This was my first time trying Korean soy marinated crab, and it completely exceeded my expectations. The soy marinated crab was incredibly fresh, flavorful, and perfectly seasoned. The meat was sweet, tender, and melted in my mouth. I also tried the spicy marinated crab, which I'd give a 4/5 it was delicious with a nice kick, but I personally preferred the soy marinated version because it let the freshness of the crab shine through. If you're new to trying raw marinated carbs, this is a fantastic place to try it. I'll definitely be back! The workers were attentive and friendly as well. Gloves are provided so you don't have to get your hands dirty. read more

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- Great price for what you're getting - Place is smaller than expected but took in a table of 7 very quickly and easily on a Sunday around 6:30 pm - Nice and causal vibe - Service is great and attentive - Soups came piping hot and quickly - Beef kalguksu was super savory and full of umami - Preferred the spicy marinated crab over soy marinated because the soy is a bit salty. Wasn't wowwed by the abalone - Loved the soy marinated salmon the most - flavorful and fresh - Meaty and fresh dumplings - lovee the banchan esp the pasta salad! read more

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This is one of the few restaurants in the area that serves raw marinated crab and specialize in a variety of other seafoods as well. We got their combo that included a crab, salmon, shrimp and abalone. The seafood here is extremely fresh and very well marinated. The seafood has been soaking long enough for the flavors to penetrate all the way through. My favorite piece in particular was the salmon. They also have other dishes like Korean army stew and Kalguksu that we tried which were solid. I will say the restaurant is on the smaller side so there may be a wait but it is definitely worth it for some great seafood! Entrees: Assorted Jang (Spicy Crab and Soy Sauce Marinated Crab, Salmon, Shrimp and Abalone) Sides: Kalguksu (Clam noodle soup) and Korean Army Stew read more

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My first time trying raw marinated soy crab. Now I can check it off my list. At least we tried it once. We also tried army stew for the 1st time. Fast and friendly service. My fav is actually the selection of the free side dishes. The fishcake, jelly fish, kimchi, tomato one. read more

GJ2 4U - Seafood Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

Another amazing meal here. What more can you ask for. Really nice staff, fast, and delicious. Our goal is to try a new item every time we visit. read more

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Their specialty is the raw marinated crab and seafood. Came on a Friday night with a group of 4 people. We had to wait for a table for about 30 minutes. They don't take reservations ahead. It was our first time so we wanted to try everything. We got the set combo which includes marinated and soy crab, soy salmon and shrimp and abalone. Between all of them, the salmon and soy crab were my favorite. The blue crabs were on the smaller side. Lots of banchan came with the order. Hard to find parking during peak hours and weekends. read more

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The soy marinated crab was good and portion is worth the $$. Lots of banchan came with the order. Also order kalguksu for those who don't eat the raw crab. Staff were attentive and helpful and the place had enough seats for small and larger groups. Parking available in the shopping center read more

GJ2 4U - Seafood Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

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no need to go to korea anymore to try marinated raw crabs! This spot has delicious authentic soy and spicy marinated raw crabs as well as other seafoods like salmon, abalone, and shrimp! They also sell korean dishes like kalgooksoo (noodles in anchovy broth) and budae jjigae (army stew) which were both delicious and packed with flavor! I LOVED this spot and will definitely be back! the soy marinated raw crabs were my favorite - better than the ones I had in korea read more

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You will be consuming a lot of raw seafood. They do have some cooked noodle dishes and other entrees but their specialty is the raw marinated crab and seafood. This was my first time trying it so I did not know what to expect in terms of taste, etc. The restaurant is medium sized. More on the smaller side, considering how popular it is. They only have tables that would fit 5 comfortably. If you have more than 5, you'd have to wait for them to combine tables. We waited about 30-40 minutes on a Friday night. My final thoughts - between the crab, salmon, shrimp and spicy crab, the salmon and shrimp were my favorite. The marinate does not provide flavoring like I expected it to. It was very underwhelming. However, the salmon and shrimp provided the more "meatier" texture if that's what you prefer. The crab doesn't give you much. It's more for the experience, in my opinion. read more

