Wara Wara

Wara Wara seemed to welcome a rowdier crowd than its current HPI rendition, with its giant beer mugs dwarfing any car bomb attempts. Food was very average and our large KK UYE crowd was surprised to drink them dry of yogurt soju by 8 pm. Dried squid jerky had an interesting in-​house texture, and peanuts were lightly spiced. I liked the flavorful yakitori more than the simple maki rolls, though the meat skewers varied widely in tenderness. An excessive amount of wall dividers attempted to offer privacy. Rest in peace, you were the most fun two and a half stars I’ve ever had!

Been here for lunch, dinner, and karaōke. Each of them appears to be operated under different management. Would’ve given it a 5 star for the food, but the karaōke was a bit disappointing.
Lunch food is by far the best, too bad that menu isn’t available at night. The waitress at lunch was nice and funny, the waiter at night (luke) was very nice and attentive as well (definitely will come back because of him). The karaōke bar tender, not so much… The guy made us weak drinks, and charged us $ 15 for 3 minutes over time, and then has the face to ask for tip for that kind of «service».
Will come back for the food, but karaōke? there are many better options in the area that I’d recommend.

Great music, the drinks are strong and not watered down, soju portions are awesome when you order the flavored ones! Best one is Yogurt Soju. The food is pretty good too, but i wish the fries were crispy and not soft, sometimes you just have to have that when drunk, haha. I like the ambiance and its is a blast to go with a group. I like how the seating is sectioned off for a more intimate group setting, but the chairs are kinda crowded against walls, so if you need to pee and are sitting in the middle, people need to get up to let you pass.
There was a girl that walked around taking polaroids of the groups and handed it to us, there was no charge. That was pretty cool.
I still hadnt even seen their karaōke rooms yet!

I had the opportunity of visiting Wara Wara thanks to a UYE organized by Donald who took care of the ordering food which made us repsonsible for just one task which was eating the food.
We had a BBQ grilled meat plate, several side dishes and a large soup and a stone pot of meat and vegetables among many choices. the table was completely filled up with food and the dishes had to be finished quickly or moved to the side as there was no space on the table.
The food cost just $ 15 each to sample a wide variety of dishes and the food was excellent.
This was my first time in the village of Annandale which is largely populated with korean establishments so it is correctly referred to as Koreadale. It is definitely a great neighborhood to explore at your own leisure.
this is the best neighborhood to go to in the DC area for real korean food as everything looks authentic like koreatown in NYC

The food is good all around. The banchan (the little dishes they bring out with the meal) were all excellent (loved the eggplant). The kalbi dolsot bibimbap was among the best I ever had. Most places seem to throw in whatever they have laying around. Wara Wara’s had excellent meat and other ingredients. The bulkogi, too, was well made. Even the tenchanchigue looked intriguing (I’m not normally a fan).
If this place was close buy, it would be my go to Korean restaurant. Alas, Annandale is a bit of a drive for me and I have a ton of good Korean places in Centreville. Wara Wara isn’t good enough to draw me out too often.

Oh Wara Wara… how you have disappointed me. I REALLY wanted to like you! I got the living social deal in the hopes of finally getting to experience the Wara Wara way of life. When my friend and I went there to study for our Korean exam. We were enchanted by the décor and atmosphere. For a Wednesday night or evening it was very empty. We went upstairs and were seated. Their menu was limited but as I figured out, it’s more of a bar/​snack kind of place. We quickly ordered some soju, kimchi jeon (kimchi pancake — has seafood in it) and stir fried spicy pork. The kimchi jeon was edible. The stir fried spicy pork was really spicy so I liked that but it didnt urge me to start gorging myself with food. As we were trying to study and munch on our food, my friend went to take a sip of water and BEHOLD a little creature resembling a baby cockroach was on her glass. He scurried away as we watched. We tried to let it go and not let it affect our meal but the thought was still in my head. What if I’m eating his parents!
Still wanting to give the place a chance, we ordered the galbi skewers and samgyupsal skewers. As soon as they came out I grabbed for them in hopes of sweet juicy animal meat to grace my mouth. I took a bit and wanted to cry. There wasn’t much taste. The juciy meat nectar that excellent Korean barbecue provides for me was lacking. I went for the samgyupsal still bearing hope. Only to take a ite of pure fat. I know meat is fatty but this was ONLY fat. Around this time, our little creature friend appeared again. This was the last straw, we killed him in anger of the disappointment of food and decided the place was not acceptable. The total damage amount: $ 63 ~ food and two bottle of soju.
Now, the reason it has received two stars instead of one. One of my biggest points is service. We did not mention the bug to our server because to be honest, I don’t think she could do anything about it except apologize. She was continually checking on us and was very pleasant. I don’t blame her for the food or our little bug friend. Therefore, it gets a star for service.
Will I go there again: No, unless I get dragged there and in that case its only for drinks but I highly doubt I will ever return. Bad Food, Bad Times.

if you wanna get some food, stop by other korean places near annandale, then visit here to sing your soul out.
the ambiance is fine if you enjoy typical «korean atmosphere» where people are opened to mingle w/​strangers and singing loud.

