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    HwangBooJa

    4.3 (37 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

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    Khoa L.

    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.

    Raw seasoned crab
    Jen R.

    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

    부대찌개
    Kay P.

    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.

    Octopus Kimchi Pancake
    Rae C.

    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.

    Shrimp fried rice.
    Dean W.

    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.

    Menu and hours as of November 2023
    Katherine S.

    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!

    spicy raw marinated crab
    Judy N.

    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.

    Guadalupe W.

    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.

    Kimchi squid pancake
    Angela P.

    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!

    Jokbal & Bo-sam combo

    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

    Boodae Jun Gol
    Ailun H.

    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.

    a plate of steamed crabs
    Brad R.

    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.

    kotge muchim baekban (spicy marinated raw crab)
    Annie Y.

    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!

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    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

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    Bon Ga

    Bon Ga

    4.5(128 reviews)
    1.6 mi
    $$

    A hole-in-the wall restaurant not located in the central centreville, but serving some of the…read morebetter korean comfort foods in area. One thing they do here are huge portions that are perfect for sharing within a large group. I actually didn't end of ordering anything for myself, and I was still very full at the end from trying everyone's LOL I particularly liked their bossam and kimchi, not usually a fan of bossam but whatever they do here, it's so yummy! I could probably just make do with an order of their daeji bossam, which has everything :) I would also recommend their kimchi jjigae and donkatsu

    Bon Ga is a mom-and-pop restaurant that is located in a plaza a mile west from the other Korean…read morespots in Centreville. The menu was extensive, filled with lots of homey options that I don't usually see in other restaurants. After ordering, we were served six different banchans, all of which were incredibly homey -- light and not too savory. My favorites were the acorn jelly (which was mixed with salted seaweed and sesame seeds) and the white kimchi. Honestly, all six were really solid. AL TANG - 19.99 Super savory with lots of "sea sweetness" and umami, this stew was rich and piping hot upon arrival. I've never had al tang before, but have heard great things about it. Unfortunately, I didn't love the texture of fish roe (kind of reminded me of the texture of cooked chicken lungs). By the end of the stew, I thought it was too salty, so I didn't end up finishing it. Overall, I'm glad I tried it, but I probably won't get it again. My friend got the mackerel which he loved. I'll look forward to other items on the menu next time.

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    Bon Ga
    Bon Ga
    Bon Ga - Al Tang

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    Al Tang

    Hankki

    Hankki

    4.0(41 reviews)
    0.6 mi

    I returned to the business multiple times to eat the kimchi jiggae because how magical it was the…read morefirst time. But I have been disappointed each time. I really don't know if it's because too many people are getting it and they don't have the properly fermented kimchi... but the jjigae tastes too sweet and the depth of flavor is gone. Maybe they changed the chef... I'm not sure. But it's still a good restaurant. I just miss what I had the first time. I'll return with the hope that the flavor will return.

    Health: Yeah this is about as healthy as you can get for real food. Veggies. Probiotic kimchi. Lean…read moremeats. Tendons. Light Sauce. Seafood. Tofu. This is literally healthier than most optimized refeed bowls for athletes and everyone else alike. This is what genuine cuisine, Korean in this case especially, can truly be for the body's future. Price: For the quality here, the price was good. I won't say perfect, but when factoring in the insane amount of food just default served, the freshness, and the taste, this was more than worth the money. Plus it's in northern Virginia. So. Good. Experience: A clean interior with little wooden boxes full of clean metal utensils on the table. Staff with genuine hospitality. Insanely quick service. Iced Korean tea and water served for free. And look at that menu. Korean. English pronunciation. A description. It even has pictures. Honestly amazing. Look at the menu. Look at it. Taste: This is the best Korean food I have ever eaten. Anywhere. For the menu variety ordered, the preparation was immaculate. Fresh. Balanced. Even the portioning was carefully curated to blend the variety of sauces and ingredients. Not too spicy. Not too salty. Not too sweet. But full of ingredient carried flavor in every bite picked carrot, spicy soup, or ox knee dipped in sesame soy sauce mix. It's even separated into convenient little bowls for customization, but without the inconvenience of basically cooking your own meals. Honestly amazing. I'll come here again if I stop off in Virginia. Maybe I'll go here just for this food. You should come here too. And bring everyone. This place doesn't deserve to get buried behind a mountain of fried oils. This is real food. The kind that helped define a culture.

    Photos
    Hankki - Seating

    Seating

    Hankki - Dakdoritang Jeongol

    Dakdoritang Jeongol

    Hankki - Front

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    Front

    Yi's Traditional Korean Beef Soup - Sullung Tang (설렁탕) with rice and the sides of kimchi and spicy radish

    Yi's Traditional Korean Beef Soup

    4.1(167 reviews)
    0.5 mi

    This was my first time trying the beef bone soup (seolleongtang) and was pleasantly surprised how…read moremuch I liked it! The concept of seasoning your own broth was a new thing for me but I do like this so you can cater your sodium to your liking. Adding a hint of pepper with a generous amount of salt was the combo move! The kimichi here was fantastic!!! I love the sides just as much as the main course. The menu has other soup based to select from so a variety for whatever you're looking for. I will need to come back to tried their pancake as it smelled so good! Service was friendly & nice. Despite the weekend rush, I was seated right away on a Sunday night. There is limited parking out front but of courses there's plenty of parking just in the other lot. Indoor seating is limited as the place is rather small.

