The service staff (old women) was ridiculous. We asked her to bring folk for my son then she was fucking anrgy.. then she was completely rude (maybe she was pissed for no reason) what a rude staff. Food was good but the way that the old lady treat customers was not acceptable. Wont come here again. I am a korean and such korean staff should be fired for this business. read more

Hands down best chicken grill you can have in the states. Kind of upset I recently found out about this place through my friend lol. Cozy and causal kind of vibe inside. The employees are super friendly and straight to the point. It usually gets pretty busy here so you might need to wait a little, but it shouldn't take too long. In terms of parking- they have a small parking structure at front! read more

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Generous portions and very yummy. Service was very attentive. And at the end of your meal, they bring rice out and turns your leftover chicken and veggies into a fried rice / bibimbap mixture. Our waitress was very attentive and came to make the fried rice at the perfect time. I really loved the rice cakes that come with the chicken (only thing on their menu so you know it's good), and ordered extra rice cakes on the side. Great decision. Really recommend this place! read more

I know the phrase "hidden gem" is widely known to like 99.99% of the population, but if someone ever asks me what that means, I'm just going to say "Mapo Chicken". I can't believe no one ever talks about this in LA. The best way to describe this is KBBQ meets Tteokbokki and chicken. What I love about Mapo Chicken is that they only have one thing on the menu: Dak Galbi. It's just stir fried chicken in a giant cast iron with spicy sauce and a ton of other things like veggies and potatoes. Every portion/order is $20, but you honestly can share one portion between 2-3 people depending on how much you want to eat. I'd say my 3 friends and I can eat A LOT, but we ordered 3 portions and suffered to finish it. Two portions would definitely be enough for us 4. I recommend paying to get all the extras (veggies, rice, etc.) because it's all worth it. The veggies, cheese, rice. Jesus christ it's so damn good and unhealthy. Nearing the end of your meal, they'll throw in the rice for you and turn it into fried rice. Absolutely amazing. This place is a must try imo, and it's a great alternative to KBBQ if you ever get tired of that! Would definitely come back again sometime. read more

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I would say mapo is probably one of the better places in ktown for dakgalbi. What puts this place apart from the other competitors is the sauce and quality of chicken. Besides that I'd say I wish they gave you more vegetables. However, you can always add more for a price. Their servers are very attentive and will cook the whole meal including fried rice at the end upon request. It's a place you can relax and enjoy a drink with a couple friends. Only other thing was I wish the tables and chairs weren't so close to the party next to us. As I can hear their whole conversation and they could probably hear ours. read more

Excellent food, great service and a really unique take on KBBQ. Definitely going back!

Very solid dakgalbi spot in ktown! I love how it gets cooked right at the table, and that you have the option to get all of the leftover chicken and veggies mixed into fried rice at the end of your meal. Taking a star off for quality of food, since I felt like the actual meal itself was okay and they're very light handed when it comes to the add-ins. Additional toppings cost extra, and even then, the added portion doesn't justify the cost, in my opinion. Still worth visiting and very fun to go to with friends and family :-) read more

I haven't been here since they relocated but I had some friends who came up from San Diego.. just a pop up thought of returning and it was delicious. They ladies knew what they were serving and we kept telling her to add more spice for spicy then later added cheese to neutralize. read more

Mapo Chicken - Heart shaped fried rice !! After chicken (dak gal bi) - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

4.5 Came almost an hour before closing on a Friday night and they were still quite busy!!! To get the DakGalBi you have to place a minimum of two servings, it comes with vegetables and rice cakes, the cheese and udon are extra. The food was delicious, not too greasy but could've been spicier, as the sauce leaned closer to the sweet side. Overall it was a great combination between the sauce, chicken, vegetable, and cheese. After you finish most of the chicken you can ask for fried rice. This was my favorite, the fried rice is chefs kisses!! Only reason I didn't give a 5 out of 5 they were all out of the drinks we wanted (not sure if it was because they sold out, or decided to not restock them). read more

Mapo Chicken - a skillet of food on a table - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

So excited this place is reopened for indoor dining!! I haven't been here in YEARS and I finally made my way back. Everything is just as good as I remembered. Their dak galbi is what they are known for and the two serving portion is HUGE. I always have leftovers to take home and it tastes EVEN better when you take it home. I feel like the juices are marinated in more so the leftovers are even bomber LOL. At the restaurant the sweet ladies will cook the dak galbi in front of you in a pan and ask how spicy you want and add sauce to your taste. I always add the extra udon noodles and cheese. After you ate enough ask them for the fried rice at the end! So bombb! I recommend ordering the fried rice before you get full so that you can eat it with the dak galbi. 5/5 so bomb and I'd definitely be back. read more

