in Seattle, Queen Annes best kept secret.
Just posting an update a few months later. This place is such a staple in my life. I try to get here at least once a month, and I gotta say– this place is very consistent. The service is always incredibly nice, the food is always just as tasty as the last time I’d remembered it, it’s ridiculously stable. I typically roll with the sandwiches here, and the Once in the GoldinBlack sandwich is my favorite. I’ve had the dolsotbibimbap also, which is incredibly tasty, but the sandwiches are something original I can’t find anywhere else.

Goldin black pork bulgogi Sammy is heaven!!!
Everything we’ve had there has been fresh and delicious. This place is a must. I’ll keep coming back.

We did a Unilocal search in the area and found a new to us restaurant that we decided to check out before a play at the Seattle Rep. The location is prime and the prices are pretty good albeit the food and the ambiance leaves some to be desired. The tables and interior is very simple though clean and they had a TV that they happily switched to show Sunday Night Football for us. The waitress was friendly and busy the entire time that we were there.
We ordered the stone pot bibimbap and the spicy pork bulgogi plate. Each came with a small little salad and a small bowl of soup (this which was brought out after our entrees but no big deal). Both were nice tastes. Each entrée came out sizzling and stayed piping hot for a very long time. The spicy pork was really good and all of the ingredients seemed very fresh. They also offer the option of brown rice for no charge which is nice. All in all the food was good but lacking the killer flavor or little accompaniment dishes that most Korean places have so we may or may not be back.

If you’re looking for really authentic Korean food, you’re not going to find it here. If you’re looking for good Korean food with an American zing, you’ll enjoy this place.
It’s definitely a hole in the wall place, we almost missed it! There’s street parking and depending on the time, parking on lower Queen Anne can be a pain. The interior is really basic, we didn’t get ice in our water which was odd to me. But the service was great and the food came out promptly.
My roommate has been talking about this place for a few months and I decided to give it a try with a couple of girlfriends. She raves about the bulgogi volcano sandwich but I didn’t try it, I wasn’t in a sandwich mood. The photos that people have posted look great though!
My friends and I ordered:
(Main menu)
Jjigae (spicy Korean soup) with tofu and and egg — it came packed with tofu, it’s definitely a large amount and you can share it with your friends.
Spicy pork bulgogi and kimchi bulgogi with guksu– pork and kimchi was good, guksu lacked flavor but it would be good if you’re not in a rice mood l
Dupbap with spicy pork, kale and kimchi — not a huge fan of kale so I took it out but it was nice that it came steamed. The pork has a lot of flavor, and it was tender!
(Beverage friend menu) — this is a menu of small plates you can order if you’re ordering something from the main menu OR a drink. It’s sort of like a happy hour menu:
Fried Korean pancake — a little over cooked for my taste but still tasty
Bulgogi hand rolls w/​beef — really delicious, I loved this!
Tteokbokki (Korean rice cakes) — really good and spicy (it didn’t come with any meat but it did come with veggies)
Everyone gets a complimentary salad and cold Korean pancake plate to share. The salad dressing was kind of a smokey, soy sauce type dressing
Overall I had a nice experience here and I’d come here again if I was in the area. I really want to try the bulgogi volcano sandwich.

This was my first time going in and it will not be my last.
The service was incredible and the waitress even gave is free appetizers to try!
The food was delicious, I grabbed a dupbap sizzling bowl with spicy pork. The bowl came with sauteed kale, kimchi, white rice, and an egg yolk. There are plenty of other great entrée options too.
You should definitely try this place and support a great business run by really nice people!

If you want truly legit Korean food, you’ll have better luck going to Lynnwood or Federal way. But if you’re stuck in Seattle, why not give GoldinBlack a try?
Although this wasn’t the most traditional Korean restaurant that I’ve been to, GoldinBlack did a nice job in offering Korean (–American) cuisine that curbed my craving.
My friend and I stopped by on a Friday night at around 7PM and found the place completely empty. Definitely more of a «hole-​in-​the-​wall» establishment, the restaurant is better for smaller groups. The service was also good — the ladies working there came by often after we ordered. :)
GoldinBlack has a pretty interesting menu! Although they have typical Korean dishes like ddukbokki (spicy rice cakes), I think they’re better known for their fusion dishes, like their sandwiches and wraps.
In the end, we both ordered the hotpot bibimbap with spicy pork. The ingredients weren’t as «traditional» (think broccoli, spinach, etc.) and the pot wasn’t really «sizzling», but it still ended up being one of the better bowls that I’ve tried in Seattle. :) The one downside was the lack of banchan (side dishes). We only got a small side salad that came with a vinegary/​soy sauce-​like dressing. :(
Despite all that, I was excited to find that there was a Korean restaurant in my neighborhood and I feel like I’ll be coming by again, if at least for the yogurt soju. ;)

Not sure what I’m missing here. GoldinBlack is ok. I liked that they had vegetarian dumplings so I tried it with the ramen. My mom had the pork boulougi and my dad had the beef bim bim bap.
My mom thought the cold tofu that came with her salad was a little odd. I did enjoy the kimchi dumplings but the ramen tasted pretty much like the packets of ramen sold in Asian grocery stores.
All in all, this is an ok addition to the Korean food in Seattle.

