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I get why Broken Mouth has been rated as Yelp's #1 spot - it really is THAT good! And it brings me back to Hawaii. The meat Jim is a little sweet beef pancake, and the garlic shrimp is so flavorful and delicious. Service is so incredibly nice and friendly. Food takes about 40 minutes to come out during peak hours over the weekend, so make sure to order ahead. There is a paid lot for $8 right behind the food hall.
We finally tried Broken Mouth after having it on our list for a while, and it may be the best Hawaiian food we've found around Los Angeles. It's a quick, no-frills food court spot with a handful of tables. Parking can be tricky, but there's street parking out front and a paid lot behind the building. We tried the kalbi short rib special, the local breakfast plate with Portuguese sausage, and a Spam musubi. Everything was delicious. The purple rice blend was a nice change, the kalbi was flavorful without being too sweet, and the Portuguese sausage was perfect. The owner Tim grew up in Hawaii, and you can taste that influence in the food. Like him, we also grew up in the Pacific Islands, so we really appreciated the familiar flavors and how well they were done. He was also very friendly, and the portions were huge. This is definitely a must-try. Wherever Broken Mouth ends up next, we'll be following.
I'm going to keep this one short and sweet. Food is delicious, truly can't go wrong with any item on the menu. I'm a musubi fiend so that's a must for me. It's in a food hall, in case you're not sure where it's at. Parking in LA can be limited. What makes me like the place the most is the brains behind this operation. Braddah Tim is a Hawaii native, so I'm always going to rock with the ohana making a name for themselves on the mainland here. Dude was super chill and welcoming. Mahalo for the service and food brah, keep it up.
This spot is so awesome Timothy Lee the chef/ owner is one the kindest and coolest dudes around with a tremendous love and passion for food and culture I ordered the meat plate with Mac salad and for $30 you get a HUGE portion. I was able to split this into 3 meals and probably could've gone to 4 even. The rice is excellent, the Mac salad is insanely good and one of the best and most unique versions I've had, and that beef - WOW. Tender, juicy, flavorful, coated in fluffy egg batter. This is the best version of home cooking and comfort food there is
YOU NEED TO ORDER THE SHRIMP Earlier my friend wanted to go to Pine and Crane, but I didn't want to eat dumplings and noodles so I ended up finding this place. SO GLAD I DID! Parking is a little bit crazy around the area. I got lucky because it was a federal holiday on Juneteenth. But if you can find parking, it is well worth it! This hole in the wall place is inside a small little food court next to pizza and a Thai place. I know it might seem a little bit sketchy around the neighborhood, but there's some tables inside to eat and also nice little photo area outside of the food hall. Food: - SHRIMP 15/10 would recommend. Make sure you eat it right then and there with shell on. It had the best seasoning, butter and crunch. I could just do 40 of these. I chose the green salad, but you could also choose cucumber and Mac salad as well. The green salad was packed to the brim! - Meat Jun - ALSO FIRE. It was super tender and flavorful. Don't sleep on this one as well. Quality of meat is amazing. Service does take a little bit longer around 15 min but for the quality of food, I don't mind waiting. As I was thinking about this in the car, I thought to myself it did seem kind of expensive $22 for shrimp and $26 for the beef but we did get complementary drinks so same same. I know it takes a lot of time and energy to prep this deliciousness. Overall, everything was absolutely amazing! Thank you so much Broken Mouth for the experience! We'll definitely be back soon to try the short rib. Cool future implementation: Would love to have a bigger mix and match or 2 item combo box!
Don't let the appearance fool you; this place is a hidden gem worth seeking out. Delicious food served in generous portions. I ordered the beef, and wow the flavors were incredible, bursting with every bite. The portion was so large that I ended up enjoying the leftovers for dinner as well. The Meat Jun sauce and the chili sesame vinaigrette complemented the dish perfectly and elevated the entire meal. This restaurant deserves a better location and much more attention. From the outside, it looks like it's tucked away in a rundown cafeteria, and I would've never guessed there was a restaurant there.
What a gem! Nothing great about the outside, or the food court itself (restroom access is through a security guard), but the service was outstanding and the food was great! We ordered pick up at a specifc time on the way to a concert. Food was ready exactly when we needed it to be. Everything we had was great, and the amount of food was over the top. Shout out for the drinks!
Hawaiian Korean fusion that excels in what it does located in a small food hall in DTLA. Service and hospitality is a 10/10 especially for being essentially only at a counter. The Teri Chicken plate is maybe a little pricey but it can easily feed 3 people the servings are very generous! Flavorful, juicy chicken served with furikake purple rice and great mac salad. Definitely recommend!
