My experience with to-go food has been mediocre. Both times, the portions are adequate but there were no side dishes at all. My husband ordered bulgogi which was around $23, and when we got home, we found they'd only given bulgogi and a small cup of rice, nothing else. I'm used to other Korean restaurants giving at least some kind of banchan/side dishes, even for to go orders. Pretty pricey for what you get, and the food was mediocre. The second time, we were desperate for some goat soup, so we ordered here. Placed orders for 4 dishes, each around $20-25/dish, and we got two cups of rice and two small cups of kimchi and that's all...nothing else. We even tried to ask for some more rice, and they were quite rude and unbending about it. Perhaps the dine in service is better, but look elsewhere if you're getting pick up... read more

Personally as a korean, their tofu soup was really bland and service was bad. I don't think I will be returning any time soon.

For some odd reason, whenever I'm home, we tend to gravitate towards some of the newer places to satisfy that Korean food craving. This time, I did a thorough combing of Yelp before stumbling upon Ap Gu Jung, a longtime (20 year!) resident of the area. I am happy to report that I was blown away. Blood Sausage + Liver/Cold Cut Plate (4/5): Ap Gu Jung's blood sausage has won awards according to many of the signs plastered around the restaurant's interior. Like most Korean blood sausages, theirs is a mix of blood and sweet rice and vermicelli, which give the sausage texture. I don't know if this batch was old or if what I know to be blood sausage is just different, but Ap Gu Jung's had an odd aftertaste, reminiscent of old oil, to it. I'm not a fan of liver either so this dish was more or less one that we got to make ourselves feel less guilty about all the other 'less healthy' stuff we were eating. Goat Stew (5/5): Ap Gu Jung's goat stew is loaded with fork tender chunks of goat meat. At first glance, it didn't look like much, but this stew fed me for days. I loved how herby it was thanks to the perilla leaves that make up the bulk of the soup's flavor. If you're spice averse, have no fear. Although this soup looks spicy thanks to all the gochugaru, it's actually not at all. I couldn't stop helping myself to bowl after bowl of this stew ladled over rice. It was the definition of hearty comfort food. The best part? Just when you think you're finished with your stew (or have packed it all up into to-go containers), there's an encore. The waitstaff will add rice and seaweed to the pot, turn the heat back up and make a sort of fried rice! This too, was delicious, especially all the extra crispy rice bits that end up on the bottom of the pot! A two-part dish, brilliant! Seafood pancake (5/5): Best. Seafood. Pancake. Ever. I've had many a seafood pancake and a lot of places skimp out on the seafood (and end up serving me a mere pancake). This is not the case here. Ap Gu Jung is generous with their proteins. Just as the stew was loaded with goat, this pancake was loaded with shrimp and squid. What makes Ap Gu Jung's seafood pancake the king of all is their texture. This pancake was so crisp that I had to drag my chopsticks over the top of it to listen to that pleasing sound. It's every pan-fried food lover's dream. This unassuming mom and pop shop has been around for ages and I think it's about time to give them some love. I walked out with a full belly and even fuller to-go containers, a genuinely satisfying experience that you're sure to enjoy too! read more

Tried this place for the first time, and boy am I glad we did! This is a family restaurant, the only cook is a 78 year old Korean lady. We met her daughter and grand daughter on this visit. There is tremendous care put into the preparation of their banchan. All of them were fresh and seasoned to perfection. We made it a point to tell the grand daughter this and she explained that it is made fresh daily and they go through it quickly, which enables it to always be fresh. It shows. I ordered the Samgye-tang and it was perfection! The broth was thick and well seasoned, the thick broth full of rice, and the meat was so tender, it fell off the bone. They make less than 10 of these a day I was told, and I felt very lucky to have gotten one. My husband ordered the Haemul sundubu jjigae and he loved it. It was full of seafood, the tofu was silky, and the broth was flavorful. Lastly, my daughter ordered the bulgogi dolsot bibimbop and it was excellent. The meat was well seasoned and plentiful. All portions were large and each dish tasted as if someone put a lot of loving care into preparing it. The food takes a while to make, but all good things are worth the wait and you can munch on the banchan while you wait. It was definitely worth the wait! We will be back and look forward to going through the entire menu. This place was wonderful. read more

