Pros: - Food is fresh - Wide variety of dishes - Nice decor - Affordable Cons: - Service is meh Conclusion: The food is pretty good. I've been there about 3-4 times and the quality of food has been consistent. They're known for their special pork ribs and cheese platter. There's nothing better than the melty cheese and saucy ribs. Only downside is that their service is meh, but for the food I can look past it. read more

BBQ 21 - Korean Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

I love this place. I'm surprised that it is not more well known!! Any restaurant that gives me a whole plate of melted cheese to dip my barbecue is 5 stars in my book. Try the cheese deunggalbi!! This is basically a huge pan of barbecue ribs, a whole bunch of melted cheese, and extra sides like ddukboki and corn cheese. I also loved the samgyupsal here. I really liked that they cook it in kitchen and bring it out to you hot. This keeps you leaving the restaurant without any grease stains and meat smells on your clothes. read more

BBQ 21 - Cheese deunggalbi (right) and samgyupsal(left) - Korean Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

the only thing good about this restaurant is the servers were nice. My family and I eat Korean BBQ all the time. We ordered bulgogi and were asked if it be cooked in back or at the table we said at the table. The server brought it out already cooked (seems like it was old and cooked the day prior) and put it on the grill still infront of us for about 2 minutes which shocked us. The egg soup was disgusting and that is usually my favorite it was not even soup it was basically just a cold egg. They gave us a tiny bit of kimchi and sides that come with the bulgogi when we ordered a lot of food. The only good item I would say was the dumplings but everything else was cold and dry. Not a good experience and everyone in my party agrees. Once again the servers were nice this review is strictly about the food quality and taste. read more

This place was just okay. The service brings it up to 3.5 stars. I was really excited coming in but then I just ended up being a let down. However, I will have to come back and try it again. So we walk in and it's so cute inside. It's a little dark so that was strange but it was still really nice!! I also really liked how cute it was. We were seated instantly and then given menus. The original server we had never checked back on us... That was not good because it wasn't even busy and they couldn't keep track of a two-top. So finally, another server saw that we were waiting for such a long time and she got our orders. Thank goodness for her or else this review would have been way lower. So we order the Seafood Pancake and then the chirashi, and then the raw fish bimbop. The seafood pancake comes out with a side salad and banchan. I really liked how many sides they gave you! The only downside, I only liked two of their sides. The tofu and the potato egg salad. Everything else was extremely mediocre and I didn't really like it. The salad was okay as well. Nothing special. The seafood pancake comes out and I am extremely surprised. It's so small.... Be warned! It's really small. It tasted pretty good though! I really liked it so I was really excited for our official meals. The pancake wasn't too greasy and it had a lot of seafood in it! My only complaint, I wish that it had the scallions more cut up. It was really hard to cut through. And sometimes the taste would be overwhelming in a certain location because the veggies weren't cut up enough. The chirashi was good but the cuts were huge!!! It was almost overwhelming. It wasn't bad but I feel like the quality of fish had to have been lowered. I tried some of it and it tasted okay. But I couldn't help but be suspicious the entire time. I was also surprised that they had a lot of tuna and not much variety with the fish. I was sooo disappointed with my entree. It was literally sliced frozen raw fish on top of lettuce. I didn't like it at all. I didn't want to send it back though because it just wasn't worth it. Instead I just ate the salmon, this was okay. But I will NEVER order this again!! I would come back because I saw some other people get different items and they looked really good! And our server was so nice so I'm willing to give them a try again. Just be warned, their raw fish is sketchy. read more

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Came here during lunch special and price is pretty decent for the lunch boxes. Variety is was good in the lunch box. Food came out hot and quickly. Service was okay-we had to demand/request several times to get our hot teas refilled every time. read more