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진짜 닭갈비 감동 지대 맛나요 맵기조절 가능. 다 볶아주심. 양은 3인분 정도. 닭고기 부드럽고 양배추 푸짐 양파 푸짐 깻잎 푸짐 고구마 푸짐 ! 치즈 짱 맛남. 늦은 시간에도 사람 북적이는 거 보니 인기 많은 것이 분명. 볶음밥도 맛나요. 막걸리는 좋아하는 브랜드가 아니라서 그냥 그랬음 read more

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I had dak-galbi for the first time when I was in Seoul. It was so delicious that I had to find a version of it in Los Angeles! Found this place on Yelp and while it wasn't exactly like the version I had in Seoul, this was a pretty close second. The menu is pretty basically, and for six people our server told us to order four orders of chicken galbi. It comes with veggies and rice cakes and we got orders of noodles (udon) and cheese (cheese gets sprinkled on top. The chicken was delicious and pretty spicy, although I'm sure for K-town regulars, it wasn't that spicy. At the end of the meal, you are served kimchi fried rice (also delicious). Overall the food was great; it's a tiny mom and pop shop, so get there early. Only four stars since it was a bit hard to communicate - but we eventually figured everything out and it was definitely worth it! read more

Mapo Chicken - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Small unassuming spot, but if you know Dak Galbi then you know Mapo Chicken. And if you don't know Dak Galbi then go and enjoy!

Good portion size for dak galbi. They follow the ratio of ingredients pretty well compared to the traditional ones served in Korea. The chicken was super juicy and tender which is a great sign on them knowing how to make it. It was pre-cooked when served which is understandable considering it was outdoors, it's cold outside and it would take forever to cook. read more

Delicious food and great service too. They cook everything for you and you have to top iit off with the fried rice.

Good food. Didn't blow my mind but did not disappoint. Expected nice tasty hot spicy dish and got that exactly. Also ordered denjang (soybean paste) soup and that was popular with my young daughters. Prolly not the most family friendly joint but we had to check it out since it's prolly our only chance. Glad we did. Service was sufficient though not friendly. They were very busy but did well managing all tables. Ambiance is meh - definitely not coming here for any type of ambiance or cool vibes. Very loud, heavy drinking dudes were boisterous and annoying but felt somewhat authentic- like I'm dining somewhere in korea. read more

3.5/5 This was my first time trying chicken galbi and with only modest expectations I certainly enjoyed my meal. The chicken and vegetables area freshly cooked by the employees right in front of you. As they are cooking they will ask you about spice level (medium = not noticeable) and let you know when it's ready to enjoy. The food itself was tasty and home-style casual -- it's like stirfried chicken in a spicy gochunjang sauce. I don't think I'd travel far for this as you could probably get close to making this at home. Meanwhile, the fried rice at the end is killer. It has the classic savory, keep-eating-more Korean flavors with kimchi and seaweed scattered throughout a crispy bottom. The chicken special comes with everything except cheese but feel free to add extra of anything. Veggies consist mostly of cabbage with green onion and shiso leaf. You must make a minimum of 2 (of the same) orders per large pan which was more than enough food for 3 people. I wouldn't recommend a smaller group unless you want to carry home leftovers. We paid roughly $18pp for two orders among 3 people after tip. No wait on a Saturday night around 8. There's a very small free parking lot. This is the quieter edge of Koreatown. read more

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This restaurant is amazing! It has some of the best comfort food ever. The chicken is bomb, and the complimentary cold tea always helps with the spice. The menu is a bit confusing at first, but once you know what you like, you can really create your perfect stir fry. Service is (understandably) a bit slow because it's a 2 woman show, but the food and vibes more than make up for it. Also, we've managed to avoid the dinner rush the past few times we've been, but I'm sure this place gets packed at peak meal times. read more

One of koreatown's hole in the wall! If you like spicy food + cheese, you will love this place. The chicken has no weird smell or aftertaste and you can customize the spice level to your liking. Their sauce is 10/10!! They also make fried rice towards the end of your meal which is soooso good. I would recommend adding the cheese and udon noodles to your chicken. The only "negative" thing is their side dishes were really bland but not a big deal at all since the main dish is the chicken :) read more

