Tongnamoo House

we came here with friend’s recommendation, very disappointed, the beef combo BBQ meat was not marinated, no taste at all without the Korean sauce, ask for A1 or similar steak sauce NO available, not enough staff on service on Saturday night, need to keep to remind her to get us some more tea (Tea is very good, however), not enough Salads and Kimchi were served and the whole meal was expensive $ 85 for two person; the other Korean BBQ Shin Chon not far from here was much better food than Tongnamoo; Also there is no English Sign of Tongnamoo House outside the restaurant and location was not easy to find unless you knew Korean; severe under-​staff for weekend service and staff was somewhat not sure what he/​she was doing;

This place rocks.
We came here impromptu last night, and the BBQ was incredible. I don’t know too much about Korean cuisine, but we were served some sort of barley tea which was delicious, all the various sides, the kimchi was delicious, the steamed egg and the different salads were delicious. It was all delicious and we had excellent service. Friendly staff. We came with my 17 month old daughter and she loved it. They brought her a kid’s cup with water right away and she really enjoyed both the BBQ and all the little sides.
Five stars. We’ll be there again soon!

What’s with the bad reviews?
I love this place!
first, a lot of reviews complain about bad service but when I paid a visit, they were absolutely delightful! they came to check on us, attended our water, and everything was good timing.
now the food. I’m Korean so I’ve had many Korean food, but I got to say their budae jjigae is excellent. the portion is great for $ 12, I think I could’ve shared it with another girlfriend. the soup hits the spot and I will definitely come back for another.
dolsot bibimbab is what my boyfriend had and he said it wasn’t as good as the soondooboo ‘s (he is a bibimbab maniac), but it is cheaper than theirs. (11.99)
sides are good too, so for me it’s a ⁵⁄₅! then again I haven’t tried the other dishes.

This is my go to Korean place when I am craving Korean food. If you are a fan of «army soup (boodae jjigae), you will have to try theirs. It comes in a generous portion of all the goodness. If you have never tried the army soup, it is a combination of American ingredients like sausages, ham, spam, pasta, cheese in Korean spicy broth. It may sound odd but it is one delicious dish and you can share it among 4 – 5 people. I have tried more traditional menus (rice cake, BBQ option and appetizers) and everything was pretty good except fried chicken which was good but nothing special.

Belated review: service sucks (not rude, but slow and inattentive). There’s too many Korean restaurants in this area to come here, really — there’s nothing here that you can’t find elsewhere as good (if not better) for cheaper and faster. Though some of my friends already share my sentiment, if anyone suggests coming here again, I will put up a fight.

I am only giving them a star because of the previous few times I’ve eaten here and that went off without a hitch. I would give it no stars otherwise.
The hostess just turned us away because they didn’t have a table. She didn’t even make an attempt to ask us to wait or give us a time. She just started playing with her phone. When I asked her how long we should wait, she said «I am not sure. You should have made a reservation.» This was not a language issue since I spoke to her in Korean. This is just bad customer service. It is wrong. She might have also been the owner, if so, then shame on her.
First of all, this is one of many Korean restaurants in the area. And it’s not the type of place you make a reservation. And their food isn’t so exceptional they can be this rude to a table for 9 people. Never coming back here again.

They have wayyy too much food on their menu. Maybe that’s why their food is not that good for the price. Also, the service is not great, considering that there are so many waitresses/​waiters at the time we were there.

Service/​Décor– It’s a great restaurant for lunch. The service was fantastic as everyone kept asking if we were ok. The restaurant looked very clean and nicely decorated.
Food quality– We had the seafood pancakes and Saewoo Bokkeumbap (Shrimp Fried rice) for lunch. The onion soup and side dishes were a good treat. We had so much food leftover for two more meals.
I would definitely visit there again.

Ate here for the first time yesterday. Wow, why haven’t I come here sooner? Might be my new favorite Korean joint.
The banchan were the best I’ve had of any of the many Korean places I’ve visited– by far. Fantastic. My gf got Mul Naeng Myun, a cold buckwheat noodle soup with a cucumber/​pear flavor and a simple clear broth that was fantastic on a hot summer day! I got a hot bi bim bap that was simple and delicious. And the Japanese style shrimp dumpling appetizer is something I could eat every day. Very very tasty.
Prices were maybe a bit higher than other local places, but the food was all outstanding and we will be back. Next time, the chicken!
Also, lots of reviewers are complaining about the service. I think they don’t get Korean joints– there is a button by the table you push when you want service. If you don’t push it, don’t expect them to be checking on you. That’s just how it works, and every time we pushed the button the wait staff showed up seconds later. And yes, this is a real Korean place where few of the wait staff speak English (and those that do struggle mightily). Not a big deal to us, but if you are intimidated by this than you are best off eating elsewhere.

Went with friends. Ordered a bunch of random things like nangmyun, soybean paste/​fish combo, seafood pancake, some meat stew …
My response: Ehhhhhh
The galbi dolsut was okay my friend said. But
Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhh
The service was also
Ehhh
Meh

Went last night (Sunday) around 10:30pm. Service took way too long, and I honestly think it was because we all were not Korean (except one of us and they don’t speak Korean very well). So I really hope that was NOT the case, but can’t help but feel that way by the way we were treated. Food took forever, we never got checked on by our waitress, and one of the people in our group wanted Bulgogi, she told the server and she brought back a Bulgogi soup. She wanted the BBQ Bulgogi (and even confirmed with the waitress that she was going to get Bulgogi), so we had to send it back. The waitress was very annoyed with us and even came back with the menu again.
We definitely won’t be back– and will spend our money at all of the other Korean restaurants in the area (Honey Pig, Kim Bap Na Ra, etc.) who are much friendlier and actually take the time to acknowledge us and serve us in a reasonable time frame.

A bit pricey but food is good… there’s an upstairs seating available as well.
Had Korean BBQ there…(beef, pork, chicken) with assortment of side dishes.
They also have beer (korean, Japanese, maybe some American)…not sure about dessert since we went to Shila Bakery afterwards for dessert.

I have to say I am highly disappointed in their service this time around. I waited over an hour with my family to get our food. They kept saying it was because there was a large party upstairs… But over an hour for two dishes is kind of on the ridiculous end of things.
On top of the poor service, there was a large group of older folks cursing and yelling at the top of their lungs. These old folks were sitting right next to us and making such a ruckus. And the cursing was nonstop. I was shocked the waitresses did not go over to nicely ask them to keep the cursing or the noise down.
As far as the food goes, I am beginning to think the food is going downhill. I ordered a spicy fish stew (gim) and it was not worth the $ 40 I paid. 90% of what was in this stew was bean sprouts… It was not even that good. I was so confused by the dish.
I mean their fried chicken is still on point but everything else is mediocre.
I am truly disappointed in this place…

This is my go to spot for Korean food in Ellicott City now. I’m so happy I gave this place a try. I was looking for another Korean Fried Chicken place after my negative experiences at Rainpia (my last review). I am so happy I found this place! TNM’s fried chicken is delicious! Their stews are fantastic, and all their side dishes are flavorful. The staff is friendly and welcoming, and their pricing is consistent. I haven’t had anything here that wasn’t great. Even my Korean mother who is very picky approves of their spicy beef soup (yook-​gae-​jang). Their seafood pancake is the best I have had in this area, and they have flavored sojus, yay! This place is exceptional. I highly recommend the fried chicken, BoodaeJungol (base stew/​casserole), seafood pancake, and the beef combo Korean BBQ.

First place in the area I have found «army soup». I was happy to find and it is pretty good here. The place looks like an old log cabin. I was trying to wrap my head around what it was before. Whatever it was, I’m glad it is a Korean restaurant now.

Okay one word– chicken! They seriously have the best yangnum chicken. This is chicken seasoned with a sweet, tangy, and delicious sauce. You can also get their fried chicken without the sweet sauce, if you’re not a fan of sauces. OR you can ask for half and half! Both of them are really good! The chicken is fried to perfection– crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The chicken comes with sweet pickled radishes and they are a perfect combination.
They not only have delicious chicken, but they also have a wide array of items on their menu. They have lots of stew options and Korean street food, like spicy rice cakes or fishcakes. Everything on their menu is delicious. There was never an item I ordered that I didn’t enjoy.
In terms of their layout, it can be slightly confusing. They have different sections of the restaurant with completely different vibes.
They have one part that is relaxed and serves Korean BBQ.
When you step through a door from the BBQ section you have a more private and chill environment. People come in and drink in groups and there is a lot of privacy because of the barriers. It is much classier than the BBQ place.
When you walk up a flight of stairs it is dimly lit and they are playing Korean music and showing the music video on the screens. Here you can hang out with friends and order drinks and just have some fun.
Love this place.

Started off with the kimchee pancake. Even the hubby who hates anything kimchee, ate it! He doesn’t even like the smell of it. But this pancake was different. Crisp on the outside, sweet, lightly spiced cabbage within. What’s not to like?
The banchan arrived with our meals, nothing spectacular — but all good, fresh and abundant: cabbage kimchee, sliced fishcakes, julienned, lightly seasoned potatoes, steamed broccoli, seaweed & sprouts w/​sesame oil. Our bento boxes contained perfectly seasoned and tender beef/​chicken bulgogi, crisp veg tempura, a small salad, rice and two shumai, with a small bowl of miso soup.
To me, what sets apart Korean restaurants from each other, is the assortment of banchan, such as steamed egg. Some places I go to and the banchan is a meal itself and another Korean restaurant, has the most amazing kimchee soup, using their homemade tofu.
This was my first visit to Tongnamoo house and one thing I really liked was the hominess of the décor and that the service was super friendly. I can see myself getting daring here and trying something I’ve never had — for I know it will be fresh and tasty.

This is my go-​to korean place.
As a native Korean, there are many choices you can eat around Ellicott City. Many places will have generalized menus. Well you can say i am picky. I chose this place because their food is exceptional compare to other places I’ve been to. Flat and straight reason is because their food tastes like they use less salts, less sugar. Fresher ingredients. Not to disrespect others, but many places around uses heavy salt and sugar or MSGs… Their foods tastes incredibly amazing when eating but afterwards you get thirsty, bad stomachache, ultimately will run to bathroom with your hands on your stomach. I’ve never had that incident with Tongnamoo House.
Trust my taste guys. The price could slightly more expensive than others but its worth it.
Oh, and they give you fresh raw liver when ordering bottle of Soju which is absolutely a plus. Yummy!

My korean coworker kept raving about this place so I persuaded some ladies to try it after a church event. We came around 9ish and by then 3 other groups from church had taken over the restaurant, haha. It’s definitely a roomy place for big groups.
The korean BBQ seemed to give choice of both flavored and unseasoned meat, which my friend (who has a sensitive stomach) was happy about. We got 6 dishes of banchan for each end of the table and they gave 1 bowl of steamed egg and 1 bowl of bean stew which we all passed around and shared. My only gripe with the BBQ: 1) there wasn’t enough sauce, only this bean sauce 2) the garlic took awhile to cook up for some reason 3) they only gave us 1 platter of shredded scallion/​onion, and didn’t refill. 4) the cuts of pork belly were kind of… lumpy. There was like bone/​cartilage in it or something. I couldn’t get a full, satisfying chomp in there.
The naengmyun was good – someone said they make their own noodles! The kimchi pajun was just OK, I wouldn’t get it again unless you like kind of soggy, piecemeal pancake. The dumplings were also just OK, I felt like the meat was too tough, but others liked it.
I’d say it’s pretty good and I would come back :)

We are regulars. Per my earlier comments all holds with big strides in wait staff coordination.
Per my previous review we still maintain the four star rating. Our experience has been positive except for the less than fully coordinated wait staff (no biggie), and once getting some attitude from a server when we asked for two sets of side dishes for four people «This is impossible. This is not the Korean way. You need to share.» as she put them on the table (a biggie). It was embarrassing in front of my supervisor and I recommended the place. I plan to have a word with her next time we visit. Among other things I will point out we are in the USA and Korea is far away.
In summary, the food is very good, the prices are reasonable, the place is clean, the wait staff is generally (one exception as noted above) very friendly though they are uncoordinated, and we believe it to be the best Korean restaurant in Ellicott City.
They have standard Korean dishes, hot pot, and BBQ. We have had all three and prefer the standard dishes (extensive list). They also have some Chinese dishes, undoubtedly prepared in the Korean style which is way better, but we have yet to try them.