Yona Pop-Up at G

definitely get the brussel sprouts appetizer. they’re roasted and have the earthy deep flavors of brussel sprouts. it’s also topped with some crispy bits and a cream which I think is probably the only reason why I continued to devour each one. service was excellent

My husband and I visited recently and I wasn’t impressed. Unlike other reviewers, our service was terrible. We ordered several items we never received, but thankfully we weren’t charged for them either. The server was nowhere to be found and by the time we saw her again she was dropping off the check. I had the Miso Porky ramen and like other reviews have noted, it was salty, fishy, bland, and generally unappealing. However the noodles were cooked perfectly and the egg was delicious, not cold like some reviews have mentioned. All in all, I have had better ramen elsewhere. Also we ordered the wings for an appetizer and they were quite good, probably the best part of our meal.

I can’t say for sure, but I’m pretty sure I ate a bowl of weird gravy last night. Oh wait, it was Yona’s vegetarian ramen.
The Food:
Ramen: The soy-​milk laden broth was too thick and creamy for my taste. The vegetables mounded atop the overcooked noodles were delicious, but the noodles were fairly mushy (mushy potatoes, yum; mushy noodles, not so much.) and as mentioned the broth was much too rich for me. (Note: the veggie broth is chock-​full of herbs, so date night goers, make sure you check your teeth since it’s almost inevitable they will be filled with greens.)
Apple and Radish Salad: I mean, it’s a part of an apple and some radishes sliced up and served on top of miso butter. Nothing spectacularly creative to write home about.
Service:
I would love to say our waiter was attentive, but he checked on us approximately zero times once the main dishes were served. (Saturday night rush at Kapnos though, I get it.)
Overall unless they drastically changed their broth, I don’t see myself visiting Yona’s official opening this Summer.

Ramen? Yes please!
Yona’s ramen? No thanks!
I was SOoo excited about trying this place but it failed miserably to represent what ramen should be. I had the miso porky & hubs had the tonkotsu shoyu. *sigh* Im getting sad just thinking about the money I wasted…
What was wrong? 1) soft, soggy noodles. 2) SALTY. 3) tonkotsu shoyu is minus the tonkotsu and even MORE salty because now it just tastes like a lot of soy sauce with a dash of water. 4) lack of richness/​sweetness in the tonkotsu broth
Horrible representation of ramen. For a pop up restaurant, would’ve expected a chef that is putting out his best to gain a good rep before opening up his store front. Instead, I see a chef who doesnt really seem to care. Having tried at least 10 ramen places, this one is ULTIMATE FAIL. WILL NOT recommend. WILL NOT return.

This was VERY disappointing. We tried the wings and hamachi which were OK. The radishes and apples with miso butter were inedible. The ramen was way too salty and the the pork was not seared and was floppy fatty and overcooked. After spending $ 94 we left sad and hungry. This place is nothing compared to toki or daikaya. Don’t waste your money.

When I heard this ramen popup was happening, I was THRILLED and knew I had to go. My friend and I made a reservation and of course looked to Unilocal to help us determine which menu items to choose since everything sounded so amazing. We were a little discouraged while reading some of the reviews, but thought it would be a cool and fun experience regardless, not to mention a post-​Spin Class treat.
Our waitress was great and told us that 2 – 4 appetizers between the two of us would suffice. We settled on 3, including the Crispy Brussel Sprouts, the Yook Hwe, and the Dry-​Fried wings. They were all delicious — a 3-​way tie in my book, but if I HAD to choose, the wings would probably be my favorite. The sauce reminded me of an orange chicken sauce with a bit of a kick.
We both got the Miso Porky Ramen, which I had high expectations for given its funny name, and it did not disappoint. I thought I would be too full to eat even half of it, but powered through to the end and was SO glad that I did because the broth at the bottom was super gingery and delicious. They are pretty generous with their portions so the three apps and bowl of ramen each was definitely A LOT of food for the two of us, but we polished it off nonetheless.
Either Yona has taken into consideration all of the constructive Unilocal reviews and adjusted accordingly OR I shouldn’t believe everything I read on the internet (or both!). Great quality of both food and service — I can’t wait for the full-​service restaurant to open!