4.5-5 stars Wow... Just wow. Wonderful hole in the wall Korean restaurant located in the plaza on Lemon and Golden Springs. Being from DB, I'm surprised that I had never been to this restaurant until this past weekend for a friend's birthday. (And I have been to a majority of the restaurants in this plaza! Even though a few have changed here and there.) She was looking for Korean restaurants and this restaurant was one out of three options. If you're coming here for dinner on a weekend, make sure to come early. During our dinner, there were a few parties after us that had to wait because there are only a limited amount of tables, and all were occupied. Gamja Tang (Pork Back-bone Soup) The meat just fell off of the bones! The flavors were delicious and a "individual" size was perfect for the 3 of us. Bulgogi Dolsot Bibimbap (Bulgogi Hot Stone Pot Bibimbap) It seems that they used purple rice in the bibambap, which was a first for me, but it was still delicious! But compared to other Korean restaurants, the vegetable ingredients were a bit on the skimpy side and there was not much of a crunch to the rice, even though it was in the hot stone. Dak Galbi (Spicy Stir-fried Chicken) The price tag of this did scare us but it was the favorite of the table. The dish is noted for 2 people, so if you order nothing else, it is enough. But if you order more dishes, you'll have wonderful leftovers! The dish finished cooking on the portable gas burner at the table, with the perilla leaves. Ingredients included dark chicken meat, rice cakes, pork (guessing... thinly sliced), cabbage, and thinly sliced kimchi, and perilla leaves. The dish had just the right amount of spice, heat, and a tang of sweetness. I had thought that we were supposed to get fried rice afterwards, with the rice mixed in with the leftovers but I am unsure if they were too busy and forget, or that I had just guessed incorrectly. As delicious as it was, I'm not sure if I would come back for this dish if it is only the chicken and ingredients because it's $40+ (with tax). We did order a bit too much for the 3 of us but we wanted to try different things as it was our first time here. We also wanted to try the seafood pancake as well but there was just too much food and the price was also a bit high... The servers were all very friendly, attentive, and polite. The banchan is how one usually scores a Korean restaurant. There were numerous side dishes and of great quality, very fresh. (Sometimes it scares me when I see banchan at restaurants and you can tell that it has been made a long time ago... i.e. the radish are no longer crispy and it is starting to taste fermented, and the likes.) They serve hot tea, buckwheat water, and also regular iced water as free options. Parking lot spaces are quite tight so choose wisely. Overall, food was delicious and as normal, a bit on the higher end cost-wise (but is on-par with other Korean restaurant costs). read more

We stumbled upon this place as a happy accident and now I can say I found my favorite home style Korean restaurant! The workers here don't speak much English, but don't let that deter you! Their food tastes straight out of halmeoni's kitchen. The banchan was good and unlimited! I highly recommend their: -seafood pancake: they use a batter of fried potatoes for this, and its heavenly and the portion is large -pork bone stew: ahh this was so good! It was enough to share between the 5 of us and chock full of pork bones, veggies, potatoes and they can make kimchi fried rice out of it after! Price: $$ Service: Friendly and the food came out fast Parking: lot Tip: Its a small restaurant with compact tables, I wouldn't recommend coming here with more than 5. We will be back to try more of their menu! read more

Ap Gu Jung - Seafood pancake!! So good!! - Korean Near Me - Diamond Bar, California

The service at Ap Gu Jung was outstanding. The people working were attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable about the menu. I highly recommend that you ask them about what is good or what they recommended on the menu if you are unsure on what to eat. Our servers made great recommendations and even took the time to explain some of the dishes. And the food was absolutely incredible, in our opinion. Each dish was bursting with flavor, from the perfectly grilled bulgogi to the comforting stew. The banchan were delicious and varied, and the atmosphere made the whole dining experience feel special. It's clear they truly care about both the quality of the food and the guest experience. I'll definitely be back again with my family. read more

This place is very authentic and the food is amazing. We usually order the spicy pork bulgogi and this time, we tried the barbecue ribs. Everything is definitely worth trying. It's a small restaurant and it can get busy. So make sure you go during a weekday. read more

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Galbi Tang is very good here! If you're in the area, check this place out for a good hearty Korean food.

