I had an amazing experience at Meokja1.5. First of all, our server, Jane, was outstanding. She was incredibly friendly, attentive, and one of the best servers I've had at a Korean BBQ restaurant. She grilled the meat perfectly, and the level of service really stood out compared to other servers. The food was also excellent. I've had rib fingers at many Korean BBQ places, and they were often just average, but the rib fingers here was exceptionally tender, flavorful, and cooked perfectly. It honestly exceeded my expectations. One surprise was the corn cheese. It may sound like a simple side dish, but theirs was noticeably better than what I've had elsewhere, creamy, cheesy, and absolutely delicious. The only downside was that the dining room felt a bit warm, but everything else more than made up for it. Great food, excellent service, and Jane made the whole experience even better. I'll definitely be coming back! read more

Having never tried Korean BBQ, the staff was very accommodating to explain the experience. We tried the thick cut pork belly and beef bulgogi, beef short, beef brisket. We enjoyed the experience and will definitely do it again, but with more people next time, to try as much of the menu as possible. We enjoyed the pineapple soft serve for dessert! read more

Meokja 1.5 - This is the beef short rib. - Korean Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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We were able to make reservations for a Saturday night at 7pm but when we showered up the host informed us that they were behind on tables so we didn't get seated till 7:30pm. This places isn't AYCE but they offer 3 different sets. It says that the set feeds 2 people but I think there is enough food in a set for 3 people. All the meats were high quality and it was a huge bonus that they cook the meat for you read more

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The better Meokja?! Came and ordered the all beef combo for 2, the quality of the meats were all great. My friend and I came hungry and we almost couldn't finish. Everything is what you would expect from meokja. They kept the ambiance with dark interior and string lights but made the restaurant bigger. It is definitely a more comfortable dining experience as there was no wait when I arrived + plenty of parking as the restaurant is in a plaza area. The service is what really stood out to me, we had Ellie! Despite being her first day, she was very friendly and took care of us well. Every other person working there was just as nice. Friendlier and more attentive service, not having to worry about parking, and larger dining room. I would come here over the other Meokja even with the longer commute!!! read more

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Place was ok. Hoping more people like it tho. So the other gets less busy! Brisket was almost half fat read more

My friend and I were able to snag day-of reservations a couple Friday evenings ago to Meokja 1.5. The both of us love Meokja Meokja and were curious how it compares to this new location. Upon arrival around our reservation time, we weren't seated until 10-15 minutes after. Their grand opening was only a week prior, so we understand there's still a lot to smooth over. The interior is very large and spacious -- it looked like it once occupied an American steakhouse and bar. Our server took our orders pretty quickly. The banchan came out immediately, but the side dishes (angry egg, corn cheese, and fermented soybean paste stew) came out a bit later. The angry egg was incredibly fluffy which we loved. The corn cheese fell short with the corn kernels tasting very bland and separated from the cheese. The soybean stew was fine. SEASONED BEEF RIB TIPS - 20 These are typically my favorite since I prefer seasoned over marinated, and the meat is tender and juicy. Flavor wise, it was great, but we did think the meat tasted a bit old/tough. Besides that, I did enjoy dipping it in the ssamjang and making a lettuce wrap out of it. MARINATED BEEF SHORT RIB - 25 This is my friend's favorite, and it's quite fantastic. After the rib tips, this is my favorite. It was incredibly tender with a lightly sweet marinade, and I enjoyed it a lot with the sesame oil & salt. Cannot go wrong with this one, just a bit pricy and the portion is small. Overall, Meokja 1.5 was good, but unfortunately, we prefer the OG for a few reasons: banchan (some differences between the two like fish cakes and potato salad), ventilation (could smell the food very strongly on myself), and proximity (OG is closer). I'm not opposed to returning to this location to try their Denver Steak (which is exclusive to Meokja 1.5). I'm sure they will continue to improve after time since their grand opening happened not too long ago. read more