My family was around the area and were craving Meat Jun, which is surprisingly hard to find on the Mainland. There were a few parking garages and street parking nearby as it is in downtown LA and all. Plenty of seating when you come in and there's a fe other food stalls inside. When we went up to order, the man at the front was super helpful and nice. We tried a few different things to all try. -Beef Plate Lunch 5/5- The Meat Jun in question, was thin and battered perfectly but still was easy to bite. The sauce it came with was extremely authentic and felt like home. It was served on top a bed of purple rice. One of us paired it with the cucumber which was perfectly spicy and flavorful. The other paired it with a side of the potato-mac salad that was not too creamy and felt complimented the meat Jun well. -Teri Chicken Plate Lunch 4/5- I loved the flavor of the chicken, but some pieces were a bit drier than what I would have preferred. Also served over purple rice with a side -Spam Musubi 5/5- Served with their signature purple rice, which I have never had before. It was loaded up with rice and spam and lots of flavor. It was a nice reminder of home. - Local Breakfast 4/5- I love Portuguese sausage and my only critique is that there's not enough of it! -Kalbi Short Rib Plate 5/5- Was a special that they had for the day and they still had a few left. Very flavorful and easy to tear off the bone, I loved it. Overall, Broken Mouth satisfied our cravings and exceeded all our expectations! Would definitely go back. Also shout out for the complimentary drinks as it was our first time there, truly appreciated! Would definitely recommend and come back when we're in the area!
Broken Mouth | Lee's Homestyle was within walking distance of the Convention Center where I was attending a conference last month. It was on my bucket list after I learned that the business received the designation of the #1 Yelp restaurant in 2023. That was not a fluke either as Broken Mouth has made the top 10 in multiple years. The location was on the ground floor food court of the Santee Apartments in the Fashion District. I was quite surprised to see no customers in line when I arrived shortly after they had opened for lunch hours. In speaking with the manager on duty, he stated that most of the regulars place their order online ahead of time to minimize the waiting. The one page food menu consisted of two brunch offerings, four plate lunches, five a la carte items, one dessert, and various non-alcoholic beverages. After reading some of the reviews, I ordered the most popular choices which were the Spam Musubi, Beef Plate Lunch, and Shrimp Plate Lunch. I was generously offered two cans of Aloha Maid Juice as I paid and then took a seat at a table in the communal dining area to wait for my food. About 25 minutes later, a paper bag was handed over with takeout containers for the two plate lunches along with the Saran-wrapped musubi. Purple rice was used in their dishes which is something I haven't seen at the Hawaiian cuisine restaurants in my hometown. The musubi was Spam and purple rice wrapped in seaweed. It had the proper density and chew when I bit into the product. The beef plate was actually meat jun. It's egg-battered ribeye beef slices served with a tangy dipping sauce. Purple rice and my choice of kimchi cucumber came as sides. The meat was tender and flavorful. The fermented cucumber provided acid to cut through the fried beef. I saved the shrimp plate for later in the day. Six pieces of garlic butter shrimp fried with the shell on were served with purple rice and my choice of macaroni salad. I can't recall the last time I consumed an entire shrimp without removing the shell first. The way it was fried allowed the crustacean to be eaten as is, but at least the kitchen deveined the product first. The mac salad was quite creamy. The manager (Tim) was really down to earth as he explained various items on the menu to myself and the customers who came after me since we were all newbies. The prices were reasonable for the quality of food. It was the level of service that elevated my rating to five stars for Broken Mouth | Lee's Homestyle.
Highly recommend the garlic shrimp! The shell was packed with garlicky flavor and honestly reminded me of the garlic shrimp I had in Hawaii. Messy to eat but totally worth it. We also tried the meat jun- beef slices coated in egg. The texture was good, but the sweetness was a little overpowering for my taste. If you like sweeter savory dishes, you'd probably enjoy it more than I did.
Great tasting Hawaiian dishes with a Korean fusion kick! The owner is super nice and walked us through the menu since it was our first time here. He let us sample some of the drinks as well. I highly recommend the POG! The owner told us that all of the food is made to order, and they had a lot of Doordash orders at that time so we were looking at a 20 minute wait. I appreciated the warning but tbh it was no big deal at all! Fresh food is worth the wait :) The owner told us that the two most popular dishes were the beef and the shrimp. What took me by surprise and what I thought was unique was that the beef was cooked in a egg batter, which basically means it comes out kind of like an omelet. My girlfriend really loved the shrimp. You can eat it with the shells too. The shrimp is super flavorful and has a really distinct unique taste. The food is a little more on the expensive side but it is worth it for the portion size. The only odd thing (but minor) about this place is the location. It's located in a random food court in DTLA that is a bit difficult to find. There's no parking so you just have to rely on street parking. It wasn't difficult but it was a little scary since it's so close to Skid Row. Most people don't eat here and take it to go.
If you're local, you already know how great this place is! We're not from the area, so the drive in was an experience of its own. Broken Mouth sits in LA's Fashion District, and we'll admit we were a little surprised when the GPS said we'd arrived. It's tucked into a small food court in a busy, gritty part of downtown, so it definitely doesn't look like much from the outside. But don't judge it too quickly, because what's inside is absolutely worth it! Street parking is a little tight, so grab a metered spot if you can find one. And if the meter happens to be broken, just take a photo or note it so you don't get an unfair ticket. Quick tip from the owner: their busiest times are right when they open and right before they close, so keep that in mind if you'd rather avoid a wait! The food was excellent! We got the beef plate, and it was so tender and cooked perfectly. It came with purple rice, a fun twist on regular rice, plus a really good potato salad on the side. The local breakfast was my personal favorite, mostly because of the Portuguese sausage. So good! We also had a spam musubi on the side, which was a fun little bite. We also tried the brioche bread pudding, which was a touch dry but still delicious. I'd love it even more with a scoop of ice cream. To drink, we grabbed two Aloha Maid juices, pineapple orange and strawberry guava. Both were tasty, but the strawberry guava was my favorite. The owner mentioned he personally loves the kalbi beef short ribs, so that's on my list for next time. Beyond the food, the owner really made our visit special. He took our order himself and was so kind, humble, and clearly loves what he does. You can tell he genuinely cares about his customers and his food, and it made the whole experience feel warm and welcoming. Overall, such an uplifting experience! Just come prepared for the area and the parking, and you'll have a wonderful time. We will definitely be back for those short ribs!