The service here is terrific-- kudos to the lady who served our group of seven confused customers! She was courteous, prepared w ample knowledge of the menu, and assertive, which we definitely appreciated. Whenever we needed water, or anything for that matter, the staff was diligent in serving us. As starters, everyone gets a small pumpkin porridge, which was delicious, and a salad w peanut-ginger dressing, which was as you would expect it to be. We ended up getting two orders (each serves 2 people; $34) of the cheesy pork ribs that come w a small side of spicy rice cakes and creamy corn. Honestly, despite this menu item being their specialty, we didn't love it. The ribs were fine, nothing special. But the cheese was weirdly flavorless. And by no fault of the restaurant, the cheese tends to burn quickly and then hardens so you can't really "dip" the ribs into the cheese, which is how the waitress recommended eating it. Seems like a good idea, but needs better execution. We also got, as individual dishes, the rice cake soup without dumplings, the spicy yukaejang soup, the dangjang soup, and an order of bulgogi. The soups were lacking in flavor... maybe they don't use msg so it's healthier but more bland? The best menu item was the bulgogi, which was fresh off the grill and a pretty decent portion size. Also, their side dishes (six different kinds) were on point-- loved the display and variety. While we left w full stomaches and in a good mood, we agreed that it wasn't the best tasting korean restaurant around. read more

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I came here with a group of 12 other friends for a birthday party and it was great! Our group did end up coming in three different waves but that really didn't slow down our service at all. We as an entire group, got an obscenely large amount of food. Our long table had no room left, between appetizers, and entrees. The menu is pretty large, ranging from sushi, to korean bbq, and korean entrees (noodles, rice etc). I got the shrimp wrapped in potato, which was a recommendation from other Yelpers, and it was good! super crunchy but not overcooked shrimp. Everyone else got sushi which they raved about being super delicious and fresh. As for the entrees, one entree can feed two people just fine. Especially if you're getting the rib special with cheese! That platter could feed three people if you got an appetizer to share. I had the chance to nibble off the platter and the rice cake, wrapped in cheese is SOOO good. The ribs were okay in my opinion. The fried chicken with cheese was decent, I wish there was more cheese and the chicken was cooked a little differently. It said fried chicken, but it was more like chicken poppers with face and cheese. Either ways I ate until I was completely stuffed and there was still enough to feed a couple more people. At the end a few of us got their desserts to share and there still wasn't any complaints. Just a lot of groaning from the amount of food we ate. We are all happy. The service was great for our large party, as a matter of fact, they brought out the food at super rates. The Korean ladies were super nice, and there was always a water refill. read more

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Food Soy bean paste soup - pretty solid. I opted for no tofu and it was really hearty to sip on it on a cold night Sliced beef brisket - I opted for us to grill at the table. For about $25-27 an order - it came with 12 slice, the worst part was it was cooked on with no oil so a lot of it was stuck... won't be ordering this again Galbi BiBimBap - tasty and a solid choice, we would order this again Service Pretty friendly for a slow night. I am all for supporting moms and pops. read more

Absolutely love the food, service and ambiance of this Korean restaurant. I ordered the (duk-mandoo-gook) Rice Cake and Dumpling Soup. The dumplings are made in-house and the dish was absolutely delicious. It was only $10 and was accompanied by six small plates of korean side dishes, hot tea, ice water, and a korean sweet yam dessert. They have a plethora of korean dishes on their menu and I'm excited to come back and try more! The service was extremely polite and courteous-- the kind of servers who glance at you every few minutes and read your body language and facial expressions to see if you're ready to order. I came at 6pm on a Wednesday night and there were seven full tables. The restaurant holds 20 tables mostly four tops, some two tops, one ten top and a bar that seats seven. The ambiance has dark furniture and relatively dim but not too dark lighting. There are a few decorative sparkling Christmas lights and it's April. There are also three televisions at or near the bar with various sports shows playing. I came alone to study and was very satisfied with the white noise of conversations and minimal server interaction when I was clearly in the zone studying and ample server interaction when I looked up for attention. A true five stars. Also, complimentary hot green tea. Love it. Definitely coming back with friends. ::edit:: I think the GM, Andy, gets a ping when someone adds a review. I was still studying at the table and waiting for my uber when he found me and personally thanked me for my review! What a fun and PERSONABLE establishment. Wow, their staff really takes care of their customers. read more

