Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Halgatteok

    4.1 (126 reviews)
    ModerateKorean, Soup

    Halgatteok Photos

    HALGATTEOK ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Trendy
    Intimate
    Dogs allowed

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - Halgatteok

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Grandma Tteokbokki. Level 2 spicy.
    Toshi I.

    My son and I wanted to try a few different dishes at the mall, so we chose the Grandma Tteokbukki Spicy Level 2 and boy, it was hot. This is coming from a Korean. So if your tolerance level is higher, maybe take it down a notch.

    IG: @no.ni.eats | Rose Tteokbokki with Melting Cheese
    Noe C.

    Halgatteok is a tteokkbokki shop located in Koreatown. They have limited indoor seating and a restroom available. There's a parking lot for the plaza but it's a bit difficult to find parking. It's pretty much self serve and you pay after you eat. Food I've gone a few times and have tried both the grandma tteokbokki and the rose tteokbokki. Each bowl goes for $13-$15. Adding toppings goes by weight and is usually around $7-$10 extra. We recommend level 2 spicy and adding cheese. Stick with the ssal tteok for chewiness and try the garae tteok at least once. Overall, the portion is great for sharing and the flavor is great. Overall | 4.5 The ambiance + service: 4.5/5 The food : 4.5/5 The price: $$

    Gabe L.

    The food was good but the explanation for how it works wasn't very good; even though my friend spoke Korean with the shopkeeper she just seemed irritated to be asked so many questions. We ended up adding a bunch of rice cakes and fishcake in the buffet style selection phase not knowing the main dish already came with rice cakes and fish cake, so we ended up with too much in leftovers, and the price to value ratio wasn't great anymore. We did not try the chicken. We couldn't tell a huge difference between the wheat and rice cakes, and didn't prefer the texture of the large ones. There was ample parking but there was still a valet on a weeknight that charged. Nothing in particular stood out to us about the tteokbokki so we would be unlikely to return.

    Ariel L.

    Such an incredible spot! The base tteokbokki ranges from $13-15 and comes with plenty of toppings already. The base portions are pretty big and filling but there is a topping bar for you to add more and really customize the bowl to your liking. * grandma tteokbokki & rose tteokbokki + ramen noodles + glass noodles + sausage + cheese with garae tteok - I've been wanting to come here to try the large rice cakes and they were the most perfect texture, so chewy! The largeness is more for the experience/pictures imo since we ended up cutting it into smaller pieces. It is thicker/wider than normal too so it'll be good if you like your rice cakes thicker. - We ordered level 1 spice which was not spicy at allll - The sauce was incredible! The flavor was so comforting, creamy, savory, rich, and not overly salty/sweet (perfect thickness and flavor!) - I love having noodles in my tteookbokki because I enjoy how the noodles absorb the sauce. We added ramen to one bowl and glass noodles to the other bowl which was such a yummy idea. They cooked the noodles just the right amount (qq, bouncy) * multteok fish cake soup - Yumm! This was so light and comforting, perfect to balance out the rich flavors of the tteokbokki - Lots of fish cake inside! price: 5/5 flavor: 5/5 service: 5/5 (they were so sweet) parking: 3/5 (valet parking on weekends/nights). sometimes it's hard to find parking in this plaza during the day will definitely return!

    Mayak Gimbap (8 Pcs)  Gimmari Fried Seaweed Roll (5 Pcs) Grandma Tteokbokki with Garae Tteok
    Emily L.

    Came in here for a late night snack as I absolutely love Korean street foods! We got the grandma tteokbokki and got it with the lowest spice level and it still had a slight kick! We ordered the tteokbokki with garae tteok which is the thick rice cakes and it was my absolute favorite! It was so chewy and went well with the fish cakes and sauce! We also ordered the mayak kimbap which is yummy as well and comes with this mustard like sauce to dip it in! The kimbap is really good if you dip it in the tteokbokki sauce too! We also got the gimmari which was fried perfectly and didn't get soggy after a while! It was such a good add on to our tteokbokki and I highly recommend you order it with your tteokbokki! The staff was super sweet and noticed we were new and helped us through the process! You can order the baseline tteokbokki as is but there is also a bunch of things you can order ontop by grabbing it from the side - there were a variety of noodles and rice cakes as well! That part is done by weight so be mindful of that! This place was clean and simple and even at 9pm there were quite a few people coming in! Definitely a good spot for a late light snack!

    Grandma Tteokbokki
    Joanna P.