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Service was great. We ordered the set that comes with soy/spicy crab, soy salmon, abalone, and shrimp. Soy crab was good, I don't think it's blue crab season, so not holding it against them, meatier crabs would have made them great. The abalone was great too. The soy shrimp had an off taste... like it has been in the freezer way too long. The other isse was the spicy crab. I was expecting blue crab, but it was imported crab from Korea (brown with white dots). being imported and frozen it just didn't taste fresh, the shell was brittle and didn't was a little mooshy. It satisfied a craving... but not sure if I'll be back anytime soon. I wish it was all blue crab, i'll be sure to call and check before I come out again. read more

I came here in a group of 6 on a Friday night and had to wait 30-35 minutes for a table as the restaurant is small and can't readily accommodate large groups. This is only my second time eating raw marinated crabs. The soy marinated crabs were unexpectedly not as flavorful as I expected. The spicy marinated ones were definitely more packed with flavor and paired well with white rice. There wasn't a lot of meat in the crabs when we were there. My favorite was the soy marinated salmon, probably bc I like sushi to begin with, but also bc it was the most meaty option. They also have non-raw options on the menu like noodle soup dishes. Service was good and ambiance is casual. read more

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Such a delicious meal!!!! The flavors of the soy and spicy sauce was so addicting that I just keep eating it with rice. The spicy raw marinated crabs were good and still had a nice sweetness to it. I think I enjoyed the soy marinated crab a bit more because I am not too good with spicy food. My favorite dish was definitely the raw shrimp. The shrimps were a good size and were easier to eat than the crabs. I typically eat raw shrimp for sushi so this soy marinated shrimp was a "wow" taste experience for me. I really enjoyed all the banchan that was served with the dish and I will definitely be back to try the soups and other dishes. Also +points for the cute plating! read more

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It's awesome to have this new raw marinated crab specialty restaurant! We had a taste of everything and we highly recommend stopping by. The soy raw crab is meaty, not too salty, and it was delicious. My husband preferred the yangum spicy crab which was also very good. Surprisingly, the shrimp and salmon were our favorites! The seafood pancake and banchan were also very good. It's a small restaurant so keep the group to a small group. They offer gloves for the crabs and have small wastes bins on the table. Order for take out is also a great option. read more

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Ganjang is raw Korean marinated crabs. And good ganjang is hard to find. But GJ2 4U is doing a great job serving up fantastic ganjang on the Turnpike. We got one order of the classic Soy Sauce Marinated Crab and one order of the Spicy Marinated Crab. Both were divine - soft, gooey crab with lots of crab eggs providing umami flavor. The Soy Sauce was seasoned just right, not too salty, and the spicy was *really* spicy, but the crab was still tasty. Add a nice selection of ban chan sides and we had a great meal. This is the standard for ganjang now, no question about it. There is no way that I can have ganjang anywhere else now. And neither should you - if you haven't tried GJ2 4U, you are absolutely missing out! read more

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I'm so glad there's finally a place that specializes in Korean raw marinated crab. We ordered the half-and-half combo, and for the price, the portion was honestly such a good deal. It was more than enough for two people. The spicy sauce definitely has a kick. It tastes fine at first, but the spice slowly builds up. Still good though. There's no fishy smell at all, which I really appreciated because some places don't fully get rid of it. Everything tasted incredibly fresh, especially the soy-marinated crab. This place is legit. We also got kalguksu on the side, and it paired perfectly with the crab. It mellowed out the marinated sauce and balanced everything nicely. The shrimp in kalguksu was cooked just right too. The service was great as well. Everyone was very attentive. The space is a little small, but it's clean and cozy. Overall, I loved it and would definitely come back! read more

Only raw marinated crab speciality shop in the DMV. Definitely high quality fresh seafood. Comparable to what I had in Korea. Wish it was a bit cheaper but I digress. I get why it's pricey. Went here with a group of five and got the assorted combo. Didn't leave full but we all got to try some of each which left us happy. Assorted jang had good amount of seafood. Loved how the variety. The crabs had good meat, shrimp was so juicy, salmon was my fave. Marinades for the seafood were good - no critiques! Be warned, the spicy does pack a kick. Soy one is slightly sweet but more briny and umami. read more

