Soot Bull Jip is one of the last KBBQ restaurants in LA that can use lump charcoal, and that makes its pork ribs super juicy with smoke flavor. The main character here is obviously the pork ribs but their a la carte items are also great. Really recommend chowing down the meat with gochujang jigae & finishing off your meal with cold noodles. Come here to step up your KBBQ game. The restaurant isn't too big or fancy but gets filled every weekend night. Arrive early and prepared to smell like smoke for the rest of the day! read more

Soot Bull Jip - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I came here with a group of friends and we ordered the galbi along with cold rice. For non-Koreans, the name "soot bull" literally means charcoal fire. So the calling card for this place is that they cook your meat over real coals, not just a gas burner (though, to make things easier, there's a gas burner under the coals to light them.) My friends, who are much more galbi experts, all declared that the meat was really good. I generally agree but don't have as much expertise or context of other galbi places. I can certainly say that the pieces were all very uniform and well marbled. Sometimes galbi has just huge chunks of pure fat. Not of that here. The servers did a very good job of cooking the meat and cutting it up. They also cut out the meat between the bones, which is chewy and a little more fatty, but people who like it say it's the best part. The banchan were pretty good, but I wish they had whole pieces of lettuce rather than just the lettuce salad. And they also don't have the rice cake wraps -- not a wrapping place ifb that's how you prefer to eat your meat. Also, you have to ask for sesame oil. They also have a cold rice soup dish. It's an interesting variation on neng meyon. It was fine, but I would have preferred neng meyon. Overall, this is a solid choice for kbbq. (Not AYCE) read more

See all

We had a slight wait, but there is seating for people waiting. Our server handled the grilling for us, so we did not have to worry about cooking. Overall, it is a louder atmosphere as kbbqs usually are. The grills are gas stove with charcoal above it giving it extra smokiness. The charcoal flavor was not super apparent since the meats that were ordered were sauced. I'll be sure to come back and try some of the other meat options. read more

Soot Bull Jip - Galbi - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

See all

What a feast! Soot Bull Jip was charcoal heaven!! I was so impressed with how simple and delicious everything was! My favorite is the following: 1. Galbi ***** 2. Jumulleok 3. Rib Eye Steak The meat was so tender and so flavorful! The Banchan was a nice companion to the meal :) read more

See all

Dress in your comfy clothes that you don't mind smelling like smoke and BBQ. I was really excited to see that charcoal being added to the grill once we sat down. Since it was just the two of us, we ordered two types of meats. We got the soot bull galbi, prime beef short rib marinated in house special BBQ sauce. Jummulleok which is prime beef carved into thick cuts with no seasoning and you dip with the sesame oil and salt they provide for you. Both meats are good and you can taste the smokiness from the charcoal and the quality of the meats is a good cut. It's great having someone cook for you while you eat. Once the meat was done, the waitress would cut it up and let us know once it was ready. If you like your meat cooked a little more you can leave on the grill and eat when it's to your liking. I really enjoyed the salad and banchan they had. We didn't need rice, with the salad and banchan, it was great We will be back to try the other meats next time! read more

See all

Korean BBQ two nights in a row? Well YES when you are on the quest to find a Korean BBQ that has charcoal like the good old days - brought in a bucket - flaming hot and then onto your table..... Well, almost. I guess those days are gone. I thought I would get it here, but no. It's gas on the bottom with charcoal over the gas. This allows them to control the heat and it's probably better this way anyway. More controlled. Still, sparks flew and if you had clothes that catch fire easily.... it could happen. OK onto the food. Very good and tasty. To give you an idea, we ordered a tremendous amount of food and every morsel of meat was gone. I mean when the spicy pork came out, I took a look and thought - uh oh there will be lots of left overs but NOPE, every morsel gone. Unlike some other places this place is ala carte so expect some serious $$$ but it was very tasty!!!! I have to admit that even though charcoal was used some other places that don't use it still taste just as good so maybe it's something that will eventually go away. But I am glad I went. This is a cool place to visit, even though the parking sign said "JEEP" not "Jip". read more

