I remembered this as one of my favorite spots in Koreatowm but it wasn't as good as I remember on my last trip. The service was polite but perfunctory. The chicken was tasty but didn't have the really memorable zing I recall from past trips. read more

This was a great introduction to dak galbi, I was just there a few days ago and already want to go back. Everything was very flavorful, and was so fun to get the bonus fried rice after we were halfway done. Service was quick and attentive. It's a small space, but there was no wait for our party of 6 on the Monday around 7pm when we were there. read more

Small. Hole-in-the-wall. Minimum of two orders regardless of your party size. Prepared to be patient. Not considered a cheap meal. I was so excited to be able to find Mapo Galbi! Why? Because ever since I had dakgalbi in Seoul, I wasn't able to find it here. I wanted to find a restaurant that served dakgalbi similar to the way they served it in Korea. Every table has a stove and with that, they have a giant pan on top of the stove. For dakgalbi, you pretty much order how many portions you want: chicken, veggies, rice cake, and a gochujang sauce mixture. They cook everything in the pan in front of you so that is where the patience needs to come in. It takes a while to cook and there's only two servers that go around helping you cook too. When we dined there, they seemed busy the whole night. The servers were moving nonstop -- there wasn't a moment where they had a break at all! I think it would help them if they had maybe one more person helping them cook. It took a bit for us to just get waters :( Boo. You also get options to add in extra stuff such as noodles, rice cakes, and CHEESE! I definitely recommend you getting the cheese to put on top! In Korea, the pans have a ring on it and that's where they put the cheese but unfortunately, I have not yet found this in the states. We had a party of five so we ordered 3 portions @ $17.99 per portion and added cheese to ours with an order of noodles to go with it! After everything finishes cooking, you just scoop it onto your plate and just dig in! Everything was just delicious! I love it when my food is piping hot so this is definitely a plus! After you're done, the server will mix together rice, more sauce/kimchi, and seaweed to cook in the pan for some delicious kimchi fried rice to end the meal! So if you weren't full, you are now! I do wish they had different variations of dakgalbi though. They had tons of different ones in Korea. Or .. if we had the option to put more garlic in! I would definitely like to come back to Mapo Galibi. Just keep in mind that the parking lot in front of their establish is pay to park. So just park on the streets and you'll be fine! People definitely need to try this place out! read more

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I came here once 2 years ago and had such a great experience that I remembered and came back again. It's a little hole in the wall restaurant run by a few korean aunties. Absolutely delicious food and such a unique experience that I haven't found anywhere else. Simple menu, large portions. Small parking lot, but plenty of street parking nearby in the neighborhood. read more

Mapo Chicken - Menu 1 of 2 (01/02/22) - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Really great little hidden gem of a place. It's small and unpretentious, a hole in the wall. Only a handful of tables sit in the small room, each with their own grill. Luckily, my husband and I came just at the end of the rush and were seated pretty immediately, but there was an electric busy-ness in the air. We came for the Dak galbi (spicy chicken bbq) so it took no time to order. They also had many add ons to offer, which was exactly what I wanted. I have been searching for a proper Dak galbi place since I left Korea and the only one I knew of in Ktown closed a few years ago. This place more than made up for it! In my opinion, you want to add extra cabbage, rice cakes, sweet potato, and CHEESE. It's the best part! Not particularly Korean in origin, of course, but a delightful adopted Western flair. The cheese really helps cut the spice and give a fullness of flavor to the whole dish. My only other advice is to come hungry and bring friends! This is a sharing dish and you can't really order portions for one. Also don't eat it all! Once you've gotten to about 3/4 of the way through the very generous portions (you're probably already bursting at this point) they ADD RICE and turn it into a sumptuous fried rice dish that you will absolutely try to eat some of and then give up and take it all home for later. The ONLY reason I've taken off a star is because my old place used to give you a tiny cup of frozen yogurt to cut the heat in your mouth and cool everything down. It was the most perfect way to finish this meal, and now I have to go find my own tiny cup of frozen yogurt elsewhere. What can I say, it changed the game. Anyway, eat here. read more

Mapo Chicken - 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

My friends and I stopped here for our first meal at LA, and so glad we did! It's a comfortable Korean restaurant without any frills but the food is what really makes the establishment memorable. The price will be more than what's said (because of the minimum 2 portions recommendation), but it's really worth it because most of the add-ins are already included. We just added cheese and at the end, asked for the fried rice, which is a must! & definitely don't skimp out on the spicy (marinade, spicy gochujang sauce) because it's more sweet than spicy. read more

