Brunch is a major event at Anju, an excellent Korean restaurant serving Korean comfort food on 18th Street in Dupont. Situated inside a cozy and inviting rowhouse, the neighborhood watering hole's brunch menu is filled with tasty takes on brunch classics that infuse classic Korean flavors and ingredients. Try the KFC & Waffles, which means a sweet potato waffle topped with fried chicken soaked in sticky gochujang glaze, sesame butter, and maple syrup; other standouts include the Gilgeori toast, milk bread topped with a vegetable omelette and American cheese, and Shrimp Juk, cheddar rice porridge with scallion chimichurri and sautteed shrimp.

This contemporary Korean restaurant by the owners of Chiko has great food and a chic atmosphere—the exposed wood beams and vintage apricot wallpaper give the whole thing a contemporary, barn-inspired feel. The Korean fried chicken is glazed in a spicy gochujang and barbeque sauce and is pretty darn good, even if it isn't the best thing on the menu. Get the jjamppong, a thick noodle soup made with a rich and spicy seafood broth and roasted clams that will have you slurping at the table without shame.

The two-level Anju has a double life: Downstairs, it’s a Seoul-style pub scene with a bar and a few high top tables and stools for walk-in diners (there might be quite a few trying their luck at the host stand). Upstairs, the dining room almost feels like you’ve been dropped into a homey-yet-stylish Adams Morgan apartment. There’s exposed beams, plaster, and rafters, and the space is decorated with houseplants, floral wallpaper and artwork, portraits, and books.

Date night needn’t be stuffy or overly fancy all the time—and Anju is a prime example of a place that impresses without one dangling chandelier present. The much-lauded Korean restaurant landed the number one spot on Washingtonian’s top restaurants list within a year of opening back in 2020, and with good reason. Bring a date ready to nosh on pan roasted duck breast and slurp up noodles in a spicy seafood broth with you.

The latest creation from the Fried Rice Collective (the team that brought the District a new breed of fast casual Asian dining with CHIKO) is Anju, which rose from the literal ashes of Chef Danny Lee’s original Mandu restaurant in Dupont Circle after a ruinous fire. Peeling back the layers to expose the building’s original wood beams and exposed brick, Anju pays homage to its past life while taking Korean cooking – under the guidance of Chef Angel Barreto – to levels not previously seen in DC. Modern cooking melds with traditional Korean flavors, resulting in mouthwatering delights like the fried chicken complemented by jujube mole, white barbecue sauce and spicy gochujang sauces.

Anju melds modern technique with traditional Korean flavors, resulting in tantalizing delights like the fried chicken complemented by jujube mole, white barbecue sauce and spicy gochujang. While executive chef Angel Barreto is no stranger to accolades – including recognition in DC-area awards, national press from the James Beard Foundation and Food and Wine and even the honor of Culinary Ambassador for the U.S. – he continues to solidify his place as one of DC's dining virtuosos, especially with his recent, extra meaningful achievement: a Best Chef award from the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington.

Anju, with its mix of traditional and updated takes on Korean homestyle dishes, remains a tough reservation almost five years after its opening. And it’s a fave of the food cognoscenti as well — Washingtonian named it the #1 restaurant in the DC area for 2020. Anju’s starters are all excellent, especially the craveable fried chicken with gochujang glaze and white bbq drizzle and the beef tartare (I do find myself wanting a better conveyance for the tartare than pretty-but-fragile lotus chips).

Washingtonian Magazine named Anju the best restaurant in D.C. in 2020 for its sophisticated blend of traditional Korean flavors, modern cooking techniques, and hip yet intimate vibe. Anju (1805 18th St. NW) is a Korean term for food eaten while drinking, highlighting a range of sweet, salty, and spicy flavors with offerings such as beef and gruyere cheese dumplings in a doenjang broth with caramelized onions, confit duck leg, spicy braised pork ribs, and, of course, fried chicken.

Anju's contemporary take on traditional Korean cuisine has earned consistent praise, regularly ranking prominently on DC's best restaurant lists. I recommend trying menu staples such as the kimchi bokum bap (seafood and vegetable fried rice) and the ori jajang myeon (pan-roasted duck breast with wok-fired noodles in a black-bean paste). If you're visiting on the weekend, know that brunch, and the creative cocktails that accompany it, are not to be missed.

