Adam Express

My boo. The chicken bulgogi is amazing. Also a big fan of the bi bim bop. Owned by an elderly Korean couple it feels like your at home eagerly awaiting food from your mothers kitchen.
I miss you dearly.

My friend and I ordered chap chea and hotpot. They are very good! (I visited in March 2013)

I love Adam Express! It is a hole in the wall but it offers good sushi dishes for a good price! I would recommend taking an order (or two) to go since there’s really no seating room. The owners are friendly and seem to make each meal with care.
I am boring and tend to get the avocado roll and shrimp tempura but my roommate has ventured into other dishes and we are both happy customers!

2.5 stars
I guess the mystique and obscurity is supposed to draw you in (you know, the kind of places locals only know and 100% this is what Adams goes for right down to the unassuming exterior). BUT, does the food keep you?
Well, not quite. Found it to be a bit on the bland side but enhanced by the sauce the chef brought over after, I guess, she saw my «meh» face. Nice enough lady. If you are starving and in the area, go for it, but there is no ambiance to speak of. It does what it needs to do, fills the belly, not much else. Prices were a bit on the high side FOR WHAT YOU GET (quantity, etc.). Overall, I recommend looking elsewhere but when in a pinch, you could do a lot worse.

The bimimbap was very good. Very fresh, with lots of different veggies. Their sticky rice is good too. It has some sesame oil in it I think.
I got the spicy tuna, which tasted off, but the eel roll was good.
They were supposed to shut down March 31, but now decided to stay open indefinitely.

The Bibim Bab with chicken is very good and also the soft she’ll crab roll. I’ve been coming here since 2005. Recommend getting food to go. Nice husband and wife owned business.

I hate to downgrade to 3 stars because I still LOVE this place. I’m actually rockin a bipim bap belly right now, thanks to Adam’s Express. There’s kimchi soup in my fridge for tomorrow, cuz I’m not feelin well, too.
So why 3 stars instead of 4? Is there a new, better Korean restaurant nearby? No. I still prefer AE to Mandu and the rest. But I just wish it was spicy. I get havin to knock the heat down to give non-​koreans a chance, but even if we could have ours normal spicy, I’d be a happy camper.

A great find in Mount Pleasant. I accidentally stumbled upon this place while trying to find a quick bite to eat before an event nearby. Service is slow… only the husband and wife work here. They both cook and answer phones! They take their time preparing the food (you can actually watch them cook!). When I went in, several people were already waiting for their food. At one point, more people started coming in and they were people who called in their orders. One thing that I noticed: the couple do not take down the names of the people — only orders… I wish I suggested to them to take the names of the people so it’s easier when an order is ready…
I was here for about an hour but the wife was pretty mindful that people were waiting for their food for a long time… so she gave us sushi to try. I thought it was a nice gesture… oh, the food is excellent. Can’t wait to go back…

I’ve been wanting to try this place for a while because of the solid reviews. They are lucky to be getting 3 stars. It’s inexpensive and gets the job done. Although, it’s FAR from special.
I went late on a weeknight and had bibimbap. It was good, seemed fresh, and would happily order it again. About the same as New Young’s Deli in NoMa, although I prefer it at New Young’s because of the homemade hot sauce, bigger portion, more veggies.
My friend ordered vegetable dumplings, which weren’t particularly tasty, and the sauce to dip them in was soy sauce… for real?!

I like this divey hole in the wall Korean/​Japanese/​Chinese carry out.
Order time was a tad slow, I called in in advance and my food was still not ready when I arrived. The old couple running the place were very friendly though so it wasn’t a huge hassle to wait for a couple of extra minutes.
Food was good, I tried a variety of things.
For Korean I was able to try the Bul Go Gi, it was nicely prepared. I found the flavor to be plentiful and satisfying.
For the Japanese portion of my trip I had California rolls, they were well prepared and nicely, they didn’t fall apart and held their consistency throughout.
For Chinese, I had the dumplings, I don’t believe they make these in store though but I can’t confirm that. They were decent though, nice taste.
All in all, good little carry out spot. It is near my house so I can imagine myself returning for more good food from a nice old Asian couple.

Two and a half stars. Annandale regulars won’t be impressed by the Korean part of the menu. The Chinese and Japanese parts of the menu are similarly limited and whitewashed. I dig the format of this hole in the wall with half a dozen counter seats inside, two aunties and an uncle floating between kitchen and register.
We were given one tiny container of alright napa kimchi to split between two people, and mildly spicy ssamjang for the bibimbap. Rice is decent but beef quality is basic and the japchae was a little overcooked. Not a bad drunk food option.

