Taste Of Korea

TL;DR: Would go back! Good variety of standard Korean classics with decent portions and good flavor. Came here for dinner on a Wednesday evening. The format is a fast-casual food service. The space is very open and has plenty of seating. There is a kiosk at the front where you can browse the menu and enter in your order. When your order is ready, your order number will be called and you can get it at the counter.FOOD: ~Mul Nengmyun (3.5/5): flavor was just okay. Had a good amount of veggies and a hefty portion of noodles.~Yukgaejang Kalguksu (4/5): Flavorful broth (nice and spicy) and the noodles had a great texture~Spicy pork dolsot bibimbap (5/5): This dish hit the spot for me. It was piping hot and made the nice layer of crispy rice at the bottom. The pork was flavorful. ~Sides: loved all the sides from the veggies, fish cake, kimchi, and soupThoroughly enjoyed majority of the food here and will likely return if I'm craving basic Korean food.

Pro-tip: It's counter service Korean food which is great if you're just looking for a good casual meal. Highlights: All around the food was really good. I can't handle too spicy so I liked that the spicy beef soup isn't really spicy. It's nice that each dish comes out with its own banchan side dishes including a small salad. I'd recommend this place to anyone.Lowlights: The pork belly was pretty fatty and not enough Napa cabbage is given. The pickled jalapeños are SO spicy which is unexpected for something pickled.

I can't believe I'm giving this place 2 stars. I just know I will get eye rolls and flamed by TOK's loyal customers. They MUST be loyal because I had to do a double take at the 4.5 star rating it has! Incredible. I don't get it. I don't get it at all. First I'll say - the 4.5 star overall rating is the exact reason why we chose this place!!!! #duped!When we walked in, there were a decent number of customers chowing down. We thought that was promising. In hindsight, I'm sorry to say that almost all the customers were non Asians. That should have been a BIG red flag right there. It's a fact - find a Korean joint that's packed with Koreans (or Asians) and you've hit the jackpot. Else....turn around and walk out.... Koreans aren't going to spend their hard-earned money on mediocre Korean food they can make better at home...It's not full service WHICH I LOVE. Look over the menu, line up, order and pay at the counter. They'll call your number when your order is ready. After your meal, when you're ready to leave, you bus your own table. I have no problem with that business model. If the way they run this place is more like a fast food joint or carryout and doing so will save me money by not having to "pay" for servers or tip 20% - then BRING IT ON!But the food has to be delicious. And sadly, even though this place is supposed to be authentic, the food left a LOT to be desired. :(Party of 2 - we ordered a Galbi Dol Sot Bibimbap, a Bulgogi Dol Sot Bibimbap and a Kimchi Pancake appetizer. The entrees came with a bowl of clear broth (not miso soup) and some little dishes of banchan.I promise you we REALLY wanted to like this place. But it was not to be. - The rice in the hot pots was a little too loose and mushy. We love leaving a layer of rice on the bottom of the stone hot pot bowl to "crisp up" (which it did - so good) but the rest of the rice was not firm enough. - The galbi in the bibimbap was a low qual cut of beef, tough and so lightly marinated I wondered if it was marinated at all! Plus the pieces were cut so big that because the rib meat was so tough, it was hard to bite into and chew. :(- The Kimchi Pancake was flavorless! Like no taste at all. And not even the least bit spicy. The pancakes were kimchi colored (see my pic) but there were no pieces of kimchi in the pancakes (2 pancakes per order). It was like maybe they poured the kimchi "juice" into the pancake batter and called it a day? smh. Also - the pancakes were SEVERELY undercooked. Kimchijeon should have a crispy pan fried exterior - these were soft and flimsy all around.- The clear broth soup that came with our bibimbaps was lukewarm! Disappointing. How can soup be served NOT piping hot?!- We were disappointed with the interior of the restaurant. Basically, if I'm going to sit in a cafeteria style setting, make it pleasant inside - brighten up the walls and the decor. It just totally felt drab and dark.WHO IS GIVING THIS PLACE 4 and 5 STARS??? All I can guess is, you must not know good, true Korean cuisine when you taste it. :/(UPDATE: Actually, I THINK I get it now. I've read all the prev reviews from long ago - many years ago in fact - when this place was an apparently beloved full service restaurant. Apparently, the order-and-pay-upfront business model is relatively new here...and with that, it sounds like the all-around quality of this place has gone down.)You might ask: were there any positives? I guess the only positive was that we didn't pay an arm and a leg for our meal. But then again, even what we paid was not worth what we got. (Update - my cr cd statement reminded me we paid $52.48 incl tip for our meal - meal did NOT justify price paid. So..then...was there really any positives??)ONE CAVEAT ABOUT PRICES! Especially for the apparently uninitiated Korean food lovers who think this place is the end-all-be-all. :) $31.95 for an L.A. Kalbi entree AT BASICALLY A CARRY-OUT JOINT is just absurd and way overpriced in anyone's book! You can CERTAINLY get better quality, fresher kalbi elsewhere! I would say HARD PASS FOR ANY OF THEIR GRILL ENTREE ITEMS. Not worth the price at basically a carry out shop. :(If you want to taste amazing Korean cuisine, make your way to a Honey Pig (new one opened in Ashburn!) - read my reviews for HP Ashburn and Centreville. Orrrrrrrr... dare I say - check out Lotte right behind this place. If they have a restaurant in the grocery store like most Lottes do, it's a good bet they will give this place a run for its money! Quick-serve food places inside Korean grocery stores like Lotte or H Mart ARE THE BOMB, super good value for the $, made to order and authentically delish.TOK needs to up their game significantly imo. We ordered the absolute classic Korean "fast food" dishes so if those don't cut it (and, sorry, they don't) then there's no going up from there. TOK was a letdown to be sure. Looks like I need to continue my search for solid Korean cheap-eats.:(