See all

This is my second time visiting Soot Bull Jip. Small parking lot available but during busy hours, expect street parking instead. Lunch time is not as busy as dinner time if you don't want to wait. Our table ordered: Short ribs Pork galbi Squid Beef Tongue Dongshimi noodles In my opinion price per plate is pricey, but the quality is good. I won't recommend this restaurant if you plan on eating a lot because it will add up fast. Dongchimi noodles is refreshing. Love the short ribs and beef tongue. Too bad no thin pork belly options here. I wanted to order veg. bibimbap but they said they don't have it even though this is on the menu. For lunch they only had two staffs working for the entire restaurant and eventually our table was neglected. For the price I paid, I had better customer service elsewhere. In terms of vibes, it's not the prettiest restaurant either. Despite the certain points I mentioned, if you're looking for quality meat and you're planning to eat moderately and you don't care too much about aesthetics, this is a solid place. Although it is not my first option, the meat is good. read more

See all

The flavors of the meat here is out of this world. Juicy and tender meat on top savory goodness. Since I came here for fourth of July it was almost empty. The service was quick and efficient. The bancha was delicious but super tiny portion. I get that bancha is not big portions but three pieces of kimchi is a bit ridiculous. Plus the kimchi was a bit sour. The kimchi soup was beyond flavorful and not sour. In terms of pricing it is a bit much even though it has such good flavor just because two meats and the soup was $150 bucks not including tip. Definitely liked the charcoal flavor to the meat. I would come back but maybe for a special occasion. read more

This place was really good, we gave it a try tonight because the other KBBQ places we have been to didn't have charcoal grill. I'm a fan that they offered the sides with the meat chosen as well, and the items we ordered were delicious (my favorite was the bulgogi) of the choices we got -- also getting Jumulleok and half of the table trying the pork (I didn't try it) the staff worked really well together and brought out our items almost immediately after ordering. This place was packed so I know they were going to be good / and truly didn't disappoint! We came in as a table of (8) and had no problem being seated with a reservation made ahead of time. read more

See all

In a city with countless Korean BBQ restaurants, Soot Bull Jip stands out as one of (if not) the only spots that still utilizes old-school charcoal grills. Considered to be one of the absolute best in Los Angeles, the ambiance here is unrivaled. Service was friendly and efficient, and the food did not disappoint. The six of us ordered a variety of meats, soups, noodles, and more. If looking for a top notch, traditional KBBQ experience, this is an excellent option. read more

Soot Bull Jip - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

See all

Quality of meat was good but I don't like that they charge for extra banchan. It was $4 for each additional side dish or $14 for an additional set. They also charge for extra salad ($5). This was the only downside of this place - if the meat wasn't already so pricey *maybe* I wouldn't mind it too much, but I'm so used to being able to load up on the salad with my meat I hated having to be more self conscious about that. read more

Soot Bull Jip - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Started coming here after a recommendation from a coworker. Since our first visit, I've constantly continued to discover amazing dishes. Their pork rib is fantastic. We get the non spicy pork ribs, which has a sweet marinated sauce. It is grilled over charcoal which adds to another dimension of flavor you wouldn't get with a gas grill. The servers do help cook the meet for you but I would recommend that you are still mindful of your grill. There are times when they are so busy, the meat can get a little more charred than I would like. What I really love about this place is some of the additional dishes you can order. I absolutely love their bimbibap. The bowl is filled with vegetable and they give you another bowl of rice to add as much rice or little rice as desired. Their bimbibap sauce is really the star. It's a little spicy, sweet and tart! This is the best bimbibap I've had in a long time. I even bought an extra order Togo. Their gochujang tofu soup is spicy and savory. We had enough left over and we were able to add additional ingredients at home without it watering down the flavor! My husband is a fan of their cold noodles as well. I notice that there were a few comments about the decor in other review. The restaurant has an old school vibe from the late 80 or 90s, which I really don't mind. Overall the place is clean and the food is good. I would recommend coming early as there is a small parking lot. It fills up pretty quickly but there is an attendant that helps direct traffic. read more

First time eating KBBQ here; heard about the coal grills so I had to try it out. The meat is a little pricey but good quality. The House Special Soot Bull Galbi was perfectly marinated but some pieces were a little chewy. The jumulleok did not disappoint; love me some beef short rib. I do feel like the griller for our table was rushing a bit, but I appreciate how the meat was cooked. read more