    I went to this location with my friend several weeks ago for the first time. It was a weekend lunch…read moreso it was a little packed but we were seated after a short wait. We ordered Brisket Seolleongtang and shared a Seafood Scallion Pancake - which is huge for two people by the way. The beef bone soup is so flavorful and only needed salt to taste. The broth was obviously cooked for hours and was really soothing. The service was fantastic. The lady serving us was in a rush but was really friendly. The prices were reasonable given the serving sizes of the food we had. The ambiance was casual and everything looks clean. I would love to come back soon!

    Photos
    Yi's Traditional Korean Beef Soup - Seating

    Seating

    Yi's Traditional Korean Beef Soup - Seolleongtang

    Seolleongtang

    Yi's Traditional Korean Beef Soup

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    Morak

    Morak

    4.4(48 reviews)
    1.6 mi

    In a shopping center so we didn't have any issues finding parking. We came around 4:30 on a…read moreSaturday afternoon. Was quiet inside and a little unsure of whether we would order at the counter or if it was table service but figured it out, you do order up front. We ordered a 6 piece of the bone in chicken with the Honey Garlic sauce, the bimbim dumplings, Squid Kimbap, and the Spam Omurice. They gave us 2 beepers to let us know when the food . They have bowls and utensils that you can grab on your own, and there are water cups and then some soft drinks near the counter. When the beeper goes off, you can retrieve your food at the counter. The squid kimbap and the dumplings came out first. Both were delicious and had a lot flavor. There was one small shell from the squid. The dumplings were crispy and pretty good. The spam omurice I think was my favorite, it was so flavorful and a big portion. Both my husband and I really enjoyed it. The bone in chicken were hot, crispy and really good as well and they were a good size. Definitely would come back, everything was so good.

    If you want something quick and k-food cravings - this is the spot…read more Service on point - he just takes orders Self serve everything From water to utensils to putting it away. Might as well put up a shop in hmart food court or lotte food court But all in all Foods little above average - you could do better at home if you ain't lazy But you feeling tired and lazy Go here when you craving that k-food

    Photos
    Morak
    Morak - King Donkatsu yum~~~

    King Donkatsu yum~~~

    Morak - DDUKBBOKKI YUM~

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    DDUKBBOKKI YUM~

    Abbaee Soondae

    Abbaee Soondae

    4.0(163 reviews)
    1.6 mi
    $$

    The food was overhyped in my opinion. I was excited to try the different variations of soondae…read more(blood sausage) but honestly, the regular/original one was by far the best and it was a shared consensus in our table of 5. The budae jjigae (army stew) tasted like water soup with a hint of kimchi. The gopchang soonbudu (small intestine tofu stew) was alright. I'd give it a 6/10. Someone in our group also didn't get their main entree til well after everyone finished their dishes. Thankfully we had ordered a bunch of dishes for the table to share. Personally wouldn't recommend it to anyone which I feel bad writing about. I love supporting small businesses but i would have appreciated seeing someone else's honest opinion on this place.

    Tried this place again- ordered donkatsu and kimchi jjim and gyeran jjim (steamed eggs). All three…read morewere great. I hated the don katsu at bonga (a few doors down) because it was so thin, overfried, and hard. This one was good. Kimchi jjim was delicious- not spicy, savory tangy. Braised pork and kimchi is a winning combo always. Steamed eggs were great- a little salty but perfect with rice. My rice was super hard but the waitress apologized and got me new rice. Service was great. There is a lady that works on the weekends that is really focused on turning tables- you might feel unwelcomed because she's trying to get you out as fast as possible, but the other staff are super friendly. Ambiance is casual. Old ajusshis lookin for haejangguk hangover soup vibes. As for soondae, I still like Lotte/ Seoul Soondae better. It's a small establishment that fills up quickly during peak dining hours.

    Photos
    Abbaee Soondae - Inside

    Inside

    Abbaee Soondae - Banchan

    Banchan

    Abbaee Soondae

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    Gopchang Story - Centreville - Torching the pan fried rice

    Gopchang Story - Centreville

    4.5(225 reviews)
    0.0 mi

    We really needed a place to eat after an event that ended around 11 pm. This was one of the only…read moreplaces open till 2 am! We got the ayce and it was great! They had 6 sauces and a large variety of sides. The doenjang was crazy good lol we ordered so many bowls Our server was really on top of it even though it was late at night. The brisket was really nice and fatty. The best item though was the marinated pork shoulder. We usually get a lot of beef when at a kbbq spot but the pork was so good here. Really tender and marinated really well. The interior is really cute too, decorated with lots of flowers and had a variety of booth seating

    We've been going to Gopchang Story ever since we moved to Centreville four years ago. There are a…read morefew things that set them apart from the other Korean BBQ's in the area l, specifically their cooking of the Gui. They, hands down cook the best gui and their name sake Gopchang (small intestines) in my opinion. Their AYCE option is different in a good way compared to the Korean BBQ's in the area - good banchan and really good salad. However, our last visit was less than satisfactory. We came in @ 11pm for their late night dining to celebrate my wife's birthday since I got out late from work. Our server abandoned us, the gui overcooked, and our grill burned a couple of times. Their late night staff is on the younger side and they were literally goofing around, wrestling, lifting their shirts, flexing, texting.

    Photos
    Gopchang Story - Centreville - Inside (1am)

    Inside (1am)

    Gopchang Story - Centreville - Intestines

    Intestines

    Gopchang Story - Centreville - Shrimp

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    Shrimp

    HwangBooJa - korean - Updated May 2026

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