Its easy to miss this spicy Korean gem on Mount Pleasant. It has a simple exterior and an even more simple interior. However, a magic series of tubes known as the internet informed me otherwise. Needless to say the reviews were accurate — this take out joint is the shit of shits, the great bambino, the sultan of swat, etc etc.
I ordered the spicy korean chicken. And in addition to rendering me gasping for air it also sent me on a journey. A journey that culminated in two shots of pepto and a satisfied grin etched across my sweaty, sweaty face.
There is minimal seating and no delivery service. But i dont care. I would skateboard through Tahrir Square on a Friday night screaming down with the brotherhood if it meant i could get me sum more Adam Express.

After seeing the reviews for Adam Express, I had to make the long, long trek from AdMo to Mt Pleasant (okay, its like 15 minutes) to try it out. We picked our food up and brought it home, which seems like the only way to go — the place is tiny and about 100 degrees.
I got the Bibimbap, and was glad I did — though they have Chinese and Japanese food too, Adam Express seems like a Korean place at heart; plus, where else in the city can you get Korean? It was a large portion for $ 8.50: Rice, beef, an egg, and about 6 types of veggies around the side (eggplant, carrots, sprouts, etc).
I really appreciated the fresh veggies, and the beef was really tasty too. Slathered in spicy sauce, and with a side of kimchi, the dish was really good. I wish it came with more beef… but fair enough.
My friend got the chicken lo mein, which was an… interesting and unwise ordering decision. We also split an avocado roll after seeing it popping up in reviews, and it didn’t disappoint.
Overall, I wish Adam Express was closer by. If it were in my neighborhood, I’d probably go often. But, considering the 30 minute round trip walk, it probably wasn’t good enough for me to run back unless I really wanted Korean food.

I had some errands in this part of the city and checking Unilocal found the high raiting for Adam Express so called in a carryout order. I got to say I was a bit taken back when I got there. There would have to be some renovations to work it up to hole in the wall and the inside is even scarier.
But of the food and the price! Sweet Sour Chicken and Bim im bap were amamzingly great. Also had the Chili chicken, You might want to warn the family if you go here, now i know what the BAP means in Bim im BAP!

As everyone else has said, the food here is amazing. While I was waiting and watching the couple who own/​run the restaurant I started to get worried about how the food was going to be. They are in this little hot kitchen trying to make food and take orders and I started to doubt my fellow Unilocalers reviews. Once I tasted the food all doubt immediately vanished. A friend and I split a couple sushi rolls and a Chicken Bulgo gi and all of it was delicious.
Based on the food this place gets 5 stars, but the restaurant and service were a little crummy. Adam Express is tiny. They have a couple of stools in there where people eat. but I would not recommend them because it is so small. Also if they do have AC it is completely useless because the door is open and the heat from the kitchen overpowers it. I have no problem with any of this, but it did annoy me that when I called they said my food would be ready in 15 minutes, so I showed up 15 minutes later and they said 5 minutes (completely reasonable), but then I waited 20 more minutes.
This place is good and will be my take out food of choice in the future, but definitely call ahead to order and you may want to give them a few extra minutes because waiting in the restaurant for the food is not very enjoyable.

I was so excited to finally try this place out. After all Adam Express is synonymous with great sushi in the DC area. It seems like everyone who enjoys a roll or two on occasion makes their way to this little mom and pop joint to satisfy their craving. After making an evening stop there after work the other day, I totally understand why.
Even though I was very tired when I arrived, and did get slightly annoyed by the 30 minute wait, I couldn’t help but fall in love with the methodical preparation going on behind the little sushi bar by the two owners. They didn’t skip a beat, or once looked rushed, even as the people continued to pack into the waiting area/​dining room and calls kept steadily ringing in, even though it was less than an hour until they closed. They just did what they have done for years. Cook with all the passion of a chef cooking for their family; with über amounts of love.
By no means is this place fast food but it sure as heck is good food… and large. The avocado roll was like eating sweet butter wrapped in perfectly vinegared and stinky rice. Never have I had avocado that is so ripe and yummy. I had to slow myself down while eating it, so it could be savored. The spicy salmon roll was stuffed, I mean stuffed, with very spicy salmon chunks. I believe that the spice was more Korean influenced than Japanese. It was a bit more bitter and smoky than what I’ve had in other, strictly Japanese, sushi places. It was really interesting, and very good. Didn’t necessarily go with wasabi though. Too much of the same type of flavor.
If I could give the next person some advice it would be to call ahead if you don’t want to wait an extremely long time for your food. Other than that, order anything. I have great confidence that everything is good. :)

