Da Rae Won Restaurant
5013 Garrett Ave, Beltsville, MD, 20705
Da Rae Won Restaurant Menu
Sorry, We are updating this restaurant menu details.
Visit below restaurant in Beltsville for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Beltsville for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Beltsville for healthy meals suggestion.
Sorry, we don't have Q&A for this restaurant.
Sorry, No Coupons available for this restaurant.
-
Address :
5013 Garrett Ave
Beltsville, MD, 20705 - Phone (301) 931-7878
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 9:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch, Dinner
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : No
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
Looky Weed - Buy Marijuana Online
Looky Weed is here to help you navigate the maze of legalized marijuana. We provide you with a complete dispensary directory.
Nikki Z.
The food is always spot on! The place is great for groups and sharing their deliciously large portions of gampoongi (lollipop chicken in a sweet/spicy sauce) and tangsuyuk (Korean version of sweet and sour pork). Da Rae Won is known for their jajjangmyun - you can hear the pounding as the chef makes fresh noodles in the kitchen. I would make a suggestion to go with a Korean friend, as sometimes there is a language barrier. Even with this suggestion, don't be deterred from trying their food! The restaurant has improved a lot with the language barrier in the last few years and are very accommodating
(5)Kimie K.
Their Kanpungi is a die-for. It definitely tasted the chicken meat was freshly breaded and fried when ordered; it was crispy, yet not greasy at all. One of their side dishes is Kimchi which also tasted freshly made every day. Their restaurant is kind of hidden in the back area which is such unfortunate because this place needs to be more popular. However, it was packed today when I visited so I guess it is true that no matter where you are, good food will call in the peeps. Their service is extremely good too; even the owner of this restaurant has a soul for serving people well.
(5)Eva J.
This is definitely one of the best Korean restaurants in Maryland. The food is delicious and I've never had any issues with them before. Only thing is that the customer service can be pretty bad. Some of the waitresses there are so rude.
(4)Danny C.
Gan Poong Ki: Chinese (Peking) influenced Korean styled fried chicken. I've tried Gan Poong Ki at numerous restaurants and market places around Maryland and not 1 place can compare its quality to Da Rae Won's recipe. Da Rae Won has the absolute best Gan Poong Ki in Maryland. (In my opinion, of course.) Whether you get it while dining inside or get it to go and drive half an hour back home, it'll still be scrumptious. Don't get me wrong, if you go home and it takes half an hour (for me at least), the chicken won't be as crispy compared to eating it inside the restaurant. Anyways, when this delicious, scrumptious, delectable, sinful dish comes out of the kitchen and onto your table, you can smell how fresh and pungent the dish is. The moment you touch the bone that connects with the meat at the end, you'll feel something hit your heart and mind. Almost as if you saw something really sad or tragic and tears just started bursting out... Okay, that was exaggerating a bit, however, you get what I mean! The fried chicken is sweet and has a kick to it. It's made to order so it'll take a little while to cook but not only is it worth it but you could easily tell that the food is fresh. The crunch and crispiness is always perfect; not too crispy and not too soft. The flavor may be similar to some familiar Chinese dishes but at the same time it's a bit different. It's hard to explain but I guarantee you that this dish is AHHSUM. If you go here and try it out but don't like it, let me know and I'll reimburse you with a big hug. :) When you're inside, eating, you'll hear a loud smacking or thumping noise in the kitchen. That's a chef beating a pile of dough and making it into noodles. Yes, the noodles there are made from scratch and you'll be able to notice the difference between store bought and home made noodles. These noodles have a slightly more tougher chew to em than the typical kind and the sauce also sticks to these noodles a little better as well. You can always get their signature dish: #1, Jja Jjang Myun. A dark, almost blackish sauce with beef, onions and other veggies covering a mound of home made noodles; sweet, slightly chewy and delicious. It's only like 6 bucks. They also have the same sauce but with fried rice and personally, I like this better than the #1. This is around a dollar more. They give you a few little dishes containing banchan such as: galbdukki (square pieces of radish with Korean spices), kimchi (cabbage smothered in Korean spices), and onions/yellow sweet things LOL. I don't remember the name of the yellow sweet things but I do know that they're usually soaked in MSG before being served and that they were not yellow before hand. If you don't have an MSG problem then please, be my guest. :P Usually I put some vinegar in that specific plate to enhance the flavor and keep them onions strong aftertaste to a minimum. They do have a decent sized selection of dishes to get there, but I've only been here a few times. And those few times, I've gotten the same thing: Gan Poong Ki ($17), Jja Jjang Myun sauce with fried rice ($7-$8), and the Jja Jjang Myun ($6). And maybe another dish or 2 but I don't remember. Service here is a little better than the typical rude Korean service. They're pretty fast and the food doesn't come out too late. If you go here in the late afternoon-evening time, you'll be waiting outside for a while. At least from Friday to Sunday. Prices are cheap-reasonable and the service is good (compared to other Korean establishments). Overall, this place is truly a fantastic Korean restaurant that no one should ever overlook, especially when they're in a 30 minute radius from the place. Maybe even an hour depending on how much you're craving their home made noodles or fried chicken. :)
(5)Adrienne M.
Anytime I venture to an ethnic restaurant, have a checklist of things I want to see accomplished: 1. Are there people patronizing the establishment who share the same ethnic background as the food? And who will I find in the kitchen? 2. Is the environment authentic (colors, wall decor, seating arrangements)? 3. Is the food truly a good representative of the culture? Well, what I can tell you is that my husband and I were the only two people there who didn't speak Korean or Chinese (we actually got weird side-eyes when we walked in). And thankfully we arrived with Hannah H. and her husband, or I don't think we could've ordered without heaving index finger labor (there isn't enough pointing in the world to convey the phrase "make sure it's tender" in my book). We came for the wings. Those glorious Chinese Korean wings. What we didn't anticipate was fresh noodles being pounded in the kitchen...and pounded...and pounded. The sound actually made me nervous. I didn't know if there was issues with the pluming, or a wall was being knocked out. All I knew was that it sounded serious. Meanwhile, then menu seemed pretty straight forward: black bean noodles, pork dumplings, seafood stew and fermented (stinky) veggies. There were other dishes of course (none that I can pronounce) as well as pits on some tables for KBBQ. Yep, seemed authentic to me. The wings. Mmmmmm, garlicky, spicy goodness formed into lollipops. There were leftovers, I let Rick have a few, but the rest were MINE (insert evil grin and chuckle). I mean, I couldn't get enough! Note that every time I've checked into BonChon, I wished I was at Da Rae Won's (too lazy to dive to Beltsville) Yes, I know it's different style of wings, but I also know that it's 100x better tasting. A little wetter, with diced veggies on top, these wings tasted like magic. The noodles were fresh, but lacked enough flavor. This was surprising after the amazing wings. It was my first time trying black bean noodles, so I'm not sure how they taste when they're made well, I'm just sure this wasn't it. The fried dumplings were decent, but not really my thing. Not a fan of the overwhelming five spice flavor. The seafood stew was very spicy and very fishy. I didn't want to press my luck with this one. Just didn't seem right...plus the fish was overcooked. Sigh. As far as the environment goes, I mean, I don't speak Korean, but the waitresses seemed very pleasant and accommodating. At the end of our meal we were given tiny yogurt drinks. Cute. *Checklist satisfied*...mostly - Order the wings!!! Remember these aren't the same style of wings as BonCon (more flavor, not as crispy...which works perfect for me) - Order the wings!! - Large portions - Noodles are fresh, but the sauce tastes like water - ORDER THE WINGS!!!!!
(3)Janice L.
This is my favorite place for ja jjang myun and kam poong gi. Their jam poong is also really good. They make their noodles from scratch and the kimchi is delicious! I highly recommend ordering the kan ja jjang with a side of the jam poong soup. If you want to mix it up, you can also order the seo woo kam poong which is shrimp instead of chicken. Just make sure you don't go on a Tuesday because they'll be closed!
(5)debbie a.
The short version: Long, Long lines, very limited parking, no nonsense service and good food. The expanded version: Location/Parking/Wait: When we were following the GPS to get here, we ended up driving into an area of the strip mall that looked like it had been long forgotten. The parking was super tight so we ended up parking out on the other end of the strip mall. The line was insanely long and nearly reached the door (it runs along the wall from the cashier to the door and sometimes doubles back. The half-wall separates the dining area of 20+ tables from the line. The wait is long and pretty worth it - the line moves quickly for how many people are dining and waiting. Service: They come in pretty quickly and dump drinks, utensils and menus and come by later just as quickly to take your order. We had the Kang Poon Ghee (fried chicken with sauce), Beef with veggies, Tang soo Yuk (Fried sweet and sour pork), and Jja Jjang Myun (Black been noodles), and Jjam Pong (Spicy seafood soup with noodles). Everything was delicious. The fried chicken was awesome - still crispy under the flavorful sauce and the meat was still juicy. The house-made noodles (you can see them making it in the window to the kitchen and hear the pounding of it as they stretch the dough out) were chewy and delicious. The spicy seafood soup was awesome. The Service was almost curt because of the no nonsense attitude they have to service all the people eating and waiting. They cut the noodles table side with scissors, but they were in such a rush, they cut through the eyeballs of one of my shrimp in my spicy seafood soup - ew. Reasonably priced, good food... VERY worth it if you don't mind the absence of a friendly chit-chat with your server.
(4)Carian D.
First let me just say its great to go to an ethnic spot where their own people eat the food. (so you know its authentic) The place is in the cut in Beltsville, Md. It's definitely can be considered a hole in the wall. The place was packed we were probably waited about 8 min to be seated. Don't let the banging sound scare you its just the chef hooking up the noodles. The waitress was friendly and answered our questions. I got the fried shrimp and garlic sauce and veggie fried rice w/ bean sauce. My bf got the fried beef and seafood noodle w/ black bean sauce. The food came pretty fast it was served piping hot and was delicious. The portions are definitely enough to share. I can't wait to go back!
(4)Win S.
Have you ever heard of the term QQ? It's a term that perfectly describes the sublime bounce in the mouth when you bite into some starchy goodness -- whether it be a noodle, tapioca pearl or gnocchi. THIS. This is the magical place where you can find the delicate bounce, QQ in your noodle bowl. Da Rae Won is known for its Chinese-style Korean food with Ja jang myeon noodles as its star. It's served with a generous amount of black soybean sauce that you slather on top for a slurpy finish. yum. I love the seafood version, but it also comes in plain and/or with a ton of onions. (it would be even better if they bumped up the meat ratio in their seafood + onion number, though) While eating, you can hear the hardworking chefs kneading/pounding the dough behind-the-scenes and then hand-pulling them for that special consistency. This is a great little spot that gets crowded quickly, so you'll face longer lines at peak hours. I'm hoping to return soon to try their fried chicken, which also looks mighty tasty.
(5)Mike B.
