The Honey Pig: a good spot for Korean BBQ

The Honey Pig (7220-C Columbia Pike) was packed when we arrived at 9 p.m. on a Tuesday night. Open 24 hours a day, the ambience at the Honey Pig, also known as the Gooldaegee Korean Grill, is very loud, with techno music bouncing off the concrete floors and metal walls. The specialty may be pork, particularly pork belly, but we opted for bulgogi, marinated strips of beef, and chicken. Both were excellent.

Diners sit at round metal tables with a grill in the center where waiters cook your food. Meals start with a salad of lettuce and onions with a spicy rice vinegar dressing. An array of side dishes and condiments, each in its own small bowl, accompany the main courses, including kimchi, bean paste, garlic, hot peppers, bean sprouts, spicy cucumber slices, and pickled zucchini, which our waiter called “pumpkin.”

When your meat is finished grilling, you dip it in a sauce, and wrap it in a piece of fresh lettuce along with various condiments. It got to a little too much work after a while, with all the beer affecting our coordination, so we resorted to just skipping the lettuce wrap and using chopsticks. The menu is not huge, but offers several appetizers, such as seafood pancakes and various types of soup. Two entrees shared by two people was more than enough food for us. Next time, we’d like to try the brisket; spicy pork (kalbi) or the seasoned, boneless rib meat (jumuluck).

Our waiter didn’t speak much English, but the menu is translated. Another warning: People smoke here, so if that’s a problem for you, you might want to avoid this place. For the rest of us, especially barbecue lovers, you can get a very satisfying meal here at a reasonable price—in a unique atmosphere.