Ramen Take-​Over.
Taking over G by Mike Isabella for March and April, Chef Jonah Kim is perfecting his ramen craft before opening Yona in Balston, VA later this year. I was so happy to have the opportunity to test out the new restaurant without needing to make the trek to VA.
Our table ordered the Yook Hwe and Crispy Brussel Sprout to share before digging into the ramen. We were all impressed with the Yook Hwe, a korean beef tartare that was fresh, crisp and unexpected. If you enjoy tartare, you really should try this dish. The Crispy Brussel Sprouts were good. I think they could have been cooked through a little longer. (It’s hard to impress me with brussel sprouts as everyone does it now and they are my favorite side dish).
I had the Miso Porky Ramen and could not have been more pleased. The rich pork broth and noodles were everything I needed to counter the chilly spring day. The kimchi added a great little kicked needed to take it to the next level. This was some of the better ramen that I’ve had in DC. (Even better than Dakayia!)
I am not sure why others didn’t have as great experience as we did. Maybe Mike and Jonah worked out some of the kinks from the first month that other experienced?!
In any case, I can’t wait for Yona to actually open. I’ll be back.

As a fellow Korean, I wanted to love it so badly, but I really didn’t. I came with two guys. The server and the hostess were all very nice and accommodating. We ordered the Yook Hwe and Crispy Brussel Sprouts to start. The Yook Hwe was an interesting taste with the bits of Korean pear that contrasted the taste of the meat. The flavor was nothing extraordinary. The Crispy Brussel Sprouts were tasty, but they didn’t look so delicious all charred up in a little bowl.
For my ramen entrée, I had the Miso Porky. It was pretty bland in my opinion, but every little piece of kimchi in it packed a small burst of flavor which was enjoyable. There were only several pieces of kimchi, so it wasn’t enough to make up for the bland taste of the soup. The noodles were a good chewy consistency. It wasn’t bad, but I couldn’t recommend it to my other friends who couldn’t make it that night.

Where do I even start? Yona is set to be a «noodle bar», but it’s far far from it. In actuality, the ramen should be left out. Left out completely because it was just embarrassing. The Pop-​Up offered 3 types of ramen and I tried 2 out of the 3; Miso Porky and Tonkotsu Shoyu. For small plates, Lamb Heart Tartar and Smoked Hamachi were ordered.
The Miso Porky is a miso and pork broth but all you tasted was an overly salted miso soup with overly cooked noodles. The broth didn’t get any richness from any pork and was actually quite lean. It just seemed like miso paste + water then reduced. Slap a few thinly sliced pieces of boiled pork belly in there (they call it chashu but it’s not charred at all — having witnessed work at Ippudo and Totto Ramen in NYC, they use a skillet or a torch to char each piece that goes into the bowl). There were other stuff in the ramen, like kelp and a poached egg (egg was the best part but easiest to do especially when you’re using an immersion circulator), but it was difficult to pay attention to anything in the bowl when the soup is so salty. The soup looked promising, but as soon as you taste it, it was boring.
The Tonkotsu Shoyu was even worse. The «Tonkotsu» was 100% absent. It should of been called Shoyu Ramen. This «Tonkotsu» Shoyu Ramen tasted like soy sauce and water. I thought it was just me, but there were 3 other people at the table that ordered it too and the people who did not order it, sampled it and it was conclusive, soy sauce + water. The noodle actually turned dark and it grew more and more difficult to take another bite to finish all the noodles, which was again, lacking proper bite and snap because they were cooked too long. This was by far the absolute worst ramen I’ve ever had. Again, the egg was the best part.
I’ve had many of ramen from locally to NYC including Ren’s Ramen, Ki No Spoon, Toki Underground, Daikaya, Ippudo, Totto Ramen, Ramen-​Ya, Ramen Setagaya, Minca, to name a few and this cannot compare to any of those. I’ll actually pick a Nissin Cup-​O-​Noodle over the ramen here. But let’s end on an up-​note and talk about the small plates.
The Lamb Heart Tartar was good. Tender, slightly gamey, meaty, sweet, crunchy. Very good contrasts with the seasoning on-​point. Served as a lettuce wrap, it was a delicious start.
Smoked Hamachi was very flavorful. Great smoke flavor to a clean and lean fish. The gochujang-​like sauce added a nice kick of sweet and spicy to the earthy smoke flavor. It also made the plating look nice.
Overall, this Pop-​Up needs a ton of work with their ramen. If the VA location hopes to stay alive, it’s going to need to produce much MUCH better results. I will not be trying Yona in VA nor would I recommend it. The small plates aren’t enough to make it worth while to spend my hard-​earned money at this restaurant. Now, where’s my Cup-​O-​Noodle…