THUMP! A loud crashing noise came from behind the wall in the back left corner of the room. The sound was so loud that it echoed around the boxy restaurant and fell upon my ears at the front entrance. I noticed that no one gave pause to the sound. No curiosity piqued, no diner flinched; everyone went about their merry business, inhaling large plates of chicken wings, heaping bowls of noodles with a thick black tar-like sauce on them, and little miniature foil covered bottles with tiny hummingbird beak-like straws. I sat down at a table near the cashier and pulled out my laptop to face the restaurant like a sentinel. The restaurant was split in two by a low hanging wall, decorated with shrubbery to divide the space. A menu was dropped immediately, followed by banchan in the way of brightly colored pickled radishes, mildly spicy kimchi, and a thin smear of what looked to be the black tar-like sauce found on the noodles of other diners in the space. I dove into the menu, encountering a majority of 17-20 dollar dishes. But after having done proper research, I saw that these dishes were clearly big enough to feed at least four very hungry people or two moderately hungry Yelpers. I decided on the Spicy Seafood Soup with beef, and not more than 7 minutes later did it land on my table with a dominating elephant presence. The waitress inquired if I'd like it cut as she held a pair of what appeared to be medical scissors in her hand. I quickly gathered that she was offering to slice the giant long handmade noodles into more reasonable pieces. With one quick swipe through the bowl she was gone, leaving me to conquer this spectrum of seafood and meat. All along the sound of large crashing came from behind the wall, and silly me for not before realizing it at first, that it was the boisterous slapping of fresh noodle dough on a prep table that was sending reverberations through the room, and nobody looked up cause they wern't an outsider like me, and no one scared of the ominous banging and pulverizing of whatever happened to be on the other side of that wall. The soup was flavorful, spicy but not unbearably so. Surely my sinus cleared out, but not anywhere with as much vigor as when I accidentally asked Jumbo Jumbo to add extra spice to their already spicy beef noodle soup. Beef in the bowl was no where near as common as seafood, but the few strips were greatly appreciated. The noodles were tender, toothsome, and clean tasting. The rest of the seafood was fresh and cooked well. I played with the banchan provided, especially the thick black sauce, which I found to be punch-you-in-the-face salty. Adding dabs and pieces of radish into the soup made for exciting bites. After about 45 minutes, the soup was transferred successfully to my internal storage device. The bill for 10 dollars landed on my table (that's including a diet coke), met with grin from ear to ear. The tiny yogurt like drink was not nearly as appreciated as the broth before it; cloyingly sweet, and somewhat warmer than I'd like it.
(4)Irene C.
Garlic Fried Chicken Wings were delicious. Jamppong w/ seafood was not spicy at all, had barely any seafood. Black bean noodle was bland that red pepper and soy sauce had to be added. The Chicken wings were def the highlight! I would not drive out of my way to come here
(2)Sahar R.
Can someone let me know if we ordered all the wrong things? I noticed all the rave reviews on this place and I don't have that same impression. Da Rae Won has been advertised as the Korean version of Chinese food, and I was looking forward to the hand pulled noodles and chicken wings here. First, let's start with the positives. The prices here are deceptive. The menu doesn't distinguish between appetizers and entrees and you may think you are spending upwards of $15-20 plus dollars for an entree for one, yet the dishes are all very large portions and easily shareable between two-four people. The banchan here is generous and arrives quickly. I comes with bright yellow-pickled radish, white onion; kimchi, and a smaller dish of black bean sauce. Loved that they had raw white onion, the Persian people thank you for that. The spicy tofu we had was quite good and one of my favorite entrees. Loved the addition of tomatoes and straw mushroom with the spicy sauce. We ordered some chicken wings which some people might attest to being better than Bon Chon -- the chicken drums are sliced into lollipops and then fried with a slightly-sweet garlic sauce. They do not have the crunchy crisp of Bon Chon's chicken, but they are pretty high on the flavor scale. As a note, the service staff will let you know that it takes up to 20 minutes to prepare the wings when you order them. Negatives- the jjajangmyun (black bean sauce with noodles). I found the black bean sauce to be bland. I appreciated that the noodles were fresh tasting, loved the springy texture and their sweetness, but the sauce itself don't work with the noodles. It was just mushy. Perhaps we should have ordered the sauce separately. We ordered ours with pork, yet there was maybe a spoonful of shredded tender pork in it. Ruth asked if I could find any pork in it, so I went digging in this bowl of black sauce looking for pork, then realized it was kinda like fossil hunting in a tar pit. Given that the pork in this dish was basically invisible, I kinda wish I ordered the seafood version because it is easier to dig for shrimp and fish. Also note that there is no dessert menu at Da Rae Won, but along with the bill comes a tiny, foil-topped plastic bottle of a sweet yogurt drink for that last sweet taste.
(2)Jessica R.
Da Rae Won can make some damn good KFC (Korean fried chicken)! This place is really popular during lunch, so make sure to get there a little early. And don't be scared when you come in and hear loud pounding -- they make their own noodles in-house and that loud pounding is a guy in the back throwing the noodles. When you are first seated you'll be served a hot tea. You have to ask for water if you want it. Here's what I've had so far: + Fried chicken wings with garlic sauce - Wow, these are amazing! The chicken is perfectly crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. And the sauce they are tossed in has a nice kick to it! + Fried pork with sweet and sour sauce - Very tasty! And it was served with veggies and pineapples as well. + Noodles with pork and black bean sauce - I think this may just be a personal preference, cuz my Korean friend said that this is amazing, but I just didn't like this dish. To me it was a little bland and there was hardly any pork in it. I put tons and tons of the hot sauce in and it still didn't add any flavor to it. The entrees are all pretty large so you can split them with another person. Service was attentive, but I was glad that I came with my Korean friend because she was able to translate for me. And at the end of your meal you'll be served a complimentary yogurt dessert drink.
(4)Ruth C.
Two and a half stars. Plenty of parking within the shared strip lot. I might come back to try their chabchae next time we miss the meal windows of the other K-spot a few doors over, but the menu feels a little limited thanks to a few variants within specific categories. Craving a specific Chinese or Korean dish? You'll probably strike out here. Pricing may appear steep, but portions are all generous enough to share within a small family. Great service, yet the food left me riding the line between homey-satisfied and mildly unimpressed. Our batch of tea was extremely light. At least the white rice was nice and fluffy. I favored the pickled radish banchan over the raw white onion, radish kimchi, and napa kimchi. You'll periodically hear thumping through the kitchen window as they work each new batch of noodles, which are thin, fairly uniform, and surprisingly light without much chew. The fresh black bean sauce must be the way to go, because we found the plain black bean sauce to be... well, plain; more sweet sauce than soft noodles, and very few morsels of tender pork amidst chopped onion and zucchini slices that retain a uniformly mushy mouthfeel with only some julienned cucumber to break the monotony of this JJM. Bean curd with spicy sauce had a reasonable amount of heat and fresh tomato chunks along with broccoli florets, plus chopped onions and peppers. Fried chicken wings were neatly trimmed into drumettes, and tossed into the frying batch with a frozen medley of peas, corn, carrot dice, and green beans. Its garlic sauce coats generously, the meat was tender and cooked through, but I give the edge on crunch to Bonchon.
(2)Sara M.
I can't believe it's taken us so long to check out Da Rae Won! We heard about it ages ago, but just finally made it there when we were in the mood for noodles. It's really tucked away inside Garrett Cove, behind the building you can see from Route 1. The restaurant is clean, well-lit, and spacious. Every table has a tray of chili sauce/flakes and vinegar, a box of spoons, and a cup full of chopsticks. Banchan was prompt and the kimchee was some of the best I've had - not too spicy or fermented for my non-Korean palate. We got the bulgogi and the chap chae platter with a variety of toppings, and it was way too much food for two people. We took home nearly half of it, the portions were so generous! The bulgogi was tender and flavorful, and served with plenty of spring onions. It's not quite as good as bulgogi at a BBQ, in my opinion, but it may be the best platter of bulgogi I've had. The chap chae platter was our "adventurous" selection - a pile of noodles with veggies and meat in the center, surrounded by carrots, cucumbers, sea cucumber, egg, imitation crab, and little shrimp. It was all delicious together, topped with a spicy mustard sauce they'd put out on the table. We ended the meal with little bottles of fruity probiotic drink, which made me crave more... I see a trip to H&A in the near future! Great meal.
(5)Nari P.
Da Rae Won serves Chinese-style Korean classics/comfort food. I have to say the decor is... interesting. I don't quite get it. Nothing really seems to go together, but it's not a big deal. From the moment we walked in, we heard *thump! ... thump! ... thump! ..." We thought maybe there was construction, and then we realized there's a guy in a room in the corner making handmade noodles, and you can see him slinging noodles on his table through a window. I couldn't wait to get those noodles in my mouth! I am all about this jjajangmyun! It tastes like jjajangmyun (noodles in black bean sauce) that I remember from Korea. The kind that gets delivered in a metal box on a motorcycle and tastes like awesome. The noodles were so delightfully and perfectly chewy. Like... al dente, but in a thick ramen noodle kind of way, but totally its own thing. And tasted floury but took on the sauce so well. And the SAUCE!!!!!! Tastes like fire!!!! That's my favorite way to describe food!! It tastes like it was cooked over an open flame and the flame is still in your bowl. I'm not even talking about temperature. Just flavor. Best. I've tried lots of jjajangmyun and there are only two that I will tell you you have to have - one in Houston at Daddy & Daughter and this one at Da Rae Won!! They both take me right back to Korea. I also had their jjambbong, which was good but not amazing. I don't have to come back here for the jjambbong like I do the jjajangmyun. I NEED the jjajangmyun. I only simply enjoyed the jjambbong. There was nothing really bad about it. I've just had better and it especially paled in comparison to the jjajangmyun. I also had the steamed buns which were super duper cute in their swirly glory. But the flavor and texture was lacking. They were fluffy in the beginning when they were hot, but as we left them sitting they got flat. Not that the bun itself shrank, but it lost its fluffiness and chewiness. And the flavor was sort of non-existent. A little hint of sweetness, but generally not exciting. Waste of stomach space, I'd say. There is a sifferent dish that comes with the buns as an accompaniment - I'm sure the buns serve a better purpose there. So the point is get the jjajangmyun always, and you'll be happy always :)
(4)Ed L.
Best place in Maryland for jajangmyeon and kampoongi. My parents from NJ say they can't eat jajangmyeon anywhere in South Jersey or Philadelphia after eating here.
(5)Jericho C.
The food is great, there is ample parking, but I think I would like it even better if there weren't BUGS in the kimchi. We ate half of the kimchi when we discovered the critter. Sometimes a bug gets by. I get it. That is understandable. However, when we showed our server, she said "I'm sorry" and took the dish away. She didn't bring more, she didn't bring it up again, she didn't send the manager to apologize, and she certainly didn't offer any sort of discount. She brought our check and that was that. Now, I am not really after money but I would have appreciated some gesture on their behalf. It is a shame because the food is top notch.
(2)Donna Y.
This place was really close to college park. We came here for a table for two and were seated immediately. We ordered the ja jung mean it's a sauce mixed with hand made noodles and fried garlicb chicken wings. Everything was flavorful and would come back again!
(4)Jason C.
4.25* for DMV Korean Chinese Where on earth have I been? After all these years, I had no idea this Korean Chinese restaurant existed in the DMV area. I thought only Annandale had the best Korean Chinese restaurants in this area. How good is it? I think it easily beats out on Choong Hwa Won and Jang Won. The one distinguishing factor about this place is that their noodles are handmade. You'll hear constant banging in the kitchen and you can see the action going on yourself by looking through a window that opens up to the kitchen in the corner of the restaurant. Handmade noodles, while it seems appealing, is a love-it or hate-it kind of thing for most. The noodles have a texture that is quite different from processed noodles. It's a lot thicker in size because the noodles are cut using a knife, and the taste isn't uniform because the shape is inconsistent throughout the noodle. That being said, it's not as bad as it sounds..and this is one of the few things that you have to try out to see if you like it or not (it applies to most things but it's especially the case for these noodles). The highlight here is the Kang Poong Gi, which I think is the best Korean-style chicken dish I've tried in the DMV area (yes that includes the crappy Bon-Chon). It's a crispy fried, sweet and spicy chicken with a hard glazing on top that is created using malt syrup. It is perfectly crispy and flavored with the right amount of garlic and spices. The chicken pieces were sized correctly, which makes the ratio of chicken size to sauce flavoring consistent. I have everything to like about this dish and I'd say it was a very very big surprise to find something this good here. This is a 5* chicken dish for a Kang Poong Ki and a good representation of good Korean-Chinese style fried chicken. The other highlight was the sweet and sour pork dish (tang soo yook). The sauce was right, the flour to meat size ratio was a bit off with to much flour, the presentation was great, and the sauce was on the mark (minus a bit of cinnamon). However, it missed on one key metric: crispiness. As for the noodles, I have yet to find good Jja-jang myun (noodles with black bean sauce) in the US and have never in my entire time in my 10+ years in the US, encountered 1 place that made jja-jang-myun comparable to the top 5% of places in Korea. It's no surprise that Da Rae Won did not hit the mark as well. The black bean sauce lacks the sweet and addicting flavor that I love so much about Jja-jang myun in Korea. In sum, the Kang Poong Gi is a must order staple dish for this restaurant. In my opinion, this dish should rank in the top 5% of dishes of this type even in Korea. Don't miss out on it!
