I came here with my friend and her parents for dinner on a Saturday. It had a very homey experience. There is limited seating, but luckily, my group and I got seated right away. Service was great! We ordered the budae jjigae (army stew) and jokbal (braised pig's trotters). The stew hit the spot as we were all craving something warm and soupy. It was filled with plenty of toppings. Note that if you want to add ramen they will charge you an extra fee. The jokbal came out cold so we requested that they warm up the food. The owner said that their store usually serves its jokbal cold. I thought that was strange, because I've never eaten jokbal cold. I will definitely come back again for their budae jjigae! read more

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Tried the mul naengmyeon and sundubu--both hit the spot. The naengmyeon was light and refreshing, perfect for a hot day, and the sundubu was cozy and flavorful (though if sundubu is your main craving, Tofu Lighthouse still does it better). Service here is really good, and the side dishes honestly steal the show--fresh, tasty, and definitely above average. Overall, a solid place if you want both dishes in one meal with great service and standout banchan. read more

HwangBooJa - soondubu jigae - Korean Near Me - Centreville, Virginia

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I've been trying to find the best cold noodles (mool naengmyun/ Neng myun) in the area; if you're curious, my reigning favorite is Gogiville. Someone told me to try the naengmyun here. It's pretty good! I prefer the noods to be super al dente, maybe even 30 seconds under and the broth to be a little more frozen/ slushy. HBJ is cooked through. The broth was good and tasted like someone pretreated with vinegar. I still added more vin and mustard. I'd get this again. Service was good. We split an order of ganjang gaejang (soy sauce marinated crabs). Crabs were on the smaller side but the marinade was good. Had the faintest whisper of fish smell. My friends got the Kong guksu and dak gangjung (fried chicken wings). I'm not crazy about kong guksu, but my friend said she liked it here and that it was better than Jangwon's. Fried chicken wings were a little over-fried. Some bites were a little tough but the inside was juicy and good. Soy sauce seasoning was also good- standard soy sauce glazed wings (seasoning comparable to bonchon or chicken n beer's soy garlic). I believe gangjung wings are supposed to be more nuanced/ different from soy garlic but I couldn't tell the difference. All the banchan's were good: Kimchi good Fishcake good Green beans good Jangajji the soy sauce marinated daikon good and has a kick Eggplant- didn't try because I don't like egg plant This place is under new management; I have no idea since when. That could also be why there are two listings for hwangbooja on Yelp. Things that were formerly not recommended (like nengmyun) has improved! This place is family owned and operated. Interior is small- there were 9 tables with 4 seats at each table. The air conditioning was nice and cool. My friend said the kodari jjim was also good. Will come back again! read more

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Went for my friend's birthday and it was the best! The people are so nice and welcoming. We got a variety of things to try like their raw marinated crab - which is so savory, sweet, and flavorful. The spicy squid wasn't too spicy and leaned on the sweet side which I very much enjoy. My friend ordered the cold noodles which was refreshing and filling! The restaurant is very cozy and inviting. read more

HwangBooJa - Korean Near Me - Centreville, Virginia

Scoped this place out in Centerville on a business trip and called just to make sure they have their raw seasoned crab when I went. Was surprised at the quality of ALL their food. For a Korean restaurant, the flavor was so strong without being greasy. Very rare to not feel so heavy after NoVA Korean food for me. The restaurant is pretty small, managed to get a table closer to 7 on a Friday night and it was pretty packed. They do allow call ahead so would recommend that read more

HwangBooJa - Raw seasoned crab - Korean Near Me - Centreville, Virginia

Yeah, it was absolutely worth the long wait. The crab stew had so many crabs and such amazing flavor. The Army stew is perfectly spicy and packed with stuff. And the non-soupy dishes we tried were also flavorful and authentic. Best Korean place I've been to. read more

Solid little place! Spacing is limited but enough to go with a small to mid sized group! Only reason I wanted to try here was because of the marinated raw crab and soy sauce raw crab!!! I don't think I know of another area that sells these as a dine in meal! Simple and quick service - nothing fancy ~ Food really hit the spot. Flavoring all had a nice kick~! Honestly, would so come back to eat the raw crabs again. read more

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Everything was delicious. The kimchi was actually my favorite part as well as the other banchan, it was very fresh and tasty. The soy marinated crab was good, if you favor salty more than savory. The octopus banchan was so good! Very crispy, chewy and flavorful. I forgot the name of the soup my husband got but the broth was quite rich and soothing. It was full of meat too. Only complaint is that the soup came out scorching hot but that's expected! The space is small and was packed for 11am on a weekday which is a good sign. Service was very friendly. read more

