Oma Bap

Fantastic, affordable, quick, clean, friendly. Conveniently served, perfect take out. Very nice and recommended to several people.

Traveling through Seattle and was craving something quick & tasty.
Amazing food & super friendly service! Bibimbop was perfect!
Atmosphere was fun & inviting — will definitely be back any time I’m in Seattle

Solid lunch spot. I work across the street from Oma Bap and hit is almost weekly. Everyone on the staff has always been super nice and engaging, which goes a long way for me. The menu item may seem limited at first glance, but there is so much going on in your bowl when you get it, you’ll never complain.
The folks here are wired for all sorts of apps so you can get your order in or presumably have it delivered. The wait time is remarkably quick… about the time to cook an egg plus 10 seconds… quicker if you order something without a cooked to order egg.
The Bibimbop is awesome and they push it… I get it with bulgogi beef as it is a consistently tasty protein option and my go to… it is seasoned really well and quite tender. I have had the tofu and spicy pork with no complaints. I really enjoy the mix of cooked food and the fresh veggies in the bowl
The Japchae is good to if you prefer a noodle dish. I think the veggies here are cooked in rather than layered like the Bibimbop, so the meal will be hotter temperature wise, but that is not as satisfying for me, so I tried it once, it was tasty, but I prefer the Bibimbop. Your mileage may vary.
The Miso soup is fine and like most miso soup, will leave you wanting more.
I tried the Jeon once and while it was cooked brown and crisp, I thought the veggies in it were cut too large and I did not enjoy eating it.
the hot sauces they leave out for additional zing aren’t what I would call HAWT… they provide a nice kick if you are generous when applying them, but aren’t going to kill you.
Bibimbop with brown rice and Bulgogi beef =12−13 bucks after a decent tip. There are cheaper lunches, but I have yet to find one as satisfying this close to my work.
You may find as you parse the other comments that people are being persnickety about the little things… how traditional is it, will the fryer biodegrade in the next 2 centuries, does the owner comb his hair with a brush or a broken fork?! When people are knocking off stars for those kinds of things, that means they are just fishing for mud to sling cause they are too boring just admit, hey this place is a solid spot for some lunch… which it is.

In the neighborhood so we decided to try this place for lunch. Coming from Southern California where we live near lots of Korean restaurants and markets within a 5 mile radius, I wasn’t sure what Korean food would look like in Seattle. I was happily surprised! We ordered:
— japchae with bulgogi — really good, well seasoned, the bulgogi was soft and flavorful.
— bibimbap with pork — delicious, the pork was tasty and the variety of veggies was good.
— miso soup — good broth, went well with the spicy bibimbap
— spicy pickles and kimchee — Fantastic! The kimchee was fresh with a good kick, not too spicy. The spicy pickles were great, went well with everything.
Even though this place is fast casual, the food was as good as many full sit down Korean restaurant in SoCal.

Biggest gripe is that they’re serving bibimbap in plastic bowls… not the traditional stone bowls. This made the bibimbap cold and just not enjoyable. I stopped eating mine halfway thru because I just wasn’t enjoying it.
It’s like you’re getting fast food for not so fast food prices! We spent $ 31 with tip for bibambap, japchae, and potstickers. I could have easily gone to the ID instead and had my bibambap in a stone bowl, piping hot!
If I do return here, it will be for the japchae. That was absolutely delicious and about 20 degrees hotter surprisingly than the bibimbap!

Good service and fun idea for a Korean fast food joint. This is the Chipotle of Korean food, but with a more limited selection. I was disappointed that they got rid of the Korean tacos, as I had seen it on earlier photos of the restaurant. When we ate there, we had a choice of chop chae or bibimbap. I had the chop chae, which was delicious. I would definitely go back for more chop chae, but I hope they bring back the Korean tacos!
** Edit: I’m told they have the Korean tacos in the spring and summer, plus shave ice! If I’m in Seattle again, will definitely check it out!
If you are visiting people at Swedish hospital, this is about a ten minute walk, or four dollar Über ride away!

This is on my regular lunch rotation. Best kimchi fried rice (cooked with pork belly) ever! Portions are healthy and prices are reasonable. Go now!!!

