Marination was one of our favorite savory stops while visiting Seattle, and for good reason! Marination is a cool spot with a fun island vibe. This location has a few bar tables inside and a few tables under an awning outside. We placed our order on a tablet and waited for our food. I felt the pricing here was very affordable. We fed our family of four for about $40. The kids' meal is enough for two toddlers to share, and the entrees were great portion sizes. The kalbi beef plate was super tasty. The beef was ultra tender, and the sauce was the perfect mix of sweet and salty. The chicken was also a win. There was lots of stuff on the menu I would want to try again. Marination has a few locations, and I don't think you'd be let down by any of them. The menu differs slightly between locations. If you are looking for some filling, affordable, and somewhat healthy food, Marination is your spot! read more

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Happened to be in Downtown Seattle on Valentine's Day but unable to get reservations, so my party and I stopped by Marination since the menu sounded pretty bomb. Being a fan of Hawaiian food, I was looking forward to a hearty meal of meat and rice. We ordered a luau plate with kalbi beef, kimchi fried rice, aloha tots, and tofu and rice for the little one. We got takeout b/c the only table seating was outside, and it was quite frigid. When we got back to where we were staying, I was a little let-down by the portion size considering how much we paid. Taste-wise, the tots were good and on the spicier side, whereas the kalbi beef was a little too sweet, and the mac salad a little too sour from what I'm used to. Overall, it was an okay meal for what we were faced with on a Valentine's Day Saturday, but in retrospect I probably would have tried to withstand the wait somewhere else. read more

Marination - Kalbi Beef Lūʻau Plate - Asian Fusion Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Photos for this place looked enticing for lunch, but we were very disappointed with our order. The kalbi beef is very very sweet, I couldn't continue eating it because it felt like I was eating beef swimming in just sugar. The rice was extremely smushy so it felt like it was in between regular rice and congee/porridge. Portions are small for the price point. read more

Kalbi Beef Luau Plate ($13) - This was a filling meal that transported me back to Hawaii! I liked the flavor of the beef but I was looking for a little more sweetness and spice. Still recommend trying though! read more

Marination - Kalbi Beef Lūʻau Plate - Asian Fusion Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Convenient eatery before Alki beach, overlooking Puget Sound and the Seattle skyline, is more than the perfect spot to enjoy a bite and drink. Hawaii food combos and I was fortunate they offered a Vegan option. read more

Ordered the luau plate with Kalbi and it came with Kalua pork. The rice was soggy/mushy. Ordered the slider 2 pack, one spam and one kalua pork. They were both kalua pork. Ordered the spam musubi and it was poorly wrapped which is fine but just didn't taste that good. Was probably sitting under the warmer all day. Won't be coming back. The staff was friendly though! read more

I recommend the Sexy Tofu Taco! The staff is smiling, quick and made me feel like I'm home. Great for a quick solo trip or a slow evening with friends on the patio. read more

Busted up this meal before leaving Seattle. Great spot. Spam Burrito was great, Breakfast bowl was perfect, felt more Hawaiian with every bite read more

Marination - Asian Fusion Near Me - Seattle, Washington

The tacos with the miso ginger chicken were delicious; they had a great balance of flavors. The tots were crispy and seasoned well. The malasada was fluffy and sweet. read more

Marination - Malasada - Asian Fusion Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Was excited to try Marination after someone recommended it while on a work trip. The food was very standard. The only thing that really stood out were the pocket tots. Portions are pretty small for their pricing and nothing notable in taste. The workers were very nice though! I wouldn't drive out of my way to grab food from here. read more

Marination - Asian Fusion Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Weird seeing reviews claiming bad price to size ratio. This is downtown seattle, there are very, very, very few places you can get full for under $15. Kalua Pork luau plate is a steal at $13. This place is very consistent and while its not going to blow your mind, consistency and a good price are kind of unicorns when it comes to Hawaiian food. 5 stars because I'm assuming the yelp algorithm doesnt reward anything less, 4.5 stars (B to B+) really. read more

Marination - Kalua Pork Lūʻau Plate - Asian Fusion Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Not sure how this place has survived if not for being in the heart of SLU/Amazon-land. The kalua pork was on the dry side. The loco moco gravy was a bit too salty and the meat patty was very disappointing. It look like a thin frozen pre-made grocery store patty. No notes on the mac salad. I will say, for Seattle this tracks, but I would consider this more affordable for it's portions than many other places in the city. I will say, not bad if you can't find anywhere else to go. read more