I went with a friend to Taste of Korea at 6:30pm on a Monday night. It was average for being crowded. We got the bulgogi. The bulgogi wasn't seasoned well. I have had alot better. The sides were very small (veggies are one slice of cucumber, 3 small slices of onions and 2 small cabbage leaves for kimchi). For the price of $19.95 for this entree, it's expensive for what little you get. You order and pay thru kiosks. They call you when your plate is ready. You have to get your drink or water. No true waiter service. Don't tip them because they don't check on your satisfaction of the order. Lots of Koreans go here but they order the bowls. I might give it another try in few months.

I was hoping for a little more flavor but my soup was really lacking. Lots of good dumplings and rice cake but the soup didn't have the same heartiness that this Korean soup does. It's one of my favorites since I am Korean and after bopping around DC all day we wanted good Korean food. The reviews looked decent but the flavor was not there. The banchan was okay too but just three little guys. Got my son a bowl of kalguksu and those were actually tasty and seasoned well so I added them to my soup to give them a bump. Overall good service and lots of choices.

offered an authentic taste of Korea. The interiors were beautifully designed, creating an immersive and appealing ambiance. However, the dining experience was marred by the heat inside the restaurant. With only one floor fan and possibly a malfunctioning air conditioner, it was uncomfortably warm.The food itself was a mixed bag. The chicken dish I ordered felt chewy and didn't quite meet my expectations. On the positive side, the soup was flavorful and served in a decent portion, providing a satisfying and comforting taste. Despite the issues with the chicken and the temperature inside, the authentic flavors and great interiors show promise. With some improvements in comfort and food quality, this place could be a fantastic spot for Korean cuisine lovers.

I've been on a relentless search of a good stone pot bibimbap thus my visit to Taste of Korea. I tried the Galbi Sizzling Stone Pot Bibimbap and my experience was okay. The presentation was visually appealing, with vibrant colors and a nice assortment of vegetables. The sizzling stone pot is always a fun element, and the rice at the bottom developed a pleasant crispy texture. I was expecting the galbi to be more tender and juicy. The sauce could have used a bit more depth, as it felt a little one-dimensional compared to other bibimbaps I've tried. Overall, while the dish had some enjoyable aspects it was missing something that made it special. The dish is priced on the higher side ($20+), you would expect it to deliver on quality, flavor, and presentation. I feel that it could be priced more reasonably, perhaps around $15 or less. I may consider trying it again in the future.

Review is only based on kimchi jjigaeI've been looking for a proper kimchi jjigae, and this place was the worst. The jjigae tasted weird, it tasted like literal seuleggi imo. And the meat tasted old. So bad they should remove it from the menu.

Food quality is very good. Always fresh made. It's a bit on the pricey side but it's always worth the money. Ordering is done via kiosk or via the register. Staff is super friendly and willing to take the time to help find a table.There's a private little book for groups of 6 or more. They don't take reservations. It's first come first serve.

Stopped here for date night. The sushi was delicious. Very clean restaurant and super sweet waiters. Everything came out fast.