I ordered delivery through Caviar (online service) and even after sitting through a meeting watching my delicious Kimchi Rice w/​Pork Belly sit until we were done… the soft egg was perfectly cooked and flavor was good — perfect amount of spice. Highly recommended. I’d ask that they overcook the pork belly a little next time, because I like it all bacony and crisp.
We also threw on a side of Mandoo (Korean meat pot stickers) and they were bomb-​licious. Nice and crisp despite sitting on my desk for a few after delivery. A+!
I also ordered a Bulgogi Bibimbap which I actually am eating right now (next day) cold. It’s friggin awesome, too. Even the cold egg on top (hard cooked) is still delish and fluffy. I’ll be ordering again my friends! I’d probably opt for extra meat next time — because I love the flavor.
Given the fact this was delivered to my office near Westlake and I waited another 30 or so to eat — I can NOT believe how good it was.
In total, these two entrees and a side made for four delicious filling lunches (2 peeps/​2days). Not bad at all for the price tag!

[ THE GOOD ]
— Great for a quick meal
— Filling & tasty
— Think «Korean Fast Food»
— Cheap eats (great for college students — Seattle U is across the way!)

Love grabbing a quick lunch here. It’s like Korean fast food. You pick the rice, protein and style of egg in your bibimbap. The Jap chae is my favorite hands down. Great flavor and the right mix of veggies and protein.
We also tried their shaved ice, which was huge. Great for sharing and it had a nice mix of mochi, fruit and ice cream in it. Yum.

I’ve been to Oma Bap several times as I live close around the area and head over if I feel a hankering for quick Korean food.
It’s located on 12^th Ave in between Cherry St. and James Court (which is currently under construction for a new little park) right in between Cherry St. Coffee and Live Love Flow. Free parking can be found around the area, if you park on 13^th Ave make sure to park back in. I would recommend parking on James Court since it’s closest and convenient, but due to the construction it is closed off.
The place itself is very cozy, modern and clean. You begin by ordering at the counter then make your way down the line to pay. If you’re new and have no idea how to order (like I did before) they will graciously help you figure out what you want!
I either get the Spicy Pork or Bulgogi Bibimbap for dine in or take out. I am also a BIG fan of their mandoo (only a pork option I believe), I could eat a platter of them for days and not get tired of them! The wait isn’t very long to get your food and within a few minutes you’ll be sure to enjoy some fresh hot food.
My only thing is that the Bibimbap doesn’t come in a stone bowl when you dine in but rather a thicker paper bowl — I just enjoy having a dangerously hot bowl with some crispy rice listening to the sizzles. But I imagine it would be such a B to clean!

Just got back from eating here for the first time. What a treat. Working on First Hill, you don’t have that many great options for lunch (a girl can only go to Cedars so many times) and was delighted to stop by and try this place out. I didn’t hide my excitement. I told the girl flat out how excited I was and she was cute and said, «You should be!»
I scarfed down my bulgogi beef bibimbap and so happy they didn’t shy away from the beef! You don’t know how many times I look at my bowl and see a couple of strands of beef at other locations. They do good here. The service was fast and friendly and looking forward to the specials the next time I visit. I can’t wait to try their shaved ice!
I took pics of my food and my husband wanted in. I guess I’ll be calling in a «to go» order this evening.

I feel the exact same way Tamika T. feels about Oma Bap. I was staaaarving a couple of weeks ago and my class happens to be on the side of SeattleU that’s near Oma Bap so I decided to check it out. I gobbled up the whole mediocre bibimbap bowl. I don’t expect I’ll come to Oma Bap often but if I happen to have class on the dorm end of campus again, I won’t hesitate to stop in occasionally when I need sustenance to get through a long class.

This place was almost a 4 stars because I was so incredibly hungry, but i still tasted the «meh» underneath all that kimchi. It does the trick for sure — especially if you are hungry and looking for some quickie Asian. The price is right at $ 8 per rice bowl and you’ll get your food immediately.
The only downside is I’ve had really outstanding bi bim bap before and I’m just not going to remember this one after our brief one-​time encounter. Also, I wouldn’t go out of my way for this one. BUT if I’m really deperate and this is the only Korean around…

Cheap eats made largely to order with fresh ingredients. The atmosphere is a bit sterile, but you get plenty of food with good flavor for a small cost.
This place largely caters to Seattle U students, but if you’re in the neighborhood and want a quick bite, this is a reasonable choice.

Great place, even better customer service. Their bibimbap is to die for! I always get the spicy pork with sunny side up eggs. I’ve also had the potstickers and kimchi rice here before and it is really good. They make the food right in front of you, as well. It’s always nice to come here when I want some spicy comfort food for less than ten bucks!
Prices bumped up a dollar recently for the bibimbap (not sure about everything else) but they have «complimentary» kimchi now with every order! Bibimbap is about 9 bucks and is super filling. The stamp cards are really nice to have.
Would recommend to anyone!