GJ2 4U - Abalone and shrimp - Seafood Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

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TLDR: Incredible Korean style raw marinated crab that is hard to find done this well in the US. Small space and long wait but worth it. GJ2 4U is a must visit if you are into Korean food and especially if you have been hunting for legit raw marinated crab in the DMV. This place used to be an Instagram only operation with secretive pickup spots that felt like a food dead drop, so seeing them now with a real storefront in Annandale is pretty cool. The restaurant itself is very small. We came for Saturday lunch and arrived at 12:15 pm, about fifteen minutes after they opened, and they were already full with a wait. Our group of six waited close to an hour, so plan accordingly, especially if you have a larger party. Once seated, service is excellent and fast. Most of the food is already prepped, so everything hits the table quickly. We ordered a raw seafood combo platter with soy marinated crabs, spicy seafood, abalone, salmon, and shrimp. The crabs are absolutely the star. Sweet, meaty, and packed with flavor. They use Maryland blue crabs that are meticulously cleaned and marinated for hours. I have had raw crab in Korea and while they use flower crab there, the overall eating experience here is very similar and just as satisfying. The shrimp, salmon, and abalone were all solid, but the crabs are the reason to come. They also offer a few hot dishes, which pair really well with the raw seafood. We ordered the budae jjigae army stew and kalguksu noodles for the table. Do not skip the kalguksu. The broth was rich, slightly peppery, and perfect on a colder day. Our total came out to around $200 for six people, which felt like a great deal for the quality and uniqueness of the food. If you are craving Korean raw crab, GJ2 4U is the spot in the DMV. Just be ready to wait. read more

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I heard about this place from a friend who used to get marinated crabs from the owner before she opened the brick and mortar. We opted for the combo of the soy sauce crab, spicy crab, salmon, abalone, and shrimp. Everything was great! Word of warning for those who haven't tried this before, it's all raw (but expertly marinated). We wanted to try everything since it was our first visit. If I were to come back, I'd get the half and half soy sauce and spicy crabs. My only critiques right now are the menu layout is not very intuitive (especially if you haven't had cuisine like this before). I also felt like the service was so-so and not friendly. This was during lunch on Sunday. It wasn't super busy but it took a while for the staff to give us the menu, refill water and side dishes after being asked, and etc. I love that a restaurant serving this cuisine is here in NoVA. I hope it stays and we will be back! read more

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It's difficult to find a place that specializes in gejang in the DMV, but GJ2 4U caters to the craving. If you aren't use to raw dishes, this may come to you as a surprise. The staff provides you with napkins and gloves so it makes this experience easier. The gejang was buttery similar to the crab used in Korea. I definitely preferred the soy marinated grab more. It's a lot more food than you can imagine but I would order one version and then get a dish that has a different flavor profile to break up the taste and texture. I went during the weekday and I recommend going earlier to beat the crowds + making sure there is inventory. The place is quaint. It is in a busy plaza so just be careful when parking. I don't recommend eating something that has dairy or is sweet after. It may cause some indigestion! read more

GJ2 4U - Soy - Seafood Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

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Before this became a restaurant, I have been getting gaejang through their ordering system based off IG. So when I heard this restaurant was becoming a brick and mortar shop I was very excited to check them out ! The restaurant located in a strip mall is fairly small considering its popularity. If you're not familiar with gaejang, it is raw crab that have been marinated in either soy sauce or Korean pepper sauce (gochujang). But, this place also offer a small variety of other Korean dishes like army stew (buddae jigae), knife cut noodles with clams and other raw dishes. My personally favorite is the soy marinated crabs and the knife cut noodles !!! They do not accept reservations so aim to go on the earlier side and also ideal for smaller groups. Price wise, it ranges from $50-$75 pp depending on what you're getting as the crabs are the most expensive items on the menu. They are also fairly new but service was fairly quick as most of the items are already ready to be served. If you're in the area I would highly recommend!! read more