If you know you know! This is one of those places that offers that good ol' comfort food. Where you find the authentic flavors and the nicest aunties around serving up some of the traditional Korean staples. We had the Bossam, seafood pancake, pan fried spicy tripe blood sausage, kim chi tofu soup, and the sides oooooh the sides!! I love wrapping the super tender pork with sauce and cabbage that comes with the bossam! The crunch along with the savoriness can't be beat! The extra crispy seafood pancake is a must! Idk what the sauce that comes with the pancake but what a flavor explosion. Don't be afraid and step out of your comfort zone with the blood sausage. It's packed with rich flavors. The thing I live most about Korean food is the sides. Love all the unlimited pickled assortment of kimchi, fish cakes, and the daikon. If you are in the area, it's a must for Korean! read more

We came here for our youngest sibling's birthday. Overall I give this place a 3.5 stars... Service: 4 stars - they are friendly I'll give you that much but was a nuisance to have to look for our server for things like when our stove fire went out, refill for water, banchan, etc. Food: 4 stars - taste good but nothing special Price: 3 stars Parking: 3 stars - too many stores in this one plaza with not enough parking spaces! This place is small and cozy with plenty of menu options to choose from. But their options weren't anything special. Food taste did not have the wow factor for the price you pay. When we mentioned we were here to celebrate our sibling's birthday, our server didn't say or do anything special to acknowledge... unlike when we went to Sun Nong Dan. This is just not one of those place we will be back anytime soon. read more

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Love this place, offers authentic Korean food. Service is good. All the dishes are delicious. Seafood pancake is very different from most restaurants, crispy on the top. The pots and soups are all delicious. read more

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Their seafood pancake is the best I've ever tried. I've never seen anything like it. You just gotta try it. It's so crispy and so tasty. Samgyetang (chicken soup) was also decent but pricey (but it's pricey wherever you go these days). Dakgalbi (chicken galbi) was average, but the fried rice after was good. read more

The best place to go for some authentic Korean food, although it IS a little pricey. The restaurant is small, so if your group is bigger than 4, maybe around 6, y'all are gonna have a hard time getting a table. It's the perfect size, however, for a nice intimate date or hang out. Service is a little slow, being staffed by two or three nice old ladies, but the result is worth it. Portions are large and can last you two days even, and the meat is always flavorful and juicy. My favorite dish is the dak galbi; the spice is just right and hits you in the belly, not the tongue. The sauce is thick and goes well mixed with a bowl of rice. The rice cakes are plentiful but not overwhelming, with the perfect texture of chewy firmness. I love that this place gives you an ample amount of chicken instead of a handful like other restaurants. They bring this large pan to you on a portable burner, and let the dish simmer for just a little more as you eat. It really gives off a sense of nostalgia having the burner right by you during the meal. Overall, this is like my once in a while luxury for a simple large heaping of a home cooked meal (parking is absolute dogshit however, like oh my god, good luck getting in AND out). read more

Ap Gu Jung - Korean Near Me - Diamond Bar, California

First time eating here with my friend and I enjoyed the comfort food. It's a hole in the wall restaurant that provides lots of options. I'm usually a huge fan of Korean food and this reataurant is one of the places I would love to come back next time for when I'm in the area. Give some love for the mom and pops around the SGV area despite COVID-19 and delta variants lurking around. . read more

Food is always good. Service is always great even when they are so busy. Only one or two server during busiest time. When they have a chance, they ask if I'm doing ok. They get really short staffed from my point sometimes with many Togo orders and dining in. But I think they try their best. I see some people complain not getting served faster but Korean food have so many side dishes so I think people need to be more patient in general. read more

