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Arisu - CLOSED
Categories: Restaurants Japanese Restaurants Korean Japanese, Korean [Edit]
1734 Wisconsin Ave NW(between N S St & N R St)
Washington, DC 20007
Neighborhood: Georgetown
(202) 333-8822
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
12 reviews for Arisu
12 reviews in English
-
Review from Liz K.
Oakland, CA
7/3/2009
I suppose I'm fairly biased them due to the fact that I'm Korean and spent a considerable amount of time in Seoul last year. After going up a thin flight of stairs you enter the main restaurant which has a really nice, chic but relaxing atmosphere. The waitress seemed nice and spoke Korean, which in my opinion is great considering the other Korean restaurants (like Mandu in Dupont) are staffed entirely with people who don't understand the food or culture.
I ordered the ddukguk (a rice cake soup usually served on New Years) which was great and a nice size portion. My friend got the japchae (noodles with bulgoki and vegetables) which was enormous and tasted great too.
The only complaint I had was that the food is fairly over priced because in restaurants you find in Korea or even Annandale, it's far less expensive. Also, they don't serve banchan (side dishes) like they do in most traditional places. -
Review from Alicia G.
11/21/2008
I take the 30's to Georgetown as most people do. On the ride down Wisconsin, I always passed Curry Club (a little past the Celebrity Safeway, but before the Old Library/Book Hill Park) and wanted to go there. Unfortunately, I waited too long and Curry Club is now closed. In place of CC is now a Japanese/Korean restaurant called Arisu and it's been open for about a month now.
My friend and I got there about 7-ish and the place was completely empty. On the main floor when you first walk in, you will see there is a little bar where about 5 or 6 people can sit. The main dining area is upstairs and the bathroom is downstairs. The layout is nice but small. The tables go around the room on a banquette and are very cozy. The décor is fairly simple - color scheme is red and black; there are trendy lights, beautiful red pillows on the comfy banquette and slick black table tops. It's really the perfect date spot.
Our server was very friendly and attentive (I mean, we were the only people there...) but I can imagine that even with a fuller dining room, we'd still have the same fantastic service. Before we ordered, we were brought a complimentary appetizer of tofu cake with vegetables. It was pretty tasty, actually.
Their menu has several appetizers, bibimbap options, sushi, noodles, and maybe one other category that seems to be escaping me right now. We ordered the shumai (shrimp dumplings) as an app that were fresh and delicious. You get 6 and they are served with some sort of light orange-y cream sauce as well as a more soy sauce based dipping sauce.
For entrees, I opted for the beef bulgogi bibimbap and Mary got the Arisu bibimbap (all vegetarian). Served in large, somewhat heavy silver bowls, it was a good portion and pretty decent. I liked that the bowls were big enough to really be able to mix all of the ingredients together.
We didn't get any dessert - though we weren't actually presented with a dessert menu and we probably would have passed anyway due to the fact that we had reached full capacity in our stomachs.
I really hope that Arisu attracts more customers because it would be a shame to see it close. The prices are fair for Georgetown and the service is top notch. As I mentioned before, the space isn't too big, so I'd say it's better for a cozier, intimate dinner than a big group thing.
PS. Oh and apparently for not inviting yelpers to my impromptu dinner at Arisu, I am an "FTR hog".
=P is what I say to that! Haha. -
Review from Kathleen M.
Atlanta, GA
11/21/2008
2nd to Review! Hoooolllllllllllleeeeerrrr!!
Ok, now that I've got that out of the way, lemme tell you about my lunch.
It was good. I enjoyed it. I'd go back.
I was pleased as punch to realize I was the only white girl in the place. To me, that's always a sign of good cookin'. I settled in to a table right next to the cutest Asian toddler I've ever seen (don't worry Su, Jenna's not a toddler yet... she still wins favorite baby!) with his equally cute Dad. Attractive scenery? Check.
