Honey Pig — Restaurant in Ashburn

I was excited to hear that there was a Honeypig opening very close to where I live because I usually go to the honeypig in Centreville, or Yechon, or Kogiya, or Somac. Something told me to be skeptical though because in ASHBURN the ethnic restaurants usually cater to the palette of the "plain". I was right. This place is not the embodiment of Korean BBQ that I have grown to expect from the various other places that I have experienced. The spicy pork belly was barely spicy and hardly flavorful. My wife hates spicy food but she can tolerate this. It doesn't have to be lava flow spicy but should have some type of kick to it. Disappointed. So then I try the Kalbi. That too was bland. They told me to try the sauce. 9 out of 10 other places I go to don't require the sauce for the dish to be good. Or else just make that the dish and call it something else. This place NEEDS the sauce for the Kalbi to taste like Kalbi. On top of that, the menu is smaller compared to the other Honeypig restaurants. That I can give them a pass on because they just opened. But, if you are going to have a small menu then at least do the things you have well.

The scenery and the cleanliness of the place was great though. Nice atmosphere and friendly employees. They are very inviting and accommodating. I just couldn't bare to tell them to their face that me and my family members (ages ranging from 10 year old to 50) were highly disappointed in the quality and the flavoring of the food.

This place will probably thrive due to the demographics here, but if you moved this place to Annandale or Fairfax or probably any other county then I'm sorry but it wouldn't fare well. The competition outside of Loudoun County is stiff. In Loudoun county there aren't many other Korean BBQ places and sadly this place isn't high on MY list when it come to the taste. I really hope that this Honeypig steps their game up though! I don't live far and I'm hoping to have the kind of Korean BBQ restaurant that Loudoun County deserves. I am only one voice though. I might be in the minority that thinks this place isn't living up to it's potential. And that's fine. It isn't the worst place. I'll try again in a month when more reviews come in and the new car/restaurant smell wears off. The owner/poster lady of the place seems very CHARISMATIC so I hope she sees this and makes a few changes.

I wish you the best...

This was my first visit to Honey Pig BBQ, but it was certainly not my first time doing table BBQ with Korean or Japanese cuisine. The food was authentic, and most of it tasted good. However, there were both good and bad aspects of dinner that I’m reluctant to share but feel I should for an honest review.

THE GOOD

The food is authentic. If you’re looking for authentic Korean BBQ, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this restaurant. The server quickly took our order and brought all the usual suspects to the table. The kimchi was great, and the server brought out steamed eggs and soybean soup. The protein portions were a reasonable size (4-8 ounces).

THE BAD

We had brisket and pork belly for dinner. I anticipated a good Korean BBQ but was disappointed with the protein preparation. The meat was not marinated or basted on the grill - not even salt or pepper. The server told us we couldn’t cook our meat - I have always had that option at typical BBQ restaurants. The brisket was bland and the port belly was tough. While we were served all the usual accompaniments, we were given one small bowl of salad for two people. Generally, and I mean always, all guests are served individual salads and soup with Korean or Japanese BBQ. We were not given a glass with our drink, just a soda can and straw. And one small napkin.

THE UGLY

The elephant in the room - PRICE. I was shocked at the prices on the menu. I walked into a casual dining room - corrugated tin on the wall, TVs blasting with Korean Hip Hop, and small chairs. However, the prices were in line with an upscale dining establishment. I have been to many Korean and Japanese BBQs and usually expect to pay $15-20 a plate, maybe a little more for specific proteins. However, the shaved brisket was nearly $25, and the ribeye was over $40 for the plate. Shared combos were $80-$110. They had a lunch menu, but I wondered what the portion size was. The dinner portion was small, probably 4-8 ounces of protein. There is a disconnect between the neighborhood, nearby restaurants, and the type of meals. Why spend $40 for 8oz of cubed ribeye when I can walk 100 feet to the anchor restaurant and have a full-course meal for $30-35. The next-door sub shop serves a meal for $10-15, the Thai place sells curry for $15-20, and the nearby Afghan shop serves meals for $20. The price point is wrong for the neighborhood. I wish it were...

This has been by far the most grossest interaction my family and I have ever had at any Korean restaurant. My husband and I spent a year living in South Korea and enjoy the food. I asked him to pick up some foods we enjoyed during our time there so he googled “tteokboki and Korean fried chicken near me” he was in a rush so he called the first restaurant that showed up immediately and placed the order. Order of Soy Garlic Fried Chicken, 2 tteokboki and a side of coleslaw and fries. When he went to pick up the food he received soy MARINATED chicken, 2 tteokboki and COLD noodle soup and I fries. At no point during the phone call did he make my partner aware that they didn’t serve those dishes. It was apparent there was a language barrier and miscommunication so he asked to get a refund for the dishes we didn’t intentionally order. Usually restaurants accommodate this request but of course we would be reasonable if they have a policy and this wasn’t possible. Instead, the cashier says “What am I supposed to with the food then?” And other disgusting comments such as “It’s funny how you ordered fried chicken at a Korean bbq place”. Then continued to berate and ignore my partner just to later speak ill of my partner in Korean to another coworker, not knowing we have a basic understanding of Korean since we lived there for a year. He was absolutely rude and lack basic customer service skills. He then says he can’t do anything about it and my partner has to sit down and wait until the manager arrives for their shift for about 20-30 minutes. The manager eventually arrived and was able to remedy the situation professionally. Miscommunication occurs all the time regardless of language barriers but to tell a customer of color “it’s funny how you ordered fried chicken” and “what am I supposed to do with the food?” Instead of just stating to wait for the manager was extremely in appropriate and unsettling experience especially when the intention was to support the business in the...