BonChon Chicken - Korean fast food in Annandale, VA

7215 Columbia Pike
Annandale, VA 22003
Tel:(703) 914-1415

The first time we tried BonChon Chicken Wings was at the Northern Virginia Magazine's Chicken Wings NoVa Wars.  They were so flavorful, so perfectly baked and the spicy wings were way out of this world terrific, that we just had to follow our taste buds to their Annandale location.

BonChon is a modern Korean fast food joint with several large TVs and a full bar in the heart of Korea Town in Annandale.  Its staff is all young Koreans, though our waiter seemed to be so brand spanking new, our service was quite underwhelming. The bright spot in the service area was a server named Israel, who not only served most of our food, but also refilled our water and asked if everything was ok.  Kudos to Israel!

Though their website seems to be down for quite a while now, one of the nice things that BonChon offers is a calorie count of all its dishes, including wings. The wings are not cheap; they are about average at $1.30 per wing, regardless whether you get a mix of wings and drumsticks, drumsticks only or boneless strips. We got the ones were remembered as being fantastic - Soy Garlic and Spicy. Definitely worth the visit!

Looking around, most everyone in the restaurant was feasting on piles and piles of wings. Needless to say, come here for the wings. The other stuff was...  well, it wasn't nearly as good as the wings.  

The banchan served along with our food at BonChon consisted of sweet cole slaw and mild crunchy pickled radish cubes. Eaten alone, they were bland. But when snacked on in-between the fiery or garlicky wings, they gained a lot more appreciation!

The two entrees we ordered, pictured and described below, were good. Korean food doesn't skimp on flavors, so almost anything you get will be good.

But BonChon Chicken is all about the WINGS, and this is definitely a reason to return!

Oh, by the way, an added bonus was that you do not walk out of the restaurant smelling like the kitchen.  This is not a Korean BBQ place where you leave wearing the smell of all the food on the menu. It is a bright and airy restaurant with great exhaust, large windows and modern furniture.  There is just really no reason not to check it out. 

 Complimentary sweet cole slaw and the mildest crunchiest pickled radish we ever tasted

 Medium Combo of 10 bonessless chicken strips - 5 Soy Ginger and 5 Spicy $12.95

 Bull Dak entree - spicy chicken stirfried with rice cakes in fiery sauce topped wth thinly sliced scallions and melted cheese, served with steamed white rice on the side $12.95

Chicken Katsu entree - breaded chicken cutlet served on a bed of steamed rice, drizzled with "katsu" sauce and spicy mayo $11.95

THIS SATURDAY JUNE 13th, PLEASE JOIN US AT THE FIRST EVER - TASTE OF ANNANDALE! 10am - 8pm

Annandale's quickly growing restaurant community has gained much respect over the last few years throughout Northern Virginia, but surprisingly until this year there has not been an annual celebration of the richness of Annandale's food scene! Finally, the FIRST EVER TASTE OF ANNANDALE is scheduled for Saturday, June 13th 10am-8pm in the center of Annandale!

What will you see when you get there?  Over 20 Annandale-based restaurants will set up vending booths along Tom Davis Drive to showcase a variety of their mouthwatering dishes. While you're munching on a delicious falafel from Jerusalem Middle Eastern Restaurant, enjoying a bowl of bulgogi from Honey Pig Korean Restaurant, or sampling a rib plate from Dickey's Barbeque Pit, you can take part in any of the following fun activities for the whole family:

- Live stage entertainment, including multicultural music and dance performances;

- "Diamond Dash" a 5K Fun Run, where the sponsor will give away diamonds to two randomly selected contestants (yes, REAL DIAMONDS!!!);

- Chili Cook-Off Contest;

- Cooking Demonstrations;

- Games, Storytelling, Arts and Crafts, Kids' events at the Children's Corner, and other Family-type fun.

You can find details about how to register for the 5K Fun Run and other information about Taste of Annandale here.  

Hope to see you there!  Oh, by the way, ADMISSION TO TASTE OF ANNANDALE is FREE!!!

Imm Thai Cuisine - Annandale, VA

7203 Columbia Pike, Annandale, VA 22003
Tel: (703) 750-0880

In the heart of a dining treasure trove of wonderful Korean dives in Annandale known as "Little Korea," Imm Thai Cuisine offers a small unexpected, yet still Asian, detour. On a cold Sunday evening, we decided to give it a shot. We know how wonderful many of the Korean restaurants, cafes, bakeries and bars are in Annandale, so why not try something that is a little unusual.

Located in a small building neighboring only a boutique called Gloria Beauttie Fashion, which was doing business late into Sunday evening, Imm Thai Cuisine is a small place that is cozy, clean, simple and friendly.