*** Dinner /​Late Night Review ***
I’m not feeling it here anymore. We came on a Wednesday night around 8pm and this place was dead, I mean seriously there was no one here. It’s like they started Halloween early or something because the entire place was dark, I mean really dark.
We kept thinking the dinner or after dinner rush is about to happen… but throughout the night the place remained dead. The reason why we came here is to use a $ 30 Living Social voucher good for food and non-​alcoholic drinks. We ordered several drinks and over $ 30 of food alone… however when the bill came out, the waitress made some bullshit excuse about some of the food was not covered by the voucher. The only exclusion that was actually printed on the voucher was no lunch specials, and no holidays… neither of which applied. So instead of getting the full $ 30 value I only got $ 25.
It amazes me sometimes how short-​sighted businesses are to screw themselves of hundreds of dollars of future sales, just for $ 5 now. I totally hate spreading rumors too, but the friend I was with was telling me he heard it through the grapevine that the HoneyPig owner was pouring money into this place just to keep it afloat. After our visit, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that it was true. Sure Wednesdays might be slow, but to be the ONLY customers in the entire restaurant when we entered, and only seeing two other occupied tables when we left… yeah not a good sign at all.
(last visit in late September)

I just saw this on livingsocial and remembered I had been meaning to leave a review. This place is like a hidden gem! Off to the corner next to a PC bang, I’d been to this mall a couple times without ever bothering to look over… but I got invited to dinner a few months back, and I’m so glad I did. Now I frequent the place even though I’m not much of a drinker.
I hear their bar is great, but with noraebangs (karaōke rooms), a great atmosphere, and really good fusion dishes, it’s not the only reason to go. I feel like this place belongs in LA. My tip? Try the fusion gye-​ran-​mari. Awesome. It’s a sort of korean egg omelette with marinated spicy pork in the center garnished with various things, amongst which the diced strawberries were a pleasant surprise.
My only complaint would be that if you’re only going to eat, some of the menu items for dinner seem a bit expensive for what they are. But many times, they give you a free hour of karaōke or something if you’re with a group and eating… which then, seems good for the price in my opinion.
Apparently they didn’t allow karaōke for some time due to some permit issues or something, but after their grand re-​opening last month, karaōke is a go! Other than that, with their re-​opening they also began opening for lunch, which I’ve been meaning to try. Hopefully an update review will come once I’ve tried it. I’m especially excited because their lunch menu items are mostly only around $ 6 – 8.

Long time customer here. This is the Korean bar of choice to chill at and enjoy the company of good ppl! Drink prices are competitive and their wings/​skewers are the perfect complement to beer and soju. But if you do go all out and need something more filling to balance out the alcohol (or if you’re just hungry), they have a full array of authentic Korean dishes as well! One of the servers in particular postures a menacing bouncer-​like appearance (I think his name was Nathan) but was actually one of the coolest waiters our group could’ve asked for. Not only was the service on point, he was able to make some fantastic suggestions for ahnjoo (small dishes usually paired with soju/​beer). He was funny as hell too (dry humor kinda way). Will definitely be visiting again!

I love this place, good music, good food, nice place, cool crowd and good service

This is my favorite bar in Annandale!!!
They have an open parking lot in Seoul Plaza. You can park anywhere you want. This bar is actually right across the street from my friends house. So if I need to sober up before I hit the road I can just walk right across the street.
The place it self gives you a good night. The décor is well put and the staff their is amazing.
The bartender Lexy is amazing! She works at the bar upstairs and is the one with the nice body. She’s out going and easy to talk to! She makes drinks very well. She knows I don’t like my drinks to strong, so she makes it to fit my taste buds just right.
Nathan is an awesome server! He’s actually a really good friend of mine. He’s there Fri — Tues. He’s like a big gorilla, haha. He’s really fun to be with, and can drink a crap load.
The food is exceptional. I don’t like everything I try, but most of the things I get is good. Their corn cheese and egg omelette are my favorite!
The drinks are fairly priced. The prices are not really any different from the other bars in Annandale. I think their grape soju is the BEST one i’ve ever tried. I don’t like the fact that only half a bottle of soju goes into it, but it still tastes amazing~!

It took me a while to realize that the bar girls with short school uniform outfits and boobies out for showing… were in costume… must have been the light?
We sat at the bar, lost in a world of brave bar talk, surrounded by slick pretty Korean boys out for the night. It wasn’t exactly Blade Runner (although it was that dark), but the 21^st century got up in our faces when a feather weight erupted into a rage over a text message to his lady… and then proceeded to get so mad that he LIFTED a table and waved it around like club. So last century reaction!
Still, we were all kicked out at 2 am. Where’s the after party?

