Mark’s Kitchen

I’m very outspoken about my favorite type of restaurants being ones whose menu is one side of one page. Mark’s does the seeming impossible, offer a large menu that’s solid across the board. Whether you’re here for breakfast, lunch or dinner they make this one of my favorite hidden gems of the DC metro. I tend to start off with one of their freshly made juice blends (the latest was kale, tomato, carrot) to get my appetite started. Whether I’m there for diner classics or their Korean infused dishes I’ve never been disappointed and neither have my dining companions regardless of their dietary restrictions (read they cater to all –vores). On a recent visit I went for some nostalgia from their «old menu» a B.L.T. with peanut butter instead of mayonnaise and it rocked. They get busy on weekends, but downtown Takoma Park is a great place to wait out your time for a table.

The club sandwich top-​notch service excellent small but one of the greatest places that have a great lunch

This place is deceiving. The atmosphere looks diner-​divey, but the food has more than your American fare. I love that there’s good Korean food in my neighborhood. Definitely offers stick-​to-​your-​ribs kind of meals.

Mark’s Kitchen is amazing. I have gone there for many birthdays including my most recent bday and am never disappointed. The quality of the food! The unbeatable prices! Seeing the owner, Mark, engaged and walking the floor so often when I dine! The food options from vegan to meat eaters to everyone in between! So grateful for this place, THANK YOU MARK’S KITCHEN!

For a diner breakfast, this was awesome. The variety of different breakfasts was awesome. I had the mango pancakes and I highly recommend it. I will be back for sure.

Used to love this place, good food, good options for dietary needs/​choices good waitstaff. The owner (I think he’s the owner) doesn’t have great customer service. We just waited more than 30 min after we were told it was a 5 min wait and I was blamed for not hearing him call our name. Then we weren’t given the next table after he was seating people who arrived after us. We left and won’t be back for a while, if again at all. Disappointed since we like it here otherwise.
Went to Vegaritos around the corner and it turned the frustrating day around! Great food, awesome serive.

Here’s another hidden gem in Takoma Park. Delicious food for all palettes! Picky eaters can enjoy a standard burger, those health focused can have a turkey sandwich and the adventurous ones can have some bulgogi! Everyone will enjoy their meal. There were no complaints from anyone!
From what I understand, either the cook or the owner is Korean. It’s hard for me to turn down Korean BBQ, so I went with it. Boy, was I glad! It brought me back to the bulgogi restaurant I love in Seoul!
Our server was so friendly and welcoming. She was patient and attentive.
Definitely try it out!

A little crowded, but service was friendly, food was delish, the place was clean and prices reasonable. The spiced apple cider hit the spot on a cold winter day!

Mark’s Kitchen is my go-​to place when I’ve got guests or want to get together for a meal.
First, there’s the menu. It’s a bit overwhelming, but so great. Korea meets Takoma Park healthy-​hippy eating. How can that be wrong? ;) Mark’s menu has meat-​free and gluten-​free options, which is great and allows me to take anyone there without disappointment. There are so many healthy options on the menu, yet there are also pancakes and milkshakes, so you’ve got your different eaters covered.
Mark’s is hopping on the weekend, especially right around the breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner prime times, so expect a line at those times. To get in more quickly, come at a slightly off-​hour on the weekend.
It’s located in Old Town Takoma, so there are some fun stores on the street to check out. I like the bead store (which has a few more interesting things in addition to beads), a toy shop down the street, and the clothing store that sells vintage clothing. During the season for farmer’s markets, on Sunday, there’s a decent market. So before or after your Mark’s visit, there are things to see if you like those types of things.
I’m a big fan of the bim bim bap at Mark’s, and for the most part, everything I’ve had there has been satisfactory. I’m glad that he (yes, Mark owns the restaurant and is there a lot of the time) provides fresh juices and really is a force for good eating.
The only thing that took away that last star is the fact that he only has ceiling fans, so in the hottest weather, I’d recommend coming in the cooler parts of the day, or at least being prepared. I was there last August, and while it wasn’t horrible (I can handle heat well), my dining companion and server definitely were feeling the heat.

