Hwangbooja Korean Restaurant — Restaurant in Centreville

TLDR: One of the few places in the DMV serving Korean raw crabs. Come for both the spicy and soy marinaded crabs as well as the gukbop.

Vibe: 4/5. Located in a small shopping center in Centerville, Hwangbooja has a simple layout. With around 10 4-top tables, the dining room is a single area with the kitchen in the back. The restaurant is clean and has English translations throughout the restaurant for those that do not speak Korean. 4 tops can be pushed together, making it suitable for large groups. The entire restaurant only had Korean diners at lunch, which is always a good sign for the food authenticity.

Service: 5/5. My party of 2 came on a Thursday for lunch when the place was empty. The lone server mostly spoke Korean, but the menu is conveniently written with both Korean and English translations together so point to order is an option. Food came out exceptionally fast and the same with settling up on the bill when complete.

Food: 5/5. Finding quality raw Korean crab in the DMV is a challenge, but fortunately Hwangbooja delivers. They offer both spicy and soy varieties, with each order coming with approximately 5-6 cut up crabs. The flavors of both the spicy and soy marinaded crabs are robust and bursting with the taste of garlic. The sweetness of the raw crab meat plays nicely with the savory flavors of both preparations. The idea of consuming raw crab meat may scare even the most seafood friendly folk, but squishy texture makes the eating experience enjoyable, as you must slurp the meat out of the shell while using your teeth to press the meat out of the shells. The crustaceans come at a cost, with a single order coming in at $28, but it's well worth the cost of admission . The gukbop was also noteworthy, with heavy notes of garlic and a beyond soul warming pork broth that is perfect for a cold day. We recently traveled to Busan and had gukbop several times and having it at Hwangbooja brought me back. Overall, if you are in the mood for some tasty crabs and traditional Korean food, this...

This was one of the best meals I’ve had since moving here. I ran a half marathon that morning and was deeply craving Korean cold noodles and raw marinated crab, and I’m SO glad I found HwangBooJa. (Disclaimer: this place is AMAZING even if you’re not ravenous after a long run)

FOOD Bossam + Jokbal Combo (5/5): Deliciously seasoned and each wrap filled me with pure bliss. Such a filling portion size and we left with plenty of leftovers. Also pleasantly surprised it came with raw oysters, which are my mom’s favorite! Raw marinated crabs (5/5): WOW so glad to have a place that has this dish in the DMV. Killer with the purple rice they serve, and made to perfection. Dolsot bibimbap (5/5): This dish was the biggest surprise because I wasn’t expecting it to be SO DANG GOOD! Highly recommend letting it crisp up for a bit before mixing, because that crispy rice hits different. Every bite was absolutely divine and left me wanting more even after I cleaned the bowl. Mool naengmyun (4/5): So delicious but not my favorite noodle texture for this dish. However, the seasonings were perfect and I enjoyed being able to tailor the dish to my taste.

SERVICE This place felt like eating at a relative’s house - it felt very much family owned and run, and everyone was so polite, kind, and sweet even though we’re not Korean (have definitely had experiences in the past where this made a huge difference in how we were treated). Especially big shoutout to the owner and his daughter for diligently refilling our side dishes, working hard to clean up everything quickly and serve everyone, and creating such a comforting atmosphere in the restaurant.

I will definitely be back soon! Thanks so much for an...

Hwangbooja Korean Restaurant Hangbooja Korean Restaurant It's been a long time since I've been to Hwangbooja Restaurant. I've lived here a long time and eaten at many Korean restaurants in Centerville, but it's been a while since I've been to Hwangbooja Restaurant. The food was not very good when I visited before (few years ago).

However, an acquaintance had recently visited the restaurant and recommended that the food had improved since the owner changed, so I went for dinner.

Upon entering the restaurant, I realized that it had been renovated and the menu was quite diverse. I tried (Grilled mackerel served with Doenjang Jjige) and (Spicy marinated pork).

The side dishes that were served beforehand were really neat and tasty, and the main dish that followed was delicious. The spicy marinated pork was a little too salty for my taste, but overall it was delicious.

The team behind us was ordering a variety of dishes, and it looked like they had already tried a lot of the menu.

Also, the owner was very friendly and listened to his customers!

I left the restaurant thinking, "I wish I had found this restaurant sooner.

If you're ever wondering where to go for dinner, give Hwangbuja Korean...