A new Korean steakhouse is now open in Falls Church, from the owners behind Honest Grill. Seoul Prime is an intimate, elegant dining experience with an emphasis on high-quality cuts of beef.
“We’re trying to follow in the new Korean cuisine — a fusion of newer American cuisine, global cuisine, mixed with the traditions of the Korean cuisine,” says Danny Kim, Seoul Prime’s executive chef and a managing partner. “We definitely want to highlight the traditional stuff that a lot of us grew up on but also bring it into the new age and modern flavors and techniques.”
The new restaurant is at 106 Founders Ave. in the Founders Row apartment complex, where its neighbors include 2024 Best Restaurants winners Ellie Bird and NUE Elegantly Vietnamese. (Seoul Prime’s sister restaurant, Honest Grill, made an appearance on the list, too.)
Seoul Prime offers a comprehensive prix fixe option at $47 per person, with a minimum of two diners per table. Guests can experience the Seoul Prime Tour, a curated tasting of four signature beef cuts: dry aged ribeye, flat iron, hanging tender, and marinated beef galbi. Each cut of meat comes with a side dish that complements it. Seoul Prime sources the meats from nearby farms around the Shenandoah and Appalachian regions of Virginia.
“We want to work with and try to support the local farmers and all the local purveyors in the area,” says Kim. “We try to stay as local as we can.”
An à la carte menu is also available, with additional cuts of meat and Korean offerings such as kimchi bibim guk-soo, galbi dolsot bibimbap, and an uni and cod roe rice bowl. There’s also a selection of appetizers, salads, and desserts as well as wines, beers, craft cocktails, and mocktails.
“We do have a lot of a la carte options. Our main focal point is going to be our prime beef set, but we do want to offer our guests the full Korean experience,” says Kim.
A visit to Seoul Prime is an entertaining experience. Servers meticulously prepare the beef on traditional Korean barbeque grills at each table, offering an interactive, engaging atmosphere for guests.
“This restaurant is going to be focused strictly on high-end, quality beef,” says Kim. “It’s going to be the traditional tableside grilling, but a little more care into it, more technique. All our servers are trained and very well versed on how to cook the meat but also help and entertain and teach as much as you’re willing to learn.”
The restaurant’s Falls Church location hopes to capitalize on a central location and reel in adventurous area foodies.
“Falls Church seems like it’s growing and serving a younger crowd,” Kim says. “We want to infuse some of that upscale Korean vibe that has been missing the past few years.”
A Korean American born and raised in Alexandria, Kim has been cooking at area restaurants over the past 18 years. Though he has worked mostly in non-Korean restaurants, he is confident in his culinary skills and cultural background.
“I have grown up with such great Korean food. I know the flavors, I know what it should taste like, what it should look like. The fact that I got the seal of approval from my grandma and my mom at the soft opening — I got the thumbs up — that was the biggest thing,” Kim says.
Seoul Prime: 106 Founders Ave., Falls Church
Feature image courtesy Seoul Prime
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