Nak Won Restaurant

This is my go to spot if I crave for pork belly. The restaurant is located in the heart of Annandale, right next to Cricket on little river turnpike. There are only a few spots to park in the front of the restaurant but there’s a parking lot in the back.
Service is usually pretty good. The ladies come by and check on the meat often when it’s cooking. They give you a fair amount of banchan. I love the thin sliced pickled radish with my pork belly — great combination!
I also enjoyed their potato soup and the stone pot bibimbap — pretty tasty!

I don’t know about many of the other food items here, but this place has the best samgyupsal (pork belly) in all of NoVA (not that that’s necessarily saying much). Really good fried mandoo, too. You walk in here on any given night and you’ll see almost all the tables cooking pork belly. That in and of itself should indicate what the restaurant’s specialty is. The egg soufflé and bean paste soup that come as sides are on point, too.

I came for lunch with my family. This place is apparently best known for its grilled meats, so we got a couple of different kinds of meats along with other dishes. The banchan (little complimentary side dishes that come out with every meal) were pretty good and diverse, with probably 6 – 8 distinct side dishes. We ordered samgyupsal (pork belly) and galbi (marinated beef ribs). The cuts of samgyupsal were thick and was very good. The galbi was well marinated and good also. With the meat orders we also got steamed egg and dwenjang jjigae (fermented soybean stew) which were nice as well. The meat was definitely the highlight and was good and not too expensive. We got a seafood pancake which wasn’t great — was too oily and could’ve used more seafood. We also got the combination of mulnengmyun (cold buckwheat noodle soup) and bibim nengmyun (spicy cold buckwheat noodles). These were pretty cheap but were mainly noodles and a couple of pieces of pickled radish but no other meat or veggies. The bibim nengmyun was better and tasted pretty good, but is really better to eat as a side to the meat since it’s mostly noodles. The mulnengmyun was not great, and would probably avoid in the future. My wife got bibimbap which was ok but nothing special. Overall, the meat was quite good and abundant with thick cuts and good marinade, while the other food was okay. Price is reasonable for what you get. Come for the meat!

Ok, it was 10AM, I was in the area and I was hungry. Korean BBQ for breakfast… is ok, right? I searched for the closest place to me that would be open. Followed my fellow Unilocalers’ advice and tried this spot.
They were open early (their store hours says they open at 10:30am) and I ate like a pig!
I ordered the fresh beef, the fresh pork belly and the seafood soondubu (seafood soft tofu soup) and it was GOOD! The pork belly for sure was my favorite. I don’t normally eat more than my stomach could take… but even when I felt like I was going to die, I made sure to finish every last piece of pork belly. I’m drooling thinking about it now…
The service was quick and good. I would give 5 stars but the water tastes like sewage… if you do come here, don’t get tap water. The ambiance could probably use some updating but food was awesome. Would come again.

It was good. Probably not a place i will go to again with all the other choices to still try around, and already having a few favorites that are more pleasing and cozy.
Although fast and inexpensive, the menu is limited, and the atmosphere is a bit dingy. You feel a bit sketched out when walking in as you don’t get the wholly clean feeling. It didn’t smell that horrible though I didn’t get seated near the loos.

can’t believe I haven’t gotten a chance to come to nak won until now. for a reasonable price, plenty o’ food was provided (including dozens of side dishes, soybean stews and steamed egg) when we ordered samgyupsal (pork belly) and kimchi jjigae. they also carry a selection of korean beers like Cass and OB. extremely friendly service as well… I’ll definitely be back!

Came here on a recommendation from a Korean, who insisted this place has the best pork belly in Annandale.
Disappointed. The foot itself was okay– nothing too special. The cut of the fresh pork belly was thick and juicy, but I wouldn’t consider it as the «best pork belly.» I’ve had better at other locations in Annandale. Menu wasn’t that large, however there is a decent selection of grilled meats. Waitresses don’t have a good command of English.
More so than the food, I was taken aback at how dirty the place is and the slight, what I felt as, discrimination. First, we are Asian (but not Korean) and when we arrived at the restaurant, they seated us in the way back near the toilets (pungent smell) even though there were many unoccupied tables near the front, where it seemed only the Koreans sat. A little after we came, a white couple came in and were seated near us too. There was a five table difference between the Koreans and non-​Koreans. Being in the back gave me a good view on the place however. I noticed the stained and dirty/​dusty floors, the sticky tables, the stacking of boxes, etc.
I wouldn’t come back here, unless a Korean friend is dying to go and wants me to come along. I’d rather go to Yechon (even though it has higher prices) or Kogiya for grilled meats.

