Yechon Korean Restaurant

This is a long-standing Korean restaurant that definitely shows its age. The interior feels a bit dated, with older decor and somewhat cramped seating. The menus were slightly sticky, which wasn’t the most pleasant touch. That said, the food was great. There was a wide variety of options to choose from. We ordered several BBQ meats and vegetables — and almost everything was a hit. We also tried some stir-fried dishes like glass noodles and cabbage, which were quite decent. Overall, if you’re looking for a no-frills, home-style meal, this is a solid spot to go.

I really enjoy this restaurant and will definitely come again. We came on a Thursday during the day, but it was very busy and full of older Korean people. We got seated fairly quickly and ordered for lunch. The food came out pretty quickly. I ordered the hot stone Bibimbop, which had a great flavor and a perfect amount of crisp on the rice overall, the great experience but a little bit pricey.

The food was very good and all the servers were very nice and attentive!! They were really busy but we were able to be serviced really nicely still. The food was all good and came with plenty of side dishes and had a wide variety of menu items to choose from. Definitely good Korean spot to try! I highly recommend!

Yechon is one of my go-to spots for Korean food. They’re open until late, which makes it perfect for a relaxed dinner after a long day or a late-night meal. The staff is always friendly and attentive, making the dining experience feel welcoming and comfortable. My personal favorites are the Dolsot Bibimbap and Bullak Jeongol — both packed with flavor and served piping hot. The bibimbap has that perfect crispy rice layer at the bottom, and the spicy octopus and beef stew is rich, savory, and just the right level of heat. Generous portions, great variety of banchan, and consistently good food — highly recommend Yechon if you’re craving authentic Korean cuisine.

You don't want to miss out on their seafood bibimbap. I remember having it the first time and being blown away. I recommend asking for another bowl of rice and mixing it all in, if you're very hungry.

Had Bossam! The meat itself was VERY good, and everything came with an impressive assortment of banchan. Personally, I like lettuce better than using the really wet soggy cabbage(I'll be honest, I'm not sure what's more authentic) mainly because I like to use my hands to wrap the meat with other stuff. (also the miso soup that comes with it really good for some reason LOL) We very much liked the ...shredded radish kimchi?? That comes with the Bossam, it went well with everything. Besides that, I thought everything was VERY good. The spread was VERY impressive. The Bossam order was definitely enough for 2 people, and I will come back to try other dishes they have. (Service was pretty good, though they use plastic water bottles if that's your thing) Other than that, bathrooms and restaurant itself was decent.

The food I received was completely disgusting. The meat didn’t taste good and was very tough to chew. I will never come back to this place again.

I love the food here. I tried mackerel fish and it was out of this word. Most fish in the US are over cooked and brittle but this was tender, soft even the bones, and packed with balanced flavor. We’ve been here a few times and it’s always good. It’s funny because Korean restaurants in Korea are ill tempered but this was a pleasant surprise. They also serve Japanese dishes too. This is gourmet East Asian dishes at its best. Only thing I would complain about is the price but compared to many restaurants, it’s fair for the quality of food you get.

I can always count on this restaurant during Christmas. I didn't feel like cooking, so my kids and I made our annual stop to Yechon. We arrived late- around 9:30pm for dinner as one of my kids had to work late. The restaurant staff welcomed us as their last customer. The customer service was excellent as the waitress was very attentive. She even gave recommendations to what my sister (new to Korean/Japanese) should order. My party of 6 ordered a variety of dishes both Korean and Japanese. We were given Miso soup and the Korean side dishes complimentary. The food itself was 6/10. Service was 10/10. The ambiance was very quaint and pleasing, not overly fancy, but not a hole in the wall. I love that they are open on holidays because not everyone wants to cook ;-) Thank you for the solid service!!