    New tteokbokki spot and it became one of our faves! We've been craving tteokbokki since having this... portions are big and affordable. Their specialty is gal tteok which i personally really like, but they have lots of options for everyone (rose, jjajjang flavor, etc) Parking was valet when we came (typical) but super good spot! Grandma Tteokbokki 할머니 떡볶이($12.99 + $3.49/.25 lb) - the base at $12.99 gets you a boiled egg, fish cake, and tteok, you can pay more per quarter pound to get add-ons (a lot of options!). We got mild and it's got a kick so be prepared, but the flavor is super good! This comfortably fed two of us!! Rice ball 주먹밥 ($6.00) - this was a perfect addition to our tteokbokki. You get a good amount and a great palette cooler when it was getting spicy. Also dipping it in the sauce was sooo delish. They have lots of sides so recommend getting any of them! Instagram - @joangela.eats

    James B.

    Halgatteok specializes in soup tteokbokki which isn't what I grew up with so I prefer the thicker kind but I would have to say that this was the best soupy tteokboki that I've had. As you walk in, you can opt for a self-service topping bar to add on to your tteokbokki. They charge by the weight. We ordered the original and the rose and this is the first time i enjoyed the rose tteokbokki over an original.

    Place
    Janet K.

    I really want to love this place but the service is so bad and the food has gotten so much saltier than ever. After eating at this place my husband blood pressure went up so high so if you have high blood pressure skip this place go to yupkitokboki. This place is small and not super clean so would I go back and eat here after trying it out twice maybe not.

    Grandma Tteokbokki $13 + $5 of toppings ( 4 chinese noodle strands, 1 scoop of jolmyeon, 2 square fishcakes, 2 wheat fishcakes)
    Hannah L.

    On a Monday evening, around 7PM, it was empty and there was ample street parking (free after 7, I believe). Staff are generally friendly, and was very helpful about how to go about ordering. They were also very attentive when it came to asking how we were doing and water refills. Prices are decent at $13 per serving, though toppings might not be worth since the bowl that's weighed is pretty heavy in itself. Got like 4 strands of chinese noodles, 2 fish tofus, and a lil bit of Jjolmyeon and it came out to an extra $5-$6. But the convenience of picking how much of own toppings is unique and appreciated! - Grandma Tteok $13: at 2x spice with cylindrical tteok hit the SPOT. SO said he liked these longer ones better bc of the extra chewiness (thickness). I never thought I'd say this, but I wish it had cabbage to absorb the extra sauce. - Jjajang Tteok $13: at 3x spice with wheat tteok was not as spicy as expected; definitely tolerable (I think the black bean and spice balanced each other out). The flavor was a bit too overpowering to my taste tho. Wheat tteok taste like regular rice cake to me, while SO found it "blander." Took this home for next day, and tasted just as good after a 3-4 minute microwave. - Mayak gimbap (8 pcs, $9.50): paired with the horseradish vinaigrette (?) was BOMB. Pricey, but worth a try. All the goodies (fish cake, spinach, radish) without the rice. - Toppings: chinese noodles were a little too chewy; had to take a few bites to fully cut through. Otherwise yummy, as was the jjolymyeon. Fish tofu squares also paired nicely. I would say compared to yup dduk, this is good for parties of 1-2 or larger if you want more variety (while yup dduk's serving is shareable for 3-4). Next time, if I were to just get the Grandma Tteok at $13, my craving would be satisfied at half the cost of yup dduk!!

    Grandma Tteokbokki
    Aaron M.

    So I've been recommended this place by a few of my friends and I'm so glad I stopped by. It really tastes authentic and reminds me of Korea! Even the vibe of the place was like a typical restaurant in Korea What's cool is that they have a toppings bar you fill up. You take it to the cashier, weight out your toppings and order your ttokbokki and pay when you're finished eating. I got the grandma ttokbokki and toppings I got was just thick glass noodles. Omg it was so good! Perfect comfort food! Flavor was amazing and I couldn't stop eating the sauce when I ate all the rice cakes. Definitely coming back here for some more

    Rose Tteokbokki
    Estele K.

    I ordered Rosé rice cake with fried seaweed wrap (appetizer) and wow honestly the sauce was really good and the rice cake was very huge and chewy. I feel as though for my personal tasting, the sauce was on the oily side a bit, tasted like MSG. The price was pretty pricey for two items, they were around $26 after tax. The service was friendly for to-go order, and it took about 10 mins to ready, which I would say is amazing for a quick bite ambiance like this. It's a casual dining experience, good with friends. If you crave some juicy Korean rice cake, I do recommend trying here at least once!

