After having a sauna at Crystal Spa on Sunday evening, September 13th, I had dinner with my mom and…read moremy two brothers at Hang Ah Restaurant (항아리 바지락 칼국수). I think I've been coming here for a very, very long time--probably for about 20 years! I used to come here quite often back then. At some point, though, I stopped coming as much because the parking situation in this shopping center became so busy and chaotic that it was difficult to even get in from the entrance. Also, the last time I came here, maybe two years ago, the valet parking attendant was so rude that I didn't really feel like coming back. This time, since we were already in the area for the spa, we decided to stop by again. Back when I first started coming here, it was just a very small noodle restaurant. One thing they've kept all these years--and what I think is such a great touch--is that they still serve yeolmu kimchi and kkom-bori-bap (barley rice) as a complimentary side. The restaurant became incredibly popular over the years and eventually expanded into the neighboring space, so there are now many more tables than there used to be. Since it had been such a long time since my last visit, I noticed they had quite a few new menu items that weren't available before, including galbi-jjim (braised short ribs), samgyetang (Korean ginseng chicken soup), and galbi noodle soup. One of my brothers and I ordered the perilla oil makguksu each, and it was absolutely delicious! It had such a rich, nutty flavor from the perilla oil, and it was one of those dishes that makes you think about it again later. In the past, I would always order the clam kalguksu whenever I came here, but this time I decided to try something different. My other brother ordered the clam kalguksu, and my mom had the dolsot (Hot stone) bibimbap. I tried a spoonful of my mom's dolsot bibimbap because I really like bibimbap too, and it was delicious as well. In the past, the wait here used to be incredibly long. You had to write your name and phone number by hand at the entrance, and then a staff member would come outside and call your name when your table was ready. This time, the system was different. We were told to simply wait in line, and she would take our orders outside. She said the wait would only be about 5-10 minutes, and she was absolutely right. While we were waiting in line outside, she handed us menus, took our orders, and then seated us at our table. The food came out quickly, the service was very friendly, and everything we ordered was delicious. It turned out to be a very satisfying dinner. After coming back here again after such a long time, I completely understood why this place has been so popular for so many years. It was just as popular back then as it is now, and honestly, I can see why!

This is by far the best noodle spot in LA's K-town…read more The noodles and soup are consistently amazing, and the service is excellent. On top of that, the interior is clean, cute, and very well-kept. Parking is quite limited, though--even with valet service, it gets super congested. There's almost always a long line, as it seems like a must-try spot for anyone visiting LA. Because of that, getting a table is usually pretty tough, but we got so lucky last Sunday and were seated right away. The food was absolutely divine, and we left completely satisfied. Honestly, I almost wish fewer people knew about this place so I could come more often. They're just that good.

We tried this place based on the reviews. Plus, Korean food is usually a highlight for us…read more We walked in and it's literally a house and the front waiting room was really cute! Bathrooms were nice and clean. We got seated outside but it was humid so it was quite warm at 530 pm. I wish they had some portable fans or air conditioning to make the experience more comfortable. Regardless, we Uber'd here so we stayed. We ordered combo B - Grilled Galbi beef, crack corn, salad, blooming onion and Cass beer. The combo comes with Soju or beer! When I tell you that the beef was delicious, I mean it! Tender with great flavor! The crack corn is truly like crack! I couldn't get enough! The salad with sesame dressing was so refreshing with the food. The blooming onion was also very crispy! I'm glad we decided to stay and eat because the food was truly delicious! It was worth sitting outside with no air.

The place was pretty busy on a Friday night around 9:30pm, but we got seated right away for 4…read morepeople. We had: 1) fried chicken w/green onions - 4/5. Solid. 2) watermelon soju - 4/5. Came in a mini-watermelon with watermelon slices. Also good. 3) fried gizzards - 4/5. I've had better, but it was also good. Service was a little slow, but would return for the food.

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.

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!

The scallop pancakes were definitely the standout for me. Crispy on the outside with a nice texture…read morefrom the scallops, and really flavorful without being too heavy. The pork jowl was also really good. The slices were thin and tender, with a lot of flavor and a nice balance of fat without feeling overly rich. The uni bibimbap was probably my least favorite of the three. The uni itself was good, but I felt like the overall dish needed more seasoning and flavor to really stand out. It was a little underwhelming compared to the other dishes. Overall, the food was solid, but I'd especially recommend the scallop pancakes and pork jowl.

