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    Restaurant Ki

    4.8 (31 reviews)
    Closed 6:30 pm - 9:00 PM
    Updated 3 weeks ago

    Restaurant Ki Photos

    RESTAURANT KI ATMOSPHERE

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    Intimate
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Restaurant Ki

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    Our meal was simply amazing
    Michael P.

    It's an intimate space & attention to detail is on point. Our meal was just perfection. Highly recommend.

    Jenny L.

    Ki is going to get another Michelin with the way that he cooks and presents, so you better get in before it does!! Chef Ki cooks with intention, elegance, and a true fusion vision. The Korean elements were not lost as it often does at fusion restaurants. He even makes his own seaweed for his dish, which ended up being my favorite bite of the night. Simply stunning and masterful!

    menu to take home
    Stewart L.

    Restaurant Ki is located in the basement of an unassuming office building in Little Tokyo. There are actually FOUR small omakase restaurants in this basement warren, all run by the same group (Kaneyoshi). Ki is Korean, Sushi Kaneyoshi is Japanese, Bar Sawa is a Japanese sushi/cocktail experience, and Maison Kanatha is a fusion of Japanese, French and Thai. To further "complicate" matters, Sushi Kaneyoshi has 2 different experiences, a regular omakase and a smaller Premium one, located in a separate area. The main Kaneyoshi room becomes Maison Kanatha when Kaneyoshi is in the Premium room. Both Ki and Kaneyoshi have Michelin stars. Thanks to the Ki staffer/sommelier who took me on a quick tour of each area. Even accessing the basement requires special instructions which are texted/emailed to you. You basically enter the building's 2nd floor lobby from the attached parking garage or via stairs, then take a dedicated elevator to the basement, where there is a communal seating area where you check in and are escorted to your dining experience. Restrooms are shared by all restaurants. Ki is helmed by chef Ki Kim and has a single seating nightly at 6:30 pm Wed-Sun. There are 11 seats. There is a wine pairing available, plus a la carte beverage options, including spirit-free, visible with a QR code. Chef Ki greets each guest and explains the philosophy behind his deeply personal menu, which changes slightly every 2 weeks. Both Chef Ki and his team engage with the guests during the experience; each dish and how to eat it is explained to each "segment" of diners. It is repeated about 3-4 times, so you can better soak in the info provided. I think there were 6 staffers total: chef Ki, 3 sous-chefs/platers, the sommelier and the hostess who checked us in who did back-of-house duties as well. They were a seamless, well-choreographed team. There were 12 courses plus a tea service: 4 "snacks", 6 "mains" and 2 desserts. Snacks: 1) Kimbap--crispy shell with mushroom rice, kimchi and shrimp 2) lettuce wrap with soybean, barley 3) octopus braised and seared, with a sauce made from octopus head, parsley and tarragon 4) mandu dumpling with andouille and a marrow bone broth with butter Mains: 5) clam flame-broiled with caviar and a citrus butter sauce 6) blue crab soy-marinated, rice with crag meat and fat, quinoa, sugar snap peas 7) cold noodles by friend Keizo with charcoal-grilled eel, chili-ramp sauce, perilla oil 8) lobster from Maine, grilled and glazed, smoked in rice straw with morel mushroom, fermented soybean sauce and a dusting of raspberry powder 9) sablefish, dry-aged 3 days with chayote, a green ramp/herb oil sauce and a red chili sauce. 10) duck breast dry-aged 2 weeks with duck jus and apple puree. Served with 3 banchan placed on rocks: masa corn dumpling with chive cream, seared duck liver with habanada powder, pickled chayote After a tea service with dried vegetable tea, the desserts were: 11) porcini mushroom ice cream sandwich with a rice powder/cacao cracker 12) potato pate a choux with lettuce ice cream Both desserts were on the edge of savory. My fave plates were: 1,4,6,7,8,10, but all were great. At the end you are presented a copy of the menu printed on sheets of transparent paper, meant to evoke memories and how they can overlap and intertwine with each other. A beautiful, heartfelt and delicious experience.