I used to get Oma Bap for lunch all the time in Bellevue, and I was sad when it closed. So happy that it re-​opened across from SU! That makes getting a quick, tasty, healthy dinner much easier before or after class. I visited the new location yesterday.
I ordered a tofu bibimbap with brown rice, sunny side up egg, and sweet mild sauce. I didn’t get to eat it right away and I’m sure it would have been nicer warm. I would have liked more veggies. I also wish that there were a sauce that wasn’t sweet but wasn’t so spicy — I’m a spice wuss, but I also prefer a more savory bibimbap; I would like more sauce choices. The portions are filling and it feels like a good deal for the price. It’s also a fairly well-​balanced meal that I felt good about eating.

The hot sauce saved this meal. The meat in the Kalbi (short rib) bap meal was grey and largely flavorless. I asked for some of the Kalbi sauce on the side to spruce it up and was told there was none available. Thankfully, the smoky hot sauce (the thicker one of the two sauce options) made the meal mildly interesting.
My friend, who ordered the bulgogi also felt the hot sauce saved her meal — her beef was also grey and mostly flavorless.
The bap meals come with potstickers — I had to ask for the dipping sauce as it not out with the hot sauces and was not given to me with the dish. The guy behind the counter seemed reluctant to give it to me.
They also don’t have knifes out with the chopsticks, forks and spoons — I needed a knife to cut my short ribs and had to ask for one. Again, the same guy behind the counter did not seem too pleased to have to find a knife for me (they weren’t real busy so I don’t believe I was taking him away from anything else).
This place is all hard surfaces, and it became very noisy while we were there (despite there being only 4 full table). In fact, at one point, due to a table of four women sitting near us having a good time, my friend and I literally had to wait until their laughter died down to resume speaking as we could not hear each other.
I don’t think I’ll be back — I make better Kalbi ribs.

The food here is definitely good. The ingredients taste more fresh than some Korean places that seem to over cook their vegetable to the point of wilty death. The menu consists of five items basically, Korean staples: bibimbap, jap chae, kimchi fried rice, a «bap meal» which is just meat and rice really, and Korean tacos. You can also pay extra for those little extras like miso soup and kimchi.
The jap chae are bibimbap are both pretty good, the kimchi fried is a huge portion but has spam already in it, so not a veggie option. They also have a «multigrain» option in lieu of white or brown rice. I think it’s basically white rice with some purple rice and some beans mixed in.
So the bad: the tofu costs extra, I hate that. Why do you have to pay more for tofu than meat? Tofu doesn’t actually cost more. Also the guy who appears to be the owner – the really good looking guy, always there with computer and paperwork – is not friendly. He’s not rude, but he barely acknowledges customers even when he’s working the cash register, he’s basically the least friendly employee. I know not a big deal, but it seems weird in a really new place with otherwise friendly employees, why wouldn’t the owner be a bit friendly to their customers?

I was alone. It was late. I just got done working out. I was hungry. Then I remembered it was opening day from Oma Bap’s Facebook page. See, I’ve been following them for a while, and I’ve seen this string of blocks on 12^th close down more restaurants than opening new ones. It’s about time I had more options! There are 3 ok Vietnamese restaurants within a few blocks from each other and I do not crave any one of them (besides the Cronuts at Ba Bar on the weekends) so I was super excited for Oma Bap to open because I love Korean food! I never got a chance to try their old location but have heard great things.
So here I was. It was about 15 minutes to closing time. I was trying to hide my excitement. I walk in and glared at the menu to see what would fulfill my Korean cravings. Although everything looked good, I decided on the KimChi fried rice. I haven’t had good kimchi fried rice in a while and was not a fan of the one from that station place on Broadway and Harvard. I got it to go and it looked and smelled delicious. I couldn’t wait to dig in. Paying with my credit card was a breeze. They had some fancy touch screen thing where you can add tip before signing. I got my food in a few minutes and added some hot sauce on it. I got home and pretty much scarfed it all down while enjoying every last bit of it. The portion size was generous and the kimchi was really good. I hate kimchi that is too salty but this one was just right. I was full and happy.
I’m giving them 4.5 stars. They are friendly, pricing is reasonable, and the food is yummy! Can’t wait to try more items and bring my friends along!
Updated my review 10 minutes later and dropping my review a star because they forgot my miso soup! And I was too hungry to realize that it was supposed to come with my kimchi fried rice! Hmmm… I want my miso soup!