There is almost nothing I love as much as I adore these dumplings at Anju. They are extra large and stuffed with seasoned Impossible meat and come sprinkled with a chili crunch, adorned with spring onion shavings, and in a puddle of glassy dumpling sauce. They are so dense and substantial and savory, exploding with the taste of ginger, garlic, chilies, and soy sauce, you will have to close your eyes to get the full umami flavor.

Danny Lee and Scott Drewno have cultivated a modern yet homey Korean spot at Anju that notably proved to be Rose Previte’s first stop once she could take a breath from her work at Maydan. “It was really just a total joy,” she says. You’re dining on… a range of dishes both traditional and innovative from Impossible meat mandu dumplings to rice porridge with curried butternut to a classic kimchi jjigae.

Head down to Anju for a home-style, contemporary Korean dining experience. Anju, which translates to “food you eat with alcohol,” features a menu of casual food, meant to be shared with friends and eaten with alcohol. Founded by Chefs Danny Lee and Scott Drewno, Anju is a part of the acclaimed duo’s revered Fried Egg Collective (aka, the group behind hit restaurant Chiko).

Dupont’s hit Korean restaurant is as vibrant at brunch as it is at dinner. Book a table—inside or on the patio—or belly up to the bar for grilled galbi steak-and-eggs, hangover-curing soups and stews, and towering milk bread French toast platters. Fun day drinks include fresh juices like strawberry-lychee lemonade that can be spiked with booze.

No matter what your eyes land on at Anju — verdant plants, gentle lights, airy rafters — there is a unique sense that you are gazing at something intimate. This pulled-back feel makes the restaurant a perfect date spot for a romantic night out in D.C. As pub fare, anju is a classification of food that's intended to be consumed with alcohol.

Started by iconic Chefs Danny Lee, Scott Drewno and Angel Barreto, their mixed culinary training on French and Korean techniques produces a menu full of twists. From their grilled kalbi (short rib) and eggs to rice porridge with pecorino, it is no wonder that Anju was ranked #1 restaurant in D.C. by the Washingtonian.

There’s a reason Washingtonian named Anju the number 1 best restaurant in the DC area. If you’re looking to enjoy delicious Korean comfort food in the capital, you gotta check ’em out – both their brunch and dinner menus are straight fire. Some of our personal favorite dishes are:

I was talking to Chef Scott Drewno (ChiKo, Anju) about this last week and he mentioned that they test each menu item by letting it sit in packaging or 20 minutes and then eating it. Do they need to change the containers?. How does that affect the experience?

Angel Barreto, one of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs of 2021 is executive chef at Anju, an award-winning Korean restaurant with excellent food and a quaint patio. Make reservations in advance for this popular spot and don't miss out on the brunch offerings.

Savor an authentic Korean brunch or dinner plate in a Seoul-style bar setting at Anju. Whether you are craving a delicious bowl of kimchi bokum bap or want to try something new, Anju serves up its classic and unexpected Korean-inspired dishes.

My favorite late-night restaurant is Anju, a modern Korean restaurant near Dupont Circle. It's from the Fried Rice Collective, a restaurant group run by Danny Lee, Scott Drewno, and Drew Kim. Everything they do is absolutely delicious.

Some believe the dumplings, derived from manti, came to the country through travelers and tradesmen on the Silk Road. Others believe Yuan Mongols brought them in the 14th century. Then there’s the theory that they’re a Korean original.

The double decker restaurant offers two floors of creative backdrops. Skylights offer impeccable photo ops, and the rustic country decor creates a comforting ambiance despite the refined flavors!. 1805 18th St NW, Washington, DC 20009

The contemporary Korean restaurant in Dupont Circle serves up brunch, dinner and refreshing drinks including Soju and Korean Wine. Rosenthal tried the Korean-style fried chicken and kimchi pork dumplings.

Other times, I ignore professional impulses and inhale what’s in front of me, a scene played out most recently at Anju, the terrific new Korean restaurant from the owners of the popular Chiko.