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Excellent service from start to finish. The staff was kind, knowledgeable, and made us feel welcome. The food came out quickly and tasted great. A wonderful spot for a relaxed meal. read more

We had vegetable pancakes (prefer seafood pancakes, but only squid pancakes on the menu). Pancakes need to fry a little longer. Crabs taste great, albeit a little salty. Spicy sauce is better to me. Shrimp fried rice tastes good, except it is with small shrimp instead of larger ones. Overall, not bad. read more

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Local korean spot in Centreville! I was searching for a restaurant with raw soy sauce marinated crabs and came across this one. Loved the sauce on the crabs, with it not being too salty. It was a fairly good portion to split between two people with the rice that is provided. Not too much seating but went on a weekday evening and it was around 30% full. read more

Love this place coffee was the best service was supper nice the managers was imagining supper nice I will be back with my family more

4.5 stars TL;DR: Great spot for marinated raw crab Came here on a Friday night and this place definitely has small, family-owned, truly Korean restaurant vibes. Felt very cozy. Workers are nice and attentive enough, and the food came out quickly. FOOD: ~Spicy Marinated Crab (4/5): Nice kick and great flavor ~Soy Marinated Crab (4/5): So much umami and lots of crab meat ~Nakji Bokkeum (4/5): Comes with a ton of noodles and marinade was yummy NOTES: ~For the raw crabs, only knock is that the shells were extra hard/not softened, so the crab was hard to squeeze the meat out of like we have at other places. ~The price point here is a little high, but not TOO terrible for the portion size you get. Price for Nakji Bokkeum was probably the most un-even imo. Overall, really liked this place and hit the raw marinated crab craving! read more

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I had to see what all this Korean raw soy marinated crab was all about. Unlike the west coast and NYC now, we don't have too many options in the DMV. I found this spot in Centreville so I decided to give it a try. The restaurant was hard to spot because the characters in the front were in Korean. Once you find the shopping center, it's process of elimination. The seating inside is small but filled with elderly Koreans when I came to pick up my order. This to me is a good sign that this place is legit and good. When I called to place my order, the person taking the order said this dish doesn't come with rice and that I will have to pay a separate cost. I decided not to pay extra for rice since an Asian household always has rice somewhere. I thought how silly to have a dish that clearly is complimented with rice not come with rice? Anyhow, when I picked my order up, there was purple rice inside the packaging. Perhaps the person that took my order didn't know, or it comes with purple and not white rice? I guess I will know when I order here again because I did enjoy their spicy raw marinated crabs. This is my first time having this dish and I was told I should be able to taste the sweetness of the crabs which I did, and not taste the "sea" to which I didn't! Just like what I see on social media, I can easily squeeze the juicy and soft crab meat out. The spicy version isn't really that spicy. And it's delicious with rice of course, white and purple rice. One positive thing that I noticed was they packed the crabs with an ice bag which is smart. It keeps the crabs fresher longer for takeout. I do recommend adding a pair of gloves with the order. I have plastic gloves at home but not everyone does and it's kind of like how rice compliments this dish. Well the pair of gloves also compliments this messy and saucy dish as well. Otherwise, this dish is very tasty here. read more

HwangBooJa - spicy raw marinated crab - Korean Near Me - Centreville, Virginia

Went for the raw marinated crab and it was really good. I si for the spicy one and it taste more sweet then anything but it was still really good. I also got the pork wrap and the fish! Super delicious as well. Almost forgot the ham fried rice! Super tasty!!! I will for sure be going back. read more

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I came here with my mom, and we ordered the kodari jjim, or Spicy Braised Pollack. "Pollack?" I thought to myself. I've only had pollack in dried pollack soup, a bland and mundane soup that I was never enthused to eat as a teenager, or pollack roe, which is eaten with rice, sometimes in onigiri form. "I ordered the most expensive thing on the menu", said mom. Overhead, I saw the TV playing a variety show about completing challenges and another showing baseball. The place was small and simple, with a white wall and posters of the restaurant's food showing delectable photos of fried chicken, army stew, and marinated crab. We got the banchan, then the purple rice and pollack jjim. My chopsticks flew at the candied black beans, the eggplant pieces, jalapeno and radish pickles. My mom told me to wait until the rice comes. Eat it with the main dish. After some more waiting, taking in what other tables were eating, ddokbokki, bottles of soju, etc., came the Pollack Jjim. The deep dish full of lightly battered pollock pieces, some shrimp, and vegetables smothered in a red sauce. One by one, my mom picked the fish off the bone with the chopsticks and small bites while I ungracefully tried to eat the fish. After the meal, I felt the meal had somehow restored my tastebuds, leaving it feeling clean and neutral. 5/5: Spicy Braised Pollack 5/5: Casual vibe 5/5: Inspirational read more