The menu consists of sushi, various kinds of bibimbap, and appetizer sized plates of bulgogi, galbi, and the like. I went for the bulgogi bibimbap (white girl translation: beef served over rice with lots of julienned veggies). Lunch price was $12.95, which seemed pretty steep to me. When it arrived the waitress told me how to eat it; apparently she didn't realize that I was a Yelper, and therefore more knowledgeable than the average white girl about the joys of Korean food. I added some sriracha, mixed it all up, and got down to business.
It was pretty good. The bulgogi wasn't the best I've had, but was alright: just not as much flavor as I like. There was a large group of Korean businessmen sitting at the table next to me and when their order arrived it was much more fragrant and steamy. I even heard the white guy near me ask if it was *supposed* to be served lukewarm. I'm okay with it not being super hot, but I got the feeling that the bulgogi had been off the grill for some time prior to being served, at least to the white folks. Still, I enjoyed the dish and it was a good portion.
This is a small shop that seems to be family-owned. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming and appreciated my business. I'd definitely return to check out some of the sushi and other things they've got available. -
Review from ellen f.
Washington, DC
1/9/2009
I think this place is a great addition to the neighb'. They have sushi, bibimbap (which I had never had before but now sometimes crave), and other interesting Korean foods to try. It is very cute inside, with lots of red and black and candles. I sat on a little banquet with pillows all over it.
I've been here twice now and the food is good, and interactive. The deal with bibimbap is this. You receive a silver bowl filled with tasty looking meats and veggies on top of rice. You squirt sesame oil and chili sauce all over it and mix it up (and i mean, mix it all up good) with a big old spoon. It's delciious. I had the bulgogi bibimbap the first time, and the kimchi stew the second time. The kimchi stew was GREAT. It came bubbling hot in a clay pot, and was spicy and thick beyond my wildest dreams. It had both pork and tofu in it, which was a different and welcome juxtaposition. I ate it over rice and enjoyed every bite.
The staff here is incredibly nice, attentive and you can tell they want you to enjoy your meal. The waitress brought us out a little tray of pickled goodies to add to the bibimbap, and gave us the low-down on how to eat it. So, try Arisu for a delicious Korean meal in the middle of Georgetown. You won't regret it. -
Review from Daniel P.
Washington, DC
4/17/2009
The arrival of Arisu into Georgetown has now doubled the number of Korean restaurants in that black hole of Koreanness that is DC. Yay.
The bulgogi bibimbap was actually very very good, with nicely marinated beef I must say. The mandu and kimchi soups were also tasty. The only quibble I have is.......$3 for KIMCHI????? Come to think of it, the bibimbap was kind of pricey too at $15 for dinner. I guess that Georgetown rent don't come cheap. -
Review from Christopher C.
Washington, DC
10/29/2009
Three and a half stars.
It was my second choice for lunch the day I stopped by. Ren Ramen, in Bethesda, was closed on Monday, so I had to come up with plan B. OK, going for Korean instead of Japanese ramen is like planning on going for Italian and ending up at a German restaurant; apples and oranges, I know.
Anyway, I have nothing particularly bad to say about Arisu. The servcie was great (we were the only two customers for a late afternoon lunch), and the upstairs diningroom was pretty, if a bit small. My quibbles are merely stylistic ones: I prefer to have the kalbi and bulgogi cooked tableside, rather than in the kitchen, but I suppose this is space prohibitive in this instance The kalbi was tasty and came with the usual accompaniment of leaf lettuce and spicy miso-like sauce, but only two types of panchan (kimchi and bean sprouts.) The jaepchai (celophane noodles stir fried with vegetables) appetizer was also quite good, As for drinks, they had soju (Korean grain/pototo liquor) in addition to a couple of types of Japanese beer.
There are better (and a greater variety) of Korean places in Annandale, but if you live in the Georgetown//Burleith/Glover Park neighborhood, don't have a car (or don't care to fight the traffic), Arisu makes a perfectly acceptable place to stop in for you Korean BBQ fix. -
Review from Aric A.