Me and my friends wanted a fun lunch so we came here. It's located very close to the Spheres. I was in the mood for Hawaiian food and had to eat pescatarian so I saw they offered tofu and was excited to try. The sauce felt really salty. The Mac salad was pretty good. The parking situation is that there's street parking that you'd have to pay for or a garage which I think you'd pay for. Took about 5 min to get our plates. Service was nice. There's a long table inside that's bar seating styled or tables outside. Ambiance was alright- the music was pretty fun. read more

Marination - Sexy Tofu Lau Plate - Asian Fusion Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Had a chance to try Marination for lunch today and it was a good experience. This is a good spot for takeout, especially if you are craving Korean style food. The service here is fast and ambiance is very casual, typical takeout store style. For my food I got the beef luau plate which came with rice, Mac salad and a salad. Very flavorful and well portioned, definitely worth giving it a try if you are in the area! read more

Marination - Kalbi Beef Lau Plate - Asian Fusion Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Quick dinner stop and ordered a kalbi beef taco salad, with a fried egg ($13 plus $2 for the egg). Too much dressing and the kalbi beef is uninspiring. I definitely make better at home. Disappointing considering the average reviews here. read more

Marination - Kalbi beef taco salad, with a fried egg ($13 plus $2 for the egg). - Asian Fusion Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Met up with a friend of mine while in town at Marination. Its like a Hawaiian fusion spot. I thought where else can I get Hawaiian style tacos. And man this place was good. I had one taco that was kalua pork and one that was kalbi beef with a side of mac salad and of course spam musubi. Musubi is one of my favorites as a Hawaiian. The kalua pork was really good but the kalbi beef was excellent. They did a great job with the Mac salad being traditional style. They make the lemonade and bottle it which was so good. The restaurant is small and has counter service but offers out door dining. We grabbed a table right out side and enjoyed the breeze and catching up with a friend. The whole experience was nice. I would definitely eat here again if im in the area. If you like fusion, hawaiian food or tacos this places is a must try. read more

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Superfast Service, felt like a little bit of aloha when I stopped in while it was drizzling outside. Had the luau plate which had a nice mix of a little bit of everything. read more

Came here for dinner on a Saturday night. I appreciate they have outdoor tables since we had our pup with us. The wait time was pretty long, but I think they had a really big third party order ahead of us. Food: + I was pretty sad because we ordered the fish tacos and they last minute told us after waiting almost 20min that they ran out of fish, so I ended up getting the beef and tofu. Tofu taco was better than the beef in my opinion. + tater tot with pork and sauce - this was just ok. Kind of bland. Tots were crispy but the sauce didn't affect much just salty and the pork was also salty. Might taste better if the sauce was a little sweeter to balance. + mango lemonade - kind of pricey and pretty sweet. I actually think this would be refreshing paired with some sparking water for a fizzy lemonade. Overall, the food was just ok for us. A bit on the pricey side for what we got. read more

Marination - Asian Fusion Near Me - Seattle, Washington

We walked in and we're able to order on a tablet kiosk. We came here towards the end of the day and they ran out of galbi beef so just something to keep in mind if that is a dealbreaker for you. We went with the kimchi fried rice and luau plate with spicy kuala pork. The spicy kuala pork had a bit of a kick to it but it wasn't painfully spicy. The kimchi fried rice was just okay, nothing special. This location felt super casual with its bar and stool seating inside - great for a quick meal. read more

Marination - Kimchi fried rice - Asian Fusion Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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I went here with a friend for a quick lunch on a Saturday. You order up at the counter and if you get any spam musubis, they're next to the register. Seating consists of some inside window seating, and several tables just outside the restaurant. Since it's in downtown, you'll want to street parking or find another means of transportation. I got their kalua pork dish along with a spam musubi. Flavors hit the spot here, especially with the kalua pork, which definitely had a small spicy kick to it. Very well-seasoned, and happy that both the rice and the bun were perfect palette cleansers. Kind of minor, but their macaroni salad was tasty too. The spam musubi was all right but added more meat that I wanted since the portion size of the kalua pork was somewhat small. I was still full and satisfied with the food, and their flavor profiles are done right here. Highly recommend for some delicious and quick food! read more

Marination - Asian Fusion Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Best thing here was the friendliness from the staff. Food was rather below-average. Luau plate w/ kalua pork: kalua pork was bland and a tad dry. Mac salad had no flavor either. Taco salad w/ sexy tofu: overuse of soy sauce on the tofu making the tofu very salty. Saving graces were the tanginess of the pickled jalapeños and the Nunya sauce to help combat the saltiness. Pocket-size tots: decently crispy but I didn't taste much seasoning. Spam musubi: assembled well (didn't fall apart) with on-point rice consistency, but spam piece was a bit salty. read more

Marination - Luau plate w/ kalua pork, taco salad w/ tofu - Asian Fusion Near Me - Seattle, Washington

This restaurant is the bestaurant! They gave me free food on my birthday without even knowing it was birthday. Beyond that, it's a bustling hotspot for the most magnificent fusion you'll ever come across; I promise you this, my friend[!!] read more

Delicious food, crafter cocktails and an amazing view! Love that dogs are allowed in the back patio again.