    Vegetable Tempura (3 Pcs)
    LeAnn F.

    We decided to try out this place because we were looking for a late night spot in Koreatown. So you choose what toppings you want in your Tteokbokki at this bar, which is extra. I got the grandma Tteokbokki with melted cheese (which is extra). I love how rich, creamy, and saucy it is. You choose the type of tteok you want. We got the Mayak Gimbap which was actually filling. The veggie and shrimp tempura was perfectly fried. These were pretty affordable. The staff brings out the food and drinks to your table. This is a great place for friend hangout.

    Shrimp Tempura (4 Pcs)
    Sam M.

    We were hungry for some Korean comfort food, which this place totally satisfied our cravings for. We got the halmoni teokbekki, with kimbap, shrimp, and Gunnar's, and oh man oh man it hit the spot! Service is friendly and the place itself is just a nice place to relax and have a late night snack! But mainly just come here for the food! Parking gets a little packed there and it's valet too, best to find street parking not too far if able!

    Rose Tteokbokki

    See all

    Photo of Izza N.
    492
    359
    5914

    6 months ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    8 months ago

    Helpful 10
    Thanks 1
    Love this 10
    Oh no 0

    8 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    10 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Toshi I.
    1131
    1725
    3359

    1 year ago

    Helpful 8
    Thanks 3
    Love this 6
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 1

    2 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Halgatteok A.

    Halgatteok A.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    3 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of James B.
    1494
    1656
    2222

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 2
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Sam M.
    109
    252
    1025

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 1
    Photo of Evelyn D.
    10
    113
    201

    10 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 months ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    11 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Halgatteok A.

    Halgatteok A.

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 1
    Love this 2
    Oh no 1

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Mary D.
    187
    413
    1860

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Sarah S.
    0
    103
    215

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 1
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    6 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Quy N.
    8
    12
    7

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Caitlyn C.
    240
    36
    82

    3 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 1

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Gloria J.
    257
    8
    15

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 1

    Page 1 of 4

    Ask the Community - Halgatteok

    Is anything cooked in chicken or beef broth? Is lard used? What kind of oil is used?…

    View All 2 Questions

    You might also consider

    Hangari Kalguksu - (LARGE) Hangari Bossam

    Hangari Kalguksu

    4.4(3.3k reviews)
    0.7 miWilshire Center, Koreatown
    $$
    Women-owned & operated
    10 years in business

    They start you off with barley rice and banchan, instructing you to mix the nutty barley rice with…read moregreens, gochujang, and sesame oil for a savory first bite. The service is attentive, even when busy. We arrived shortly after they opened at 10 AM, and by 11:30 AM, there was a line outside. This place truly delivers! We ordered two popular dishes, including the Chicken Kalguksu (knife-cut noodles with chicken, squash, kabocha, potato, and dates in chicken and anchovy broth) and the Hangari Bossam (medium, boiled and tender pork belly with cabbage leaves and kimchi). The Chicken Kalguksu was a highlight with its thick, chewy noodles and creamy broth. The squash was a delicious addition - comforting and warm, a must-order! The Hangari Bossam (medium) was perfect for sharing, and the tender pork belly was amazing with the cabbage and kimchi. I especially enjoyed it with the jalapeños; it's the best of both worlds, melting in your mouth! We left feeling full and happy, already looking forward to our next visit. This is a must-try in Ktown!

    I seriously had an out of body experience when I tried their clam kalguksu. The broth was so savory…read moreand filled with so much umami flavor. It also tasted super clean and had lots of other ingredients such as squash and big chunks of potato. I constantly crave it and wish I could eat it every single day. Their bossam was also super delicious, even though it's pork belly, theirs didn't taste heavy or oily at all and had a very refreshing flavor. I enjoy how the ambiance is comfy and emulates a home vibe. The service is also amazing and they're very efficient with taking orders. If you go at peak dinner time on the weekends, expect a line. But I would say it moves pretty fast because they let you look at the menu and take your order while you're in line. Then when it's your turn to be seated they bring out your food fairly quickly. 100% recommend coming here to eat when you're in the area.