This was my first time here, and the food amazed me. Their seafood pancake is different from other restaurants'--it is really crispy. The pork back bone stew is not too spicy and is enough to serve four people. The service is friendly and kind. I will definitely come back again. read more

3.5 Stars! Bibimbap had lots of tasty meat and fresh vegetables. This small home-style restaurant reminds me of K-town. It was not crowded when I went, but the restaurant is relatively small. They were playing K-Soap Operas. This place is pretty clean. I think the only issue I had was that she did not include the fried egg, even after I mentioned it, in my bibimbap. Otherwise, it was pretty tasty. Nice spot for not being in Ktown! read more

Ap Gu Jung - Korean Near Me - Diamond Bar, California

I've been here a good amount of times now over the years and every time i have, this place has been spot on. It's small though, so if you come in during peak hours you can expect a wait. Despite a wait though, the food here is worth it. I'm a big fan of their shredded beef soup, arrowroot cold noodle, and much more. I've never had anything here i didn't like, so if you're looking for great Korean food, this place is solid. read more

Ap Gu Jung - Inside - Korean Near Me - Diamond Bar, California

Disappointed in this place...the food is good. No complaints there. The staff at this place does NOT wear masks. Its not one person that worked there I saw...it was total of 4 people. One was the server, appears to be the owner, another was probably the co-owner (or spouse), and one worker from the back (he came to the front to get drinking water. I did ask why arent you guys wearing masks and all she said was, "we do but when customers are not in the store we take them off. When customer comes in, we rush to put them on. (In korean)". Ummm..shouldnt masks be worn at all times inside a restaurant??? Code violation?? I could have taken a photo of this but left my phone in the car. read more

Omg!! The best Bossam place we have been at around our area!!! So far we have been to 3 places and this is the best bossam and soondae place!!! Their soup smells so good as well while we did not order any soup the other patrons eating who ordered them looked so good and smelled good! Everything was freshly made as we hear from the kitchen all the chopping. The utensils were nicer than in the other places we've been. The service was excellent as well!!! We cannot find any fault in this place other than being amazing. We will going to keep coming back. read more

Ap Gu Jung - Soondae ( Blood sausage) along with other boiled organs. So good!! - Korean Near Me - Diamond Bar, California

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Aside from the super slow service (they need to hire more waiters) their food is so authentic and delicious for a cold night out with friends. The spicy chicken came out sizzling hot with gooey cheese and it also surprisingly came with bits of teobeokki and fish cake mixed in! At the end of this dish, they made kimchi fried rice which definitely completed the entire dinner. Since we thought the chicken wouldn't be enough, we opted to try their beef tripe not knowing they would have intestines and noodles mixed in as well. Now I don't usually like anything related to intestines but for some reason, this restaurant made it taste so addictive....It was just so good! I solely recommend getting that if you want something warm and authentic! Would come back again! I just hope next time they'll have more workers. read more

Ap Gu Jung - Spicy Chicken with cheese ($3 extra) - Korean Near Me - Diamond Bar, California

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Stumbled upon this place because BBQ Stop had too many people waiting for a table. My friends and I decided to try this place which is in the same plaza. We ordered the seafood pan cake, octopus bibimbap, bulguki bibmbap, and intestine hot pot. Everything was so tasty! We thoroughly enjoyed our food! The services was excellent as well. Very helpful, friendly, and polite staff. Definitely give this place a try. You won't be disappointed!! read more

I was craving naengmyun and saw some good reviews so decided to give this place a try! It did not disappoint. Their naengmyun has the sweet spicy sauce in it too. Unfortunately doesn't have any meat in there. My husband had the goat stew, which was too gamey for me, but he thoroughly enjoyed it. I overheard a someone say their fish roe stew is amazing too. Would come back again read more

Always so full. Must get: Bossam Pork neck stew Galbi Seafood pancake Cold noodles Simple short menu. Its a visit once a week read more