After exploring DTLA and catching a few museums we went looking for some food and Hawaiian style sounded good so we made the journey to Broken Mouth. Although the area isn't very desirable, broken mouth was worth it. We were greeted upon arrival and offered a free beverage due to wait time, he was extremely friendly and kind. I went with the shrimp plate which is cooked with the shell on, so if that's not your thing you might want to pass. The flavor was wonderful, rice and cucumber kimchi salad was a plus as well. Plenty of seating and tables in the area to enjoy the meal before we headed back to our hotel. Worth the stop. read more
Tucked away in a dinky food court, Broken Mouth is a great little find. Tried the Hawaiian-style sausage breakfast and Spam musubi. The musubi was simple, but the furikake seasoning was fantastic. The breakfast plate was comforting, with smoky sausages that had a nice grilled flavor. There was a generous amount of rice, and I would've loved something saucy to put over the extra. The gentleman who took my order was super helpful and genuinely kind, which made the whole experience even better. A nice little food court surprise. read more
Broken Mouth is a quaint and casual takeout counter within a food hall in DTLA in the fashion district that was named Yelp's #1 restaurant in the nation in 2023. For many factors, I can agree with that after my experience grabbing food there that still tasted amazing after traveling back to my hotel, and then to the convention center an hour after pickup. It's a fusion of Korean and Hawaiian comfort fare - primarily plate lunches with a spin on the ingredients and flavors. They may be a bit pricier and in a smaller box than the usual plate lunch, but owner Timothy Lee packs them in! The aesthetics are fantastic, too, with the purple rice, various sides and furikake, and seasoning sprinkled with love. Everything is extra flavored but not overly powerful, and the ingredients taste very fresh and intentional. The food is made to make people happy and full. - Beef For plate lunches, you have a choice of side (potato-mac, cucumber kimchi, or Korean greens) - you can even sub the rice with another side. Their beef plate is actually a meat jun, which is slices of ribeye beef served within an omelette, sliced into strips. It comes with a delicious soy-based sauce, which honestly it didn't even need. The egg was subtly sweet, and meat was quite tender. I was surprised at how much meat there was after I kept eating every slice. There's definitely enough for more than one meal. I loved having this with the cucumber kimchi, which was heaven - it tasted like they paid attention to every individual slice. - Shrimp Garlic butter flavored shell on shrimp fried in a way to make the shell pretty edible! The fry reminded me of cornmeal-crusted style; light and very crispy. The shrimp were thick and fatty with tons of garlic flavor, which integrated so well with the rice. I had this with the potato-mac, which was extremely creamy and smooth, with surprise pops of chopped macaroni noodles. I liked how it was simply mash, finely minced eggs, and macaroni, with very tiny traces of other ingredients. - Spam Musubi It's a solid musubi made with purple rice, which didn't make it taste too different from normal white rice musubi. Fun treat, but the main stars are still the plate lunches and other sides. The owner made sure to treat me well on my first visit to Broken Mouth, and offered some of his favorite flavors off Aloha Maid juice cans. Even without his kindness, Broken Mouth is one of the best places I've eaten at ever, so is much deserving of the accolades. I hope to come back every time I ever find myself in DTLA! read more
I get why Broken Mouth has been rated as Yelp's #1 spot - it really is THAT good! And it brings me back to Hawaii. The meat Jim is a little sweet beef pancake, and the garlic shrimp is so flavorful and delicious. Service is so incredibly nice and friendly. Food takes about 40 minutes to come out during peak hours over the weekend, so make sure to order ahead. There is a paid lot for $8 right behind the food hall. read more
We finally tried Broken Mouth after having it on our list for a while, and it may be the best Hawaiian food we've found around Los Angeles. It's a quick, no-frills food court spot with a handful of tables. Parking can be tricky, but there's street parking out front and a paid lot behind the building. We tried the kalbi short rib special, the local breakfast plate with Portuguese sausage, and a Spam musubi. Everything was delicious. The purple rice blend was a nice change, the kalbi was flavorful without being too sweet, and the Portuguese sausage was perfect. The owner Tim grew up in Hawaii, and you can taste that influence in the food. Like him, we also grew up in the Pacific Islands, so we really appreciated the familiar flavors and how well they were done. He was also very friendly, and the portions were huge. This is definitely a must-try. Wherever Broken Mouth ends up next, we'll be following. read more
I'm going to keep this one short and sweet. Food is delicious, truly can't go wrong with any item on the menu. I'm a musubi fiend so that's a must for me. It's in a food hall, in case you're not sure where it's at. Parking in LA can be limited. What makes me like the place the most is the brains behind this operation. Braddah Tim is a Hawaii native, so I'm always going to rock with the ohana making a name for themselves on the mainland here. Dude was super chill and welcoming. Mahalo for the service and food brah, keep it up. read more
This spot is so awesome Timothy Lee the chef/ owner is one the kindest and coolest dudes around with a tremendous love and passion for food and culture I ordered the meat plate with Mac salad and for $30 you get a HUGE portion. I was able to split this into 3 meals and probably could've gone to 4 even. The rice is excellent, the Mac salad is insanely good and one of the best and most unique versions I've had, and that beef - WOW. Tender, juicy, flavorful, coated in fluffy egg batter. This is the best version of home cooking and comfort food there is read more