When we arrived, there was only one other party of about 4 people eating in the restaurant. The waitress / hostess with a huge smile and a welcoming demeanor quickly seated us and took our wine order. They offer two kinds of red and two kinds of white wine, a humble, but sufficient selection for a small place like this.

Our food came out quickly. Our Imm’s Duck Rolls and Larb Gai chicken appetizers were very good. They tasted fresh and flavorful, though the Larb Gai wasn’t very spicy, even though it had two “spicy stars” on the menu. As our entrée choices, we both ordered noodles – Pad Thai and a Drunken Noodles, both with chicken. While they were both very good, the noodles were a little too soft for our taste, making for a texture that was a bit disappointing. In fact the next day when I heated up my Drunken Noodles leftovers, they literally disintegrated in my mouth. This is not something that is typical, not sure what kind of noodles they are using or how they are preparing them that is different from the many other Thai restaurants in the area.

The Drunken Noodles were marked with two “spicy stars” on the menu, indicating a higher level of heat, however they were not very spicy at all, just like the Larb Gai. We requested the spicy sauce tray, which helped to infuse some heat into the noodle dishes.

Overall, this place is OK, but not great, as far as Thai food goes. Tara Thai in Falls Church or i-Thai in Vienna make a much better choice. When in Annandale and craving Thai, this place will certainly do. Prices are quite reasonable and on par with other restaurants in the area. However, we suggest to stick to some of the better-known Korean dives that are plentiful and well-known in Annandale.

Palace Garden Korean Restaurant, Annandale, VA

Palace Garden
7131 Little River Turnpike
Annandale, VA 22003 
(703) 256-9292

If it wasn't for a deal offered by Groupon or Specialicious (can't remember which coupon we had), we would never have tried this place. Getting deals like these is definitely an incentive to try a new place. The food was great. All the dishes we ordered, including seaweed salad, avocado salad, Beef Soon Doo Boo, Seasoned Korean Chicken BBQ, an assortment of sushi, and the wide assortment of small typical Korean "banchan" side dishes were delicious. They were fresh, tasty and plentiful.

Unfortunately, the service made us feel less less than welcomed. The waiter's favorite word seemed to be "no," regardless of what we asked. The restaurant was clearly shorthanded on wait staff, so a waiter and two others who appeared to be his helpers were running around between tables, with barely enough time to stir the food on the BBQ or refill waters. Requests to make a dish more spicy was met with at least several "no's" and a request to take a photo of our table was also declined because he had to run to another table. It was hot and stuffy in the restaurant, the exhaust systems were definitely not working properly.

We had a great time with our friends, as always, because after all, it's the company and the food that make a great evening. Our advice: if you like Korean food, but don't care about the service, this is not a bad place. But for an all-around better experience, almost any other Korean restaurant in Annandale would be better.

Joong Mi, Annandale, VA

7630 Little River Turnpike

Annandale, VA 22003

(703) 658-2030

Joong Mi (no website, sorry) is probably a very typical Korean restaurant—if it were in the suburbs of Seoul.  Having been exposed to high-end or Korean cuisine that caters to westerners, what we were expecting was not what was delivered.  The best way to describe our experience is that it is more “home-style” than what you may be used to.  The most telling feature of Joong Mi is that it is about as difficult to explain as it is to find.

First off, don’t rely on GPS or paper maps.  Joong Mi is in the basement of a 1970-era office building off the Little River Turnpike on the back side of another popular Korean restaurant, Yechon.   After calling for further directions, we stumbled upon a knocked over Joong Mi sign (it was very windy that day).  We walked down the stairs and were greeted by a very pleasant staff.  They seated us in a very open, non-descript dining room surrounded by post (and we mean VERY POST) Christmas decorations (it is February) and a large flat screen blaring a Korean game show.  The menu, doubling as a placemat was difficult to parse through being written mostly in Korean. 

We asked the server for suggestions and eventually were able to narrow down our dining selections.  We expected to order a few main dishes and the customary sides of kim che, pickled veggies, and the like, but were disappointed to learn that was not the offering at Joong Mi.  We did get a simple side of an unknown pickled fruit.  Our orders consisted of Kan Poong-Sal, Jam Bong, and Chicken Broccoli; however, we can’t really tell you which one was which.

Even though there was another family dining that at first glance was probably from South America, this restaurant pretty much caters to a more Korean diner.  Our best recommendation is to try Joong Mi (중미반점) and take the server’s suggestion for dining.  Chances are you’ll like what is served, and if you’re feeling adventurous and want to experience a meal as if it was served in a suburb of Seoul, try Joong Mi.  If you’d rather stick to something that caters more to a western dining experience, there is a host of great Korean dining in the Annandale area.