Mapo Chicken - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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The food here was just ok for me. After having traveled to Korea, I was disappointed in the dakgalbi here and wished I was enjoying the deliciousness back in Korea. But this is LA, so I had to take what I could get. My friend and I ordered the chicken galbi. It's $20 per person and we added cheese for $3. Definitely add the melted cheese on top! The sauce was a little too spicy for me and had an odd flavor. The sauces in Korea are way better. But the chicken and veggies were cooked well; I liked the sweet potato & rice cake. I also wish the chicken was pre-marinated. The chicken & veggies were tossed on the grill to cook, and then the sauce was added on after. As expected, at the end of your meal, they make you fried rice. Banchan side dishes were good: cold radish soup, coleslaw salad, zucchini, seaweed, & spicy fish cake. The portions here are BIG. My friend and I each took a good amount home for leftovers. I might come here again if I'm really craving dakgalbi. But I wish their sauce was better. read more

To complete my LA day trip, my friend and I went to this hole in the wall for Dakgalbi, stir fry spicy chicken. It was good as expected, but a little on the expensive end. It's $19.99 per person and noodles, cheese, rice are extra. The combo came with chicken thighs. Sweet potato, Korea sesame leaf, cabbage, onion, and green onion. It was good, but I really don't think it's worth almost $20 per person. I wish they served kimchi as one of their side dishes, I was craving it haha. Anyways, you can't go wrong with chicken, spicy, and cheese! 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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This is my first time leaving a review but I've been probably been here at least 3 or 4 times. Food is excellent and well worth the trek to get it. Service isn't super fast, but the ambiance here doesn't really need it? I like that they don't rush you. Been here before and will definitely be back. read more

This is the most authentic Dakgalbi ( literally "chicken rib" in korean but typical dakgalbi's made with mix of different parts of chicken) place in k town and only legitimate dakgalbi place in town. Don't fall for the other restaurant- I've been there, and it's terrible. Highly recommend soju with this dakgalbi. read more

My first visit to this hole-in-the-wall restaurant was about 5-6 years ago. I remember the food being good and I probably came here a couple times more after that. I dont remember anything being bad or unpleasant until my recent visit. We were a group of four but two of my friends had to stop by somewhere so we got there and got seated first. We ordered 3 orders of their dak galbi and waited for our friends to arrive. There were 2 ladies and both of them were totally ignoring our table. We ordered so she had to put the galbi in the pan and cook it for us but she never did. We had to put the veggie and everything else ourselves and the ladies were busy taking care of other "big" customers if you know what I mean. The table behind ours came about 20 minutes later than we did, and yet they were taken care of so well. Since the lady didnt tell us what to do nor did she cook for us, our chicken kinda got stuck on the pan and it was very annoying. I asked for the apron and the side dishes and the lady didn't even bother to respond. One of the ladies with the short hair and with a white apron she is so unprofessional. There were a group of 6 girls and they paid with their cards I suppose and the lady was asking in rude manner "wheres the tip" and the girl was like "tip is here in cash" and she snatched it in front of her and walked away. So arrogant. When it was time for us to pay the bill, she came by our table and secretly looked at our card tab to see how much we wrote for the tip section. She was acting like she was cleaning the table behind us and rearranging the chair or whatever but it was so obvious that my friends and I were kind of laughing about it. As soon as we got up, we were walking out and I looked back, she was looking at our card slip. So stupid. Never coming back here. Even dak galbi is way too sweet and the fried rice afterwards was so nasty. Go elsewhere. I really wanted to leave a penny. read more

Mapo Chicken - overly sweet and strong dak galbi - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Love this non-pretentious chicken on cast iron spot in west Koreatown. The perfect order is two portions for three people which will turns out to be about $16/person. Though be firm, they'll suggest 3 portions if you have three people, but that's way too much. Add cheese for $3 of course. And Udon noodles if you're feeling more carby! I don't usually like the sesame leaves or Perilla leaves in my kimbap. It tastes oddly bitter and herbal, but in this dish, it's perfect and adds that unique element to that iconic korean red sweet spice sauce. The cheese on top makes it like a "chicken pizza" as the servers say, but let them take care of the cooking! They are sweet ladies running around taking care of the entire restaurant so be patient! Mild is the perfect spice level for my 33 year old body, but I can imagine how "very spicy" can be painfully enjoyable for sadistic Koreans. Neighborhood parking was a breeze and they take credit card. The banchan is not that great. Fish cakes are mushy, but whatever, you're here for that chicken! The rice at the end is a nice dessert that I always look forward to! read more