(4)Amber F.
Just want to add that their tangsuyuk (sweet and sour crispy pork) is by far the BEST I've had. Not only it's a humongous dish, the sweetness and sourness are perfectly balanced. Has some yummy pineapples and other assorted veggies as well. The fried pork really makes a difference. The pork here at Da Rae Won is cut into long strips with a light coat of breading - enough to make it crispy, but not too thick (the breading at other places is sometimes so thick that all I tasted was the breading!). So good. SO GOOD!!
(5)Priscilla Y.
This is a hole-in-the-wall Korean restaurant in College Park. As a UMD alumna, it's unfortunate that I wasn't an adventurous foodie and eat here sooner. When you are in the restaurant, you will notice some pounding noise. That is because they make their noodle in-house. They are known for their Jia Jang Myun- noodle with black bean sauce. It is #1 and #2 on their menu. The difference between the two is that #2 is made with fresh black bean sauce and is $2 more. The sauce and the noodle come in separate dishes whereas #1 comes with the sauce over it. After trying both, I highly recommend paying the extra $2 and getting the fresh black bean sauce. It has more flavor. To share, we ordered #35, boneless fried chicken with spicy sauce. It really isn't that spicy, but more on the sweet side. It is still very tasty and a crunchy delight! We also ordered #27, fried pork with sweet and sour sauce. I was impressed with this dish. The pork was slice thin and fried so there is too much breading. The sweet and sour sauce was a very thick sugary sauce. Skip! As in all Korean restaurants, you get the small dishes first. There weren't that many options, but they were good. It was just the kimchi, spicy radish, and pickled yellow radish. All in all, food was delicious and affordable. Service was good. It's a nice, chill place to grab food with friends!
(5)Olivia C.
Coming from a Korean, this Korean-Chinese cuisine is legit. (Mind you, it's Korean- Chinese, not Chinese- Korean, so expect some amazing kimchi). Speaking of kimchi, so good here! I always end up asking for more :) The jjam pong and jja jjang myun...you can't beat it. The sauce superb. Just come and experience for yourself.
(5)Dotts L.
I think other were correct when they say that Da Rae Won is a fusion of Chinese and Korean cooking. The way they prepare they food is different for the other korean restaurant that are expert on sizzling meat or seafood dishes. Their BULGOGI has this redish sauce that you can drizzle on your rice. The beef is super soft, it melts in your mouth. They serve it on a plate rather on a sizzling hot plate. Very delicious. I highly recommend orderind this dish just to compare it with the typical bulgogi we are so use to taste. Their KOREAN GLASS NOODLES - JAP CHAE / CHAP CHAE is also saucy and a little bit oily. You can actually slurp the noodles because of the sauce. Its also so good. Again, I highly recommend ordering this dish. It paired very well with the friend chicken in garlic sauce. So speaking of fried chicken, I think they make this dish really well. We especially like the one with garlic sauce. You can request to increase the spiciness of the dish if you prefer it hot. BEWARE, the chicken comes out fresh from the fryer, make sure you use caution before you bite into it. We also tried the other friend chicken, but we think the garlic sauce is the best tasting of them all. The liquid yogurt dessert is nostalgic, it brings me back to my childhood every time I drink it. It taste similar to Yakult which is what we had. We will surely go back especially if we are in the College Park area.
(4)Grace K.
You know it's a legit Korean influenced Chinese restaurant when you can hear the noodles being pounded in the background. The jajjangmyun is so good I will drag my cousin out to eat with me when a craving hits. The tangsooyuk is so crispy and sweet you can't stop eating! This beats having to drive all the way to Annandale to get some good Korean food!
(5)Desi B.
I must say that they are pretty good! I tried their garlic fried chicken and shrimp fried rice with black bean sauce. The portions were large enough for two and the food was tasty! My husband enjoyed the frozen desert that they give you at the end of the meal. The restaurant is clean and the service is fast and efficient. The only issue that I had was the constant banging coming from the kitchen. This was my first time coming here and I didn't really know what other Yelpers meant when they said that you can hear them making the noodles. Now I know! If you are looking for a romantic setting, the noise will definitely throw you off. Other than that, I enjoyed the food and will order take out in the future.
(4)Aryah R.
Food was amazing!!! Staff was very friendly and very helpful. It was a great dining experience.
(5)Hannah H.
About a 4.5: My husband and I came here for a late dinner to check out their Korean-Chinese cuisine. I loved the fact that it was mostly Koreans dining in, with their big family groups and church groups. I saw a guy behind a glass window who was pounding and slamming away in making the fresh noodles (I couldn't help but laugh because he was just going at it! :D Our server with the pixie hair cut was very no-nonsense, efficient, and was very professional. We tried out their ggangpoongi, their beef tangsooyook (with the sauce on the side), and a bowl of jajangmyun to share. Their ggakduki was nice and fermented, a little on the sweeter side, but quite delicious (and, you can get as many refills as you want!). The ggangpoongi had the mixed veggies (carrots, peas, corn) sauce on the top, so I was a little apprehensive; however, these wings were DELICIOUS! Very crispy on the outside, and the sauce was the best I've had in the DC/MD/VA area! Yummy! I still didn't eat the corn/peas/carrots, but I did eat 90% of the wings - it was really delicious! I like the fact that these have bones instead of the boneless versions. The beef tangsooyook was mostly thick batter, and you could hardly taste the beef inside. The batter was okay at first, but I think it was just too overwhelming. The sauce had a good amount of pineapple chunks, which I love, but not sure if I'd get this dish again. The jajangmyun was pretty okay, too - the sauce was a little bland and more watered down, but the noodles were fantastic! You can really tell that they make the noodles fresh in house, and they cooked it quite well! I probably will try their other noodle dishes, such as the jjambbong. I will definitely be back and get their ggangpoongi again as well as try their other fresh noodle dishes - a great find in Beltsville! Plenty of parking spaces available in the lot, but look out for the deep potholes! +Ggangpoongi, extra well-done +get unlimited refills of ggakduki (can be less-fermented T__T )
(4)Cindy L.
Not sure how many years I've been coming here. Some of the best (if not, THE best) Korean-Chinese food in the DMV. Jajangmeyon is one of my all-time favorite foods since I was 4 years old. If a place offers it but the noodles aren't hand-pulled, don't bother. Jjamppong is another favorite, spicy broth with noodles and seafood mixture of mussels, squid, and shrimp. Great for those days you're under the weather. The kkangppunggi (double-fried, sweet, spicy, garlicky bone-in chicken) is the best I've ever had. Ever. NY, NJ, CA, ..this is it. It's one of the few restaurants my family comes back to again and again. It's a hole in the wall but I hope it never goes away :)
(5)Alexander K.
Nostalgia! I was shocked to see that there are still jja jang myun houses that still pull their own noodles. Jja jang myun is by far my favorite noodle dish, and to find a gem like this was truly uplifting to my soul. There were two jja jang myun houses that I frequented when I was younger, dae sung kwan (has since closed) and a place that used to be on parklawn drive (which has since moved to ellicott city). There is also one in annandale which was massively disappointing since the noodles were factory made. There is seriously no point in eating non-fresh factory noodles! Anyways, I digress. We ordered two gan jja jangs (fresh black bean sauce) and gan poong gi (fried garlic chicken drum sticks). The chicken was out of this world! Not overly battered (perfectly crisp), slightly sweet, and accented with a bit of heat and the garlic. The portion was tremendous as well. The noodles took a bit to arrive but it was definitely worth the wait. The sauce had the correct viscosity and was loaded with the white onion and pork bits. The pungent aroma certainly brought back the noodle slurping days of my youth. The noodles were pulled right before, and they had the perfect texture and chewiness a good jja jang myun noodle should have. Another way of verifying that your noodle is hand made is when the thickness of each noodle strand slightly varies, that's the point! I was so satisfied with the meal I left nearly a 60% tip. I encourage anyone wanting to have true, authentic jja jang myun to come here. This place gets my highest seal of approval.
(5)Kevin Jiseup K.
Where do I start? That this may be one of the greatest Korean-Chinese restaurants I have been to? That the homemade noodles are delicious amazingness and that you can watch (and hear, they're like slamming the dough down hard) them being made in the kitchen as you eat? I have possibly waited all my life for a Korean-Chinese restaurant this great. The jjajang myun black noodles are amazing and the yangnyum chicken is a must get. I live 30 minutes away, but I'm willing to walk a thousand miles (*cue Vanessa Carlton*) for these.
(5)Tunaidi A.
So THIS... THIS is what authentic ja jang myun is (black bean noodles w/ seafood). THIS is what authentic tang soo yuk is (sweet and sour pork). THIS is what authentic gan poong gi is (garlic fried chicken). THIS is it! Thank you, Da Rae Won. You are my hero.
(5)Pastora Itzel E.
This is a nice place...Hidden in this little plaza but it was so nice. Many koreans eating there so we assumed thats good. The servers eere nice(we assume its a family business) they treated us nice. Food is ver korean...lol...many veggies and things of that nature but everything was fresh. I asked many questions about Korean food and they explained with no problem. Will go back for sure
(5)paul s.
I'm giving it three stars. Nearly everyone eating here was Asian which is always a good sign. My beef and seafood noodle dish was delish, and although I'm not a noodle expert, the hype about the handmade noodles seems right. They were very good, and the bowl was packed with that sort of home-cooked flavor I look for in Asian food. My friends sautéed chicken, mushrooms and bamboo shoots, however, was a flop. Bland, uninspired, and twice the price of a bowl of noodles . If you're going to eat chicken here, probably better to go with the fried chicken wings. They looked really good and several other people were having them. Huge portions of everything. Its simple inside but nice and clean. Good service too. And what's the deal with two Korean restaurants fighting it out within a hundred yards of each other in the same drab little neighborhood? Gah Rham is right around the corner. It's been a while, but as I remember I was a little more excited about their food than this. I've got to get back to Gah Rham soon for the definitive answer on this thrilling kitchen throw-down to see who will prevail in the battle for best Korean food in a shabby Beltsville shopping strip.
(3)Maria M.
Came here two days in a row for lunch. I must say that this place is pretty legit. The noodles are definitely one of the highlights for this place. I've had the Jampong (spicy seafood noodle soup) and the Ja jang myun (boodles with black bean sauce). Both were really very tasty. The jampong had ample enough seafood in it and it can easily be for 2 people if you don't have a huge appetite. I've also had the fried chicken with garlic sauce. Delish! I can't even. It'll definitely get your fingers all sticky but who cares! It's so good! I ate it with rice because the sauce on it is pretty flavorful so the rice balances it out a bit. As for the atmosphere... i mean the outside looks pretty shady. But inside, it's nice and clean. You can see and hear one of the chefs making the noodles in the back, which is pretty cool to observe. =) In any case, I would definitely come here again. I can't wait to try the other dishes!
