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    The Ppong

    4.2 (310 reviews)
    ModerateKorean, Chinese, Soup
    Closed 11:30 am - 3:00 pm, 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
    Updated 1 month ago

    Order The Ppong Takeout or Delivery

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    THE PPONG ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for groups
    Outdoor seating

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    Reviews With Photos - The Ppong

    Ben H.

    The most enjoyable Korean food I've had in a while. After living in Seoul for 2 months, sometimes I forget how lucky we are that ktown exists and this place does too. Seafood Jjam Ppong: GETTTT This was the star of the show and omg the perfectly spicy and bright flavors will make your day and make you do the happy dance with every bite. Jajangmyeon (black bean noodles): GET! This was flavorered so well and the perfect amount of savory and creaminess. This is probably my favorite Korean dish and this place does it justice. Sweet and sour pork: Get I've had a lot of places recently and this place does it well. A good balance of sweet and sour where one doesn't overpower the other. It could use a touch more flavor though Ofc like any other LA spot, parking can be touch but there's a small lot in front Food: 9/10 Service: 7/10 Atmosphere: 6/10 Value: 6/10

    Spicy Seafood Jjam Ppong /  해물짬뽕

    Came here when it first opened. Hadn't been back for a while but was very much looking forward to having this again since I remember it being so yummy and packed with seafood and good flavored broth. Left incredibly disappointed. This was not what it was before. Maybe the recipe changed or something but now the broth tastes like instant spicy ramen with just one shrimp and a few clams and other chewy seafood bits and ramen noodles. The clams were also not cleaned well since they were grainy and tasted a little off. I didn't even bother finishing. Won't be coming back. Service was ok. Parking was easy.

    Sweet and Sour Pork
    Tricia T.

    Pros: - Parking lot (no valet) - good deals with noodles and pork set - Jamppong was massive! - efficient service, have tablets to order Cons: - Jamppong was delicious. I prefer a more clear broth, but this felt a little heavier - Jajjangmyeon was a bit in the blander side - pork had an assortment of meat to flour ratio of some being a lot of meat/little Looking forward to trying different ones around ktown

    I was looking for a place to park and eat, here it is , couple of blocks from Koreatown and h market (15 min free parking), this place , if you are lucky allow you to park. The noodle is big bowl and $20, you will enjoy it, spicy, soup is genuine, a little complain is the crab leg, not fresh (smell of ammonia ), well at least it get the soup to have seafood smell. I just tossed that into the empty bowl on the right. Given I have been to Korea on business (suwon samsung) a couple of times, this place is legit!

    Jjajangmyeon
    Donovan C.

    One of the weaker jjajangmyeon spots I've tried in Ktown. The staff was extremely nice and welcoming, and getting seated was immediate. The inside is decently sized and well lit. You order through a tablet at your table which was convenient, and parking wasn't too bad in their lot. Unfortunately, that's where the positives end. We got the Jjajangmyeon + Sweet & Sour Pork Combo which seemed like a decent deal. The noodles themselves were fine, but the sauce was bland and underseasoned. It felt like it was just there to mix into the noodles without actually bringing any taste. There were only two tiny pork pieces in it, which at that point, might as well have been taken out completely. Maybe we just got an unlucky scoop? The pork also had similar issues. They were more soft than crispy, and the sauce was barely sweet or sour. Like the jjajangmyeon, the sauce felt like it was just kinda there to exist. Admittedly, the portions also could've been a little bigger. I feel bad leaving a negative review since our server was genuinely really nice, but flavor-wise, it just didn't hit. I wouldn't come back unless the recipes see some major changes.

    Jajangmyeon / Sweet and Sour Pork
    Vivian D.

    The Ppong is a spot for those who enjoy Jajangmyeon and Jamppong noodles. I heard of this restaurant from TikTok, during the period when Covid was at it's peak in 2020. Over the past 4 years, I've found myself periodically craving Jajangmyeon and this place was always the first restaurant to come to mind. The quality of the food at The Ppong is consistently impressive. Ingredients are fresh, and the flavors are well-balanced. The dishes are generally on the more afforable side, compared to other establishment that serve the same dishes, which I definitely appreciate. Service at The Ppong is generally attentive and friendly. However, during peak hours, there can be a bit of a wait, and service might slow done slightly due to the shortness in staff and seating in the restaurant. Nonetheless, the staff professionalism and eagerness to assist make up for any minor delays. Overall, The Ppong is a great casual dining location with its newly innovative ordering system, and high quality food. I would 10/10 recommend getting the Black Bean Noodles w/ Sweet and Sour Pork. The portions are absolutely amazing and will satisfy every craving you have.

    Black bean noodles, Sweet and Sour Pork,Deep Fried Dumplings
    Madeline V.

    Their black bean noodles are amazingly saucy, flavorful and enjoyable to chew on! The price for their dishes is very affordable and I love coming back because of the service, vibe and delicious food! The deep fried dumplings are great, v crispy and the sauce was delectable to the point where my bf and I dipped the pork in :) the pork isn't my favorite due to not eating pork too much but my bf and other friends who have tried it enjoy it!! I will say that i wish the jajangmyeon had some more beef in it because if it did I wouldn't mind paying more for it :)

    Trinny T.

    Beware with the black bean noodles. They took instant black bean noodles. The dish is not restaurant made. You go to the Ppong, you should just get the jam ppong only. The jam ppong are actually quite tasty with average spicy level and hot flavorful soup. The meals came out super fast. The sweet and sour pork is also good but I like Zzamong's more. The parking lot is private with decent ample parking. I would come here only for jam ppong.

    Spicy Seafood Noodle Soup

    The bowl or visual containing jjamppong was delicious. But when I took a bite, it was just a food that didn't really taste like jjamppong. I think they should pay more attention to the taste of the soup than the visible visuals. The order is also made with the machine on the table, You can only order the payment, but you can go to the front separately and pay the cashier. I hesitated for a while. I wondered how much I should give Cashier a tip.

    Vivian P.

    Great casual spot for good Korean-Chinese food! The restaurant is small but with decent seating. We ordered two types of the champong (one seafood and one with meat and seafood), the black bean noodles, and the ttangsuyuk (fried pork with sweet sauce). In all the dishes, the ingredients were top-tier quality. The noodles were also very chewy, unlike a lot of other places. Our favorite dish was the fried pork. They serve it with fresh cut cabbage and other vegetables which was a fun take on the dish that added a lot of freshness. The noodle dishes taste-wise was average, but I think the quality of the ingredients definitely give them brownie points. What made me give this place 5 stars was the service. Who I presume to be the owner was so kind and accommodating. He was very attentive and quick to bring us anything we needed. I definitely recommend supporting this business!

    Black Bean Noodle
    Samuel L.

    A cute restaurant that serves up good black bean noodles and sweet and sour pork. The staff here is some of the friendliest I've met in Ktown so that is definitely a plus! Clean restaurant and modern vibes is what I would say the atmosphere is like. Onto the food, the food is pretty standard for what it is, though the flavors are good and they make everything fresh which is a great touch. Not my favorite black bean noodle place but Ppong is definitely above the average black bean noodle joint! I would recommend this place if you're looking for a reasonably priced black bean noodle place! Authentic in flavors, friendly staff, and parking in ktown all lead to a good experience!

    Sweet and Sour Pork Black Bean Noodle Seafood Jjam Ppong
    Dan C.

    A very casual Korean place that specializes in (and really only serves) jjjamppong and jajangmyeon. And they do it pretty well. We came on a Saturday afternoon and were greeted by the single server very warmly. He asked us if we've tried these dishes before; we had, but another couple after us did not and he took time to explain the menu to them. Food is ordered through a kiosk on the table and brought out to you, which means when you're seated the service is very fast. We saw the jajajangmyeon and pork combo on Instagram and came for that. The black bean noodles were sweet, savory, and pleasantly chewy. But the portion is a little small, and I kind of wish it had more meat and was warmer when it came to us. We've never had Korean sweet and sour pork before, and I like how separating the sauce and meat kept it nice and crispy. The sauce legit tasted like apple pie filling; it was delicious, but I added a healthy amount vinegar to balance it out. We tried the jjamppong too just because it's in the name and the combination is classic, but it was by far our favorite. It's *loaded* with a variety of seafood, veggies, and noodles, with tons of smoky wok flavor packed into the creamy and delicious broth. It's just spicy enough, and I added plenty of gochugaru on the side for more heat. They don't have a combo plate, so bring a friend to try both the jjamppong and jajangmyeon. Or don't, come extra hungry, and inhale both yourself. We're definitely coming back, for two jjamppongs and a jajangmyeon to share.

    Seafood jjam ppong, Black Bean Noodle, Extra noodle
    Sandy S.

    This tiny little restaurant nestled right between Hancock Park and Ktown is super cute and feels like a snack shop you'd find in an alley Seoul. The tiny menu (maybe 8 items) is limited but delicious. I can appreciate them only having a few things but doing those dishes right! Jjamppong (the restaurant's namesake) is soooooo satisfying. Scalding hot, spicy, full of seafood and scorched onions for that wok flavor, and chewy bouncy noods! Definitely the standout dish. We also had jjajang myun and it was solid, but nothing out of the ordinary. The sweet & sour pork, must when eating these noodles was so refined from the old school version. The quality of pork seemed high and lean, and love the touch of shredded fresh veggie slaw on top for some freshness. The young man, the only person working the front of house was gentle, kind, attentive and efficient. What More can you ask for at a 10 table restaurant. It's may have given five stars if they served fresh crunchy cabbage kimchi (no kimchi here so manage your expectations). Regardless, Deeeelish!

    Sweet and Sour Pork

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    1 year ago

    Delicious, albeit spicy, food!! Great portions, inviting environment. Great little place to know!

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    Page 1 of 8

    The Ppong Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - The Ppong

    Do i have to call them for delivery or do i have to use doordash?

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    Yes but with a $5 fee

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    Hangari Kalguksu

    Hangari Kalguksu

    4.4
    (3.3k reviews)
    1.0 mi
    $$
    Women-owned & operated
    10 years in business

    We went on a Sunday afternoon, and there was a decent line outside the restaurant. However, the…read moreline moved quickly. They handed out menus and took your order when you were close to the front. Once seated inside, they welcomed you with their signature banchan dishes: the nutty boribap (보리밥), which tastes great on its own but even better with their yeolmu kimchi (radish water kimchi). There's also their tasty radish kimchi and napa kimchi. Throughout the meal, they replenished our banchan multiple times without us asking. We tried two of the new items: Galbi Kalguksu: A delicious, deep-flavored bone broth with knife-cut noodles, shredded fried egg, sliced radish, and scallions. The meat fell off the bone, and I loved the broth, though my husband thought it was a little on the saltier side. Perilla Oil Makguksu: Cold buckwheat noodles in perilla oil. Mixed with sliced shiitake mushrooms, shredded perilla leaf, gim (seaweed), sesame seeds, and scallions. It's a deliciously light refreshing dish if you don't want the heavy knife-cut noodle dishes. Last, I ordered the Non-spicy Seafood Kalguksu. It comes with a anchovy broth with a lot of seafood flavors. It's a lighter broth than the galbi but still rich in flavor. It came with clams, mussels, shrimps and 1/2 crab. There was also sliced pumpkin and zucchini. Everything tasted great. Their servers were very attentive and generous with replenishing the side dishes, and overall it was a wonderful experience. If you see a line and don't mind waiting 15-30 minutes, it moves pretty quickly, so don't be deterred by it.

    I had always heard about this place from my food research and it was further reinforced by a friend…read morewho recommended this to us. We came as a group of 9 and thankfully, they allow for reservations if you are a group of 8 or bigger. Take note! Especially in this LA peak heat. We checked in with the valet and they gave us menus as we waited about 15/20 minutes for the table to be ready. You will need to order before you are seated and you cannot order anymore food once you are seated, given how popular they are, this makes plenty sense. We were seated inside with cooling AC and the restaurant is quite large inside! It could certainly have several parties in there. Soon, our galbi kalguksu, XL chicken kalguksu, tteokbeokki and XL pork jowl and pork belly bossam showed up. Everything was extra delicious and fresh. The soups in both the galbi and chicken kalguksus were amazing and the hand pulled noodles were divine. We drank and ate everything up quickly. The tteokbeokki was delicious, but too spicy so the rest of the party was able to enjoy it. The bossam was all so tender and had just enough napa and garlic to go with it along with the many unique sauces we could dip all the meats in. Everyone left feeling happy and it satisfied everyone's palates.

    Photos
    Belly and Jowl & Chicken-KALGUKSU
    Belly and Jowl & Chicken-KALGUKSU
    Bossam jowl combo
    Bossam jowl combo
    (MEDIUM) Hangari Bossam (Serves 2)

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    (MEDIUM) Hangari Bossam (Serves 2)
    Danbi

    Danbi

    4.5
    (403 reviews)
    1.0 mi
    $$$

    Danbi has been on my list to try for over a year! I was super excited when my friend wanted to go…read moretry this place with me. They had parking for $10 in their shared lot. We got to try a couple of things. The first thing we ate was their corn cheese roll. The waiter said this is new to the menu and I hope it stays. If you are a fan of Korean cheese corn, you are going to love this. It's corn and cheese wrapped up in an egg roll like wrapper. It was a great starter. Next, we got the endive salad! This salad was beautiful and fresh! Everything you want in a salad and more. I love the sweet corn in this salad too. Every ingredient balance each other so well. We also got the scallop pancake. This was the dish I always wanted to try here but after eating it, it felt a bit heavy compare to the other dishes. It was okay but the other dishes shined more. Lastly, we got the pork jowl, my favorite of the night. It came with a side of garlic rice! You dip the pork with the chili crisp and eat it with a scoop of rice, delicious!! I wish I had that dish right now. Overall, a great dinner spot in ktown!!!

    Korean food with a twist…read more Chips: definitely in the sweeter side. Saltiness of the chips helped balance it out Scallop pancake: wish they were the larger scallops instead of the small ones but they were fried really well. The breading pancake part def was a bit doughy and a little undercooked Jowl: great. Loved the ssamjang and traditional peppers they gave with it. Should've asked for extra samjang Steak: most of my groups favorite. Cooked incredibly well and the perilla leaf chimchurri was very unique. Might have to incorporate that myself when making chimichurri. They had Korean inspired drinks which were yummy. The injeolmi flavor in mine came through really strongly (good thing). The gim-let tasted like a standard gimlet asides from the piece of fried seaweed ggim on top. Hwachae cocktail was also tasty but didn't taste unique

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    Inside bar
    Inside bar
    Scallop Pancakes
    Scallop Pancakes
    Perilla Cild Noodle

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    Perilla Cild Noodle
    Ham Ji Park

    Ham Ji Park

    4.2
    (1.8k reviews)
    1.1 mi
    $$$

    I just walked by, all the Ham Ji stuff still inside but construction was underway with the door to…read more6th St. wide open. Plastic sheeting was up to protect the kitchen and other areas, so it's nothing major whatever is happening. Anyone know more info?

    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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    The Ppong - korean - Updated August 2026

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