4 months ago
YOU NEED TO ORDER THE SHRIMP Earlier my friend wanted to go to Pine and Crane, but I didn't want to eat dumplings and noodles so I ended up finding this place. SO GLAD I DID! Parking is a little bit crazy around the area. I got lucky because it was a federal holiday on Juneteenth. But if you can find parking, it is well worth it! This hole in the wall place is inside a small little food court next to pizza and a Thai place. I know it might seem a little bit sketchy around the neighborhood, but there's some tables inside to eat and also nice little photo area outside of the food hall. Food: - SHRIMP 15/10 would recommend. Make sure you eat it right then and there with shell on. It had the best seasoning, butter and crunch. I could just do 40 of these. I chose the green salad, but you could also choose cucumber and Mac salad as well. The green salad was packed to the brim! - Meat Jun - ALSO FIRE. It was super tender and flavorful. Don't sleep on this one as well. Quality of meat is amazing. Service does take a little bit longer around 15 min but for the quality of food, I don't mind waiting. As I was thinking about this in the car, I thought to myself it did seem kind of expensive $22 for shrimp and $26 for the beef but we did get complementary drinks so same same. I know it takes a lot of time and energy to prep this deliciousness. Overall, everything was absolutely amazing! Thank you so much Broken Mouth for the experience! We'll definitely be back soon to try the short rib. Cool future implementation: Would love to have a bigger mix and match or 2 item combo box! read more
4 months ago
Don't let the appearance fool you; this place is a hidden gem worth seeking out. Delicious food served in generous portions. I ordered the beef, and wow the flavors were incredible, bursting with every bite. The portion was so large that I ended up enjoying the leftovers for dinner as well. The Meat Jun sauce and the chili sesame vinaigrette complemented the dish perfectly and elevated the entire meal. This restaurant deserves a better location and much more attention. From the outside, it looks like it's tucked away in a rundown cafeteria, and I would've never guessed there was a restaurant there. read more
What a gem! Nothing great about the outside, or the food court itself (restroom access is through a security guard), but the service was outstanding and the food was great! We ordered pick up at a specifc time on the way to a concert. Food was ready exactly when we needed it to be. Everything we had was great, and the amount of food was over the top. Shout out for the drinks! read more
Hawaiian Korean fusion that excels in what it does located in a small food hall in DTLA. Service and hospitality is a 10/10 especially for being essentially only at a counter. The Teri Chicken plate is maybe a little pricey but it can easily feed 3 people the servings are very generous! Flavorful, juicy chicken served with furikake purple rice and great mac salad. Definitely recommend! read more
2 months ago
My family was around the area and were craving Meat Jun, which is surprisingly hard to find on the Mainland. There were a few parking garages and street parking nearby as it is in downtown LA and all. Plenty of seating when you come in and there's a fe other food stalls inside. When we went up to order, the man at the front was super helpful and nice. We tried a few different things to all try. -Beef Plate Lunch 5/5- The Meat Jun in question, was thin and battered perfectly but still was easy to bite. The sauce it came with was extremely authentic and felt like home. It was served on top a bed of purple rice. One of us paired it with the cucumber which was perfectly spicy and flavorful. The other paired it with a side of the potato-mac salad that was not too creamy and felt complimented the meat Jun well. -Teri Chicken Plate Lunch 4/5- I loved the flavor of the chicken, but some pieces were a bit drier than what I would have preferred. Also served over purple rice with a side -Spam Musubi 5/5- Served with their signature purple rice, which I have never had before. It was loaded up with rice and spam and lots of flavor. It was a nice reminder of home. - Local Breakfast 4/5- I love Portuguese sausage and my only critique is that there's not enough of it! -Kalbi Short Rib Plate 5/5- Was a special that they had for the day and they still had a few left. Very flavorful and easy to tear off the bone, I loved it. Overall, Broken Mouth satisfied our cravings and exceeded all our expectations! Would definitely go back. Also shout out for the complimentary drinks as it was our first time there, truly appreciated! Would definitely recommend and come back when we're in the area! read more
Broken Mouth | Lee's Homestyle was within walking distance of the Convention Center where I was attending a conference last month. It was on my bucket list after I learned that the business received the designation of the #1 Yelp restaurant in 2023. That was not a fluke either as Broken Mouth has made the top 10 in multiple years. The location was on the ground floor food court of the Santee Apartments in the Fashion District. I was quite surprised to see no customers in line when I arrived shortly after they had opened for lunch hours. In speaking with the manager on duty, he stated that most of the regulars place their order online ahead of time to minimize the waiting. The one page food menu consisted of two brunch offerings, four plate lunches, five a la carte items, one dessert, and various non-alcoholic beverages. After reading some of the reviews, I ordered the most popular choices which were the Spam Musubi, Beef Plate Lunch, and Shrimp Plate Lunch. I was generously offered two cans of Aloha Maid Juice as I paid and then took a seat at a table in the communal dining area to wait for my food. About 25 minutes later, a paper bag was handed over with takeout containers for the two plate lunches along with the Saran-wrapped musubi. Purple rice was used in their dishes which is something I haven't seen at the Hawaiian cuisine restaurants in my hometown. The