    Brandon S.

    I finally found a fine dining restaurant that I had nothing to nitpick about. I took my wife here for a Valentine's dinner as this spot has been on my go to list ever before opening. I've enjoyed the experience at Chef Ki's previous restaurant Kinn and came here with very high expectations. The course included 4 appetizers, 6 mains, and 3 desserts. I enjoyed every single dish and each one was both standout memorable and visually pleasing, a very rare occurrence as there's usually one or two dishes that I'm not too particularly fond of when fine dining. My favorite appetizer was a grilled octopus with a sauce made from octopus head. Texture of the grilled octopus was perfect, springy yet very clean break on every bite. The octopus head sauce was very unique and gave a nice bold flavor to the light octopus meat taste. We also got one more piece after finishing the 3 on the plate. All the mains were just as incredible and I can't pick my favorite tasting one out of all of them. The most memorable was the final duck dish. That was by far the best duck I've eaten anywhere. Ridiculously tender, flavorful, and easy to chew. The apple sauce and duck jus made the taste even better. The banchan that came with the duck was a nice break in between each bite of duck. For dessert, the mushroom ice cream sandwich was my favorite. I love mushrooms and ice cream. This looked like a mushroom in a forage, was essentially an ice cream, and tasted like a mushroom. Service was great and as expected from fine dining restaurants. The one thing Restaurant Ki did better than any other fine dining restaurant I've been to was pacing. Hayato, Somni, Providence, Kato (just to name a few for comparison) had pacing issues between dishes where it felt like I was waiting forever. I didn't feel it at all during the entire meal. By the time I finish the dish given to me, the next one was either beginning to plate or in its final touches stage. Overall, Restaurant Ki not only lived up to my expectations but also exceeded it. I only regret not taking time out to come here sooner. Can't wait to dine here again, which will probably be a month or two from me writing this. The Kajima Building Basement is truly a dining powerhouse.

    second visit, shaved ice dessert
    Yingbo W.

    After I initially posted my 3-star review, Chef Kim personally reached out and invited me back to give his restaurant another try. I'm glad he reached out, because our first visit in April was so disappointing for both my partner and me that we definitely wouldn't have gone back and would've told friends to avoid the spot. I went again in November. I'm happy to report the second visit was much much better. There were clear improvements compared to April, and I can now see why Restaurant Ki has a Michelin star. I don't know if this level of execution is now the standard or if we just caught a particularly good night, but the portion sizes were about 20% bigger, and there may have even been an extra bite or course this time. For example, Chef Kim passed out extra pieces of octopus in case anyone wanted another bite. The plating and presentation were noticeably better, more refined, and didn't look as haphazardly thrown together as before--perhaps you can tell from my updated photos. There were several heavy hitters this time around, whereas during our first visit I really only enjoyed the octopus. My favorite was the crab soup with caviar, eel, and noodles. There was a lot going on in there, but everything blended together so perfectly. That dish was just wow. I don't think it was on the menu the first time, and I hope it becomes a regular signature course moving forward. I also loved the tomato salad with the sorbet dressing. It was super refreshing. The lobster was also much better this time, with a more refined sauce and the addition of a morel mushroom. Service felt smoother and more in sync overall, instead of the much longer waits from our first visit. I will say that where you sit at the bar matters. The first time, we were seated at the far left end, which felt like a dead zone and made the meal feel removed from the action. The second time, we sat closer to the middle, and the meal felt noticeably more engaging and entertaining. Chef Kim also poured us complimentary wine pairings, which was very kind and generous. I'm not a big wine drinker, so take this for what it's worth, but I thought the wines were very good and easy to drink. I've rarely enjoyed wine pairings at Asian Michelin-star restaurants since wine often clashes with Asian flavors. While I still don't think the wines particularly accentuated the dishes here, they tasted great on their own. My partner didn't want to drink much, so two of the pairings were swapped out for NA drinks, and I actually liked those more than the wine. The NA drinks were on the same level as the ones I've had at Somni and Séline. They just need nicer glassware and some extra garnish to elevate the presentation. I told Chef Kim they should seriously consider adding an NA or hybrid pairing to the menu. Despite the upgraded presentation--I can see that they tried--the desserts were relatively unchanged and still missed the mark on flavor, texture, and creativity. While other dishes matured, the desserts kept the same awkward fine-dining cosplay feel from my first visit. For example, there was no real reason for the shaved ice to have purple edible flowers stuck into the sauce (I did appreciate the hidden pine nuts). They were clearly put there to make the dish look fancy, but flavor and texture-wise served no purpose. Same with the mushroom ice cream sandwich. Just because you served it on top of some tree bark instead of a plain plate, doesn't mean it tastes any better. Overall, I'm really happy with the improvements I saw on the second visit. I also really appreciate how kind and humble Chef Kim is and that he took my feedback seriously. He told me they are continuing to improve. My partner and I will definitely go back for a third visit as paying customers. I just hope the consistency stays the same and that there aren't any more drastic off nights like my first visit. Looking forward to coming back next year!

