Love to eat Korean Barbeque?  Then you’ll love dining out at this classy new restaurant in Shoreline, Washington.  It’s a cook-at-your-own-table BBQ place that offers all kinds of marinated meats along with a bunch of pickled side dishes called “banchan”.  I was here a few days ago with the family, and it was an evening to remember.  This friendly concierge seated us promptly as soon as we walked in.  It wasn’t busy when we got there.  But when we were leaving, there was a big crowd of people waiting to be seated.

Kaya is located at 20109 Aurora Ave. N. in Shoreline, Washington. 206-546-2848.  It is recommended that you make reservations, especially for a party of 4 or more people.  There’s also an adjoining sushi bar, Waba, which I haven’t experienced yet, but I’ll be sure to let you all know when I do!

The seating are plush and comfy.  There’s a huge vent over every table to help suck out the smoke from the BBQ.

As soon as you sit down, they’ll give you tea, water, and some kind of warm sweet rice and red bean puree that is intended to prepare your taste buds for the flavorful meal you’re about to have.  Not everyone likes the puree, and you don’t have to eat it.  It just comes with the service.

After they fire up the grill, they’ll start bringing the meat you ordered.  You can cook it yourself or have one of the expert staff do it for you.  The meal comes with a delicious refillable salad that compliments the barbeque.  Each person gets their own set of dipping sauces for the meat.  Just throw the mushrooms, garlic and onions on the grill while the meats cook and you’ll get this intense flavor filling the air.  But beware, you’ll also be smelling it on your clothes later on into the evening.  There are other things on the menu, like Neng Myun (buckwheat noodles in cold beef broth) which goes well with Korean BBQ, other various types of soups, fish, and vegetables.

I was really surprised to find a Korean restaurant of this size and caliber in North Seattle.  This area below is just one side of the restaurant.  The booths are private enough so you can feel at home while engaging in conversations.  Another surprise was that they actually serve wine!  I have never been to any Korean joint in the area that served wine.  Also, I didn’t see any waitresses there.  Just waiters.  They were a little difficult to flag down at times and we really had to keep them on their toes, which was one service issue I noticed.  But it wasn’t too serious, and they were attentive to our needs.  After its all done, they bring you a cold and sweet ginger drink for a refreshing finish after all that work and sweat you put into that meal.  Again, it just comes with the service.

Directly next door to Kaya is Waba, it’s adjoining sushi restaurant and bar.  I think they’re from the same owner, but I wasn’t too sure.  When I peaked in to take a look at the place, I could hear the soothing music in the air and feel the Asian elegance in the atmosphere.  This is definitely a place where you could hang out with friends and co-workers, or even take a date to.

This is what every Asian bar needs…… a cool, friendly bartender and host.

Here’s the sushi chef.  He’s got a really familiar face.  Maybe I’ve seen him before at another restaurant.

All in all, my visit to Kaya/Waba was truly a unique experience.  The total bill was only a little over a hundred bucks for the five of us.  Now that’s what I call “quality dining”.

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