Overview
Annandale is a suburb of Washington, D.C. in Fairfax County, Northern Virginia. It serves as the unofficial "Koreatown" of the Washington metropolitan area, with numerous ethnic Korean-owned restaurants, bakeries, and other businesses in the area. Annandale's residents, however, represent a diversity of ethnic backgrounds.
5 places to eat · 1 bars & cafés
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: Apr–Oct. Summer highs reach about 90°F; winter lows dip to about 30°F. Very hot (Jul) — plan outdoor time for mornings. Wettest: Jul and Jun. (climate data from nearby Washington, D.C.)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- DCA Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Washington — 9 mi away (major hub). Directions
- IAD Washington Dulles International Airport, Dulles — 15 mi away (major hub). Directions
From either I-495 (the Beltway) or I-395, take the Little River Tpk (VA 236) exit.
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
- Typical meal: about $10 per person at listed restaurants.
See the Sleep guide ↓ for places to stay.
Food for you
Some of the best Korean food in the Washington area is to be found in Annandale, and some of the latest. Several restaurants are open around the clock, ready to feed your Korean BBQ fix.
Chinese is the other reason people make the long trek, with A&J being particularly popular even with D.C. residents for dim sum.
Cuisine (tap to filter)
What to ask about, for your diet
Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder
Photos
Understand
The main reasons to visit Annandale are its Asian dining options, almost all of which are located either on Little River Turnpike, or just a few blocks off of it near its intersection with Annandale Road and Columbia Pike.
Get in
By car
From either I-495 (the Beltway) or I-395, take the Little River Tpk (VA 236) exit.
By bus
Buses 29C,E,G,H,X operate service to Little River Tpk from the Pentagon Metro station. The journey takes 30 minutes. For more information on riding the Metrobus, see Washington DC#Get_In
Eat
Some of the best Korean food in the Washington area is to be found in Annandale, and some of the latest. Several restaurants are open around the clock, ready to feed your Korean BBQ fix.
Chinese
Chinese is the other reason people make the long trek, with A&J being particularly popular even with D.C. residents for dim sum.
Eat A&J Restaurant
You have to travel far and long to find good dim sum in the D.C. area, but you've found it once you get to this Chinese restaurant. It's small, a little dingy, but it has precisely the right dim sum to cure a good bout of expat homesickness, or simply to delight the tastebuds of a serious foodie.
Korean BBQ
Eat Honey Pig
Is there better Korean BBQ in the Western Hemisphere? That's debatable, but what is not is that this places knows how to prepare meat. Sirloin beef, sauce duck, pork belly of several varieties—the list goes on. Meat is the showstopper here, but if that's not your thing, you'll find excellent vegetarian entrées (although be forewarned that most are fiery!) It's not a relaxing place late at night, though, with blaring Korean hip hop, and plenty of young Korean men filling the big room with tobacco smoke.
Eat Oegadgib (pronounced way-gahd-jeep)
It's hard to go wrong here, if you can find the place. It's poorly signed and hidden behind some Salvadoran carnicería in what looks like a bland office building across a parking lot. But the food is incredible, and as a plus, it's one of the most comfy spaces in Annandale. The cheapest option is to bring friends and do the all-you-can-eat barbecue, where enormous quantities of garlicy bulgogi and kalbi are grilled on your table, for you to then dip in hot sauce, and generally pig out. The à-la-carte menu is more expensive, but even more rewarding. A local favorite (among the Koreans, anyway) is the spicy skate stew.
Eat Yechon
Yechon is the Annandale restaurant. It's big and always bustling. Other restaurants here will beat it on specific dishes, but this is the gold standard, where just about everything is good, and where non-Koreans will find the service particularly accessible. In addition to its great à-la-carte and all-you-can-eat menus, Yechon rises above the pack with its banchan—some 10–15 small, free (but as in all Annandale restaurants, still all-you-can-eat) appetizers with your meal.
Korean Fried Chicken
And then there's KFC! No, not that KFC—we're talking the original, Korean Fried Chicken! Both of the below are well-known chains from Korea. KFC is deep fried, somewhat crispier/caramelized than American fried chicken, and usually coated with sticky honey before frying. Because of the honey, it is eaten with chopsticks, which might be tough for inexperienced baeg-in.
Eat Chi Mc Chicken And Beer
Big, busy, noisy, modern, and popular with the teen and early 20s crowd. The gold standard in proper KFC. Full bar.
Drink
Drink The Cue Club
A lively mix of billiards and darts hall, neighborhood sports bar, karaoke house, and Korean restaurant. A place to get a good beer cheap to go with your nachos— or your bulgogi sub.
Sleep
There are no hotels within Annandale proper. If you are staying in the area, stay just north by Beltway Exit 50 (US-50, Arlington Blvd), where you'll find Marriott, Residence Inn, and Homestead Studio Suites.
Nearby
Springfield
City / town · 8 listings · 4 mi away
Falls Church
City / town · 22 listings · 4 mi away
Burke
City / town · 5 mi away
Fairfax
City / town · 28 listings · 5 mi away
Vienna
City / town · 10 listings · 5 mi away
Tysons
City / town · 8 listings · 6 mi away
Arlington
City / town · 1 listings · 6 mi away
McLean
City / town · 5 listings · 7 mi away
My experience
Write about your trip here. Notes save automatically in this browser as you type; back them up from My journal.