I'm in absolute shock this restaurant received a Michelin star. Horrible service. The food and the cocktails were AWFUL. I am completely convinced the Michelin star is just a sham at this point. We actually left and went to another restaurant to have a meal because the food here was inedible. read more

First thing that made me happy when I came in on a Sunday evening was that their happy hour is everyday from 4-7. Yay for me, because I've had an exceptionally long afternoon. I ended ordering the Dwejee Bulgogi (pork gogi as I call it) because I wanted something to warm me up. Also, the $4 Bulleit rye did alright in warming me up too. The other thing I noticed was that this place was a lot nicer than I was anticipating. My waiter came off as a little showy at first and seemed a little annoyed that I didn't know what Mandu was. It's Korean for "dumpling" by the way. But it was on the happy hour menu and I just assumed it was a drink! My bad! My Dwejee Bulgogi was really good and it made everything better again. A little bit pricey at $25 but very well made and extremely tender and delicious pork. Add in some extremely hot/fajita like veggies, banchan, rice and lettuce wraps and I'm one happy camper. As much as I like this place, I wouldn't say that I would come back. It deserves a 4 because everything was well-made but it just didn't feel homey and inviting to me. read more

Mandu - Banchan and Bulliet - Korean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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I have come here three times now throughout the course of half a year, and I absolutely love their mandus here! They have happy hour every day, and for just $5, you can get their dumplings (6 pieces). I have tried all of their flavors (Shrimp, pork/beef, and vegetables) and I absolutely love their shrimp. The soft texture of the shrimp combined with the crispiness of the wrap makes it so addicting! Also, each type of dumpling has their own special wrapping (see in picture). I went with a friend, and we ended up ordering an extra one after finishing our first set. Did I mention that the last two times I came here was just for the dumplings? Worth it. read more

Mandu - Mandu during happy hour! - Korean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

The best food experience I've ever had. My boyfriend and I came here for my birthday and the atmosphere was so nice with great music playing. Our server was very attentive and knowledgeable. We had Mandu for our appetizer, half fried half steamed very delicious. For dinner we shared the ddukbokgiv and added the short rib which was soo worth it. Korean food is so flavorful and amazing and these guys do it justice for sure. Our server also gave us the mango sorbet for dessert for my birthday. Such a memorable experience and can't wait to go again. Thank you! read more

HH REVIEW ONLY: 4-7pm DAILY!!! This review is based solely on HH. For a non-HH review I would give this place 3 stars because it is simply way too overpriced for what you are getting (taste and portion wise). Now, their Happy Hour is great and cheap. You can get draft beer, wine, sojutinis, and "rails" that include Titos, Tanqueray, Bacardi, and Bulleit ALL FOR $4! Their rail selection is really solid for $4 considering these are not super low shelf alcohol brands. They also have Mandu ($4) and Korean Fried Chicken ($5-$6 I forgot what the bartender said) for HH food specials. The sojutinis come in aloe, grape, mango, peach, pineapple, orange, pear, or yogurt flavor made with Charm Soju. I came towards the end of Happy Hour so was only able to try the yogurt and aloe flavors. Both were really good and strong and soooo worth $4. They have a decent amount of seating at the bar area and the bartender was very friendly and attentive. Definitely need to come here more often for the sojutinis :) read more

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Perfect spot for a relaxed dinner with a couple friends: great Korean comfort food when it was cold outside, and wonderfully attentive but not-intrusive service. The three of us shared a mix of pan-fried mandu (dumplings) -- you can choose shrimp, veggie or pork & beef or a mix of those three options. I had the Dduk Bok Gi (rice cakes simmered in gochujang w/ beef, mushrooms, onions & scallions). They were accommodating of my request to forego the mushrooms, which just aren't my thing. The rice cakes were nice and firm, the beef was tender and flavorful, the onions and scallions were plentiful, and the gochujang sauce was hot but not *too* spicy. Portions were very generous overall, and prices are reasonable. Staff in general was very friendly, happy hour deals seem great, and the atmosphere was laid-back and not too loud. Looking forward to going back! read more