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I was lucky enough to have been stationed in ROK and lived in Chuncheon where the Dak Galbi is a staple . Mapo Is definitely the best in LA. My wife had never tried it and immediately loved it. I was also able to help another customer in medical distress that day lol. Rollercoaster kind of day lol. read more

I came here with a group of friends recently and we all agreed they have some of the best dak galbi! We loved that they added rice cakes, udon noodles, cheese, perilla leaves, cabbage and more which made their famous dish flavor packed. The fried rice at the end was amazing with the crispy toasted rice. It's a small restaurant so there may be a wait but we were lucky to find a seat right away. read more

It was interesting experience we had and As reviewers described, good food and service was noticeable. We shall return one day read more

Everything here is stellar. The Spicy Chicken with the cheese is so delicious. Their beef dish with a little hot sauce is good too. It is a small place but the food is delicious. I would definitely eat here again. read more

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Nice little spot run by a few aunties. Everything is done for you so you simply get your table order what you want and they cook at at the table for you. Definitely a place to bring friends to to have some good food and drinks. They focus mostly on chicken but do have other meat options. read more

Mapo Chicken - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

This is my goto place. This place is kinda hole in the wall type but there's no place like this one. Two thumbs up

This was the last meal of my family's LA trip. We've had dakgalbi a few times in Korea but never in America so were interested to see how it would compare. We were a bit jet-lagged so we ended up showing up at 9pm (the restaurant closes at 10pm). It turns out that their last ordering time is 9pm (since it takes a while to cook and eat everything) so they request that you contact them ahead of time if you're planning on coming close to 9pm. Luckily we were still able to order. We ordered 4 servings of dakgalbi and 2 bowls of rice (for the fried rice) for 5 people since we weren't very hungry. It was a good amount of food. I liked the mul kimchi banchan -- very refreshing and good flavor -- but I wasn't a fan of their other banchan. Both the zucchini and the fish cake were overly soft which was a strange texture. As for the dakgalbi, I felt that the flavor was very one-note. All I could taste was sweetness, which I understand is unavoidable when you use gochujang, but there were no other dimensions of flavor for me (no spiciness, minimal savoriness). Disclaimer: I'm really sensitive to sweetness in savory foods and avoid gochujang whenever possible. The dakgalbi restaurant we've been to multiple times in Seoul has both gochujang and gochugaru (no sweetness, powder instead of paste) marinated dakgalbi, and we always get the gochugaru (not sweet) which I vastly prefer. Even the dakgalbi we had in Jeju Island which was probably gochujang based had more dimensions of flavor. Mapo's sauce tastes very similar to a store-bought dakgalbi sauce so it's not like it's wrong. My family was divided on this, though -- some people preferred it to the dakgalbi we've had in Korea. We tried the fried rice as well and I felt that it tasted a bit overly oily (from the sesame oil). Overall I can definitely see how people who like this kind of flavor would love this restaurant, but it wasn't for me. The service was good -- they cooked everything at a free table next to us and then brought it to us. It seems like a fun place to have drinks and food with friends. read more

Damn, this used to be the spot. It's way too pricey for what it is. The lowest you'll pay per person is $30. For our meal, we paid $50 each because the server recommended we get an extra portion. Dakgalbi in itself is not premium expensive food, but you'll be paying more than you do for kbbq. A humble hole in the wall restaurant that's been a classic ktown restaurant shouldn't be overcharging like this because the quality of the food doesn't justify it. read more

I got the Dak Gal Bi. It was the first time trying this. The sauce had a very strong tomato flavor, almost like a marinara-sauce light that inundated the entire dish. The thickness reminded of eating some sort of heavy Korean pasta. Otherwise the chicken was cooked fine, and was tasty. I can see how this would be comfort food, with how it is so filling. Unfortunately it is not my style and if you're looking for a more nuanced flavor, don't get Dak Gal Bi. I'll probably be going back some time to eat alternative options. read more

Mapo Chicken - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I liked the main flavors and the dish as a whole, but was not a fan of the perilla (mint) leaves they added. IMO it doesn't go well with the spicy-sweet flavor. If it's your first time, I would recommend asking them to add only a bit or not at all. I don't think any extras are necessary, and would recommend 2 orders for a group of 4. Service was great, pretty cool that our waitress could also speak Chinese. read more