Solid NOVA Korean restaurant, but they face some stiff competition from other Annandale / Centerville spots. I came with a mid-sized (5 people) group around 7 PM on a Saturday, and they were thankfully able to squeeze us in despite it being the peak dinner rush. The portions are pretty generous; we opted to order a variety of dishes and share (as all good Asian dinners go) and ended up having a ton of leftovers at the end of the evening. We got a combo set that included mackerel, sashimi, stir fried marinated beef, and then added on their spicy stir fried squid, naengmyeon, and hameul pajeon. The menu said the set could serve 2, but I think it could've easily served 3 or maybe 4 people. Their seafood was all solid -- the sashimi was super fresh (albeit not quite the dish I was expecting at a Korean restaurant), the mackerel had a nice char, and the stir-fried squid was quite flavorful and generally cooked well. The naengmyeon was a great refreshing choice for the summer evening, but it was way too sweet. I also didn't love their pajeon -- it was a tad too greasy for my taste, and had very little of the seafood filling. Even so, the service was super friendly and the restaurant had a great, laidback, home-cooking ambiance. I would definitely come back for their squid, but think the other dishes can be a skip.

I've been going here for over 20 years. That ends tonight. After I was seated, I was ignored for 15 minutes. As I was ordering galbi dolsot bibimbap, the waitress cut me off, said "we're out" and walked away to go seat another table. Where was that sense of urgency when I waited 15 minutes to be seated? I've never been treated so rudely at a restaurant before. Don't go here. There are plenty of other Korean restaurants in Annandale where the waitress won't walk away mid-order after you sank 30 minutes waiting. It saddens me to see how far this restaurant has fallen. The only reason you would go there is for what it was, not what it is.

Came here with a big party for dinner and only waited about few minutes for a table to be ready. They have a lot of options on the menu to choose from which I liked. I got the soondubu jiggae which tasted really good. We also got the seafood pancake and a lot of different soups. Their service was great and the staff were super friendly. Definitely gets lively and crowded around peak dinner time so keep that in mind. Overall great tasting food and fast service.

Forever my go-to place for a haemul pajeon (seafood pancake) because it's a huge portion, is crispy on the edges and filled with seafood & haemul dolsot bibimbap (stone pot seafood rice)

Wow I've been here many times but I guess I've never reviewed. Pretty staple spot that is open ..a lot of hours. The squid was fire. I wasn't that crazy about the seafood bibimbap-- it wasn't very flavorful and I don't think they gave me extra sauce for it? The rice on the bottom was crispy though. Bossam is okay - I thought the pork was a bit dry. I love the extensive menu here and their banchan spread is awesome. Service is usually pretty quick. Kind of noisy in there when a lot of people, and tables are close together but it's cozier that way haha.

Solid 3 stars casual Korean restaurant. It gets busy at night since they're open late. Soups are all good. Can feel a bit hectic with service esp at late evenings. We usually come here when it's late and other places we prefer are closed.

This is a very good Korean restaurant. The service is pretty fast and food tasty. Like many places, the price of beef is pretty high. So, if you're going for the Galbi BBQ beef ribs it will be pricey, but they do give a lot of tasty panchan (side dishes). If you don't want to spend too much, go for the dolaot bibimbap (stone bowl) or galbi tang (beef soup). These are both reasonably priced, very Korean traditional and very good. The atmosphere is also authentically more Korean than Japanese.

Great food but the bibimbap had a measurement of a spoonful of ground beef. Not even a tablespoon. Just a regular spoon. While that is disappointing the side dishes were plentiful and delicious. Next time I will add a side of ground beef Md to equal amounts from other restaurants.

Their lunch bentos were pretty mediocre. I remember it being much better before. Not sure what happened here. Got the spicy pork bento and it almost felt like that they microwaved that dish. It wasn't too warm when it came out. SoonDuBu was also so so. Maybe my wife asked for it to not be too spicy. Side dishes were good. Fried chicken for bento looked like cat food. Service was super friendly and fast. Place also got busy at lunch with Koreans. But I noticed that they don't order the bentos. So prob my mistake for ordering that. Felt like the lunch specials were on an H-Mart food court level quality.

One of my favorite Korean places, and I'm back. This time, we got the naengmyeon and seolleongtang and onion pancake. I loved every bit of this meal.