Made a reservation for this place as soon as I heard about it — so one plus was that the pop up did allow reservations (alway an advantage against the ramen-​craving crowds of other hot spots!). I arrived about a half hour before my dinner mates and was a little disappointed with how long it took them to ask me if I wanted a drink while I waited, but other than that, the service was good and friendly.
Although I’m usually a die-​hard Shoyu worshipper, I ordered the Miso Porky because I heard the Shoyu was excessively salty. I got the spicy add-​on as well as an order of the crispy brussel sprouts. I really like the consistency of the miso broth — it was thick and full. To my delight, it was also slightly spicy even without my add-​on, which I thought was great (but do think they should indicate on the menu somewhere since not all folks want to spice up their life). While the noodle conistency was decent and the veggies (bamboo shoots and scallions) were scrumptious, I was REALLY disappointed in the pork. Not only was it cold and out of place in the dish, it was tragically tough. A complete miss. My spicy add-​on reminded me of the ones they give you at Toki — basically hot sauce in a small side bowl. I wish they’d adopt the «balls» with red pepper flakes, etc. that Daikaya does — those simply have a more sophistocated, refined set of flavors than the orangish liquid slop they provided here.
My brussel sprouts were great on the other hand — a charred, cripsy ball of magic packed with flavor. I just wish the magic hadn’t come in such huge bites! Why not half those suckers? Especially because without a knife, this made for a very awkward eating experience. Finally, I had a sip of broth from my fellow diner’s Shoyu, and didn’t think it was as inedibly salty as previous posts claim. Although I admit I prefered miso here.
All and all, FAR from my favorite ramen spots in the city, but doable mainly if you have a thick broth and brussel obsession.

I was so excited for this pop up but unfortunately it did not live up to expectations. If I’m judging this dining experience on Yona along and not the décor, service, and ambiance of G (which were all excellent) then it only deserves 2.5÷3 stars.
FOOD:
I went with a group of 4 and we ended up ordering 3 of the 4 cocktails and all 3 of the ramen bowls. We also ordered the fried chicken wings to start.
Cocktails: Obviously I read all the reviews before our reservation at Yona, particularly because there aren’t that many. As others have said, this is really the winning feature of Yona. All the cocktails we sampled were amazing and started the evening off perfectly. I would consider going to Yona just for a cocktail drink at the bar.
Fried Chicken Wings: Very unique flavor, perfect crisp, and extremely juice inside. This was certainly the most delicious food I tasted all night. However, a little steep in pricing for just $ 4 wings but it was good.
Vegetable Ramen: Let’s start with the best. Surprisingly, the vegetable ramen broth was by far the best tasting one of the 3 offered. It was incredibly flavorful and aromatic. The soy milk addition to the broth was a pleasant surprise — also I love soy milk. #lactoseintolerance in the house!
Porky Miso Ramen: This was the runner up, but I will say it’s certainly not the best ramen in DC, by far. Which may be a moot point because Yona will not eventually be in DC so it may not matter.
Tonkotsu Ramen: Unfortunately, I ordered this ramen. I really hate to say this but this was kind of horrible. It was probably the worst ramen I’ve ever had, anywhere. The flavor was very monotone and unimpressive. It’s hard to describe but it’s like the broth was cooked in 20 minutes and only had 2 ingredients. The ramen noodles were cooked al dente and were good. The sliced pork was delicious. Unfortunately the soft boiled egg was very cold when I split it in half. They definitely cooked these separately early on in the night and plop these in each bowl. I guess it’s mean tto be mixed in but it was really quite cold and shocking to my mouth.
I almost want to tell the Yona chefs to stop telling people to focus on the ramen bowls (we were told this by our server right when we were seated), and instead tell people to make use of the appetizers as tapas for the entire meal. I feel like their appetizers would shine much brighter and allow them to create a niche for themselves, since the ramen competition in DC is already pretty stiff.