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This review is coming from someone who has never even had the O.G. Meokja Meokja. Yes, I waited in line for 3 hours for their soft opening. It was terrible and a little unorganized with a lot of people feeling the same frustrations, but once we were in and actually eating we left the restaurant saying that it was worth the wait. The quality of Meokja Meokja meats are well known to be high quality and while I have not been to the O.G. location, this location felt like it gave me the same experience just in a much bigger location and less cramped parking lot. The short rib is amazing and buttery. The bulgogi here is actually not my favorite from a KBBQ. Complimentary sides are fulfilling and delicious, corn cheese has a nice brown top. We even got their soft serve for $2 and they only had lemon flavor left but it was still the perfect way to end the night. Besides the little workarounds of just freshly opening, I am glad they have added a second much larger location and I highly recommend this spot for those that want to try KBBQ a la carte style. read more

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We chose to order items individually off rhe menu instead of doing the combo. It was the perfect amount for us and more cost effective. We chose the spicy pirk belly, brisket, and galbi. All were good. The galbi is a must have. They do not have all the side dishes out that you would usually get. We missed the potato salad and salad. The egg, soybean soup, and corn cheese were available. Service is a little slow but they are probably still figuring things out. Ventilation is not great. You definitely have to wash your clothes immediately when you come home or even take a shower. Luckily they had the bar windows open which helped to air out the space. The soft serve was a nice way to end the night. It was self serve and you could get it on your way out. I feel like they are still working things out. The good outweighs the bad and it beats driving all the way out to Fairfax. We will be back read more

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Reservations were available so we made one to try Meokja 1.5 last night. We're a big fan of the original location. Ambiance was nice, I liked the more open layout. They were incredibly busy and I think they need more staff. The kitchen was behind on our rice, the cheese corn, soup and egg, which comes with combos. We were over halfway through our dinner by the time it came out. We got combo 5, and to be honest, it really felt like we got less food here compared to the original location. Usually my husband and I are extra stuffed, but here, I didn't feel that way. The meat marinade also tasted different as well- for us, it was the bulgogi that tasted completely different. I agree with the other reviews that there need to be more side dishes, and that the vents didn't seem like they were working well. It was very smoky inside. I will say our waiter was very attentive, but I could tell he was stretched thin going table to table. My soda was flat, and I didn't get a refill. The space is still new so there's still things that need smoothing out. If you're looking for an identical food experience as the original location, this won't give you that, but I still think it's worth checking out. read more

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Welcome to the area, Meokja 1.5! They are currently in their soft opening stage, so they are still working on their service and setup - We ordered: +thick-cut sahmgyupsahl (pork belly) +Spicy Pork Belly (thin-cut) +Denver Steak - this was very tender +chadol (fatty brisket) +Yangnyum Galbi (marinated bone-in short ribs) - always a favorite! +Rib Fingers The meal also included their usual - the dwengjangjjigae (soybean soup, which had a nice kick to it), the Angry Egg (gaerahn jjim, aka Korean steamed egg), and the Corn Cheese (wasn't really a fan of this, as it wasn't covered with much cheese and was more like 'toasted' corn kernels). The banchans were fresh and plentiful, and the favorites were the sliced scallions (dressed in hot mustard), the mussammari (aka, Korean pickled radish wraps), and the sliced cabbage with chojang sauce. Service was so friendly and attentive, and we had timely refills on the water and the banchans. Located in the Greenbriar Town Center, there's ample parking in the lot. +yangmyum galbi +Denver Steak +fresh banchans +dwengjang jjigae +located in the Greenbriar Town Center +ample parking read more

