Hours
24 hours
Credit cards Visa, MC, AmEx
Reservations Not accepted
www.kt411.com/bbq
Annandale, VA
7220 Columbia Pike
Annandale, VA
(703) 256-5229
The name translates as “Honey Pig,” and that should give you a good idea of how much fun you’re going to have here. This is easily the most enjoyable place to eat Korean barbecue in the DC area, and it’s also one of the best.
Picture an entire room full of rows of smoke hoods, under which people are occupied with one thing only: having a grand old time. The dark, expansive, low-ceilinged room sizzles all night long with frying meat and hearty laughter. Aromas of pork fat, sweet spice, and pickled vegetables power through the room. There’s smoke everywhere, but it’s safely channeled into the hoods.
Step inside the door, and you’ll be beckoned in by a sweet, if slightly surly, staff, as if you’re in a semi-illegal secret club. “Lots of international people come here,” she told us at our last visit, as if we were vacationers in Seoul looking for a place with an English-language menu. “American people.” In fact, Annandale isn’t far off from that setting, given the proliferation of spectacular food at spots where non-Asians will get weird looks if they try to order from the real menu.
That won’t happen here. Honey Pig seems to have a particular penchant for marketing and advertising. They’ll foist glossy business cards and brochures on you—in English, at that. There’s a sort of totem pole of colorful advertising outside, and flashy, photo-happy neon décor within. But don’t take any of this loud self-promotion to imply that the food is anything less than authentic; the raw meats that they’ll whisk out to your table—ready for you to throw on the grill—are right on the money: spicy barbecued beef ribs. Barbecued tripe. Pork belly with red pepper paste, a fatty treat that you’ll have real trouble locating inside the District.
And—get this—Honey Pig is open 24 hours. Catering to Americans? Not really. They’re catering to anyone and everyone, from anywhere and everywhere, who enjoys a memorable meal of meat—anytime and every time.
Comments (1)Get the 608-page book—it’s an indispensable reference and a great gift—available online or at a DC-area store.
Or, subscribe to fearlesscritic.com for just $10 per year—the price of a martini—or try it out for $2 per month. You’ll get access to the complete Fearless Critic content online, including more than 1,000 reviews from all Fearless Critic cities, new reviews as they’re written throughout the year, and advanced search features.
If you’re already a subscriber, please login to your account.