I love the experience of going to this restaurant. It's like you have been whisked away to Korea. The food is diverse and tastes good to me.

I was craving Korean food after our from VB. Chose Yechon since it was on the way home. It's was busy on Labor Day evening. There was a small 10 min wait. They are very quick and efficient. Everyone was busy serving all the tables. I actually felt like I was in Korea, that's a good thing! Service was good. My daughter wanted soup and ordered kalbi tang. It had a good depth of flavor, but the meat was chewy. My octopus bokum was good. Good spicy, not tongue numbingly hot and good ratio of octopus to veggies. Portions were big and I thought the prices were very reasonable given the quality and quantity. While this is a Korean restaurant, they serve sushi. My daughter asked why they serve sushi (Japanese) at a Korean restaurant. My response it's a business decision and to meet the needs of the masses. If you come here, I hope you try the Korean food with the sushi. :)

First time back here in years. Photo is low quality since my friend was the real focus of this picture (and meal). She wanted to try bibimbap - Yechon was the first place to come to mind. So much nostalgia thinking back to all the good foods here. I got the galbi and she got the ground beef bibimbap. Every bite of the galbi tasted slightly funky and had me thinking "is this what this always tasted like?" I wondered if it was actually the bulgogi (I'm 98% sure it was) that I always got years back when I was a regular, but even still, galbi is supposed to be some of the best korean meat, and yet, all I could think of was how oddly tasting (and barely there) that it was? I was happy to find that the hours were extended again. I'd still be open to coming back in the later hours but unsure how high my expectations would be the next time around since I talked this place up and it just wasn't the same.

The food is pretty good, it's kind of expensive.. be ready to spend about $ 35.00 + per person. It looks big from outside but it's kind of small once you are inside. They will bring you bottled water initially, you can order other drinks if you want. Some of their waitresses don't speak English very well. Will I try it again? Probably yes!

I've had this place on my list for many years, but just recently got to go. This isn't my favorite place. The food was good, but minuses for the service and friendliness and not having free hot tea, which is always what I look forward to. They do have hot green tea for a cost, but not even hot water is offered. What they have instead is free bottled water (1st bottle only), but they didn't bring it at first. Had to ask for water, then didn't mention it was free until I called them back and asked. Confusion.

My go to place in the Allendale area. It's not for everyone, and the key here is that Yechun consistently delivers quality older traditional Korean food. The name itself is 'old village'. Staff dressed in traditional outfits, all the side dishes are on point (for old Korean mouth like me), generous serving portions and old timey interiors. Place hasn't changed in a long time. Parking lot in front is always packed. Got the pork belly platter, Kalbi mixed rice and grilled croaker fish. Prices have gone up, but then again so has everyone else. Compared to last year, some prices are up 30-40%. Crying aside, food was good and our family well fed.

Honestly, a busy busy place bit the food is pretty darn good. I live that everyone wears traditional hanbok, and the place seems to be a well loved and many regulars that are frequent. The food and portion are very fair. It's great for large groups, too. I highly recommend

I would maybe give 3.5 stars, but yelp only allows whole numbers. Food was solid and the portion sizes were good for the price point - especially the lunch special. I got a tofu stew and my mom got the salmon bento box. I was not blown away by the food but it was good. There aren't too many Korean spots in the area (excluding Annandale/Centerville) so I am glad this spot is here. There is lots of seating inside, and each table has a button to call for service. Anything you order comes with lots of banchan/small sides, which I loved. They were all solid. The service here was all right. They were pretty stingy with the takeout boxes, and did NOT allow us to take the banchan to go. I like that Yechon is in the neighborhood, and will remember that the next time I am craving Korean. However, I don't know that this would be my first choice.

Food was a little on the bland side, but that was probably our fault for ordering unadventurous stuff. Will need to come back and give it another go sometime. The interior decor is charming and exotic, with all the wood and the traditional clothing the servers wear.

The foods were good but the waitresses (elderly ladies) need to be more friendly, somehow too serious, probably that's Korean culture like that?

