Check out the Honey Pig at the Taste of Annandale

The first Honey Pig opened in Annandale 10 years ago.

If you haven’t yet tried the authentic Korean barbecue at the Honey Pig, you’ll get your chance at the Taste of Annandale.

The Honey Pig Korean BBQ Restaurant will be one of the key food vendors at the community festival. The Taste of Annandale, Oct. 14, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., on Tom Davis Drive, features restaurants, food trucks, live entertainment, a 5K race, chili cook-off, children’s programming, and more.

The Honey Pig, at 7220-C Columbia Pike, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. It specializes in traditional Korean meals with lots of courses, including meat cooked at the table served with rice, noodles, soup, and multiple side dishes.

The Annandale restaurant was the first one in the family-owned chain founded by Micky Kim. There are also Honey Pigs in Centreville, Va.; Germantown and Ellicot City, Md.; and Taipei City, Taiwan. A sixth location is set to open in Rockville, Md., in spring 2018.

“It’s an authentic Korean restaurant with the mood and feel of a restaurant you would find in Seoul,” says Honey Pig’s director of marketing Hanna Kuark, the niece of Kim and daughter of CEO June Kuark.

“Korean barbeque is all about the full experience,” she says. The most popular dishes are pork belly, beef ribs, and pork ribs. The menu also features seasonal items, such as a hot soup with locally sourced vegetables for autumn.

Honey Pig has stayed successful because of the involvement and control exercised by the family, Kuark says, noting that her mother makes the sauces.

What sets Honey Pig apart from the other Korean restaurants in Annandale is the quality of the food, she says. “We don’t have an all-you-can-eat buffet because we don’t want to compromise the quality.” The menu does have a new option allowing diners to try a little bit of everything.

Portions tend to be large, so “it’s all about sharing,” she says. The restaurant offers “a communal dining experience where you’re connecting with the person you’re sharing a meal with.”

Honey Pig appreciates the opportunity to participate in the Taste of Annandale, she says, because “we really want to be part of the Annandale community.

The restaurant will debut a new concept, “Honey Cup,” at the festival. It’s a fast-casual version of Honey Pig, where diners can mix and match ingredients.

The restaurant has a new private party room in the back that can seat up to 60 people. The Honey Pig is open 24 hours a day in the summer; during the rest of the year it’s open until 4 a.m. on weekends and 2 a.m. on weekdays.

“Our number-one priority is the customer experience of Korean cuisine,” Kuark says. “If you’ve never tried Korean food before, you won’t feel out of place. We’ll help you expand your dining experience.”