Ha Dong House

Not sure why it says this place is closed? The last time I went there was in late August, 2010, and I see people going in and out of there all the time. I come here once every 2 – 3 months or so for bulgolgi and a tall, cold Sapporo. There are always people milling around outside, men smoking, women gossiping. You get the impression this is a familiar and popular dinner spot for Korean families and businessmen in the area. Surprisingly, I also see people hanging around the restaurant really late at night, around 11pm or 12am, even on weeknights. In my experience the staff has always been quick and efficient (if a little surprised to see me come in alone and wolf down a plate of meat and kim-​chi), and other restaurant-​goers look like regulars, which means something keeps them coming back.

This place used to be owned by one of my brother’s friends’ family, but it has since changed ownership and it is now «Hwa Gae Jang Tuh Korean BBQ Restaurant».
We came here for my mom’s birthday (yes, we did go to Normandie Farm for her birthday brunch, but this was on her *actual* birthday. Yeah, I know… but it’s a chance to eat KBBQ, so I’m not complaining). I got here early and was promptly seated. The smells of grilling meats on the table behind me was driving me crazy… my family couldn’t drive fast enough to get here.
My brother arrive and as he goes out for KBBQ on a semi-​regular basis (I think he should just get a home in Annandale, he’s there so often), he does the ordering. He orders two orders of galbi, one order of beef tongue, and two orders of the pork belly, as well as an order of seafood pancake, and an order of bimbimbop. Yes, there were only 5 of us dining. Heh, we’re just that gluttonous (we later ordered one more galbi… so it was a total of 3 orders of galbi).
My parents arrive and the food starts coming out. The seafood pancake was hot, thick and delicious! Although my parents enjoyed the seafood pancake tremendously, I noticed that for such a large and thick seafood pancake there was actually very little seafood. Most of the pancake was filled with onions and scallions, with only a random floaty piece of calamari here or there. A little disappointing in the lack of seafood, but the flavor was great. The galbi and tongue were both well marinated and delicious! YUM! The pork belly was good, however, the slices were cut a little too thick, so once grilled, instead of being a delectible crunchy piece of fatty goodness, it was hard and dry. However, like the galbi and the tongue the flavor was terrific. The bimbimbop was decent, not the best I’ve had, but definitely not the worst either.
Now, I would like to take a moment to point out, just how much food we ordered. We ordered 7 main course dishes at this point. Usually, when we order this much food at a Korean BBQ place, I would expect to see 10 — 14 dishes of banchan. We only got 6. SIX dishes of banchan — and they didn’t bring any sauce for the bimbimbop, I had to ask for that, nor the delicious Korean hot chili paste that we all love so much. I had to ask for all of this — and when they did bring out the chili paste it was a tiny little dish of it.
Obviously, when 5 people order enough food to feed a small army, and then add on another order of meat, it means that we’re voracious eaters. Both my dad and my brother speak a few words of Korean (I do as well, but my accent is so tragic that no one ever understands me) and we were super nice to the waitresses. We knew a one of the patrons that came in to dine (who was Korean), so it’s not like we’re crazy outsiders who have no appreciation for Korean cuisine! We love Korean food, and dammit, the best part of Korean BBQ (besides the delicious meats) is the banchan!!!
Seeing the forlorn look on my mom’s face (she hearts banchan), I speak up and ask the waitress for more banchan. Yes, I know it’s a little rude to do so, but you know what, we ordered a *ton* of food — they can cough up some more yummy pickled dishes for us! The waitress comes back with one sad and lonely dish of kim-​chee. WHAT?!?
But then, that was indicative of the service the entire meal. I had to keep asking for stuff and when I did, the servers followed the «letter» of what I asked for, and not the «spirit» in which I asked. In addition, getting basic stuff, such as refills on water, and more beers, were also an exercise in patience. Although I had finished my water, and my husband’s water — and our water glasses were right in front of the server (she even watched me finish drinking the last of the water), she didn’t refill the glass until I asked. And then, she only refilled my glass, not my husband’s nor anyone else at the table. Nothing was served to us without asking. The waitresses themselves were rather nice and friendly, but just very lackadaisical on service, which is definitely annoying and upsetting.
All in all, while the food was good, I definitely won’t be coming back. The lack of yummy banchan and the lack of decent service makes this place a total turn off for me. It’s not worth the effort — especially as there are several other KBBQ places around us.

I came here after the new management took over. It’s a different name now, but I can’t remember what it’s called. Korean BBQ was nothing special here. Kalbi tasted like kalbi. I really can’t tell the difference between a lot of the BBQ places since it’s all grilled meat. We also ordered the shrimp and chicken which were really dry. Bibimbap was okay also. I think my favorite thing from eating here was the kim chi jigae. They did not have a good selection of pan chang either.
The cool thing is that they can speak korean and chinese. but their english is very poor.

