What a GEM this spot is in West Seattle! Overlooking downtown over the sound, this local Hawaiian spot was truly delicious. Don't let the long line scare you-it goes quick and there were plenty of spots to sit (and we went on Saturday night!) the food was incredible, best Hawaiian food I've had in years. Cocktails were good too, strong (though I'm still ISO a proper mai tai). Top that off with a nice walk along the dock, it's the perfect happy hour or date night spot! read more

Marination Ma Kai - View from restaurant - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

When you think about Marination Ma Kai. You think of a beautiful Seattle view with delicious Hawaiian food! We had the pork tacos, kimchi fried rice, Mac salad, aloha fries. This is a perfect place to come enjoy a beautiful Seattle summer and have great Hawaiian food! The food was so good we didn't take a picture. We were to busy enjoying what Marination MA Kai has to offer! read more

When visiting Seattle you have to hit up Marination Ma Kai. They have an outdoor patio with a walk up bar. You order your drinks at the window and enjoy the view of downtown Seattle. Great family spot. The service is pretty quick. The food was fantastic. Especially the beef bulgogi, kimchi fried rice. I wasn't a huge fan of the fish tacos but still great flavor. read more

Pork Sliders: Could have more pork for a better roll to meat ratio. It could also use more sauce, as the sliders were dry. Miso Ginger Chicken Tacos: This was also very dry. There was little to no sauce. The "signature slaw" was just chopped up cabbage. The meat itself was good. Fish 'n Chips: The fish was overcooked--it was dry. The fries were good. I liked the miso tartar sauce. There are plenty of seating both inside and outside the restaurant. It's conveniently located right next to the water taxi pier. read more

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A good restaurant with a great view of Seattle! Has nice outdoor seating for nice Seattle days I have been to this place now about 4 times. Every time for me is a bit of a hit and miss. I want to really like it but have been disappointed. My most recent trip, I ordered the fish sandwich and it was really dry and overcooked. I wish I could recommend this place for the view, food, and drinks but can really only recommend it for the view and drinks (although quite expensive) as that is what I really am going there for now. read more

I can never get enough of Marination Ma Kai. Their food is delicious! A great place to eat whenever you are near Alki beach. I have gone several times and it will always be my go-to in West Seattle. A great place to be by the water in rain or shine (there is both indoor and outdoor seating). I enjoyed their fried rice and their aloha fries. A classic go-to and MUST TRY! The service is quick but it does take a while for the food to be done. But its definitely worth the wait for the fusion of flavors and to get to enjoy the Seattle skyline. read more

I wish I could rate this higher :( Being born and raised in Honolulu, I already have high standards for local food. We had the luau plates - one Kalbi, one chicken - and it was not great. It just wasn't flavorful. It wasn't giving me Hawaii vibes. It's a great location right by the water and I'm glad they get so much business! But as a Hawaii girl, I wasn't impressed. Maybe I'll have to try the other things on the menu. Tip, if you don't wanna wait in line (when we got there it was out the door) you can order ahead online! read more

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Once in a blue moon, when my motivation overcomes my laziness I trek down here for food. I usually only visit during the summer with my friends or the last time was with my sister. We had eaten dinner already but was on the hunt for Italian ice. Couldn't get that here so we settled for shaved ice. The lady working was so nice, I think she was going to turn us away because they were really busy but she decided to make my sister and I one anyways. I got passionfruit and guava with vanilla ice cream and my sister got coconut and matcha. My sister was pretty good but I loved mine just because I prefer sour flavors. We didn't get food this time but food is pretty good! It also comes with a great view and on a nice day, this place is packed. read more

Marination Ma Kai - Passion fruit and guava shaved ice with vanilla ice cream. - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Three great things about this place 1- food is fun fresh and a nice fusion of flavors 2- very pretty location with views of Downtown 3- dog friendly! Met so many dogs there, the highlight of the visit. read more

Horrible bartending service. Discriminatory, perhaps racist. Attempted to buy more than one drink, they requires the other person to be there, except not...as the next person in line bought more than one drink. read more

This was everything I expected and more. I'll profess a semi-connoisseur status of Asian fusion since my wife is Hawaiian-Filipino and a chef, so I gotta say that the pork katsu sandwich is on point. This rivals anything I've had in the Oakland/SanJose Bay Area and Sacramento. Staff are super friendly, and the food came out quickly, had a cool beverage to that you can't be sitting out back looking at the view of the Seattle skyline, this is a must visit. read more