What a pleasant meal. Loved the space. Great service. Food was tasty too! So happy we gave it a whirl while in town. Took a Lyft from our hotel from across town. Some of the dishes took a lot longer than expected but it was fine because we weren't in a hurry anyway. Ordered the seafood pancake which I was digging. It's on the smaller side but perfect for sharing. We also got the KFC which was super tasty. Would definitely return if I'm in the area again. read more

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Came here on a weekend trip to DC and thrilled to find good Korean food here!! Three of us came during Sunday brunch time and there was no wait. We got the Korean fried chicken, pan-fried pork mandu, dolsot bibimbap, and dukbokgi. This was plenty of food for us, including the traditional side dishes ("banchan"). KFC - 5 pieces, pretty good, crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, not spicy. Good intro to Korean fried chicken. It could've been slightly less salty but overall it was good! Mandu (dumplings) - 6 pieces, we got the pork ones, pan fried. The filling was yummy and juicy, skin was light and not too oily from the frying. Loved these!!! Dolsot bibimbap (stone pot rice) - what can I say, this was a good bibimbap. If you're new to the concept, think of it like... deconstructed fried rice with lots of veggies +meat +egg that you mix up yourself in a hot stone bowl (best part is the toasted rice. Generous veggies and meat portioning. Dukbokgi (spicy rice cakes) - I've never had dukbokki with mushrooms before, and I loved it! The dish is rice cakes cooked in a sweet/spicy sauce, and they added shitake mushrooms and beef to this (usually you see it with fish cakes and carrots). Sauce wasn't too spicy, rice cakes were perfect texture. Only thing to be improved is MORW RICE CAKES per dish hahaha Overall, very impressed with this place - suitable for palates new to Korean flavors but still authentic (in my opinion). To be honest, I don't know DC for its Asian food, especially not Korean food. So this was an awesome surprise. Would definitely come back. read more

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We had a great day wandering around and exploring DC today. We were planning on having dinner at Farmers & Distillers and swung by here for a drink beforehand. David really wanted me to try their sojutinis. They had a lot of different flavors I liked - mango, peach, pear. I ordered the pear sojutini and David ordered the mango. We also got a side of pan fried beef and pork Mandu as an appetizer. My sojutini was strong but good! It was a cute place and would come back to try some of their entrees. See my hungrier half's review from @AsianCoupleEats from David N (davidngo.yelp.com)! read more

Mandu - Mandu! - Korean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

The food here is decent, though imperfect, but the real weak spot of this restaurant is service. Just today I called during the afternoon to make a reservation, and a guy confirmed the time, my name, and number. When I showed up in the evening, the woman at the front desk said she couldn't locate my reservation. Either the guy I called didn't write down my details or I was being lied to. The woman at the front desk suggested I reserve online, but their online reservation service doesn't allow reservations for one. Apparently there was nothing they could do except put me on a waiting list. This wasn't the only time I've had a bad service experience here. On other occasions when my called reservations have gone through, the servers always show up looking tired and bored. I understand jobs in the service industry are rough, but that kind of aura doesn't exactly create a great dining experience. That said, the food has some decent highlights, especially the soft, delicate mandu. Not all the food items here are that good though. Several are way too rich and oily (the pajeon in particular could use less slick). The cramped quarters of the restaurant feature poor ventilation and a low bar ceiling, so you will smell and feel the oil in the air. If you can live with that, and you don't get gipped on the phone by an incompetent staff member, then you might get to actually enjoy some Korean food here. read more

Lunch: the food in general was okay. The manduguk (dumpling soup) was good. Chap chae (sautéed vegetables and noodles)tasted a little bland and a bit too greasy. Dak jjim (spicy chicken) was not as spicy as it looked and tasted bland. Service was great and I loved how the food was presented. However, the food in general felt watered down. Also for lunch menus, the protein selection seemed low in value in comparison to the price. read more

