Having lived in Hawaii for several years growing up, we absolutely love trying Hawaiian-inspired restaurants on the mainland. So when we were in Seattle recently, we had to stop by Marination Ma Kai for some aloha style cooking – and we were not disappointed! Marination Ma Kai is located in a prime location right on the water with an amazing view of downtown Seattle and an awesome patio for you to take it all in. Most importantly, the food and drinks were on point! They offered a lot of staples traditionally found in a true Hawaiian-style restaurant, like Musubi, Loco Moco, and Hawaiian Mac Salad, but they put a lot of fun and tasty twists on some of the traditional dishes. The Fish ‘N’ Chips were so fresh and perfectly battered, but what really set them apart was the miso ginger tartar and kimchi tartar that accompanied them for dipping.
The Pork Katsu Sandwich (not pictured) was also delicious and it consisted of a pork cutlet, panko crust, served on a Macrina ciabatta with red onion, mayo, house-made “bulldog” (tonkastu) sauce and tangy slaw. The Kalua Pork Sliders were also amazing, given we love pretty much anything involving kalua pork! One dish we definitely want to try next time is the Kimchi Fried Rice Bowl, which is served with a sunny side up egg and the choice of adding miso ginger chicken, kalbi beef, spicy pork, or sexy tofu.
Did we mention how gorgeous the patio was?! Also, they have a full bar inside offering a variety of beer, wine, and most importantly, Hawaiian inspired cocktails. They even carried Hawaiian Sun juices, including my faves – Passion Fruit and Guava. We also tried the Stumptown Cold Brew Cold Brew Coffee for a midday energy boost to fuel our post-lunch exploring and shopping.
Shave ice, get your shave ice! That’s right shave ice lovers, Marination Ma Kai has some of the best around. You can even add azuki beans and vanilla ice cream if you want to go all-out! For flavors, we went with a combo of coconut, guava, and passion fruit. Side note, if and when you are traveling to Oahu and are on the search for Hawaiian shave ice (never say snow cone!), the best can be found at Matsumoto’s Shave Ice!
After eating we walked out onto the pier that’s located right next to the restaurant and captured some beautiful pictures of the Seattle skyline. We definitely lucked-out with the beautiful, sunny, and cool weather while we were in Washington.
Cheers to good food & good company,
Emily & Barbara
