the clam kalguksu (바지락 칼국수) was definitely the highlight for me! it was super yummy and really…read morerefreshing. i remember eating it on such a hot day and it honestly hit perfectly i also got the yulmu bibim-guksu (열무 비빔국수), which is a cold noodle dish, and that was really refreshing too. overall, this feels like such a good summer spot. the vibe was lax, you just sit down and enjoy!! even the water felt refreshing because they serve it in those cold korean metal cups hehe they also move pretty fast service-wise, which i appreciated, and it's in such a good area with a lot of other food spots nearby. i'm really happy i randomly came across this place and i can't wait to explore more around the area

Visited Hangari on Saturday evening to try their renown Kalguksu with some friends. I've known that…read morespecific parking lot/strip mall to be a nightmare parking wise, so I bit the bullet and used the on-site valet. There is sometimes street parking but the availability is rough, it's tough to park, and even one of the meters we ended up at just didn't work. They only charge a $5 cash service charge though, which isn't bad. We were lucky to be seated right away, even in a packed restaurant. The restaurant has a surprisingly modern design, and is comfortable for as small as it is. We were quickly served their signature kimchis and barley rice. The kimchi, particularly the yeolmu (young summer radish) kimchi, has a unique flavor profile well suited to their food. We ordered 2 bowls of their plain kalgooksu, 1 bibim milmyun, and 1 tteokbokki. The food came out fairly quickly. The kalgooksu was as expected the star of the show. The anchovy broth brings a savory complexity that seems impossible for a soup made from just dried fish and a few other ingredients. It even has a rich, almost thick, quality to it that is surprising for a fish broth. Their noodles, the titular kalgooksu, have the signature irregularity and chew of knife cut noodles. I appreciate the vegetables that always come in kalgooksu, like potato, pumpkin, and zucchini, which offer an earthy heartiness to the light soup. My only complaint is that the potato is in huge irregular chunks, and is barely cooked, though I feel like I have had this issue with many of the kalgooksu bowls I've had over the years. The bibim milmyun was solid. I think that I prefer the texture and flavor of naengmyeon buckwheat noodles, but the milmyun, which are made with mostly wheat flour, still provide a satisfying chew. The sauce tasted bright and fresh, especially with a splash of added vinegar. It also came with a small side portion of spicy pork and some rice paper to wrap. The tteokbokki was the one let down of the meal. To be fair, I wasn't expecting much out of tteokbokki at all restaurant like this whose specialty is essentially the opposite. I ordered the tteokbokki as a "safe pick" for a picky eater in the group. It turned out to be a bit mediocre in our opinion, and that friend ended up enjoying their kalgooksu anyways. If you're looking to try this dish, it's definitely one of if not the best I've had in Southern California, so I'd totally recommend it. I'll also warn to steer clear of the Garden Grove restaurant of the same name and specialty. I think it's a disappointing mimicry of this place.

It was my first time here. The place is very nice and love the decor…read more The parking is valet or street parking. The service was very good. The chicken was a little in the dry side but overall all the food was good. We will be back!

my friend brought me here and i'm not gonna lie, i had pretty high expectations considering how…read morehyped this place is and the fact that there was a waitlist when we arrived. i ordered the kimchi bacon pasta, which apparently is their MOST popular dish, so maybe my expectations were too high. but as someone who loves both pasta and kimchi, this just did not hit for me. the kimchi had this slightly bitter taste that kept throwing me off and the whole dish ended up feeling underwhelming. halfway through eating it i was already thinking i should've trusted my instincts and ordered the seafood cream linguini or the shrimp gochujang butter pasta instead. those honestly sound way more promising. my friend ordered the OG fried chicken, and i genuinely need to know why it was all breast meat? for a place like this, i expected amazing korean fried chicken, but the pieces leaned dry and didn't have that juicy crispy payoff i was hoping for. the onion leek salad that came with the chicken honestly ended up being my favorite thing on the table, which i wasn't expecting at all! overall, i personally think the place is overhyped for the quality, especially at those prices. would i come back? probably not.

Delayed review...so it is unfortunate it shows permanently closed :/…read more Sun Nong Dan was on my to-try list for awhile! Came by around 6PM on a Sunday. Surprisingly, no wait, though parking was getting filled up. Valet for $5, or street parking if able. Two of us ordered: #3, ox bone soup with assorted meats $20.99 #7, galbi tang $22.99 Their brown rice is actually purple rice. I personally ate most of the #3. I thought the flavors were nice and the amount of meat was more than expected, which was nice. Would definitely be back! I'm sure it could be rough in the area if you had to wait more than 20-30 minutes.

We came here after hitting a local dive bar in DTLA and I was pretty faded from drinking strong…read moredrinks at the bar. I was happy to see this is a 24 hours location and I wanted warm soup for comfort food to sober me up. The restaurant is in a small strip mall that offers valet service but we were able to find free street parking. I got the oxtail beef bone broth soup and it definitely hit the spot for comfort. I'm so sorry in my drunk state I ended up spilling my broth all over the table and floor. The staff were so sweet and understanding, I kept apologizing to them.

We went shortly after they opened and it got busier as the night went on. The Honey butter chips…read moreare dripping with the honey butter sauce & I wished I had a whole bowl of that. The Grilled jowl was thinly sliced & one of my favorite dishes of the night! The Zabuton came out still sizzling on a bed of onions- I absolutely loved this & it is definitely shareable between 2 or more people. The Scallop pancake had baby scallops cooked in to it- very fluffy & filling, another shareable dish between 2 or more people. The Mushroom bibimbap mixed with the sauce is a great vegetarian dish! Parking- $10 self park in the plaza

My boyfriend and I had an 8:30pm reservation for his birthday and we were seated immediately upon…read morearrival. Our server started us off with water and everything got off to a great start. The ambiance was lovely and perfect for a date night. The dining room felt dark, intimate, and cozy, and I especially loved the little candle on the table. It was a small touch, but it made the experience feel warm and special. We ordered the perilla oil noodle, scallop pancake, pork jowl, and hwaechae milk to share. The perilla oil noodle had a strong perilla aroma which I loved, but beyond that it didn't really taste like much. It wasn't bad but it's probably the one dish I'd skip next time. The scallop pancake was great. It was crispy, packed with scallops, and the dipping sauce complemented it really well. The pork jowl was easily our favorite dish of the night. It was tender, flavorful, and paired perfectly with all of the accompanying condiments. Every bite felt balanced and well thought out. The hwaechae milk was also delicious and refreshing. It was a fun drink to share and a nice contrast to the richer dishes. While the food was good overall, the portions felt pretty small for the price point. Everything tasted good but it was hard not to notice how quickly the dishes disappeared given what we paid. Maybe it was just the specific dishes we ordered but considering Danbi is on the Michelin Guide, I was expecting bolder and more memorable flavors. Korean cuisine is known for being vibrant and packed with flavor so I left feeling a little underwhelmed. Nothing we had was bad but aside from the pork jowl there wasn't a dish that really wowed me. To end the meal, the staff brought us a yuzu popsicle topped with a birthday candle, which ended up being my favorite part of the entire night. The popsicle was perfectly tangy, refreshing, and honestly more memorable than any of the dishes we ordered. It made the celebration feel thoughtful without being over the top. Overall, we had a great experience. The atmosphere was beautiful, the service was attentive, and it was a lovely place to celebrate a special occasion even though it was a bit overhyped given the small portions, high prices, and flavors that didn't quite live up to my expectations. I'd still come back to try the steak tartare, uni bibimbap, and the zabuton!

What more can I say? This K-town staple consistently delivers when you're craving Korean cuisine…read more We started our meal with a generous portion of Haemool Pajeon (Seafood Pancake), which arrived sizzling on a hot plate reminiscent of a Chili's Fajita Plate. Next came the main attraction: the Bossam Plate, featuring simmered and cooled pork belly sliced to perfection. When you wrap all the other ingredients together, they create the perfect bite. Just after the Bossam Plate hits the table, a bubbling cauldron of Kimchi JJigae (Kimchi Stew) follows behind just in time to help wash down the delectable bites of bossam. Don't forget to order some rice because you'll need something to soak up the stew which turns the rice into a whole meal by itself. The service was jovial and welcoming, and like other Korean establishments, they have a handy-dandy button that jolts the attention of every server working whenever you're in need of service. The small space is very cozy, just the way I like it when I'm visiting with my loved ones. They don't have an extensive menu, just the OG staple items, but I feel the taste has improved over the years. I wish Kobawoo were closer to where I live, or I would be here this weekend, but perhaps it's a good thing we're so far apart.

This place has been here for so long, I haven't been here in yrs! I was in the area so I decide to…read moredo a take out for lunch to take home for me and my family, such a disappointment! $76.80 for 3 dishes and what a puny portions these are, like a kid's portion. Very small kimchi maybe one or two bites. Three orders that I'm surprised that they give such a small amount of banchan. How can establishment justify this high priced meal for such small portions? God and I drove all the way from South Bay, stuck in traffic for almost 1 1/2 hrs of this. Maybe this is the type of place you should dine in only?? Do not ever do take out here! The food in general was just ok. Nothing special and Kimchi soup was very salty. Threw all 3. Wow, what a waste of money. Very disappointing... I guess I won't be coming here ever again.

Be prepared to walk away feeling very full. We got the set meal here, which came served with…read moreappetizers, barley rice, a lot of banchan (and by that I meant a LOT), soup, congee, dessert, etc. It was definitely more than enough food. We also got an additional order of LA kalbi for some protein. The meat quality was good but I felt like the meat was not marinated long enough and so the flavor was a little bit lacking. If only it just sat in the marinade for a couple more hours, I think this would have been perfect. The tofu soup was not my favorite, to be very honest. There was some flavor in there that made it smell like a stinky towel. Very different from other soondubu soup places and unfortunately not for me. Everything else we had was excellent and I would definitely come back again just for the barley rice and banchan. Service was quick and servers were nice. We also came at 3pm on Saturday so there was no wait. Recommended!

Across the street from the new Zion market is this wonderful and unique Korean eatery. Unlike most…read moreof the run-of-the-mill Korean restaurants in Koreatown this restaurant serves unique appetizers and a multi-course set menu that gives you a taste of a variety of authentic Korean village food - like pumpkin porridge and acorn jelly salad. It's a lot of food for the price ($35 pp at this writing). While the minimum order is for 2 people, we've tried sharing the 2-people order among 3 and it worked for us, with addition of a couple of other items from the menu. The Korean BBQ beef is at par with most other nice restaurants in K town; their marinated crab was delicious! Service is okay - given how busy they are! Most servers are not very conversant in English so a little patience would help you get the right things you need. Nice and unique vibe with Korean handicraft items and art work on display (and for sale, I believe).

Really sad that Ham Ji Park is closing down permanently. For years, this place has been our…read morefamily's go-to place for pork spare ribs - the best in town. In fact, we regularly brought visitors here. They raved about how good the spare ribs were and even insisted that their last meal before LA should be at Ham Ji Park.  Here's my belated review of what I consider the best spare ribs in LA. From the moment the Korean-style spare ribs arrived at the table, it was clear this was a dish worth savoring. Each rib bore a beautifully charred exterior--deeply caramelized without a hint of bitterness--offering that irresistible smoky aroma the moment it was placed before us. The glaze was nothing short of spectacular. A perfect balance of sweet and spicy, it clung to the meat with a glossy sheen that promised flavor in every bite. There was just enough heat to make your taste buds sit up and pay attention, but it never overwhelmed the deeper, richer notes of the sweet components. But what truly set these ribs apart was the texture. Beneath the charred surface lay meat so tender it practically fell off the bone with the gentlest tug of a fork. Each bite was juicy and succulent, the result of careful cooking and a respect for quality ingredients. Ham Ji Park, you will be missed. Thank you for the memories. Thank you for the food.

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.

The place is very clean and food is yummy. the workers are very nice and they pay attention to…read moreevery details. good service.

Popped in for dinner in 420 to have a beautiful dinner to end the holiday Monday…read more When the woman that works there says it's a lot of food, believe that woman. Although, we were very happy to take some leftovers. Spicy (not spinach) Tofu and pork stew was amazing and I highly recommend sharing the short rib stew with a friend. Fire homemade kimchi

The best gukbop in town. Authentic Korean dishes. I ordered yukgejang and tookbeki bulgokiread more

Good pork soup, Good bbq beef and good fishcake! Good service! Good soups really warm and tasty!read more