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One of the best HH deals in the neighborhood! Mandu, beer, wine, rail drinks at $6 or less. The dumplings are consistently delicious. They have three varieties and they can be ordered fried or steamed. I've been twice for dinner. The Bibimbap is great and the portion size is a great value. I felt it was slightly under seasoned for my taste, but nothing that can't be fixed with a little salt and chili sauce. The service is always great as well - prompt and friendly. read more

I would say this place is more like a modern Korean cuisine. For the price of things I was expecting something a little more fancy in a sense. I grew up eating a lot of Korean food so definitely have had better. The dumplings that they were known for also didn't blow me away. They tasted like regular decent dumplings. Would go here again if I was in the area and wanted asian food but wouldn't be my top choice for Korean food. read more

Mandu - Dolsot Bibim Bap, Dduk Bok Gi - Korean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I'm korean. I like this place. Yes it's not 100% authentic but it's not too far off either. It's just expensive. I could make the same dish for 2 bucks or drive to Virginia and get the same dish for 10 dollars cheaper with more banchans AKA side dishes. BUT the happy hour here is solid!!!! I came here for late night AND happy hour the next day. Got dumplings for 5-6 dollars and there's three flavors: meat, veggie and shrimp. Stick with the shrimp it's so flavorful and has big pieces too so you can really taste it. Also got the wings and tofu tacos at night which were really good too. Also they offer happy hour in the weekends, not a lot of places do this so I was HAPPY read more

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Came here while on a business trip to DC. Was craving some Korean food and this did not disappoint! The wings are really good and the soup was pretty good too. My only complaint was that you can't step out beef for the other soup so I had to get the seafood one. It was pretty good though! read more

Look, I've lived in D.C. for a long time. I remember when Mandu first opened. It's somewhat Americanized Korean food, I get that. But when the pandemic hit D.C., and I had a craving for the food of my ancestors, I pulled up the Mandu menu and ordered some takeout. I've had a lot of things on the Mandu menu. But this review is only for the kimchi jjigae. It is about as Korean of a dish as you get -- it's a stew where you dump a boatload of kimchi, some pork, and other ingredients. The kimchi jjigae is authentic. It's solid. It reminds you of when you're growing up in a Korean household, and you're whining about how you're having kimchi jjigae for dinner for the third day in a row. So Mandu, thank you for being there in my time of need. I take back all the doubts I've had about your Koreanness when you first opened your Dupont location. read more

Cute spot. Service was excellent. Hands down best Korean food I have had in a long time. read more

Mandu - Korean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Just got home from a TERRIBLE experience at Mandu. I've been here once before and enjoyed the food, but good food never makes up for bad service. My boyfriend and I came in around 7pm as walk-ins and were told we would need to wait 40 minutes for a table. We stood in the front hoping a spot at the bar would open up and about 30 minutes later a large group of 5 came in and waited for a spot with us. About an hour after we arrived (8pm) the group of 5 was sat and even a regular who had walked by earlier to order out was surprised we were still waiting, and commented on the fact that the large group was being sat before us. When I asked the host when our table would be ready he said it would be another 15-20 minutes and that if that's too long we should just go. I than asked why the much larger group had been sat before us and he said "Well it's a group of 5." I'm not sure if he was implying that they would make more money off a larger group, or would rather have fewer people in the waiting area, but either way it is terrible practice to seat groups out of order when there is such a long wait time before the next open spot. The kicker is that it was a small table that had just cleared out and they moved around furniture to make it larger for the bigger group when they could have simply sat our small 2 person group there without distrusting the entire dining area. After talking with my boyfriend we decided to leave as we didn't really want to wait for another table that could just be given away to one of the other larger groups that arrived after us. Now we're home from a "date night" starving and writing a Yelp review... super fun. read more