I had the samgyubsal (pork belly) and the nengmyun (half and half). The samgyubsal’s portions are good and the banchans are better than the norm. Side veg is fresh and service is fast. I don’t recommend the nengmyun — nothing special; just get the packaged ones from Hmart. I would def come here for samgyubsal over Kogiya or Honeypig. It’s cheaper than Kogiya and better quality than honey pig. The other deals seem solid as well. we will be back soon!

I’ve been here a few times. You could easily pass by this place without even noticing it, although it’s on the main street. There are limited parking spots in the front, but more in the back lot.
I’ve come here for their pork belly. It’s fresh here instead of frozen at other places, the flavor is better in my opinion. Their bulgogi is also very good, lots of flavor and saucy. They also give a good variety of side dishes and most of them are good.
I tried their bulgogi bibimbap once and was not impress. It was very expensive for what I got, not recommended.
Overall, food quality is good and service is hit or miss (mostly miss).

HUGEEEE fan of this spot! If you like (or love like me) korean cold noodles (naengmyun) thennnn you must come here. The food here is super cheap and it’s authentic. They also have the best… do I dare tell you… FINEEE…pork belly. So fresh and just plain delicious. Yeah I know there is Honey Pig down the road and Kogiya (AYCE) meat spots. But I promise you, if you want pork belly then you must come here. They also have the best bonchans (side dishes). It changes every time I come here, but it’s fresh and of course you can ask for more if you want.
If you want some rice cake (dduk), there is a store next door that specializes in it. I’m pretty sure they make everything there. soft, delicious, heavenly pieces of rice cake.
YUP, YOU GUESSED IT… I’M COMING BACK.

Nakwon has always been one of my favorite places. I was addicted to the crab soup few years ago and had it weekly. four years later, I came back to this place and its still the same. With two disappointing factors: no more crab soup and no more sweet rice water dessert. :(
I ordered a Cod fish casserole which was phenomenon and brings back memories of childhood. Taste very similar to the crab soup. The fish was better quality that previous years and the vegetables very fresh. I also ordered a Gam Ja Tang and to my slight disappointment, the meat tasted funny, not as fresh.
Because the fish soup was so yummy, I overlook everything else and give it a 4 star.
Server don’t really speak English, so communication was a slight problem.

Decent sized place. Decent sized tables. They add on another table if you’re going to have something grilled. They basically grill it for you and put it on plates.
Had the pork belly here. It was good. Some pieces were a little fatty. The sauces i thought needed a little more flavoring. The sides were a little different. There was a radish that you could wrap your meat in. A little too pickled for me. But really I could just eat pork belly with sauce and all would be good!
Service was ok. Not really that busy during the middle of the afternoon… so good for a snack!

Definition of hidden gem! Ive never heard of this place until several of my krn friends wanted to eat here for dinner.
In comparison, they’ve said this is probably the best quality meats in the area, above the various korean BBQs offered nearby. Having only experienced places at honeypig, oejagib, iron age (or other nearby korean bbqs) i haven’t had the luxury to compare the highs and lows of what definitively «good korean bbq» is.
Amongst our multiple orders, came with the typical banchan you’d get at other korean reastaurants, but it also comprised of thinly sliced round raddish that u wrap the pork belly in (not something i’ve ever seen offered at other restaurants). I’ve got to say, this place hands down has got to be best pork belly i’ve had. Although my judgement is only based on local areas, i could now see why they raved about this place.
It might hard to find as its a smaller restaurant and that isn’t entirely the «talk of the town». But if you’re in the area, and craving good korean bbq, this is definitely a place you must seek out.