It pains me to post this review because I have a lot of respect for what this older Korean couple has accomplished with this little hole in the wall restaurant. My parents immigrated to the US from Korea and worked endless hours to provide for me and my brothers. I should also qualify this review with the fact that my standards for Korean restaurants is very high considering I spent most of my life in the Seattle/​Tacoma area and because I grew up on the food.
I have to agree with Jeff T.‘s review. The ratings for this place seem way inflated because of the sheer lack of options for Korean food in the area. I ordered the bibimbap and pajeon. The former was just ok and the latter was not good. The portion of bibimbap was small compared to what I’m used to. Also, seafood pajeon served in good Korean restaurants is filled with seafood like octopus, large shrimp, scallops, and sometimes even oysters. This one had mostly green onions and zucchini with a few tiny bay shrimps thrown in. Also, pajeon served in restaurants is usually deliciously crisp on the outside. This one was very soft and doughy.
Perhaps the most ironic part of the experience was that the woman was not particularly friendly to me. I had read so much about how warm and nice the couple are so I was very surprised at the not so friendly interactions. I actually tried to initiate conversations about how I’m new to DC and also about the fact that I had read so many good reviews about the restaurant. When I realized the woman had no interest in having a conversation I just ate my food and left. Btw, this is NOT the reason for my low rating. I do not incorporate luke warm service into my overall ratings of restaurants, only if the service is particularly bad. Perhaps the woman was tired, perhaps a previous customer had been rude to her, as I explained above I have much respect for small business owners who have immigrated to the US to work endless hours doing not so pleasant work.
Finally, if you are one of the many positive reviewers for this restaurant, please do not let my review interfere with your enjoyment of this place. Please keep patronizing this establishment, keep enjoying the food, and continue supporting this local business!!!

Bigger menus and fancier food can certainly be found in Annandale. However, for those of us who live near the Mount Pleasant area, this place is super convenient when the Korean food craving kicks in, and the food is actually pretty good. I imagine that if I was from a Korean household, this is what my everyday meals growing up would be like. I’ve had the bibimbap and the bulgogi and recommend both. Each dish came with a side of kimchi.
The place is tiny, a true hole in the wall, with barely any seating and is owned and operated by an older Korean couple.

There aren’t very many Korean restaurants in the district. Come to think of it, there aren’t very many Korean people. So this lone restaurant is usually filled with non-​Korean yupster couples in their late 20’s trying to bring spice into their lives by eating food they saw the Asian guy make on Top Chef once. This is fine with me — listening to white people say «bibimbap» and «bulgogi» is pretty entertaining.
The bibimbap is probably the standout here. It comes with a wide array of tasty little vegetables (though the portion of meat is quite scant). The Korean fried chicken and seafood pancake are also satisfying albeit less healthy. All Korean entrees come with a side of kimchi, so unless you’re really a kimchi fiend, you don’t need to spring for the extra.
All said and done, the ratings for this place are probably inflated by lack of alternatives. But if they like it, and nobody is dying, good for them.
I thought it was weird that the old lady rounded my total up when I paid in cash. I mean, I’m not really missing those 50 cents, but rounding down, or like… exact change… is usually the way to build goodwill. Next time I’ll probably pay with card and stick them with the credit card fee. I’m evil.

Like everyone else, we came here because of good reviews from Unilocal.Personally, I would never just walk in — it’s like a hole in a wall, essentially, but usually, the best things are hidden!
Adam Express is run by an elderly couple — a very small shop, enough seating for maybe 6 people max, but everything can be served to go, like food carts in NYC. I had the Bi Bim Bap, served a bit cold, but never the less it was pretty good. It’s not the best that I’ve ever had, but it was filling! The Special Bulgogi Roll wasn’t that special, just bulgogi wrapped in a sushi (kinda expensive) but still decent. Skip it. My Bi Bim Bap was also served with a side of kimchi, something that I rarely get to have in DC!
Because there are only two people in the kitchen (the elderly couple), it’s a bit slow so if you’re in a rush, call ahead. Sushi seems to be the fastest thing, but we had to wait about 15 minutes.
Overall, it passes my test for authentic Korean food. I’ll probably try a variety of sushi next time because it’s rare to find sushi in DC at such a cheap price!
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PHOTOS:
Special Bulgogi Roll:
Bi Bim Bap: