House of Milae is a great location in Bethesda for authentic Korean cuisine! Parking is easy, as there's a garage right across the street, and the restaurant has a good amount of seating. The Korean side dishes (Banchan) they provide are numerous and tasty, my favorites are the standard cabbage kimchi and the fish cakes. I got the Kimchi Fried Rice with pork, and it was really flavorful! Spicy, sweet, and savory from the gochujang paste, mellowed out with the runny egg yolk and nicely stir fried rice, it's a great combination of flavors, and really tastes like a nice home-made Korean Kimchi fried rice! Prices are a bit on the higher side, but I suppose that is just Bethesda prices. My friend did feel a bit sick from the food she ate afterwards, but I felt fine. Overall I do enjoy the food here and would come back again for more Korean fare.
Brian Smith
I have been here about 4 times, each time ordering their beef soondubu. Their preparation is serviceable but nothing to write home about.The issue is the service. Food takes over 30 minutes to come out, which is just inexcusable. And this is on a regular basis, not a fluke. On top of that the manager stands around a chat with guests but only can refill a water cup about once every twenty minutes.I wish this place well but clearly they have some issues with the basics of restaurant erring that I hope they’ll address.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 1
Cobalt Sage
For a Saturday night, I couldn’t recommend a better experience. It may be a bit pricy, but the food comes incredibly quick, and they provide shot glasses for the table with any order of Soju. While we were sitting and talking amongst ourselves, every once in a while, a gentleman named Lyon came to talk with us, and was a friendly, energetic soul. We talked at length about local Asian faire and even about local sources. From start to finish, it was an excellent, casual experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tammy M.
Love this place. Great food. Good prices. Hot stone can't be beat. Sort of low key seating with booths. Not fancy.
Alexsandra Fischer
Best dinner in Bethesda. I’ve been there 4 times and every single time was 11/10 amazing!Vegetarian options: Most items have a veg option
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Milae Bibimbap, Korean Side Dishes, Seafood Pancake, Spicy Pork
Tessa W
Awful experience with the owner’s son. The meal ordered was inedible, and when asked for something else, was told would need to pay for both dishes. Owner literally said “never come back”. Considering how many great Korean places there are in the neighborhood, this one is a hard pass!
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
Richard Bernardo
"NEVER COME BACK" is what the owner told meI love Korean food and it was my first time here but I was very disappointed by House of Milae. The food they served me was very bland and tasteless. I could not eat it and asked for a different dish, but the son of the owner refused to accommodate me. He asked me if I was Korean and if I had put salt and pepper on the food. He also said that if I sent the food back, I would have to pay for it anyway. He told me and my partner to "never come back", but he said it so quietly that other customers could not hear him. He even grabbed a spoon and tasted the food in front of me on my table, which I found very disrespectful and unsanitary. I have never seen such behavior in any restaurant before.This was the worst dining experience I have ever had. I do not recommend this place to anyone who likes Korean food or expects decent service. There are much better options in Bethesda for Korean cuisine. House of Milae should be ashamed of themselves for treating their customers so poorly.psI cook for a living and these guys give the food industry a really bad impression. Unbelievable comment....
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Richie B.
"NEVER COME BACK" is what the son of the owner told us... I love Korean food, but I was very disappointed by House of Milae. The food they served me was very bland and tasteless. I could not eat it and asked for a different dish, but the son of the owner refused to accommodate me. He asked me if I was Korean and if I had put salt and pepper on the food. He also said that if I sent the food back, I would have to pay for it anyway. He told me and my partner to never come back (my partner is Asian), but he said it so quietly that other customers could not hear him. He even grabbed a spoon and tasted the food in front of me on my table, which I found very disrespectful and unsanitary. I have never seen such behavior in any restaurant before. This was the worst dining experience I have ever had. I do not recommend this place to anyone who likes Korean food or expects decent service. There are much better options in Bethesda for Korean cuisine. House of Milae should be ashamed of themselves for treating their customers so poorly.
Jesse Bower
I was very happy with the food. I asked for some suggestions and they were great. Very friendly staff.i will be back for more Kimbab.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Kimbab
Jess !