Soot Bull Jip - Beef Jumulleok (주물럭) - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

The beef tongue over charcoal is a game changer. I really enjoyed my experience here and thought the staff were very attentive and friendly. This is my new go to spot. 10/10 I will be back. read more

Soot Bull Jip - Veggies - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

This place is truly unmatched. Charcoal grill KBBQ is a rarity nowadays but the smoky taste cannot compare to gas grill KBBQ. Yes, sparks will fly if you get anything that's going to drip onto the charcoal and it does get very smoky, but for me I thought it was so worth it. I came in a group of 6 and we ordered 1 of everything.. yes, everything.. from the beef and pork menu. Everything is so tender. It's so hard for me to pick what truly stood out because they were all amazing, so I'll just leave a few comments. The beef tongue somehow is still really tender despite being very thinly cut. The marinated pork is so well-marinated that I honestly couldn't tell it was pork. Honestly would say I enjoyed the food more than what I've had at some of the really high-end KBBQ restaurants in Koreatown. The staff was amazing - they cooked everything for us and switched out the grills very often. read more

TLDR: A tasty charcoal KBBQ experience with well-trained staff who are attentive "behind the scenes" in front of you. Quite easily one of the smoothest dining experiences, where you really don't have to cook, but you also don't notice the staff because of how efficient they are. And what's most impressive? The way the staff CLEANED that Galbi bone! Ughhhh that's going to live rent free in my head for a while! Note: No rice paper, but salad is good, and so are ALL FOUR of their dipping sauces! - - - - - - Korean BBQ grilled over charcoal fire, how many places in KTown have that? Well, while search, Soot Bull Jip is on of those! I visited with a friend on a Monday night, and to be honest, this has been on my list for at least a decade (!) - so much so that I even remembered the street and nearby buildings. Parking is a tad difficult even with a small lot, and there is residential parking, though not the most safe. The waitlist was pretty quick by the door, and walking in to be greeted by charcoal smoke has got to be one of the most mixed experiences. Your face? Sweating potential disgusted. Your nose? Yum, salivating! My friend and I settled on their Jummulok and Soot Bull Jip Kalbi. Both meats came at a good portion - they better, for nearly being $100 total! One regret is that they did not have rice paper, but it really made me appreciate their salad more, a healthier, low carb alternative - if you're on a diet. Both meats were also tender, grilled to perfection by the staff. We also had their naengmyeon (cold noodles), which were tasty, though by this point, I was more than stuffed. At the end, paying was fairly easy, and only then I did really reflect on the dining experience. The restaurant itself is quite small, but the dark, rustic walls hide it pretty well. If you're also into the charcoal experience, seeing sparks fly between grilling and eating is perhaps an exhilarating sight. However, what's most impressive is how the staff slipped in and out of service and cooking, never skipping a beat in keeping those grills stocked with meat. Never once did they interrupt conversations, and they always found the perfect opportunity to ask if we wanted refills on water or sides. Think stagehands in a theatre, they did that, and well. Will be back soon! read more

See all

Soot Bull Jip is a complete disappointment. As soon as you enter the restaurant, you're greeted with a cloud of smoke. The restaurant had the doors open to allow some ventilation so that was a draft. There was no music and the vents sounded like a broken refrigerator humming throughout dinner. Service was ok, staff cooked the meat for us. This is not ayce and prices were high for Korean bbq so had expected higher quality meat. There is also a minimum of 2 order for the grill. The restaurant a gas half grill with maybe 6-8 pieces charcoal to cook the meat. Unfortunately, the charcoal left an unpleasant burnt flavor on the meat. Some of the meat was kind of chewy. The banchan was minimal, did not look fresh and missed the mark in terms of flavor. read more