I absolutely enjoy this spot. There have been many restaurants that have opened up trying to imitate this place, but they have all failed. They either closed down or had to change their menu to something completely different. Koreans who know good Dak Galbi (marinated chicken in a chojang sauce with veggies, rice, etc...) come here. If you're coming here, you should know that there is a very limited menu with one basic flavor which comes from a spicy chili paste based sauce. If that does not fall into your taste preference, you shouldn't have high expectations. There is a two order minimum per table. The portion is pretty large, so come here expecting to share or take leftovers. The server will bring a large BBQ tray that gets heated up from the gas stove at the center of the table. Then the marinated chicken, lettuce, rice cakes, potatoes, and other ingredients you want will be added. The chojang sauce (red chili paste, sesame, oil, sugar, garlic), a slightly spicy and sweet sauce, will be added to give the dish its flavor. The server will let you know when it's ready to cook. After you are done, the server will make some delicious kimchi fried rice to finish off your meal. Overall, the meal lacks diversity in taste, but the flavor is a delicious combination of sweet and spice. This meal is more of a comfort meal perfect for a cold day when you're very hungry. Parking: There was valet in the adjacent business. read more

Mapo Chicken - Part 1 of meal. Marinated chicken with veggies in a chojang sauce cooking in the middle of the table - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Definitely a good spot to satisfy your dakgalbi craving. I was lucky enough to find street parking in the neighborhood behind the plaza. We ordered 2 servings for 3 girls and it was more than enough food. The lady comes and cooks everything for you in the pan right in front of you. I love cheese so we added extra cheese and some noodles to our pan. I think I would pass on the noodles next time because they were just udon noodles. It's very filling even without it. read more

Mapo Chicken - Before - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Don't drive too quick on Olympic because you'll miss this hidden gem. They only have a few items on the menu and Johnathan Gold recommended this place a while back so I've been eager to try it. Usually there's a wait but we were lucky enough to make reservations. read more

Super fun. Super tasty. Get the cheese added it's so interesting in combination with gojujang sauce read more

The ddukbokki tasted homemade and softer than than usual - definitely chewier. Marinated chicken was moist and spiciness level was about a 7-7.5/10. For two people, it's quite a lot to eat so portions would be more suitable for 2 orders for 3 people. The best part was the rice mix-in. For two orders, you get one bowl of rice into the pan. Aw, man! So, so flavorful and as the rice and ingredients burn, you get a roasted taste and some crunchy grains of rice. Would come here again :) read more

Basically their famous spicy chicken is some chicken and a huge amount of vegetables that you cook on your table. They squirt their signature spicy sauce from a plastic bottle onto the chicken. Trouble is the sauce isn't very good. It's fairly spicy but very one note and certainly not addictive. For two people it's about 50 bucks with tip. So underwhelmed with this place. It's healthy, I'll give them that. And that counts for something. read more

Mapo Galbi is the place to go for dak galbi. Nestled in a non-descript plaza behind an unassuming storefront, Mapo Galbi heats up copious amounts of delicious, satisfying chicken stir-fry. At each table, you'll find a large skillet where they cook the chicken and veggies in front of you. Their main entree is the chicken, which is $17.99 though in reality $35.98 since you have to order at least two orders, which is probably enough for 3-4 people. The chicken is tender and tasty as its cooked in their house sweet and spicy sauce. At medium, you'll get an okay level of spice, though there's enough sweetness in the sauce to mellow it out. You can also add rice cakes or cheese to your dish. Other options include pork and short ribs, which come pre-cooked on the side. They have a small, okay selection of banchan (kimchi fish cakes, radish wraps, cucumbers) that was decent, though you'll find better in ktown. Two TVs that were playing the game. Parking lot with $2 valet if you don't want to look for street parking. read more