    Interior
    John W.

    Restaurant Ki is a solid and whimsical New Korean tasting menu experience which is great to see continuing to balloon up in Los Angeles. I think one thing that may trip up some folks is getting to Restaurant Ki. The instructions are there when you call their number but not included in the email or website. The easiest way for us was to go into the parking structure (we walked since we parked nearby at the Aiso Parking Garage - took us about 5 minutes to get to the restaurant) - go to the second floor lobby - hit the elevator door labeled for Bar Sawa (and make sure to take the middle elevator // a security guard was there for us) and then wait in the lobby where the front of house takes parties one group at a time to the restaurant. Inside, the restaurant is tucked away in its own area adjacent to Bar Sawa. The interior is modern and sleek and seemed to seat up to 12 people. Chef Ki and his team greeted us with service being all-around strong. I liked how the Chef himself would do some of the beverage service as well and really created a light atmosphere, encouraging people to ask him and his staff questions and chat with him. The tasting menu itself was all-around solid and fun with a few great standouts. (I was also super grateful they were able to make slight adjustments due to my current health status.) *Octopus: The octopus was super and fantastic. It was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. And the sauce made out of octopus head was fantastic - had a little bit of heat and so creamy. The presentation was so lovely as well. *Duck liver mousse: Was a surprising appetizer. The presentation was bold coming in a chicken shaped dish that the chef popped open. The dish itself was so surprising because even though it had the strong and salty duck liver; there was the strong contrast of the white peach jelly and complemented by the hardened milk bread and apple. Loved how we had to literally use a spoon shovel to dig into the creative garden. *Keizo's noodle, pine mushroom, dungeness crab: Full of flavor and rich. To me, the mushroom that topped the dish really sold and brought everything together - wish there was more of it! It was also my partner's birthday and loved how they treated us to a couple nice items such as a complimentary drink (their non-alcoholic tomato juice was surprisingly amazing) and a play on seaweed soup. All-in-all, the menu reflected the chef and the atmosphere - playful and creative + full of potential. Would love to come back in the future and see how Chef Ki and his menu/staff continue to evolve and grow. Appreciative of the wonderful time and and experience!

    Fancy
    Francine L.

    Trying this place for the first time recently and dare I say I believe this is the best spot I have tried in Los Angeles for this entire year. It had been rough but Restaurant Ki made his story feel under the many dishes that we had for this dinner. This was a really memorable dinner for me as it was a friend's birthday and also the theme was about memories. It felt like we were stepping into Chef Ki's life and understanding where he grew up and came from for each dish that played a part in his role. His staff was diligent and also super professional at making everything run so smoothly! Loved it and would totally come back here again!

    Highlight of the evening
    Jim D.

    Food was pretty good. Far from great. After reading that this was on the list for best new L.A restaurants & his resume includes atomix my expectations were high & unfortunately they didn't meet my expectations. Very overpriced! Weird entrance. Weird soundtrack. Great hospitality. Confusing billing? Your deposit was allegedly supposed to be deducted from your bill however I was told to pay my bill in full then get my deposit back later.

