ChoSun Hwaro — Restaurant in Fairfax

To start off we were a party of 8 and a baby. They put us in a heavy traffic location that seats 8 so the baby with high chair at the end didn’t make sense. But regardless they did it and we opted to just one side squeeze and as for and extra chair for the baby. Then there was the wait. We sat there for approximately 15 to 20 minutes and no server. When a server came up he told us nicely he wasn’t our server but he would take our drink orders which I would say was kind of him but ridiculous of the establishment. Never the less we kept going like nothing. After our drinks were brought out again the wait. We got served our sides and we were all hungry so basically we had sides for the next 15 to 20 minutes. Then won’t you know it our server appears good thing we have been to pretty bad restaurants before so by the time he came we had everything ready to be ordered so we thought no delays would happen. We were a big group and we understood and have done it before at or kbbp spots where we devide the table with the orders to make it easier on the server. Which we did and place sour orders accordingly. We being the most people chose the M combo witch is for 3 to 4 people witch I knew I would need to order two more entrees to feed us although our kids (2) weren’t going to eat as much. My son loves the brisket. I ordered 1 separate order outside the combo. Then ordered pork belly for myself. I also ordered a spicy beef stew again just because I saw around and saw portion sizes and I normally want my kids to eat before me and be full. So at this point I’m close to 300 plus mark on my tab which I don’t mind when portions or food quality comes into play. My cousin orders his portion after mine which is technically for 2 since his child doesn’t really eat anything unfamiliar to her. They get the double brisket and the bulgogi. So these are just orders at this time. Time for our food to come out was 20 plus minutes. Or so. Our server appears after the food has gotten to our table. Starts to turn on both cook tops but only services one. After he got started with my cousins side he left and none of our food was on the grill. So we started just to put and cook our food on the grill ourselves. Which I don’t mind but for the amount of money these people are charging and the lack of attention I should have touched anything. But that wasn’t even the worst part. Our night just kept getting better. My cousin gets his brisket cooked. While we are 6 waiting for food. So we cook ourselves. No help no hey wait I’ll be right there. Give me a second nothing all nonchalant. Finishes cooking the brisket for my cousin then leaves. So we were like ok guess we do it ourselves. Witch we did. Next was hairs in our food which I know is a stigma. For people who don’t want to pay for their meals. Which is just disgusting to me. So to start it was my daughter’s rice. We didn’t say anything just asked for another rice. We kept it moving. Then when we were cooking out ribs my wife notice something different on the meat and their was a long hair. Again we didn’t make a fuzz we are brown colored and I know the especulation. Us trying to get a free meal. I normally let is slide but I can’t when the service was so horrible and the food wasn’t that great. So the next best thing is in the menu which I ordered from. I ordered pork belly. And oh lord was I in for a surprise. The menu shows you 4 cuts for 24 dollars. What I got was one cut. A single maybe 1/2 and inch slice for 24 dollars. I asked the server this is not what is on your menu. He said I know and it’s over priced but this is it. So to wrap it up in the almost two hours that we were there our server maybe was seen 4 times. At this point I’m disappointed and mad. But wait there’s more. I had to hunt down our server to get the check. I’m not even lying half our table had left. And no one even bothered to be like are you all done do you need the check. Nothing!!!!! We could have walked out and I’m pretty sure our server would have noticed. That’s how bad the service was. I can go on but...

3 stars: nothing special - would not go back or recommend

TL;DR: food was just okay; ambiance is not what was expected; service is awkward

Was excited for this place to open up for some time now. Based on their website/advertisement, they were selling it as a premium KBBQ spot with authentic KBBQ with a luxury dining experience. I expected it to be on par with the other upscale KBBQ spots in the area, but it fell short. First time we sat at the bar, and the second time at a table.

AMBIANCE: I expected the vibes to be similar to Honest/Ingle/Woo, but it was more similar to SO/Kogiya/Meokja. The music is loud and the typical K-pop that is common in regular KBBQ places. They have a bar area, which was more like a sports bar, but I did like that they have grills at the bar that you can eat at, if you don't want to wait for a table. Parking is limited.