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So I went back for more raw marinated crabs and got the half and half again. This time, the soy marinated crab was perfect. It was seasoned so perfectly and not salty at all. The shell and the meat were both so good! The spicy crab was just as good as the last time. The crabs here taste really fresh and are as good as I have had in the best restaurants in Korea. Love this place! We got there around 12:30 on a Sunday and had to wait about 10 minutes to get seated. By the time we left around 1:45 there were quite a lot of people waiting. The restaurant is small with limited seating. It is popular and fills quickly. The ladies that work there are nice but busy busy busy. They are moving so fast without a break and they are highly efficient! read more

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Solid spot for gejang, we got the half spicy half soy combo and it was a generous portion. The blue crabs were on the smaller side but meaty and well seasoned. I prefer softer shell crabs for easier squeeze. The banchan assortment was particularly tasty, and we got the seafood pajeon to help fill us up, which turned out to be incredibly crispy and one of the best I've had in a while. The restaurant is small and only has one bathroom and each person gets only 1 napkin, which was inconvenient for a messy crab eater like me, and the waiter was a bit overbearing and we felt rushed to order and to finish eating read more

GJ2 4U - Half spicy half soy crab - Seafood Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

Located in a popular shopping center- Great World Plaza, has free parking around the plaza. We came on a weekday at 6pm and they were quite busy and lively. The restaurant itself wasn't too big and only had one bathroom so someone was always waiting to use it (it was very clean). We got spicy marinated crabs, soy marinated crabs, soy marinated salmon, and army stew. Everything tasted very fresh& well seasoned. Our friends who went to korea said it tasted very authentic just like what they had there. The budae jeongol (army stew) was packed with different meats (bacon, spam, ham, small sausage, big sausage), macaroni, tofu, ramen (they give you the pack to add yourself). The value was fair for everything. read more

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So happy to see a brick and mortar location!! The parking lot can get full at night and weekends so definitely carpool if you can. There may be a decent wait since it's a small location, but it's worth the hype. Come with a group of 4 or smaller. The menu is small, and food comes out quick so tables are usually cleared often. Not the most attentive staff since it's so busy. Ask for complimentary barley tea! LOVED the banchans here. They're all so flavorful and refreshing. The seafood pancake was not bad, but not the star. Could have been more crispy. We got the Assorted Jang (raw marinated seafood): Soy Sauce Crab + Spicy Crab + Soy Sauce Salmon + Soy Sauce Shrimp + Soy Sauce Abalone. Perfect for a group of 4. All were sooo flavorful and refreshing!! Favorites are definitely the salmon and shrimp. Comes with rice and pairs well. read more

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They were out of the salmon when I went, so I got both marinated crabs and kimchi kalguksu. The spicy marinated crab was my favorite but both were very fresh and well-seasoned. Perhaps it's just out of season, but I did feel like the crabs were a bit small and lacking in terms of meat. I felt like you really had to work for the meat. I liked their kimchi but I wasn't really a big fan of the banchan selection. The kimchi kalguksu was a nice warm and brothy addition to the meal but nothing crazy. It's a pretty small place but the turnover is quick. However, guests waiting for tables just kind of line up around the entrance so it can feel a lot more crowded than it is. While everything was served quickly, it took a little bit to put our order in. I get that they're busy but it almost felt like our table was a bit forgotten after we were seated. We even ended up having to track down gloves on our own because we couldn't flag a server down to give us some. However, they are still in their soft opening phase, so I'm sure they're still just working out the kinks. read more

GJ2 4U - Spicy and soy marinated crab - Seafood Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

New restaurant specializing in raw marinated crab. They also serve salmon, shrimp, and abalone. For seafood, we got the half and half crab and salmon (they already ran out of shrimp and abalone by the time we sat down). The crab was fresh and both marinades were delicious. Eating the crab can get a little messy, but they provide gloves! The marinated salmon was also very tender and I would order again. We also got the army stew which came with a lot of sausages, however it ended up being too much food for two people so we took home leftovers. We came on a Tuesday night and we had to wait around 20 minutes to get seated. While the place was full, the turnover was relatively quick. The restaurant itself is quite small so it can fill up easily. read more