    9) Golden eye snapper, chayote, red pepper
    Helz M.

    Huge huge congratulations to Chef Ki Kim for getting the Michelin Guide Young Chef Award Winner this year! This Michelin restaurant might be my newest fave in LA (reminds me a bit of the OG Kato). Every dish thoughtfully took traditional Korean ingredients and creatively elevated it. Chef himself is super friendly and takes the time to not only explain the dish but also share the inspiration behind each one. Even the art he chose to put up adds an additional layer of depth to your experience, challenging you to try to understand various "perspectives". 1) Tuna, bugak, mustard 2) Horse mackerel, aged kimchi, perilla 3) Octopus, estrogen, octopus head 4) Spot prawn, uni, prawn's head 5) Perilla leaf, lemon fern, smoked tomato 6) Caviar, potato, spare head squid 7) Keizo's noodle, freshwater eel, Dungeness crab 8) Lobster, doenjang, raspberry 9) Golden eye snapper, chayote, red pepper 10) Dry aged duck, maple, taro stem 11) Porcini, indigenous cacao, tea leaf 12) Omija, cranberry, strawberry lemonade

    Ada Y.

    Delicious delicious food and such a fun menu. Loved tasting the creative fusiony parts of each dish. It's definitely a must experience for yourself for all the thoughtfully cooked and prepped dishes. The only one my partner and I were kinda meh about was the fish course towards the end. Don't get me wrong, it was still delicious just didn't feel like all the parts of the dish fit as well together as some of the other courses had. We got a la carte nonalcoholic drinks, although the alcoholic pairing was highly recommended. The nonalcoholic options were both delicious and not too sweet. Parking is in the same bldg as for Kaneyoshi and co. You have to go down the specified elevator indicated and the hostess will guide you to the correct restaurant.

    Yuli K.

    I noticed other reviewers mentioned this but it's quite tricky getting to the restaurant for the first time. Access is through the elevator down to the basement level from the attached parking garage. They seem to know it's hard to navigate to because they text and provide directions and photos. Aside from that, the experience was amazing. We did not have issues with pacing between courses. The dishes were delicious. The only one I was not a fan of was the crabby congee but my friends loved it. It was too fishy for me. They gave us some things on the house because they overheard it was a birthday. We also loved their take on the meeyukgook. Overall, we loved this experience and would definitely return.

    Before dining at Restaurant Ki, the last time I was so impressed by a restaurant in LA was when I ate at Providence shortly before it got its third Michelin Star. Every dish at Ki was wonderful if not amazing. Chef was friendly and kind. Service was impeccable.

    keizo's noodle, freshwater eel, Dungeness crab (this was good too.
    Rue K.

    Nestled in the heart of Little Tokyo, Restaurant Ki is a ten-seat dining destination offering an intimate exploration of New Korean Cuisine Dinner was $300 per person and wine pairing $190 when I attended. 10 seats total at 6:30pm. Building entrance was quite confusing. The host will text you a picture of the unmarked entrance. We were greeted by Chef Ki and Chef Ryan. Even though dinner is inspired by Korean food, ingredients are sourced from all over the world Food Similar to other Michelin star restaurants. Ingredients included lobster caviar morel mushrooms Ki's Menu Yours receive a small booklet at the END of your dinner service and it looks like it looks like a fuzzy memory. The chef explained to you what it means when you finish your next course, you can't hardly remember your previous one What's included - Tuna, bugak, mustard - wild fluke, aged kimchi, penila - Octopus , estragon, octopus head (this was so good. I wanted more) - Spot prawn, sea urchin, prawns head next (meh for me) - perilla leaf, lemon fern, smoked tomato (so so good. Citrus and contrast so vibrant ) - Caviar, potato, spearhead squid - keizo's noodle, freshwater eel, Dungeness crab (this was good too. Warm and earthy. Reminds me of a Chinese dish) - Lobster, doenjang, raspberry - Saber, fish, chayote, red pepper (crispy crispy skin! And velvet soft fish) - Wild boar, gondre, sea squirt - Porcini, indigenous cacao, tea leaf - omija, cranberry, strawberry lemonade (i was this the shave ice?) - mango with lime peel shaving (yum) Service -0.5 A bit below Kato We arrived 1st and on time, but had the worst seats. My friend was seated right in front of the entrance door instead of farther inside. We ended up waiting for the other guests to arrive (prob all lost cuz the entrance unmarked) and the door kept opening/closing right behind my friends back while we were drinking and waiting for others to arrive. That was an unpleasant experience for him and he was paying the dinner for us. During dinner and drinks it was fine But when I was leaving, no one got my coat. At Kato, my server was waiting at the door with my coat before I even noticed. Kato was a lot more detailed in this area. They also gave us a tea tin to go as a personal present present Atmosphere Clean quiet and only 10 seats per serving. Very personal, but also you have to wait for the other guest to arrive. If they're late you have to wait for them. Now if you're hungry while arriving you're gonna be grouchy Location -0.5 stars Building entrance was quite unmarked with no signage. The host will text you a picture of the unmarked entrance. Then you enter passcode but have to look around for 2 different elevators. 2nd elevator has a small signage next to elevator button. But then realized maybe rent cost is easier manageable here ? Restaurant Ki just received their "Michelin star 2025". Chef Ki also received "California Young Chef Award Winner Michelin Guide, 2025"