BBQ 21 - Rice cake and dumpling soup. Dumplings are made in house! - Korean Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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BBQ21 recently opened up in Fairfax (in the Burlington plaza), and I was pretty curious about them, as they are known for their 'James Cheese' deung galbi-style entree (James Cheese is a popular restaurant in Korea where one dips ribs into melted cheese - kind of like a pork rib fondue (!)). The hubs and I came here to grab some lunch, and I knew that I wanted to try this specialty! It's under the 'BBQ21 Special,' S1's 'Grilled Pork Ribs with Cheese.' Now, I love cheese, but I'd had an unpleasant experience in the past with cheese being in Korean food (particularly in kimbops), so I was a little weary; however, I'm so glad I got to try it out! This combo is great for 2 people - a cast-iron 'tray' that is compartmentalized and comes with marinated pork ribs on the side (with up to 2 choices for the sauce: Bulgogi flavor, Spicy, Extra Spicy, and BBQ - we opted for the BBQ flavor and the Spicy); the ribs come already pre-grilled and the marinated in the sauces); then, there is a nice generous area with shredded mozzarella and vegetables (like jalapeno slices, carrots, and peas), another small area with ddukboki (elongated rice cake with a spicy sauce), and another little area with corn with shredded mozzarella cheese sprinkled on top. This iron tray is set on top of the grill that is located at the center of your table; it heats up pretty quickly, and you see the cheeses starting to melt. Once the cheese gets all melty and gooey, the server shuts off the flames and you're encouraged to begin. You grab a rib, dip it in the melted cheese (it may be difficult for some to scoop the cheese onto the rib, but try using the rib as a 'fork' and twirl the cheese around on the meat), and chow down! I actually preferred the Spicy-flavored with the cheese, whereas the hubs preferred the BBQ one. It added an interesting element to the rib, and the cheese wasn't as overwhelming as I thought it would be! The ddukboki was way too spicy for me, but the corn with the cheese was pretty good (wished there were more!). I liked that they also gave you disposable gloves so that it's less of a mess and you don't have to worry about using up tons of napkins! The meal also comes with unlimited trips to their modest salad bar, filled with fresh olive-oiled-upped kale (YUM!), lettuce, broccoli, and spicy string beans; there is an array of dressings as well as shabu-shabu sauces (definitely try their Sesame dressing with the kale - it is delicious!). Service was friendly, and they currently decreased the price for the S1 combo ($4 off). Definitely an interesting and a unique meal, give them a try! :D +S1's 'Grilled Pork Ribs with Cheese' +AYCE modest salad bar (kale with Sesame dressing!!!) +friendly service :D +located in the Burlington plaza +plenty of parking read more

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Been here a couple times prior to writing this review. Located right outside of fair oaks mall, this joint definitely offers many delicious options. Without a doubt, their main attraction is their grilled pork ribs with cheese. I really like the concept behind the dish and I really think BBQ21 executes it very well. Came in for lunch on July fourth (yes they were open!) and got the spicy grilled pork ribs with cheese. We initially wanted half spicy and half bulgogi but we were told that they no longer have the bulgogi flavor option.. Sadface. I really enjoyed the salad and pumpkin porridge that came out as appetizer. The main entree was as expected, spicy meat with lots of cheese. Really enjoyed the cheese corn and ddukbokgi that came with it. I think this costs extra but if you ask, they make fried rice with the remaining cheese/meat and adding their own mix with the rice. Honestly it's a must have experience. The only reason I wouldn't give it five stars is because of the price.. It's 34.95 for the dish and it's honestly super overpriced. The amount of meat we get is nowhere equivalent to the price we're paying. However, for the experience I would recommend this place. read more

BBQ 21 - Cheese pork ribs - Korean Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

