Anju

"Anju, a modern Korean pub from Fried Rice Collective, the restaurant group behind Chiko, rose up from the ashes of Mandu in 2019. Gochujang fried chicken and pork and kimchi-filled mandu make perfect bar food during a weekday happy hour, but don’t skip out on a full dinner of a huge ssam board centered around prime galbi, bibimbap, stir-fried rice cakes and vegetables, and battered branzino with braised radish. House-infused soju and makgeolli, plus sesame-washed whiskey and hibiscus-infused tequila, are mixed into innovative cocktails." - Tierney Plumb, Emily Venezky

"Situated between Dupont Circle and Adams Morgan, Anju, which is from the restaurant group behind casual hit Chiko, serves Korean bar food with a refined touch. James Beard Award-nominated chef Angel Barreto leads a kitchen that plates up standouts ranging from pork and kimchi mandu (dumplings) and smoky gochujang-glazed fried chicken with white barbecue sauce to a seafood fried rice (bokkeumbap) and seared rib-eye galbi boards. Weekend brunches bring on breakfast sandwiches and a grit bowl that riffs on juk. Meanwhile, Chiko’s Capitol Hill flagship that started it all recently brought back its experimental tasting menu a few nights a week ($75 or $105)." - Tierney Plumb, Emily Venezky

"The strawberry lychee lemonade, pineapple turmeric soda, and the yogurt malt pair perfectly with the restaurant’s contemporary Korean menu." - Claudia Rosenbaum

"Anju hosts a Noche Buena event with festive cocktails and delicious food by guest chefs, featuring drink sponsors Mijenta Tequila and Don Q Rum." - Emily Venezky

"“I went there for one of my birthdays. My husband took me there, because he knew that it was one of my favorite places. Chef Angel shows what is possible with Korean food. The menu changes all the time but it is clean and bright. We had the Yache Mandu with the Impossible meat which were just delicious. What I love about his food…not only is it beautiful and flavorful, but you feel like you’re traveling, you know? The summer salad is my raw thing. I never let them take it because I only eat part of it initially and I keep it so that when I eat other things, I can supplement the food as it comes through. We did the branzino, which was great. Oh my god, the fried rice. My husband didn’t have that because it had shaved ribeye, but ooh, the fried rice is amazing. The bibimbap, boom, classic, delicious. And then you get to pick your pickles. I think we did all the pickles because you need all these pickles to go with the rich things.”" - brennan carley