musubi was Spam and purple rice wrapped in seaweed. It had the proper density and chew when I bit into the product. The beef plate was actually meat jun. It's egg-battered ribeye beef slices served with a tangy dipping sauce. Purple rice and my choice of kimchi cucumber came as sides. The meat was tender and flavorful. The fermented cucumber provided acid to cut through the fried beef. I saved the shrimp plate for later in the day. Six pieces of garlic butter shrimp fried with the shell on were served with purple rice and my choice of macaroni salad. I can't recall the last time I consumed an entire shrimp without removing the shell first. The way it was fried allowed the crustacean to be eaten as is, but at least the kitchen deveined the product first. The mac salad was quite creamy. The manager (Tim) was really down to earth as he explained various items on the menu to myself and the customers who came after me since we were all newbies. The prices were reasonable for the quality of food. It was the level of service that elevated my rating to five stars for Broken Mouth | Lee's Homestyle. read more
5 months ago
Highly recommend the garlic shrimp! The shell was packed with garlicky flavor and honestly reminded me of the garlic shrimp I had in Hawaii. Messy to eat but totally worth it. We also tried the meat jun- beef slices coated in egg. The texture was good, but the sweetness was a little overpowering for my taste. If you like sweeter savory dishes, you'd probably enjoy it more than I did. read more
Great tasting Hawaiian dishes with a Korean fusion kick! The owner is super nice and walked us through the menu since it was our first time here. He let us sample some of the drinks as well. I highly recommend the POG! The owner told us that all of the food is made to order, and they had a lot of Doordash orders at that time so we were looking at a 20 minute wait. I appreciated the warning but tbh it was no big deal at all! Fresh food is worth the wait :) The owner told us that the two most popular dishes were the beef and the shrimp. What took me by surprise and what I thought was unique was that the beef was cooked in a egg batter, which basically means it comes out kind of like an omelet. My girlfriend really loved the shrimp. You can eat it with the shells too. The shrimp is super flavorful and has a really distinct unique taste. The food is a little more on the expensive side but it is worth it for the portion size. The only odd thing (but minor) about this place is the location. It's located in a random food court in DTLA that is a bit difficult to find. There's no parking so you just have to rely on street parking. It wasn't difficult but it was a little scary since it's so close to Skid Row. Most people don't eat here and take it to go. read more
2 months ago
If you're local, you already know how great this place is! We're not from the area, so the drive in was an experience of its own. Broken Mouth sits in LA's Fashion District, and we'll admit we were a little surprised when the GPS said we'd arrived. It's tucked into a small food court in a busy, gritty part of downtown, so it definitely doesn't look like much from the outside. But don't judge it too quickly, because what's inside is absolutely worth it! Street parking is a little tight, so grab a metered spot if you can find one. And if the meter happens to be broken, just take a photo or note it so you don't get an unfair ticket. Quick tip from the owner: their busiest times are right when they open and right before they close, so keep that in mind if you'd rather avoid a wait! The food was excellent! We got the beef plate, and it was so tender and cooked perfectly. It came with purple rice, a fun twist on regular rice, plus a really good potato salad on the side. The local breakfast was my personal favorite, mostly because of the Portuguese sausage. So good! We also had a spam musubi on the side, which was a fun little bite. We also tried the brioche bread pudding, which was a touch dry but still delicious. I'd love it even more with a scoop of ice cream. To drink, we grabbed two Aloha Maid juices, pineapple orange and strawberry guava. Both were tasty, but the strawberry guava was my favorite. The owner mentioned he personally loves the kalbi beef short ribs, so that's on my list for next time. Beyond the food, the owner really made our visit special. He took our order himself and was so kind, humble, and clearly loves what he does. You can tell he genuinely cares about his customers and his food, and it made the whole experience feel warm and welcoming. Overall, such an uplifting experience! Just come prepared for the area and the parking, and you'll have a wonderful time. We will definitely be back for those short ribs! read more
6 months ago
Holy moly, I fell in love after the first bite! I got the Kalbi Short Rib special with purple rice and cucumber kimchi. Elite. Immaculate. The flavor explosion! I hope they make this special a permanent addition to the menu because I will order it every time. My husband got the garlic shrimp with purple rice and Korean greens salad. He loved it as well but was jealous of my kalbi after he got a taste I get the hype! Worth the wait if it's busy but we went for a Thursday lunch and were able to walk right up. You can also order ahead if you're worried about a wait. read more
Why 5 stars? Because this was our favorite meal in LA. --- --- --- My Dad and I were in LA for 3 days and we both agreed that this was our favorite restaurant. Broken Mouth is located in basically a mini food hall with a few other vendors and a communal seating area. There's a parking garage across the street that we paid $5 for when we visited. It's not the cleanest part of DTLA, but when you're headed to Broken Mouth, you should not let anything silly like that deter you. My wife and I got married in Hawaii and often seek out Hawaiian food as often as possible, but I've never quite had Hawaiian food like this. We both ordered the beef meal and the way the beef was mixed into the eggs was what really made this a no-brainer 5-steal meal. I have no idea how they do it and why hundreds of restaurants don't copycat their methods, but they should. Whenever I hear that anyone is visiting LA, I will always immediately send them Broken Mouth and tell them its an absolute must. And every future visit to a Hawaiian restaurant will result in me being said it's not Broken Mouth. There's a reason this place was ranked #7 on Yelp's Top 100 in the U.S. for 2026, and I'm so glad we visited. The owner was awesome to chat with, as well! read more