I eat a LOT of Korean food so when I say this is some of the best I've had, I have a frame of reference!We went on a weeknight and things were quiet. I liked that kpop was playing but not too loud and our server (I think it was Lily!) was super sweet and attentive. I think the service was better than the food, and the food was really really good.I loved that we got a tray of all of the sides! I feel like a lot of places don't do that anymore. All of the sides were good, I especially liked the potato salad and the pickled radish.We tried the meat steamed dumplings and they were good! I liked the dipping sauce and they had a great flavor.After that we got two of the bibimbop bowls! We got the crispy "dolsot" ones. They came out so hot and still sizzling! I had the beef, and it was a well marinated bulgolgi. I loved how crispy the rice got, and the toppings went well with the rice and beef. The sauces were really good and I put a ton of the spicy gochujang sauce on mine, it really made it. I liked that you could specify how your egg was cooked too. Everything tasted amazing and it was just the thing for a cold night.I got a scallion pancake to go for lunch the next day, and it came with all of the sides again! I was so happy to see more of that potato salad. The pancakes aren't flaky layered ones, but crispy flour ones. The dipping sauce they came with was nice. It was a great portion for lunch.I cannot wait to come back and try the pork belly in a bibimbop bowl! This is definitely my new favorite place in Bethesda.Vegetarian options: Dishes with tofu as an option for protein.Parking: Paid county parking garage directly across the street.
Spicy pork couldn’t have been better! Couldn’t have been more authentic.We also got the Hotstone Bibimbap a crunch large and the crunch was a fantastic surprise. The waiter was so friendly and accommodating too.New favorite place!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Milae Bibimbap, Spicy Pork
Manena Ngambi
First time trying rice wine. Very delicious! Their short ribs were also very good! I took one star off because they have no dessert at all.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Juliana Guzman
Service is very good and food was delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Milae Bibimbap
John Baek
Third time coming here, but first time served by Steffen, he was great! Brought three other Koreans and they liked it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nayke Montgomery
One of the best Korean restaurants in the DMV area! Highly
House of Milae is a great location in Bethesda for authentic Korean cuisine! Parking is easy, as there's a garage right across the street, and the restaurant has a good amount of seating. The Korean side dishes (Banchan) they provide are numerous and tasty, my favorites are the standard cabbage kimchi and the fish cakes. I got the Kimchi Fried Rice with pork, and it was really flavorful! Spicy, sweet, and savory from the gochujang paste, mellowed out with the runny egg yolk and nicely stir fried rice, it's a great combination of flavors, and really tastes like a nice home-made Korean Kimchi fried rice! Prices are a bit on the higher side, but I suppose that is just Bethesda prices. My friend did feel a bit sick from the food she ate afterwards, but I felt fine. Overall I do enjoy the food here and would come back again for more Korean fare.
I have been here about 4 times, each time ordering their beef soondubu. Their preparation is serviceable but nothing to write home about.The issue is the service. Food takes over 30 minutes to come out, which is just inexcusable. And this is on a regular basis, not a fluke. On top of that the manager stands around a chat with guests but only can refill a water cup about once every twenty minutes.I wish this place well but clearly they have some issues with the basics of restaurant erring that I hope they’ll address.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 1
For a Saturday night, I couldn’t recommend a better experience. It may be a bit pricy, but the food comes incredibly quick, and they provide shot glasses for the table with any order of Soju. While we were sitting and talking amongst ourselves, every once in a while, a gentleman named Lyon came to talk with us, and was a friendly, energetic soul. We talked at length about local Asian faire and even about local sources. From start to finish, it was an excellent, casual experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Love this place. Great food. Good prices. Hot stone can't be beat. Sort of low key seating with booths. Not fancy.
Best dinner in Bethesda. I’ve been there 4 times and every single time was 11/10 amazing!Vegetarian options: Most items have a veg option
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Milae Bibimbap, Korean Side Dishes, Seafood Pancake, Spicy Pork
Awful experience with the owner’s son. The meal ordered was inedible, and when asked for something else, was told would need to pay for both dishes. Owner literally said “never come back”. Considering how many great Korean places there are in the neighborhood, this one is a hard pass!