The vibes here are immaculate. Imagine a sunny day, looking over pugent sound and the Seattle skyline, watching the ferries come in, all while you have absolutely amazing food for a decent price. We got the Luau plate lunch with spicy pork ($12) to share and it was delicious and generously portioned. Getting a non pretentious restaurant with great food and a great view was literally one of my favorite things during this Seattle visit, it's a rare thing :) read more

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The food was amazing and the service was very quick. A lot of seating available in the back where the bar is. Great casual place to come with a group of friends. Only wish it was open till a little later! Everything was phenomenal. read more

Marination Ma Kai - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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hmmMmMm I think this place is a very cute establishment by the waterfront and the views are wonderful. It is a very convenient spot if you are near the beach or just wanted to have a nice view to accompany dinner. The food however to me is just OK. Perhaps it was because I got the Hawaiian pulled pork as my protein. It was quite bland to me and a little on the dry side. I really liked the macaroni salad and coleslaw sides however. They were very refreshing and a good accompaniment. Hawaiian roll was squishy and soft. Rice was rice. There is some outdoor seating which is great to take advantage of the lovely water views. There are also desserts available like donuts and shaved ice. Service was fine. read more

Marination Ma Kai - Loco Moco plate (with pork) - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Yum!! It was so busy when we got there. We had half our group wait at the table and the other half order. There was a line out the door. The view is amazing and it's a perfect place to be in the summer. Their cocktails were also really yummy. There were lots of dogs, too. They were out of spam musubi when we were there. I loved the Mac salad! Definitely expect to wait in line if it's summer time! But the views, breeze, and food make it worth it. read more

Marination Ma Kai - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Great location, considering that there is nothing else at the dock. Had tacos and a drink and sat on the patio. Nice staff, tasty food. Then we took the last boat back to the city to hang out with the homeless. read more

I can review both the to-go pick up and the in-house drinking option in this review. Our group wanted dinner on a weeknight and it was easy to place the order online, with the options to customize and write notes to the staff. When we arrived, the food was not ready as they looked quite busy. So we grabbed a drink at the bar, which had a short line. Their cocktail menu is pretty good. We enjoyed our drink outside on the patio a sit was completely empty and looked over at the Seattle skyline, which you can view from here. This is also where the water taxi leaves from, but that's a side note. Once we finished our drinks, we got our food and headed back to the house. Everything was still warm when we got there 5 minutes later. This was important because I got the fish and chips and they were good. This is a great location of this local chain. read more

Went to marination for a nice sunset dinner. I took the fast ferry from Seattle to west Seattle. And it drops us off right in front of marination. Super convenient. And it feels like you've been transported to a nice coastal town. It seems like they get a good number of patrons coming from the ferry. Once arriving to the restaurant, we ordered first and pick up your items when it's ready. They have a lot of picnic tables outside as well as a few indoors. Food was ready in 5minutes on a Friday night. Short rib Plate lunch ($13) - generous portions, but lots of carbs! A full scoop of rice, roll, and Mac salad. The short ribs were more like beef strips. A little dry and tastes like its been sitting for a while. Overall favor wise, it could be better. Good option if you're hungry and want to try it all. Aloha fries ($14) - fresh fries with lots of sauces and a handful of Kalua pork pieces. I wish there was more pork, but it was good. I like the balance between the spicy kimchi sauce, creamy mayo, crunchy green onions, and fatty pork. Great dish, but can get messy. read more

Marination Ma Kai - Short rib plate lunch ($13) and aloha fries ($14) - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

A very disappointing visit - the food was way too salty. I hate wasting food, but we couldn't even finish half of the food and had to throw it away, it was just way too salty! We were keen on visiting Marination Ma Kai while we were in West Seattle due to the good reviews, but it ended up being a big disappointment. We got the Luau Plate Lunch with katsu and the Aloha Fries. The katsu was quite dry and the macaroni salad was not Hawaiian style. The Aloha Fries was absolutely salted to the brim. The fries were salty and the kalua pork was even saltier. The only positive was the nice outdoor seating views of the Seattle waterfront and the staff were friendly. read more

Marination Ma Kai - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Location location location! You don't need much more to satisfy customers here, but Marination do! One of GMonkey favorite places, Marination provides great food, cocktails, with both indoor and outdoor seating. Incredible views of downtown across the bay, nearest food to water taxi and kayak rentals, it hard to miss this place. GMonkey do: FISH TACOS SLIDERS DOUBLE COCONUT MUFFIN Anytime, any weather, any day, GMonkey do! read more

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Stopped by Marination on Alki and not only was the food amazing (as always), but I saw something that honestly made my day. One of the employees, a middle-aged blonde lady, noticed a young woman outside who looked cold and possibly homeless. She went out and handed her a bag of food, even making sure to tell her there were napkins and silverware inside. It was such a simple act of kindness, but it hit me hard. In a world where people rush past each other, seeing someone take that kind of care was beautiful. Huge respect to Marination. they're not just serving great food, they're serving humanity too. read more