Washington, DC
2/3/2009
If you're in the Georgetown area and are craving a bowl of Korean bi bim bap, give it a try. The atmosphere is quaint and feeling more like a small Japanese restaurant rather than the usual bustle, smoke and loud yelling found in the finest Korean establishments :)
We had the bi bim bap and it's so basic you can't go wrong. But no ban chan? Come on!!! My wife had to practically beg for kim chee--and she speaks Korean!!
Again, ok for a fix especially if you're hungry after shopping on Wisconsin -
Review from Jesse K.
Washington, DC
12/13/2009
Starting off, I can't give a full review because of some circumstances that occured...so this review could go up, if I ever return. Regan and I went there with a hour to go before a movie just down the street.
We ordered sake, an appetizer, and two entrees. The place is really cute, I liked the vibe inside, it felt warm...I liked the bench seating and it was small, so it can't get very crowded.
After really enjoying our appetizer, I got the tofu soup, we told the waitress that we had a movie and she didn't have to wait to bring out the appetizers. She replied that she had a big table of 6? to work out.
Unfortunately it ended up taking so long that we had to cancel our entrees and leave to make the movie. We're not sure who's really at fault. We kind of felt that you should be able to eat a meal in an hour, but I didn't feel like they were exceptionally slow, I just felt that they didn't put any extra effort once we said we had a movie. Not sure.
Either way, she was mad when I canceled the order. Oops. -
Review from Harry C.
Washington, DC
12/10/2009
I'll start with this sentence.
It gotta be the best KOREAN restaurant you can find in Washington, DC.
yes, I've been to a few other places in the city including Mandoo on 18th st(and I understand the charm of that restaurant with its well-trained waiters, flavored Sojutini and good location) but when we talk about the food quality, this is the right place to take your friends to introduce to Korea food without driving to Virginia or Maryland.
I also visited a few times when the restaurant was virtually not known to people and was empty but I think it is really a matter of time before it brings more crowds. Just like many other Korean restaurants, it has a few Japanese menus because of the marketability but be brave(if you haven't tried any korean meal yet) and order any Tangs(soup), Bulgogi(marinated beef) or famous Bibimbab(great for vegetarian) and you won't regret.
I heard from the owner that they are on their way to add more variety of beverage including Sojutini and wine.
it seems like the restaurant hasn't put any aggressive marketing skills but it almost feels like the owner is quite confident and proud of his food and I want to give credit for that.
This can be a small place but fine discovery for any gourmets. -
Review from Peter M.
Arlington, VA
9/14/2009
All I can say is "wow." This was one of the best meals I've had in the D.C. area. If savory grilled meats is your thing, this place is for you. We tried the short ribs, beef bulgogi, chicken and fish cakes. All of it was delicious. We went with a Korean woman, and she gave it two thumbs up.
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Review from Steven S.
Cupertino, CA
4/14/2009
I guess we're spoiled, living in an area with a lot of good tofu houses (Northern California). This place has a big sign on the window touting its bibimbap, but in fact they do not serve dolsot bibimbap (the bibimbap in a hot stone bowl). The banchan is very limited, and doesn't come with all the entrees. The items we got were okay, but nothing to write home about, and it wasn't all that cheap. If they're charging $13 for non-dolsot bibimbap I'd hate to think what they'd charge for dbbb (our abbreviation for dolsot bibimbap).
This is not the area of greater D.C. to find great Korean food. Try Yi Jo in College Park (inside the Days Inn).
The previous night we went to Sushi Sushi in Georgetown, and it was very good. I suggest Japanese food over Korean in Georgetown. -
Review from Ellie R.
Washington, DC
7/20/2009
A great addition to our neighborhood!
We went for dinner this past Saturday night (4 of us) and we were all really happy with our meals.
None of us are experts on Korean food or had expectations about what should or should not be on a menu in a Korean restaurant. But, we were all super-pleased with what we were served.
Luckily we were all close friends and I was able to have a taste of everyone's entree, and everything was just delicious.
The staff was very attentive and the decor/ambiance are on the romantic/intimate side.
Prices were very reasonable for the neighborhood and quality of food.
The kim chee was awesome (and we didn't have to beg for it; they just brought it out, at no charge).