Our last stop at Wara Wara, I thought it would be a good place to chill and have a few drinks. This was a great alternative to forcing myself to dress up like a fool for a Halloween party. The busty korean bartenders were a delight in their vampire outfits and fake blood makeup. As soon as we sat down at the bar, a fight broke out. A very very mad korean man started shouting in korean and proceeded to lift a round table that was in the restaurant/​bar. I found the whole thing rather amusing but it didn’t go beyond the lifting of table. Nobody was hurt and nothing was destroyed. Action people, action! What a Halloween night! HAHA. We enjoyed our yogurt soju beverage and I sneaked in an order of scotch in the middle. We ended our 14 hour crawl at 2 am, on the way out we checked the round table, wondering if it was a weighty table. It was indeed heavy as hell and we gave that angry dude props for lifting it, he should put his talent to good use. Just an idea!

Wara wara must be the latest «it» Korean bar in Annandale. The bar was packed with 20-​something Koreans indulging themselves with soju, bar food, and good friends.
Yogurt soju was oh so tasty, but it tasted quite watered down. That’s probably why even after shots and shots of yogurt soju, I wasn’t feeling a buzz. The wings were surprisingly decent. It was fried well and juicy inside, but I didn’t particularly care for the sweet and spicy wing sauce on the side.
Oh, and I must confess, I am the cash grabbing «someone» mentioned in Nicole L’s review. Sorry everyone. I had no idea I wreaked so much havoc! I must one day learn to stop by the ATM.

I LOVE this place.
Ara used to be the go-​to place for me, but after dealing their crappy service and shadiness… I am so glad this place opened.
I haven’t eaten here so I don’t know what the dining experience is like but I do love drinking here. The setting is more private and some have tv’s at the table so you can catch any missed football games (college & nfl).
The waiters are very friendly and some are very cute. My boyfriend and I befriended one and he gives us GREAT hookups. (Thanks Jae Hyung!) I think they do for all tables, but they bring out extra food while you’re drinking and it’s all FREE. I love me anything FREE.
Their karaōke has all the newest songs and I think reasonably priced. It’s also the cleanest (probably because it just opened… so we’ll see if it holds up) I’m not sure why everyone is complaining about the price because I think the prices are all about the same at any bars around annandale. We ordered bottle service which is around $ 150. It came with a free fruit platter and unlimited karaōke, which is usually the deal at any karaōke bars around the area.

Don’t let the one star fool you — this place is a great drinking place. except that their food prices are outrageous and quality is terrible. Plus, on weekends they require you to purchase food if you want to sing in one of their karaōke rooms.
Despite being expensive, this place has some rather handsome male servers that will have me coming back for more boozing while staring at them like a piece of meat. I would definitely recommend this place to the experienced NOVA Korean bar hopper.

OK my friends were here for grand opening service took a bit longer than expected… weekends are packed there weren’t anymore seats but they change the seats once it was available…
before wara wara used to be reminisce café and man in black… they expanded the second floor so the space feels larger… it’s a typical Izakaya but in Seoul way
PROs: service is good they have lots of servers asking if u need anything to order… food is unique… we haven’t tried alot of them yet but frog leg meat sounds good for $ 1.99
CONs: prices are fair but their portions is alot smaller… every time we tried to order some dishes they are saying they ran out of items…
one section is good for beer other is good for soju and the bar… also their karaōke room is spacious and alot nicer… if u purchase $ 150 or more u get free hour of karaōke just ask for their special
menus were in english and korean i believe…
honey pig plus is a goner but warwara is here to stay for sure.
if u not a fan of Ara this is the place to be…

This place is a pretty nice addition to the Annandale bar scene. It’s owned by the same people who own Gooldwaegi, I guess. Downstairs is a small dining area, but the main bar area is upstairs. The atmosphere and décor is a lot more in line with the types of bars you see in Korea compared to the other Annandale bars.
Drink prices were pretty reasonable. I think it was $ 12 or $ 13 a pitcher. And $ 10 for a bottle of soju — which used to be the norm, but now everywhere has them for $ 12-​$ 14.
Also, this place is open 24 hours. But obviously the best time to go is from 7pm-​2 am. I didn’t really try that much of the food. But from what I did try and saw, it’s just typical average Korean bar food.

Wara Wara… the newest hot spot in Northern VA’s Korea town (A-​town).
The service was fantastic and their large beer cups are a plus… although I do wish I could hear the clanking of the beer cups when i say «jjan» with my friends. The food was neatly given in a nice looking wooden basket and the sauces were very good. If you get the love love chicken, they’re like popcorn chicken. And the grand piano on the top floor was awsome… anyone can go and play :)
Plus, they have both original and fresh chamisul soju. And the prices aren’t that bad… ranging from $ 1 to $ 5 with single kabobs and more expensive for other food you may want to share with friends.
The no rae bangs are the best! Not only did they have the most recent songs, but the rooms were spacey and they have their own bar inside! friggin’ awsome!
If you haven’t tried this place yet, then go ahead. You probably won’t regret it.