(4)Lorena H.
I heard a lot of great things and the mountain of food on our plates was amazing. However, i could go on for years about how disappointing our meals were. First, all you hear is a guy murdering something in the background; thump, thump, thump... Loud & hard & non-stop. Second, the restrooms are freezing cold! Its 16 degrees outside with the wind chill making it feel like 3 degrees. The bathroom feels like 3 degrees. Now, onto the food... Menu item #11, i don't know how you mess up shrimp fried rice but the rice was dry and overcooked (crunchy). #31 was all fried and no chicken. #35- tons of bones, hard to eat through the chicken. Unfortunately, i wont be coming back. $50 meal. I gave this 2 stars instead of one because the tiny milk at the end of the meal was delicious! Oh, they don't take american express.
(2)Cathy N.
Nice little hole in the wall. Food was amazing. Garlic chicken wings is a must! Didn't finish the whole plate cause those deep fried dumplings were filling. Had some room for the noodle dishes - spicy seafood soup was good and black bean paste noodles was great. Tasted the yogurt dessert thing - too sweet for me. Will come back again!
(4)JaCara S.
First look walking in, it's dark alil drab but you still get a since of warmth. I love that they make their own noodles and you can hear them as there making them. My personal opinion that adds to the aesthetic appeal of the place. I had the seafood soup, it was spicy and I LOVE that. The bowl it's self, great size! The proportion of noodles to broth and veggies and seafood was perfect. Taste wise I've had better but I Enjoyed it all. The price was 7.50 and readers if you run into my post it's a budget world. - I do have to add the side Dishes could have been better, the kimchi had too much vinegar and had an off smell, the bean sprouts alil slimy. The service was ok, I say that not because they were bad, But I don't think they get too many black couples(only say that from how they stared at us) And from across the room you could see and tell they were tryna decide who would go talk to us. But overall I enjoyed my time and food wasn't bad. Will go again someday. Smile!
(3)Preet M.
Service: Fast and efficient. Payment is made at the front desk and food is served within five minutes every time. Waitresses and managers are very friendly and bubbly despite the language barrier that sometimes hinders service at other similar restaurants. Excellent! Food: I have been to five or six similar restaurants on the East Coast and none of them compare to Da Rae Won. Most of my friends order the jajanmyung here. I have tried the traditional black bean noodle dish a few times and had no complaints. My stomach and it's heart however, falls with the garlic fried chicken wings. My friend Darius has an unhealthy obsession with Popeyes/Fried Chicken, and I think even he has debated whether or not these wings qualify in the running for best wings/ fried chicken ever made. All Quaches aside though, Food here is nothing short of amazing and for those not familiar with Korean restaurants, make sure you don't forget your yogurut pop at the end! Keep up the good work Da Rae Won! Environment: This restaurant boasts a patron base with a wide variety of guests. Everyone from infants to old folk who can barely wipe themselves frequent this place. That being said, yes, it is a family restaurant so it is usually very quiet. It is also traditionally decorated and very simple. Overall, probably one of the best dining options in the College Park area, and definitely the best traditional Korean restaurant I have been to within the DMV
(5)Lhoi R.
Great & authentic korean food !!! The place is old but neat and doesn't smell kimchi :-)
(4)Minna S.
Whenever my family comes here, we always get jajangmyun (black bean noodles), and the fried gangpoongi chicken and shrimp. Their fried chicken/shrimp is seriously the best I have had in such a long time! It comes mixed with a special spicy soy garlic sauce that has so much flavor to it, and it stays crispy. Since I live not too far, I always order it to-go and enjoy it at home. The jajangmyun is great as well, since the noodles are made fresh! Which would explain the thumping noises you may hear from the back. I highly recommend giving this Korean restaurant a try!
(5)Jerry S.
Waaay in the back of Garrett Cove shopping center, past Gah Rahm. The space is high ceilinged and bright, with large pieces of floral art and quiet music. Ban chan are tasty, typical kimchee, radish, and another root vegetable. The seafood thick soup is indeed thick, much like the sauce in a Cantonese dish. The hand-thrown noodles are discernibly better in taste and texture than common boxed ones, but not as different as fresh versus dried Italian pasta. Plenty of seafood - jumbo shrimp, mussels, scallops, squid as well as finned. Plenty of Asian and western veg as well. I could have used a saucer to park the shells. Just the thing on a wintry night. And only $10.50! A little shot of fruit smoothy comes with the check. Mostly Asian clientele, and a few menu items are not translated. Not surprising that they are almost full at 6 PM on a Monday. Four and a half stars for food, rounding up to five for value. Another visit to try the noodles with fresh black bean sauce and pork. Foodgasm! A picture of this dish should be on Wikipedia in the entry for "umami". UPDATE! As of July 2015, Closed Sundays, open Tuesdays
(5)Gene H.
Chinese food as you will find it in Korea: I had JaJang Myun with hand made noodles rolled out and slammed on a table, then folded and the process repeated. It was great! My daughter in law had tangsuyuk, which I take to be the north China version of sweet and sour pork. She got so much that even with sharing she took some home. My wife had chapchae (sweet potato noodles).All very good.
(5)Herschel S.
We almost missed the place as we only saw Gah-ram. Da Rae Won is tucked in the far end of this shopping complex. Anyway, I really love the seafood noodle soup. Hubby liked the fried garlic chicken. We only ordered these two things but it turned out to be a lot of food. We eventually took the rest home and had it again for lunch the next day. Double-win! The noodle is homemade so it does take a while to get the food ready. I also found this place amusing as it is frequented by a lot of Koreans. It must mean something, right? A Korean restaurant approved and frequented by Koreans? I will definitely come back here and would most likely try and introduce friends to this place too.
(4)Tim B.
Right on par with my favorite ja ja myeon place in Seoul. Service is a bit curt, but it is quick and to the point and I love their handmade noodles more than any I have found in the U.S. Their ja ja myeon sauce is of the thicker and pastier and dark persuasion. If you like the more soupy or browner style you may have better luck in ellicot, but this is hands down my favorite noodle place period.
(5)David K.
You can get hand pulled jjajjang myun, It's so good!! Get the gahn-jjajjang. It tastes MUCH better than the regular jjajjang. The ggampoong chicken is good too. Service is quick and friendly too. Can't wait to go back!!
(5)Mike Y.
****LAST REVIEW OF 2013 I'm a fan of korean food. I'm also a fan of sweet in my savory. This place does both. Located in a parking lot off Route 1, Do Rae Won shares the parking lot with fellow korean joint Gah-Rahm. If you're coming here and you are in the know, you're coming for the fresh hand-made noodles - with the freshly made black bean sauce. The deliciousness comes at a cost of constant thumping from the noodles being pulled in the back. Those two come together to be a delicious ja jang myun. It is important to note that you need to order the fresh black bean sauce or else they will probably give you something out of a jar! Another restaurant specialty, the garlic chicken wings - wings stripped down to a club of meat on a bone handle; the wings are deep fried and then fried again in a sauce similar to general tsos with some peas and carrots and peppers (which are not spicy). The chapchae (korean rice noodle) is another noteworthy dish being more savory than the other two mentioned. A problem with a lot of chapchae is that it becomes oily. This is well seasoned, flavorful, tasty, yet light. They give you, as typical for korean restaurants, the pancheon (or side dishes) of picked daikon, kimchi, fresh cut onions. I really really enjoyed this place. So much so that after a night of dinner there, we went and ordered carry out the day after. If you have the choice between the two, I would say eat in. The restaurant is very popular among koreans and even on a sunday at 6PM, the place was fully seated. They serve you tea and as a nice show of concern, will give a plastic cup with a straw for kids. With your check you get yakult. Appreciated. Great local beltsville place, my favorite of MD holiday 2013.
(4)Julie H.
This is the first place I tried jja jang myun and I love it. Their garlic fried chicken is my absolute favorite. The portions here are pretty big and the prices are decent. The service is quick. My favorite thing about this restaurant is that they make the noodles fresh in house. You can hear the chef making the noodles at the restaurant from the loud thumps coming from the kitchen, there's a window where you can go look at him making the noodles. The noodles taste delicious and fresh. I wish they would make more dishes with the noodles since it is their specialty. I've tried the seafood noodle soup which is okay, a bit bland but the noodles taste awesome. Absolutely addicted to the garlic chicken. The sweet and sour beef is okay, I like it but I don't think I would order it again - I prefer the garlic fried chicken. They give you a yogurt drink when you receive your check, great to have after all of that food. Will be returning here again for sure.
(5)Jo P.
First up, when you enter the door it says that Yelp loves this place. Not so sure about that. Waiting time is ridiculously long even after being seated. The food I ordered was crispy chicken which was too tough to chew. The spicy beef was like 90% pepper and 10% beef. To top it all, very poor service! I asked for another beer and was not given one. There was no mandatory gratuity in the receipt so I tipped according to what I felt was due. And guess what?? I was stopped upon the exit because my tip was less than 15%!! If you demand a 15% tip, then add it in the receipt (fyi it is legally called mandatory gratuity)! Not only was I asked to give additional tip for poor service, I was also embarrassed for not giving the correct tip. If you are looking for a delightful dining experience with Korean food, go somewhere else.
(1)Christin C.
I moved to LA 3 yrs ago and I have been on the hunt for jja jang myun...with handmade noodles. I've asked every single korean person I've run into where to find jjajangmyun and can you believe no one handmakes their noodles out here. Oh and I have to ask for daikon. wtf. I miss my jja jang myun :'( Anyways, This is my goto place for jja jang myun after Dae Sung Kwan closed years ago. The kkan poog gi will never be like DaeSungkwan's but their jjajangmyun is awesome.
(4)George C.
You cannot be certain of what you are eating because the taste of the food itself is heavily masked by taste from excessive salt, fat, and seasoning used to prepare it. But given that Beltsville, is such a deplorable town to live in with few amenities for its residents; a mediocre restaurant of this type is probably about as good as it gets.
(2)Paul C.
Okay I am going to avoid spelling in Korean because I am sure most of you can not read it. I have been coming to Da Rae Won for God knows how long and when you come here you get two things. You get the jajangmyung and the garlic fried chicken or however they write it in English. Heck sometimes I just go there for the chicken. It's so hot, crispy, sweet, and salty. Hey let's add healthy since it's served with vegetables (it's really not healthy). It is an orgasmic experience every time I order it. But what if I go with a friend who is a vegetarian? Well you hope they are a pescatarian(spelling?) and order the shrimp version instead! The noodles are also hand pulled and you can hear it being made in the back. A note of warning, if you order anything besides the noodles, rice, and I think some soups, most of the other items on the menu are family style and size. But you should order them anyway cause most of the stuff on the menu is awesome.
(5)John V.
When I start jonesing for Korean food during the week, I usually head to Gah Rahm. They have the buffet going on, choices of sushi and Korean dishes, and really reasonable prices. On a lark, I looked at the back portion of the strip mall where Gah Rahm resides, and lo and behold, there was Da Rae Won! So I popped in for a late (1PM) lunch. Yep, 1PM and I still had a brief wait for a table. I looked around and saw I was one of a handful of non-Koreans in the restaurant, so I figured I'd hit the mother lode. How right I was! I went for the Spicy Noodle Soup with Seafood, and minutes later had a large bowl of noodles in a rich, spicy red broth placed in front of me, along with a few small plates of banchan. Mounded on top and mixed in was an amazing mix of shellfish ... shrimps, squid, scallops, mussels, bites of octopus. I found it odd at first that the mussels were in the shell, but not the clams. Then I rationalized that the clam shells would have taken up too much space and displaced something delicious. About those noodles ... they're all made in-house. While waiting for my meal to arrive, I heard repeated banging noises from the kitchen. I could make out through a translucent screen that it was the noodle guy working with dough, making more noodles. Everyone in the place seemed to be eating one or another of the noodle dishes, and after a taste I could see why. Tasty, great texture, and they came out of the soup flecked with bits of red chile pepper. I couldn't finish it all. Thank goodness I didn't do something stupid like order an appetizer. And it only cost ten bucks for all that deliciousness.