    Photos
    Hangari Kalguksu - Belly and Jowl & Chicken-KALGUKSU

    Belly and Jowl & Chicken-KALGUKSU

    Hangari Kalguksu - Bossam jowl combo

    Bossam jowl combo

    Hangari Kalguksu - (MEDIUM) Hangari Bossam (Serves 2)

    See all

    (MEDIUM) Hangari Bossam (Serves 2)

    Danbi - Wagyu zabuton

    Danbi

    4.5(421 reviews)
    0.8 miWilshire Center, Koreatown
    $$$

    Danbi is one of my favorite restaurants in Los Angeles, and we were very excited to try their Dine…read moreLA menu. Danbi is located in Los Angeles's Koreatown and specializes in modern Korean cuisine. For Dine LA, they offered a $45 tasting menu. We started with their signature honey butter chips. I used to not understand what all the hoopla was about these chips! But today, they were really good... and I think it's the honey butter sauce. The first time I ever had these chips, in 2024, there was no sauce on them. I just thought they were regular chips. And I probably never would have gotten them again if they weren't on a prix fixe menu. These chips were divine! Thinly sliced potatoes fried in house and topped with a decadent honey butter sauce and fresh chives. The sauce really made this appetizer. Thick and creamy, almost like condensed milk. And the touch of freshness from the chives really brought everything together. Although simple, I felt like this dish was very well crafted. Next, we had the corn cheese rolls - sweet corn and mozzarella cheese wrapped in an eggroll-like pastry and served with a sweet, tangy gochujang sauce on the side. These came piping hot and were so fun to eat. The cheese was so stretchy and the sauce really elevated this dish, cutting through that rich cheese and adding a savory, almost smoky element. Then our drinks arrived. I got the hwachae milk punch with milk clarified soju, strawberry, lychee, and lime. This drink was sweet and fruity and tasted just like one of those lychee jellies you would buy at the Asian grocery store. My friends had the kimchi mule, house white kimchi infused soju with ginger and pear - essentially a Moscow mule with fermented notes and a savory umami from the kimchi. Nice and refreshing. Then we had a watermelon kimchi salad. This wasn't my favorite. Compared to everything else we had tonight, this was a bit boring. It was light and refreshing, but I wanted more fermented flavor. But it was still good, and the Hami melon was nice and crisp. You can never really go wrong with watermelon. Then we had the spicy sashimi noodles with sea bream, soba, dropwort, and perilla. This dish was interesting, summery, and cool. Cold soba with a spicy kick. Flavor wise, the ssamjang and perilla stood out to me. And the soba and sashimi added some nice textural contrast. Our last savory course was their grilled pork jowl topped with their house chili crisp and served with a side of garlic rice along with some ssamjang and peppers. The pork jowl was, of course, delicious. The cut is naturally bouncy due to being jam packed with collagen. The grill imparted a nice, smoky charcoal flavor to the meat, which was also infused with that delicious chili oil. Their garlic rice is so good! It's packed with garlic flavor and perfectly fluffy. For dessert, we had a goguma parfait - sweet potato custard with a strawberry and blueberry compote. This dessert was.. interesting. The texture was smooth and creamy, but you could definitely tell that there was a sweet potato in there. I think this dessert could use a little more textural contrast. I definitely would have appreciated a cake layer in the parfait or a more prominent crunchy element rather than just the two pieces of tuile garnish on top. That being said, it was still good. Danbi is one of my favorite restaurants in LA if not my number one favorite. Their menu feels modern, interesting, and creative, innovating on traditional Korean classics while remaining authentic and delicious. I especially liked their Dine LA menu for this season as it felt very fun and summery. I can't wait to come back and see what else they have to offer!