Delicious food, but the wait for food is kinda insane. Perhaps our own fault because we arrived when they opened, and learned of their online ordering system. So essentially order online, and they'll prep the food, sending a text when it's ready (approx. 50 min from my text timestamps). The guy working was very gracious, thanking us for waiting - gave us a free canned drink. I got the beef plate w mac salad, which was hefty indeed - enough for me to have two servings. I really enjoyed the beef plate, super tender meat with a great sweet and savory sauce. Purple rice was also great, topped with yummy furikake. Mac salad was nothing crazy. Friends got the local breakfast, and cucumber kimchi. I tried a sausage from the breakfast, which was ok, and the cucumber kimchi was alright as well. Feel like this wasn't representative of their other yummy selections. Some seating in the common area, shared with the other restaurants in the area. read more
1 month ago
7 months ago
If you've been to Hawaii and tried the garlic shrimp from the shrimp trucks, this is the closest I've found in LA. Strong garlic flavor, a little oily, messy in a good way, just how it's supposed to taste. Reminded me of the North Shore trucks right away. Portions are big and filling. Plate was loaded with rice and sides, definitely worth the price. Shrimp tasted fresh and cooked right, not rubbery. More of a takeout spot, but the food is legit. If you order on Uber Eats or Postmates, try to eat it right away. The shrimp is best fresh, just like the trucks in Hawaii. Easy 5 out of 5 for me. Would come back. One of the better Hawaiian style plates I've had in SoCal. read more
I was in nearby area and wanted something quick. I found this spot which is inside a building like a food court. Sharing the space with other restaurants. Keep in mind, during busy time, it's better to place an order online ahead of time. I got one of their popular dish, garlic butter Shrimp (6pc shell on) with rice and potato-mac. The shrimp soak up the butter and garlic which is excellent. It's tender, juicy, and slightly crisp on the outside (you can eat the skin if you want). Looking at it was already mouth-watering, and it paired very well with the potato mac. Make sure you squeeze that lemon to the shrimps. Great portion and the shrimps was big too. Definitely a pure comfort food perfection. If I'm visiting LA again, I'd for sure to come back. Mahalo! read more
8 months ago
I'm so glad I got to try this highly rated spot! I quickly and easily saw why it's raved about! The owner and chef, Timothy, was the one taking my order and was so hospitable, even offering a free drink and spam musubi! After he recommended what side went best with the tofu plate lunch, he continued to make conversation with me. A very genuine and kind person, I continue to wish him success! On top of the great service, the food was so good! It's one of those places where you can tell it will be good just by the look and taste. I got the tofu plate lunch with the kimchi cucumbers. It was such a colorful plate! It comes with Korean purple rice topped with furikake, 6 pieces of fried tofu and a gochujang sauce for dipping, and a veg. This plate lunch was $18 but the serving size was enough for 2 servings for me. I loved the kimchi cucumbers, they were so fresh and acted as a nice palette cleanser. They were topped with a savory gochujaru paste and it wasn't very spicy! The rice was possibly a little overcooked but it still tasted great, especially with the furikake on top. And the tofu was seasoned well too! I just wish the batter was a little more crispy. Parking is a tricky in this area but that's my only complaint! read more
8 months ago
Yelp's #1 in 2023 and 4.8 rating by 2000+ raters couldn't be more convincing. Nonetheless, the long-line and long-wait comments were terrifying. Good thing, I figured that online pre-order's available and pickup time could also be preset, TOTAL WIN! Occupying a space in this fully air-conditioned food-court alike space in downtown, it's pretty convenient dining area. Besides, weekend lunch time wasn't as insanely crowded as I imagined (not sure if it's just coincidence). The attendant was super kind and attentive, making the experience seamless. I got their beef as protein, served with your choice of sides, which I went for the purple rice and Korean greens. The beef was juicy and tender, surprisingly more on the sweet side (I expected it to be savory), but it's such delectable astonishment. Besides, the tangy savory dipping sauce balanced it flawlessly. Portion wise OMG certainly worth the bucks. Tons of carbs and proteins, and for me this could easily go into 2 servings. Not to forget, even the sides were so good; the rice somewhat reminded me of sticky rice and the Korean Greens seasoning was my highlight! Should you wanna splurge like me, go for extra grilled sausages. My guesstimate they're pork. Flavorful and came as extra delicacy! read more
Broken mouth is on the top 100 again! Had to make my way out here! Parking is kinda chaotic found street meter parking Inside is very clean and nice The shop is super cute I love all the representation of Hawaii and Korea The owner is so hospitable! Came in around 12:30pm and the table was filled with orders. When I placed my order there was a flood of tickets and had to wait about an hour. Kevin gave us drinks on the house! Holy moly first time trying Hawaiian drinks and it was so good! Highly recommend the Apple tea! I ordered the beef jun plate with rice and potato Mac and the Kalbi special You can order up to seven days in advance online in case you don't want to wait like me. I will say the quality was the food is S tier Legit gave a food memory of all the church bbq gatherings I've had as a kid! One of my favorites i believe you have to try at least once! read more