(4)Sennett L.
Came here for lunch 2 weeks ago and had some great chinese/korean food. We had the cham pong (spicy seafood noodle soup), fried rice with jja jjang sauce on the side, chicken wings, and some fried dumplings. Fried dumplings came out first and these were some big dumplings. There were 6-7 dumplings and they were perfectly crisp on the outside, with great flavors on the inside. Great way to start your meal. Next thing that came out were the chicken wings. These were awesome as well! Nice sweet flavor, with succulent meat that came off the bone easily. Reminded me of the famous wings from San Tung in San Francisco. Last 2 items came out. The spicy seafood noodle soup was great. Nice spiciness with tons and tons of seafood. Noodles were apparently made fresh in the kitchen and you could hear the pounding of the noodles throughout the restaurant. The soup was definitely helpful considering the alcohol consumed the night prior. Fried rice with the black bean sauce on the side was good too, didn't really have too much of this. I was too busy filling up on the dumplings and chicken wings. I really didn't expect this but this place was A+ fantastic! PS: they give you a small yogurt drink with your check. This brought back good childhood memories!
(5)Jinsoo L.
Da Rae Won has been around for years. I think this is a perfect example of a restaurant that really gained popularity through the "social media" marketing by the way of sites like Yelp. Anyway, the Jja Jang Myun (black bean noodles) here is amazing due to its great flavor, huge portions and not to mention very affordable. I would not recommend Jja Jang Myun if you were on some sort of calorie counting diet. I mean, the huge thick noodles, bean paste, potatoes, meat... But who cares?? It's delicious. And you must get the Kang Poong Gi (spicy garlic fried chicken wings) with your meal. It is pricey but they make it so good here. For the locals who remember, there used to be a Korean restaurant in Wheaton called Dae Sung Kwan that had the best Kang Poong Gi. Too bad they are now closed but this place tastes very similar. Maybe it is the same chef?? To me, this place is more of a carry-out place. Although the clientele is very interesting as it is generally half University of Maryland students, half ahjoomahs and ahjuhshees. If you're looking for great ambiance, this is not the place for you. Also, it sorta is in the middle of nowhere, in the most depressing strip mall off route-1 but if honestly, this place is all about the FOOD!
(4)Lan L.
I'm from the north of China and haven't found decent noodles in the US. This is the place I will come back for their hand made noodles! The popular garlic chicken wing is too sweet and over fried to my taste but my husband enjoy it sooooo much. I like a restaurant like this without too many options but what they have are the best in town! ----------- Update for the second visit. Ordered the same dishes. My husband enjoys the garlic chicken every time, but I cannot have too much of it--too sweet and heavy for me. The noodles soup is not as amazing as the first time.
(4)Elizabeth R.
Their noodles were amazing and so were the chicken wings. I love that they make their own noodles and you can hear the pounding from the kitchen. The wait wasn't too bad and there were a lot of Korean families there, which I took as a good sign. I would definitely go again if I were in the area.
(5)Jess Y.
Hands down my #1 favorite jja jang myun place in the entire DMV. When I come to dine here, my mind legit drifts into the past, when I used to get it delivered to my residence in Seoul. The highlight on the menu for me would obviously be the jja jang myun, but the ggan poongi (wings) as well. The flavors are incredible. You get the saucy, sticky, sweet yet spicy, crunchy, explosion of flavor with every bite. The chicken is extremely tender and you won't be able to stop eating it. The ambiance is not the best, but who the hell cares. It's just that good.
(5)Sandy T.
Like most of the Korean restaurants around this block, they barely pass acceptable. But this is the better ones when it comes to the taste/quality of food. Their servers are pretty good with being attentive, and cleanliness is average as well, but the restaurant itself can use some renovation... What to order? There are two entrees that I recommend, and also what most people come here for. -Fried garlic chicken (has a light sauce over it) -Jajangmyeon (noodle topped with a thick layer of sauce made from black soybean paste) Also, its hidden all the way in the back of a tiny shopping center with two other Korean restaurants. You may miss it, so be on a look out!
(3)Semra E.
Everything is so good. I honestly don't believe that you could order something and not like it from here. Be prepared to get full and come with a group. It's great for cold weather and just in general. Absolutely get the chicken with garlic, it may change your life in all the right ways.
(4)Karen S.
I guess I've been a homemade noodle kick recently (does two restaurants in a row count?), but I loved hearing the smack-smack of the dough back in the kitchen. It was a little awkward because I'm not Korean but the waitresses kept assuming I was! All the more reason to learn, I suppose. I ordered the dumplings, garlic chicken wings and the black bean noodles. Wayyyy too much food for two people. The dumplings were fun and crunchy but not super flavorful, so I probably won't get them again. The garlic chicken wings were AWESOME. Weirdly stir-fried with mixed vegetables (like the ones you get in a frozen bag: corn, peas, beans, carrots), but crunchy and tasty nonetheless. I liked the noodles, despite them being thinner than I expected for homemade ones. I've never had Korean jajanmyun, so I didn't realize it was literally just a paste with some chunks of beef and a ton of nearly raw onions, but I still enjoyed it.
(3)Sandy T.
Garlic chicken wingssssssssss! SO good and compared to BonChon this is pretty much a tie! It is not as crunchy as BonChon but definitely more flavorful. One plate can feed up to 3 people. My brother is the one who took me here and I do love it. The menu is not too extensive they do not serve Kbbq! But they do serve Jajangmyun (black bean noodles) and VERY delicious. This time I took my sister, brother, and friends to celebrate my sister's graduation. Her friend ordered the fresh black bean noodles and my sister ordered the normal one. Although the normal is only about 1$ cheaper I would go for the fresh black bean noodles. The tastes is different and the fresh is better X10000, but it comes with A LOT of onions! They hand make their noodles so it is very soft but chewy.
(4)Margaret Z.
THE go-to for authentic Korean cuisine in the College Park area. You can't go wrong with the jajangmyun (hand-pulled noodles with black bean sauce and chopped onions). The servings here are HUGE and you get a decent amount of banchan as well. For the jajangmyun, the sauce comes in a separate bowl so you can add as much, or as little, as you prefer. My friend also taught me to mix in some rice (a bowl is only $1), which actually added some nice texture to the dish. I came here starving last night and left stuffed... all for just $10! The atmosphere is nice--the place is clean and a little on the small side, but there are tables and booths of various sizes which makes it nice for either large groups or just with a friend. Service is extremely attentive and friendly. Pay at the counter after you're done! Can't wait to come back and eat my way though the rest of the menu....
(5)alan P.
They offer fresh made noodles that are great, and very popular.
(3)Claire F.
So good! Taste so good! Big size. Great environment. I was so happy about everything I have in this place! And I will highly recommend it!
(5)Hannah L.
So from what I hear this place makes good black bean noodle. At the same time this place wasn't too far from where I live. The black bean noodle was okay for my taste. The noodle was very good. There are other places like this in Annandale but I think this place is way better. Service was nothing to neither complain nor compliment about. The only thing put on some fake smiles.
(4)Andrea H.
If you aren't Korean you may get stares. But let the love of the food exceed your discomfort with being a stranger.
(4)Kris L.
Hand made noodles = amazing. I loved this place and thought the jajangmyun was great. The noodles were perfectly chewy and the sauce was very typical korean black bean sauce. I really loved the korean wings (gang pung gee) and the stir fry glass noodles (jjap chae)!! The wings were perfectly sweet and salty and garlicky. Could have used a bit more heat but that's just my personal preference. The noodles were perfectly seasoned and the flavors were spot on. The tang soo yuk isn't bad either! Their hidden gem is the simple shrimp fried rice Very good prices. Will be stopping by when I'm in the area!
(4)Tiffany L.
Really good seafood noodle soup, black bean noodle, and deep fried dumplings. The portions are huge! Which is a good and bad thing. Ive always wanted to try more things from their menu but there would be way too much food (I usually just come here with my boyfriend). The service is fast, if you need anything just flag them down and they'll be right there. No complaints here! Good stick to your bone Korean noodle soups.
(4)Alexander W.
I found this jewel on yelp and it didn't let me down!! The food was AMAZING!!! I saw all the reviews and decided to give it a try. The staff was super friendly and help me select what I might like on the menu as I am not a frequent of Korean food. I got the wings, bulgogi, and noodles with black bean sauce. College park must have a large korean population because there are like 3 other restaurants in the same fascinate but I kept seeing people bypass the others and come here. I don't know if this is authentic but the food was great and I will definitely be having it again.
(5)Ryan G.
Simply outstanding. Excellent Korean style chinese food. Par with Los Angeles quality. Totally unexpected from this area. Definitely will come back while in DC.
(5)Hana P.
This place had so many good reviews, but I wasn't impressed. They don't even offer bulgogi or galbi here. Boo hoo. I ordered this spicy chicken dish, but it reminded me of Americanized chinese food. My coworker had jjajangmyun, and it was pretty yummy. Another coworker had the fried chicken wings and those were just okay. I think I was disappointed because I really wanted bulgogi or galbi. Oh well.
(2)Yimei W.
It's a small storefront, but the inside is spacious, you can bring groups here. There are 2 things which you can count on them getting it right: 1. ja jiang myun (noodles with black sauce): the noodles are unforgettable. They pound it out in the kitchen so you know it's fresh. There's thick and thin noodles under a blanket of black sauce with PLENTY of chopped onion. Get the option that is less watery; I got it and don't regret it. Sauce is served on the side so you can control your seasoning. This is better because when it comes to taking it to-go, you can separate and your noodles won't get soggy. The day after, it's still tasty. 2. fried chicken: with garlic sauce. From a person who doesn't like fried chicken or fried anything--this really made it worthwhile to come off my high horse and get my fingers dirty for a bit. There's a huge platter of about 15-20 drumsticks and wings, with a glaze over nice, crisp batter. Diced peppers and onions litter the dish, creating color and excitement. I'm the kind who does NOT like a lot of skin and tend to go for the white meat, but this went over well with me. I would say, it's a place to take friends who are not too adventurous or into weird meat parts or anything too exotic. It's a good intro to korean food, heh. The most exotic thing was the pork pieces in the sauce.
(5)Melbourne B.
First time visiting this restaurant. Took my friends who have an interest in all things Korean culture. Two of us ordered the fried chicken wings with garlic based off of the reviews. It was great! Crispy, sweet and carmalized. Even the bits of carrot and peas sprinkled on were good. We received a side of fermented and non-fermented kimchi. It was spicy in a good way! My other friend ordered a black bean noodle dish. She said it was good, but had leftovers and didn't take them. The dessert was a small bottle of liquid sherbert/yogurt. Overall, I enjoyed the experience and will definitely be coming back for more wings.
(4)Obe B.
This place is a hidden gem and pretty good. I went for lunch and loved the family atmosphere. Wasn't very busy so idk if the service is different then, my servers were very good and attentive. They pointed Pitt things to try as I might not on my own. Check it out for lunch.
(4)Hana K.
They give you big portions of food. Reasonable price. The food taste great. Cant find another place that serves awesome black bean noodles!!