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
"NEVER COME BACK" is what the owner told meI love Korean food and it was my first time here but I was very disappointed by House of Milae. The food they served me was very bland and tasteless. I could not eat it and asked for a different dish, but the son of the owner refused to accommodate me. He asked me if I was Korean and if I had put salt and pepper on the food. He also said that if I sent the food back, I would have to pay for it anyway. He told me and my partner to "never come back", but he said it so quietly that other customers could not hear him. He even grabbed a spoon and tasted the food in front of me on my table, which I found very disrespectful and unsanitary. I have never seen such behavior in any restaurant before.This was the worst dining experience I have ever had. I do not recommend this place to anyone who likes Korean food or expects decent service. There are much better options in Bethesda for Korean cuisine. House of Milae should be ashamed of themselves for treating their customers so poorly.psI cook for a living and these guys give the food industry a really bad impression. Unbelievable comment....
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
"NEVER COME BACK" is what the son of the owner told us... I love Korean food, but I was very disappointed by House of Milae. The food they served me was very bland and tasteless. I could not eat it and asked for a different dish, but the son of the owner refused to accommodate me. He asked me if I was Korean and if I had put salt and pepper on the food. He also said that if I sent the food back, I would have to pay for it anyway. He told me and my partner to never come back (my partner is Asian), but he said it so quietly that other customers could not hear him. He even grabbed a spoon and tasted the food in front of me on my table, which I found very disrespectful and unsanitary. I have never seen such behavior in any restaurant before. This was the worst dining experience I have ever had. I do not recommend this place to anyone who likes Korean food or expects decent service. There are much better options in Bethesda for Korean cuisine. House of Milae should be ashamed of themselves for treating their customers so poorly.
I was very happy with the food. I asked for some suggestions and they were great. Very friendly staff.i will be back for more Kimbab.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Kimbab
I eat a LOT of Korean food so when I say this is some of the best I've had, I have a frame of reference!We went on a weeknight and things were quiet. I liked that kpop was playing but not too loud and our server (I think it was Lily!) was super sweet and attentive. I think the service was better than the food, and the food was really really good.I loved that we got a tray of all of the sides! I feel like a lot of places don't do that anymore. All of the sides were good, I especially liked the potato salad and the pickled radish.We tried the meat steamed dumplings and they were good! I liked the dipping sauce and they had a great flavor.After that we got two of the bibimbop bowls! We got the crispy "dolsot" ones. They came out so hot and still sizzling! I had the beef, and it was a well marinated bulgolgi. I loved how crispy the rice got, and the toppings went well with the rice and beef. The sauces were really good and I put a ton of the spicy gochujang sauce on mine, it really made it. I liked that you could specify how your egg was cooked too. Everything tasted amazing and it was just the thing for a cold night.I got a scallion pancake to go for lunch the next day, and it came with all of the sides again! I was so happy to see more of that potato salad. The pancakes aren't flaky layered ones, but crispy flour ones. The dipping sauce they came with was nice. It was a great portion for lunch.I cannot wait to come back and try the pork belly in a bibimbop bowl! This is definitely my new favorite place in Bethesda.Vegetarian options: Dishes with tofu as an option for protein.Parking: Paid county parking garage directly across the street.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Milae Bibimbap, Bulgogi, Crunchy Rice
Restaurantji Recommends
Spicy pork couldn’t have been better! Couldn’t have been more authentic.We also got the Hotstone Bibimbap a crunch large and the crunch was a fantastic surprise. The waiter was so friendly and accommodating too.New favorite place!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Milae Bibimbap, Spicy Pork
First time trying rice wine. Very delicious! Their short ribs were also very good! I took one star off because they have no dessert at all.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Service is very good and food was delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Milae Bibimbap
Third time coming here, but first time served by Steffen, he was great! Brought three other Koreans and they liked it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
One of the best Korean restaurants in the DMV area! Highly
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5