3 months ago
Finally got to Broken Mouth. It was so worth the trip from Northridge. The food was onolicious & Tim was so full of aloha & ohana read more
10 months ago
Okay, you're in a kinda sketchy part of LA, the part that is sort of safe but also sort of not, and as you drive by, there's a dumpster literally on fire. Cool. And then you're walking into a shopping mall-esque location where there are bars on the windows and not much maintenance to speak of. Cool. And there's probably some security guards standing around. Making you feel safe, or reminding you it's not the best area. Cool. But OH MY GOODNESS this food! Initially the price point gave me a bit of surprise - this is common for downtown, during the lunch rush? People casually pay this much? But you order and wait, or you order online, and when it comes out... 1. The person at the counter seemed like the owner, and just seemed incredibly friendly. 5/5 in friendliness, and 5/5 in service 2. The portions are more than I can eat in a single sitting, and definitely justifying the price point. Bravo. I had plenty to take home. 3. FLAVOR. This place is delicious! It's one of the better Hawaiian plate lunches I've had, perhaps ever, and certainly better than the smaller chains I've eaten at. I loved the sauce, I loved the combinations, I loved the spam masubi! Would come back and try some other items on the menu. 5/5. Or even 10/5. Thank you! read more
I wish I live closer to this place so I could come here all the time. The food is so good, idk if it's actually better than food in Hawaii. You could order online and there is street parking. I got the meat June which was so good. I was already full when I started eating but I couldn't stop. The holy trinity of meat potatoe salad and the purple rice was what dreams are made of. The sauce makes it even better. The shrimp is pretty good too. I just eat the shells and all cuz it's not to bad. I will definitely go again if I'm in the area. I already miss this place. read more
9 months ago
Came here on Thursday around 5pm. The food hall was empty which meant lots of time to decide and also find a place to seat. The man helping us who I'm presuming is the owner was really helpful explaining the menu as well as giving us recommendations. We got the lunch plate with shrimp, rice, and cucumber salad alongside an a la carte side of the Mac salad. The man was also kind enough to throw in a spam musubi as well no additional charge! My aunt and I shared the plate and honestly it was the perfect amount of food for the two of us, we even had Mac salad and some of the plate leftover. The shrimp had a great bite and I love that the shell was left on! The rice was great and well seasoned. The cucumber kimchi was PHENOMENAL as well as the Mac salad. I love that the Mac salad was almost like a cross between Korean potato salad and egg salad with nice chunks of potato as well as the macaroni. The cucumber kimchi was incredible as well and I love that it had a good amount of chili oil in it. I'm from OC and I'd drive back to DTLA and bite the bullet with street parking just to come back here. I'm sure when it gets busy, it gets BUSY but rest assured there is quite a lot of seating! Overall I think this place was stellar, if I'm ever at a concert nearby, I will definitely try to stop by prior. The leftovers heated well and the rest of the Mac salad was demolished before the night was over. This place was a perfect harmony of Korean and Hawaiian flavors - I only wish the best for them in expanding to a larger/independent location! read more
9 months ago
I was clicking through Yelp recommendations two weeks ago and saw this place and wanted to try it. Last week, things came up and it didn't happen, but this week I had a meeting a block away. After the meeting, I walked down the street here and decided to give this place a try. We ordered the spam musubi, which had purple rice, furakake and spam. It was a really enjoyable appetizer and something I'd definitely get again. Next I tried the shrimp plate and when I ate into a shrimp, it was just phenomenal. There was so much flavor in it and it was everything I didn't know I ever wanted. I had that euphoric feeling after you eat something prepared so well that I didn't know what to say. Next, when biting into the potato salad, it had a rich creaminess that just was so fulfilling as well. The furakake on top of the purple rice brought everything together as well. On the breakfast plate, the first bite was good when I had the eggs with the rice. I wondered why there was no furakake on this one, but it all made sense after I tried the sausage. I tried the sausage with both of the rices and when it was mixed with the furakake, the flavor profile was just too overwhelming. You could tell the chef balanced that dish well because he was considerate enough to leave that ingredient out of the breakfast dish. If I was the chef, it may have been a different story... So I guess that's how you can tell who truly has talent when it comes to making and prepping meals. The owner was nice. He offered us free beverages because we didn't order any. We declined, but maybe I should've taken him up on the offer. He said normally it takes 20 minutes to prepare the beef, which is one of their most popular dishes, so if you want to give that a try, order ahead. The ambiance is cool. It's a food hall with a few restaurants. Metered parking is kind of expensive on the street though. You might end up with a better deal in a lot. I'm definitely eating here again whenever a meeting in the area comes up! read more
