Sorry. Wasn't a fan. I think what was off putting was the perceived cleanliness overall. Definitely needs an overhaul/refresh interior wise. Food was ok but pretty overall meh. Portions were huge but didn't matter because after a few bites, I wasn't dying for the next bite. Maybe it was an off night for them? I'll have to give them another try as it's hard to believe they have such high ratings based on my one time experience. read more

See all

Second time back here and we managed to snag a table on a Tuesday evening without reservation. Average Korean food and mediocre service but still wins other food spots hands down. read more

See all

Good Korean food in DC Staff are lovely and nice The food were serve very hot and yummy A restaurant I would come stop by again read more

See all

Near Chinatown, an unexpected surprise in a decent Korean restaurant. Make reservations if you can on a Friday or weekend dinner. Even walking in at 5:30 for 2 we had to sit at the bar Ambiance: casual, table top seating and bar/bench seating. It looked like there would be outdoor seating available in the warmer months. Family friendly. Food: they have the usual dishes people like kimchi stew, pancakes and bbq meat. Not a BBQ set up where you grill your own meat but rather dishes come cooked and plated for you. So depending on if you want the BBQ experience or want to skip the process, that would be a consideration before coming. The fried chicken appetizer is delicious and the portions are generous with the Galbi and the Bulgogi. There's also happy hour from 5-7 pm. Service: we have been twice and sat at the bar and also came as a group of 4 and sat at a table. Friendly bartender and servers. Great service Likelihood to return: 10/10 read more

Mandu - Beef stew and Galbi - Korean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Having dinner w some friends who made the reservation here The service was great- there were a lot of mosquitos- they even provided DEET sprays However, the food is less desiring... to me, they are pretty subpar especially for the price they charge.. 3 of us ate 2 starter, 2 entry, 2 drinks- it was almost $180 dollars.. I find it kind of ridiculously expensive We were the only Asians, including the staff in the entire restaurant read more

Mandu - Korean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

Elevated Asian food at the classic DC prices. I saw this place on a list of possible Michelin guide finalists in DC and had to make a trip before it potentially became super popping. I'm so glad I had a reservation cause the wait for walk-ins was crazy long! For two, we ordered the Mandu (a must try at least once), duru jjigee (the rice cakes were calling to me and this was AMAZING), and the gaji bokum. All three dishes were satisfying and fulfilling, and you certainly can't go wrong with either choice. Another dish that we saw plenty of tables ordering around us was the KFC, which I would've gotten if my foodie partner were able to eat spicier foods. If I were to go back though, the bar menu (available only at the bar) was refreshingly different and equally as enticing. Overall a very nice and hip spot worth a visit any night! read more

Shoutout to our local community heroes! Brittany took great care of us! She is a beautiful soul! She is attentive, friendly, efficient, and knowledgeable. I enjoyed her service. The food and drinks came out nice and steady. Refreshing and crisp soju, crispy seafood pancake, and yummy banchan (side dishes): seaweed, cucumbers, bean sprouts kimchi, and radish. Hubby ordered the special short ribs! Decadent and rich! A hearty stew! And I ordered the Kimchi stew (Kimchi-jjigae) . It had a deep, rich all day stewing taste! Not spicy enough for me, but Brittany was nice enough to bring me some extra gochujang... just a little bit or it gets too salty. We left bellies full and all our Foodie senses satisfied!!! Bravo ! read more

See all

thanks to my bestie boos for the giftcard to Mandu to continue my Korean food obsession - legally obligated to get ddukbokgi if it's on a menu and I was immediately a fan of this dish when it came out loaded with veggies and sauce. the rice cakes were large and perfectly soft yet chewy. - notice how I said loaded with veggies (shoutout the mushrooms like since when do mushrooms have that much non sauce flavor?) and sauce, the meat was absolutely not matching the portion size .... maybe two chunks of bulgogi - the second dish of the evening was yukgaejang which was the "spicy" beef stew. it came out literally bubbling hot and stayed steaming while we ate the other dish - this dish wasn't spicy at all and once again actually barely any meat for $28. however once again the vegetables were to die for and the general portion was perfect. - actual restaurant space has serious potential to be super aesthetic and nice but they were not living to the potential. cool bar and wall but seemed carelessly put together like when you walk in it could be a take out spot read more