So much yum in every bite! We went here this afternoon to warm up and eat a late lunch. Everything on their menu looked amazing but we settled on the pan fried shrimp, seasonal special, the brunch specials (included protein of choice, 4 rolls and Korean pancakes), along with the chicken Korean soup aka Dak Kalguksoo. The dumplings were round and delicious. There were whole prices of shrimp along with egg, and scallion. If you can't eat shrimp I also recommend the steamed veggie dumplings. The brunch special was great! A perfect amount of food and a great Korean take on steak and eggs. Both the chicken soup and seasonal special were perfection!! The waitress expertly described the soups comparing the chicken as more of a home feel soup with spice you can add yourself. The seasonal special is spicy for a nice sinus cleanse. Midwesterners have been warmed. The broths were amazing for both but I really enjoyed the seasonal special. Bok choy, prime rib and scallions in a delicious red sauce where the oil stains everything it touches is my jam. The proportion for the soup was large enough to share or have two meals. I definitely recommend out of towners make this a stop during your DC trip. read more

Mandu - Seasonal special! Hand cut noodles with prime rib, onion and bok choy - Korean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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My family and I had really high expectations for this restaurant considering the good reviews, but unfortunately they fell very very *very* short from the mark. Perhaps this has to do with the fact that we're from California and are used to high quality, affordable Korean food, but regardless, we were left feeling disappointed. To start, we ordered the seafood pancake ($10) as an appetizer and were shocked to see that the entire dish comprised of 2 pancakes, each slightly smaller than a CD disc. Being a family of 4, we had to split each pancake in half to share, which is something we've never experienced at a Korean restaurant before. The side dishes that they gave us were extremely minimal (cucumber, kimchi, bean sprouts, potato, and broccoli). This would be enough for maybe 1 person, but for 4? Definitely not enough :( (I was also personally disappointed that they didn't give any jap chae in addition to the tiny portions.) Next, we ordered 2 Dolsot Bibimpap, spicy tofu soup, and Galbi (which was a shocking $32!) I understand that a lot of Korean restaurants charge much more for the meat dishes when it comes to dinner, but this was almost a little ridiculous considering what we ended up getting. The dolsot bibimpap was pretty standard, but very little meat was given, the spicy tofu soup was overpriced, and the Galbi came half uncooked. When we asked to have a piece redone, it came back charred black and inedible, but at that point we'd given up on the meal. The only reason this place deserves a single star is for the service; our water glasses never passed half empty and the waiter was very attentive. It's just a shame that the food was not even half as good as the waiter service. The total bill for 4 people (5 dishes) was $105, not including tip. We would've been better experiencing a highway robbery. read more

Mandu - Burnt Galbi, after we asked to have it cooked a little more - Korean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Dolsot Bibimbap and Chapchae were both delicious. Chapchae was a bit sweeter than expected, so that's just something to keep in mind, but it was still very good. Huge portions (which I love!). The free salad appetizers were also great - there were kimchi, spicy cucumbers, some kind of sweet fermented beans (which I've never seen before), tofu, and a few others I'm forgetting. Brunch looks like a fantastic deal (and looks delicious too), so I plan to return for that. Server was great - very attentive and quick. read more

Mandu: a meat filled Korean dumpling. James & I went here for a Sunday lunch around 130p. There was no wait and we got a nice deuce right away. We've both eaten Korean before and had an idea of what we wanted after reviewing the menu. We had the Mandu appetizer with 6 pork dumplings, 3 steamed and 3 fried they were good and tasty. James had the Dolsot Bibimbap with pork, it had a lot good veggies in it. I had the Bulgogi, pork which had a really good flavor. You got some nice small dishes with kimchi, broccoli and cucumbers but they were tiny. We had to ask for more Kimchi twice. I thought the entrees were a bit pricey for what you get. The service was better than average. read more