    been wanting to try Danbi for so long but ended up disappointed. the place itself is cute tho and…read moreeveryone was relatively dressed to the occasion, so it definitely has that trendy ktown dinner vibe. honestly tho, food was nothing special. i can see the hype around the uniqueness of some of the dishes, but flavor-wise everything ranged from alright to good. nothing rlly mind blowing or particularly innovative to me. what brought the experience down the most was how they handled their restaurant week prix fixe. it's $45 pp, but multiple courses came as ONE plate for two people to split. like... if we're each paying for a prix fixe, at least put the effort into plating an individual portion? between two people, we shared a bowl of chips, 2 corn cheese rolls, 4 cubes of watermelon, a bowl of rice with the pork jowl, a bowl of noodles, and ONE small parfait. the parfait especially got me bc these are not exactly expensive ingredients lol. if we're splitting, then we'll at least get one parfait ourselves right? same with rice -- at least give each person their own bowl to eat with all that fatty pork jowl. atp i genuinely think we would've gotten better variety and value ordering regularly and eating family style. if these were the intended portion sizes, fine, but individually plating each course would've at least made it feel like an actual prix fixe experience. the "fresh cut potato" chips tasted basically like sour cream & onion chips with honey on them. nothing special. i also saw them being taken from a huge container of chips, so not rlly sure what they mean by fresh cut. corn cheese roll was exactly what the name suggests lol. corn cheese inside a deep fried roll with gochujang to dip. nothing particularly special, but at least it wasn't oily. the watermelon kimchi was interesting; sauce mostly coated the surface without penetrating the watermelon itself, so it was basically sweet watermelon + salty exterior. do what u want with that info lol. spicy sashimi noodle was indeed spicy. idk exactly what they were trying to achieve here -- maybe a take on korean spicy cold noodles? to me it tasted more like soft soba in gochujang with a splash of soy sauce + sashimi. soba lacked chew and the dish overall lacked depth, but it was refreshing and i didn't hate it. pork jowl was p good, although it got RLLYYY fatty toward the end. the chili crisp helped a lot and brought out the flavors while balancing some of that richness. again, would've rlly appreciated my own bowl of rice here and i'm not even a big rice eater lol. as a parfait lover, i instantly did not like the parfait. cream tasted super fatty, like it was just cream cheese + double cream + sugar. instead of that light, airy texture i associate with a lot of asian desserts, this was heavy and over-whipped. compote was fine but couldn't save it from all that cream. took one spoonful of everything and didn't rlly want another. guess it worked out that we only got one parfait for two ppl lol, but i still don't understand the decision. overall, cute place and interesting menu concepts, but the flavors didn't live up to the hype for me. the restaurant week prix fixe especially made the value and experience feel worse than if we had just ordered normally. their uni bibimbap does look promising, but LA has sm good food that i don't rlly feel the need to come back and risk another mediocre meal.

    Photos
    Danbi - Inside bar

    Inside bar

    Danbi - Scallop Pancakes

    Scallop Pancakes

    Danbi - Honey butter chips

    See all

    Honey butter chips

    Borit Gogae - Dwenjang

    Borit Gogae

    4.4(537 reviews)
    0.1 miKoreatown
    $$$

    Korean comfort food. As soon as I walked through the door, I felt the warm sense of hospitality. It…read morefelt like you were going to a family friend's house and you knew you were about to enjoy a great meal. In order to do the 'Set Menu With Barley Rice' you need to have at least 2 people to participate. I dined alone so I wasn't able to order that, but I didn't feel like I missed out at all. I believe you get a comparable amount and variety of banchan when you order any of the proteins on the menu. I myself ordered the dried yellow corvina (fish). The order or set came with some barley, delicious tofu soup, and pretty much more banchan than I can eat myself. Just a wonderful meal and experience.

    Borit Gogae is a great spot if you're looking for traditional Korean food with a mostly plant-based…read moremenu! The interior is beautiful and very traditional, from the decor down to the tableware. We went for lunch, when parking was free. They offer valet during dinner. Service was also great--our waitresses were very attentive and checked on us often. We ordered the set menu, which came out to around $45 per person with tip. You get SO much food: appetizers, the main course, two types of soup, and dessert. You definitely won't leave hungry! The food is mostly plant-based and pretty mildly seasoned, so keep that in mind if you prefer stronger flavors. Nothing particularly stood out to me this time, so I'm not sure I'd come back specifically for the food, but I'd definitely return when I'm craving lots of veggies and traditional Korean flavors. Overall, I'd recommend it if you enjoy Korean food and want something different from the typical Korean BBQ experience!

    Photos
    Borit Gogae - Restaurant decor- art work and Korean figurines

    Restaurant decor- art work and Korean figurines

    Borit Gogae - Barley rice mixed with side dishes

    Barley rice mixed with side dishes

    Borit Gogae - Grilled spareribs

    See all

    Grilled spareribs

    Ham Ji Park

    Ham Ji Park

    4.2(1.8k reviews)
    0.8 miWilshire Center, Koreatown
    $$$

    Great service and Very delicious! Loved it here. Will definitely come back!And will recommend to my…read morefriends n family!