See all

After a 3.5 hour train ride back from NYC, a short bike ride, and a need for a filling and nutritious meal for pre workout.... SMASH. I started with the SSUKGAT MUCHIM, this was my first time having chrysanthemum greens and I am so glad I got it. Bursting with salinity, nutiness, and acidity. This was the perfectly balanced salad and I devoured it (likely faster than I should have.) For my carbs I got the JAJANG MYUN. I am a huge fan of jajang myun. It was one of the very first Korean dishes I ever had, and is wildly sentimental to me. Not only was this incredibly delicious, the addition of the pork belly really it made it something worth seeking out. Now, the SERVICE. I forgot to ask for the team member's names that took care of me, but they were both absolutely incredible. I can tell that the employees are passionate, knowledgable, and are excited to talk about the meal and experience. They even let me store my take-home box at the restaurant while I got my workout in. Overall, I could not recommend this establishment more. read more

Server was very friendly and happy to accommodate if they could! Casual spot with good food. A bit overpriced but expected for DC Korean food prices. Would definitely come back again! read more

Came here for dinner after work with a few coworkers. We were immediately sat when we arrived for our reservation. It was 7 of us in our party. It was a small restaurant but I appreciated that there was a decent amount of space between tables. We were given water and the opportunity to look through the menu. The waiter was very attentive and moved quickly! Since i had eaten a big lunch, here at Mandu I ordered the KFC and a sojutini. The chicken was so crispy!! I wish I would've asked for the sauce on the side and dipped the wings instead of having the sauce dressed on the chicken. The wings were big and juicy, i even had some leftover. My drink was also good and simple. I also appreciated that we were able to pay quickly via the QR code on the receipt. Go here if you have a taste for Korean or want to try something new! They had authentic menu items. read more

Mandu - Korean Fried Chicken - Korean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Don't go. It's not worth your money. All the food is too salty and overpriced. It's very disappointing the quality of food for that much money. Nothing special but the tasted worse. read more

Mandu - Korean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

Lovely! We got the restaurant week special which was a little bit of everything! Braised pork, rice, rice cake soup, dumplings, zucchini salad, seaweed salad, kimchi, bean sprouts.... Everything was fresh, hot, crunchy, flavorful and rich. Our server was friendly and quiet, we had a lot of chatting to do and he was very patient to let us catch up during our meal, and after! The space is hip but casual, very comfortable. My only complaint is that the kimchi is not spicy enough but I understand they can't make it unpalatable for others... We ended with a croissant waffle with cream and strawberries on top! What a genius dessert! I'd love to come back for more and other menu options too. read more

Mandu - Croissant waffle! Croiffle! - Korean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

For a place that calls itself Mandi, their Mandi was just Ok. The kimchi dishes were not that good for a Korean restaurant. I gauge Korean restaurants on this appetizers kimchi dishes so they did not pass. However the main dishes were really good. The bibimbap was great and the waygu beef with sweet potato noodles were also good. Service was very good, kind, efficient and helpful and the place was chill and casual. Would probably not go back. read more

We dropped by here for a quick bite while exploring Downtown D.C. I loved the decor, and the customer service was great! The menu isn't as vast as some of the other Korean restaurants I've dined at, but they do have many of the main Korean staple foods. My favorite was the Dakkochi, which are grilled chicken skewers. The meat was juicy and flavorful! read more

See all

Very solid Korean food, especially for the area, which is lacking in Korean cuisine. The prices are on the higher side, but the portions are at least larger than normal portions at other Korean restaurants. I've visited twice now - first time I ordered soondubu, and the second time dduk mandu guk. Both were delicious, hearty, and satisfying. I love their banchan as well! The servers were very attentive, and my food came out pretty quickly, mostly because I ate here on the weekdays. Despite the prices, I still highly recommend dining here! read more

Mandu - Soondubu - Korean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

My fiancé and I went out to Mandu for date night and truly enjoyed it. I thought the ambiance was nice but I had a false perspective of what my experience would be like. The KFC Wings were good. My fiancé and truly enjoyed our food. This restaurants was list as number 1 from 2 other Korean restaurants in dc. Although I enjoyed it I do not think it's better than Anjufrc. The restaurant setting/decor plays into my opinion. read more