Update:
Brought a couple of friends here and ordered kale apple carrot ginger made to order fresh juices — lovely! Ssam experience was a put it together combo of delicious fresh ingredients with lettuce wrap, the appetizer sampler… Should have gotten two of these as the maple tofu and potstickers were a delight! Lastly, we all shared the kimchi combo… We almost licked the plate! At the end of the meal, we thought we would’ve had room for the potato latke which our very sweet waitress had recommended, but we were pleasantly full from all the fresh ingredients! This is a place you can come where you won’t feel guilty for eating your heart’s desire because there are so many opportunities for fresh and healthy tasty options! I will be returning for sure!

They screwed up my order. Then they adjust the check to make for the price difference. And I left with no entrée because I did not like what they give me.
I’m disappointed with this place. First and only time. You shall know better.

Great place. Lots of variety n food and cultures. Awesome fun atmosphere! Even had food for my vegan daughter!!! Lol staff as always is very nice and know their menu inside and out, backwards and forwards !

My partner and I love Mark’s because it is affordable, casual and local.
There are a lot of vegan options, which puts my partner over the moon. It’s rare that there’s more than one vegan option on a menu, let alone pancakes and milkshakes! It’s also a great place to take friends who are picky eaters.
My favorite thing to get at Mark’s is potato latkes. I can get them with sour cream and apple sauce, just like when I was a kid. They can be a little inconsistent — Sometimes the potato is a little under-​cooked. It’s hard to complain about a small meal for under five bucks, though.
I wish Mark’s was open later on weekends and for sweet potato fries to be on the menu. Otherwise, I wouldn’t change a thing.

This was a huge surprise when I met my wife near her work for lunch and delicious. Great weird Korean meets american diner food with a fantastic beer in bottle list to boot.
My wife got the Korean BLT, which is a BLT with beef bulgogi (Korean barbecue) added. The thing is amazingly good and I’d probably get it again next time. After having had Korean tacos and Korean burritos while in Austin, I’m beginning to think that adding bulgogi to anything that involves meat is likely to make it better.
I got the mung bean pancake breakfast and it was good, but not quite as good. The pancakes were a bit on the bland side, but the chili paste hot sauce and Korean dipping sauce that came with things made the eggs, Engish muffin, pancakes and hash browns great. Fusion really is the way to win.
Lastly the beer selection (all bottles) was good and reasonably priced. I had a Wolaver’s Oatmeal Stout from Vermont that hadn’t heard of before and was great.
The whole atmosphere of the local deli/​diner is also just nice to see. I’ll be back.

Takoma Park residents rely on Mark’s Kitchen for easy eats. It’s easy because every person will find a fresh made item from sushi to sundaes.
Light. That is the description of the décor, the atmosphere, the prices. Long before I first ate here, I’ve had the food from numerous take-​aways that have been called in. Korean steak is tender, sushi is refreshing and filling. I’m not a vegetarian myself, but there is no doubt that I could feed my herbivores quite well here. In fact, even I would like to try the micro greens bibimbap and the stuffed acorn squash.
Oh and yes, vegan and gluten-​free options as well.
Some places have local diners or an Olive garden, I guess. We’re lucky enough to have Mark’s Kitchen.

Chicken Teriyaki & Sweet Potato Omelet $ 10 (⁴⁄₅ NOMs)
Start your day with double potato goodness in your omelet. This place brings a new take on most dishes with their tasty American and Asian combinations. Omelets are no exception with a nice chicken teriyaki and potato combination this makes a perfect breakfast. With so much protean in this omelet you are bound to stay full for a while. Fell in love with thin cut chicken and sweet potatoes layers. Just the right amount so no flavor is lost or overpowered. Even with these two strong ingredients you can still taste very light and soft eggs & cheese. Served with very well seasoned and flavorful home fries on the side. You get potatoes on the inside and outside!
Korean Steak Burger $ 9 (⁵⁄₅ NOMs)
Who knew vegans make one mean meat burger! The only way to make black angus beef burger better is to just top it with Korean Steak! Love the fun flavor mixture and new tasty take on burger. This made this hungry nomster very happy. The only thing that would make this better is more fries. You have to try this and lot of other crazy nomnom dishes they have
Korean Short Ribs (galbi) + Potato Noodles $ 10 (⁵⁄₅ NOMs).
Now we talking, this was an awesome dish! I was really blown away by the flavor. Love how flavorful and tender the short ribs were. Of course, like many Asian dishes you got to get little bit of everything together. Fried brown rice? Don’t see that everyday. I don’t think I’ve ever had Potato Noodles and they made a great addition. Veggies were very soft and well prepared to not taste like boring veggies.
Tofu & Eggplant Club $ 8 (³⁄₅ NOMs).
vegan club sandwich? We have a few vegan fans so I decided to try a vegan club sandwich. Not a bad sandwich, just wish it had more flavors. It tasted just too bland. Maybe if eggplant was deep-​fried? or there was bacon in there lol? It did have vegan cheddar cheese, but I didn’t really taste it. Side of roasted potatoes was far too small and weak in flavors. So sadly not something I will order next time.
Onion Rings $ 3 (⁴⁄₅ NOMs).
This was a great way to start our late lunch. They were very crunchy greecy onion rings dripping with nomnom goodness, just the way it should be. I just wish they gave you more then just 5.

(3.5 stars)
I’ve had Mark’s bookmarked on Unilocal for at least three years, and I finally made it there yesterday. There’s something charming about Mark’s unpretentiousness, its deeply friendly waitresses, and its endless menu. You can get just about anything here — sandwiches, soups, salads, milkshakes, Korean food (or perhaps better articulated as something-​like-​Korean-​food) and most of it is good. Not brilliant, but good. Take the veggie box — it comes in a big box (think of Teaism’s bento box) and includes an amazing hunk of grilled eggplant, some fairly bland tofu, some very flavorful mushrooms, seaweed, and a mung bean cake (which wasn’t quite as delightful as, say, a scallion pancake). It was all tasty, though not mind-​blowing, and very filling at a good price. I’m not sure I’d go to Takoma Park just for Mark’s, but I’ll certainly be back the next time I’m in the are.

Casual neighborhood restaurant with a pleasantly odd Korean menu with loads of vegetarian options.
PROs
A unique menu of Korean, American, and vegetarian food
CONs
Close tables
Too casual for my taste
Bad/​lack of décor
Large and overwhelming menu
A lot of little kids and families come here
What I got
Vegetarian bento box $ 12
What I thought
The menu looked very interesting online, so it has been bookmarked on my Unilocal account for a few weeks. Although the menu is very unique, the restaurant itself is not. Very plain and has a neighborhood diner feel. There were so many little kids at the restaurant that I thought I was in Chuckecheese for a minute. The food itself was alright, nothing special.

Mark’s is a small neighborhood diner with a twist of Takoma Park charm. When we walked in the place was full, and I thought for sure we’d be waiting or need to go elsewhere. Fortunately there was an open table tucked in the back. Seating is in very close quarters in some areas (especially toward the back), but there’s just enough room.
The service to take our order was really prompt, but being my first visit I needed some more time to pour over the extensive menu. Between veggie, vegan, gluten free and burger options there’s a lot to choose from, which made it hard to pick a meal (in a good way). I settled on the vegetable lasagna. After placing my order I saw someone get their beef bulgogi, which looked so good… but I stuck with my decision.
The lasagna was ok, very carroty, and smaller than I’d expect for the price. It did come with a simple, small leafy salad on the side. I was hungry, so it wasn’t quite enough for me. I’ll definitely try the bulgogi next time; it seems to be one of the specialties here. I’m actually sort of holding back from going now.
As someone else said, the kitchen is small so allow some time for the food to cook. Not everything will necessarily come out at the same time. The heat from the kitchen actually keeps the place really warm, which would be nice on a cold day.

My husband and I ate lunch here on our first day in town for a weekend of apartment hunting in the Takoma Park area. We arrived shortly after 1pm on a Friday and the place was bustling. We managed to snag the last table for two. The servers were a little frazzled but very friendly. I ordered the chai milkshake, which was delightful (thanks to the other Unilocalers who recommended it!). I also ordered a tofu dish with soba noodles. YUM.
I was also pleasantly surprised by the prices, but that could just be me being accustomed NYC restaurant prices. I am looking forward to exploring more of the menu when we move to DC later this month.