(5)Jeana C.
I didn't know what to expect when i got here. I was craving some spicy soup so after checking out yelp's reviews i decided to try it. When i walked in, there were bunch of older korean men and women. I knew then that their food would be pretty good. I hate to say it but when there are bunch of "oh it's so tasty" by people that "may" not have had a variety of korean food, i am skeptical. But since there were bunch korean people there i knew the food will be good. And yup. It sure was. Had jjam ppong, extra spicy and some fried mandu. Fried mandu was ok but their soup was so yummy. The Waitresses there need some interpersonal skills but since it's not like a 5 star restaurant, i won't fuss about it. I was craving some spicy soup and that's what i got. I enjoyed it so mission complete! Sure i will go back there again. Probably not too many times but only because i don't want my face to get huge from all the sodium i had from eating their soup...LOL.
(3)Daniela L.
This is a great homestyle Korean restaurant that is just a little out of the way from the busiest part on Route 1. I love coming here in groups because the portions are always so generous, especially with the jjajangmyeon (black bean noodles). As many people have said here, get the fried chicken! They're always piping hot once they arrive at your table with very crispy and flavorful skin. The soups are also great for a cold day when you need some comfort food.
(4)Fan L.
4.5 stars. Best Korean Chinese food I've had, although to be fair the only other time I've had this type of food it was horrible. The noodles here are really really good - chewy and thick just like the homemade ones. Coincidentally, they are made in house here. We had the jajanmyun, spicy seafood noodles, and garlic chicken wings. Delicious all around and CHEAP. My only complaint would be that the place is a bit dingy, esp the bathrooms.
(4)Liz N.
I spent last summer in Korea and this was one of my FAVORITE dishes.. despite it's close origins to Chinese noodles. This place really hits the spot! Who cares about decor and service if you have amazing foood!!! The traditional spicy seafood/veggie soup is enough to feel 1.5 people, sad part is it's not very tasty when you try to reheat it. This place is known for their bangging (literally.. loud banging from the kitchen) noodles, so that's all I've order. for less than $10 a bowl.. who can ask for anything more more?
(4)Di V.
Been here for Jajanmyeon and it's the best! This is the place I go near work. Friendly, fast and tasty food. Haven't had a chance to taste their soups yet, but will venture there next time.
(5)Ashley Z.
This place has the best Korean style jajanmyun in the area (or ever?). It's different from the Chinese version though, so don't be afraid to dump all of the black bean sauce into your noodles. I promise it won't be too salty. I always get the fresh black bean sauce. I mean, if you're going to eat all of those noodles you might as well get the good stuff right? To be fair though, I've never had the cheaper version, so I don't really know how big the difference is. But, I've been told that the fresh sauce has more flavor and tastes better overall. Sometimes I get the spicy seafood soup here too. It's not as mind-blowing as the jajanmyun, but the noodles are all hand-made too so it's still more special than what you'll find at other Asian places. I tend to stay away from the other items on the menu because they're pricier than the noodles, but I did try the garlic chicken wings recently and they were amazing. The pieces are huge and there's plenty of meat underneath the crispy exterior. The flavor is different from the ones at Bon Chon and they're not very spicy either. But, I think these wings are a great alternative if you don't want to drive all the way to VA or Ellicott City to get your Korean fried chicken fix. No complaints about the service here. As an added bonus, they give you little bottles of that sweet yogurt-drink stuff at the end of your meal.
(5)R S.
Not your typical Korean BBQ joints that are smokey. Mostly home style Korean cooking, very tasty and great experience to see another side of Korean food. I can see they are focusing on spicy noodle and fried dishes with topped flavorful sauces.
(5)Anita T.
Definitely recommend the garlic chicken wings (a very good rendition of Korean style fried chicken, thin skin, crispy and sweet and savory sauce) and jja jang myun. Serving sizes are huge and the bowl of noodles can probably serve 2-3. Decor of the place is kinda strange.... my friends and I were convinced it has to have been a Hometown Buffet at some point from color scheme and wallpaper, along with the KFC-like tabletops. But who cares, super yummy, one of my favorite places when I visit friends in the DC area :)
(5)Eunice K.
usually good. had one bad take out experience because the noodles didn't seem like the way it usually tasted but went again and thank goodness it's back to tasting the way it did. love tangsooyook, kangpoongi and yoosanseul
(4)Reginald T.
We often go to Da Rae Won when we are craving for Korean food. The Korean garlic chili chicken wings is my favorite. I would say it's on par with the bonchon chicken wings. Their ja jang myun is also good.
(5)A L.
4.5 stars. First of all, the food is great. It really depends on what you get though. For example the garlic sauce chicken is pretty much everyone's favorite, and if you don't like that there's the tangsuyuk which is sweet. Depends on what you want there's jajangmyun which I love getting, and yangjapi is good too. oh there's shrimp kanpoonggi, don't miss that one!! Then there's an excellent service. Waitresses are quick on their feet and they don't forget what you tell them. Food comes very quickly. Best Korean Chinese food around CP. My only complain is that the place is a little run down, considering how many people go there every day and sometimes you have to wait in line to get seated, they could do a better decoration and renovation.
(4)Lori R.
I'm no expert on Korean food, but a friend who is took me here for lunch. I got black bean noodles and we shared an order of the chicken (I forget which one, but it was the first chicken option on the menu). My friend got the spicy seafood and vegetable noodles, it looked delicious. The portions are HUGE, so the noodle dishes are especially affordable. The noodles are handmade in the restaurant, you can hear them making them and also see them through an opaque window. The wait staff was attentive and the food came quickly. They serve the meals with barley tea, mine was never completely empty because they refilled often enough. I'm looking forward to going back!
(5)Charlotte S.
Haven't been here in a while, so who knows if the management's changed again - you can never predict it with all these Korean places, especially in MD. The turnover rate is so high! I must say that since it opened, its quality has plummeted. At first, it was a wonderful alternative to Dae Sung Kwan (so old!) but that went away so competition was pretty much non-existent. Instead of taking this chance to better the menu, they just got worse. The noodles gradually became thicker and too dense, not soft. There was no fresh taste. After checking out Jeon Won (Jun Won? sp), I'm a bigger fan of them than I am of Da Rae Won. While their interior is far worse and the conditions of the A/C unit questionable, their jja jang myun noodles are way better.
(2)C P.
Written by my youngest son: this champong is great! I like the kind of spicy in that champong. since I am too young to like girls, all I dream about is their Champong. Sometimes, I have to throw temper tantrums to force my parents to take me here. I consider the champong like a zebra and I am a hungry lion that hasn't eaten in 3 weeks. If everyone in the world could have a bowl of their champong, there wouldn't be any more problems in this world. Oh Champong, I love you so. Don't change. Don't ever change
(5)Jenny H.
I LOVE this place- they make their noodles fresh and when I get the cold soybean noodle soup, and I add ice (since it comes out a little thick), it's SUPER delicious!!! Chewy, chewy, and more chewiness!! The BEST thing here though is their garlicky chicken wings (ggang-pung-gee)- OMG, it's super crispy, sweet and garlicky, and they fry it and add small chopped veggies- the perfect blend of flavors- a MUST GET if you're here!!! I've tried these Korean wings elsewhere, and this place does it the best!! Their hot spicy seafood soup (jjang-bbong) is really good too, as is their black bean noodles (jja-jjang-myun).
(5)Natasha S.
My mom and I being huge Korean-Chinese soup fans, we thought we would give this place a try based on the reviews. I am surprised the reviews were so good, because honestly we thought it was sub par. My mother ordered the Seafood, Vegetable and Egg Noodle Soup which she thought was bland. She had to add hot sauce. I ordered the Spicy Seafood and Vegetable Noodle Soup. I liked the broth as I thought it was flavorful and just the right amount of spice. My only concern is the noodles were way too soft, and melted in my mouth, I like my noodles more on the chewier side. Most importantly, the seafood in both of our soups were really bad. It all tasted NOT fresh and very bad. A super disappointment. The 3 sides that they offered were decent, although I thought the Kimchi tasted old. The service was good and fairly quick. The prices are decent. Everyone seemed to enjoy what they ordered. We wondered if we had just ordered the wrong dishes, and probably would have given it another chance if the Seafood wasn't old. I don't want to risk getting sick from the Seafood - it's never worth it.
(2)J. J.
The food there is kind of addictive, especially the noodles. The first trial of the spicy seafood noodle soup and the black bean noodle were not too impressive, but later in the week, I started to miss them and wanted to come back again and over again. The food potion is huge though, even one entree and one noodle dish to share is more than enough for two people. Hope there are choices for smaller size!
(5)Megan Q.
Home to the best thing i ever ate in Maryland, those garlic fried chicken wings!!! They're so crispy and got great flavor. It's not just slathered with sauce like other places, these are actually seasoned and marinated. Everything else(black bean noodle, seafood noodle soup, crystal noodles) is ok. May be bland to some people, but if you're into simple, very light, and clean tasting asian food this is the place! Portions are pretty big. With three people we'd order 2 noodles and wings, and have leftovers.
(4)Teddy E.
I went back for the garlic fried chicken wings. Absolutely delicious! They are $16 for the plate but it's enough to quite generously feed two.
(5)Jet L.
Stomach, you disappoint me!!! I want to eat more of this delicious heaven they call garlic chicken wings, yet you will not allow me!!! How cruel. Ahhh alas...I can now only fondly reminisce on the truly amazing meal I just enjoyed. Alright, the lowdown on the grub - started with the fried dumplings (fresh, hot, crispy, filled with a pork mixture- not salty enough in my opinion but a little soy sauce easily took care of that), garlic chicken wings (reference "heaven" statement above), noodle bowl with black bean sauce (don't let it's ominous color deter you, this dish is simply outstanding), and the spicy beef and seafood noodle bowl (perfect hangover concoction..good eatin right hurr). And yes we heard the thumping of the fresh noodle making going down in the back...and yes every time we heard the thumping I couldn't resist reminding my wife what was happening in all my excitement :) good gawd this place is phenomenal.
(5)Tonny T.
Five stars for jja jang myun.. BY THE WAY! closed on Tuesday's
(5)Matthew L.
If it was just the food, it would get a 5, but because I'm shallow and the place is looks a little shady, it gets 4. They have a cold noodle soup that I really like. The noodles and black bean sauce are also tasty. The best thing on the menu though is the chicken wings. I admit I'm a wing nut, but these come out with a really nice crisp. They have a nice garlic sauce that is not too strong, and coated with a mix of peppers. I highly recommend them.
(4)Jeremy L.
The most authentic east Asian cuisine I've had in MD. Really makes a big difference that they pull their own noodles. For 9 dollars, the seafood soup dish was a steal. Big scallops and shrimp, along with squid rings and a mussel. Flavor was amazing.
(5)Olivia D.
Man. Pretty much everything I was going to say has already been said by Su, right down to the "red paper." Curses! But it's ok, I'll find things to write about anyway. If you've ever been to Dae Sung Kwan in Wheaton, you will find the menu here nearly identical. Noodles are the specialty (or "noddles" as the menu says) and they are made on-site, evident by the constant thumping sound of noodle-making in the background. Although there are different variations available (e.g. beef v. seafood), the noodle dishes basically boil down to two options: -jja jang myun - noodles with a brown black bean sauce -spicy or mild noodle soup I'm personally not a huge fan of jja jang myun... it's salty, brown and kinda one-note. So I usually go with either the samsun jjampong (spicy seafood noodle soup) or the samsun udong (not spicy seafood noodle soup). Both come in huge bowls with a combination of shrimp, clams, squid, vegetables, and egg mixed in. Unfortunately, even though noodles are their signature thing, I personally find Da Rae Won's noodles too thin. I like handmade noodles when they are nice and thick, almost chewy. You would also expect udon noodles ("udong" in Korean) to be thicker than the closer-to-spaghetti-thin noodles they serve up here. The real highlight, as Su mentions, is the samsun noo rung jee tang. It sounds weird: A bed of crispy/burnt rice topped with a mix of sauteed shrimp, squid, scallops, sea cucumber, mushrooms, snow peas, carrots, and baby corn. Oh but it is SO so good. It is very pricey, but if you want to try something different -- this is what you must order.