Mapo Chicken - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

One-n-done. I want to say it's "average", but I feel like I did not have a chance to try a really good dakgalbi in Los Angeles. As in, all the ones I've tried are just mediocre. No eye-popping greatness, no earthshattering "Eureka!" moments. I'd say the sauce is what makes dakgalbi great, and Mapo's version is funky. The (very slightly) bitter, (notably) sour tang of the sauce plays nominally well with the chicken itself, but is overpowering in the vegetables and especially the udon noodle. Although I love noodles, to the point of preferring them over rice, I would not recommend getting the noodles here. Curiously, the fried rice that comes after the dakgalbi appears to not take advantage of the dakgalbi sauce's taste, like the other places. All I tasted in this one was the fermented radish. I liked the restroom, pretty clean. read more

This was a hole in the wall, and we managed to get seats almost immediately on a cold (LA cold) Saturday night. This really hit the spot! We added cheese and I was extremely enthusiastic about the fried rice at the end of the meal that they made with the leftover chicken. Chicken was juicy, sweet potato bits were fun surprises and the rice cakes were chewy. It was also nice to watch it cooked in front of us, and it had a nice kick to it. Perfectly paired with some beer, and a great spot for a dakgalbi craving. Word to the wise - probably your last spot for the night, as you can eat yourself into a stupor. read more

Mapo Chicken - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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The food was nothing special and the service was terrible. I came with a party of four right at the opening hour. My friends were not particularly hungry and just wanted to hangout. We agreed to order 2 orders of the chicken but when we told the waiter our order, she got extremely mad that we weren't ordering 3 orders of the chicken. She scoffed at us and proceeded to be in a bad mood every time she came to our table. The food was more than enough for four people. The whole experience was uncomfortable and made me lose my appetite. I wouldn't consider going back to this restaurant again. read more

Came here with a friend on a Sunday night and got the Chicken Galbi or Dak Galbi special. It's essentially stir fried chicken with a chili sauce, tteok-bokki, cabbage, scallions and some perilla leaves. The chicken quality was good, it seemed to be mostly, if not exclusively thigh meat. The meat was tender, juicy and tasty. However, I found the sauce to be bland and just not spicy enough. We asked our server to put in all the chili flakes to make it extra extra spicy but it had no heat. But moreover, eating it became monotonous. Eating the banchan helps to break it up. Some crispy thinly sliced pickle radish, chili marinated tofu skin, stir fried zucchini. Banchan was all nice to pick at in-between eating the chicken, but none of it particularly stood out as impressive. Now the most interesting part of the meal is when you are done eating the chicken and have left over meat and sauce. The server uses it to make a stir fried rice dish with seaweed and sesame oil. The fried rice was definitely the highlight of the meal for me. I loved the interplay between the seaweed, sesame, hot chili paste and chicken. Overall I did enjoy my meal but this dish reminded me a lot of homecooking so I wasn't too impressed. Furthermore the flavors on the banchan and chicken were a bit bland. The chicken itself is good quality but the sauce and other components of the dish really had little to no taste. Do recommend trying it out, even if just for the fried rice finale. read more

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Great place for a medium sized group. Our table had six people and five servings was just the right amount to let us leave the restaurant stuffed. Taste wise, it's pretty classic comfort food and hard to go wrong. The staff prepares everything in front of you. The five servings were split into two batches, so once we finished the first plate they'll come back and refill it. They'll ask you to taste test the spice level and will let you know when it's ready to eat. None of us speak Korean, and the staff speaks very limited English, so it was a little difficult to understand what's happening. But they were really patient with us anyway. Ask for extra spicy! And try to move food out of the pan sooner than later so it doesn't stick so much. read more

Mapo Chicken - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

It was a restaurant I had loved for a very long time. However, this visit was extremely disappointing. It was a rare family gathering, but the server didn't say a word from the moment we placed our order. Since she was wearing a mask, I wondered if she might not be feeling well, but as time went on, her behavior was outright rude. She didn't respond to any of our requests, not even glancing at us. When bringing the side dishes, she simply handed us the tray, gesturing for us to take it ourselves. When someone who seemed to be the owner entered the restaurant, only then did she speak. It was surprising to realize she wasn't unable to speak after all. She didn't say a single word to us and continued working with a scowl on her face. Towards the end of our meal, she suddenly dropped the bill on our table, asking, "You asked for the bill, right?" But we hadn't asked for it, and we were still eating. There were only two tables occupied, including ours, so it wasn't a mistake. It was truly an unpleasant dining experience. Even a 10% tip felt too much for this restaurant. We will never be returning. read more

