MokomandyWish there was a six-star rating!Attention foodies! Mokomandy is a true "find" in Sterling, VA. Mokomandy could hold its own on Madison Avenue, Rodeo Drive, or Worth Avenue! The cuisine is exceptional, healthy, and utterly delicious. As a food blogger and hospitality professional in the Washington, D.C. area, Mokomandy is my go-to restaurant when I want the best of wine, spectacular appetizers, and perfectly prepared entreés and desserts. Owner and Executive Chef Thaddeus Kim is, in my opinion, one of the most creative chefs in the country. The service is excellent. Make reservations via OpenTable. A packed restaurant on a Tuesday night means something good is happening here! Five stars are not enough for Mokomandy. I need six.5/21/2013 12:00:00 AMDefinitely worth the tripWe live in Bethesda, 30 minutes away, and would driving to Mokomandy than eating in downtown Bethesda and not just because of the parking hassles. The food is novel, tasty, and relatively cheap. We've gone 3X in 4 weeks, took friends last time, and plan to visit again. Our friends really enjoyed it, too. And the service was extremely good -- competent, timely, but not pushy.5/18/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat foodFirst time at Mokomandy and had a great experience. Owner out chatting with customers, service excellent. Very slow night only a few diners so can't say how they handle crowds. Very inventive drink and food menu. Will definitely go again.5/13/2013 12:00:00 AMPerfect Place to DineI generally am not into avant -garde or innovative food or menus. However, I must make an exception here. Mokomandy serves an interesting and quite tasty mix of Korean (both traditional and new) entrees and Cajun (both traditional and new) entrees. Excellent mix! Moreover, the decor is contemporary. In sum, I will certainly dine there again and I will recommend Mokomandy to my friends and relatives.5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMVery accommodating and casualOur waiter never made us feel rushed even though place was full. I brought my 2 boys for an early Mother's Day dinner.5/10/2013 12:00:00 AMSurprise on a Sunday afternoonHave been here for dinners previously but went for brunch. What a class act. Ordered a Bloody Mary and learned they make their own mix with roasted tomatoes..it was incredible. Another ember of our party ordered the "bottomless mimosa" - again incredble with fresh squeezed OJ. And, as usual the food was off the chart. We'll be back:)5/5/2013 12:00:00 AMDeliciousWe had a wonderful time at Mokomandy. We had a group and so shared numerous items on the menu. We are still dreaming about their scallops, bulgogi and jambalaya. The service was fantastic - our server noticed we weren't eating much of one item and took it off our ticket. It was the only disappointment - everything else was fantastic! We will definitely be back.5/1/2013 12:00:00 AMImpressedI try to eat here whenever I come to N Virginia. Each time I Am more impressed than the last time. I really like the opportunity to try more than one dish. At most restaurants I can only eat a main dish because ordering an additional starter is too much food. At Mokomandy, I can order a small and a medium plate and the portions are just right. Three are too many excellent choices on the menu to have to choose only one. I love all the cajun style food.4/29/2013 12:00:00 AMSome people think that thisSome people think that this is a fusion restaurant. It isn't. Mokomandy makes great Korean, Cajun, and French Bistro fare. The menu changes with the seasons, so even if you're a regular customer, there's always something new to try. The small plates work well for sharing and getting to try many different foods. Their mixed drinks are awesome - whether it's a standard Vodka martini to one of their specialty cocktails. I've been there for girls' night out, dinner date, and with my family. The staff is friendly and attentive.4/27/2013 12:00:00 AMVery unique menu. We likedVery unique menu. We liked the tapas-style approach so that we could have a wide selection of dishes.4/27/2013 12:00:00 AMFiirst time there and thoughtFiirst time there and thought it was fabulous. Still a hidden gem, definitely will return and tell all my foodie friends about.4/23/2013 12:00:00 AMThe food was excellent, exceptThe food was excellent, except for the fact that almost every dish was very oily. We would love to return but will do so only if we can be assured that the kitchen can cut the fat by 50% or more.4/21/2013 12:00:00 AMThis was my third time atThis was my third time at Mokomandy and the only criticism I have is that you MUST have reservations - which is good for the restaurant. The food is always of very high quality and consisent. I recommend Mokomandy to everyone and nobody has been disappointed.4/20/2013 12:00:00 AMMokomandy has the feel ofMokomandy has the feel of a jet-set trendy restaurant. The ambiance is modern, the space is small (few tables gives it exclusivity), the staff operate like ants to an anthill. The tapas was unique and flavorful, portions were moderate, and the next dish was in front of us as we were finishing the previous dish.
This is not a restaurant to bring kids. There's just not enough room and there didn't appear to be anything ordinary on the menu.
The cost for two of us, with 2 drinks and 2 desserts, was $100. It's what I expected and we both left feeling full and more than satisfied with our experience.4/19/2013 12:00:00 AMA Wonderful Dining ExperienceWonderful Cajun food that authentically captures New Orleans at its best. The Korean dishes were eye-openers that expanded my horizons. Mokomandy is rapidly becoming one of my favorite dining spots.4/14/2013 12:00:00 AMDate Night!Moko never fails me. By far my favorite place in NOVA!!!!!! AMAZING FOOD AND AMAZING SERVICE!4/13/2013 12:00:00 AMAmazing FoodThis is my second visit here and Mokomandy just keeps getting better and better. This time I brought my parents who are very picky eaters and they loved it. Everything was great and that is saying something since we ordered A LOT OF FOOD. My favorite was the surf and turf, which may have included the single best piece of steak I have ever had. The Foie Gras Dumplings and Shrimp Etoufee were also stand outs.
