SHIA (shee-uh) is a modern Korean fine dining restaurant in Washington, D.C., dedicated to sustainability, innovation, and cultural storytelling. Our tasting menu-only experience spotlights the intersection of local agriculture and premium Hansik ingredients, using fresh, seasonal elements with minimal manipulation to honor the environment. As a non-profit restaurant, SHIA is more than just a dining destination; it’s a platform for tackling key challenges in the restaurant industry, from environmental responsibility to fair labor practices and culinary heritage preservation.
** Please note, SHIA does not accommodate children in our dining experiences. **
Join us at the bar for an exclusive $65 four-course tasting menu, crafted specifically for this intimate setting. These seats offer a distinct experience, separate from our dining room, allowing you to enjoy a curated selection of seasonal dishes in a more relaxed, up-close atmosphere. Perfect for those seeking a taste of SHIA with a unique perspective—these seats are limited, so reserve yours today!
7 Course Pre-Fixe (Dining Room)
Multiple dates available
Welcome to SHIA, where each dish is a celebration of Korean-inspired flavors and meticulous craftsmanship. Our seven-course tasting menu ($165 per person) invites you on a culinary journey that blends tradition with innovation, highlighting the season’s finest Hansik ingredients.
SHIA will plant the seed for innovation in the restaurant industry, conducting on-site, real-time research with in-house researchers and university partners to solve for zero-gas kitchens, zero plastics and waste reduction.
We invite you to relax, savor, and let us guide you through an evening of discovery. Thank you for allowing us to share this experience with you—it’s an honor to have you at our table.
Menu
Our Seven Course Dinner in our main dining room
Dinner
Pumpkin Mandu
Scallop & Fried Oyster Ssam
Pine Nut Soondubu & Apple Juk
Sustainable Tuna "Bibimbap"
Doenjang Pork Belly
VA Ribeye with Kalbi Butter or Local Rockfish with Jujube Sauce
"Nurungji" Rice and Boricha Ice Cream
What 20 people are saying
Overall ratings and reviews
Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant
4.8
4.8 based on recent ratings
4.7Food
4.9Service
4.9Ambience
4.5Value
Noise • Moderate
20 Reviews
S
Stephanie
Philadelphia
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined 1 day ago
Overall 3
Food 3
Service 5
Ambience 4
We only truly enjoyed 3/7 courses. Dare I say the interpretive bibimbop was my least favorite?! Service was standard for the price point. Ambiance also fine and what you'd expect.
Basically accepted that we paid for the novelty and hype of Chef Lee post-Culinary Class Wars. The group next to us travelled all the way from north New Jersey. As DMV locals, we would not recommend traveling for the meal if you're looking to be blown away.
Overall, we had a good experience but wouldn't return because of overall value.
Is this helpful?
J
Jane
Chicago
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined 1 day ago
Overall 5
Food 4
Service 5
Ambience 5
Service was great, ambiance was VERY nice, and food was stellar! :)
Is this helpful?
E
Eddie
New York City
1 review
2.0
1 review
Dined 5 days ago
Overall 2
Food 2
Service 5
Ambience 5
From my Beli review (rank #5 on Beli)
Netflix Culinary Class Wars finalist/iron chef Edward Lee latest restaurant "Shia"
As soon as you walk in, they seat you at the bar with your 1st course. When they're ready they walk you into the dining hall to chef's counter with your 2nd course and talk little bit about lee initiative. Shortly after you are seated to your table. Unfortunately Chef Edward Lee was not here today.
Pumpkin Mandu - dumpling skin was fresh and was good, however chestnut sauce with pickled ginseng was ok. I honestly had doubts about Shia after this bite.
Scallop and fried oyster ssam - best dish of the night. It was absolutely 🔥 the hot/cold worked in sync, the crunch/smokiness made it a memorable bite.
Pine nut soondubu apple juk - broth itself was very bland, once you mix tangerine vinegar it was ok. Crab didn't have much flavor, the bite with mandu was decent. Each bite varied too much.
Tuna bibimbap - the dish that everyone wants to try. The plate choice here does not make any sense to me, it should be swapped out with the dish they used for dessert. It was pretty good, nurungji plus the tuna worked well together. I rather have a caviar shot with the amount that was served. It was good but not memorable.
Doenjang pork belly - again the plate choice here is questionable. Serving soup on a flat plate.. Kimchi was not sliced, and you can't cut it with your fork. Eating with pork belly was too salty and eating with clams was too bland. Poorly executed dish.
VA rib eye - kalbi butter was 🔥 it slapped hard. Rib eye wasn't as tender as I expected it to be. The kimchi it was served with as banchan was wayyyyyy too sour. I was dumbfoundead that this passed as ok to be served..
Boricha ice cream - this was very good
Service was top tier, clean table after every course.
I'm not sure if it was due to Edward Lee not being here today, but it was very underwhelming experience.
2 people found this helpful
J
Jan
Washington DC
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on November 16, 2024
Overall 5
Food 5
Service 5
Ambience 5
An absolutely wonderful experience! The food was incredible and so were the staff. Highly recommend the rib eye with the amazing kalbi butter :)
Is this helpful?
S
Sehee
Washington DC
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on November 16, 2024
Overall 5
Food 5
Service 5
Ambience 5
From the moment we stepped in and to the moment we left, we were such well taken cared for. SHIA thought of every little detail. Not only was the food amazing but it truly was the people that made the difference. You could feel the warmth and genuineness shine through every person we interacted with. It was a cozy and intimate night we won't ever forget.
Is this helpful?
OT
OpenTable Diner
Richmond
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on November 15, 2024
Overall 5
Food 5
Service 5
Ambience 5
It was a privilege to dine with you this evening. We won’t take this night for granted, everything was amazing and we are so honored to meet Chef Edward Lee :) 10/10 experience 10/10 staff 10/10 food <3
Is this helpful?
A
Alli
Portland
2 reviews
vip
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on November 15, 2024
Overall 5
Food 5
Service 5
Ambience 5
We had the best experience here! The food was outstanding and masterfully created. Everything from the flavors, textures, and presentation were all on point. Chef Lee and the entire staff are so friendly and delightful. Can’t wait to go back!
Is this helpful?
J
Jack
Washington DC
2 reviews
4.0
2 reviews
Dined on November 15, 2024
Overall 4
Food 5
Service 4
Ambience 5
Good food. It was creative, and the alcohol pairing was all very good.
Is this helpful?
H
Hope
Yorkshire
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on November 13, 2024
Overall 5
Food 5
Service 5
Ambience 5
Absolutely LOVED this experience!! Thank you so much to Chef Lee and the team at Shia for being so warm and friendly.
Is this helpful?
M
Mitchell
Washington DC
2 reviews
2.0
2 reviews
Dined on November 12, 2024
Overall 2
Food 2
Service 4
Ambience 3
The food was alright at best.
Most of the dishes we had that night were rather bland. This would be fine if the individual ingredients tasted good, but there really wasn’t much flavor in general. The tuna bibimbap was probably the biggest disappointment. The rice was overly scorched/fried with a stale feeling, and the tuna just wasn’t good tuna.
Besides that the service was good, standard for this price point. The noise level depends on the guests around you as this is an intimate setting.
Maybe the food was just off for that night, but overall, for the price it’s not worth it. Unless you just want to go to meet the chef himself.
Is this helpful?
FAQs
SHIA Restaurant is rated 4.8 stars by 20 OpenTable diners.
Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.