Yona reminds me of another ramen pop-​up place in NYC (whole foods kitchen), and its actual location didn’t survive past the 6-​months mark. What does Yona do different? And what does it do better? Our visit answered those questions with the same sentiment: ehhh.
The miso-​porky soup was creamy with a little bit of spiciness to it, which is a great start. However the ramen noodles itself were forgettable, the chashu was disappointing, with the half-​cooked egg being the lone bright spot. The shoyu ramen (as many have stated) was way too salty, and our appetizers had only one saving grace (brussels sprouts) with dry wings/​squid being average at best. Worst of all, the prices were expensive for what they were.
The other bright side: good service from our waitress and other staff members.
I see that they’re going to open their Arlington location soon, and until they change their recipes dramatically, I’m steering clear of this establishment.

We ordered the «Kinpira» and dried fried wings from the «EVERYTHING ELSE» menu which looked better than the three ramen options. They were okay, but not amazing per the waiter.
Then we had the Miso Porky ramen (thicker noodles, richer broth — this one was nice and tasty) and the Tonkotsu-​Shoyu Tare ramen (tooooo salty, I couldn’t eat it).
I will have to drop by again to try the brussel sprouts and fresh tofu, as I would have ordered these had I not gone with the waiter’s suggestions.
*Drinks were excellent, but we brought our Kapnos drinks over.

Ok first off, I go to G for sandwiches and/​or the tasting menu AT LEAST 4 times a month… Love it!
The Yona pop up did nothing for me tho, sadly.
The good: The service! Always great… Always!!!
The drinks! I had a few of the ‘Yoon’ mixed drinks. It involved bourbon and scotch etc. tasted great. I also had a couple of the Japanese beers they had, although I can’t remember the names of them (re-​read the part about the yoons… It may explain that). But the beer was great too.
The beef heart tartar! By far the best thing I ate at this pop up.
The carrots/​salsify. Delicious.
The bad: Sorry to say, most everything else… And we ordered EVERYTHING on the menu (as far as the sides) except the raddish/​apples.
Wings — bland. Not sure how that happens. the menu said there were chilies on the wings. My taste buds say the menu is lying.
Tofu — I’m into tofu, usually. But you know how tofu usually takes on the flavor of the other ingredients in the dish? It was weird, it was the opposite in this dish, it seemed like all the other ingredients took on the taste of tofu… Which really has no taste.
The decent:
The hamachi — Just happy it wasn’t bad. I’ll take it.
The Brussels sprouts — I mean I like Brussels sprouts as much as the next guy, but I’m done with the B. Sprout craze. Yawn… Solid side tho.
The Miso Porky ramen. Nothing special… Tasted a little fishy!!! Which isn’t really what i was expecting. Um… Can’t really find a reason to choose that ramen over any other ramen I can get in the city. Not one.
Not sure why the pop up here is extending it’s stay… But of course that’s my own opinion. I encourage you to try it for yourself. I for one am just glad this restaurant is only here temporarily. Sorry.

