NAMOO Koreanbowl — Restaurant in Arlington

We ordered steamed dumplings, miso soup, edamame, and 3 entrees. I kid you not, after we ate here, we went and got burgers at Sonic so we could feel full and enjoy some flavor.

For starters, all of the food was lukewarm. ALL OF IT.

The lukewarm miso soup was purely just broth with mild flavor.

The lukewarm edamame was barely seasoned.

The lukewarm steamed dumplings were good, just lukewarm which killed it. The dipping sauce was likely the best part.

The grilled chicken entree seemed to be fake? I can’t say for sure but it was very thin and had a burger like texture? I tried peeling it and it didn’t peel like chicken, it crumbled the glued meat.

The portions were quite underwhelming. We tried making up for the flavor by using the sauces they had on the side but it didn’t do much.

The fountain drinks are overly priced with limited options.

There are no servers, just a glorified order taker which was a teenager that barely spoke two words to us and sat there with her face resting on her hand like she was bored out of her mind. We had explained it was our first time here, and quickly got the impression that she wasn’t going to offer any insight.

The seating is uncomfortable wooden benches at wooden tables that will bang the hell out of your knees and shins if you aren’t careful. But the place was clean. That’s about the...

2019 was when I first came here and in 2022 it hasn't changed much, they have always stayed very clean. Before I went on a gluten free diet, I would always get the Gangnam because the chicken was always immaculate, along with their vegetable rolls, and most of all their Korean noodles were the best! I would get extra Korean noodles all the time. However, the KR noodles, veg rolls, and gangnam chicken all have soy sauce in them, so I can't have them while being gluten free.

Gluten free wise, I have the seaweed salad, a favorite of mine that I specifically asked the staff to confirm that it is gluten free. I also have the Bibimbap because every element of that dish is gluten free as long as you get it with grilled chicken. I don't know if I can recommend anything else for gluten free options because several items here are marinated in soy sauce or deep fried in the same oil, so be careful.

Needless to say, I am happy that even in 2022, I still have options here, although they are limited. I love the kpop music videos that they always play too, sometimes I hear some songs that I never would have...

I usually don’t leave bad reviews on Google, I just never go back, but this experience was very disappointing, and I am in shock that the Google Rating for this place that led me to eat there in the first place is what it is. I did live in Korea for a couple of years, so maybe I am judging also based on my experience with authenticity, but I can 100% say that this place is nowhere near authentic in flavor or knowledge. I ordered the Dae Bak (spicy pork) and it was almost all fatty, the dish had no flavor, and for the first time in my life eating Korean food, I physically almost threw up and couldn't even eat 1/4 of the bowl although I was starving, and the egg roll was raw too. My friend ordered the chicken bowl and it was good, but only lemon pepper seasoning, also raw eggroll. I hate wasting food, but i would have been ok this one time, but what made me even more disappointed about eating here, was that I paid almost $40 for a bad experience.. If you are searching for real korean food or even street food experience please research other options in...