Great food, great view! Very relaxed atmosphere right next to the water taxi to downtown Seattle. I had the kimchi fried rice with the spicy pork and it was super delicious! The tacos are not too shabby either! We sat by the big window and people watched. Definitely a must try if you are in the Alki Beach area! read more

Marination Ma Kai - Kimchi fried rice with spicy pork. So yummy! - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I've been to Marination a few times and it is a great spot to grab a bite to eat. It is conveniently located by the water taxi and has a small public parking lot. The building itself is fairly small, so if it is busy be prepared to wait. On nicer days, there is great outdoor seating on their patio and public picnic tables. I've tried a variety of their tacos, the pork katsu sandwich, and the spam musubi. The tacos were by far the best out of the three. Additionally, they make some good tropical mixed drinks. I'm not usually one to go for sweet cocktails, but I thought it was good. The place is pretty casual; counter service to order and clean up after yourself. Of course, the location is wonderful because it is right by the water and has a great view of Seattle. It definitely seems like a spot people stop at after walking the long stretch of sidewalk bordering Alki. On warmer days, it is crazy with so many people out, so take some deep breaths and be patient. You have been warned. read more

Marination Ma Kai - Sat with my dog at public tables outside. This is not the patio section. - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I had no idea this place would be so popular! We got here around 2pm on a Saturday and the line was crazy long. We waited for about 30-40 minutes to place our order, but once we ordered the food was ready super fast. We got the 4 fish taco plate and the 4 kahlua pork taco plate. I thought 4 tacos each might be a bit much, but it turned out that the tacos were pretty small so it was just the right amount of food! They have a nice patio seating area where we got to enjoy the ocean view. read more

This is a great summer stop for a light meal with friends. It's a social destination with killer views but the food wasn't doing it for me. Food: I went for a midweek lunch with colleagues as nothing looked that intriguing on the menu, I ended up going with three different types of tacos: kalbi beef, Kalua pork and a seafood option. When they arrived, I was shocked by how small they were. Definitely not what I was expecting. The taste was also subpar. They were edible but not memorable sadly :( Ambiance: this marination has shack vibes given its location but what I like is the outdoor patio, which is where we ended up sitting. It's perfect for those warm summer days and you get an ending view of downtown seattle. Service: not much to say here. It's counter service. Order at the beginning and then you are called when your food is ready. read more

FOOD & DRINKS (3.5/5) We got the quesadilla and the fish tacos. The presentation of our tacos were pretty lackluster, so that was disappointing. Fish tacos were tasty but not worth the price ($3.50 per taco). The quesadilla was great, but again, not as large as some other portions (like the fish and chips or the kimchi fried rice for similar pricing). Food was good overall, but the 2 options we chose probably weren't the best on the menu. Their boozy slush (strawberry/lychee) was real sweet, so if that's your thing, go for it. You can barely detect the alcohol. AMBIANCE (5/5) Right off the water taxi, it made for a great snack right before our ride. Our wait time in line was ~15 minutes. The seats look out onto the water, so it makes for a great spot to eat when the day is beautiful. read more

When I first heard of this place, I knew I wanted to give Marination a try. Who doesn't love Asian Fusion? Coming from LA, there are a bunch of Asian fusion places so Marination had a lot to live up to. The location of the restaurant is amazing. It's right on the water and the view of the Seattle skyline is priceless. I can envision the patio deck being filled with tons of customers on a nice summer day. There are so many options to choose from. We decided to get a bunch of things and just share them. We ordered kimchi fried rice with kalbi beef, kimchi quesadilla, fish tacos, beef taco, spam musubi and a side of mac salad. My favorite dishes were the kimchi fried rice and the kimchi quesadilla. Both were delicious! I loved how much meat came with the kimchi fried rice and the egg just makes everything taste better. The meat was nicely seasoned. The creamy sauce that accompanied the quesadilla was tasty as well! I thought the tacos here were mediocre. Although the fish tasted fresh, the corn tortillas were too soft in my opinion. They broke rather easily and created a big mess. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty! The mac salad was cool. Not the best mac salad you'll ever have but it's neat how they have spam in it! If you're looking for a restaurant that has beautiful views of the city and wanted to eat something more on the casual side, Marination is the spot for you! read more