We just drove up to Rockville to go to the Ha Dong House which we have been doing for about 15 years. It had the best Korean BBQ in the world. The
marinades were exquisite, the choice of meats out of this world. An incredible salad with thinly sliced scallions was served every time. When we got there this evening we discovered it had closed and changed hands.
What a terrible loss. I was so proud of knowing about this restaurant. To the son of the owners, please thank your parents. Their food was a work of art.
We will really miss it.

Such a sad day. But after 18 long years, my parents have finally sold the restaurant. The restaurant business was getting too hard and arduous and my parents finally thought it was time to move on.
A special thanks to all our loyal customers and everyone who has come and has given our restaurant a shot. Whether you enjoyed the food or not, I think just given the opportunity to serve people and try to satisfy them through their stomachs was truly a rewarding experience. Who knows, maybe I’ll follow my father’s footsteps and try to start a restaurant myself. I mean, I do have his super-​top-​secret-​classified kalbi recipe. ;)
Not sure what it’ll be next, but I hear the new owners may stick w/​the Korean cuisine theme.

Meh. I’ve experienced better. A lot better.
Sushi was dry, kimchi was too salty, spicy pork was not spicy.
I had high hopes for this lunch buffet but left feeling let down (and a touch hungry.)

Very rarely am I not completely in love with a place where I can pay a nominal sum for unlimited amounts of food, but Ha Dong House (or Ha Dong Oak, according to the sign above the door — presumably «Oak» means «House» in Korean?) wasn’t quite as superb as the reviews led us to believe.
I was actually craving some ja jiang mian, and we tried to hit up Dae Sung Kwan, but after arriving there, we discovered that the doors were locked and signs written only in Korean were posted on the windows — perhaps to indicate that they were closed? So we hit up the next best thing — a Korean AYCE joint. How could that go wrong?
The cold buckwheat soba noodles with broth and various toppings (scallions, daikon, nori) were thoroughly enjoyable. The extremely basic cold dishes like marinated bean sprouts and spinach (?) were just fine. That’s about all I can comment positively on the lunch buffet.
The rest of the food was extremely meh. The sushi rolls had obviously been sitting out for too long, with the rice having a dried-​out crunchy consistency. Not a winner. The hot foods section was neither hot, not hot (read: spicy). Lame.
At least the service was attentive and excessively polite, with lots of «thank yous» flying at every opportunity.
This is no Koreandale restaurant, for sure. At $ 9 a pop, at least it wasn’t bad AND a walletbuster.

I love this place. The prices are affordable and the food is great. I got the shrimp Korean style and it is perfect. I love all of the started dishes. It is a super place to go and eat with your friends or family. I am a regular :)

When it comes to KBBQ, there is no better place in all of the DC area. Infact, this place rivals most NYC and LA places as well, and I’ve eaten at most.
The food is incredible. The Galbi and spicy pork are out of this world. Extremely tasty and tender, always cooked to perfection. The non-​KBBQ items are incredible as well, from «pa jun» to traditional dumplings, to the spicy salad to the sushi, everything is delicious. I think the only thing wrong with the food is that you can’t stop eating it!
The service is also amazing. The waitresses are friendly, and they’ll remember you after only a couple visits. Plus its not super busy, so you get a lot of personal attention, which is important for KBBQ.
The price is average for KBBQ, so its not cheap, but honestly, its quite possibly the best food I’ve ever had.

My 100^th review! :D :D You know when you anticipate something long enough, you try to make it special, and the excitement really builds up… and then it turned out not to be that great in bed? («Scrubs,» anyone?)
Anyway, that has nothing to do with my review of this restaurant. :) Ha Dong House is a traditional Korean restaurant that has the BEST lunch buffet EVER. For $ 10, you have your pick of sushi, delicious Korean sides (ban-​chan) and soups (soba noodles, miso, other porridgy things)! I’ve come here with Korean people, non-​Korean people, vegetarians, Jewish people — and everyone loves it because there’s something for everyone. I usually try to avoid Asian buffets because I notice that they really skimp out on quality and selection, but not so here. They bring out pretty decently sized cuts of sushi.
If you don’t come for the amaaahzing $ 10 lunch buffet, you’ll still be pleased to see your Korean staple dishes, most notably the kalbi (marinated short ribs that are cooked at your table). Yum! And if you’re debating whether or not to come here or to Woomi (another comparable Korean restaurant), choose Ha Dong House because their service is much better.
I hear from an inside source that they will be changing owners soon (a few months?), so you MUST try the lunch buffet before that tragedy occurs!