Soot Bull Jip - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

What Soot Bull Jip does well is using high quality meats and providing a unique experience as being one of the only two KBBQ restaurants in LA that use a charcoal grill. It's not the best bang for your buck as portion sizes here are OK at best. It's not AYCE. The server cooked the Galbi for us but not the bulgolgi so I'm not sure if servers here only cook specific meats. You get a free set of banchan and rice with a 2 meat minimum order. My girlfriend and I got 1 order of bulgolgi ($49) and 1 order of the Soot Bull Galbi ($59) and each had water to drink. The post-tax total came out to $118 + $20 tip which came out to a grand total of $138. We were hungry again about 4 hours later. We could've gone to Hae Jang Chon and gotten similar high quality meats but AYCE for $44 each and stayed full all day. I will say you can taste the charcoal in the cooked meat so it does make a pleasant difference. It was nice to taste charcoal style KBBQ so I would recommend it as a one time thing if you're curious about tasting the difference. Also, the lettuce they serve is pretty addicting but $5 for a refill. read more

See all

The quality of the food is what you pay for & the flavor is excellent especially with charcoal grilling! This is the only place I know that uses charcoal.. Service is great!! Ambience is clean & decent! And most of all free parking!! read more

This place is a really unique experience. Short on ambience, but you know what you're getting is legitimate and traditional. Over the open charcoal fire really adds something to the flavor in the whole experience. It's intangible. Service was solid. The demand is certainly great because it was always busy. But the food was excellent. A little bit pricey, but for Koreatown actually quite normal. read more

Great food The taste you expect from an OG KBBq spot. Nice portion sizes. Been coming here for a long time and the food has always been great. Real charcoal is used to make nice flavors read more

Pretty average and expensive. They cook on charcoal but really don't have any better flavor than traditional Korean bbq. Sketchy part of town and hard to get to. Wouldn't come back. read more

Amazing Korean BBQ marinated and cooked over charcoal. It was a fun and new experience from a lot of the other KBBQ spots in the area. I will be dreaming about the beef short ribs read more

See all

This isn't AYCE and there's a minimum of two people per table (otherwise, they won't seat you). When you first enter, you'll be greeted with a very smoky ambience. That's because this is one of the few Korean BBQ restaurants that still use charcoal--not electric or gas--to grill. The smokiness of the restaurant did not bother me, as this was to be expected. Cooking on charcoal adds a different dimension to what each meat cut taste like. However, the cuts of meat here are a little on the pricey side. For example, a portion of ribeye steak is $58. A portion of the bulgogi is $43. Also, extra rice and banchan are $3 each. If you like having your food cooked on charcoal, I suppose you might find coming here worth it--as there aren't many charcoal Korean BBQ restaurants left. But, personally speaking, even with all the hate Gen Korean BBQ gets, nothing beats its ~$30 all-you-can-eat dinner price, with whatever meat(s) you want, and all the rice and banchan you want, with its many locations throughout SoCal. Coming here to Soot Bull Jip, however, has had me think about investing in a charcoal grill. On a positive note, Soot Bull Jip does have its own free parking, which makes eating in this restaurant easy, especially since parking in Koreatown is generally a pain in the ass. Also, the service, from Kevin, and other staff, was efficient and friendly. Overall, if you want the charcoal experience, and don't mind paying a premium for it, this is a good place to go. But, keep in mind, this isn't AYCE, and they won't seat you unless you have at least another person with you (two person minimum per table). read more

Great Korean food and service. Galbi (beef ribs) cooked in charcoal barbecue grill is very delicious. It's probably the best tasting BBQ in town. Our server, Kevin, cut the ribs before and during cooking. He also replaced the grill once it got used a bit. Highly recommended. read more

Soot Bull Jip - Galbi BBQ dinner with many banchans. - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I visited Soot Bull Jip this weekend. Our table was in the inside room rather than the main dining area. The food was pretty decent and the service was good. However, the ventilation in that room was quite poor. By the end of the meal, the space was filled with smoke -- it was so smoky that you could barely see the ceiling. I honestly felt concerned for the staff who have to work long hours in that environment. After the meal, my throat was irritated, and I immediately noticed how much cleaner the air felt once I stepped outside. I hope the owner considers improving the ventilation system or reconsidering the use of that additional space until proper ventilation is installed. read more

Wow, a BBQ restaurant smells like BBQ? What a surprise! Some might say it's a bit charred, but that's actually one of the key points of cooking over real charcoal. my husband and I absolutely loved it. The service was excellent, and above all, the meat was incredible! It's been a while since I've had goood beef galbi. Everything was exceptionally done. We'll definitely be there soon! read more