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Marination Ma Kai is a treat! The outdoor seating right along the waterfront offers gorgeous views of the Seattle skyline. And the food is delicious. Our favorites were the Kimchi fried rice and Pork Katsu sandwich. The house-made BULLDOG tonkatsu sauce added great flavor to the panko crusted pork cutlet. Our friends ordered the loco moco, which was delicious but the rice was just a tad undercooked. Other than that, I have nothing but glowing feedback for this place! Check out the views in the photos. read more

Marination Ma Kai - Outdoor seating with beautiful views of Seattle - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Aloha fries are the bomb!!! The sliders could use a little more flavor but we were still satisfied. For drinks we had the POG, lychee margarita, and slush. The POG was so good it could be dangerous and while the margarita was good it didn't taste much like lychee. Besides the food, the service and amazing patio view makes this experience a 10/10!! read more

Marination Ma Kai - aloha fries and pork sliders - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Super chill little lone restaurant with a stellar view of the Seattle skyline. I thought the portions given the price were a bit steep, but I wanna come back to try their lunch offerings. I only tried their loco moco, a breakfast item. read more

Had the spicy prime tacos in a batch of 4. At the time 2 could have sufficed, but I ate 3. It's right at the dock that you can take the ferry from West Seattle to mainland. The sangria will get you where you need to be. Enjoy yourself here and take a gander at the water read more

The staff here is really nice and the location couldn't be better. I find it disappointing when a restaurant doesn't have a public restroom. I didn't really care for the food either. My tofu plate lunch was about as bland as could be and as cold as a brick. Very limited vegetarian options and I don't think I saw a vegan one at all. Would go back for an adult beverage and the view though. read more

Korean & Hawaiian fusion at its finest! Not like i have ever had that combo before, but there's definitely a first time for everything. So awesomely located off the Ferry, you capture a breathtaking view of the Seattle skyline from a different vantage point. Their kimchi fried rice & quesadilla were a match made in Heaven, along with their spam macaroni salad! They offered refreshing alcoholic beverages at their bar area & we enjoyed shave ice made with love to top it all off. Extra points of course for allowing the pup to enjoy the warm sunshine with us! read more

You know when someone picks out a restaurant to eat at and you're not really feeling it but you go anyways. That was my situation when coming here. My bf really wanted to go and I just wasn't feeling it, but boy am I glad I came. Although we came during winter season, I know this place must be great during the warmer months. this restaurant has beautiful views of the city skyline without having to pay a ridiculous price for a meal. We ordered the pork sliders, loco moco, and the kimchi fries. Everything was exploding with flavor. The fries were amazing and so were the fries. If you're a little hesitant on what to order the loco moco, might be your safest option. Nothing to crazy about that dish and it's definitely a comfort food. Im so happy my bf picked this place. It was a great choice with great food read more

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Good food served with friendly service at affordable prices and a great view as well. I really enjoyed my chicken lunch plate. Perfect portion size with no leftovers. Wife said the tofu in her plate was a little too firm for her liking. Would return and try some their other items. read more

Marination Ma Kai - Chicken plate lunch - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

A small menu of primarily seafood, but everything was great. It's a simple place but amazing when the weather is nice and permits sitting outside. read more

Marination Ma Kai - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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We really liked this place. We got three tacos (two fish and one kalua pork) and the kimchi fried rice with spicy pork. The fish tacos were my favorite, but we really liked everything, and the fried rice was particularly unique. Overall, awesome views and very good food at pretty reasonable prices. read more

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Love the spicy pork tacos. The location is beautiful and the cocktails are tasty. Lines can get long but that just shows how good the food is. read more

