Mandu DC: Authentic Korean in the Heart of the District

With so many ethnic restaurants around DC, oftentimes many trade in authenticity for trend. Mandu DC, however, does not. With its name coming from a traditional Korean dumpling, Mandu maintains authenticity while also being modern, sleek, and trendy. The food is far from ordinary – with its unique combination of flavors derived directly from Korean culture, you can be sure that each ingredient and dish will wow your taste buds. GU Eating Society was fortunate enough to have our latest dinner event at Mandu, as they graciously hosted and accommodated our large group. Read on to hear more about this great restaurant and our visit:

We started our evening with a quick ride from Georgetown's front gates, coming on a warm February day. We noticed the outdoor patio was open, which we all told each other we would definitely come back for to experience with our friends. We were greeted graciously by the hosts and led up to our own private room with two long tables to accompany our large group. Each place setting had a personalized menu for our event, with a total of eight courses plus six different snacks listed. After exploring the amazing deals on the Happy Hour menu, the food started to come out. We were presented with one amazing dish after the next – and it felt never ending. We were already full just three courses out of eight in!

Dak Gui (chicken) on a steaming hot plate

What did we eat exactly? Here's a peak:​
First Course:
Mandu: pan-friend vegetable, shrimp, and beef & pork dumplings
Fried Chicken Ssam: medallions of fried chicken, lettuce and sesame leaf wraps, pickled radish, and assorted sauces
Pa Jeon: seafood & green onion pancakes
Second Course:
Chap Chae: stir-fried clear potato noodles with vegetables
Bulgogi: korean bbq marinated and grilled ribeye
Dak Gui: spiced and grilled chicken breast
Yache Gui: seasoned and grilled vegetables and tofu
Steamed rice, lettuce wraps, kimchi, and assorted side dishes to accompany

We couldn't decide which dish was our favorite – each one was immensely flavorful, unique, and satisfying. Mandu has by far been one of our best events to date – not to mention our founders, Alex Heintze & Brittany Arnett, attribute their meeting and founding of the club to this very restaurant. We absolutely loved the authentic cuisine at Mandu, and learned a great deal about Korean culture. We thank Mandu for providing us with a fantastic meal full of wonderful food, great service, and at an affordable price for us college students. We will definitely be back for more!

We highly recommend for you to try out Mandu for your next outing, whether it be with friends to grab a cocktail and some great bibimbap, or with a large group to share a multiple-course family-style meal like us. Mandu's affordability, great location, and amazing food make it all worthwhile! They have locations on 18th St and K St in DC.