About Kogiya
Once you make the acquaintance of this brash but assured newcomer, you’ll consign every other local experience you’ve had with Korean barbecue to “before Kogiya.” Meet the new king of Koreatown, a pulsing meat market manned by young, black-T-shirted staffers that aggressively channels the hipster spirit of a private club in an abandoned warehouse. It’s Kogiya’s seriousness of approach, however, that separates it from a slew of competitors. The cuts of pork and beef are better, the marinades have more flavor and depth, and the tabletop grills cook hotter and faster. Don’t let the temptation to focus exclusively on meat (there’s an all-you-can-eat option) distract you from the rest of the menu; the steamed mandu (they also come fried) are surprisingly delicate, and the seafood pancake is lighter than most.
Open: Daily for lunch and dinner.
Don’t Miss: Marinated pork ribs; pork belly; marinated duck.
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.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