This is a nice hole in the wall Korean restaurant with authentic food and cozy atmosphere. The interior of the restaurant is very small and there is only 2 servers working the entire restaurant so you can imagine how hard they must work to get everything served. The food was delicious. I particularly love the seafood pancake, it has the perfect crisp and stuffed with plenty of seafood. It does cost $20 though, so heads up. I also ordered the crispy rice with spicy octopus dish. I did not like this one as much because the rice:meat ratio was too high. I could barely tell what is octopus because all I tasted was rice. As is customary for Korean joints, there are lots of side dishes to eat alongside your meal. They're unlimited. I think I asked for more fish cake like three times - so good! I'll be back! read more

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I came here late one night and all the tables were filled, which is a good sign! This place is also small so only 5-6 parties can actually be seated. I ordered the galibtang and the bimppap. The bim was okay..I definitely prefer other places for this dish. Their galbitang soup is amazing!! It was so good and the meat was super tender! The ladies working were super nice and attentive. They refilled our banchan every time they saw us eat the last bite! I would definitely come back solely for the galitang. I feel like this is one of the better places for this dish and for a good price. read more

Great and authentic korean soups, bosam and seafood pancakes! Would highly recommend checking out this hidden gem

Nice place to enjoy food and drinks, people are so friendly and welcoming . I would 100% recommend people to come and eat.

Food is authentically Korean. Must try is the seafood pancake. This is my goto for comfort Korean cuisine.

This place always has the best tasting and authentic korean food. My parents and I come here for their goat soup but highly recommend anything here if you want to venture out past the typical tofu stew spots. My boyfriend and I also got the bossam and it was so good! Lots of sides for take out order as well. The servers here are also very nice and they started doing outdoor seating for the social distancing. read more

Ap Gu Jung - Bossam - Korean Near Me - Diamond Bar, California

Food is amazing. Portions are plenty. Service is stupendous Definitely check this place out if you're in the area! read more

Ap Gu Jung - They even got Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie on the waiting list (all jokes). - Korean Near Me - Diamond Bar, California

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Wanted to go on a food adventure by going somewhere I haven't been and I came across this little hole in the wall place while searching Yelp. I must say that I was definitely impressed. I came for a late lunch, so the restaurant was pretty empty. The seats were nice and comfy and the tables had a structural wooden design, which looked pretty interesting. The Korean lady who served me was super nice and friendly. She offered to bring me iced water and hot tea and gave me plenty of time before checking back to take my order. I ordered the Short Rib Soup, which I think is #7 on their menu. It also comes with a bowl of brown rice. Inside the bowl, there are about 2-3 short rib bones and big slabs of soft meat, onions and glass noodles. The soup came out bubbling hot and smelled so good. The was a lot of flavor in the soup and my tastebuds loved it! It wasn't too salty or plain, but just right. I did end up finishing the soup and took the rest of the short ribs togo after one slab of meat. It was just too much food for me. This soup is a MUST try. You won't regret it because I didn't! They also bring out six banchan dishes, which consists of: seaweed(stringy kind), fish curd, kimchi, radish, potato and bean sprouts. I mainly only ate the kimchi, fish curd and some of the seaweed. It was delicious and the server went to refill more of the fish curd and kimchi for me! Overall, service and quality of food were wonderful. If you love Korean food/soups and have the urge to try something new, this is the place to go! read more

Ap Gu Jung - Banchan - Korean Near Me - Diamond Bar, California

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Their seafood pancake.. Is so delicious!!! Pair it with some makgeoli (korean rice wine) and you're in for a great night. *rain in background* read more

Hit-the-spot Spicy Goat Stew. If you are afraid of the gammie goat smell and taste, then this place got you covered. The best soup to have after a long and tired day at work. Super hearty and delish. read more

Beef Short Rib soup !!!!! You must try! The soup have 4-5 pieces short ribs. Green Scallions and clear glass noodle. Service with amazing sauce on the side. The sauce have soy sauce and jalapeños. Also with rice. $14.22 after Tax The waitress is Korean lady, she is very nice and friendly. She will ask you if you want more water or dishes. This is the first time visit here, I will come back for sure!!!!!!! read more