See all

Date: 12/2020 & 1/15/2023 For the first time going here I went in 12/2020 and the food was pretty good, I recall ordering the Dduk Mandu Guk and asking for rice as well which was pretty funny as well to laugh about during because Dduk Mandu Guk is essentially rice and I ordered additional rice equaling to a ton of carbs hahahaha, but the waiter was nice about it (can't remember his name). Second time I went here on 1/15/2023 with some friends for a birthday celebration and ordered the Ddukbokgi which was way too good for what I was expecting! I ate all of it as was extremely satisfied. The banchan/sides is not up to the standards of the other korean restaurants when comparing to NoVA, but nonetheless did its job. Would definitely go here again and during restaurant week because we missed it by a day LOL. read more

Mandu - Banchan/Sides - Korean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

I was craving some traditional Korean food and ordered vegetable mandu and bulgogi with ssams. The mandu was nothing special, but the bulgogi was full of flavor and the ssams were delicious. The veggies (zucchini, bell pepper, onion) I don't think were needed but were a nice add. When I'm in the need for some gochujang and ssams again, I'll visit this spot again. read more

See all

Coming from someone who is half-Korean and grew up living with my Korean Grandmother, I was very surprised. Starting off, we made a reservation which I don't think you necessarily NEED, but would do just to be safe. It definitely wasn't as busy as they made it seem over the phone, but maybe it was an off-night. We got there on time and waited at the bar to get our table. The bartender was so helpful and described the drinks perfectly; she described the Easy Come, Easy Grow as "spring herby" and it was so true. The Mandu Mule was really gingery, but good! We also tried the No Way Rose, which I wouldn't recommend. The Korean Fried Chicken was really crispy, but I think the sauce was a bit soy sauce heavy. There's definitely better Korean fried chicken out there, but the CRONCH was real satisfying. The Gamjatang was okay, it's one of my all time favorite Korean soups, but it seemed to thick of a broth and lacked a little flavor. The Galbi was extremely good and tasted just like my Grandma's. I was surprised by the ssam, I did not expect the kkaennip (perilla leaves) to be included. The grilled veggies were okay, but there was a lot of meat on the plate which was really nice. Service was amazing and I appreciated our waiter being so friendly and attentive. It was also nice to see that he really made an effort to learn the names and backgrounds of the dishes. read more

See all

We came in unknowingly 3 minutes before close and the staff was patient and accommodating. We got our food to go and it was delicious! I got the bulgogi rice bowl and will be back to have it again and to enjoy the ambiance. read more

Mandu - Menu - Korean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Great service and great food. But short hours, 5-9PM everyday. I've had Mandu in person and delivered to my house. read more

Mandu - Partition - Korean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

This place is perfect for soup lovers and bibimbaps. I shared few appetizers with my mom and then we also shared an entree, keep in mind that the entrees are pretty shareable, my food was delicious and service was fast. They make their own kimichi, it's a must to try, now that the weather is getting colder I will be coming here more often. read more

See all

The two of us split an app and an entree. With the addition of the complimentary banchan, it was the perfect amount for us! Mandu: we got half veggie, half beef+pork, fried. I personally liked the beef+pork the most but husband liked the veggie more. Duru jjigee: delicious and solidly spicy! Food came super quickly. Overall, very pleased with our meal! read more

See all

These yelp ratings are laughably high. I read reviews like "Good korean food in DC". Are you out of your goddamned minds? Yukgaejang: Less flavor than licking air. I wanted to retire from eating ever again after this. Jjajangmyun: Most disgusting noodle dish I've had in a long time. The noodles were so overcooked that they were breaking apart simply by touching them with chopsticks. By the time I mixed the noodles around into the sauce I was picking up noodle strands that were half an inch long at that point. My grandma has no teeth and she could've eaten this bowl of mush. The black bean sauce tasted nothing like black bean sauce, I'm still not sure what it tastes like hours later as I contemplate how to describe the flavor. Burnt rotting pork with sugar? Incompetence? Go to nova for korean food; the drive will always be worth it, I promise you. 1/10 The twisted donut was ok so +1 for that. -2 for DC residents having absolutely no standards, -7 for absolutely garbage food. read more

Mandu is right next to my sister's house and I ask to eat there almost every time I visit. Every time I've gone the meal has hit all the flavor combinations that I could look for -- meaty and hearty, fresh and acidic, sweet and chewy. I truly think everything is delicious and I am always think about ordering more banchan. My favorite is their JyaJang Myan! read more

Mandu - Korean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

Food was good. They need to update their menu and prices on food. Everything's almost doubled in price.

