Why go: Pork belly, brisket, even octopus get thrown onto the tabletop grills at this Korean barbecue house, where Jay-Z blasts from the speakers, the servers scissor-snip meats at warp speed, and swarms of twentysomethings knock back soju shots like sake bombs.
What to get: Galbi, marinated beef ribs to be wrapped in lettuce with rice and jalapeños; thinly cut, fatty black pork belly with a scattering of kimchee; beef bul goki;pork and octopus chul pan, a messily delicious fried rice; seafood pancake.
Best for: Soju-soaked nights with a group of friends; staving off a hangover (3 am bul goki here beats cardboard pizza anytime).
Insider tip: The place is so noisy at peak times that it can be hard to hear the person across from you. And chances are you’ll leave with clothes smelling of smoke.
Open 24 hours a day except midnight Sunday to 10 am Monday.
>> See all 2009 Cheap Eats restaurants here
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