Food quality has dropped, prices have gone up and the ambiance has only decayed. It seems like the owners of this operation has sunk zero dollars back into the restaurant in the past five years. I don't want bottles of water and disposable everything. Plenty of other options in Anndale, avoid this tourist trap.

We brought our 7- and 10-year-old here, and the whole family loved it. Fantastic food, friendly service, and just a great experience.

My son wanted sushi, but I wanted Korean food in the perfect place was Yechon because they offer both! The soup here was so delicious, and I was shocked at the amount of sides that it came with. Our server was super friendly as well. I'm definitely coming back here to try more menu items!

Came back again with a different set of friends. We came on Sat during dinner and wow it was packed. It was around a 20-30 min wait, but worth it again. Our table has a little call button, which was definitely useful given how busy it was. I ended up getting the beef short rib bibimbop, which was just under $20. Kinda expensive but with the inflation, it's not surprising. I got a small bowl of miso soup with my beef short rib bibimbop. That was probably the saddest part of the meal. It has no tofu or seaweed. It was simply miso in water...But the rest of the meal was good. There were the usual Korean appetizers aplenty. The beef short rib bibimbop came at the right temperature. My friend's actually was still sizzling when served. It was very filling and I ended up taking some to go. Everyone else in my group left satisfied as well. Still a great spot for authentic Korean food. I have yet to try their Japanese menu. Maybe next time.

Food is gross, bland and tasteless. Smells disgusting upon entrance. Tables and chairs still the same from 30 years ago, can't imagine how filthy the kitchen is. Wait staff is non existent. A Korea restaurant ironically with no Koreans eating there. That alone should be a red flag about its food

I've been twice so far, both times for lunch on Saturday, and had a wonderful lunch both times. The first time, we had four dining and so were able to sample a bunch of things. The second was just my husband and I. My favorite dishes that I've had are the dak gui (perfectly marinated slightly spicy BBQ chicken prepared in the kitchen), the spicy pork bulgogi (grilled at the table) and the seafood pancake (perfectly crispy, not too doughy and chock full of delicious seafood). The banchan are great, I particularly like the pickles, the japchae and the cabbage kimchi but they are all good. The portion sizes are very large; we could easily gotten away with just the dak gui today for the two of us and had no left overs, with the seafood pancake we had half of both of them left for tomorrow though so bonus dinner. Prices are very fair for the volume and quality of food. This is going to be a regular stop for us when we're in this part of the DMV.

I've been to this restaurant many times in the past, and I'm glad I came back. The food here is delicious without all that MSG flavor that leaves a taste on your tongue. We got the mandu gui as an appetizer, and it was crunch on the outside and juicy on the inside. I got the galbi dolsot, my fiancé the tofu kimchi, my mom the dduk gook, and my dad the daegu maeungtang. My dad did say the soup was a bit spicy, so remember to ask for less spice if you're not good with overly spicy food. The kimchi in the tofu kimchi had a little kick to it too, but I thought it was good. Everything was to our liking, and we left with full and happy stomachs. Def will come again when we're in the area. Another plus is that there are many Korean bakeries/cafes nearby. There's literally one like 10 steps away.

It's one of my go-to spots for comfort food! They offer a variety of Korean dishes and soups as well as Japanese dishes and sushi. I almost always order the non spicy Galbi Tang along with Haemul Dolsot Bibimbap. The Galbi Tang comes with plenty of meat and the broth is consistently flavorful. Also, the bibimbap and side dishes are always delicious. It does get very busy with long wait time during peak lunch and dinner hours. The interior is pretty spacious, but it does fill up quickly. Although it was crowded, the service was still great and their staff were attentive and friendly as always.

I went on a sunday evening and the place was super busy. Me and my friend only wait 10-15 minutes and did not mind at all! Our servers were working hard all meanwhile making sure we had everything. The banchans on the table were so yummy too! I've never tried sesame celery but I am obsessed now! And this portion of the yechon bossam could have probably fed 3 or 4 people. We also order the steamed kimchi dumplings and they came out fried but that's okay. between the two of us it was plenty of food. This is a classic spot I will always return to when I leave authentic korean food!