I stopped in this place for some takeout recently. I ordered the Korean fried chicken and the sauce on the side was out of this world. The sauce alone is the worth the trip. I found several uses for the sauce long after the (4) party wings were gone. I think that I paid a little over $20 for (8) party wings with some sort of flour like batter on them. I can purchase a frozen bag if wings (wingettes) for about $8. I have no idea when chicken wings were divided in parts but still regarded as "wings." The person who provided me with my takeout order wasn't the friendliest either. Not the type of service oriented expected after spending over $20 for some party wings. I haven't been back because of the amount of wings and the lack of congenitally on part of the staff member that I encountered. I recommend at least two to three more wings per order and put someone more hospitable at the door to handle takeout orders. This place has potential. Parking is NOT the best at all so when someone jumps through hoops and challenges to patronize an establishment, they expect a little more of an experience. read more

On the way to Mandu for our outdoor seating reservation, and it started to rain. No matter - they have tents covering their outdoor seating!! Good thing because it didn't stop raining all night. We ordered every appetizer, some twice, for our party of five. Each dish had its characteristic flavor and was delicious. My only quibble is with the Muk Muchim, the acorn and mung bean jelly with baby kale, soy sesame dressing -- the jellies were tiny and covered by the salad. It tasted fine, but I expected larger globs of the jellies. Still, this is a quality restaurant with good flavors. Not easy for a restaurant serving up modern Korean. Give it a try! read more

See all

Solid (but expensive) dinner spot. Stopped by for happy hour and was saddened to hear they no longer have it, but I understand with Covid. I had one pear and one mango sojutini (both were excellent) and shared with friends the beef and pork Mandu, double fried chicken wings, and the bulgogi all of which were awesome and I'd definitely have again. Service was good; we ate outside because we had a pup. Note that there are no heat lamps! read more

Our cousin recommended this place as one of his favorite spots for Korean food (he lived there for a while), and after our meal, we understood why! The atmosphere is lively and bright. The service was present, but not lingering. There are many options for drinks, but I decided on the Mango Sojutini and liked it so much I had two of them. We started with a few things to share, and it all was devoured. We had Mandu, which is dumplings. If you check out my pictures, the left side of our Mandus are boiled, and the right ones are fried. The round ones are shrimp, green veggie, then beef with pork. I am glad we did a taste test of the boiled and fried. While they were all very delicious, I preferred the boiled veggie and fried shrimp, the guys liked the fried beef with pork. Along with the Mandus, we had the Pa Jeon to begin our meal. Pa Jeon is a seafood and scallion pancake. For my main dish, I had the Dolsot Bibim Bap with tofu. If you are a vegetarian, then there are plenty of options for you to enjoy. I love ordering dishes that are in the hot stone bowl so you can let the rice get crispy with the heat of the container. It was delectable. I ate every bite. As with many Korean restaurants, there were the extras that come with all your meals were kimchi, cucumbers, veggies with sesame, tofu, sprouts, and then something I forgot to ask what it was. My cousin got his favorite dish, the Bulgogi which is grilled slices of marinated ribeye read more

See all

Went there with my family for a late night dinner and food wasn't that great. Black Bean noodles had such a strong ginger taste had to send it back. The tofu soup wasn't the greatest thing I ate and it was very bland. The seafood pancake was the best thing there that I ate. The server was very nice and great. I wouldn't come back here again if I ever visit, but those who want to try it by any means be my guest. read more

A couple caveats first - this was my first time trying and it was delivery so can't speak to the restaurant experience or consistency. That being said I found it absolutely delicious. Kimchi jjigae was filled with kimchi, I think both Napa and green onion? Great chunks of tender, fatty beef and while I could've used a bit more tofu the tofu was really fresh. I also ordered the dak jjim. Was worried at first because it appeared maybe too soupy and oily. Turns out I was wrong. It's lightly sweet from the potatoes which were quite tender. The chicken was thigh meat, juicy and also a lightly sweet. There was a kick to it but in my opinion it was well balanced. Lastly every order comes with a small four set banchan. That seaweed muchim. Yes. The only ding I have was it is a bit expensive. Portion sizes are good however $20/entree for delivery is a tough one to swallow. I did rationalize by saying I could get 2-3 meals out of it though :). Looking forward to trying dine-in! read more