After coming across a reel on Instagram, we wanted to try Marination during our trip to Seattle. It did not disappoint. It was a short walk from our hotel so we ended up taking it to go. I loved their Aloha Tots and Mac salad. Their tots were loaded and super crispy. The Mac salad was really creamy and one of my favs. They had a lot to choose from on the menu so hope to try other things when we come back. Service was pretty fast considering they had a large order in front of us. They do have indoor seating as well. Parking may be a bit difficult since it's in the downtown area so mostly street metered parking. read more

Marination - 2 Aloha Sliders Aloha Tots Mac Salad (large) - Asian Fusion Near Me - Seattle, Washington

My sister brought me & my cousin here as a late lunch meal. I got the Lū'ah plate with spicy pork and I was scared for a sec that it was mistake to get something spice but it was actually not even spicy it had a good spice to it. The portion size was actually perfect I was very hungry but it's all packaged up so well and cute. Service was decent and welcoming. I wish there was more seating but it's a smaller place. read more

Marination - Spicy Pork Lau Plate - Asian Fusion Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Food: Ordered the Quarterly Special - Loco Moco. It was delicious and the perfect amount of food. Tip, you might want to add a side of Mac salad since it doesn't come with it. The Coconut Malasada...delicious! Service: Fast and friendly!!! Ambiance: Very pretty wallpaper. Looks cute. Can't wait to come again and sit outside when the weather is nicer. No picture of the Loco Moco, sorry...was too excited to eat it, but I remembered before I completely finished the Malasada...I just turned it so you can't see the bite marks! read more

Marination - Coconut Malasada - Asian Fusion Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Delicious food! Definitely a fusion blend of Hawaiian and Korean and great combinations and variety. It's very small inside with limited eating space so be prepared to take it out. There are a couple tables outside in front but it was cold outside and got lucky enough to grab a spot at the counter. The service was awesome, very friendly and informative and the food was prepared quickly. I will be back and highly recommend you do as well. The prices were not bad either and a good value for what you get. read more

This review comes a little late. Marination definitely is a memorable spot that we visited (more than once!) on our trip to Seattle. Located near Alki Beach, this spot was a ways away from the hustle and bustle of the city core. It was a nice way to escape both the heat and business. While seating is available indoors and outdoors, it is fairly limited. Luckily, the food gets prepped quick enough that you're not stuck waiting for a table for very long, if at all. The staff was friendly and welcoming from the moment we stepped in line. Constantly moving. Food was delicious, we planned for a snack, stayed for a meal. read more

Space was pretty limited, so probably a better place to grab and go from (especially since they provide only to go containers anyway). It's located next to the Amazon buildings so I was able to park there for free (weekend). I got the aloha tots and luau plate with kalbi. We sat at one of the tables outside to eat. The kalbi was a little cold but flavorful, the rest of the plate was excellent. The tater tots were freshly fried and delicious. Would come back more often if I liked Seattle! read more

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I've passed by Marination a number of times while downtown and had been anxious to try it. I was downtown to meet up with a colleague who suggested heading here for lunch. We went early (around 11:30am) and beat the lunch rush which was definitely in full effect when we were leaving (12:30pm). Service was fast and friendly. Ordered the Luau plate with extra rice instead of macaroni salad (which in hindsight didn't happen). I had read another review that the portion sizes were small and that ended up being my experience as well. I got the Kalua pork which was fairly bland and the rice had little flavor. All and all, pretty disappointing. My colleague ordered the katsu sandwich which definitely seemed like the better choice. If I went again, that's what I would order. read more

Marination - Luau plate - Asian Fusion Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Wow so delicious, so quick! You really can't go wrong with spam. We stopped in for some quick lunch. Grabbed the slider 2-pack with spam and kalua pork ($7) and the Korean cheesesteak ($15). Folks working were so kind! Initially got two sliders with kalua and I brought it up to them and they made a spam one for me on the spot. It's a small spot, definitely aimed at to-goers from Amazon. I would recommend checking it out for a quick lunch! +they have outdoor seating :p read more

Marination - SPAM Slider and Aloha Slider - Asian Fusion Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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I got takeout from Marination and it was a great experience. I ordered the spicy pork Torta and some tater tots. They were both very flavorful and good portions. The value is great here. Will likely get takeout from here again. read more

