Korean cuisine is rapidly growing in popularity across the world, and Oregon is no exception, with Korean restaurants, food carts and grocery stores opening frequently. Oregon’s Korean food offerings recently have found a booster in TikTok-famous The Korean Mama, the Portland-based, mother-son team of Jane and Ed Kim, who review all kinds of cuisine on social media. Whether you’re looking for grab-and-go fried-chicken bites, family dinners or late-night drinking snacks, here are some of our favorite places to eat.
From Korean-Style Hot Dogs to Gourmet Hot Pot in Portland
In Portland Korean food runs the gamut from casual bites to tasting menus. The James Beard Award-nominated Han Oak serves seasonal set menus like wintertime hot pot, hosted in a minimalist house turned restaurant in Northeast Portland. Its sister restaurant, Jeju, offers Korean barbecue in a steakhouse format, grilling New York steak and kanpachi collars with sides like creamed greens with soybean paste. Don’t miss the bao burger and the chicken wings dusted with ramen seasoning.
Stop by a food cart for more casual fare. Kim Jong Grillin’ in downtown Portland has been serving bibimbap-style boxes since 2009, plus a killer hot dog with kimchi and pickled mango. Frybaby in Southeast Portland is a top choice for Korean fried chicken — try the snow-cheese flavor, dusted with Parmesan and sugar. Southeast’s Doyaji serves rice bowls featuring spicy pork, garlic-plum fried chicken or fried tofu with purple rice and housemade kimchi.
For breakfast head to Cameo Cafe in Northeast Portland, where you’ll find kimchi omelets and Korean savory pancakes in a knick-knack-filled dining room. Take a break during vintage shopping along Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard at Mokdong Kimbap, with over a dozen varieties of kimbap — seaweed-wrapped rice rolls stuffed with the likes of bulgogi, fish cakes, egg omelet and pickled radish.
In Portland’s Jade District on Southeast 82nd Avenue two dueling restaurants, K-Town and Kkoki, serve all-you-can-eat barbecue. Nearby, ask for the secret Korean menu at Chinese Delicacy for a particular set of Chinese dishes adapted for Korean tastes. Try the jajangmyeon, or black-bean noodles, and tangsuyuk, deep-fried pork with sweet-and-sour dipping sauce.
Want to re-create these dishes yourself? Head to H Mart, or visit BooHan market.
Dive Deeper Into Korean Specialties in Beaverton and Hillsboro
For homestyle Korean dishes and harder-to-find fare, Portland’s western suburbs are a must-visit. Among the rafters above Korean grocery store G-Mart, Always Spring offers top-tier spicy tofu stew and kimchi pancakes. A mile west is Coredam, which went viral when it opened for its soy-marinated raw crab — a rarity in restaurants in the area. Just north you’ll find JCD K-BBQ, which serves excellent bossam, steamed pork belly with cabbage for wrapping. A couple miles southwest is One Korean Restaurant, a favorite of the Korean Mama for stewed pork belly with kimchi.
Beaverton’s historic downtown is home to Nak Won, which serves some of the best banchan (side dishes) in town; follow that with barbecued galbi (short ribs) or sizzling hot-stone bibimbap. A couple doors over, 1st Street Pocha specializes in late-night fare best downed with soju or beer, like Korean fried chicken and rose ddukbokki, chewy rice cakes with bacon in a creamy, spicy sauce.
For Korean-Chinese dishes with the unusual bonus of handmade noodles, look no further than Wok’n Guys. Should you crave homestyle cooking farther west, check out Umma in Hillsboro — aptly named, since the restaurant’s name means “mom” in Korean. This is the Korean Mama’s top spot for Korean food, especially yukgaejang, spicy beef-brisket soup with glass noodles.
Find Great Korean Food Elsewhere in Oregon
Outside the Portland area, the scene is growing. Fifty miles south of Portland in Salem, there’s another outpost of Portland-based barbecue restaurant Kkoki. Salem’s Happy Bibimbop House serves comfort food like stir-fries, noodles and soups. In Corvallis Koriander pairs Korean appetizers, meats and stews with Italian gelato for dessert, from red bean to Rocky Road.
Eugene has yet another location of barbecue spot Kkoki, joining Four Plus 3 Korean BBQ. New in 2024, Tiger Mama has a sizable menu with drinking snacks and soju (Korean rice-based spirits) cocktails, hearty soups, Korean fried chicken and Korean shaved ice, plus cocktails. Cafe Seoul and Korea House are both no-frills spots for soups, noodles and savory pancakes. The latter hosts a popular lunch buffet, as well.
In Southern Oregon, Medford’s Seoul Stix specializes in the viral hit Korean corn dogs. The sausage is usually half mozzarella and half meat, and the breading is often sweet-salty, coated with textured toppings like potato chunks or crushed dry ramen.
Central Oregon’s outdoorsy Bend is home to Yoli, a contemporary take on Korean cuisine by three-time James Beard Award-nominated chef Joe Kim. Try the pistachio duck breast with apricot-kimchi fried rice a la carte, or opt for the tasting menu that might pair a global wine list with black-truffle pulled noodles and lobster-tail bibimbap.
For Korean groceries there’s Tomi Mart, which has stocked Asian pantry staples and produce since 2024. Make your road trip to Bend a lot more fun in Madras, about 50 miles north of the city, where you can stop by the ordering window at Imonae for a combo plate and some mandu, or fried dumplings.