This is a new hidden spot that I like. BBQ21 is in a awkward location for a Korean restaurant, but don't be fooled. This place is a must try. They have alot of menu items that most other Korean restaurants in Annandale and Centreville don't have. First, BBQ21 is VERY clean and the service is absolutely top notch!! The staff is very attentive and is always within arms length if you need something. We got the Dak galbi. VERY DELICIOUS!! Not quite like how it is in Korea where everything is mixed together, but the style here has a little less veggies and surrounds the chicken in cheese dip. You simply dip the chicken in the cheese and eat away. After you are done, they will turn your leftover sauce into fried rice with the excess sauce. MUST TRY ALERT!!! read more

BBQ 21 - sides - Korean Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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I came to try this restaurant after seeing some good reviews and the variety of options on the menu. However this turns out to be a disappointment due to poor customer service. The server lady is perhaps one of the rudest I have ever seen in a restaurant, never smiles or explain anything, and seems like we own her something. She never refills our water, and even would let your hot pot soup dried out without even bothering to fill the pot until you had to ask her. She even changed the price of the final bill from the menu. For whatever request you made to her, even if it is for a cup of tea, she seems really reluctant, unhappy and doesn't seem to like to serve any customer. One of the worst experience. read more

Saw this place while shopping in the area and decided to check it out. The atmosphere was nice and clean. I was initially shown to a table with a tabletop grill, but when I returned from the ladies room, the waitress pointed me to a different table, without a tabletop grill. Menu was easy to follow and offered good options, including traditional Korean dishes, Japanese and sushi options. I ordered Beef Bulgogi from the Korean BBQ menu. It was brought to me on a sizzling pan with a variety of banchan dishes and rice. Food was hot and tasty. As I ate, I saw others seated at the tables with tabletop grills and observed the waitresses cooking the food at the tables. When I asked what I would order from the menu if I wanted my food cooked at the table, the waitress brought a menu, pointed to the Korean BBQ section (from which I ordered) and quickly left. While I enjoyed my food, I can't help but feel like I was somehow slighted. Given that there are lots of other Korean dining options in the area, I probably won't be back. read more

BBQ 21 - Beef bulgogi - Korean Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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It's always nice to know that the restaurant owners are trying to change their image and try something else. I am not sure if this place has the "IT" factor though. I am not sure about the identity of this place. The right side of the restaurant has a very small sushi bar with really I mean really shiny bar stools and older small flat panel TVs. There's a huge empty corridor like space in the middle that divides the dining section and BBQ section. It's just strangely too big for this type of restaurant. It tried to be hip and trendy izakaya back in the day but now it's just another korean restaurant. The food was not terrible but sashimi was cut too big and had to bite into it couple of times. Fried squid legs were dry and overcooked. The best part of the entire dining experience was the soju drinking and that's just me being silly and having fun. So much potential and yet so blah. read more

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We came here for a friend's birthday, it was overall a good experience. We were able to make a reservation and even bring in a birthday cake for the dinner. The atmosphere is nice, the servers are nice, but they do insist on cooking for you when it comes to the korean bbq. Normally you can cook your own korean bbq on the grill built into your table, but it seems like the servers want to do it for you even when you insist you want to do it on your own. The appetizers they serve complimentary were not great, I would prefer not to get them at all. I got the bulgogi bibimbap as my meal, it was pretty good. A good mixture of rice and vegetables, the fried egg was good; it would have been nice to have more meat, but other than that it was good. read more

BBQ 21 - Bulgogi bibimbap - Korean Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

I've been here a few times. So far everything is pretty good. The cheese ribs are a good portion for even up to 3 people imo. The cold noodle and kalbi dish was also on point. The only thing I would stay away from is the sushi. I did not like it. But I liked the roll with shrimp tempura in it. I'm not sure if they're short staffed but when it gets a little busy the service is pretty slow. I had to ask for things a few times each. But other than that, nice, clean, korean restaurant in the area. read more