GJ2 4U - Seafood Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

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I found out about this place on Xiaohongshu on the first day of its soft opening, but I suppose I should have went then before it started blowing up on Instagram and TikTok because it gets packed now lol. I came on a Monday night and it was packed. Was excited but the time we were seated, they told us they ran out of crab and shrimp! That was sad but still wanted to try at least something out here, so we ordered the stew, kimchi noodles, and abalone. The sides were honestly my favourite part of the meal! Everything was so fresh and flavourful; my faves were the seaweed, macaroni, and potatoes. The abalone was so fresh and delicious. I liked the stew with the meats and ramen. I thought the kimchi noodles were alright. We were the last ones to leave I guess after they ran out of the main stuff around 8:30 pm. The staff were friendly and nice though. I'm not sure if I'd come back anytime soon with the hype to finally try the raw marinated crab. I'd probably wait until the hype ends to finally try. read more

GJ2 4U - Stew - Seafood Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

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I came here on a sunday afternoon and we were pretty quickly seated (around 10 minutes) and we got the soy marinated crab and soy marinated salmon. I thought the food was pretty good and the side dishes were also pretty good ! Split between the two of us, I paid around $32 (including tip). Unfortunately, later on in the day we both felt kinda sick and had stomachaches so I'm not too sure if that was because of the food here but because we both felt sick after shortly eating here, I think it might be because of the food here. Nevertheless, I think I would still maybe come back if a friend wanted to try it out ? If it wasn't for the fact that we felt sick, I would say this place was good. read more

GJ2 4U - soy marinated crab, soy marinated salmon - Seafood Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

I was surprised there is a Korean marinated crab place! We got 3 order of soy marinated crabs and a seafood pancake. This came with rice, 4 different banchan. The crabs were very fresh and tasty. I love the rice, nice soft and sticky. We tried to order by phone, but that didn't work out, we were put in hold forever, so we went to the store to order and pick up. read more

TBH I've never really had korean raw marinated crab, so the idea of checking out GJ2 4U was both exciting and terrifying. I was pleasantly surprised with the taste and texture, and definitely understand why this is considered a delicacy. At 1PM on a saturday, this place was packed, and for good reason. For three people, we ordered a half and half marinated crab (soy and spicy), a pajeon, and a hael mul kalguksu, which was WAY more food than I think any of us expected. Well worth a visit if not just for the novelty of the dish! read more

We love blue crabs, so we were excited to try the Spicy Raw Marinated Crabs and Soy Sauce Raw Marinated Crabs from GJ2 4U in Annandale. I really enjoyed them, and my son liked the flavor but couldn't get past the texture. More for me! He said the Bulgogi was great, though. I would definitely go back but would probably just get the soy sauce crabs, because they were my favorite. read more

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First time having raw marinated crab and this place didn't disappoint! The portions were so huge for two we had to take out. Our favorite was the gochujang (spicy) one. The soy marinated was a bit too salty and I feel like you get tired of it quick. The spicy one is quite spicy though but the banchan balances it out perfectly. We got the combo. Also people were not wrong, the banchan here was amazing! Could tell it was made with lots of love by a halmeoni (grandma). Will definitely come again! Service was super quick and staff was friendly. read more

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Delicious!! Prices seemed high but was way more filling than expected, especially thanks to all the banchan and rice. We got the set and I think they gave us an extra abalone ;) Soy crabs were a tad bit on the sweeter side and spicy one was pretty spicy. Pretty small but meaty, decent amount of egg. The abalone was large and so good. I never dislike salmon, and nothing was fishy. Would love to go again. If you've never had this, id definitely recommend this place to try!! read more

