Shin Chon is one of the more famous Korean BBQ restaurants in Maryland, especially in Howard County. It was featured on Andrew Zimmerman’s show and before that it was still a staple in the community for great food. Despite their notoriety, things haven’t changed much, you still get great food. We came in on a Wednesday night so it wasn’t busy which was ideal. We were seated immediately. After that they brought us an array of banchan that was all delicious. My favorites were the fish cake which was the perfect compliment to the food, along with the burdock root which was sweet but chewy. I would say their banchan game is stronger than Honey Pig or Iron Age.
We then ordered the spicy pork belly and the boneless short rib. The short rib came out first, it was delicious, as the subtle sweet notes balanced perfectly with the beef that was also very tender. The pork belly was also marinated in the spicy gochujang sauce but it wasn’t painfully spicy it had the right balance. The burners don’t seem to get as hot as some of the other places so you don’t get as good as a char sometimes, but it was still delicious.
What I enjoyed most about this place was the ambiance, the lack of kpop blasting into my ear drums was a welcomed treat. The ambient noise of families laughing and recounting their days along with some mild soul playing the background was perfect.
The pricing can be a little on the higher end but the quality of ingredients is there. Our bill for two people ran about 72 dollars when you factored in tip. There are definitely more affordable things on the menu, but those two items are a guilty pleasure.
Overall Shin Chon is a very good restaurant that delivers on its promise. It is good for groups or just a couple. Be mindful of the cost as it can get pricey fast, if you have a group I recommend ordering one of the specials that would probably cover you.
Also parking is easy as it’s in a gigantic strip mall. Go to Lotte afterwards and get a waffle-esque fish stuffed with sweet red bean paste for 2 dollars, it’s magical.
Final Grade: A