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Came here today near closing time with a group of four. We ordered fried calamari and a seafood pancake from the appetizer menu, as well as seafood soup and two bulgogis from the entree menu. Everything was delicious; the bulgogi was fresh and well marinated, the soup was sizzling hot and *just* spicy enough for my liking, topped with adequate seafood and tofu. The calamari tasted standard to me, but one person in my group absolutely loved it. My favorite part of the entire meal was this sweet soy sauce-like dip that I drenched everything in. I don't know what dish the sauce is actually for, but definitely be sure to ask for "Gyoza Sauce" if you ever come here. Didn't get to try the salad bar; seems like they already packed the area up since we came so late. The staff was friendly; we requested extra starter dishes as well as extra sauces but they didn't seem to mind at all. We did end up staying a bit past closing time since we wanted to lick every plate clean. It totaled to be about $72 after tips and taxes, which is about $18 a person. Not a bad deal at all. Definitely will come back here if I'm ever in the area. *Be sure to ask for Gyoza Sauce! read more

BBQ 21 - Seafood Tofu Soup and Bulgogi were both delicious - Korean Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

RIBEESE: Make no mistake, I (we) were lured by the off the wall pictures on Yelp of the ribs + cheese (which I will henceforth refer to as ribeese) entree. I won't go into details of what it entails (refer to the pictures), but in one sentence: Interesting, but most likely wouldn't order again*. Now yes, there is a *caveat, and that is the fried rice that they can make afterwards for an additional $2. That was probably the best choice of the night, throwing down a Jefferson to transform the leftovers from the ribeese fiasco into a pseudo kimchee fried rice (they added some dried seaweed, roe, and some other chili sauce to add flavor/color?). SALAD BAR/SAUCE BAR: Other than the ribeese, the ACYE salad bar was nice to have. It had kale, lettuce, korean potato salad, chick peas, black beans, cherry tomatoes, and some broccoli and red cabbage. Right next to the salad bar is a copacetic sauce bar (probably for the shabu shabu, but we were novice and used it for the bulgogi and pork belly we ordered). KBBQ: The bulgogi and pork belly were good quality, pretty small quantity buy doable. Won't knock them for quantity when quality was commendable. BANCHAN: They only had pickled napa cabbage, kimchee, and pickled raddish. It would have been nice to have more choices for the banchan, but understand that probably due to the salad bar, they figured customers would be satisfied. CUSTOMER SERVICE: They did well. Actually, extremely well; no tomfoolery at all. OTHER: Probably would consider coming again, but eschew the ribeese and try the shabu shabu or some of their other korean dishes (which the kimchee jjigae was a solid performance). read more

BBQ 21 - Ribeese - Korean Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

I try to get in here whenever I'm in the area. I love it. I've brought several others here for work or business.

Service: we went during weekday lunch. The restaurant was about half full. We were seated right away. Ice water and hot tea were offered. Waitresses came by a few times to see if we were ready to order. They spoke some English, but not enough to understand some of our questions. They checked on us one time after they brought over the food. After we finished eating, we waited at least 20 minutes before one of the waitress came to check on us again. Food: we ordered grilled beef short rib with cold noodle, very spicy deep fried chicken when cheese. The meal came with two very very small salad. The cold noodle was sitting in an icy broth. It was VERY cold. The noodle was quiet chewy. Beef short rib needed more marinate in my opinion. The spicy chicken was indeed very spicy. The food tasted average to us. Nothing great, but nothing bad. read more

Came in during lunch and got the Bulgogi box lunch (around $10). It was affordable and tasty. My friend got the Spicy Chicken and it was pretty spicy. My other friend got the Spicy Pork box and said she enjoyed it as well. It comes with complimentary salad and side dishes/banchan. The banchan wasn't that great in my opinion. We also got the Calamari as an appetizer, it was okay. The octopus kept slipping out of the coating. The decor is nice, but our waitress was rude, didn't ask if everything was good or if we needed more water, and was quick to leave us the check (literally 5 minutes after we got our food). But overall the food was good and will come back again, but won't be expecting much from service. Pros: - tasty - affordable - cute decor Cons: - Side dishes (banchan) weren't good - Rude waitress read more

BBQ 21 - Bulgogi Lunch Box (around $10) - Korean Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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They have pretty decent quality of traditional Korean food. Nothing extra ordinary but you would not regret.

