(Image: Galbi Burger)

The space formerly home to a Korean bistro that served Broadway for more than 20 years will host a new take on the cuisine.

Galbi Burger, which has its first location in Arlington, Washington, is set to expand to Capitol Hill in the space formerly home to Kimchi Bistro. Hannah Ha initially started the venture last year to introduce Korean hamburgers to the Pacific Northwest. Ha said that she has been in the food industry for the last eight years, and previously owned a katsu-burger joint with her sister.

“I know that hamburgers are very popular, so I wanted to serve them with a twist, derived from my Korean heritage,” Ha said. “Galbi Burger is inspired from the galbi marinade sauce that I grew up with.”

CHS reported last week on the closure of Kimchi Bistro earlier this summer after 21 years of business on Capitol Hill.

Ha tells CHS that the menu for the new Capitol Hill location of Galbi Burger will be similar to its Arlington location, and will serve classic and deluxe galbi hamburgers, along with loaded fries, a customer favorite. Additionally, she will be introducing a line of rice bowls at the Broadway location. The concept of the burger is different than most as the patties are marinated in the homemade galbi sauce, Ha says.

“I felt like there was a keen interest in Asian cuisines in Seattle, which made me want to set up a second location here,” Ha said. “Capitol Hill in particular is so vibrant and diverse – I lived here 10 years ago and I now see so many local businesses thriving.”

Ha said that Galbi burger was created to provide customers with a unique experience with Korean flavors, as each item on the menu was carefully crafted to bring a new twist to hamburgers. Each burger would have the marinated patty, along with several toppings and two types of mayonnaise.

Ha says Galbi Burger received a positive response from its first location as customers enjoyed the intriguing twist on the burger.

“Although it’s a simple concept, the marinade really adds value to the burger, which is what sets us apart,” Ha said. “I’ve seen a lot of changes with the toppings of burgers, but we are enhancing the core patty itself.”

Ha said she plans a soft opening of Galbi Burger this Friday and the restaurant will then have a grand opening early September. Galbi Burger purchased the building space from Kimchi Bistro which served its last meals in the warrens of Broadway Alley complex this summer.

“In the past, people have loved our burgers, and they’ve always come back for more,” Ha said. “I am hoping to receive a similar response with this location as well, and we are very excited to create this experience for customers here.”

Galbi Burger, meanwhile, will fit into two different Capitol Hill food trends. On the patty front, it will join 2016-opened, Japanese-flavored Katsu Burger on 12th Ave and E Madison’s 2021-born Bombay Burger in the Capitol Hill International hamburger game. And then there is the explosion of Korean flavors on the Hill. CHS reported here on the latest opening as Imo Pocha is now serving in the old Glo’s space on E Olive Way, proof that the neighborhood’s Korean restaurant bubble hasn’t k-popped. Galbi also has a spiritual cousin in E Pine’s 2022-born Korean corn dog joint Korn Dog.

UPDATE: We left off a centerpiece of the Capitol Hill international burger scene. The Lao Burger now has its own “flagship restaurant” with Ox Burger’s February debut on E Madison.

Galbi Burger is set to open at 219 Broadway E. Learn more at galbi-burger.com.

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