I will preface this by saying I really wanted to love this pop-​up experience, especially since I enjoy and recommend Mike Isabella’s Graffiato and Kapnos restaurant, and find myself craving a G Sandwich more often than I should… but I was sadly underwhelmed by this experience.
I went with two other people, and we all got the miso porky ramen, and shared the apples and radishes and the dry fried wings appetizers. The wings were, I think, meant to be like double fried Korean wings, and they were probably the tastiest part of our meal. The apples and radishes were bland, and the miso butter was missing anything to recommend it flavor-​wise. I certainly would not have guessed that it was miso flavored– it had the texture of creamy hummus minus any addition of flavor.
And then the ramen. Well, I love ramen– more specifically, I love the broth and all of the little things that go into ramen: the addition of meats, the soft egg, the nori, the texture and chewiness of the noodles, and oh the broth! The soothing but richly flavorful broth! THIS was not that. The noodles in our bowls were all slightly overcooked. The pork was just there. I ordered an extra soft egg in mine, and when I broke to the yolk, it was COLD. Really. And the «rich pork broth,» my favorite part of the ramen eating experience… this broth needed life. It was flat. We needed to add salt. It was just sitting there, full of potential, but lacking any luster to bring the ramen together. So overall, it was edible, but it was nowhere in the vicinity of great or excellent. And quite frankly, I was just expecting more.
Also, I’m not sure what happened, but what happened to the steamed buns and the jjajang rice, etc. that were supposed to be on the menu?
I know this is the trial run before the opening in Ballston, so I’m hopeful the food will improve… but I’ll definitely wait a bit before I give it another try.

Yona is a pop up that has taken over G until May. I was there last Friday and had a great experience!
We ordered the yook hwe, which is the veal heart tartare. I thought this was a cool spin on tartare as it was served with apple crips and lettuce. It helped to freshen the flavors of the meat. For our ramen entrees, we ordered the Miso Porky and the Tonkotsu-​Shoyu Tare. The ramen was excellent. Both broths were deeply flavorful and complex. I also added the napamu to my bowl, which is just their version of a fireball/​hot sauce. It added a nice little kick, but wasn’t very spicy.
We also ordered a couple beers. They do, however, have an extensive whiskey and cocktail list that looked fantastic. We were just in a beer mood.
This is a great pop-​up and I would definitely recommend it.

Nice whisky list. Hak was refreshing and very light on alcohol, and the shiso leaf didn’t add much dimension to its profile. Yoon initially had an odd finish with enough diminishing returns that I enjoyed the second half of my cocktail without reserve. Zeno was more universally pleasing, garnished with a wedge of sumo mandarin aggressively grilled on one side.
Two cold slices of chashu per bowl, one beautifully soft egg waiting to burst. As much as I like benishoga, the shoyu broth was more salt than anything else that I preferred the heavier miso porky bowl, where the kimchi wasn’t too strong in taste and the small clusters of kikurage were cooked through. Crispy brussel sprouts were quartered into flowers for even roasting, drizzled with kewpie mayo for richness and sprinkled with rice pearls for the tiniest extra crunch. Yook hwe was a wonderful dream of textures and flavors with pine nuts and toasted rice mixed in with the velvety veal heart tartare.
We’ll be trekking down to Arlington to try the dry-​fried wings, steamed pork jowl buns, smoked hamachi, kinpira, and steamed king crab when they open. We’ll be trekking down to Arlington to try the dry-​fried wings and steamed pork jowl buns when they open.

Get the crispy brussel sprouts! Incredible. My boyfriend got the wings and loved them. We sat at the bar and got to watch Jonah Kim & Mike Isabella work which was awesome. I got the veggie ramen — not easy to get strong flavors into a veggie broth and they did an excellent job. Can’t wait to visit when it’s a full time restaurant!

What an awesome experience! My friend and I stumbled into the Yona Pop-​Up sweaty and disgusting after spin class. She, especially, is a ramen die hard, and there wasn’t going to be anything stopping us from checking out this exclusive pop-​up.
Mike Isabella and his crew were there and welcomed us with open arms and smiles. We seated at the bar area near the kitchen. PRO TIP: Reservations are full, but the bar area is first come, first serve and you may even get to chitchat with celeb chef, Mike Isabella, while you’re there.
We asked Mike what to order, and he recommended the Miso Porky and the Chicken Wings. Neither disappointed. The chicken wings, especially, were really unique — tangy and crispy. The small Asian plates all intrigued me, and I definitely hope to try more of them (like the tofu and the brussell sprouts).
I ordered the Han cocktail, and my friend ordered hot tea, Both were equally refreshing.
What we enjoyed most about the experience though, was the service and our interactions with the kitchen staff. You can tell that everyone cares and put a lot of thought into the menu items. I can’t wait to check out their Ballston location!

