Korean barbecue joints offer a multisensory feast. At restaurants outfitted with tabletop grills, staff members crank up the fire and swap out grates in front of diners to cook various cuts of meat often marinated in sweet and spicy sauces. The most popular orders are typically thinly sliced, marinated beef bulgogi, thicker galbi (short ribs), brisket shavings, and pork belly. Chicken, shrimp, and seafood are common, too. Sesame oil and gochujang-based condiments are served on the side for dipping, and customers can usually count on a complimentary stream of banchan (or panchan), side dishes of pickles, salads, and other vegetables (kimchi is a must). Boiling clay pots of sundubu jjigae (Korean stew) also accent these communal meals alongside cold beer and soju.
While Annandale, Virginia, is the epicenter of the area’s Korean food culture, the District now has two tabletop grilling places inside the city: Gogi Yogi in Shaw, and a location of the Iron Age chain in Columbia Heights.
Here are 17 restaurants serving superior Korean barbecue around D.C., Virginia, and Maryland.
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