I DON’T LIKE PORK BELLY. Let me put that out there so you understand how life-​changing the fresh pork belly is.
Me and my bf, we don’t do KBBQ anymore ever. We just can’t handle all the meat and we need balance. We came here with the intention of getting soup, but everyone and their mamas (literally) had fresh pork belly cooking at their table.
I was against ordering this, but my bf insisted.
Oh my god, it’s the best BBQ we’ve had. The fresh pork belly is the bees knees. I can’t even put into words why it was good, it just is.
I love that pickled radish you wrap BBQ in, but this place it was too sweet for me. But other than that the side dishes are on point.
We’re considering coming back this weekend and bringing friends. It was seriously that good.

whenever I need a solid korean meal I head down to this place. nothing fancy, but always solid.
the korean bbq is so overlooked here. the meat is fresh, the banchan is abundant, and they keep the lettuce and other wrap ingredients coming (w/​o having to constantly ask like at honeypig or kogiya). the egg dish and the dwenjang jjigae are much better than the other places. you can tell that the food here is just fresh. can get crowded during dinner times but not nearly as bad as the other bbq places.
the soups and stews here are good too. tastes better and are cheaper than other places.

If you’re into pork belly and you want to stray away from the typical places like Honey Pig or even Kogiya, this is the place to go! Nak Won has some of the freshest pork belly I have ever tasted in the Annandale area. It’s in a quint small shopping center that can easily be missed (it’s right next to it’s own catering company I believe as well).
When I came here, my girl friend and I just wanted the pork belly and nothing else. So we ordered 2 pork bellies (you have to order a minimum of two BBQ items) and then came the bountiful amounts of side dishes and soups!
Will definitely be returning with my bf: P or other avid KBBQ eaters!

As with some of the other Annandale Korean spots, this is definitely a hole in the wall version. My other go to spot was full so I decided to give Nak Won a shot. There seemed to be the regulars that made the restaurant half full, which is to say there doesn’t seem to be a lot of newbies coming in. The décor is drab even for Korean standards.
I had the galbi dolsot bibimbap and it was OK, much like the side dishes that accompanied. The galbi quality didn’t seem very high quality either. The servers were of course friendly and nice with the food coming out rather quickly. That part was good.
Since some other reviews are at the 5 star level, maybe I went there on an off night. But for sure, this spot would be on my choices of all the other Korean spots to eat in the area.

Big fan of this little hole in the wall spot. I keep changing my loyalties for Korean bbq, switching from honeypig to oegadbib as I became older and looking for more authentic food. Then to kogiya after oegadbib removed the cooking at the table. Now this is my spot, especially if you love the sides and pork belly. I’ve never had such crispy pork belly that is also juicy and fatty as you bite in. The ladies cook it perfectly. They bring out a ton of sides, including the egg and tofu soup things. They even refill them constantly. They also bring out the lettuce wraps and the daikon wraps, all without asking.
It’s a bit hard to see but just google map this location and park around back. I’ve heard the waiters are rude but we were there with Koreans and had no problem. And we were there early so didn’t notice the Korean guys drinking and yelling a lot so I loved the whole experience.

Fresh, not frozen pork belly! Highly recommended if you’re craving pork belly. I also like the fact that they give you the steamed egg and spicy tofu soup along along with the sides.
It’s a hole in the wall place but the inside is pretty spacious and clean. It doesn’t stand out from the road.

Forget honey pig.
Forget iron age.
Forget getting Korean barbeque from some overrated place ever again.
Living in Maryland, I think I’ve tried almost every Korean BBQ place around.
This place IS indeed a hidden gem.
The food is absolutely delicious!
I always order a lot whenever I come here because the prices are great!
So what’s good?
Let me tell you, their fresh pork belly (samgyupsal).
Don’t get the regular/​cheaper one– get the FRESH pork belly one. It makes a HUGE difference. Its so thick, chewy, meaty, and juicy. I guarantee your korean bbq craving will be satisfied here!
So I had to take away a star because of service, parking, and atmosphere.
1. Service: the servers don’t really speak english (at all).
Although I am Korean, like most Korean-​Americans, my Korean is like a kindergarteners. I felt like there was almost a language barrier when I was ordering/​asking for more stuff haha.
Also, the servers are a bit sassy– when I asked for more rice, she kept telling me not to get more because there’d be an additional fee.
…Uh okay, gimme my rice!
2. Parking: The parking lot is tiny so be careful getting in and out of your car~
3. Atmosphere: If you go late at night, a lot of old men are there drinking the night away so it can get kind of rowdy.
But yeah, food was SO good that I feel bad taking away that one star!
Although this place pretty small, it’s a great casual place to go with friends & family for a solid meal!
This place might look sketchy from the outside, but don’t be afraid to give it a try! Remember, looks can be deceiving~
I’ll be back without a doubt– I can’t imagine eating my samgyupsal elsewhere!