See all

You would have never guessed it from an outsider looking at the storefront, but this place is epic! Their meats are amazing. I came here with my sister in law who raved about it and it did not disappoint. You are getting what you're paying for... good quality meats and ingredients, and the server will also cook the meat for you. Easily the best KBBQ spot I've been to that I can remember. It's always a good reminder to note that AYCE BBQ never rivals that of premium a la carte ordering.... From their ban chan to the grill, I already can't wait to show this place off to my loved ones. I feel like I just got the low down of the best K BBQ spot in LA! read more

See all

this place is great. charcoal makes all the difference. go with 4-6 and work your way around the meats. so many good ones - tongue, ribs, galbi. all great. only complaint is there isn't a wide selection of banchan. that being said they refilled our salad, kimchi, and potato salad probably 10x so good job by them. read more

The food is about what you would expect for a korean bbq. Its not worth the price they serve for. Sure they have charcoal grills and that adds to the flavor of the meat. We got one order of chicken and one order of bulgogi and our bill came out to $91. The portion size wasn't enough to satisfy both of us. Not worth the price at all. read more

Alright, this place is honestly kind of fire. Their parking sucks when its busy, but who cares, street park am I right? Anyways, the place is known for their meat thats grilled over charcoal stones which helps the meat taste comparably different to conventional korean bbqs over gas grill. I think the meat quality is also really good and the service is also amazing as they're always walking around and grilling the meats for you. The prices can be hefty so it's a good one in awhile stop. read more

Soot Bull Jip - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Gotta support this OG Korean BBQ restaurant. One of my faves in town especially since Chosun Galbee's standard have dropped. The only restaurant in koreatown that is still using good ol' charcoal. It doesn't look fancy as the new ones but the food is great. Definitely get the baby back ribs and spicy cold noodles. On the pricier ($60-80 per person) but well worth it. Service is iffy when they are busy but food's solid and I keep coming back. Also, be prepared to smell like bbq! read more

See all

There are some things that Soot Bull Jip does extremely well, and it's why some members of my family have gone for years. We come here for one thing and one thing only, galbi. In fact it's usually the only protein that we order. The marinade here has not changed throughout the years and it is still one of the best spot for galbi. They add charcoal to the grill to get that smoky flavor and it does add smoke to the whole resteaurant so if smelll is a good for you, then it's probably best to skip this spot. They even provide you with glasses of ice so that you can add it to the grill to get more smoke from the charcoal as it melts and drips. The other protein options are fine, but not the focus for us here. We'll get a soup and/or noodles to add on top, with kimchi jjigae the one we usually go for. Banchan is solid here also. Service is pretty good - the team there will help cook and they are quick with requests. There's is an attached parking lot but it can get full pretty quickly. read more

They say we don't appreciate what we have, and that we want what we can't have. There's undoubtedly significant truth in that axiom, because of the 3 KBBQ restaurants (the other 2 being Bak Kung and Soowon Galbi) offering charcoal grills that I have been to in the past, this is the last of the 3 remaining that still has them (the other two have apparently switched to gas-only grills - Bak Kung I confirmed firsthand, Soowon Galbi I confirmed via a recent phone call with their staff). There are undoubtedly others of its kind still in operation, but Soot Bull Jeep is the last one standing that I have actually been to. And as such, I appear to have a renewed and greater level of appreciation for it than I did in the past. The consensus in my dining party was that the Short Ribs were definitely the winner of the meat options we had sampled during our visit. The delicious Bulgogi was a close second. The Baby Back Ribs were decent (I would not mind getting them again), but it's probably rightfully ranked 3rd. The Jumulleok was definitely the least appetizing of the 4 ... while not "terrible", it was by an order of magnitude the blandest of the 4 (even with the salt and sesame oil dipping sauce), and I would not recommend ordering it - stick with the marinated meat options. Ok, let's discuss the elephant in the room ... the pricing (this place is not AYCE). Before tax and tip, it cost me $255 to feed my party of 4 adults here. It would have cost significantly less to feed us at pretty much every AYCE KBBQ we had ever been to (and the experience would honestly have been more or less comparable, sans the rich smokey charcoal flavor). Was it worth it? The TLDR answer: Yes. "Value" is certainly a subjective matter, and there are so many variables to consider here - in particular, the consumption capabilities of the diners in question, as well as the financial means of said diners. Life has been *very* good to me since my last visit here, and as such, I have no regrets about spending money here. Your mileage may vary depending on the degree of your discretionary income and price sensitivity. I'd definitely say that you have passed the point of diminishing returns if you choose to eat here. But if you want the unique feature of charcoal grills as part of your KBBQ dining experience, that's just the price of admission. Besides the aforementioned matter of pricing, the only real con I can think of to this place is that the complimentary dipping sauce is on the blander side compared to the dipping sauce provided by some other KBBQ establishments (and I'm probably just nitpicking there if I'm being honest). The service during my most recent visit was a lot better than I remember from my prior visit in 2015. The restaurant still has the adjacent parking lot, which adds to its attractiveness as a dining option for the area if you are driving your own car here. read more