The only negative is that the service is not at all rapid and so if you order in slapdash way (like we did) you can spend rather a lot of time waiting for the next plate. This is kind of the way of small plate restaurants though and not really a fault. My parents, not being aware of this however, noted it a number of times.4/13/2013 12:00:00 AMHands down, this is my favoriteHands down, this is my favorite restaurant in Sterling...maybe in the metro area.4/13/2013 12:00:00 AMIts hard to believe that thisIts hard to believe that this restaurant isn't in DC but how happy I am that it isn't, there's no beltway traffic to contend with and then the feverish persuit of a parking space, there's ample parking as part of this strip mall but don't be fooled by its location, the food is amazing! The kale chips, kimchi pancakes and the pot roast sliders were all incredible - the wild boar bowl, shrimp and grits and steak frites were truly wonderful as were the beignets! Its a small space so reservations are crucial but we have also found the best spot to be the bar, which is also reservable.4/7/2013 12:00:00 AMAnother hit out of the park!!Another enjoyable meal at Mokomandy! This was our second brunch and our friends' first brunch and everyone thoroughly enjoyed! Next visit will be for dinner -- again, which we love, love, love. Mokomandy really is a neighborhood gem. Their food is consistent and original. Can't wait for our next dinner there!4/7/2013 12:00:00 AMFive star neighborhood gemRecently took my parents here for dinner since it's close to their house. What a find. Very good menu and drink list. Everything we ordered was top-notch. The cocktails were also very well done. We left after a wonderful dinner and a very satisfied experience. Will definitely be back.4/6/2013 12:00:00 AMA wonderful experience!Mokomandy was an all around great experience--the food and service was fantastic. I had the chance to speak with the executive chef, Dan Stevens, and he was an absolute delight! I would reccomend this restaurant to anyone!4/4/2013 12:00:00 AMThird time there within asThird time there within as many weeks. Enjoy the Korean/Cajun Tapas theme. Food interesting and varied. Servers do a good job. Great beer Selection, and specialty drinks are yummy!3/29/2013 12:00:00 AMThis was about my third timeThis was about my third time @ Mokomandy and as usual, it was great. The three food choices I ordered were well prepared, tasted great and had a nice presentation. Server was very good as well.
I'll go back3/28/2013 12:00:00 AMVery interesting mix of KoreanVery interesting mix of Korean & Cajun cuisine. Outstanding jambalaya!3/26/2013 12:00:00 AMOur three-generation, "culturallyOur three-generation, "culturally diverse" adventurous foodie family of eight tried MokoMandy for the first time on a Sunday evening. We loved the concept of tapas-like dishes that facilitated family style sampling through an intriguing menu. Everyone got to pick a few dishes to try. The selection of beers, wines, and specialty drinks menu included helpful tasting notes. We tried 14 of the dishes on the menu plus 2 desserts and coffee - everything delicious and beautifully presented. Service was excellent! An absolute gem just minutes from home (Reston, VA). A great place to treat our out of town guests to something special!3/24/2013 12:00:00 AMThis place is awesome! TheThis place is awesome! The food was creative, interesting and delicious. Four of us tried at least half the dishes on the menu. Mussels, Duck, lettuce cups with pork, scallops.. were all terrific. Service was great... and the owner swung by to say hello. Awesome night out!3/23/2013 12:00:00 AMThis was our first time atThis was our first time at Mokomandy for brunch -- and we took someone with us who had never been before. I thoroughly enjoyed my breakfast BLT (messy in a good way) and our bloody Marys were very very good. My two eating partners both had the bibimbap which they said was very good as well. We will return for brunch again and definitely for dinner which we always enjoy. Our server(s) was the same delightful man we have had for dinner although, we had more than one throughout our brunch meal -- ran very smoothly! Beignets for brunch dessert hit the spot!3/17/2013 12:00:00 AMHighly Recommend!Our favorite place! The food and service are always outstanding. We tend to place several orders of smaller plates and share among the table. The staff is always very accommodating. The food is unique and amazing, always with beautiful presentation.3/16/2013 12:00:00 AMBy far our new favorite restaurant!My wife and I had our wedding anniversary dinner at Mokomandy and we will certainly make this a new tradition! The food, service, atmosphere, etc were perfect! The menu is designed in such a way that you can order multiple items that can be shared. Each item came out just at the right time so we didn't feel rushed and we never had to wait for anything. The service is very personable. Even though our waiter had other tables it felt like he was only there for us. I total recommend this restaurant to anyone for any occasion. It is also a kid friendly restaurant. There were a number of smaller children there who seemed to be enjoying their meals just as much as their parents.3/15/2013 12:00:00 AMA large selection of uniqueA large selection of unique dishes. Their claim of a "Fusion" of Korean and Cajun dishes -- falls short of describing the cuisine. To understand it, you gotta try it!
Among the really unique/great dishes: Fried Kale, Bulgogi Beef, Boar Bowl, Korean cucumber Salad and my very favorite, Korean Potroast Sliders.
On weekend nights it's often crowded, and when full, a bit too loud for normal conversation3/15/2013 12:00:00 AM