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    Ask the Community - Restaurant Ki

    What can I expect to pay for a party of two?

    At least $400 per person, more if you get the wine pairing.

    What's the parking situation, Valet or they have their own parking lot?

    It's a secure, attached parking structure. You enter the building from it and take the elevator to the basement.

    View All 5 Questions

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    $$$

    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

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    Honey butter chips

    Borit Gogae - Dwenjang

    Borit Gogae

    4.4(538 reviews)
    3.7 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

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    Grilled spareribs

    Ham Ji Park

    Ham Ji Park

    4.2(1.8k reviews)
    3.3 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

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

    Jinsol Gukbap - 3rd St

    4.5(886 reviews)
    3.7 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

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    Kimchi Jjigae with Pork Belly

    Ahgassi Gopchang - Gopchang on the skillet with mushroom, rice cakes, and garlic chive kimchi in the middle

    Ahgassi Gopchang

    4.3(2.9k reviews)
    3.7 miKoreatown, Wilshire Center
    $$$

    Everything was wonderful, even with the extra long wait. They were so hospitable to provide water…read moreand jellies while we waited. Service was excellent Zoey and Yuna - thank you so, so much! They were so attentive and did the BBQ so well for us! The food was delicious! We ate so much, we are still so full we didn't bother looking for dinner. We kept saying the flavor was good but not overwhelming in any way. You could still taste the meats and just a little dab of salt was good enough. Grilled kim chee with the pork belly was probably my favorite! (Thank you Yuna!)

    NO AC IN THE MIDDLE OF A HEATWAVE?!? Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be coming back…read more I stopped by on Saturday, 8/29, to kick off my BTS Tour activities. I've been here a few times before and always liked the vibe and the food, so I was pretty disappointed this time around. It was really warm inside the restaurant, which made the whole meal uncomfortable, especially since it was almost 100 degrees outside. We ordered the large beef set for 3 people, but the portion felt smaller than before. Luckily, there were only three of us, because I can't imagine that set being enough for 4 people. Our waiter did a great job cooking the meat, but the service overall wasn't the best. She didn't seem as attentive to our table compared to how the other servers were taking care of theirs. The side dishes also took way too long to come out. By the time they arrived, we were already on our second, almost third, meat option and close to finishing up grilling. The timing of the meat dishes felt rushed too, almost like they were trying to get us out quickly so they could seat the next group.

    Photos
    Ahgassi Gopchang - Beef brisket with bean sprouts

    Beef brisket with bean sprouts

    Ahgassi Gopchang - Steamed egg

    Steamed egg

    Ahgassi Gopchang - Super close up of the large intestines. How does it look?

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    Super close up of the large intestines. How does it look?

    Restaurant Ki - korean - Updated September 2026

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