See all

So I came here like 8 years ago when I moved here and I think they were at another location. I remembered that 1) I'd never had Korean food so early in the day, 2) it was very affordable, and 3) it was delicious! Finally came back (I figured it'd be good if it's still here)... and I felt the same way. You get sooo much food with the brunch option. And it's just the way I like it: a little bit of everything. I think I loved everything in it - although I didn't care much for the sushi (not sure if that's what they call it). Great spot, lots of seating, good service, very reasonable prices, and yummy food! read more

Mandu - Banchan (the Korean side dishes) - Korean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

Hello DTDC folks. This place is legit! We went during weekday lunch, however only take out's available during lunch hours-how would we have known as out of town visitors, so forgot to take pictures of: duk mandu soup 떡만두국, yuk gaejang 육개장, bibimbap 비빔밥 & japchae noodles 잡채. Soup base was on point, delicious beef broth that reminded me of my own grandma's bone soup recipe. Dumplings were huge & good portions to share. Spicy soup hit the spot for me. Bibimbap also had variety of seasoned Korean vegetables & generous servings of bulgogi meat. We should have asked for more spicy gochugang 고추장, bc we like our meals spicy :) Japchae noodles were chewy & good flavor without being too sweet. We were carb loaded & happy. There was a great selection of bar seatings & looks like a good choice of adult beverages being offered. Bar also looks like a fun place to hang out in the evening hours. Next visit, we'll be sure to check it out. A must dine & one of the best Korean restaurants in DTDC. Bon appetite! read more

When my fiance used to live in mt Vernon this was our favorite restaurant. The pajeon, wings, and gallo were always amour go to order to share. Def recommend giving this restaurant a try! read more

Met a friend for happy hour (HH) after work on a rainy weekday. The bar area started empty but quickly filled up. There are both drink and food HH specials. I started with the Mandu three ways veggie, shrimp, and beef/pork. That was my preference worst to best. All were good but I liked the beef/pork best. I got them pan fried. You can also get them steamed. They are known for their Korean chicken but I got a tip that they make it in a chicken sandwich. Yummy!! That is the way to go! The service was quick and very friendly. Great place for a HH- I highly recommend it! read more

Mandu - Fried Korean chicken sandwich. Get it! - Korean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

Decent Korean food, but quite pricey. Because of COVID, they didn't have their normal menu, so make sure to go to their website to find their most updated offerings. I initially wanted just some good old spicy pork, but they didn't have that so I settled on dduk bok gi. It was pretty good but had mushrooms in it (?) and no fish cakes (which is one of my favorite parts!). Still, it did have a good spicy flavor but overall nothing special. My takeout order also came with banchan, all of which was pretty good helped balance out my heavier main dish! read more

Mandu - Dduk Bok Gi - rice cakes, bulgogi, mushrooms (?), onions. No fish cakes sadly. - Korean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

I've enjoyed Korean food at a few different places around town but mostly the Korean BBQ/buffet type places so I wasn't totally sure what to expect here. This place has the feel of a nicer DC bar/restaurant and the service is very prompt and friendly. They have happy hour specials until 7pm on the weeknights and I took advantage by trying a peach sojutini (a must try if you enjoy anything peach as I do) and the pan fried beef and pork dumplings (very tasty and worth a try). My main course was the Galbi (marinated and grilled bone-in beef short ribs) with grilled zucchini and sides (bean sprouts, kimchi, sweet potato and fish). The short rib was excellent though a bit fatty in places and the lettuce wraps they provided made for enjoyable wraps using some of the meat, zucchini, and sides. Portions are large here and I left full but not uncomfortably so. I enjoyed my meal here and would check this place out again. read more

See all

The service and food were amazing! Perfect after a long day of travel delays! The Duru Jjigee was delicious! read more

Mandu - Duru Jjigee Gochujang-marinated pork belly seared with kimchi and rice cakes, with steamed tofu - Korean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia