Ye Won

The owner is super friendly! The food is also amazing. We always come here when we want some good Korean food!

I lived in Korea for two years and let me tell you, eating here was like going back in time in the best way! The kimbap was warm, the panchan were perfect (spicy kimchi, kimchi cucumbers, tart cold radishes), and the Yukyejang (spicy shredded beef stew) was just like the big bowls I used to eat on the way home from work. This place is legit. I’d be a regular if I lived in the area and weren’t just passing through. Stop in for their lunch special because it’s a great deal and delicious!

This place was absolutely fantastic! I read all of the Unilocal reviews and I had to take my friend there for lunch as he loves Korean food. The server was so nice and he definitely knew his stuff. My friend absolutely loved it and we will most definitely be back for more delicious bulgogi and bibimbap!

We have been twice, amazing Bulgagi, the sides are also sooo good! We will be back often!

I’ve been here several times over the last couple years. It is generally good food. The décor is smart and while it is a small-​ish space it does not feel crowded. It is also a clean well-​lit space. I’d recommend anyone who wants to eat Korean food in a hipper atmosphere to try it. Unfortunately it cannot match Garden 88 in terms of quality.
The soups are not consistent. A good bowl one time may not be good the next time as evidenced last night. My wife ordered a soft tofu soup. I tried it and it was basically tofu flavored red hot water. On a previous visit, it had been fine. I will say my dolsot was tasty as always, but the serving size seemed smaller than I recall on previous visits.
On our last visit there seemed to be scalability problem. In a way that’s a good problem to have since it means your business is growing faster than anticipated. I think we were just there a bad night.
More than half the tables were full, but there was just one person acting as host, waiter, busboy and cashier. The great thing is, he kept his cool and did his various tasks well. Once in a while another person helped bring out food, I think owner or manager, but he appeared as though he was not happy about it.
The food took a long time, but again I think this is a scalability issue. We waited 40 minutes. It would have been better if the food was worth the wait, but it just wasn’t this time. If the banchan included more variety and were kept filled, that may have helped. But again, the one waiter was already working his tail off.
As much as I want this restaurant to thrive since there are precious few Korean restaurants in town, not sure how much I would want to go back. The straw that broke my back was, there was no soap nor paper towels in the men’s room. So the chef uses the bathroom, and… he doesn’t wash his hands? I brought it up but the poor sole waiter could not have dealt with that. Why no one else could do do immediately, like the floor manager, is beyond me. Now, we’ve been here many times before and there was never that problem before. The thing is, it is basic restaurant management. Before the rush, check the inventory.

This place is fantastic. Everything we’ve tried has been delicious. Try the fried mackerel, the bulgogee, the short ribs, and the bibimbop… and make sure to ask for it in the sizzling clay pot. Wow. Min waits tables and his mom cooks; it’s like being a guest in a Korean home. We’re there almost every week and can’t wait to go back.

This was the first time that we had Korean food, it was outstanding! The owners were extremely helpful. The food was fresh and delicious. The restaurant was clean and quaint. I definitely would encourage anyone considering Korean food to try Ye Won. You won’t leave disappointed!

I had dinner while in town for business. They gave some good advice on how much to order — what would fill me, what would be too much. I ended up gorging myself. Ingredients were fresh, flavors great. I thoroughly enjoyed talking with the staff there. We talked Richmond, travel, relationships. Kinda felt like eating dinner at a friends. Only wish we could get good Korean where I live.

The best place for Korean Food. I love the ribs and all the sides. Customer service is great and the restaurant is really clean. The food is here is fresh. The sol bi bim bop. Is how I remember when I was in Korea. I highly recommend it for lunch and dinner. This place is great for family dinners

Ordered the mando it was fantastic
Had bulgogi and very yummy along with the soontubo
Ahhh what a great experience would absolutely recommend

LOVE this place. Went here with the fam for lunch on my birthday and was a little concerned given how empty it was. Everything we had was awesome though; apps and mains, and the service was excellent. Definitely my Asian go to from now on.

I been to every Korean restaurant up and down Richmond and tri cities and I have to say the food here has me coming back when I crave Korean every time. Nuff said, put some in your face today and enjoy! You will not be disappointed.

I was craving some korean food after driving all day long. I ordered the kimchi pancakes and kali tang. The kimchi pancakes were decent. I just wished it was cooked more and crisper. The kali tang was very good, flavorful and well seasoned. The banchan was good as well. Also, the staff was very friendly and I always appreciate good service especially after a long and tiresome day.

We’ve been eating at Ye Won’s sister fast service restaurant, Gogi, which is also amazing. (Think Chipotle meets Korean Bi Bim Bap). We wanted to try this full service restaurant and it is beyond what we hoped.
My wife got the short rib soup with delicious tender fall-​off-​the-​bone beef and stunning broth. I got the beef bulgogi and at first bite, my eyes rolled into the back of my head, it was so good. We also got the kimchi fried rice and it is the perfect comfort food for any culture.
The Kim family is making an investment in Richmond and the quality of their food shows that Richmond will be happy they are here. Give these guys a try. You’ll be glad you did.

I will travel from Hampton to this restaurant when I want great Korean food. The others in the area just don’t compare. The food is always delicious, and the owner is the friendliest, making each visit amazing. I am a creature of habit so haven’t ventured much further than the bulgogi (spicy pork, so mouth watering) but it’s something I crave weekly now!
I’m headed there today before work and will update with a picture or two.
Thanks to these guys, for having my favorite restaurant in the Tri-​Cities and that says a lot!

I never give reviews but really felt obligated to say what an awesome experience I had here during a recent visit from St Louis. You have to try the bibimbap!

I was recently introduced to Korean food and this restaurant was the place. Let me start out by saying, I don’t know how I’ve missed this wonderful cuisine. This place continues to impress me with each meal I have there. Kimbop-​Korean sushi is so good! I get the Kim chi jiggea (sp?) which is a delicious kim chi soup with pork and tofu. The broth is amazing in this soup, hitting all of your tastebuds. My favorite has got to be all the different sides you get with your meal. My hubby enjoyed it also, getting the grilled pork.
The owner/​waiter is very helpful and kind. The cook is his mother and she rocks her cuisine. The place is a little hard to find but when you do, it’ll be stamped on your heart forever.
I highly recommend this place to everyone!

I had wanted to try out a Japanese restaurant in this same plaza, but it was closed on Mondays, so I ended up at Ye Won instead.
The restaurant itself is clean and well-​appointed inside. The menu was fairly extensive. Since the dish I originally wanted was not available that day (they were out of sundae), I opted for nakji bokkeum instead. The waiter asked me how spicy I wanted it, and I said medium. I guess my spice tolerance is greater than I think it is though, since the dish ended up being very mild in my opinion.
Nevertheless, the dish came out quickly and was very tasty. I was also impressed that I got six different banchan, because a lot of the other Korean restaurants I’ve been to in Richmond have been kind of skimpy on banchan.
What stood out most to me was service. The waiter was extremely friendly and approachable, and made an effort to be conversational. He seemed to do this with all of the restaurant patrons (he was the only employee during lunch that day). I also learned from him that the Korean/​International grocery store that’s been in the works for months where the old Kmart used to be on Midlothian Turnpike will hopefully be open by the end of the year, which made me really excited!
This is a great establishment and I would not hesitate to come back, but it is a little far from home for me. The only reason I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars is because the portion was moderate given the price, although Korean food is not generally known to be cheap.

I would give this establishment 6 stars if I could! I am in the military and was stationed in Korea for a year; since my return I became incredibly picky about my Korean food. I returned to the states in 2010 and had yet to find a Korean restaurant that made me feel like I was back in Seoul.
Ye Won’s food was absolutely sensational! I was finally able to eat authentic Korean food! Much to my waiters surprise I ordered basically everything in the menu in one sitting (I had to try it all). Their kimchi pancake was spot on! They even had gatdoogie (kimchi radish). Their kimchi was delicious and flavorful (I am incredibly picky when it comes to kimchi). As for a main course I ordered the Bulgolgi, it was deliciously marinated and served in a piping hot metal plate, still simmering. I almost forgot, kimbop! It was PERFECT! Some places roll entirely too much rice and very little radish, egg, and galbi, not Ye Won, My mouth is watering just thinking about it!
If you’re looking for genuine straight out of Korea meat and leaf pleaseeee eat at Ye Won– I go once a week now!

I am very picky when it comes to Korean food, and I was happy to see that there was a Korean restaurant in the area, right on one of the main veins out here in suburbia. This part of Hull Street is a little enclave of great international food gems, and Yewon really did please. I have made homemade Korean food and had it at friends’ houses, and tried many restaurants in Northern VA. Many Korean restaurants, even in Northern VA, tend to be overpriced and greasy with small portions with just okay flavor. Yewon tasted like home.
Maybe they changed cooks or ownership, I’m not sure, but service was wonderful and the food was very flavorful. I ordered the kimchi bokum bap (kimchi fried rice), and my fiancé ordered the galbi (marinated LA short ribs). The kimchi was very flavorful, nice and spicy, and had lots of meat, not to mention that it was a good size portion too. My fiancé had a mountain of galbi that was piping hot, cooked just right, with a bit of caramelization, and seasoned to perfection, mmmm mmm! Oh yeah, and the kimbap was very flavorful and was a good portion for 5 bucks too. The banchan was pretty good. The shredded pickled radish was addictively delish, and the bean sprout salad was good too. Unfortunately, theirs was not my favorite kimchi. I am pretty picky about that.
With the flavor of the food and the service, it almost felt like having dinner at someone’s house. The owner was very friendly, warm, welcoming, and incredibly attentive. He noticed everything and addressed whatever we needed right away without being overbearing in the least bit. He was very personable, joked with us, and made us feel right at home. He was also very helpful when my fiancé asked for a recommendation. I can’t stand when people act like they don’t know what they like best between one thing or another.
I was very happy that I finally got around to trying Yewon. Delicious food, great service, and a good value for your money. That’s a winning combination in my book. I would definitely recommend trying this place and, unlike most places, it’s definitely worth the drive if you don’t live nearby. The lunch specials look like a deal worth checking out too.