See all

The real OG of Korean BBQ. We have been coming here since 2003 way before Korean BBQ became so uber popular. Came to visit today for old time's sake, and it's still as good as the first time we went. Service was impeccable, with very attentive servers. It wasn't so busy today and we had a quiet dining experience. The charcoal grills really do make a huge difference in the flavor of the food. Although the food was delicious and so satisfying, it is not AYCE (never was). However, for people with big appetites, this may not be the place for you. As it could get pretty expensive. A single order can run you anywhere from $32-$46. Quite pricey, I should say. Although, it's good food, it's too expensive for me and not worth spending all that dough when I can AYCE somewhere else with great food to boot! read more

See all

I had been here a few years back, and I'm happy to report that it's still one of my favorite Korean barbecue spots in Koreatown. It's one of the only spots that still uses charcoal grills, and I'm so glad that they do because the flavors are unmatched. I came here on a weekday evening with a friend, and there were a decent amount of people dining but no wait. We opted for the House Special Galbi and the House Special Pork Ribs, and I'd say if you don't know what to get, you should opt for these. Everything here is a la carte, so you'll have to order things like soups and sides as additions to the meat. The staff here cook all the meat for you, and service was amazing throughout our meal. The meat is incredibly flavorful and tender. I do wish they gave more complimentary sides and had things like rice paper, but simplicity definitely shines here. Definitely one of the most consistently delicious spots in Koreatown -- just make sure you come prepared to have your clothes and hair smellin like KBBQ after! read more

See all

The Korean food here was excellent. Everything was so fresh and flavorful, and the service was great! The short ribs were outstanding, made with high-quality meat. I recommend this restaurant and look forward to dining there again in the future. I'm from Newport Beach and was visiting my daughter who frequents this restaurant often as a favorite of hers. The restaurant has attended parking adjacent to the property, which was nice and convenient. read more

Ok, I'm not Korean, but damn...this place is gooood. If you've been to KBBQ, this place is another level. Something about cooking on open flame just kicks things up another level. The place is deceptively big, lots of tables big and small. We took our time, but it seemed like there was some quick table turns so don't be discouraged if it seems the wait is long. Servers were spot on. Always keeping the meats cooking. Parking can be really tough, if you are not lucky enough to get a spot in their parking lot. Trust me, it's worth it. read more

Unique because they utilize charcoal grills to cook their meats. I tried their galbi, ribeye steak, and beef tongue. My favorite was the ribeye eye steak due to its perfect tenderness. The charcoal grill made for a fun experience with the cool-looking glowing embers but didn't make these meats discernibly better in my opinion. Good and attentive service. Prices on the pricier side. Meat quality here is on similar level to the other popular Korean bbq places in Koreatown. Definitely can't go wrong coming here. read more

Ambiance here is very no-nonsense. Let's be real here, it's a super smoky restaurant because of the charcoal, and you will leave smelling like food. But that's also exactly why you come here. The short ribs were amazing quality and tasted great. We also ordered their ribs which were also very fantastic. The service is also no-nonsense, but they were quick and skilled in their cooking. No complaints there. Honestly, it's just so hard to beat the real charcoal flavor that they provide here, with high quality briquettes and high quality meat. Leaving smelling like smoke is 100% worth it. read more