An authentic dak galbi staple restaurant in ktown. This was the first restaurant I ate out at in Koreatown almost two decades ago and their menus still taste deliciously same. You'll have korean mom style service, which I personally enjoy. I would recommend the spicy level because it gives it a more balanced flavor, and it's not too spicy. read more

Honestly, no matter how good the food is when the service is complete shit I never want to come back. Came to this place at 3:20 on 10/09/21 as soon this place opened. I saw the reviews and was excited, but the woman waiter was just so unresponsive and rude. You could straight up tell she didn't want to be there. Maybe she had a bad day or she was upset she had to cover the shift by herself. Whatever it was she made it very apparent to customers. There was another table there and you could feel they were uncomfortable. She didn't verbally respond to anything. I had asked her for water and she just nods. My dad had asked if he could get something else and she just stares at at us off puttishly. This meal requires help from the waitress as they help people cook the dish in the beginning. So we said thank you and she straight up ignored us and didn't say anything. Strangely enough her tune and attitude started to change after another worker came to work past 4ish. Maybe it was the owner but she suddenly became responsive and more friendly. Who knows. Maybe it was our fault for coming at a dead time and should have come later. The food was still very good so order togo if you don't want to deal with bad service. read more

I've been coming here for chicken galbi for many years. It never disappoints. I always end up going for an early dinner or late lunch. I've been once around dinner time, but I think we were lucky to get a spot right away. They can get really busy, and I don't think it would be pleasant to be eating there in that situation because it's pretty small and just a couple of ladies are cooking for all the tables. I speak Korean with the restaurant staff and I'm not sure of their English speaking level, but I see a lot of non-Koreans come eat, so I'm guessing it's fine. May be a bit more of a struggle than in some other restaurants. But honestly, it's pretty easy. Just say how many pp orders you want and then say want you want added. They handle the cooking/timing and everything and you always have the wooden paddle to make sure your food doesn't burn while they are busy. I think the dish itself is great! It's a bit spicy. I think you an choose to have it be more spicy or more mild, but I don't think the dish would be good without the hot sauce (completely mild). They charge by per person amounts + any additional add-ons. For 4 people, we usually order for 2-3 people, depending on how hungry we are. I think for 5 girls, we ordered for 3 people and we were pretty full afterwards. They have a tiny parking lot in front, but otherwise there are street parking spots available. read more

Mapo Chicken - 3 orders for 5 girls - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Food is good, this review is simply for the service. Generally, I've never had any issues but I came in with my parents and my cousin. Let me give you some background. My dad, cousin, and mom put together probably weigh less than 400 lbs. They collectively can eat about 1.5 people's worth of food. So the minimum order is 2, which can honestly feed 4-5 people with a small appetite. So I said we would get the Dak Gal Bi and she said "3 or 4 orders?" I told her two because between that, the extra toppings, and the banchan, it would be more then enough. She looks at me and with absolute disdain and disgruntlement said "OH MY GOD!" like I just walked in and she had to put out the red carpet, clean the place, wait on hand and foot and we only asked for water. Is there a requirement of 2 orders per 2 people minimum? Because I know my family a lot better than you do lady and I know how much they can eat. Ergo, we actually had leftovers after "ONLY" ordering 2 orders. Some advice to the lady and owners, don't tell your customers how much they should be eating, if you want a minimum order by person, then make that the rule and state it, otherwise, let your customer choose how much they think they want. Good food, bad attitude. read more

Really basic taste and not that great. They give Big portions so go with a group if ur gonna try it out.

Located in the corner of a teeny tiny plaza, Mapo Galbi can be easy to miss. However, don't underestimate this hole in the wall joint. This place will satisfy your spicy chicken, veggies, rice cake, udon and cheesy cravings. Amongst a party of 4 females, 3 orders of the $17.99 serving was the perfect amount. Remember to save room for the fried rice at the end! Overall, I enjoyed dining here. It is a great place to catch up with friends/family, while you are waiting for the food to cook. There is a lot of gochujang (spicy red paste) that goes into it, making it lean towards the saltier side, so make sure to let the waitress know to go easy on it. I would definitely come back. *Parking: Valet parking for $2 and/or plenty of 2hr free street parking just down the street. read more

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I love this place. Honestly, this is a bomb Korean chicken galbi place you can bring anyone and they would love it. Even the native Koreans from Korea is impressed by it. My dad is a regular and I have been to place multiple times even before they recently moved to this location. The serving is quite big for one so you can probably order one and share with two people. Just like other Korean restaurants, this place gives you a lot of banchan. They are pretty good, nothing too surprising there. The highlight of the food is obviously their chicken galbi. Add some cheese to it and it's just a gourmet meal. They add a lot of veggies so it's not too spicy, although you can ask them to make it extra spicy. You wait until the server brings out all the ingredients and cook it in front of you. It takes some to have the entire sizzling grill to finish cooking. Bring a friend to chat and I'm 15-20 minutes you can eat. The chicken obviously just cannot go wrong. I believe this is one of the most popular dishes to non Koreans as well. The spicy and hot chicken just make the dining experience all the better. Cheese and veggies are always cooked nicely and all you gotta do is just devour and chow down. They also make fried rice with the sauce and leftover galbi on the grill after you eat about half. The slightly burnt fried rice is so good when you top with cheese. The texture of cheese and chewy fried rice make a heck of a good meal. It's such a wonderful combination you don't want to miss. Parking may be a little bit of an issue because the restaurant has a small lot. A tip is to park at the Bank of America parking lot for the time being. Getting the order to go is another good choice if you would like. Again the portions are pretty big so just make an order over phone and pick it up if you want to avoid parking and waiting situation. read more

Mapo Chicken - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Delicious spicy chicken. I did like the rice mixed at the end best though. The server will cook everything for you so you can enjoy it without having to worry about undercooked or burnt chicken. read more

Mapo Chicken - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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I'm addicted to dak galbi these days. How come I've only come to discover it recently?! My Korean friend said it's comfort food for Koreans and my tummy was definitely feeling comfy after eating this! Anyways, I heard Mapo Galbi was one of the first restaurants to have dak galbi in Los Angeles so I had to go. We went early, around 6ish and waited only about 10 minutes. They have a small lot for valet parking at night for a small fee but street parking is nearby as well. The dak galbi had a lot of tender chicken and was a big portion. It definitely fills up 2-3 people generously, especially since you need to leave room for the yummy fried rice at the end. Lots of people at other tables added cheese to their dak galbi. It looked really good, especially since I loooove cheese! I was trying to save some calories but next time I'll splurge for sure! Only thing I didn't like was our waitress basically just mixed in the rice at the end without turning on the fire. So there was no crunchy rice. Make sure to ask them to turn on the fire when they make your fried rice at the end. Service overall was good. Servers come and cook for you until your food is ready to eat. read more

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My favorite dak gal bi(spicy chicken bbq) place in LA. Dak gal bi comes with cabbage, sesame leaves, onions, green onions, sweet potato, rice cake and their signature spicy sauce. We added the cheese topping. Also, the rice and kimchi are added at the end so make sure you leave some chickens to mix with the rice. We will be back for sure. read more

Mapo Chicken - Dakgalbi with cheese topping - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Came here with a group of friends, it was a small hole in the wall kind of place. The minimum order of chicken was two orders, for six people we had four orders of chicken and we finished everything. The food here was pretty good. The chicken was very tender, sauce was reasonably spicy. The waitresses here were older Korean ladies, they were friendly. The restaurant wasn't that busy, and didn't smell. It's definitely a good place to eat and drink with a group of friends on a casual night. read more

Mapo Chicken - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

10/10 service 10/10 food They will ask you if you want it spicy or not You can always start mild and ask to add more sauce if you want to make it spicy Their portion is great but they have extra add-ons if you want to add more toppings read more

A truly hole in the wall delicious Korean chicken dish. Their new location is located on the corner of Olympic and St Andrews, very easy to miss. But, people seemed to have already known about this place because the place was really crowded when we went there on a Saturday night. Luckily, we got seated right away after we arrived. The four of us ordered the korean chicken bbq dish (3 orders to share) with additional noodles (udon) and cheese. This chicken dish was cooked in front of us, consisted of chicken, potatoes, cabbage, perilla leaves, green onion, onion, mushroom, and lots and lots of amazing red sauce. Might be a lil bit spicy for some people, but for me it was perfect. At the end of your meal, they will give you fried rice to be cooked with the leftover sauce on your pan. That is the best way to end the beautiful chicken dish. Love love love Mapo Galbi!! read more

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This restaurant relocated to much cleaner and bigger space. New location is lot better than previous location but I can't agree with the taste. I don't know my taste has changed or their taste changed. Anyway, it is still good but not as good as before. Great place for couple or group of friends to get together. In one big pot, you get to enjoy spicy chicken with rice cake, cabbages, and sweet potatoes. When you are almost done eating, they make fried kimchi rice. I am not a heavy drinker but this meal goes really well with beer or soju. Customer service is great. Server constantly come to your table and check if we needed anything else and giving me refills on the ones we are short. Only the downside is there is min of 2 orders. So, be sure to take a friend to eat at this place. read more

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I probably can't say enough great things about this restaurant. Try it for yourself and see what I'm talking about. Right off the bat, not gonna lie, friend and I decided to check this place out this past weekend and the restaurant...wasn't much to look at. The parking lot is terrible and there was only 1 other customer besides us. I didn't have high hopes that this was gonna be a great place, I was disappointed because I had amazing dak galbi in Korea and I wanted my friend to try it. Ordered the regular dak galbi and added cheese, veggies and extra deok (rice cake) all 2.50 each. And the dak galbi is 15.99(?) but you have to make a minimum of 2 orders. The lady servicing us was super sweet. Anytime we had questions she was happy to answer them. When I requested the deok she informed me there was enough in the original order and shouldn't waste money on another order. I agreed so I thanked her for her advice. Right off, as soon as the meat started cooking, it smelled DELICIOUS! my friend usually never comments before we've eaten but even she agreed. I was excited. The lady asked us how spicy we wanted it, we said medium which wasn't too bad, then again I was in Korea for a month, so I think I got used to. Wasn't a problem for my friend either. Restaurant was clean, food was delicious and relatively cheap for how much you get. And the nice ladies are definitely one of other reasons why I'll be coming back here soon. read more

10 things to know about Mapo Galbi: 1. Dak galbi is not beef short ribs, it's pan fried spicy chicken cooked tableside. 2. Minimum of 2 orders (since they cook it in a huge pan), and you can order additions such as udon, cheese, extra vegetables, etc, additional fee applied. 3. Korean lady cooks it for you the entire time by coming and stirring it, adding sauces and vegetables when the timing is right. You don't have to worry about it until they tell you it's ready to be eaten. 4. Make sure you ask for the fried rice at the end because that was very tasty with lots of sesame oil and seaweed added in (no extra charge). 5. It's a huge portion for 2, I think honestly 3-4 people can eat it. We added udon noodles (yum! I highly recommend this) and cheese, and my husband and I were STUFFED with enough leftovers for another full meal for two. 6. Very tasty with soju/beer. 7. Not too spicy, it was pleasantly spicy. If you like your food very spicy, you'll probably have to request extra spice. 8. Restaurant isn't too big, so it probably gets filled pretty quick. We came on a weekend around 6 and there were still several empty tables. 9. Not much of a décor, just a hole-in-the-wall vibe when you walk in. 10. Enjoy! I think the flavors could be stronger, but it's a fun experience and something different from the typical Korean barbeque. And the servers are nice, although I don't know that their English is that good. Small parking lot available in the front. read more

Hidden gem wow! Was brought by some friends bc this place was on J Gold's list or something. Sat w the friends and got the fun food exp, w little apps, a vinegar drink (which 2 of my party loved but I couldn't stomach) and then some dang delicious Korean BBQ! Got the spicy chicken bc that's supposedly what you come for. They were right. Chicken, rice noodles, sauce, friend rice, cheese, all whipped up in front of you was A+! Will definitely come back again and bring 1st timers so they experience the great time as well. read more

I will crave this place until I go back. You have to write your name on the wall and wait for a table to free up but it is worth the wait. There are not many options of food but if your adventurous you just name a proteins and wait for the magic to happen. The food is cooked at your table. You can help cook as well as the waitress comes by adding things to your bowl. She also lets you know when it's ready. You can chose the spice level so don't worry too much. read more

Soooo gooood! This is great for 2 hungry people or a group of people. If you're in the mood for chicken, but not korean fried chicken, this is the place for you. It was packed when we arrived (Saturday 7pm). We got the last table and beat the rush. There was a line of people waiting to be seated. Parking: easy. free small lot. it was full so we street parked on St Andrews (residential street) which had plenty of parking Price: $$ but worth it. You get so much food. Service: Greeeaat. Super friendly and very attentive. read more

Mapo Chicken - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California