SHIA Restaurant

“Simply sublime! As a person in hospitality, I haven’t had service this excellent in quite a while. We were warmly greeted and seated at the bar area, when our table was ready we went to chefs counter for first course and met the BOH crew. Max asked our names and we then felt like old friends. The first course was so well balanced, excellent texture and depth of flavors. We knew we were in for a night of food dreams! It did not disappoint, from our server Joe, to the entire team every detail was well thought out. We especially loved the lobster, the warm hug of the Samgye Juk, the depth and complexity of balance with the Lamb. The Korean pairing of beverages including tea worked so well with the menu. The decor is tranquil yet well thought out. The service and cuisine outstanding. Thank you SHIA team for making an experience that will always stay with me. Can’t wait to come back!”

“After watching 'Culinary Class Wars', I became a huge fan of Edward Lee and just had to visit this restaurant. Every single dish was a classic, with a magical story behind it. The most mind-blowing part was the final dish made with gochujang (Korean chili paste) and raspberry. I wonder if it was a tribute to his famous chili pepper ice cream from the show! Halfway through the meal, I was already completely mesmerized by the chef's culinary artistry. An unforgettable dining experience!”

“I've been wanting to travel to DC for the sole purpose of visiting SHIA, so I was really excited to get a reservation for this trip! We had a great experience. It was very expensive -- ended up paying $480 for 2 after tax and tip (got one mocktail). I'm not sure if any food experience would be worth that amount for me...but regardless, I thought the food was overall very good, with some standout dishes. My favorite dishes - Saengsun jjim/the fish dish. The fish was cooked perfectly and the sauce was amazing. - Ssam - I'm a sucker for perilla + raw fish. Add fried oyster and a savory sauce -- what could be better? - Jujunburi - This trio of dishes was delicious. My husband loved the steamed egg. - Grilled strip loin - The meat was juicy and perfectly cooked. I didn't think the kimchi was anything special, pretty mild in flavor. Didn't like the gochujang sauce as it was really sweet. But I loved the combo of the meat with the rice and the dwenjang sauce. - The dwenjang caramel was perfect! So soft and delectable. I really liked the monkfish liver puree and the crisps in the soondae but didn't like the soondae much itself. The desserts were good but the rice cake in the Ddeok dessert was a bit tough. The service was great -- we got great restaurant recs from one of the staff and got checked on frequently by various staff. There was a potential miscommunication where we thought they said I could get a birthday cocktail, but we got charged -- maybe we misheard. I'm really glad we got to try SHIA! As it was quite expensive, I probably wouldn't come back unless they had a completely different menu. There were some dishes we'll be thinking about for a while...”

“We recently had the pleasure of dining at a Korean fine dining establishment in DC. The culinary experience was truly exceptional, with each dish showcasing a masterful blend of traditional flavors and innovative presentation. From the delicate appetizers to the artfully crafted main courses, the food was consistently outstanding. The ingredients were clearly of the highest quality, and the execution demonstrated a deep understanding of Korean cuisine. Beyond the remarkable food, the service we received elevated the entire evening. Our servers were attentive, knowledgeable, and incredibly gracious throughout our meal. They anticipated our needs with a remarkable sense of timing and offered insightful recommendations. The entire staff contributed to an atmosphere of refined hospitality. This restaurant offers a truly memorable fine dining experience.”

“Let's begin by the positive, service is exceptional. All the staff is friendly and professional. They explained each course in details, clean set of utensils for every course, and the timing between each course is perfect as well. The decor is on the minimalist side. The size of the restaurant is considered to be on the smaller side and the reservations do fill up pretty fast. I've been wanting to come Shia since watching the culinary class wars 😆 so I may have set some unrealistic expectations. All the dishes were well prepared and beautifully plated but I didn't get the wow factor I anticipated. The pumpkin soup with chestnut cream and the Saengsun Jjim were delicious 😋 but everything else was just average. I have to say we were both disappointed at the strip loin. It was tender but didn't have much of the beefy taste, it was really bland. Also the portion was small, we were both still hungry after dessert 😆 It may be good to serve the last main course with a bowl of rice each rather than two sharing one bowl of rice. Last, this is a set menu course for $175 / person and you can also add pairing.”