TLDR: Lovely people, great location but the food is hype. Modest bar on site for drinks. Plenty of seating. Food: -4 Aloha Kalua pork sliders - Decent -Aloha Fries wit Kalua pork - Also decent, thanks to some good pork -Kalbi Rice Plate - This I can't recommend. The beef was dry and chewy. Hard pass. Would've been ok with the pork -Mac Salad - Pretty light in flavor, if you're into that. I am not. -Spam Musubi - hard to go wrong here -Shaved Ice - Pretty light in flavor. Would pass on this as well. Overall I'd say this was disappointing on the food front. For a view and maybe a drink, a nice place to hang with some friends. Would I Return Rating? Even if my friends suggested it, I'd at least ask to consider an alternate, unless we literally just got off the ferry and were starving. I'd give it another go. read more

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I love the atmosphere in here! Friendly people, great fish and chips, everything looks so good. It's really nice being able to see the bay, and they have an amazing Sakura blossom Malasda (a bun filled with Sakura blossom cream)! read more

Marination Ma Kai - Sakura Blossom filled Bun - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Great spot to take in the views and enjoy some casual Hawaiian food. The views were gorgeous and a must-see especially for taking some out of town guests. Plenty of seating options available. My friends got frosé, lychee martini, and I got a P.O.G. with rum. The drinks were a little sweet, and the P.O.G. you really had to keep stirring or else all the flavor just sunk to the bottom of the cup. Still, very good though and definitely got the job done. The aloha fries were a little disappointing, completely soggy and cold, but the toppings were great. The fish n'chips were great. The plate was solid, and a great well-rounded item. I do regret the kalua pork - it was far too dry and cold, but eating it with the Mac salad was definitely the move. Overall, the food could have been better, but the options were exciting, the drinks were fun, and the views make up for everything else. Great hangout spot. read more

Marination Ma Kai - View from the restaurant - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Heard about this place just in time for the heatwave! Short drive, but long search for parking, but if you don't need your car, take the water taxi instead - they're right at the dock :) The lines didn't seem to wane the whole time we were there! You can tell this place draws people in from all over - as hot as it was, people patiently waited! Everyone who worked there seemed really genuinely happy to be there! Friendly and pleasant, smiles all around! The spirit of Aloha is definitely alive here! As hot as it was outside, I can only imagine what it was like inside the kitchen! I liked the very casual atmosphere, indoor and outdoor seating, to see the beautiful view of downtown Seattle and Space Needle. We definitely wolfed down the cheese quesadilla, spam musubi, pork sliders, and of course, the shaved ice! Everything really was delicious, absolutely worth the wait! With the weather staying hot, this is definitely the spot to go to! (And if you feel guilty about all the great eats - you can work it off on a kayak or SUP!) read more

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Love this place for many reasons - great Seattle skyline views, nice interior setting and the awesome food! Cutting to the chase we always order the kabli beef tacos (each order comes with two) filled with marinated Kalbi beef, Nunya Sauce, slaw, pickled jalapenos in a corn tortilla. The Aloha sliders are a must have and filled with kalua pork, Nunya Sauce, slaw and nestled in a sweet Hawaiian roll. My wife has been getting the kalbi beef taco salad which is the same as the tacos less the tortillas. We also tried the Loco Moco and it was alright but nothing stellar. All in they have a wonderful service staff and it's no frills when it comes to seating yourself and getting you food on a tray when the buzzer for pick up goes off. One nice item we had never tried was the coconut filled malasadas and the mango tajin filled malasadas that were devine! read more

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Solid, casual lunch spot with waterfront view. Line moves fast so don't be intimidated. Plenty of seats inside and outside. The chips in fish and chips were especially fried well and seasoned. Fish tacos were small but for $7 it was solid. Surprisingly the standout was the coconut chia popsicle that I got back in line for. They had flakes of coconut on it that was still crunchy. Got a spam masubi Togo for my flight and it if saves pretty well. read more