SERVICE: ~Each time we come here, the service has been a little strange. When you get seated, they seem to just stand right in front of you and stare at you until you are ready to order. I don't know if this is how they are trained, but I felt very uncomfortable. ~They cooked multiple meats at a time, which seems atypical at KBBQ places around here ~Started cooking the uncooked pork while our cooked beef was around the edges of the pan ~Placed the cooked meat into the plates we were eating out of, which had various drippings and liquid from the steamed egg and other banchan ~^this also lead to our server somewhat pre-portioning for us and not asking us if the cook was to our liking (LA galbi could have used a little more time) ~Placed a napkin directly on our table top and told us to put our LA galbi bones there ~Overall, the service was problematic

FOOD: ~stating this upfront - the quality of the meat is maybe a little above average but improved cooking technique could elevate it more

~They only have 1 combo that has an option for 1-2 people, everything else is for 3+

~We got the marinated combo, which is stated to be for 3-4 people, and was going to take the leftovers home, but the portion was ridiculously small

~Banchan: they provide a variety of option including kimchi, radish, fish cakes, and salad. Salad has a gochugaru forward flavor, but they don't give enough dressing, which makes you feel like you're just eating lettuce.

~Nengmyun (3/5): it was fine, but missing some umph in the broth. Portion was generous

~Doenjang Jjigae (4/5): I like that this is definitely a traditional doenjang jjigae and the flavors were nice

~Gyeranjjim (4/5): Very fluffy and flavored well

So far we have tried the Chosun Hwaro Combo and the Marinated Combo ~Brisket (5/5): good portion and cooked well. Very soft

~Empress galbi (3.5/5): when cooked well, it is tender. (note: this comes unseasoned, so use the sauce they provide)

~Emperor's Galbi (3/5): this was jumuluk. Not sure I would necessarily classify this as galbi as jumuluk refers to the marinade and the cut of beef is dependent. They may have used short rib, but unsure. Texture seemed like rib finger

~LA Galbi (3/5): marinade needed to be a little stronger, but they may be going for that light seasoning. Meat was a little chewy which could be due to the cookery

~Marinated galbi (3/5): same as LA galbi

~Marinated pork short rib (3.5/5): The marinade on this was better than everything else, but it was fine.

The food here is okay but not worth the price or the portions. Service...

My second visit after 1 month was a world apart experience. During my first visit, I ordered the middle combo. Besides the briskets being too thick and lacking fat, I had no complaints. I had such a great experience during my first visit but the second visit was somewhat lackluster.

Firstly, server put the meat tray too close to my side. I ended up getting a blood drip on my shirt before I started eating.

Secondly, the kimchi was too dry because it was placed on small plates hours before serving and placed in mass on rolling carts placed in the hallway. And it was full of tough green leaves. I asked for a refill, and the new batch was glistening and tasty because it came straight out of the refrigerated container. And I got more tender white cabbage with the refill. I wish they would serve side dishes when the order is received. Most of the banchan was dry. It may be convenient to prepare them early, but the owners should know they will dry out fast and collect dust while waiting to be served.

Thirdly, which is my biggest complaint, I ordered a la carte meat $160 worth for 2 persons, which is more expensive than their pre fix combo. I only received 1 piece of asparagus, just 1 stem! So I asked the waiter if I can get some king oyster mushroom. He first misunderstood me and said they don't have oysters on the menu. So I asked again, can I get some mushrooms and he said, sorry, mushroom (just 1 piece btw!) comes with the combo option only.

The owners should seriously consider giving some grilled vegetables with a la carte orders as the customer is spending more money than the combo option. I didn't want to fill up on brisket and only have the cuts that I wanted to eat. Btw, why do you have vegetables with the meat on all the a la carte photos on the menu if you are not going to seve it? Also, where are the garlic pieces? Never offered.

Lastly, I moved the outside skirts away from the center grill because it's a lean cut. Waiter quickly came back from the adjacent table and put them all to the center grill saying it's still raw. In any case, I didn't want over cooked meat especially when that cut doesn't have a lot of fat. I was not pleased with the waiter's reaction.

And he trimmed all the fat from my prime ribeye steak in the middle of grilling!! I prefer to have the fat rendered down before cutting. I mean why did I order a ribeye in the first place if you are going to precut all the fat?! It's obvious that the waiter didn't have a lot of knowledge about grilling different cuts of meat. So all the juice was lost because of it. May need more training.

There is definitely room for improvements. To the owners, please don't cheap out on the grilled vegetables. Serving one tenth piece of a whole mushroom for a $45 cut won't hurt your profits.

Your bench seating is very uncomfortable. It felt like i was eating on top of a water bed. Should consider replacing them with...