(3)C K.
I've been coming here for about 8 years with my family. Our usual order: Mandu - fried dumpings Tangsuyuk - sweet and sour pork Kampongee - garlic chicken wings Jjajjangmyun - black bean noodles Bokembop - fried rice with side of black bean sauce I like to come here with a group so we can order a mix of things and have a little of everything. I would not stray from the items I listed above, these items are what they specialize in. My boyfriend tried to order the spicy chicken wings instead of the garlic chicken wings one time and I told him they wont be good. He really wanted to try them so he asked the waitress for them and even she said not to get them because they arent very good. The downsides - their noodles are better on some days than others. Also, they are closed on some random day of the week (I think its Tues or Weds), which is usually the day of the week where I am craving their food.
(4)Su K.
Still the only noodle beaters in town - for more technical info, refer to that bastion of knowledge, Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La… Several things leave me wanting to downgrade DRW: 1) very little meat given in the jja jang myun and at the end of your meal, your bowl will be full of onions. Some will say that those are used for flavor, but they're barely even cooked. 2) the jja jang myun's flavor has been inconsistent - it was really, really bland this past Sunday. 3) is pretty busy now at all hours of the day, esp. on Sunday afternoons when ppl finish up their golf, yet, I've never seen more than two servers here at any time. They are friendly and they do their best to remember, but they're usually overwhelmed. 4) and since it's busy, we'll usually see another family we know there, and of course, once the pleasantries of Hello have been exchanged, the next comment headed in my direction is, "You got fat." Still, there's nothing quite like it in the area, so I'm willing to overlook those shortcomings. Here are a few more suggestions if you're heading out there: 1) it's a tad expensive ($30) and the first time my pops ordered it, I thought it was way overpriced, but the samsun noo rung jee tang (seafood over burnt rice) is pretty good as a group appetizer: seafood stir fried w/ veggies in sauce, and poured over burnt rice. Not sure why seafood things are so insanely expensive at Korean places, e.g., seafood jungols 2) I like ordering the fried rice. It comes with a bit of jja jang sauce, as well as a small bowl of the jjampong soup. 3) the Ggam Poong Geei (fried chicken) is still good, but the tangsooyook (sweet & sour pork) has surpassed it as my fave appetizer. And btw, the menus are still littered w/ typos (noddles instead of noodles, red paper instead of red pepper, etc...).
(4)Gavin F.
Learned about Da Rae Won via Yelp and tried it. Since then, we've been coming here regularly for a while, but now I'm finally getting around to writing a review. By " a while," I mean over the course of 6 months. By "regularly," I mean about once a week. I even added a contact for them to my mobile so I could speed-dial. What I'm saying is, it's good. It is not haute cuisine, but it satisfies every time. It's got that home-style feel that makes you feel welcome, and it doesn't cost too much for good taste. The lady at the counter remembers me and knows I prefer kimchi instead of turnips, and now I don't even have to ask! So, let me think about what we order here. Of course, you must get at least one order of noodles. "A" almost always gets the jya-jyang-myun (menu item #1). I sometimes get the seafood noodle soup, or maybe fried rice. Yes, I realize that fried rice is not a noodle dish, but it's still good. It's my review and I can rate what I want! We also really love the fried chicken wings in garlic sauce--again, I know these don't have noodles but they are great. Part of what makes this fun is because these dishes are Korean interpretations of Chinese food, and yet it differs radically from dishes with same name in Taiwan or Singapore. Actually, we like the Korean-Chinese version of jya-jyang-myun better. I do heartily recommend.
(4)An T.
There'll always be restaurants out there that only have a few particular, but amazing dishes that'll routinely bring you in, and Da Rae Won is one of them. Small, quaint, and usually quiet, the wallpaper and decor in this place may be dull and antique-looking, but the food makes you forget about all that. The two must haves at this place? The Ja Jang Myun and the Kkangpoongki! (Translation: Black bean noodles, and garlic wings). These two dishes are without fail, every time. You won't find them better anywhere else in the DC area. The noodles are always made fresh and you can tell because you always hear the cook in the back, pounding away with what sounds like raging-madness. Mix it up real well, add a little chili powder provided at the table, and you're good to go. It's a pretty big bowl, so I'd recommend sharing with someone else. The wings are SOOO damn good. They're big, garlicky & sweet, crispy, steaming hot, and NEVER dry. Eat them by themselves, or with rice. Either way, they're amazing. They even taste pretty good they day after. I haven't tried BonChon wings yet, but a lot of people I've spoken to say they actually prefer the ones here. I've tried a few other dishes, but nothing notable aside from the two above. Although the mandu (fried dumplings) are pretty good too. They're crispy, hot, and pretty big compared to dumplings at other places. I love this place for it's consistency and freshness. You're never worried about having something thrown back into a microwave from the day before. Everything is always really hot, and ready to eat. My only complaint is this one particularly snooty waitress who's too good to refill your water unless you're frantically waving your arms in the air. She never paid any attention to our group, and we had to ask several times for some basic things. I got that ol' "you're not Korean or older, so we treat you like crap" vibe. But I politely addressed another worker there, who looked like she might be the owner or manager there and hopefully, it won't happen again. Know what you're ordering when you're here, and you can't go wrong!
(4)Jean L.
Chewy hand-pulled noodles, you are my fave! (I got the gan jjm, $8.50, and it was on point. The sauce had LOTS of onion, so I would advise another sauce if you aren't an onion fan). Kkangpoongki (fried wings in garlic sauce), your meat was neither slimy nor dry. Props! Especially since you're around the same price as your slimy/dry competition. Too many Chinese-style Korean places have kimchee and kkakdugi (radish kimchee) that is unacceptable, but not you Da Rae Won. Yay! + Bonus points for the yogurt at the end. I accidentally bit into a dried chili and the yogurt was just what I needed~ Sigh, I just wish you weren't so far. Come here for the food, not the decor~ Unless you dig a hotel lobby vibe and country picnic tablecloths...
(4)Hannah K.
The BEST jajjangmyun! The noodles are handmade in the back and you can hear them pound the dough while waiting for your food. Before there was a glass window where you can watch them make the noodles, but I think it's covered now. The tang soo yuk is really good, although it's pricey and the portion size got smaller than before. Oh and the Kimchee is amazing :) A great restaurant with a relatively cheap price. My family has been coming here for a really long time and we even drive all the way from Howard County to eat here! Try it out if you're around the area and it's close to University of Maryland College Park!
(5)Nichole D.
I just ate here with my hubby last night, and we plan to return. We found the food tasty, and the portions were generous. I ordered two dishes: noodles with black bean sauce and spicy seafood with noodle soup. I planned to try them both and bring one home. I devoured the noodle with black bean sauce. It was a new dish to me but felt like comfort food. I won't order it again, however, because the sauce contained meat, which wasn't listed on the menu. I brought the spicy noodle soup home, but it tasted great and had plenty of seafood. My husband tried the combination fried rice. He liked it, and he pointed out there were no large white onions - a pet peeve. Thank you fellow reviewers for explaining the intermittent loud banging is the noodle maker at work, what items would be brought before the meal, and identifying the post dinner yogurt. Based on reviews, I was prepared for questionable service, but I was pleasantly surprised. The manager correctly assumed that we were not familiar with everything and made suggestions about how to order the food. (e.g. ordering the fried rice with black sauce on the side) She forgot my husband's drink, but she apologized and brought it right away when reminded. The server and bus boy were efficient, if somewhat quiet, but they answered any question we asked directly. It would have been nice for the server to identify the kimche and pickled radish when they arrived. I still don't know what the final condiment was; it tasted like a kimche radish. I was also confused when the server brought extra emtpy bowls, until I saw how other diners split the family-style entrees. The yogurt drink at the end was light and refreshing. The prices were moderate for most entrees, and I definitely got my money's worth. I look forward to bringing my kids.
(4)B W.
I was very skeptical about venture into new Korean territory. My family and I have always been "Gah Rham loyalists" for years even though these two restaurants are a stone's throw from the other. I took a chance (well, after yelping it for 5 minutes, even while I was in the restaurant), and good luck was in my favor. My husband and I walked in to a nearly empty restaurant; there were about 2 tables occupied. We quickly received our table and menus. Much to my chagrin, the menu was two pages (double sides, which I guess means 4), and only the descriptions were in English. There were pics on the walls of food and their prices, but again, I had no idea what it was. I felt like I entered into a foreign land. So he ordered the chicken with garlic sauce and I ordered the cellophane noodles with pork and vegetables, and the dumplings (we were really hungry). Then the little bowls came out... Everything was very good. I liked my noodles better than his chicken, which was just chicken. He ordered a bowl of rice. The dumplings were really good, but required the self-made sauce. In the end we received a reasonable check (just under $45) and two "yogurt flavored" drink. Let's just say yogurt or yogurt flavor is not my favorite. The service was pretty good too. When food was ready there was a bell in the back and the server went running (literally). She was cleaning off another table, dropped everything, then went running to get some good. The food came to the table directly from it's respective cooking apparatus. It was so heat hot I choked when I ate it. Definitely worth a repeat trip (a mini trip to Korea)!
(3)Xiaoya W.
Have been here tens of times. Close to my home, good food with reasonable price
(5)Alex S.
Nothing much to say about this place (all the other reviewers basically got what I had to say), but this is a good place to quench your taste for some Korean noodles, especially jajangmyeon (Korean noodles in black soybean sauce) or jjampong (Korean spicy noodle soup with seafood). They also offer a variety of other dishes, but this place specializes in jajangmyeon and jjampong. I don't have much to complain about the food, but the service could have been a bit better. The place was never packed whenever I went, and I usually come here alone or with a few friends. Anyways, if you're in the mood for Korean noodles and you're in the College Park or Beltsville area, try this place out!
(4)Shieva R.
Best Ja Jang Mein around!!! MmmMmmm soooo good, outta this world good! I even heard them banging around in the back making the fresh noodles, completely adds to the experience!!! Their mapo tofu kinda sucks though. Tried Kangpoongki for the first time, don't think I'm a huge fan in general but it was good.
(5)Geoff A.
Great fresh noodles, but needed better toppings. Ambience: Pretty ordinary but okay. Service: Not the best English skills which made it hard to ask many questions about the menu. Very friendly and fast though. Food: I went here because of the fresh noodles and they really are the highlight. However, the seafood black bean sauce was heavy on the sauce and onions while being very very skimpy with the seafood. You'll end up leaving half of it. The accompanying sides (especially kkaduchi and kimchi) were very tasty. Price: Very reasonable. I'd want to go back and try to give it the chance to get another star by seeing if one of the other dishes had more taste.
(3)Rin A.
Dumplings. Fried Chicken Wings. Black Bean Noodles. This place rocks. And they play some sweet K-Pop! I
(5)Nancy L.
Great chewy noodles! My friend got the jja jang myun ($8.50)and it consisted of onions and the black bean sauce. The sauce was a little sweet and very tasty. I got the vegetable and seafood egg noodle soup ($8.95). Nice big shrimp, a big scallop, some clams and squid. The broth was very light and almost bland. But add some red chili sauce and it changed it all. I really enjoyed the noodles. Other friends got sweet and sour fried chicken and pork. HUGE portions. Enough for at least 2 people. Comes with rice. The waitresses were all really friendly too!