Mandu - Pork Bulgogi 12/4/16 - Korean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Of course our first meal visiting DC had to be Korean. I love Korean food and so we came across Mandu. Mandu is a cute little spot that even though it's not a big establishment is still very spacious. We arrived at lunch and were immediately seated. Our server, Ashley, was prompt at greeting us and bring us our drinks and complimentary yummy little dishes of kimchee, spiced cucumber, beans, and broccoli. For my meal I had the soon doobu, which is a delicious spicy stew, with seafood, tofu and a raw egg that cooks in the hot pot the stew is served in. The seasoning was perfect and it was the prefect level of spice. There was a good amount of seafood and tofu so it is rather filling. It is also severed with a side of rice, so between the complimentary small dishes and the stew, I walked out stuffed. They do offer specials, but I believe they are only for the bar area so make sure you pick your seating accordingly. Overall, it was a good experience and for a quick lunch it's a great spot to go to. read more

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$12 Korean-styled brunch (SUNDAY): bulgogi potato omelette pajun and Kim bop! Great service and generous servings of the Korean app. Nice beer selection on tap. Like it a lot Bartender says they close a little past midnight. Would b a great place to grab post-drinking snacks read more

Mandu - $12 Korean steak potato & eggs brunch - Korean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

In spite of the name, Mandu's menu suggests this is inventive fusion food. Don't you buy it. It's a Korean restaurant, and a good one. Broth in sundubu was too mild but panjeong (scallion pancakes) were some of the best I've had and my duk bokku (rice cakes in a savory meat and vegetable sauce with generous amounts of gochugaru) was wonderfully comforting. Like other Korean restaurants, they bring you a tray of panchan, little savory items, with your entree. Ours was fine but way too skimpy for four people. But they were happy to bring more at no charge, something that is typical of Korean restaurants. Don't be shy about asking for a refill. read more

I got the Duru Jjigee and it was a very different and interesting flavor than Korean spicy pork I've had before. The pork was very soft and had incorporated the flavors of the gravy really well and the kimchi in it added another tangy/sour kick. Tofu tasted fresh, like it had been made that day, which I think is hard to find. Generous portion as well - it was two meals for me! Would recommend if you love pork, Korean food, and want a twist to normal pork bulgogi :) read more

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Went here for lunch based on the good reviews from yelp. The yukgaejang was nice, a little bit more flavored watered down though. Or maybe I just like more soup with a bit more spice. I also had the seafood pancake which didn't come in the classic large piece sliced in 4 or 6 but rather two smaller pancakes. It was good. I think if I had to order again I'd get the Mandu instead. Good place to try out in dc. The servers are nice. Cute decor: There are green birds from the bar that head in one direction as if they are flying to the door. read more

Mandu - Korean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

This place was a little pricey, but my god was the food good!! We tried the gaji bokum and the chap chae, and I'd absolutely order both meals again. When the server came to take our order, we asked for a little extra time and then it took quite a long time for him to come back. But other than that my experience here was very pleasant. The ambiance is nice, good for date night or for getting a group together. I'd definitely recommend checking them out. read more

In DC for three nights with my amazing GF Mindy . . . we got into the hotel a bit exhausted but hungry - not wanting to drive anymore, the Korean place we had chosen originally was off the table, so we looked to see what was around . . . the universe had Mandu in the wings for us! Only a five minute walk for us, so winner winner BiBimBap Dinner. Jun was our waiter - he was AMAZING! BEST waiter EVER! Extraordinary attention and service - as well as recommendations - steered me to the Smokey Korean -if you like Smokey drinks then I highly recommend! Jun also brought us some Banchan all was good but the pickles were especially tasty! Mindy and I both had the BiBimBap - Mindy the tofu and I the bulgogi - both were absolutely delicious. Portions were huge, so we ended up taking home enough for a second meal! Loved the drink so much I got a second drink . This place rocks! Go - eat- you'll love them too! read more

The food was delicious, the staff were very friendly, and the restaurant had a very chill vibe. Usually when you go to a korean restaurant, there is kpop blasting everywhere so Mandu was a good break from other restaurants. The only reason why I would give Mandu 4 stars instead of 5 is that the price does not justify another visit. I thought that the simple korean entres should not cost more than 10 dollars (if it was a creative dish, I would understand the dishes costing more or around $15). If you want good korean food in DC, Mandu can be your go-to! read more