Service, 5/5 - super friendly and the server spoke perfect English for those who don't speak fluent Korean Raw crabs, 4/5 - shells were so hard so I couldn't get any of the meat out of the legs :( Usually they're not so hard but could be bc they're out of season 9/4/24, love that they offer a combo option to try both flavors -Spicy crab flavor, 5/5 - great flavor and consistency -Soy sauce crabs flavor, 3/5 - soy sauce had a weird aftertaste which made the crabs taste weird like mildly bitter. Squid stir fry, 4.5/5 - sauce was watery but the flavor was good Army soup 5/5 - added ramen a la carte, came out at the perfect time so the noodles weren't soggy at all Kimchi squid pancake, 5/5 - best I've ever had, thin and crispy! read more

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Came here around 1 hr before closing with my wife. Ordered Combo jokbal & Bo-sam, but instead of telling us the order is out, the amount was less than half of usual amount. Whatever it takes to makes money haha read more

HwangBooJa - Jokbal & Bo-sam combo - Korean Near Me - Centreville, Virginia

My friend and I stopped by HwangBooJa for dinner this past Saturday. The interior is definitely more casual and gives "take-out" preferred vibes, but don't let that initial thought fool you. We were seated immediately and given a few banchan to start with (their kimchi is so, so good -- definitely a top 2 in the DMV area because of its perfect twist of sweet, briny, and spicy). Their black beans and bean sprouts were pretty solid, too. 1. BOODAE JUN GOL (SMALL) - 32.99 Huge portion and they give you a portable stove to continue boiling the stew. I found that the piping hot broth was rich and surprisingly not too fatty (I think the cuts of hot dog were on the "healthier" side). A good amount of kimchi, rice cakes and luncheon meats. I wish I drank more of the jjigae while it was hot because it was not that good after 20 minutes. The broth definitely evaporated a lot, and while it's lukewarm, the soup is a lot grittier and too salty. But seriously, if you get this, enjoy it while it's hot and fresh!! To be honest, you can probably make this at home for a much, much cheaper price. 14. GANJANG GEJANG BAEKBAN - 27.99 My friend and I spent most of time eating this delicacy because we don't get it too often. Each order comes with three raw crabs (soaked in soy sauce and other toppings). The first crab was amazing. Some of the crab (the body?) had uni-like texture in it, which made it so much creamier and richer. The claws were good with a lot of the soy sauce flavor and had a surprising amount of crab meat. Unfortunately, my friend gave up after one crab, which meant I got two crabs to me. Personally, I found it to be too much/heavy after the first crab. The second crab was way less enjoyable because of its slimy and cold texture. Still, I plowed through them like a champ because it's delicious, but I can't say I enjoyed the last two claws on the plate. It's also unevenly salted (where some claws were fine, but others were too salty). Make sure to eat lots of rice with this, which will help with the sliminess. I would recommend enjoying this as an appetizer with 2-3 others. Overall, a good meal and I'm glad I got to enjoy the marinated raw crab again. It's been awhile since I've eaten this since the restaurant in Annandale closed down over a year ago. read more

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TLDR: One of the few places in the DMV serving Korean raw crabs. Come for both the spicy and soy marinaded crabs as well as the gukbop. Vibe: 4/5. Located in a small shopping center in Centerville, Hwangbooja has a simple layout. With around 10 4-top tables, the dining room is a single area with the kitchen in the back. The restaurant is clean and has English translations throughout the restaurant for those that do not speak Korean. 4 tops can be pushed together, making it suitable for large groups. The entire restaurant only had Korean diners at lunch, which is always a good sign for the food authenticity. Service: 5/5. My party of 2 came on a Thursday for lunch when the place was empty. The lone server mostly spoke Korean, but the menu is conveniently written with both Korean and English translations together so point to order is an option. Food came out exceptionally fast and the same with settling up on the bill when complete. Food: 5/5. Finding quality raw Korean crab in the DMV is a challenge, but fortunately Hwangbooja delivers. They offer both spicy and soy varieties, with each order coming with approximately 5-6 cut up crabs. The flavors of both the spicy and soy marinaded crabs are robust and bursting with the taste of garlic. The sweetness of the raw crab meat plays nicely with the savory flavors of both preparations. The idea of consuming raw crab meat may scare even the most seafood friendly folk, but squishy texture makes the eating experience enjoyable, as you must slurp the meat out of the shell while using your teeth to press the meat out of the shells. The crustaceans come at a cost, with a single order coming in at $28, but it's well worth the cost of admission . The gukbop was also noteworthy, with heavy notes of garlic and a beyond soul warming pork broth that is perfect for a cold day. We recently traveled to Busan and had gukbop several times and having it at Hwangbooja brought me back. Overall, if you are in the mood for some tasty crabs and traditional Korean food, this is the place. read more

