Anju - Korean restaurant in Washington - 1805 18th St NW, USA

I ordered kimchi jjigae and would never order it here again. There was little spice to it, it was overpowered by sesame oil, and the meat was inedible; here was more fat than meat in every piece! Attached is a picture of SOME of the fat I picked off. I ordered it as pick-up, so maybe that’s why I only got fatty pieces? There were a number of good reviews so maybe my experience is an off night, but I wouldn’t order this again, even if it were for $5.

I thought this place was grossly overrated. I got the soju bourbon to start off, and just expected it to taste better than watered down soju. Then we got the dumplings and fried chicken and bone marrow as appetizers. The dumplings were great, and the fried chicken was cooked and sauced well but didn’t have a ton of spice. The bone marrow was decent, not a ton of food but good. Then we got the galbi and the pork tonkatsu - both meats were not the most tender. Disappointing for two main entrees.

Was a little skeptical of going to brunch for my first visit, but it was fantastic! The French toast is a must, and the grilled kalbi were insanely good. Fried chicken was also electric. Definitely worth getting the less spicy version.

After eating at a string of disappointing (highly rated) restaurants in DC, we dined at Anju and were pleasantly surprised! The food was really good, flavourful and authentic. Only negative point was that panchans (side dishes is kimchi) aren’t free which is very much frowned upon in Korean culture. We ordered the fried chicken and mandu to start, both were really tasty and generous portions. Also got a sashimi dish appetizer which was just ok. The beef ssam, palace ddukbokgi, and chicken jajangbap as mains. Beef ssam and jajangbap were very good and would probably order again if I come back. Would definitely recommend if you’re in DC and looking for Korean food and something different and tasty!

I find, more often than not, that fusion restaurants always miss the mark. This was NOT the case with Anju. I love Korean food and was excited to try this restaurant based on reviews. It did not disappoint. Appetizers - Cheese Sprouts: Particularly the cheese on these was really good. Wish the sprouts were a bit more cooked through but would still recommend this dish. - Yache Mandu: Loved that there was an impossible meat option! Delicious but not as good as the sprouts. - Kimchi: Very very fermented. Mixed reviews at the table. - (As a side not, charging for banchan kind of sucks but we'll overlook it) Main - Saengseon: Branzino was exceptional. The sauce underneath was so good but WOW massive portion. All their mains are best split between two to three people. Korean dishes are typically sharable just was not expecting the portion. Enjoyed the vibes. We made a reservation a few days in advance. I'd recommend this to anybody who enjoys Korean food and is willing to be open minded. 4 stars only because the price was a bit high for Korean food and because they charged for banchan. Otherwise, no complaints!

They were fully booked when we went in (without a reservation) but they managed to seat us immediately at a communal table, which ended up being a wonderful experience, as long as you’re willing to be flexible. We ordered the cheesy brussels sprouts, mandu, and dosirak salad from the starters. The mandu was excellent, the other two were quite good. The stars of the show were the entrees, we ordered the kimchi jjigae and the dolsot bibim bap. Both came piping hot and were absolutely superb. The jjigae was some of the best food i’ve tasted in months. It was creamy, rich, and flavorful. We ordered every dessert on the menu (which seems to change). My favorite was the toffee pudding, but the bungeoppang was a close second. Not too sweet or overwhelming. Overall, the presentation, service, and experience were wonderful, we had a fantastic time. Definitely recommend.

I went here for dinner and this now tops my list of best food I've ever had. I shared a meal with my partner and we had the dumplings (top top top notch) and I could've just ate these for dinner. Then we had the lamb and also the bulgogi which were also both fantastic!!! I would highly recommend this spot for a great meal and great atmosphere.

Decent “fusion” place. I had low expectations and the branzino exceeded them. The stew was also seasoned well, not overly salty. Would I got back tho? Not so soon.