Rockville Arirang Restaurant 1314 East Gude Drive, Rockville, MD 20850

"The only reason why I took a star away is because all the little white plates the side dishes came in smelled like cleaning chemicals. The chemical smell transferred onto the food. It tasted nasty. If the restaurant considers to change out their cleaning products, then I might come back here again. Otherwise, no thank you."

"We had high hopes walking into Arirang and were pleasantly surprised how clean the restaurant looked as we were seated. Overall, the food was good (being half-Korean and growing up on Korean food, we are particular about how food is prepared). The Galbi Dolsot Bibimbab was a bit spicey even without adding anything but not overly spicey. The Bulgogi was a little disappointing. While the flavor was good, the meat was shredded a bit too much and served with mix of veggies. The amount of Bulgogi meat was a bit small for the price. Growing up, and at many Korean restaurants, Bulgogi is usually served solo with sides of rice, radish, kimchee, etc., not mixed in with veggies. Two things dropped our rating here. First, the food was a bit pricey for a lunch portion, and second, the service. The waitress almost seemed annoyed we were there. She took our order, the food was delivered fairly quickly, the Galbi Dolsot Bibimbab was sizzling with the hot pot crisping the rice on the bottom fairly quickly (love the crunch of the crisp rice in all the spices), but she never returned. We saw other waitresses making multiple trips to the tables around us, so this is not a custom of the restaurant to just serve the food and come back after the food is consumed. We only had water for drinks, and the glasses were pretty small, so the water went quick. We probably should have walked up the waitress and asked for water, but being our first time here and wanting to see how they serve customers, we patiently waited. Finally we finished our meals, neatly stacked the dishes at the end of the table as a signal we were finished, and still not waitress. I kept looking around and finally made eye contact, but still had to signal her to bring the check. She handed me the check, never asked how the meal was, and walked away. She was quick to return when I pulled out my credit card. Our bill came to $51.83. We left a $3.12 tip (I always round to the nearest dollar as a means of monitoring for identity theft, if I see something not rounded up, I know my card was compromised). Now, I generally tip very well, averaging around 30%, but I also take the view that the restaurant makes money on the food and my repeat business is based on the quality of the food. The wait staff makes their money on tips, and I tip based on the quality of service. If the service is good, I've given as much as a 100% tip. We left after paying and someone came running out after us, I believe it was the manager, she did not identify herself. She asked if the tip amount was correct and I said yes, that it was reflective on the service. She immediately apologized, she reached for my hand and held it briefly expressing her sympathy for our disappointment. That gesture was appreciative and garnered respect for the restaurant management that we'll likely give it another try. Waiting on tables is not easy, I held many such positions in high school and college and even after before landing a job in my eventual career. Unfortunately, if you continue to get acceptable or good tips for bad service, you are not motivated to improve and the restaurant owner suffers by not getting repeat customers. Some people have bad days, I've had my share, but I leave that at home and I do my job."

"Can’t think of a Korean comfort food place better than this one in the area. Authentic and delicious!"

"UPDATE: The Missus (bless 'er) insisted we return and so we did. She went with the grilled mackerel (a favorite) and I had the Galbi Bibimbap. Everything was hot, fresh and delicious. The pickles were of particular note. The service was very friendly and efficient. The rating stands for consistency. The Missus (bless 'er) and I had lunch here recently after discovering that our favorite papusa spot located next door had closed its doors permanently (d'oh!). We shared a tofu and clam soup and beef bibimbop. Both were outstanding. The broth of the soup was delicate, with a hint of clam that only comes from fresh clams and their liquor. The sizzling pot of rice, beef and veg did not disappoint. In fact, their preparation has now become the standard by which others will be judged. The veggies were still crisp and hot. The rice sticky and crispy, the meat flavorful and spicy. The pickles, ranging from the standard kimchi to eggplant, each were lively on the palate with spice, but not to the point that the flavors of the veg were overpowered. The service was very polite, but our server was extremely busy. The men's room was spotless. Really... We are planning on returning very soon, after which I will re-visit this review and the star rating."

"My favorite Korean place in Rockville. Amazing selection of foods and the service is kind and fast. Their spicy pork bulgogi and seafood pancake are amazing"