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Only place in NOVA that I've found that has marinated raw crab! Very unique and seems very authentic inside the restaurant. The staff was helpful in explaining to us what to order and we enjoyed the experience! read more

HwangBooJa - kotge muchim baekban (spicy marinated raw crab) - Korean Near Me - Centreville, Virginia

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Crab in spicy sauce and the broiled mackerel with bean paste soup were amazing. Will try more dishes next visit and there will definitely be a next time. The place was clean and the flavors and portions were well worth the price. The one thing that was somewhat lacking was the attentiveness of the service. They were friendly just maybe a slight more attention to the needs of the tables. Nevertheless, we shall return cause the food was awesome. read more

HwangBooJa - Korean Near Me - Centreville, Virginia

5 stars only for the spicy raw marinated crab. My friend and I were craving some crab so we ordered the spicy marinated crab, nengmyun, and bossam. This spot has been around for a long time and while I never frequented it, my memories of the time we had this place wasn't bad. However, we had the most not-very-tasty nengmyun we've ever had here and were really shocked at the quality. Our alleged nengmyun came out lukewarm (supposed to be cold), with few thick sticks of veggies floating around, the broth tasted like something out of an instant packet...honestly the premade ones that you can get hmart is way better. Now that I'm done crapping on their nengmyun. Their raw marinated crab was a complete opposite. We did enjoy that dish a lot and cured our cravings for it. Unfortunately, that is probably the only dish worth getting here. read more

HwangBooJa - Don't order nengmyun here :( - Korean Near Me - Centreville, Virginia

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Go for marinated raw crabs. Other dishes were just ok. We went on a Sat night and apparently only two plates of crabs left. Asked for soy marinated shrimps but unfortunately the owner said that his mom who makes the crabs doesn't like marinated shrimps, thus we only got luck to enjoy the crabs. Would certainly go back. read more

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Stopped by here for a quick lunch. They have a lunch special going on right now for a really good price. I got the Jaeyook over rice. It could use some more meat but flavor was good and had enough vegetables to make up for it. The boodae jun gol was very homey. This hole in the wall reminded me of korea and the service was great as well. read more

HwangBooJa - Boodae Jun Gol - Korean Near Me - Centreville, Virginia

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The food here was delicious! At first glance, it looked like the food was expensive but when it all came out, we quickly understood why. The portions are big, a small order of a dish is good enough for two at least. There were plenty of side dishes and all of them were so good. We tried makgeoli/Maliki for the first time, as a recommended pairing for what we ordered and we fell in love with this slightly sweet and carbonated rice wine. We had the Jokbal, it's a ham hock marinated dish. We also had the Crab Marinated in Spicy Sauce which was a first for us. We really enjoyed it! Though it wasn't spicy at all, it was sweet and flavorful. We'll be coming back here again! read more

HwangBooJa - Crab in Spicy Sauce - Korean Near Me - Centreville, Virginia

The taste of most of the meal is a little off. If there is an old Korean lady cooking this in the kitchen, it probably means she had a bad day or something, or an unskilled worker may have ruined the taste. It's in between authentic and medico knockoff Korean food. read more

As authentic as it can get when it comes to Korean food. Ordered spicy raw marinated crab, army spam soup, and bulgogi. Everything was delicious like as if your own korean grandma is cooking in the back. Love you grandma! read more

HwangBooJa - Spam soup, spicy marinated crab, and bulgogi - Korean Near Me - Centreville, Virginia

This place has a unique feel almost like a restaurant in Korea. The staff is nice and the food itself was pretty good. Portions are good too. I got the small sized buddae jjigae to share with a friend and we couldn't finish it. Definitely a good place to go if you're craving jjigae. read more