In general, I would say Marination is on the pricey side, but they do give you a decent amount of product for the price that is paid. We ordered the Lychee Margarita and Hibiscus Cooler, both of which the bartenders were very very generous with They were very refreshing but could use a little bit stronger flavor (sweet/sour) to balance the liquor. For the Fish and Chips, we felt like the quality of fish and fries were better/more rustic than Ivar's, but at a steep $13.75, it is to be expected. I do love the Panko Crust which was very crisp but not burnt! We tried the Miso Tartar, which was interesting, but not particularly memorable. It was a hot day, seating was limited, and the sunshade umbrellas weren't doing a great job of blocking the blinding sun for several tables as they were loose and just spun around as they desired. read more

Marination Ma Kai - Lychee Margarita, Hibiscus Cooler, Fish and Chips - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I've been coming here since they first opened. I love the food and the price is right. However, they really need to prioritize their dine-in customers over online orders. There was a barely a line here tonight and we waited an incredibly long time for just 2 items! Yet, to go order after to go order kept going past us. read more

Pros: location and view. Cons: the lines. You have to wait in one long line to order the food, and then a separate long line to order the drinks. Each has one cashier. There is no line in which you can order both food and drinks, so I really felt like I spent half the time I was there standing in line. Then there's the food, which is mediocre. I would agree with other reviews that say the portions are really small. For example, the tacos are not standard size tacos, they are mini tacos on 4 inch tortillas, and a little weak on the filling. They are definitely tiny. I thought the flavor was fine, but there's definitely lots of restaurants in the area with more flavorful tacos. So, we get our food and I realize that even with a shared large fry, I still have ridiculously small amount of food. I get in line again but then I realize I don't want to stand in line for a ridiculous amount of time again so I ordered a pick up order online while I was standing there and brought the to-go bag to the table. It's good enough I'd go again on a nice day when I can sit outside. But next time, I'll know how much to order and we'll split up the ordering so we each stand in one long line and hopefully it will be a bit more enjoyable. read more

The foods good! Can't beat the view. Shares the parking lot with the dock to catch the water taxi. Parking can be a bit of a menace but friendly staff. The bartenders are super welcoming. My fav has been the spam musubi and the kimchi fried rice. read more

Great outdoor seating but was a bit disappointed by the food. Ordered the fish tacos for $14 and was expecting more for the most expensive thing on the menu. The tacos were tiny and the fish didn't taste that good. My partner got the spam musubi and was happy with it, otherwise I would give this 2 stars. read more

Marination Ma Kai - Fish Tacos - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I really enjoyed this place for the views, the concept and the atmosphere but the food wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be. The location is great - right on the water where you can actually access the boat taxis & walk along the dock. It's also directly across from Seattle's skyline which gives you neat views of the city from the other side. Little picnic benches outside make for a picturesque photo with the cute asian inspired food presentations. My fiancé & I split some tacos & also an order of the kimchi fried rice (we added spicy pork). We both tried the fish tacos, I had another chicken & he had another beef. The tacos are waaaay smaller than I expected. Like, miniature. So to me they are a little overpriced. There's barely any protein on them. Decent tacos but nothing to write home about. However, the kimchi fried rice was amazing!!! Adding in the spicy pork was a good call too, it added another extra layer of flavor. I really enjoyed the little Chinese take out boxes the rice came in too along with offering chopsticks. Style + location makes it worth the stop. But I wouldn't come here expecting amazing tacos. read more

