I love Korean cuisine, but I hate driving all the way to Eagan (Hoban), Columbia Heights (Dong Yang) or Fridley (King’s Korean) or even Snelling Avenue in St. Paul (Mirror of Korea, Sole) to get it. The Korea Cafe and Tofu House in Stadium Village are okay when I really need a kimchi fix, but both are pretty limited.

So I have been delighted to discover a first-rate Korean restaurant in downtown Minneapolis – Donghae Korean Grill and Sushi, at 251 First Ave. N., in the former Nami space. In addition to Korean cuisine, Donghae offers an extensive menu of sushi and other Japanese fare, which I haven’t tried, plus Korean TV, and sometimes, Korean cooking shows.
It turns out that Donghae is the big sister (or brother) of Dong Yang, a terrific Korean grocery that has a tiny Korean cafe hidden inside.
One of my favorite features of Korean cuisine is the panchan, the assortment of side dishes that accompany any Korean meal. Most restaurants will serve at least five or six, ranging from from cabbage or radish kimchi to sesame-flavored bean sprouts or strips of flavorful fishcake.
Donghae’s Happy Hour runs from Monday to Friday from 2:30 to 6 p.m., and 8 p.m. to close, and offers some pretty deals, including the $11 platter of sizzling bulgogi shown in the slide show – regularly $16.