It’s 8:30pm on a Friday night on H Street. You didn’t make a reservation at the Atlas Room. Toki Underground has a 3 hour wait. Sticky Rice has a similarly long wait. Cusbah has a wait and the line at H &pizza is long. You’re meeting up with a group of friends and need to eat soon. Where do you go? While there have recently been several high profile new openings on H Street, one place has been on H Street for a while but has flown somewhat under the radar. Yet the good food, the fun atmosphere, and the affordability of Khan’s Bar and Grill (1125 H Street, NE) deserve your attention.
Khan’s Bar and Grill on H Street
Khan’s, which opened last year, is on the same block as Cusbah, H &pizza, and Taylor Gourmet but on the opposite side of the street. Its end unit location allows the restaurant to have a large patio that is open during warm weather and makes for a very pleasant evening. The restaurant usually has tiki torches lit outside on nice evenings and enough tables so that there is never a wait. Inside Khan’s has a bar and several large TVs playing whatever sports games may be on at that particular time. The inside is made up of a variety of booths and tables (as well as the bar) that give diners a view of the TVs as well as the main attraction: the large grill where Khan’s chefs grill your dinner.
Khan’s specializes in Mongolian bbq. While there are a variety of different appetizers and other dishes that have been added since the opening, stick with the Mongolian bbq as it is the best food as well as the best deal. When your server arrives, ask for the Mongolian grill and then specify your protein (chicken, beef, or shrimp). You will receive a ticket and a bowl that you will use to load up your toppings from the salad bar-style tables. At the topping station pile up as much as you can into your bowl. The toppings range from noodles to mushrooms to broccoli to carrots to onions to jalepenos (perhaps not the most authentic topping in the world, but it works). Then choose your sauce(s) and ladle them into smaller cups that are provided. The sauces range in terms of spicy and savory level. Our favorite combination involves a combination of the traditional Mongolian bbq sauce with the garlic sauce and the hot sauce, but there are many different combinations that you can make using their sauces. Next, take your toppings and your sauce up to the grill where the Khan’s chef will cook your dinner right in front of you.
Grill at Khan’s Bar and Grill
The grill is circular, allowing the chef to maneuver the whole way around it using very long grilling utensils and multitask on several dinners if they are busy. The chef will usually put on a little bit of a show and flip the last few pieces of your dinner from the grill onto your plate. Once the chef is done grilling your dinner, it will be presented on a large plate with your choice of one or two scoops of rice to mix in with it. The total cost of this large amount of fresh and tasty food? Only $12 ($14 for shrimp). If you’re in the area, they also do lunch for a few dollars less. On your way out of the restaurant, don’t forget to throw a few dollars in the tip jar for the chefs and ring the giant gong on the way out.
The drink deals at Khan’s are good as well. The restaurant has a nice variety of beers on tap and in the bottle as well as different mixed drinks you can order. Generally, the service is attentive and prompt, even if you are sitting outside on the patio.
Overall, Khan’s Bar and Grill makes for a nice dinner at a low cost in a pleasant and entertaining atmosphere. It’s a great dinner before going out on H Street or during the week, especially if some of your other favorites on H Street have a long wait.
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