HwangBooJa - Jaeyook bokum - Korean Near Me - Centreville, Virginia

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I've always loved a home cooked meal and this place is exactly that. The owners seem to be a family and they are very welcoming. From the taste of the food, I could tell that they put every ounce of care and their love for cooking in every bite. There are many side dishes that are complimentary, my favorite is their kimchi. Their kimchi has the perfect amount of gochugaru and was not overly sweet nor spicy. I've been here multiple times but the dish that caught my eye the most was the budae jjigae. It was cooked to perfection. Every component put into the stew balanced out each other's flavors and the stew itself was amazing. There is a variety of vegetables and meat within the stew. The best way to eat it, is with a spoonful of their fluffy rice. If you are looking into trying more Korean food, I recommend this restaurant. read more

HwangBooJa - Budae Jjigae - Korean Near Me - Centreville, Virginia

My husband and I were looking for a place to get Korean food especially raw marinated crabs. There are not many places in the area that sells this dish and wanted to try it out. We ordered both soy marinated and spicy marinated crabs, chicken gang jeong (fried chicken), Korean pancake and spicy crab soup. It was all quite delicious and we left feeling very full. I love how you can ordered one person portions of the soup. Service was great and attentive, servers were kind and sweet. Food plating was great. The restaurant was clean including the bathroom. We will be back soon! read more

Came here for one thing, the raw crab I don't know what it is but it is missing something. And some pieces of the raw soy crab smells like rotten pieces. Unfortunately, this place is one of the few places in the area that does Korean saw crab. I probably won't be back soon but will if I'm in the area. The young lady that checked me out was sweet. read more

Overall, I would come back for the marinated crab with soy but I won't order anything else. This four start is for the crab! It's really good. We also had the big soup with instant noodle- it's just okay, I can make it at home for $10 but they sell it $50. We also ordered bulgogi - it's just average too. Too much vegetables in there. read more

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I had a hankering for some soy marinated crabs. This was like the only place in the area that served this. So my friend and I headed out there. Minimum decoration, somewhat like a dated mom and pop store in Korea. When you order one, you get side dishes, one bowl of rice, and three soy marinated crabs. Slightly salty, but perfect with rice, and the eggs make it even buttery sweet. Totally worth it. read more

Their galbi is good. Tried the soy marinated crab which was quite expensive for the portion. My companion had an upset stomach after the meal which makes us wonder how clean the crabs were read more

HwangBooJa - a plate of food on a table - Korean Near Me - Centreville, Virginia

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I find the prices bit over priced. But I can't deny how authentic the foods taste here. From side dishes to entrees, they all taste like my Korean Mom's cooking. Their menu covers pretty much all the Korean food I like, and would like my nonKorean friends to try. I don't come here often, because my Mom still cooks and feeds me many of the same Korean dishes. I like bringing my friends here to introduce Korean food. Staff are shy but kind. Our server spoke perfect English. They did not come around to refill waters though. There was a water dispenser at the front of the restaurant. Are customers expected to go up and refill their water themselves? I honestly don't know. I'm sure they would've refilled happily if I asked them. I'm just not sure of the custom. Atmosphere is simple and loud ( TV and customers talking in a small space). It can feel festive or overwhelming depending on your mood. Lunch specials looked good and well priced. I usually go at dinner time with bunch of friends. I'm going to go for the lunch specials one of these days. read more

We came here on a recommendation from a Korean friend. Overall, the food was good, and place was small but clean. The big screen TV was showing some Korean news channel, so some hominess to the atmosphere. We tried a crab dish, which again was a recommendation from our friend. Little did we know it was RAW blue crab, hardshell. It was served with a sweet soy sauce-type marinade. Never had raw crab before...frankly, it never crossed my mind that crabs could be eaten raw. The meat was difficult to get to and pick out of the shell,...since it was raw, it stuck to the hard shell. We weren't given any crab picks or metal crackers to use...I guess the way to eat it was just to bite down on the shell, and the raw meat sort of "squishes" out and/or you suck it out of the shell. The raw meat was a bit sticky, sort of like eating sushi. However, the soy marinate was tasty and complimented the raw crab meat and sticky texture well. It was good to try something completely surprising and different, but will probably never order it again, partly because the dish was expensive, particularly for the small portion we got. Otherwise, all of the other dishes we had were "standard" Korean fare, so no surprises, and were all good, but not outstanding. read more