Marination Ma Kai - Top: fish tacos Bottom: beef & ginger chicken tacos Kimchi fried rice with spicy pork on the right - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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I was in West Seattle on Alki Beach and wanted to get some lunch, so I ended up at Marination Ma Kai. This restaurant has the best view on the waterfront with the entire downtown Seattle city in site. From the outside of the building it doesn't look like there is a whole lot of seating but once inside there are plenty of seating and surprisingly even more outside which is perfect for a nice sunny Seattle day. I ended up ordering Kimchi Fried Rice, Fish Tacos, Beef Tacos, Hawaiian Mac Salad. The Kimchi Fried Rice came with a lot of rice and was tasty. The Fish and Beef tacos were small but great. The Hawaiian Mac Salad was average, it felt like it was missing something so I added siriacha and pepper. Everyone was priced pretty well nothing was too expensive. Marination has a lot of the menu from sliders, to spam misubi, to quesadillas. Also the bar drink menu looked great especially the Lychee Margarita. I would like to come back to try a drink during happy hour. The food came out great, it was self seat and self buss, the food was quick and the restaurant was pretty clean. I added a photo of the what the bathroom looked like and for the most part it was clean except paper towels on the floor. I could see myself eating here again especially if I run into one of their food trucks read more

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Its a nice experience as you take ferry from dtown seattle and walk in to this place with the best Seattle skyline view! (Ferry $10 roundtrip and available every hour) I wasn't so impressed with the taste and flavor but its a good spot to have some snacks drinks and watch the view. read more

I'd be happy to change my review to a 5 star if these people would pick up their phone... horrible way to run business. I understand they may not want to take orders over the phone but ignoring customers is incredibly unprofessional, have called 5 times in the past 20min all unanswered. Sucks because the food was pretty good but their online doordash menu doesn't have options like substitutions that this place offers so, I guess I won't be coming back again. Super disappointed this was one of my favorite places, but not at ALL worth the headache. If you're gonna charge out the a** at least pick up the phone incase a customer has an issue with an order. read more

Food was good but portions were tiny! All of their online ordering is down too. There was quite a line to order, though the tiny portions came out quickly once the order was made. I got the fish tacos which were good but bite sized. Nice views and near the water taxi too. read more

This place was worth the water taxi ride over the bay! By far the best place & food that we had while in Seattle and I'm soooo glad we made the effort to make it there! It was a great way to get away from the hustle & bustle, enjoy a delicious drink & food while watching the water with Seattle skyline. I can't wait to go back some day!! read more

My girlfriend lived in Hawai'i with her family almost twenty years ago, and she has told me over the past two years how much she enjoys malasadas, these tasty donuts that she ate during her time there. When we walked into Marination Ma Kai today for lunch (Sunday after Thanksgiving), they advertised filled and plain malasadas for purchase, and she nearly flipped her lid! She ordered 2 plain and fish n chips. We waited for our order on the nearby dock and enjoyed the foggy views of downtown and the Space Needle. Our order was up fairly soon and she ate her food in the back covered patio. She loved the malasada and enjoyed her fish n chips with the miso tartar sauce. She wants to get the pork katsu sandwich next time. I'll be back to try some food too in the future. We enjoyed befriending two beautiful pigeons on the nearby railing. read more

Marination Ma Kai - Plain malasada - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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It's all about the twice baked almond croissant for us. Now our relatives are all addicted to this and expect a box of pastries from this bakery whenever we visit them. read more

I came here after going to Crystal mountain on my way back to a friends house. I've always heard rave reviews so we went to check it out. Marination Ma Kai basically serves Asian-Hawaiian food like Spam Musubi and Loco Moco. This particular location is right on the waterfront of Alki faced towards downtown so it would be a beautiful venue on a sunny day. I got the loco moco and thought it was ok just nothing special. Honestly it basically turkey gravy, a beef pattie, runny eggs and some rice. Like literally if you went home made some instant gravy, pan fried some ground beef and eggs and threw it on top of rice it would be exactly the same. read more

Marination Ma Kai - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Wow this was a fantastic meal! We stopped by for breakfast on our way to a friends as I've always wanted to try it and I was not disappointed! We ordered 2 spam musubi, a plain malasada, breakfast burrito with Portuguese sausage, and a large side of Mac salad. Overall the meal was fantastic! The malasada I wish was a bit warmer and the Mac salad seemed to be heavy on the Mayo and missing something I can't quite put my finger on but still pretty good. Portion sizes were great! The spam musubi was as expected with the spam cooked perfectly with the right balance of thickness of spam, amount of rice, and nori. The breakfast burrito was also amazing! They currently only have outside seating which was a bit cold this morning but not too cold to eat outside. Staff was all very friendly and helpful. Definitely would suggest if you're over this way read more

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Bad service if you don't tip. You assholes have no right giving this kind of service to anyone. I won't be going back to this place ever again. And there's no way in hell I'll be eating your garbage. read more

Marination Ma Kai - Fish Tacos - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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My family and I were in town visiting from the "other Washington" (DC =P) and my cousins took us to this place for lunch after getting to see Alki Beach Park. Views were great and so was the food! The line took a little while to get through and there is a wait to pick up your food but the weather was nice so it didn't feel like it took forever. We got a bunch of different things to try and it was really filling! Definitely would like to stop by again the next time I visit the PNW! read more

Marination Ma Kai - loco moco - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Covid Update Marination adapted so quickly and is crushing the menu. You can order ahead or walk up and order and wait. There are picnic tables to eat at by the water/dock area and I bet if you brought a blanket or two, would be nice in the evening. I typically get the ginger chicken salad, and it is honestly one of my favorite salads in the city. The sweet and savory flavors are perfectly balanced. The French fries are also a good go-to choice, and don't not get the sauce, it is everything. read more

Visited late October 2021. The food is still the same - flavorful, fresh, gluttonous. No wait to order, food delivery was quick! I wish the outdoor seating had better wind protection and heaters - the wind off of Elliott Bay made upper 40 degrees without sun pretty rough. read more

Long line on a Sunday around noon! I'd give this place a 3.5/5 stars Pork slider - just an average pulled pork slider with some sauce and slaw. The Hawaiian bun was a nice touch though! Kimichi fried rice w kalbi beef - I was sad to discover my fried egg wasn't runny :( there was a good amount of beef, but it was INCREDIBLY salty. The kimchi and fried rice itself was okay, but the salty beef definitely overpowered everything. I don't really think the small takeout box of rice it was worth the $11 I paid. This place is lucky to have such a good location right next to the water taxi because it provides great views of downtown and is extremely convenient. Maybe it was the stuff I ordered, maybe it was just how it was prepared this time, but everything was just ok. read more

Marination Ma Kai - salty kalbi beef fried rice and pork slider - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Marination is one of my husband and I's favorite "go to" spots. We just love the concept of marinating two cultures in our bellies. It's funny that I'm writing this review because just the other day, I posted "I miss old school customer service." Well- ladies and gents, let me tell you OLD SCHOOL customer service still exists here! Back story, we ordered 3 dishes. Luau chicken plate, Kim Chee Fried rice, & Fish and Chips. The other two plates, yum as usual. Unfortunately, the fish and chips was missing the key player, the fish. Went back to let them know. They were very apologetic and accepted their mistake. They remade the fish and chips and then some. Thank you Marination for going above and beyond and keeping that old school customer service alive! See you guys again soon! read more

After hearing that Marination Ma Kai has the best fish and chips I had to go. Memorial weekend on Monday at 5:30pm the line was 40 people deep. Honestly it was kind of crazy. I waited the thirty five min to get my order in and an extra twenty to get my food and I would say I was ok with my decision to stick it out, but come on Marination you could use a better system and more help in the kitchen. Also use some seasoning. My fish and chips were crunchy and delicious on the outside but there was no flavor. Luckily the food was all fresh or I would probably never come back. My boyfriend enjoyed his huge pork katsu sandwich and the Mac salad, but again the salad had no taste. read more

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The line was long so we decided to order online which was a lot faster. Took 10 mins. It was sunny but cold out today so we decided to eat in the car. The kalbi tacos were by far the best. The pork sliders were ok. Needs a pickle and some butter on the bread, thrown back into the oven a bit, I would pass on sliders if coming back. The macaroni salad was not that sweet, not a huge fan. Musabi was warm and just ok. I would definitely come back and try anything with the kalbi meat. read more

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