I have been coming here for a couple years now and the bbq ribs with cheese keeps getting better! I do admit that it can be pricey but you leave stuffed because it is alot of really good food! They have different spice levels for the ribs and they have it over a grill so its hot and you can eat it right then and there! The customer service is quick and great but when i usually go, there is not that many people for how big the restaurant is. read more

BBQ 21 - Korean Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

It's a solid option for reasonably priced Korean food in Fairfax. I like that I don't have to drive to Centreville or Annandale. Their Korean bbq is good and other traditional dishes like dolsot bibimbap, kimchi jjigae, etc. are good as well. Interior is clean and tables are spacious for Banchan too. Haven't tried any of their rolls or lunchbox options but they seem to be standard as well. Wouldn't be my first choice but I would gladly stop by whenever I crave food and I don't want to drive too far. read more

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Have heard mixed reviews about this place so been hesitant to try it but today I said why not try it out for myself since we can't trust every Yelp review.. Walked in and was wowed by the decor and atmosphere - didn't expect it to look like that. They do have a display at their front window before you walk in off the different types of items on their menu. The customer service was great. You get a choice of water or hot tea then complimentary soup and salad with some side dishes. We ordered the pork ribs with cheese - did half spicy and half bulgogi seasoned ribs which comes with spicy rice cakes and corn. It was so cheesy and delicious. The spicy was a bit too spicy for me but was still really good. The bulgogi flavor was amazing. Will definitely be back to try other things on their menu. read more

BBQ 21 - Korean Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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Do you ever have those days where you feel like eating a whole weeks's worth of calories in one meal? Well definitely come here if that is what you're aiming for! A lot of my friends told me that I should come out here at least once because it's a bit different. I guess I was a little too excited, but who doesn't get excited when they hear cheese and oh trust me it was a butt load of cheese. First you get started off with beverages and ban-chahn (korean side dishes) that you can nibble on while they prepare your massive tray of meat and cheese. When the tray first came out I was excited, but a bit disappointed. When you look at it it just looks likes some really good korean ribs and someone dumped a whole bag of Kraft cheese on the pan around it as bedding. BUT once it starts melting and getting oozy-gooey......... beautiful. Pure beauty. It was a lot of cheese though. I'm a cheese lover, but it was a LOTTTTTTTT of cheese. You can wrap it around your ribs, have cheesy corn (my weakness), or even with some korean rice cake. So much chewing. We got the korean bbq flavored and the spicy and the meat was so good....... Sadly we couldn't finish it all so we only took the leftover ribs home, because the cheese in the end was all dried out and it was a bit much. Honestly it's good and it's new but I wouldn't go crazy to go again. Go here for a fun date night! P.S. Props to the workers that have to scrub these cheesy meat pans! read more

BBQ 21 - Ribs, cheese, corn oh my :) - Korean Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

The lunch deals here are a good price and you get a lot of food. The bulgogi lunch box was excellent and the meat and tempura vegetables were really good. Along with the meal you get the salad bar and miso soup. The service was a little slow but they did just recently open up. read more

BBQ 21 - Bulgogi lunch box - Korean Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

we came here for a friend's dinner and left so stuffed and happy! it was surprisingly not that busy on a Saturday night but we also came a little after the dinner rush so that could've been it. Ordered the BBQ ribs and cheese platter, spicy pork bulgogi, bimbimbap on an actual hot stone bowl, and doenjang chiggae (korean soybean paste soup). It was so much food leftover that we definitely had to ask for a carryout box. We loved the bbq ribs and cheese platter (you can do half and half of whatever flavor which is nice). It just sucked that the cheese hardened since I don't think the grill is constantly being heated. The food is just served on a hot grill, if I remember correctly. Everything else was really flavorful and delicious though the spicy pork bulgogi was a bit salty but it does come with rice so def pair the entree with rice! read more