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Ap Gu Jung is my favorite place to get some authentic Korean food. Their Yuk Gae Jang (spicy shredded beef soup) is the best I've ever had. I think they use a special broth. We usually have the food to go because my stepdad doesn't like to eat out after work, but this time we ate at the restaurant and had Nakji Churpahn and it was so much better at the restaurant then at the house. The service was outstanding so for now on we will be eating at the restaurant. The food is always 10 out of 10. read more

I've been coming here before the pandemic hit. Their food is amazing, everything made from scratch to the best of my knowledge. Atmosphere is very cozy(post pandemic). Waited to come back for outdoor dining food it still very good. Every staff wears masks and sanitize containtly. Great food great service. I hope they can keep operating through these hard times. read more

tldr: utterly amazing and a definite must try if you are in any way a foodie that likes to try authenticate food I went with a friend, my partner, and my little sister. We were originally going to BBQ Stop but followed our noses to this amazing little place. We took a look at the menu and upon deciding were seated right away. 4.8/5 stars for service Our waiter was fantastic. He pointed out some popular dishes and recommended a couple for us to try that he thought we would like. He then gave us time to browse the menu before coming back when we were ready to place our order. He checked in with us about midway through our meal and again when we were 3/4 done. I took off .2 because I wish our water and (complimentary) hot tea were refreshed a little bit more; but he was also only 1 of 2 servers for a very busy dinner service so it is understandable. We ordered a total of four items. #3 Goat soup the goat soup was utterly fantastic. Goat is a very rich, robust broth flavor and often times tends to be paired with strong flavors to help balance that out. This soup really highlighted and placed a focal point on the goat. It was a very rich flavor that was utterly sublime to my tastebuds but can be very heavy if you have not tried it before. There was also a bit of acidity and sour notes that played well with the goat to help lighten the aftertaste. There were some vegetables (maybe bok choy? some korean spinach) that seemed to just be blanched and picked up the broth super well. We finished it to the last drop. #26 Seafood pancake The seafood pancake was PACKED and loaded! It had a lot of shrimp, imitation crab, and some sort of shellfish (either mussel or clam). I was originally a little surprised at the price (about $13) but it was a very large portion. More than enough for us to share and take home some pieces for leftovers. It came with a traditional sauce to be dipped in that tasted like the usual sauce one would dip a green onion pancake in. Very filling. #13 Bulgolgi The waiter was super amazing with this dish! Since it was our first time, he added a couple pieces of Galbi for us to try as well. The bulgolgi had a nice grill/sear on it. Both types of meat was incredibly tender. My sister ended up having a majority of that dish. It was by far her favorite. #34 I absolutely adored this dish. The waiter did his best to caution us on the spice level and the eccentricity of the dish; but it only made us want to try it even more. The wording on the menu says it was a hot pot, so we had originally figured it would be more of a soup. Instead it had a beautiful sauce viscosity over korean sausage, vegetables and meat. This is a definite must try. It is very adventurous!! The korean sausage is all made in house, and once they are out - that is it for the week! Customers would have to wait until the next week to try it. Our waiter recommended for us to take the leftover and mix it with some rice on a frying pan with sesame oil and make some fried rice. Definitely cannot wait to try it! The sides: The sides were pretty good! Like any Korean restaurant worth the money, the sides were all house made. They provided us with a refreshing kimchi, radish kimchi, some delicious potato slices, fishcake, fresh bean sprouts with sesame oil and marinated seaweed. The potato slices were my favorite since they provided a good palatte cleanser after the goat soup. Both sides of kimchi had disappeared into the stomachs of my companion. Overall, it was an amazing experience for the money. We ended up spending about $26 a person which is around the same we would have spent at bbq stop and left way more satisfied. It was a FEAST with leftovers for the next day that could be transformed. read more

Hidden gem alert! One of my favorite Korean pancakes tucked away in a small plaza in Diamond Bar. The octopus hot pot was also very good and they make a delicious kimchi fried rice for you afterwards. Come hungry because the portion are huge and you won't leave disappointed! read more

Ap Gu Jung - Seafood pancake - Korean Near Me - Diamond Bar, California

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