Yona is a pop-​up Japanese noodle bar restaurant that is taking over G by Mike Isabella. They will only be opened for the month of March, Wednesday through Saturday nights. It is run by Chef Jonah Kim (known for his awesomeness at PABU and Uchi), and the menu features items such as ramen (Miso Porky, Tonkotsu-​Shoyu tare, and Veggie), and small Asian-​fusion plates (‘Kinpira,’ Crispy Brussel Sprouts, Ja-​jang Rice, etc.). My friend and I were able to snag the first seating on their first night (WHOO HOO!), and we were able to get a prime spot right by the open kitchen. We were served a complimentary hot alcoholic drink, with a mixture of ponzu and yuzu (strong, but smooth); we were able to try the Miso Porky (pork broth with miso tare, chashu pork, kikurage, kimchi, negi, corn, nori, and a nice soft-​boiled egg; I thought the brought was nice and milky, and I really loved the well-​fermented kimchi; the ramen noodles were al dente and cooked perfectly); the Tonkotsu-​Shoyu tare (chashu, menma, benishoga, negi, sesame seeds, nori, and a soft-​boiled egg; this was in a soy broth and it wasn’t overwhelming as I thought it would be, but it had a nice hearty flavor; again, the noodles were cooked al dente); Chilled Fresh Tofu (dashi, Asian pear, nameko mushroom, yamaimo, and scallions; the tofu itself was very silken-​like, which kind of reminded me a mixture of a flan/​mousse with a thicker finish); ‘Kinpira’ (soy-​braised salsify, carrot, gochugaru, and sesame seeds; pickled thinly-​sliced veggies); Apples & Radishes (fresh slices of apples and radishes, set on top of roasted sesame miso butter; this was a nice little ‘salad’-like starter, and I really liked the sesame miso butter as it complemented the fresh produce); Smoked Hamachi (with chojang, onion, perilla leaf, and tobiko; the hamachi was super fresh, and the sweet/​spicy chojang made it even more yummy!); Crispy Brussel Sprouts (with fermented chili kewpie, yuzu, and crispy mini rice pearls; I loved the Kewpie mayo creaminess all around, but the brussel sprouts had a slightly bitter finish to them; still, they were lovely and yummy); Yook Hwe (veal tartare, traditional and non-​traditional flavors, with a side of gem lettuce; I loved the subtle sesame oil on this, and this was a delicate, fresh dish with the lettuce cups); and, Dry-​Fried Wings (fresh chilies, maltose, and aged rice vinegar; these came out crispy and juicy within; definitely a great version of the Korean fried chicken!). We also were given little fresh warm cream puffs, that were quite delicious. I loved the open kitchen, where you can see Chef Kim actually preparing the food (which I thought was so cool!) — I became so fan-​girly and was ecstatic when we were able to take some pictures with him: D HEART HEART HEART Our server was Benjamin, who was attentive and was very sweet. The restaurant is dimly-​lit, with cute cartoon graffiti, wooden tables, and little stone to set the double-​sided wooden chopsticks on. In addition to checking out Chef Kim’s eats, there is also the option to join him for a cooking class (only offered on 2 dates: ³⁄₉ and 3/​10, at G Sandwich in DC) on traditional Japanese cooking. It’s $ 79 per person, and you get to see Chef Kim demonstrate the kinpira cooking technique, make dashi, make a steamed egg custard, taste some samples, and enjoy some wine. Don’t worry if you miss it this month, as the Chef is planning on opening a permanent brick-​and-​mortar establishment in Arlington this spring: D
+Miso Porky
+Apples & Radishes
+Smoked Hamachi
+Crispy Brussel Sprouts
+Yook Hwe
+Dry-​Fried Wings
+cream puffs: D
+pop-​up restaurant of Chef Jonah Kim
+ask for Benjamin & Jose: D
+only for the month of March ***(UPDATE: NOW, UNTIL MAY 2ND!!!)***
+at G by Mike Isabella
+intimate cooking classes available (tickets required)
+limited free 2-​hour parking around the area (watch out for the permit-​only spots)