Stopped in on a whim while visiting Seattle just as they had shut down from lunch but they graciously fired the kitchen back up for us.
My wife had the ManduGuk, which she really enjoyed. The broth alone was outstanding. I’ve never met a human who could eat as much soup as the serving we got, so you might want to split it with someone.
I had the spicy pork bulgogi volcano sandwich with the suggested addition of avocado. It wasn’t as spicy as the menu might have you believe, but it was crazy delicious. The sandwich was also a large portion but I ate it solo and don’t regret it.

Unilocal has led me to another gem! Though I will say that parking is a beezy here, especially since it’s only street parking. When I walked into this restaurant, I was a little surprised that there was a Korean restaurant tucked away in here. This is a pretty hole in the wall place, and it’s a pretty jenky looking restaurant to be honest. There weren’t too many people here, so we could sit wherever we want. The only thing that was off-​putting was that the tablecloths were dirty and stained since they were white. So don’t come here if you’re expecting a fancy, clean looking place.
But I will say that the food is solid. The service was good as well. I ordered the Bibimbap with spicy pork and my friend ordered the galbi… which was interesting because it was boneless. But, it was good! I couldn’t really tell if the ingredients were fresh or anything, but the flavors were definitely all there. They also have brown rice for no extra charge. The spicy pork in my bibimbap wasn’t fatty, and it was all really meat-​y. Same with the galbi.
I will say it wasn’t the cheapest korean food though (but it may be because we ordered alcohol with the food). However, I think they do have a lunch special so that may be better. I would definitely come back here again :)

I feel like the reviews hyped things up for me and my friends. We had really high expectations, but when we arrived to the café and ordered our food, it was less than impressive.
There weren’t many people in there, first of all, but our food came out really slow. I think it was because of the rush of take-​out orders they had, but they could’ve prioritized a little better with getting our food out before the take-​out people since we were there before they even called.
I would recommend the SuJeongGwa (Korean cinnamon punch drink) if you are into cinnamon flavors, and also the Melona Bubbly (ice cream in a drink?! so cute). We did the happy hour type of menu so all items were under $ 5 unless you added extra sides or what not.
What I would recommend:
Kimchi Pajun (pancake): We probably liked it because it was fried and crunchy Bulgolgi Beef Tacos: No real complaints on this one. They could’ve maybe warmed up the tortilla they used as the taco holder but it tasted good.
Kimchi Fried Rice (you should add cheese or a fried egg): Pretty onion heavy and I think would’ve been better with some kimichi daikon/​radish
Veggie Ramyun: Also a bit onion heavy but the noodles were nice in texture and the broth was hot and spicy in a good way.
What I wouldn’t recommend:
Korean Hot Wings-​you only get 4 pieces and they aren’t even seasoned that well. Yes there is this hot sauce on top but it didn’t really marinate into the chicken and was a little mushy.
Tteokbokki: The sauce was way to watery and they didn’t add the usual fish cake I’m used to from other places. I’m not used to seeing broccoli or potato in my rice cake dish so that threw me off too. We added cheese to the order as well, but it was a white sort of cheese and I wish they would’ve added cheddar or something else.
Though the food was just okay the service was good and the lady working behind the counter was really nice. I think I’ll have to give this place another shot to see if the food quality is better and to see if maybe they just had an off day. Hopefully it will be a better experience.

Thank you Unilocal for helping me find this hidden gem! It is literally a hole in the wall. My coworkers who have worked in the area for almost ten years never even knew about it despite it’s proximity to Pesos and TP.
Ever since finding this hidden gem, I go here almost once every week and have introduced many people to it. Everyone loved it and has since returned because the food is great and the service is friendly, although a little slow.
I’m a huge fan of their jaepchae noodles with the bibimbap sauce. That sauce is seriously like crack to me. I douse my whole entire dish with it. Other items on their food menu sounds amazing and they can make anything vegetarian! Although I stick to my noodles and sauce, my coworkers are obsessed with their bibimbap bowl. They even claimed that it’s the best they’ve ever had! Definitely need to give this place a try. You won’t regret it!

I’m so glad Lower Queen Anne has a Korean restaurant! Whenever I’m craving spicy food I think of Thai, Korean, and Indian. Having not been terribly impressed with the local (Lower QA) Thai and Indian options nearby, I hoped Café Goldinblack would fit my needs.
The minute you walk in you get that punch in the face of Korean food smell — heavenly! It’s a pretty small place between Peso’s and Oskar’s that has about 10 tables. I would say it’s great for groups of 6 or less!
I ordered their dol sot (hot stone) bibimbap, which had excellent spice and plenty of bulgogi to satisfy my meatatarian cravings. Nothing beats the rice that burns to the bottom of the pot after it soaks up all the bulgogi marinade. As a side I ordered the japchae, which was sauteed in gojuchang and has lots of spice with a hint of sweetness. The happy hour portion would probably be enough for most people as a lunch. Needless to say, between the bibimbap and the japchae I had plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day.
Next time I go I plan on taking advantage of their awesome happy hour before a night out in QA. Everything on the menu is $ 4.95 and includes the likes of kim chee fried rice, japchae (noodles), jeon (pancackes), bulgogi, bulgogi tacos (2). They also have what appear to be Korean style banh mis with bulgogi (~$ 8). As if banh mis weren’t delicious enough!