Over the wknd, we hit up Meokja 1.5's soft opening and tried the following: Favorites** - Thick pork belly** - Denver steak** - Brisket - Spicy pork belly - Marinated short rib - Rib fingers - Pork Jowl - Rib Tips - Soybean soup (free) - Angry Egg (free) - Corn Cheese (free) - Naengmyeon - Soft serve ice cream (free) AWESOME soft opening promo (99% off!!!) Improvements: - Banchan could be a lot better. Please add roasted maneul (garlic). - Service requests/refills could be a little faster. - More ssam options (besides mu) - add gyenip (perilla), baechu (napa cabbage), ddeok (rice paper, LA-style). - Table vents were either on super low or totally off. My guess is the latter bc I noticed smoke wasn't getting sucked up at all the tables around us. Instead, it was all over the place, including my clothes, hair, etc. Afterwards, we all went home and took a much-needed shower. read more

Made it for the last day of their soft opening! They open at 3 and I came at 2:50ish but it took almost an hour to get on the waitlist to which then you can go around wherever nearby and they'll call when your table is ready with a grace period of 10 minutes In total I think we waited around 3.5 hours I like how the new restaurant is set up! I was curious what makes this 1.5 and my best guess is that it's the bar addition where you can now order some cocktails Our waiter was super friendly and attentive even though it was pretty crazy busy Portion sizes are smaller than meokja meokja and other places but maybe that's just for the soft opening and since everyone gets 99% off one meat order per person The layout is cool with a lower center level and lights built into the wall! Brisket - tasted like pretty good quality but extra oily 6.5/10 Marinated galbi - actually very good! Tender and not too sweet. 8.5/10 Pork belly - pretty well balanced and cooked to make sure the fat and meat are easy to eat! 7.5/10 Bibim naengmyun - taste pretty generic but nothing wrong too! Better than the bibim naengmyun they usually serve at their regular meokja meokja location I think? 6.5/10 Corn cheese - more cheese then corn, yummy still 7/10 Angry egg - actually best angry egg! Super flavorful and eggy but not too eggy! 9/10 Dwenjang jjigae - flavorful and with a small kick! Really liked it too 8/10 Rice - needs a bit more water when cooking it had some dry bits 4/10 Espresso martini - basic espresso Maritini, not too alcohol forward or bitter 5/10 Whisky sour - generic but not bad! 5/10 They were sold out of rib fingers and Denver steak. We ordered the rib tips and they forgot to tell us but that was also sold out. No big deal! It's soft opening so I know timing is going to be off, the sides took a long time to come out but this isn't the waiters fault the kitchen was still making it and I guess we came at a bad time since it didn't come out until mid way through our last meat order. I expect this kinda small things during a soft opening but our waiter was so nice and got us free sodas for the long wait! Shout out for that! read more

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The soft opening experience was quite chaotic but the food quality was as expected for the staple Meokja Meokja. Once they iron out the reservations and waitlist system, I think we'll be back. We had to wait over 2-2.5 hours wait even though we arrived before opening at 3pm this past Friday. They did not let us get on the waitlist until an hour after waiting physically in line. I'm very happy with all the food and the surprising new standout is the Pork Jowl. It was the perfect cut of pork that was equally fatty and lean. Don't miss out on this when they finally open and give it a try. We tried the various pork belly cuts, brisket, rib tips, marinated short rib, and bulgogi as well. All of them were high quality and match the price. All the meats were cooked tender and the perfect temperature. I'd happily order any of the cuts once open. The ban chan weren't as well seasoned but it could be a quality control issue for the soft opening, I see it being resolved pretty quickly. The overall space is much larger and more open than the old space with a bright vibe as there's windows all around compared to the old location. I'm excited to see the new space flourish as this is their second restaurant. Keep up the delicious food! read more

Meokja 1.5 - Pork Belly and Bulgogi with sides - Korean Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

This is where the Dogfish Head used to be. We had reservations but we were seated 30 minutes after. The staff more than made up for it though as they gave us free drinks and appetizers. The food just kept on coming and coming - so much we ended up having it packed up. The brisket was good and so was the pork. My husband really liked the steamed egg. Their customer service was so good I'd come back; this place just opened so they are working out the kinks. Overall it was a good experience and the free food in abundance was above and beyond! I'll come back! read more