GJ2 4U - Seafood Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

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My friend and I drove 45 minutes through peak I-495 South traffic from Tysons after work to visit GJ2 4U on its first soft-opening day last Wednesday evening. Normally, it's a 15-20 minute drive without traffic, but we were fueled by curiosity and anticipation to finally try the gejang. When we arrived, we were seated immediately, and only a few other parties were dining in at the time. As we looked over the menu, we were fully prepared to splurge on the 99.99 ASSORTED JANG (which is a sampler of all the raw marinated meats they have), but our server gently informed us that it would be far too much food for just the two of us. I do think it would have been the perfect option for a group of 4-5 people. To start, we were served an assortment of banchan, a lightly sweet bean-based porridge, and a tangy, pickle-forward broth. The kimchi was spicier than what I'm used to, so I focused on the blanched and sautéed veggies that didn't carry any heat. HALF & HALF GEJANG - 54.99 +ganjang gejang, 2-4 pcs +yangnyeom gejang, 3-5 pcs I warned my friend in advance that my spice tolerance is essentially nonexistent when it comes to yangnyeom gejang, so I knew I'd be eating mostly the ganjang gejang, which came with all parts of the crab. The body shell was light on roe and mostly filled with soy sauce marinade, which tasted herbaceous and slightly medicinal. I didn't love the sauce on its own, but it worked better once I scooped in some white rice in and mixed everything together. The legs and claws were pretty meaty and paired well with the marinade, and the crabs themselves were undeniably fresh. My main complaint was the lack of roe. On the other hand, I only managed one leg of the yangnyeom gejang, which was completely drenched in sauce. I think I was eating more sauce than crab meat. That said, I genuinely enjoyed the yangnyeom gejang more overall, but my lack of spice tolerance was the only thing holding me back. SAEWOO JANG (SOY SAUCE MARINATED SHRIMP) - 19.99 Each order came with 12 plump, juicy shrimp arranged neatly atop the soy sauce marinade. And wow! These were decadent and deeply umami-rich. The marinade paired especially well with the shrimp's thick, firm texture, offering a satisfying bite that crab meat simply can't replicate. My friend and I both agreed this was our favorite dish of the night and an absolute must-order. My friend ended up packing half of the yangnyeom gejang to go, having clearly ordered more than we could handle. In the future, I recommend coming with a larger group to get more variety: the shrimp is a must, definitely one of the gejangs, perhaps another marinated dish, and a budae jeongol to round everything out nicely. Overall, 4.5/5 but bumping to a 5/5 since they're still in their soft-opening stage read more

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4.5 stars. The food here is delicious. They are known for their raw marinated seafood, especially the crab. We got the set combo which includes marinated and soy crab, soy salmon and shrimp and abalone. All tender, fresh and great tastes. All reasonably priced too. Place is small and they don't take reservations so be prepared to wait. Other than that I really enjoyed my experience here. read more

GJ2 4U - Seafood Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

G22 4U is a Korean marinated crab (and other seafood) place that has been taking online orders for years - we are all anticipating for their brick-and-mortar! In the meantime, you can still place online orders for a pickup! Their online ordering form is super ready - we ordered the spicy marinated crabs and their spicy marinated shrimp - the orders are so fresh and the marinades are savory with a nice kick. Mix the crab and the sauce with hot steamed rice - you'll have a bangin' time! There are different sizes, but I recommend on getting (a few) large sizes, because you'll finish them in no time! Staff are very friendly, and the items are packed well. You won't be disappointed! +fresh and delicious gaejang +easy online ordering system read more

New spot for raw marinated crabs--very tasty and good! The soy marinated was less salty than I had expected, in a good way. I'd get it again! read more

GJ2 4U - Raw marinated crabs - Seafood Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

great places for fresh seafood alot of flavor i love the spicy salmon and they also have the cook food too like the bulgagi a must visit i wiill come back read more

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GJ2 4U is a new restaurant specializing in raw marinated crab. I was excited to eat here because I have never had raw crab before. I have to say this was a wonderful hands-on fun experience. There were varying unique free side dishes, and the staff were attentive. You really have to work for the crab and you're rewarded with fresh, creamy, meat tasting like the sea. The crab is here is fresh flavorful blue crab. My taste buds were satisfied! read more

GJ2 4U - Seafood Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

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Love this place not only is the marinated crab here the best in the area but their other dishes are also really good! It's a small space but always bustling and service is fast. Been here multiple times and always love it. My favorite dishes are the soy marinated crabs, kimchi pancake, and the kalguksu read more

GJ2 4U - Banchan - Seafood Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

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