Around Town

Korean rice hot dogs are coming to Arlington, perhaps as soon as next month

A new Korean street food restaurant is coming to Arlington, and plans to set up shop in two different neighborhoods.

The fast casual eatery Oh K-Dog and Egg Toast is set to open two locations, in Crystal City and Ballston, likely within the next few months, the company tells ARLnow.

It’s part of a country-wide expansion to bring the “best Korean street food” stateside.

Korean rice dogs, essentially a fancier, souped up version of a corn dog, are popular in South Korea. They are now becoming widely sought-after in the United States.

“Unlike a typical hot dog, we specialize in using a stick to deep fry our signature item until it crips golden brown,” says the Oh K-Dog’s website. “It’s the perfect snack filled with your choice of mozzarella cheese, squid-ink, rice cake, potato, and more.”

The Crystal City location will be on restaurant row, at 509 23rd Street S. It’s set to move into the space formerly occupied by Taj of India, which appears to have closed earlier this year.

That one is planning to open prior to Christmas, we’re told.

The other location is moving into Ballston Quarter at 4238 Wilson Blvd, appearing to take over the lower level stall that was once Mi & Yu Noodle Bar, which closed in February.

Ballston’s Oh K-Dog and Egg Toast is looking at a December or January 2022 opening, the company said in response to an inquiry from ARLnow.

Each location is owned by separate owners. We reached out to both for more details, but have yet to hear back.

In addition to the Korean rice dogs, Oh K-Dog and Egg Toast serves — as its name suggests — egg toast, another Korean speciality. Also on the menu are croffles, a croissant/waffle mash-up that’s being described as the new “cronut.”

Photos via Instagram (as marked)