Marination - Spicy Pork Torta - Asian Fusion Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Super unique Korean Hawaiian fusion restaurant with fast service and great food! They have a variety of items unlike anything you can find at other restaurants in the area, and the food comes out pretty quickly so it's a nice spot for lunch if you work in the Amazon offices. The only downside is that the prices are definitely geared towards Amazon software engineers since they're pretty high. My favorite dish is the Aloha Tots because I would do anything for tater tots. The crispy tots with the creaminess of the mayo and spicy kimchi sauce is really nice. Combine that with a runny sunny side up egg and tender fatty Kalua pork and you get a very tasty dish. I also liked the Korean Cheesesteak. The Kalbi had a nice flavor, and the fattiness of the meat and copious amounts of cheese was balanced by the spicy and sour kimchi. The flavors were great but I would've preferred the bread to be a bit bigger since the toppings kept falling out. read more

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I'd call this place a Korean-Mexican-Hawaiian fusion spot. The score would be much higher if only reviewing one item. 4.5/5 I'd get the pork katsu sandwich and skip the rest (at least based on my selection from the menu). Super crunchy and deep fried, the meat is juicy and the pickled cabbage is a good balance. The sauce is also flavorful (Might have been spicy mayo?) 2/5 Spam musubi was very salty - didn't have the typical sweet sauce to cut the salty fatty spam. Surprised they say they're known for tacos and sliders, since they were just okay. 3/5 Kalbi Tacos: not bad but the flavor profile was not very deep - the protein quantity was lacking and not in every bite, overpowered by the veg. 2/5 Pork sliders: same thing on very little meat, also kind of dry meat that wasn't very flavorful. Mostly bread, so the ratio was amiss. 5/5 to the person manning the POS! Ambience-wise it's definitely crowded during weekday lunch and there's only outside table seating (inside is bar/countertop type seating at the window). So overall not much - more a quick grab and go style place. read more

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A quaint, take-out restaurant with a variety of Hawaiian/Korean dishes. I got the miso kimchi fried rice, which was pretty delicious. My friends got the Hawaiian meal, which came with coleslaw and mayo-ish macaroni. Friendly staff, gave me an extra bag to go. Quick and easy dinner that lasted me two meals read more

Casual place to get some Hawaiian Korean fusion! The indoor seating is very limited so it's more of a grab and go place. There are lots of tables outside, which would be great for when it gets warm out. I got a a Kalbi beef taco, kalua pork taco, and aloha slider with pork. Everything was super tasty! The pork was flavorful and juicy, and the kalbi beef tasted like KBBQ beef. I also got a side of Mac salad which was good. It was a pretty large size for a side dish, but I wish it had a little more flavor. Overall a good meal! The meat in the tacos and slider was super flavorful and tasty. Just wish the portion sizes on the tacos and slider were a bit larger given the price point. read more

Marination - Side of Mac Salad - Asian Fusion Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Very nice and the staff was excellent. I ordered the tofu tacos. Fast, friendly and food was fresh. Definitely recommend!

A good alternative to grab a quick bite! Located within walking distance from the Spheres and Dopler parking garage, this place is very convenient and fast for food. I came here on a Saturday afternoon. The place was small, but there were still a handful of other customers ordering food despite off hours. The place itself is small and a little crowded. The staff is so friendly and helped me choose and make a recommendation on what to eat. I ended up getting the chicken and beef Luau plate. To be honest, the side salad/picked veggies was pretty sour and the mac salad was also lacklustre. However, the meat was cooked perfectly and had a lot of flavour! Parking: Paid at Dopler Garage, however free on weekends and evenings read more

Marination - Luau Plate with chicken and beef - Asian Fusion Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Love me a good fusion joint! I ate here for lunch with some co-workers on a work trip, and I'll definitely come back to one of their locations next time I'm in Seattle. Marination started out as a food truck and has expanded into several brick-and-mortar locations around the city. This place was busy on a weekday lunch, but the line moves pretty fast and my food came out quickly, and the staff were chill. No indoor seating at this place, but plenty of outdoor covered seating, and the heat lamps kept us warm on a typical rainy March day. I got two tacos with miso ginger chicken and it was super flavorful, lots of filling including chicken, jalapeños, shredded carrots and cabbage and cilantro. I was still hungry, so I went back for a piece of one of my favorite Hawaiian, treats, spam musubi. It was tasty, and I was happy that it seemed fresh, and not dried out. A filling, flavorful lunch for under $20 AND supporting a local, queer-owned business is a win in my book. read more

Marination - Miso Ginger Chicken Tacos. - Asian Fusion Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Plate was good food for a great price! Everything was pretty flavorful. However, my friends who got the kimchi pancake and the spam sliders got pretty small portions. read more

Marination - Hawaiian plate Kale Salad with Kalua Pork (GF) - Asian Fusion Near Me - Seattle, Washington