First time here and although Mandu isn't the closest walk from the metro, it's definitely worth the effort. The drinks are great (spring for the peach sojutini, you won't be disappointed)! I had the Manda which are dumpling. My personal preference is the steamed beef/pork. Overall, 4/5 for me. Cool vibe and very attentive bartenders. read more

Mandu - Korean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I came here in high hopes because of the high ratings, but the food wasn't even average. We ordered steamed dumplings (half shrimp and half beef&pork) and they were far from good, I've had much better homemade dumplings. Quite disappointing for a restaurant literally named dumpling. The side dishes were okay, I wish the kimchi would have been fully fermented. We then got our entrees, dolsot bibimbab and yukgejang. The dolsot was not hot enough, but passable. The combination and the individual tastes of ingredients were good, but they were too salty so I wasn't able to put in enough gochujang (hot pepper paste) as I wanted. The yukgejang was terrible. It looked fine when it was served, but the broth was absolutely bland. It was funny because the soup was packed with ingredients, but I'm assuming the soup base was just water and not proper beef broth. I am definitely not coming back here again, especially given the prices. read more

Mandu - Dolsot Bibim Bap - Korean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I'm all sorts of confused by this place. Just as soon as I think this place seems like fairly authentic upscale Korean food, I hear "Summer of 69" by Bryan Adams over the loudspeaker. :) with that aside, the KFC wing appetizer was amazing. Our waiter called them "crack wings" and I think he's spot on. They're sour, sweet, spicy, and super crunchy: everything you want in a wing, and at $8 it's a no-brainer. The bulgogi and short ribs were good eats, but I've gotta be honest and say the value just isn't there. The bulgogi was good, but it's not $27 good. The Galbi short ribs are tasty, but they're not $32 tasty. They should be $18 and $22 respectively, even considering the location. I wouldn't be against trying something else on the menus. They've got some noodle dishes that are more reasonably priced. I just learned my lesson that more doesn't always mean better. read more

Mandu - Galbi (short ribs) - Korean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Ordered steamed MANDU - half shrimp and half beef & pork. Not a fan of the shrimp because it didn't give the full bite of meat as I had expected. GO WITH BEEF & PORK! For entree, I got the DURU JJIGEE! This plate can be really spicy if you DON'T eat spicy often. It was a medium for me and I DO eat spicy often. It's got pork belly, kimchi, rice cakes, and tofu! ORDER IT! Dishes as very flavorful and enjoyable! You can't go wrong with it. ENTREE IS BIG! You'll want to split this with one other person. SPLIT THE JAPCHAE TOO. Entree portions are large enough to be 2 servings! read more

Mandu - Duru Jjigee - Korean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Thought the food here was fine. The dumplings were good--was hungry so we got 2 orders. I got a seafood tofu stew that was just o-k. But maybe for D.C. this Korean food was good--I know we're not in fort lee, NJ or LA. They have a cheap happy hour but I didn't really like either of the cocktails that I got. Service was good. If you're craving Korean food and in the area then this place is just fine. read more

Happy hour at Mandu is a must!! -cute, clean, restaurant -friendly & accommodating waiter -great food -excellent prices For happy hour you can get 6 mandu aka dumplings for only $3! They have vegetarian, shrimp, and beef&pork dumplings steamed or pan-fried. I ordered steamed shrimp and pan-fried beef and pork dumplings. My favorite was the pan-fried beef and pork dumplings! They were soo yummy! The steamed shrimp dumplings were also good, but I tasted more veggies than shrimp. You can also get sojutinis for $4! I got a mango sojutini, and it was delicious! You can definitely taste the mango flavor along with the alcohol! Strong, but good! Pretty presentation too! If you like mango, definitely get this! read more

Mandu - Steamed shrimp & pan fried beef and pork dumplings - Korean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