One of my favorite places in Ktown, and also one of those food places that blew my mind it was so good the first time I had it. Would recommend getting the dak galbi-- the portion for 2 was enough to feed 3 people-- and also getting it with cheese because the cheese makes it so good. Just the spicy savory-ness from the chicken, vegetable, and sauce mixed with the sweetness of the sweet potato and chewiness of the ricecakes... So, so good. read more

After having Dak Galbi (spicy stir-fried chicken with veggies) for the first time in Korea, I fell in love with the dish. Luckily, Koreatown is home to the largest Korean population outside of South Korea so I had to find a place to eat some delicious Dak Galbi. The restaurant itself is pretty small but it's a cozy atmosphere. It's pretty much a hole-in-the-wall place and you have you order a minimum of two orders. Each table has their own pan with a stove in the middle of the table. There are just two waiters going around cooking for the entire restaurant so you definitely have to be patient. Just take in the experience and enjoy the banchan! The dak galbi was fantastic. The portion size was generous and the chicken was extremely flavorful. It sounds weird to add cheese to the dish but it's a must. Trust. At the end of the meal, you have the option of adding rice, seaweed, kimchi and sesame oil to the pan to create a delicious fried rice that soaks up all of the remnants of the dak galbi. Bomb!! At the end of the day, it definitely doesn't compare to the experience I had in Seoul but it gets the job done. The parking lot is super tiny so I would try and find street parking if you can. read more

Mapo Chicken - Dak galbi - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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If you come here, you HAVE to order DAK-GALBI! For you non-Koreans, it's like a spicy chicken stir-fry. That's what they specialize in and they do it so well! There were 4 of us total so we got 3 portions (just do minus 1 from the number of people in your group and that should be enough to get everyone full). You can also tell them how spicy you want it. They'll add in the right amount of gochujang accordingly after adding the veggies, rice cake, and sweet potato pieces! When it's all ready and cooked, I love eating it with the crisp and cold mu (white pickled radish) that comes as a banchan. It's just like the mu that you find at AYCE KBBQs. And here, they're very generous with the banchan! They'll bring out more of whatever you ask for. And at the end comes my favorite part: they make you fried rice on the huge pan with the remaining sauce and meats. YESSS! Note: there IS valet parking in the tiny plaza next to it. So don't sweat it if you can't find convenient street parking nearby. You'll already be sweating from the heat and the spices. read more

Mapo Chicken - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Yum! Came here on a Thursday night with a group of 6 around 7:30pm. We were seated right away and given two grills. They also gave us cold salad and pickled veggies in ice water to start with - be sure to ask for water/barley tea! They don't give it to you unless you ask. FOOD: - chicken dak galbi (2 orders) - yum!! The chicken is first cooked with the tofu(?) and rice cakes. Once that's done, they dump the veggies on top with the sauces and mix it all together and THEN they add cheese on top. Don't mix the cheese or it'll stick to the grill. After you're done, they add rice and make fried rice with the leftovers and add nori and sesame oil. This was very very yummy and delicious! I just avoided the cheesy bits cuz I can't digest :P - bbq pork short ribs (2 orders) - also very good, great flavor, wish it was spicier and very yummy The banchan is pretty standard - pickled daikon (which you can use to wrap meat in), garlicy sesame cucumber, kimchi potatoes and seaweed. SERVICE: Friendly! The ladies here don't speak much english, but you can convey what you want pretty well. They also cook all the food for you, so don't worry! They even gave an apron to my friend who was wearing a white dress shirt so he wouldn't splatter! VENUE/PARKING: The place wasn't packed when we went, but the majority of tables were full - large tables so its perfect for groups. Bathrooms are single stall per gender and pretty clean. There is a lot next to the place but you have to pay for it. Street parking wasn't too hard to find if you circle a few times. read more

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Our meal at Mapo Galbi had my bestie near tears - it was as authentic and tasty as she remembered from her time in Seoul. The three of us shared two ppl portion of chicken Galbi. It was plenty to share among us. The cooking process had us salivating non stop. The mix of chicken, veggies, and spices was so aromatic and flavorful! The kimchi fried rice at the end was so satisfying! Did wish we didn't have to wait until we were done with the chicken for them to make this. Pairing the kimchi fried rice with the chicken Galbi would had been perfect. Overall - The staffs were so hardworking and tried their best to be attentive and helpful. Foods were reasonably priced and generously portioned. We waited about 30 mins on Sat @ 7:30 - recommend giving them a call to put your name on the waiting list before heading over. read more

Mapo Chicken - Side soup - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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