Alright. I'm pretty much a regular here. I've ordered from the bbq menu, korean, and sushi menu, and I've never had a bad meal. The cheesey bbq is ok but you really just order it for the experience. The marinated Korean ribs (galbi) is cooked perfectly. One of my favorite dishes is the cold noodles and galbi combo. For $20, this a great meal with wonderful flavors! The sushi is perfect. The fish is cut thick and they don't skimp out like other places! The Sushi Love Combo fed me and my parents! Service here is SO much better than other Korean restaurants. They may not speak English PERFECTLY but they will serve you respectfully and can answer questions about items on the menu. read more

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BBQ21 comes across as the "real deal" (e.g., I called to ask a question and was greeted in Korean; they went to get someone who spoke English to answer my question). Menu is in Korean with English subtitles. Foot was excellent and reasonably priced. They are open all afternoon with no break; hence, great for a late lunch (i.e., lunch prices until 2:30PM) or an early dinner. read more

I've been wanting to try Korean BBQ with cheese ever since seeing it on videos of people eating them in Korea and places in LA. But I didn't know there was a place like this in the DMV area! I stumbled upon this place after seeing a friend tag it on social media and my boyfriend was ecstatic to try it. They are most known for their BBQ ribs and cheese special but they also have appetizers and sushi as well! The shopping center seemed a little dead when we were there but that means there was a lot of parking space! We came here on a Monday afternoon so it wasn't too busy and we got seated in a booth. The waiters were very nice and attentive with coming around to take our appetizer plates when we were finished. My boyfriend and I got the potato shrimp roll which was something we never heard of before but ended up being really good! We also got the pork cutlet with cheese and the BBQ ribs and cheese special which we were not able to finish! It was way too much food for 2 people. We got the ribs in spicy and BBQ flavor and it was the perfect combo along with the corn cheese and ddukbokki! It was so delicious! We'd definitely come back! But maybe order less next time because we brought home a whole box of food we weren't able to finish. read more

BBQ 21 let me down big time! I decided to dine at this restaurant on a whim since I have always wanted to have the dinning experience of cooking my food right at my table. The establishment was completely empty around 2:45-3:00pm on a Sunday afternoon. We walked in and were greeted/seated quickly and our drink orders were taken. We were 1 of two tables occupied. The menu is a little confusing since it's in Koren with little translation. We asked our server who seemed very pleasant, how we should order. We explained that we wanted to prepare the food but she didn't seem to fully understand or was able to give us very little instruction on ordering. After taking her suggestion on a few menu items, the food came out quickly but was incorrect. The food was already cooked. Without complaining we continued to dine. Food was great! Everything tastes wonderful. On the serving side, we never received refills and didn't hear from our waiter again until our food was gone and she was bringing the check. A little upset at the lack of service and server presence, we paid the bill but did not tip. As we began getting into our car, our server was running across the parking lot with the receipt in hand and asking where was her tip!! This is beyond unprofessional. Even though I am a chef, and precious restaurant manager; I am well aware that servers depend on their tips. Tipping is always OPTIONAL. You also have to earn a tip in my opinion. She did the bare minimum and was not attentive to her 1 table. I have never been chased down in all of my dining experience over a tip. I will not be visiting this location again and the server is also lucky that I did not get her name because running after a customer and depending a tip is uncalled for. The only reason they are receiving 1 star is because the food was good. Other than that they wouldn't get any! read more

