Korean BBQ Meets Upscale Steakhouse at Seoul Prime in Falls Church

Our server at Seoul Prime arrives tableside with an array of certified Angus beef cuts artfully displayed on a butcher block. We’ve ordered the Seoul Prime Tour, which includes a beautifully marbled dry-age ribeye, hanging tender (hanger steak), flat iron and marinated galbi, plus mushrooms, asparagus, pineapple slices and rosemary sprigs. 

“Does anyone want to take a picture?” the server asks (I do!) before rubbing the grate of the grill in the center of our table with a chunk of beef fat and beginning the process of grilling the meats, one cut at a time, in a ritual that allows us to savor and discern each cut at a relaxed pace. The feast also comes with assorted Korean small plates called banchan and other side dishes—more on them later. 

Seoul Prime is the brainchild of owner and co-founder Wan Bok Lee, 36, whose family emigrated from Seoul to the U.S. in 2005. Now a resident of the Mosaic District, Lee brings plenty of experience to the Korean steakhouse that debuted last November in the City of Falls Church. He previously helped run Taste of Korea in Chantilly, which his mother opened in 2015. Three years later, he introduced Café Moment, a Korean dessert and boba shop, next door. Both are still going strong.

The idea for a high-end Korean barbecue place featuring USDA Prime quality beef (dry-aged in-house for over 45 days) came to Lee several years ago. He first tested the concept in Centreville, which saw its Korean population surge in the early aughts, opening Honest Grill in August 2021 with executive chef SangHyun Lee. “It was well received,” he says. “That showed that people were willing to pay for better quality and service.” 

Eager to bring the vibe to a more urban area with heavier foot traffic, he set his sights on Founders Row, a new mixed-use development in The Little City. SangHyun Lee serves as executive chef and oversees the dry-aging program at Seoul Prime.

The 9,000-square-foot space is nearly as sexy as those prime steaks, with deep teal walls, white globe pendant lamps and clubby seating. Colorful paintings of Korean landscapes by New York-based artist Hyun Joon Kim adorn the walls of the dining room, which seats over 200 with a 25-seat bar in front. Empty wine bottles representing the well-curated wine list by sommelier and hospitality director Lauren Smith are displayed on room dividers doing double duty as shelves. (I pity whoever has to dust them.)

Count me a fan of the pork bossam—tender, deep-fried pork belly with crispy skin, served with a butternut squash and soybean puree, pickled Fresno chiles and cubes of pickled Korean pears.

Another must-have, the volcano egg soufflé, blends scrambled eggs with mirin, carrots, zucchini and onion and is baked into a fluff (thanks to baking powder) in an earthenware bowl. Dig through the melty cheddar cheese topping with the serving spoon to scrape up some of the charred bits on the bottom, as if mining the treasured crispy rice from a paella pan.

A seafood platter is usually a reliable stalwart in a steakhouse, but the one here was disappointing. The Virginia oysters were milky and the shrimp were flabby and pale pink, with the texture and appearance of store-bought shrimp cocktail platters. The same shrimp detracted from an otherwise tasty jambalaya made with andouille sausage and kimchi.

The creamy mushroom risotto topped with tender soy-braised short rib and tempura enoki mushrooms is a great dish, even if it’s a tad hearty as an appetizer. The truth is appetizers are hardly necessary here, given the plethora of goodies that accompany the Prime Tour—which is a no-brainer for diners who don’t like to make decisions. Plus, it’s a great value at $47 per person with a minimum party of two.

A clever strategy for a table of four is to order one Prime Tour and supplement it with side dishes—say the risotto or tteokbokki. In Seoul Prime’s version of the latter, gnocchi stand in for the chewy rice cakes traditionally used in that gochujang-laced Korean staple, and julienned crispy-fried fish cakes provide a finishing touch.

As the beef grills, a succession of banchan hits the table. These accompaniments include fresh kimchi (not the fermented kind); crunchy cubes of pickled daikon radish with jalapenos; an enormous tangle of julienned scallion threads and shaved cabbage dressed with spicy gochugaru dressing; and a savory egg custard with braised brisket, soybeans, tofu and roasted mushrooms. Bean sprout salad and marinated shishito peppers with anchovies also made appearances on my visits. 

Servers asked throughout the meal if we wanted refills of banchan. I gilded the lily with gooey triple cheese corn and a heaping skillet of wild mushrooms roasted with shallots and whiskey barrel-aged soy sauce. 

Pescatarians may be disappointed by the dearth of fish offerings on the menu, aside from a few octopus, uni and roe cameos. It’s a shortcoming.

But I found all of the beef cuts—cooked and sliced perfectly by attentive servers—tender and flavorful, enhanced by the umami tang that comes from dry aging. An a la carte order of dry-aged ribeye cap, topped with a sprinkle of sea salt and a dab of ssamjang, a chili and fermented soybean paste, was particularly delicious. 

Given the abundance, it’s hardly necessary to indulge in dessert, which isn’t Seoul Prime’s strong suit anyway. A New York-style cheesecake with a crunchy brulee topping was unremarkable, as was the hotteok cruffle—a mini croissant filled with brown sugar and cinnamon and smashed in a waffle iron. My advice: Keep it savory.

Seoul Prime is located at 106 Founders Ave., Falls Church, 703-563-1168

Hours 
Monday through Friday: 5 to 10 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Parking
Seoul Prime offers three-hour free parking validation in the Founders Row garage.  

Prices
Appetizers: $14-$30
Seafood tower: $89
Seoul Prime Tour with side dishes and banchan: $47 per person
Porterhouse for two: $149
A la carte steaks (Australian wagyu and USDA Prime) with sides: $46-$89
Non-steak dishes: $15-$33
Dessert: $9-$15

What To Drink

Seven craft cocktails ($16) feature soju, a clear Korean rice spirit, including the Jeju Sunrise, a variation of a classic tequila sunrise. Other worthy sippers include the Yuja, made with gin, curacao, and yuja jam; and a Dalonga espresso martini with Kahlua and Irish whiskey.

The beverage menu also lists four mocktails ($14), eight bottled beers and four draft brews ($6-$7). 

The wine selection includes 20 by the glass ($13-$23) and a bottle selection of 14 mostly American reds ($75-$211), four mostly French whites ($79-$103), one rosé ($54) and two Champagnes ($119 and $452). A reserve wine list curated by sommelier Lauren Smith features 65 reds ($60-$547), eight sparkling ($93-$452), 11 whites ($55-$144) and two rosés ($50 and $54).