The seafood dolsot bibimbap had a lot of seafood and was really good. 반찬 was solid too

This place has been my family's go to restaurant for awhile now. The assortment of little dishes (banchan) is probably one of the best I've seen compared to other Korean restaurants. Service is pretty fast, even on busy d Pepper & scallion pancake: the pancake is quite thick. There's a lot of filling but can't really taste any spicy peppers. It has a good crispy outside though. Haejang gook: very flavorful. This comes with tripe and other internal proteins (not sure if it's liver) but you can opt out for the addition of this. Spicy galbi tang: I've had the non-spicy version and I think I like that version better. It's a little bit cleaner tasting and more peppery. I'd get that dish over and over from here!

Yechon can be a bit hit or miss. I've dined in a couple of times, and each time, neither I nor my friends and family were particularly impressed with our meals. However, I had a much better experience with takeout--especially with the bulgogi, which was excellent. While the bulgogi stood out, it's worth noting that the prices are on the higher side for what you get. Given my mixed experiences and the inconsistency, I'd rather not risk it again, so I won't be coming back. If you do decide to try Yechon, takeout might be your best bet for a more satisfying meal.

We wanted to have Korean dinner not only BBQ or soup, etc... somewhere we can have any kinds of Korean dishes... and we ended up here. We both love seafood pancake! So we ordered it then we found this whole meal for 2 people ($70) deal and ordered it. Then the dishes started arriving. The pancake was huge! We loved it and wanted to finish but we had to save for the main meal, which included sashimi, tofu soup, grilled fish, sauteed seafood, bulgogi, banchan and beer! This became 3 meals for each of us! Fish had good flavor and fat. Tofu soup was one of the best in the area Korean restaurants! Our dinner became a real feast. I loved every dish. I would like to come back here with more folks so that we can share more dishes.

This place was such a staple growing up. It is sad to see that it has gone downhill. I got the lunch bento with Bulgogi, sushi, Kim chi, miso soup, one wing, and Korean fritter. The Bulgogi was okay, but it really needed the Kim Chi and Gochujang sauce to help it along. My wing was cold. The fritter was sort of soggy. Miso soup was okay. Sushi was super basic, but that's expected since it is a lunch combo deal. My rating really goes down due to the price changes. I only came for lunch because the dinner prices are so insanely high. I understand price for ingredients has increased and the Pandemic has really affected things, but the prices should not be as steep as these newer, high-end Korean BBQs in the area. If Yechon had more quality control and made sure the food matched the price then I would definitely change my rating!

I'm shocked at the rating of this place! I loved it so much. We came on a Thursday at 9 pm so there was no wait. The food portions are massive, especially for the price. We were heavily thinking about the set menu and I really wanted to get it but my significant other convinced me otherwise. I'm so glad that we didn't go for the option, because the other table who got it was next to us and we got more food for less. We also overheard them saying that they should've ordered what we got, which was the bossam and the yukgaejang. The banchan was fine, but the star of the show was the bossam. For $33.99, you get an insane amount of food. I do wish the yukgaejang was hotter but it was still hot.

Been here many times. Best Korean Restaurant in NOVA. Service pretty fast considering the place is always full on the weekends.

Authentic Korean food in the area, and the restaurant is always packed so you know it's good. I can only speak to the rice and noodle dishes here -- but it is delicious and the portions are huge so it is always good to go with a couple of people to share multiple dishes. Banchan has variety and changes depending on days. I do feel, however, that some items are on the costlier side and in the Annandale area, there are cheaper options that offer similar quality of food.

Went on New Year's Day. It's been a while since I've been here but the food was delicious! The side dishes came out first and I didn't have to wait long. It was calm when I first arrived at noon but of course more people came in and the place got packed. Definitely a spot to revisit in the future! The menu had many options and overall comfortable restaurant!!

This is a local favorite Korean spot with no huge flaws. Used to be open 24 hours but it has changed since COVID. They not only have variety of Korean food options, but also, sushi and Korean BBQ. So, it's a great spot if you're not sure of what to eat! Lastly, lots of tables inside - more of a casual vibe.