My friends and I really like meokja meokja, and were curious what meokja 1.5 would be like. The bigger space and higher ceilings makes it feel roomier, but same delicious food. We ordered the Prime New combo for a group of four. The combo includes beef brisket, seasoned beef rib tip, marinated beef short rib, and Denver steak. We had considered ordering noodles, but decided to hold off once Daniel, our server, explained that some of the Prime New combo meats had two servings. We really appreciated the order the meat were served in order of increasing flavor: the beef brisket, Denver steak, seasoned beef rib tip, and marinated beef short rib. Our server would introduce the cuts of meat he was cooking so we'd know what we were eating. He also let us know when the meats were ready to eat. The caramelization on the beef brisket was really nice. The following three beef cuts were really tender and delicious. We'd definitely order this combo again. Two of us were eyeing the soft serve but afterwards, we felt too full. Next time! And maybe they will have seafood pancake but would have to make space with the combo, sides, and banchan. read more

Meokja 1.5 - Denver steak - Korean Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

Meokja 1.5 recently opened and has quickly become one of Fairfax, VA's top Korean BBQ destinations. It offers high-quality, fresh meats; attentive table service, with staff expertly grilling the meat while managing multiple tables; and a lively, inviting environment featuring a large ceiling-mounted air-suction system. We tried Combo 5, which included Beef Brisket, Thick Pork Belly, Marinated Beef Short Ribs, and Beef Bulgogi, along with sides such as soybean soup, steamed egg, and corn cheese. The meats were flavorful and perfectly grilled by the staff, while the sides were generous and tasty. Although they don't offer all-you-can-eat BBQ, we left feeling fully satisfied and content. read more

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Meat was good quality for its price. Pork belly was thick enough and had good amount fat on it. Seasoned beef rib tip was great as well. Pork belly was cheap enough but it is the half of normal portion, so you may double the order. Then we ordered too much seasoned beef rib tip, way too full, still managed to finish them though. The vibe is very young and energetic. Young people works there. Our server was sure she did her best to grill our meat, but meat was grilled unevenly. Hope she gets some more experience and time, then she will do better next time! read more

Great quality meat, good value. Fast service, little bit of a wait to get seated. I like the environment more than their other location, this one is more spacious and has more windows. Lots of side dishes that came complementary with our order of the brisket and the rib fingers. Would strongly recommend! read more

I love the one at fairfax circle but this one which just opened lacked the delicious rib eye steak plus on a very hot day close to 98 degrees the entire bar was open allowing heat to rush into the entire restaurant. read more

We (several households) live just across the street and thought this could very well be our local place for Korean Bbq and cocktails. The 1/3 and 1/2 menu really doesn't make sense, why would you pay $20 for just a fee small pieces of meat. For example, they had to cut the 1/3 briskets order and seasoned rib fingers order to very small pieces to make it look nice on the grill, and we still had to reorder at least 2 more times. The original restaurant also has better variety and tastier seasoned dishes. And the cocktail menu is just okay. You get better cocktails at Izakaya Nana or Genki Izakaya. We really hope the management/owner would rework the menu including the cocktail menu. We live close by and would really like this place to be successful so we can keep coming. The place itself is awesome and very promising! Please fix the menu. read more

"I visited the new Korean restaurant in Chantilly last weekend with high hopes, but it was unfortunately the most disappointing meal I've ever had. The spicy pork belly was unpalatable, the galbi was overpowered by sesame oil, and the galbitang lacked meat while having an odd broth flavor. The only highlights were the side salad and corn cheese. While the atmosphere and service were pleasant, the quality of the food makes it impossible to recommend or revisit." read more

The corn cheese they served was rancid. I literally had to spit it out, it would've made me sick. They also don't have some of the base menu items from the original Meokja location, like unmarinated short rib and kimchi soup. The marinated short rib was overly sweet and cut thicker than the original location. Between the lower quality and actually getting served rancid food, I won't be back. read more