When my husband and I first began dating, we were just walking distance away from NYC's K-town. Soon tofu, Bibimbap were our default, go-to, comfort food. Unfortunately, DC just doesn't have any good Korean (or any Asian) restaurant options available. After multiple failed foodie trips to Northern VA for some legit Korean grub weekend after weekend, my husband and I were more than thrilled to learn that Mandu was just walking distance from us and also offered all our Korean cravings! We were welcomed and impressed by Mandu's clean, bright, modern dining room. My husband went with his go to soon tofu and I went with their brunch platter chicken special. We were served with their side dishes immediately after we placed our orders. All of their side dishes were very tasty and spot on (loved the black beans, chilli cucumber, and marinated eggplants!). I couldn't help but ask for multiple refills (at least I was eating my veggies and not a whole bread basket!). My husband was impressed by the amount of seafood he received in his soon tofu. Although it was little spicier than what he's used to, he claimed it had just the right amount of heat to it. I couldn't believe how much food came with my brunch platter. I actually had enough leftover to pack home for another meal. The pancakes were out of the world (piping hot + chewy inside, crispy + crunchy outside) - too bad it only came with two pieces! I would definitely order them separately next time as my appetizer! The chicken - a little overcooked aka dry and overwhelmed by the amount of chili oil - nevertheless still delicious (a little fat doesn't hurt anyone and I need to work on some curve on this body). Not that I didn't have enough to eat from my brunch platter and side dishes combined, my special also came with dessert! I had the options of sorbet (guava or passionfruit) or gelato (Nutella) - I opted to share the guava with my husband. Served in a small tea cup, the guava sorbet was light yet creamy = simply the perfect sweet ending. Overall - Our waitress was a trainee and did an amazing in serving us (refilled our side dishes 4 times!). Foods were on point, just a little on the pricier side (more expensive than all the Korean restaurants we had back in NYC - but hey with the limited options in DC, this was a steal!). Mandu has officially become our Korean fix restaurant! Can't wait to return to try the rest of the menu! read more

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I'm recently experimenting with vegetarianism and picked Mandu's because they appear to be more vegetarian friendly relative to other nearby Korean restaurants. I really enjoyed their rendition of Tteok-bokki which is usually, in my experience, a very saucy and spicy rice noodle dish. I'm used to a very simple comfort food dish and this version had several types of vegetables giving it some redeeming value nutritionally speaking. The Bibimbap was on point too, although I could have used a little more brothy sauciness which may have been lost when I traded the bulgogi for tofu. If you are looking for a low key place to meet a friend for happy hour, I'd keep Mandus in mind since they have a great beer and dumplings offering that is hard to beat. read more

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Wayy too expensive. I understand that the ambiance is rather nice and the rent can't be cheap, but I'm not particularly impressed by the intense upcharge that caused me to spend over $20 (including tip/tax) for a bowl of tofu soup. Even though I absolutely adore korean food, (can be pretty vegetarian friendly and I'm kimchi obsessed what can I say), I know that I can get korean fare for much less elsewhere. The food is not disappointing and portion size generous at least. I had the vegetable tofu soup, which came with a side of rice, and it was just what I needed to warm up on a cold, blustery day. The banchan choices were good, pretty standard. I also tried my friend's kimchi fried rice which was good. If you're not cost conscious at all, Mandu really isn't a bad choice. However, I don't think I'll be itching to return anytime soon, except maybe to try the happy hour that I've heard good things about. read more

Mandu - Korean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I treated myself to Mandu after work on Saturday. I got the KFC, rice and 2 types of fried dumplings. The chicken was excellent. Crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. The sauce was pretty good too. There's only one other place where I would say the KFC is better. They even let me have all flappers which most places ( including the one I mentioned above) don't. I really loved the Shrimp dumplings. The beef & pork dumplings were good but not as good as the shrimp. The ambiance is great and they have a bar. It's walking distance to my part time job at the Capitol One Arena so I will definately be back. The servers were very friendly, attentive and never let my water cup get empty. That's why I decided to #TIPTHEBILL ! read more

Mandu - Korean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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