Been quite awhile since last time I ate here and I understand why it wasn't crowded at lunch. Wife had bulgogi box and meat was extremely sweet. I had bibimbap and meat was ground up so nut sure if it was hamburger or what. I would have had better meal eating in H-mart. Inside is also getting quite worn moving from rustic to worn out.

Great traditional Korean food as well as Korean bbq and they have pretty long hours. Their food is very delicious and i'm speaking as a Korean who prefers Korean food over nearly all other cuisines.

This review is related to takeout. It was such an easy and quick system. I place an order online and once I arrived about 20 minutes later after placing the order, it was all ready to go. No wait and no issues. Our order consisted of the bossam, stir fried kimchi, and vegetable pajeon. Everything was still piping hot when we got home, and tasted extremely fresh. I love that even though it was takeout we still got the banchan as if we were eating it in the restaurant. Everything was also packaged perfectly so there were no worries of spills on the drive back home. Highly recommend here.

This is one of the OG Korea. restaurants in the Annandale area. Came here when it used to be 24/7 after late night partying. Those were some great times. Glad to see it is still around. Stopped by for a quick lunch around 3pm and it wasn't crowded. We wanted to eat the Korean BBQ but the choices didn't seem as varied as some other restaurants. And also there was a note that says couple of choices required a different grilling surface so was not sure if that was there just as an FYI or that you must order within that group. Not being sure, we just opted to get a set menu type of meal. For $69, I gotta say, they gave you a lot of food. You got sushi, fish, jjigae and bulgogi, which were all tasty. Also got an order of tonkatsu which wasn't the best my son had but certainly not the worst. Would we come back again? Absolutely.

Visited tonight with a friend from out of town. We both have Korean spouses and left Korea a few years ago. We had the Yechon Special # 2 and I'll definitely be back again. Large portions, plentiful banchan, and an atmosphere that was busy, but not overly crowded.

Yechon is great! When you walk in you get the feeling that you're in a very old school Korean restaurant... and you are! My wife and her family have been going to Yechon for so long that some of the waitresses know her from her childhood. They wear traditional Korean clothing and are all so polite and attentive. There's a great mix of Korean old timers and Americans here, they go out of their way to make everyone feel welcome. Also, like many traditional Korean places, it's open 24/7! Now the best part: the food!! Banchan comes out almost immediately but don't fill up on it! It's more meant to complement the food and serve as a palate cleanser. We got mandu as an appetizer which were crispy, savory, and delicious. They're made in house so they're the traditional half moon shape, not Chinese dumpling shaped. I got Yukgaejang (as usual) and I loved it. So savory and comforting! It's a bit spicier than other bowls I've had elsewhere but I like it like that. 2 bites of soup, a nibble of pickled radish, and washed down with ice cold soju. Yum!!! Our kids got the LA Galbi (short ribs) and they absolutely punished them! My wife and her sister got some nnamyeong (cold buckwheat noodles) and Bullak Jeongol (mixed stew for 2) Yechon also has Japanese food and I'm sure it's great too but if you go and don't get Korean food you're selling yourself short. They also have Korean BBQ if you're in the mood for some samgyeopsal (pork belly) or bulgogi. I know I'll be back to Yechon again & again. Hope to see you there!!

We were last here 7 years ago, on the recommendation of one of my friends, and the food was very good. When we came back on May 31st this year, the food was mid at best, and the server didn't bring one of our orders until we reminded her a few times. The galbi was underseasoned. So was the bulgogi. We were seated next to a low partial wall, on top of which servers often placed food. I was sitting right next to it. During the end of the meal we saw two cockroaches on that wall. And my husband got food poisoning. We will not be back. How did this place get a passing score from the health department?

Reliable standard in NoVa. Big menu with a lot of Korean and Japanese options. Attentive service. Stews are great here.

Ordered the chicken teriyaki and the spicy pork bento boxes for lunch. Very fast service, good food, and fulfilling.. so much lunch choices to choose from.