So this place is known for their sweet & spicy pork ribs platter thing... it is the only thing you should order from here. All others were... Sub par, either had no taste and deep fried food had old oil taste. Spicy pork ribs are served with lots of mozzarella cheese, spicy rice cake, and sweet corn. They are placed all together in this metal plate with separators, and cooked on the table so the cheese can melt when you eat. Cheese helps so much with the spiciness big time! 1 of these can serve 3 people easy. Well 3 girls! Oh, the wait staff are not that friendly. Can't find smiles what so ever. I'll only be back when I crave the pork ribs. read more

BBQ 21 - Bahn chan - Korean Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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If you like cheese, this is your spot. They're known for their fondue-like platters -- you order ribs or spicy meat and it comes with a large amount of melting cheese (set on top of a small grill at your table, to keep it bubbling and hot) that you dip your meats into. This helps to cool down spice levels and gives a bit of decadence to the meats. It's a growing trend in Korea, but doesn't seem to have caught on too much in the Annandale restaurants. The ribs come pre-cooked, marinated, and in your choice of regular old American style BBQ (which were boring) or Korean-spicy. The spicy here is actually spicy, so if you're not a spice person, go elsewhere. The platters also come with a small amount of corn (covered in cheese, of course) and ddukboki (rice cakes) which are doused in more spicy sauce. It was all a little too much spiciness and cheesiness for me, but I'm glad I tried it. Both times i've gone, I left feeling like a tub of lard... I likely won't be going out of my way to return. If you're in the mood for some super heavy, indulgent Korean food, check it out. read more

Food is authentic and filled with umami goodness. We ordered the pork belly (samgypsal) and cheese tonkatsu. Cheese tonkatsu seems a bit uncustomary but is actually one of those guilty pleasures in Korea! We were asked whether or not we wanted to grill the pork belly ourselves or have the kitchen do it. We chose the kitchen and it came out with lovely grill marks, sliced scallions and sesame seeds. Tonkatsu was crispy and came out with a green cabbage slaw and pickled red cabbage. Kudos for them on spraying the table with a cleaner rather than wipe it with a questionable damp rag. read more

BBQ 21 - Samgypsal (pork belly) - Korean Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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Despite it being a beautiful Saturday night, BBQ 21 was dead save for our group and one other couple. We ended up ordering anyway: one regular beef shabu shabu, bibim naengmyun, and bibimbap (none of us are big fans of the famed meat and cheese thing they've got going on.) As far as portioning goes, they're fairly decent and that's about as good as it gets. Nothing tasted *godawful* but also nothing was worth a second trip back. The service, as noted by many other Yelpers, is attentive and helpful. Even though we arrived so late, there wasn't any attitude or rush to get us in and out. If you're nearby and in a serious hankering for Korean and don't want to make the drive to Annandale or Centerville, this place is good enough to hold you over. read more

BBQ 21 - Beef shabu shabu - Korean Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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I've heard so much about the hype about the barbeque cheese ribs, but it honestly disappointed me. Food: I went with a large group and we ordered the cheese ribs, half barbeque and half spicy. We were given plastic gloves to eat with, but it was still so hot with the gloves that it took a while to eat. By the time the ribs had cooled down enough to eat, the cheese had become too hard to dip the ribs into. I saw this problem commonly in Korea, and I think it might help to mix in milk or other types of cheese. Anyways, we ended up having the shabu shabu after, which was decent. read more

Plenty of parking spots, its cute inside with the decorations. We were greeted right away ~ we made reservations and were able to get seated right away. I only tried the ribs with cheese and I thought it was mediocre. The combination of the cheese and ribs were just not my thing. Others thought it was alright as well. The service was good, she came around often to check on our table. We also requested the fried rice, so she'll bring rice over and mix it in with the corn, cheese ~ that was pretty yum. Not much left to say ~ I know there are tons of other selections, but the rib cheese thing is what made me want to try this place out and I did and I wasn't impressed. read more

BBQ 21 - Korean Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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The cheese barbecue was good and spicy (the waitress did warn us). While the prices did look a bit steep, the portioning is definitely made for mid to large groups (4+) so once the cost is split it isn't that bad. I would come back and only get the cheese barbecue next time. read more