    tl;dr the delectable pork ribs overshadow the otherwise authentic but standard lineup at this…read morenow-shuttered Korean stalwart Los Angeles Koreatown is home to restaurants that specialize in every facet of Korean cuisine. If you're searching for some of the city's best pork, then those in the know will bring up Ham Ji Park. For 2 decades, generous platters of pork ribs and pork neck stew decked every table. Now, our Korean friends lament the loss of their favorite pork joint in the city. The Koreatown proper location is located in the Royal Plaza mini-mall, just a few blocks off bustling Wilshire. Discounted parking is available in a lot across the street from the Chevron gas station. From the street, the entrance is flanked by potted plants and an enclosed street-ery. Inside, stainless steel chairs are pressed up against wooden tables, each outfitted with a metal grill. Oppressive fluorescent lighting shines down on the stone grey walls, which are left undecorated apart from a few flatscreens. Multi-lingual chatter blends with the sizzle of platters. I visited with some friends for a weeknight dinner, and about half of the tables were occupied. We shared a spread of grilled platters and sizzling soups. The meal began with a carafe of barley tea and a mostly standard spread of banchan. Across our food, the best dish was the signature Charbroiled Pork Spare Rib. The ribs were flavorful without feeling gamey, and the meat was complemented by sweet caramelized onions. The pork ribs handily outdid the good-not-great Charbroiled Beef Short Rib. Lastly, the Milt and Cod Rose with Vegetables stew was fishy and briny, appropriately flavored for the Korean palate. The service was appropriately attentive, although I would've appreciated more intentional refills of our banchan ramikens. The rib plates cost upward of $35 each, while the soup was just under $30. The portions were hearty; a single entree platter could reasonably feed 2 moderately hungry bellies. It's a shame to hear that Ham Ji Park has closed; I'm kicking myself for not trying their pork neck stew earlier.

    Photos
    Ham Ji Park
    Ham Ji Park
    Ham Ji Park

    See all

    Jinsol Gukbap - 3rd St - Cold Noodle (Naengmyeon)

    Jinsol Gukbap - 3rd St

    4.5(886 reviews)
    0.9 miKoreatown
    $$

    my $20 lunch special turned into like 4 meals. GREAT value…read more i was craving korean home-style cooking and found this place. it's got affordable lunch specials under $20. i was really surprised at just how much food i received for just $20... giant plate of sizzinging. perfectly seasoned pork ribs & onions with a really nice char. a big cup of rice, a really great banchan spread with lots of variety, and a massive bowl of broth with such a great mild flavor to balance the spicy banchan and rich pork. it was phenomenal, cured my tummy ache, and immediately took me back to my trip to korea many years ago. i inhaled everything but there was so much food i ended up with a big takeout bag. i kid you not this one $20 meal has turned into like 4 meals for me. pork turned into lettuce wraps, rice fried and mixed with eggs , broth used to elevate a cheap ramen. i WILL be back. i wish i could have bought some of the banchan as an extra charge or something so i could take it home with me because im STILL dreaming of it. the inside has good a/c and a cute homely atmosphere. and the staff was incredibly kind and helped me choose what to eat and helped me pack up the broth once i was done eating. you can see the giant goblet of boiling broth in the kitchen as you eat. easy parking behind the restaurant and in the street.

    Suuper bummed about our experience today. We ordered the cold noodle & LA galbi combo as we always…read moredo, and a leek pancake as we weren't as hungry and the combo usually fills us up. Even when we ordered the food, the server said "that's it?" as if she was offended that we didn't order more food (lower sales?) I'm not sure if we misunderstood her attitude but that's kind of how it felt like. The quality and size went down and it was just... not good. This used to be my #1 spot for cold noodles but our other fav place was closed today so we decided to come here. As you can see, the size of the cold noodles became smaller. Everything was packed in this small bowl which made it harder to eat. I think they changed the noodles they use because it wasn't doing anything texture wise. It used to be chewy and had a good buckwheat flavor. The broth tasted.. like water with a splash of bone broth. The quality of galbi was also a disappointing as I feel like it's became less and the meat was burnt with more fat/chewy bits. The leek pancake was ok but again, comparing it to my picture from January, it was bigger in size and more dough-y. Service was decent previously but it felt a bit cold today. Again, super bummed because we still love this place but I probably won't be ordering their combo again. You can see in my pictures how often we used to order the cold noodles from here and you can compare the quality.

    Photos
    Jinsol Gukbap - 3rd St - Counter area

    Counter area

    Jinsol Gukbap - 3rd St - Never disappointed!!

    Never disappointed!!

    Jinsol Gukbap - 3rd St - Kimchi Jjigae with Pork Belly

    See all

    Kimchi Jjigae with Pork Belly

    Halgatteok - korean - Updated September 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...