(4)Dee S.
I was hesitant to write this review since I am an African American who went to an Asian restaurant to get some wings in sauce for carry out. So as not to appear stereotypical, I NEVER eat fried wings from carry out places and this restaurant,my friends, is not a carry out place either. It's a quaint Korean restaurant back up in the cut, as we would describe it. I had read the many reviews on Yelp and decided that I just had to try this place and these fabulous wings in the garlic sauce. So my sister and I ended up going to the other restaurant that is nearby since I did not check Yelp again carefully until we were seated and she had ordered. Not wanting to be rude and also not wanting to have to choke my sister who absolutely LOVES Korean BBQ, I stayed and ate the veggies but those wings were calling me. So to make a long story as short as possible, after we left the other place, I got to order my wings in garlic sauce and am I ever glad that I did! That chicken was the BOMB DOT COM! Tender, juicy, and that sauce not too sweet nor did make the chicken soggy. The crispness made it all the way home. It was absolutely delicious. My hubby and I ate it the next day and he who eats nothing different tried it and said "is this place open tomorrow?" Ok so why after all of this and only four stars? Well, I did not eat anything else neither did I dine in, since I actually enjoy Korean food, as well. Also, I like assorted wing pieces, especially the flats, not all drumsticks (which by the way, is a very generous portion). Oh yes, I almost forgot to thank Da Rae Won for serving chicken wings that are not the size of pterodactyl wings.
(4)Arthur F.
**edit There was some buzz about yelp.com/biz/jang-won-ko… in annandale. I gave it a shot. Piss poor food but they have a novel thing they do where you can get a bowl with one half jjahjahnmyung and the other jahmpong. Sounds good in theory b/c most Koreans will tell you it's hard to decide between the two. But when you actually have to eat both together or one right after another... neither tastes as good. Dae Rae Won is still tops! The go to spot for JjahJangmyung in the DMV now that Dae Sung Kwan got sold and the new owners destroyed that business. In fact, from what I'm told the owner is a disciple of the main guy from Dae Sung Kwan. The noodles are freshly made and you can tell. The only peeve is that I was so used to the master chef at Dae Sung Kwan making his fresh noodles fatter it took me a little while getting used to the thinner style made her at Dae Rae Won. The ggahmpongee and Tangsuhyook are also the best in the DMV here so check those out as well. If you're feeling adventurous I'd order the Yoosahnseul, which is a korean/chinese seafood dish that has things like pork, shrimp and sea cucumber in it. It's all good and the prices are reasonable.
(5)Ellen W.
Great hand made noodles and other dishes. Service sucked really bad. I will go there again to eat in a smaller group. They seem to not handle large groups very well.
(4)Terry P.
Very nice Jja Jang Myun and Pepper Jjam Ppong!! Highly recommend!!
(4)Ina C.
d a r a e w o n r o c k s e a t j j m !
(4)Fina A.
The overall four-star of this place has given me a clue that this place would give me the mmmmm.. feeling. Yes, I got it right. Happen to bring my friends to try on this place for a dinner. quite dark from the outside, but heyyyy it's the homey-look restaurant - you know my rule: the more homey-look, the authentic-er - even when I got inside, feels like home and started by the ahnyonghaseo greeting from the waiter. To-the-point menu, I like it. But I know it had to be noodle. their Jajangmyun, right? People talked about it a lot. I was craving for some Jajangmyun, but prefer something soup-y for a while, so I had the.. idk I forgot, noodle with seafood egg soup? The result? yes now I know, their noddle is something, period. Will I ever go back here again? (HELL) yes, sure, I don't see why not. I'll put aside Pho 88 for a while now.
(4)Lauren H.
This place is listed as a Chinese restaurant but it's really a Korean restaurant. The food is authentically Korean - the kimchi and pickled radishes you get before your meal are my absolute favorite. If you hear a banging noise coming from the back of the restaurant , no its not a child being unruly, it's the chef making noodles (which are phenomenal). The jap chae is a bit salty but still good. The fried pork with sweet and sour sauce came with a healthy serving of veggies. We also ordered the noodles with spicy seafood soup- it was light and savory, by far my favorite item on the menu. The place is definitely going to become one of our regular spots
(5)Ted M.
It is in an awful part of beautiful downtown Beltsville, just north of College Park and if even with a GPS, if you don't look carefully, you'll miss it. However, once you walk in, it is a very nice find. My aunt and uncle took me there on a Sunday saying that if you like Korean-Chinese food, it is very close to the real deal. Even with going in with high expectations, I was pleasantly surprised. The jjajangmyun is authentic (complete with the loud banging noise you hear throughout your stay at the restaurant which is the sound of the noodle guy in the back making the noodles by hand, nice touch) and the other stuff I've had like the dumplings and the tangsuyeok is fantastic. Low expectations for service but it was certainly adequate and very nice and clean inside. Reasonably priced. For anyone who either grew up or spent a lot of time in Korea the last thirty or so years, this place is so authentic you'll be looking for the delivery guy riding up in a bicycle with those silver metal containers. Make sure to leave your empty bowls and plates outside your apartment or house so he can come by a few hours later to pick them up.
(4)Ji K.
I wanted to do some serious noodle beating myself after making a poor selection that is uool myun. If you like your noodle soups drenched in corn starch and has the consistency of an entree like sweet and sour pork, go for it! My fiancee is not a fan of jajang myun. She actually is not a fan of Korean-Chinese dishes in general so I thought uool myun might be an interesting alternative. The sarcasm I've received from my lady rest of that night was quite "entertaining". "You guys call THIS Chinese food eh?" for example. -_- I digressed. The most important consideration for a K-Chinese place for me is jajang myun. The gan jajang sauce is just ok at Da Rae Won. The sauce was prepared in a way that there was not enough liquid or I just didn't get enough sauce. The dish ended up too dry. The flavor itself was not bad at least. DRW has one thing going for them. The beaten noodle's consistency was just right. The noodle itself is the best I've had in this area for jajang myun but that's not what really makes the dish for me. I prefer Joong Hwa Won's gan jajang better than DRW's and it doesn't even come close to Han Joong Kwan's normal jajang at Ellicott City.
(2)Kat L.
If I was reviewing just the food, this place would get 5 stars. This place has very authentic jajangmyen and jampong that taste like the ones they sell in Korea. The portions are huge and the price is cheap. This is my go-to place for some Korean noodles. The only thing lacking about this place is service. The waitresses there are nice but they are not attentive enough. This would be a five star place if the waitresses would pay a little more attention to the customers.
(4)Joan K.
Went back a few weeks ago. Everything seemed exactly the same. I was so relieved. On an even better note, it seemed like they were pretty busy too. When we used to go during college we always used to be the only people there. I'm glad they're doing well!
(4)Christine L.
When I ordered the jajiang noodles you can really tell that the noodles were freshly made. The dish would be perfect if they weren't skimpy on adding more ingredients in the sauce. I tasted literally three pieces of meat. Also the garlic hot wings are pretty good, but it is not as good as bonchon wings.
(3)Yummy or Crummy S.
Go to this place for the noodles!! Fresh, handmade, they cant be beat. I love the spicy beef and seafood noodle soups, but the rest of the noodle dishes are very good too. The portions are huge and the price very reasonable (under $10)!
(4)Lam Ngan L.
My friend ordered Noodles #4 (veggies with beef) and I ordered the spicy seafood noodle. Both dishes came out looking almost identical, and both got seafood in them. There were barely any beef in the noodle bowl that my friend ordered (she had to take all of the seafood out which left barely anything left (only a couple pieces of beef). The noodles here are handmade so it tastes good but I wasn't that impressed with the broth. It wasn't as spicy as I thought. The seafood were dry, especially the squids. There were barely any green veggies.
(3)Andrew L.
"mehhh." as with korean-chinese restaurants generally, you order the noodle dishes and the dumplings, and sometimes various types of buns. we had the za jiang mian and the pork pot-stickers but both were exceedingly mediocre: the za jiang mian sauce had way too many cut-up onions and not enough flavor, and the pot-stickers were nothing to write home about. while i haven't had their champong or other noodle soups, i'm done with da rae won; if i'm ever in beltsville and jonesing for asian food, i'll just go to bob's noodle 66 on my way back to arlington. you do hear the noodle-beating while you're there, but even then the noodles weren't spectacular by any means. maybe i've been spoiled by orange county? although i have heard there's great za jiang mian somewhere in annandale...
(2)Michael S.
Although certainly not the best, this is definitely one of the better jja-jang myun places in MD. I agree with Joan K. - this place is way better than Dae Sung Kwan. One thing I love about Da Rae Won is the tang-soo yook they have...always comes out fresh and tasty. The location is kinda sketchy, but for decent food it's not a problem.
(3)Alex P.
I've been to this place a handful of times. Never of my own volition, always with a party from work. We go at lunch time to find an often crowded dining room. The food is just ok. If the sushi were better, I'd call the food good. But it's just not. I think the last time we paid around 12 dollars without a drink. A little more than I like to spend at lunch, but the variety of foods and the all-you-can-eat tag make it worth the money.
(3)Charles L.
This place is alright, but Gah-Rahm is way, way better. I go here when I'm strapped for cash. The black bean noodles are great; the only 2 beef entrees that are on there(and have very little English description) are terrible. They are both loaded with more cornstarch than the cheapest, crappiest Chinese food I've ever eaten. However, the service is great and the kim-chee is great(and they bring as much as you like). I will give this 3 stars, but if you order either of those beef entrees, don't say I didn't warn you!
(3)david q.
This is quality. Not the utmost quality, but extremely enjoyable for the area. If it was closer I would go there everyday, hands down! The seafood noodles has bits of sea cucumber in it. Not sure if there are any other bits of seafood in there. Perhaps. Nonetheless, that in of itself is pretty awesome. A little off-beat, but tasty and extremely fresh noodles. Not sure it's worth a drive, but it's worth a stop on the way somewhere. Much better than the 3 stars it is ranked (02/06/09). A solid 4-4.3.
(4)Gening L.
Now I can't speak to any inconsistency in taste or insufficient meat or quality of meat as some other reviewers have mentioned, but based on my first-ever dining experience this weekend and my lifelong overconsumption of noodles, Da Rae Won's noodles rock my world! Not only do they have a perfect texture and flavor as is likely the result of their on-site hand-pulling, but they have vegetarian jja jang myun for veggies! My noodles were saucy, delicoius, and yes there are lots of onions, but I love onions! The onions provide a nice crunch as you're eating the noodles, and if you don't like onions... just don't eat them! My friend who hates onions just ate around the onions and still found the dish amazing. I think the true testament to the wonder that is their noodles, is that one of my dining buddies who was born and raised in Hawaii (land of Asians and delicious noodles), felt compelled to introduce these noodles to her friend, also born and raised in Hawaii, but actually visiting from LA (land of best Korean food in the country, and some say best in the world). Either way, regardless of your preferences, this place is definitely worth a trip.
(5)Jay K.
This is my favorite Chinese-Korean restaurant in the world. Everything I have had here has been good. So far I have tried tang soo yook, gam poong gi, yoo san sool, jjah jjang myun, and bok eum bap and they have all been delicious. The yoo san sool especially is a definite must-eat for everyone.
(4)Corinne G.
I love this place. We try to stop by as often as we can on our way from Northern VA to the Baltimore area. Their mandu (dumplings) is stuffed full and fried crisp. You can tell that they are handmade. My husband is very particular about his noodles and he enjoys eating here too.
(5)