Rainpia

I was very excited to try Rainpia since it was recommended by a local. Made it to the restaurant around 6:30 PM on a Friday, and there was already a waitlist for the booths. There is also a large table in the middle which does not require any waiting. It's great that they have these options based on your preference and availability. We were seated in around 45 minutes at this large/comfy booth. The restaurant has a cool homey vibe with so much space, friendly servers and guests just seem to be having a great time. We ordered Tteokbokki and Spicy Fried Chicken along with some Soju. For spice level, we picked 2 out of 4. I am a person with high spice tolerance and this was right at my upper limit-I wouldn't recommend a higher level unless you enjoy playing with fire. Unfortunately, the food in general was a little disappointing. Nothing terrible but I guess I've had better korean food in the area. Our servers were very sweet; they made a mistake with the bill but fixed it even before we notified them and apologized very nicely. I'd consider going here to catch up with a large group of friends to enjoy the cool homey vibes, but can't really recommend it just for the food.

Rainpia is a go-to if you're craving Korean food late at night. In Howard County, where everything else seems to close by 7 PM to accommodate families, this place is a much-needed option. The menu is solid, and I usually go for the boiled pork belly--it's tender, flavorful, and pairs perfectly with the banchan.The downside? It's loud. Rainpia is clearly a hotspot for the college crowd, and they bring the energy. Expect lots of laughter, chatter, and a generally rowdy vibe. The seating setup doesn't do much to help--it's tight and awkward, so you're right in the mix whether you like it or not.Still, the late hours and reliably good food make it worth the trip. Just don't come here for a quiet night out--this is more of a lively, eat-and-enjoy kind of spot. Four stars for keeping the pork belly coming when the rest of Howard County is asleep!

I love coming back here with big parties and just eating everything. I swear we never have enough food or table space. I feel like the waiters were like insisting we wouldn't finish our food, but then it was not enough at all.

Really fun Korean gastropub. This place gets packed on the weekends and there is usually a wait. Service here was so quick and I went twice in 1 weekend. You stop in and add your name to the list if its packed. Expect to be seated in 30-60 minutes depending on the day. On the weekends, you have to order food vs only drinking. Prices are pretty reasonable for the drinks. My friends and I ordered the chicken gizzards, Korean chicken wings, galbi ribs and and tuna rice balls. I would highly recommend ordering the the gizzards, galbi and rice balls. They were all delicious. Especially the gizzards. Fried and seasoned perfectly. The wings were ok and I don't know if I would make my way out here for them.The location itself is right off the main road. When you enter seating can be really tight. There is K Pop blasting and servers running every where. Restaurant is clean and the servers are attentive. If you want a place that does not have very high noise level then Rainpia is not it. Also, when ordering be mindful of the spice level. Level 3 which is considered a hot already had me sweating. Overall, fun place to grab some drinks and get some snacks. They are open until 2 AM on the weekends.

This is a staple of Ellicott city and always take family here whenever they are in town. Must haves form here are the fried chicken (spicy level 2 is good high levels are really spicy just fyi) and the seafood pancake! The tteokbokki and fried rice are good as well. But the fried chicken here is the best Korean fried chicken I have ever had!

Visited Rainpia again over the weekend and had another great visit!Their kimchi stew is literally one of the best, my favorite for sure! We also ordered the bulgogi rice balls, and my husband had the bulgogi stir fry. Both were good as well.Can't wait to be back!

Ordered take out to satisfy pregnancy cravings & chefs did not disappoint! We ordered: seafood pancake & spicy fried chicken (spice level 1)Easy in & out; order was ready on time, checkout staff was super friendly, items were correct & well boxed. Just as I remembered it, the seafood pancake was perfection- hearty chunks of seafood diced up & amply stuffed within a juicy, well-seasoned dough- crispy flakey on the outside, moist fluffy on the inside- with a bold flavored dipping sauce (but barely used the sauce because the combination of the seafood flavors alone were super delicious)The spicy fried chicken dish was massive! Even with the two of us sharing, the dish was easily two meals- the chicken was thickly breaded in a sticky sweet but spicy sauce with moist meat inside- even with the amount of breading outside, they were very hearty pieces-good quality eatsAnother delicious visit, can't wait to keep running through the menu & indulging on more seafood pancake.

this is a good place to hang out w friends over drinks & korean apps! I've been here twice and it's always very lively and packed. luckily both times we didn't have to wait for a table but as the night went on the place got more packed (I'd recommend getting there by 10)!the food is good. nothing really special and prices can be steep for what you order, but I think people really come here for the vibes and the atmosphere. my friends and I enjoy drinking "milkis shots" which is a 1:1:1 ratio of soju, beer, and sprite! once mixed/shaken, it has a surprisingly creamy taste. the service here is v quick and the workers seem nice. I've never interacted with them for too long but they are continuously walking around so you can order things quickly!

Did I just find my new favorite Korean restaurant?!? One of my fav influencers spoke highly of this place so I had to try it. Lots of parking in the lot and when we arrived on a Saturday night at 7, it wasn't crowded. We had a nice big table to ourselves and we're told to ring the buzzer on the table when we were ready. There are about 8 large tables on the sides of the restaurant and then a long table with more communal type seating in the middle. When we got there, there were plenty of tables but they quickly filled up. My eyes were definitely bigger than my stomach! We started with the Korean rice balls with bulgogi filling-10/10 absolutely delicious. I would return for just these alone, but the good food kept coming. I loved the spicy tteokbokki with ramen! So spicy and delicious, it's one of my fav Korean dishes and this was so well made. Next we had friend chicken in sauce. They were good, but I couldn't necessarily name the part of the chicken I was eating for the three pieces I had. We ordered the yogurt soju cocktail and it was delicious-though arrived about midway through our meal. I loved the cocktail-it was enough for two people and stayed icy and refreshing until we finished it. I can't wait to go back and try some new dishes!

It is lively place with great good. I loved the tuna rice balls. It was crowded but the service was good. They checked on us. The chicken is a little pricey but worth it.