My friend recently moved here and wanted to try this place out. Walked in, it was bright and open throughout the small building. Perfect spot with views of Seattle and the water. Ordering was quick. I got the Loco Moco, she got the Luau plate with kalbi beef and some spam musubis. First time trying their Loco Moco and it was great! Good portion with flavorful gravy, 2 sunny side up eggs, fluffy white rice, and a delicious beef patty. Her plate was good too, but the kalbi beef was lacking flavor and sauce. We regretted getting the spam musubi. For the price of $4.75, I'd atleast expect the spam to have that glaze flavor spam musubis have and not dry. This alone would've been a 4 star...but there was one issue. A pigeon came in, which is usually fine since we were in Alki and the building has most windows and doors open. BUT, it almost flew into us while we were eating and started excreting on tables nearby.. Talk about gross! I walked up to the counter to tell the lady what was happening. She then explained to me that they have been trying to get rid of the bird, but there is nothing else to do. I don't know how long the bird was inside, but if it starts to poop in the building, ESPECIALLY tables?, I'd start trying harder because that is vile. It's equivalent to a rat running around in a restaurant pooping everywhere, which is what the pigeon did. Why would you continue business still and serve food that day when there's birds passing feces on something that has contact to where we eat. Get rid of it first, then continue! What if the bird flew into the kitchen and started contaminating stuff? Not sure if we will be back. read more

If we all had beloved auntie's that invited us over to eat, that's how I can best describe Marination Ma Kai. Talk about food made with love. I've never had kim chi fried rice. It is my new favorite fried rice. The fish sando is like, how good you remembered a McDonalds filet o fish to be as a kid, except this one is infinitely higher quality. Ordering online is easy. Picking up is easy- there's a parking lot!! On the water!! Drive 2 min up the road, park on the side of the road- there is street parking, and eat overlooking Alki Beach. If it's raining, casual seating inside as well. Worth a long drive, prioritize going during the day tho so you can check out the epic views of Seattle and the Sound. read more

Marination Ma Kai - Kimchi Fried Rice with miso ginger chicken - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

After taking the ferry here, it was a memorable way to finish our day trip with good food, personally one of my favorites. My group ordered a variety of food items, and none of us had anything to say but eat eat eat ! Service exceeded my expectations, especially with the long lines around rush hour + the bar's extra long line. Overall, a good place to experience and chill. read more

Marination Ma Kai - Loco Moco - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Marination is one of our regular go to's. We always get the tacos as they are packed with meat, cabbage and lots of flavor. This time we got the spicy pork and miso chicken tacos. The marinated meat and the sauce on the tacos is really what makes the tacos stand out as a must buy. The fish and chips is actually one of the best beer battered fish in West Seattle and their fries literally are to die for. Ambiance: you can't go wrong with the location of Marination. You have amazing Seattle city scape views that you can enjoy inside the restaurant or out on their patio. This place gets pretty busy in summer and seating it limited but definitely worth the wait. Service: the staff are generally friendly but can be rushed as they are pretty busy in the summer. There are really long lines but once you order the food comes out fairly quickly. If you want awesome food with breathtaking cityscape views then you can't go wrong with this place! read more

Marination Ma Kai - Spicy Pork Tacos & Miso Chicken Tacos - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Ordered the ginger chicken tacos and a side of fries to go. Everything is always so delicious and the portion sizes are no joke! The tacos a filled to the brim. Quality and quantity on point. The staff is alway so friendly. Love this place! read more

Marination Ma Kai - Ginger chicken tacos with one already eaten - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Once in a blue moon I'll grab some tofu tacos, or their vegan breakfast tacos. I honestly like their breakfast tacos most but they're only served on the weekends until a certain time. So sometime I'll miss that window. I really like their nunya sauce it's so good. A descent combo of spicy, sweet, and savory. Their tofu is marinated and seasoned and cooked well. I prefer firm tofu so it's the perfect texture to my liking, and the fact that it's flavorful makes it even better. Sometimes the tortillas can be a bit dry, so I like extra sauce. As a Pacific Islander (Samoan) who grew up on hawaiian/pacific Islander food, and have lived in Hawaii. Marination doesn't have that "authentic" Hawaiian taste it's more of an inspiration, BUT of all the dishes the kalbi beef does have that delicious Korean BBQ flavor. When I used to eat meat I would get the kalbi as a salad or tacos. Very delicious! I love that they have Hawaiian Sun juice options it just makes the meal better. I haven't had a drink at the bar yet, but I like the idea of it. The back room gives me a beachy cafeteria vibe. Clean ambiance, and the view makes it better! Also if you know what you'd like I'd suggest ordering online ahead of time. The line can get a bit long, especially in the summer, the line can go down the sidewalk. Standing in the heat hungry isn't my vibe so I order ahead of time. read more

I cannot stop thinking about this place! Location: I stayed in Seattle and took a water taxi to get to the restaurant. Super cool! Once you get off the water taxi, the restaurant is right off the dock. They have both indoor and outdoor seating. And it has a nice view of the Seattle skyline. Food: LET. ME. TELL. YOU... The food here is terrific. I had the kalbi beef and loco moco. Made to perfection! The flavors were immaculate and very close to the food I had in Hawaii. Their mac salad is also phenomenal. The kalbi beef was so juicy and tender. Drinks: THEY RIM THEIR DRINKS WITH LING HING POWDER! Amazing! They have a full bar restaurant and a good drink menu. I got their POG with tequila. Service: The workers here are super friendly! It's a small-owned business, and you can tell how much love and care they put into their food and restaurant. Overall, I would recommend coming to this place to get your Hawaiian food craving fixed! read more

Marination Ma Kai - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Meat was tough and full of gristle no sauce pricey for the portion size. Found hair in one of our meals Cashier was rude and pushy, not helpful about menu. Nice view read more

Yikes... Let me just say, the best thing about this place is the view of the Seattle skyline (definitely visit during sunset). Otherwise, it is quite mediocre food honestly. I got the Luau Plate with Miso Ginger Chicken. The portions are quite small and I didn't find anything special about the food. The marinade was okay, but nothing crazy. It was nice to see legit ginger in there though. The rice was soggy and way too moist for my liking and lacked furikake. The mac salad was just mayo and carrots really. The coleslaw was also really bland. Also tried the Kalua Pork in the sliders. This was pretty decent! The Kalua Pork tasted pretty spot on to ones I have eaten in Waikiki. The sliders overall were just okay though. read more

Marination Ma Kai - Kalua Pork Sliders & Luau Plate with Miso Ginger Chicken - Korean Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Oh no!! This place has the best fish and chips in seattle and now I have to give them all of my money!!!! Denise at the counter was hilarious, sassy, and sweet! She hooked it up with a lil extra sauce and I cannot wait to come back. Amazing views and a clean and fresh interior don't hurt either. I'm vegan and got the tofu tacos w a side of holla and was not disappointed, but I'm glad I took a chance with a few bites of fish and miso tarter and WOW!! What a treat read more

I love that there is a Korean Hawaiian fusion restaurant on the waterfront in Seattle. We went here for lunch on one fine cloudy Seattle day, took the water taxi from pier 50 to west Seattle. I had the kimchi fried rice and added bulgogi beef, which was actually very good. The kimchi fried rice was not overly spicy and the beef was cooked well and tasted very good. The wife got tocilog (tocino and egg) and I had a bite of her tocino and thought it tasted pretty legit. We had the black sesame malasadas for dessert and I really liked it too. I also ordered a jalapeño margarita but with vodka (I forgot the actual name of the drink but it was the first one on the cocktail list). That was very good and pretty stiff, and also pretty cheap ($11). Overall, the food here is solid and if I lived in Seattle, I would probably be a regular here. read more

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Found this nice restaurant of Hawaiian food right off the pier. Very nice view of Seattle. It's quite popular so expect there to be a crowd and long lines. It is very difficult to find parking but we got lucky. This is a fast food pick up kind of place; not for wait service. Plenty of tables out side but I was worried about the flying seagulls pooping on my food and us!! There is plenty of the side and inside the restaurant. Good for groups. There is a small bar inside but no one sat there. We ordered: Lolo Moco (4 Stars) Kalua Pork sliders (5 stars) Kimchi Fried Rice with Kalbi (3 Stars) Malasadas w/coconut cream (5 stars) My only disappointment was the kimchi fried rice and Kalbi. The rice was kinda hard and not fresh or just tasted old. It did not taste like kimchi flavoring at all. The Kalbi was ok and no flavor. We even bought extra and we shouldn't have. The slider bread was a little dry but meat and coleslaw was good. I really liked their loco moco and the malasadas! Very good. Average Hawaiian food which I consider mediocre. [85th R] read more

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Great view here of downtown Seattle. Unfortunately that's about all the good things I can say about this place. The food is simply not that great. They have a small parking lot that gets filled up pretty quickly, but you could get lucky and grab a spot as people are coming and going. I have seen parking enforcement come by and give out tickets, so make sure you're parking where you are supposed to. Otherwise, take a few more steps and plenty of street parking directly leading up to the restaurant. We got the Kimchi Fried Rice w/ Kalbi, Fish 'n Chips, Fish Taco, and the Spam Musubi. The Fish 'n Chips was probably the best out of the bunch, and it was just okay. I don't really understand the craze over the Kimchi Fried Rice here. The Kimchi is bland and overly salty and the rice is bleh. The Kalbi was tough and hard to bite, nothing like the Kalbi that you would get at a decent Korean bbq place. Fish Tacos were not good, just didn't taste flavorful, and definitely everything here is overpriced and serving size was tiny. We still end up not finising most of the food because of how bad it is. read more

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