Nak Won

(Liz Allan)

Nak Won, a long-standing favorite among Korean restaurants, still serves up some of the most authentic and tasty bites accompanied by kimchi.

A traditional-looking tiger print is displayed not far from flat-screen TVs hanging on the wall, the mix of ancient art and modern entertainment seemingly represent the country of South Korea itself. It's not a romantic spot, but that's for the best with its family-sized portions. On a recent afternoon, Nak Won had filled by the lunch hour with a multiethnic crowd.

If you arrived only to enjoy the names on the menu, you won't be disappointed, as a listing of soups illustrates: Comfort Buttercup (beef rib, $21), Angry Bull (spicy brisket, $17),  Saving Private Canned Goods (Spam, $18) and When Miss Piggy Met Hot Potato (spicy pork and potato, $18).

Like the essential basket of bread and butter before the meal at a steak house, here you get complimentary banchan sides, from gamja—the Korean version of potato salad—to kimchi bites of cabbage. This alone makes it worth the trip.

Favorites include the steamed pot stickers packed with pork and leek ($10) and the kimchi pancake ($14), crisp on edges and soft in the middle with a mild-vinegary heat that would delight even a diner with only a passing affection for kimchi. Rice Party, a name the restaurant gives to its version of bibimbap, includes vegetables that are still bright and cooked to excellence, including bean sprouts, spinach and zucchini. You can get the vegetarian tofu version for $15 or a meaty trio with beef, spicy pork and chicken for $18.

Pro tip: Don't over-order. A large selection of kimchi, along with other small appetizers, arrives before the meal, and the helpings are generous.

GO: 4600 Watson Ave., Beaverton, 503-646-9382, 11:30 am-2 pm and 5-8:30 pm Monday-Thursday, 11:30 am-2 pm and 5-8 pm Friday-Saturday. $$.

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