Respected reputation & long lasting & since the 80s. Kobawoo serves traditional Korean dishes that…read morestay true to the old country. Claim to fame ~ signature succulent pork Bossam, clean & tender. Banchan assortment simple yet fresh & tasty. A satisfying meal in Ktown.

Food 99point out of 100 Service 99 out of 100…read moreAmbiance 95 of 100 Must Go Place in Los Angeles Korea town We Love this Restaurant

I absolutely love coming here. The portions are huge, the food is fresh and delicious, and it…read morefeels like so much thought and care went into each dish. This is the kind of comfort food I grew up with so I always look forward to coming here. The servers are nice, parking in the back is easy, and set meal price is decent. I highly recommend Boris Gogae if you want traditional Korean food!

Borit Gogae is a comforting homestyle Korean place to go if you want a lot of banchan. I'm rounding…read moreup to 4 stars but it's 3.5 stars for me. Service is quite slow, as a true mom and pop place. It's quite popular and we happened to get there just before the rush as there was a large group waiting when we left. I'm not sure why it takes quite so long for the boribap jungsik cold dishes since most of it is premade and just needs plating. For a long time all we got was fried kelp crackers, kinda greasy fried shrimp cracker (?) and scorched rice water that was very tough to eat. The sweet pumpkin porridge was better, but I'm not a fan of sweet porridge. The rest of the set was better, fortunately, but most of it was on par with banchan that is complimentary at other restaurants but of course more variety. The savory pancake was very crispy and stayed that way. That was probably my favorite from the set, along with the perilla seed and chicken soup. The texture was quite thick like gravy but I love congee and it had a similar feel but nuttier taste. I would love a bowl of this if I were sick. Since there were 3 of us, we thought a protein would be good so we ordered the pork ribs. They were pretty good. It reminded me of hamji park, although I prefer hamji. It ended up being more food than we could eat so we took some of the ribs home. I'm glad we ordered the set for 2 and then shared a different dish. Overall I'm glad I tried it since I've been curious. The meal was good but I probably would try another option next time.

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.

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

food: we got the super thick bean paste soup and seafood pancake! the soup was a bit too salty…read morehowever the flavor was very strong and savory. the pancake however had too little seafood and more vegetables instead. the pancake was too oily, but it had a nice crisp to it service: the services was really fast for a friday night and the server was really kind ambiance: warm lighting + very clean, minimalistic! it's not loud or chaotic so you can actually hold a conversations with friends or family

Hello. Why is LA Korean food so good?!…read moreAnd you can't miss this one. When you step in, it's all Korean. You know you are at the right place! And the second we saw the menu, we knew they are good: they specialize small amount of dishes and everything will be good. And it is exactly what happened! Everything is perfect. We love cold noodle and Kimchi stew ! They also have seasonal crab specials! Anyway, LA Korean food is amazing. Love love love.

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.

food was worth the wait !! we didn't have a reservation and…read morewas expecting a 3 hour wait.. but our girl Lia at the front desk got us in earlier than expected she was professional and very detailed oriented !!

My second visit since May 2026. This time in town for BTS concert I wanted to try gopchang since it…read moreis part of the restaurant's name. You can't order it as an add-on, so I'm glad that my friends were willing to try it too. We did know that it is beef intestines. I personally like beef and pork intestines I thought it was grilled well. My friends liked it enough to eat it, but I don't think they'll order it again. In fact, I'm pretty sure they won't order it again. Our server Douglas was super nice and helpful. He knew it was our first time ordering gopchang. We almost added the beef brisket, but then when he started to make fried rice we knew we would be too full to eat more. The Banchan, Kimchi Stew and Steamed Egg, were excellent and we really did enjoy our dining experience and being served by Douglas. He said 99% of today's customers were Army. We did have an hour wait which was what we were told, but it was worth it. Oh and the welcome for BTS Armies was touching. They had cold iced water and refreshments while we waited.