ORDER garlic shrimp plate (5/5) omg i've been wanting to try this place for so long and let me tell you it was so worth the wait. i got the garlic shrimp plate to share. starting off, he gave a very generous scoop of potato salad. nothing special, but still tasty. the rice was SOOO GOOD... maybe even the star of the show. the garlic bits were to die for. the shrimp was delicious as well. i usually don't like eating my shrimp with shell-on, but i didn't mind it at all. the shrimp was cooked to perfectly and super crispy. i don't know how to exactly describe, just try it!! highly recommend :P i'd recommend ordering online since it does take a little while for the order to be prepared. 100% worth the wait. SERVICE the owner (i think?) was so sweet. i noticed he made convo with everyone and honestly made it an even better experience. AMBIANCE located in a food court. street parking available. read more
Finally came here after having this place bookmarked for ages! We came on a random Tuesday because I had the day off and because we came on a random day, there was amble parking in front of the location. We ordered the shrimp and beef combo plate. The cashier said it would take about 40 minutes because they had a lot of to go orders and gave us free drinks for the wait! The food was delicious. I absolutely loved the garlic fried shrimp. You can eat the peel and it gave it a nice crunch! The beef was okay, definitely would not get it again. But the shrimp and mac salad were outstanding. read more
8 days ago
What We Ordered: -Shrimp w/Rice and Potato-Mac $19.99 -Spam Musubi $4.75 -Teri Chicken w/Rice and Potato-Mac $19.99 I learned that locals in Hawaii use the phrase "Broke Da Mout" to describe incredibly delicious food, and that's where the restaurant got its name! The food at Broken Mouth is a delicious Korean-Hawaiian fusion. Chef Tim Lee, the owner, is incredibly friendly and hospitable, making you feel right at home. He even offers complimentary drinks; I had the Hawaiian Sun Strawberry Guava. I visited before with my wife when they opened, and was surprised they asked us to come back in an hour because they were so busy with online orders. That made me a little hesitant to return since we like to be spontaneous. I highly recommend ordering online in advance to avoid a long wait. I ordered the Shrimp w/Rice and Potato-Mac and Spam Musubi at 10:30 AM for pickup at 3:45 PM. When I arrived around 3:20 PM, I only had to wait about 7 or 8 minutes, and it was clear the food was fresh. Chef Lee mentioned that their busiest hours are between 12 PM and 2 PM. If you plan to visit around 3 PM, ordering ahead might not be necessary, but it's always a good idea to err on the side of caution.The food hall was pretty empty during the week at 3:20 PM. There's plenty of places to sit and wait. Chef Lee calls your name when your food is ready and recommends eating the whole shrimp, shells and all, which I enjoyed! The shrimp has a strong garlic flavor, perfectly fried, and the purple rice and Potato-Mac balance it out wonderfully. I would definitely order this dish again. Their Potato-Mac is the best I've had in LA. The purple rice is soft and fluffy, cooked to perfection. They truly do everything well here. I'm not a huge Spam Musubi fan, but after seeing the positive reviews, I decided to try it. Chef Lee was generous enough to offer me a complimentary serving. My only minor complaint is that the Spam was a bit salty. The food here was divine! I felt bad coming without my wife, so I ordered her favorite dish, the Teri Chicken. She thought it was good, but a bit too sweet. I thought it was a little sweet too, but I've had sweeter. This is easily a top 3 Teriyaki Chicken plate in LA, in my opinion. I must return to try their Meat Jun! You can't go wrong with anything here; the food tastes like it was cooked at home. read more
2 months ago
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More info about Broken Mouth
718 S Los Angeles St
Los Angeles, CA 90014
Downtown
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(213) 418-9588
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http://www.eatbrokenmouth.com
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Ask the Community - Broken Mouth
Hi I saw the schedule here Tuesday and Wednesday is open. So, does 24 rd 25 rd is open too? Thx Dec 23. 2024
Sorry for late reply. We were open on 24th and closed on 25th. We are currently closed for holiday until 1/7/25. Mahalo! Hope to see you in the new year!
I bought the side of cucumbers, how many days in the fridge can this last for?
I would say 3 days tops.
Can I do half chicken half shrimp or a side of chicken ? I want both but don't want to pay for 2 full entrees?
What do you put in the rice to make it purple? And do you have just plain white rice?
I think black rice is added to make it purple, there is no plain white steamed rice served here. The purple rice tasted ok, it wasn't super different from steamed rice.
Do you cater?
Below is what we usually offer for pickup trays. To-Go Party Trays (packed in half size aluminum…
Any low carb options?
Yes, all plates that come with rice, can be replaced with korean greens.
What's in the potatoe salad?
creamy potato-macaroni salad, red onions, boiled eggs
What's a good item to order?
I love their spam musubi. The garlic shrimp is good too.
Can you order the lunch menu in the morning?
Yes, entire menu is available all day! Mahalo!
Hi! Is there a way to fit a big group as big as (possibly up to) 20 people? :)
Yea! You just have to go in shifts of 4 people at a time every 30 min or so
How's the parking? Where is the best place to park?
There's metered street parking if you can find it ? And a self parking open lot that you can pay a flat fee. I believe it was $5.00 If you're driving and Broken Mouth is on your left, it's just past it on the left hand side. Same side of the street…
Are there gluten free options?
Hi Mike! Other than items with bread, the entire menu is gluten free—including our marinades, sauces, and macaroni in our popular potato-mac salad. We’ve worked hard to…
It's listed as dog friendly, does that mean dogs are allowed inside too?
I've seen dogs inside before, and overheard the kind owners mentioning there are water bowls laying around and/or outside just for pets!
Do you have any pancakes or breakfast items?
Unfortunately no breakfast, but we’ve got a couple brunch items like our Local Plate comes with Portuguese sausage, eggs, and rice. Avocado toast & Chia breakfast bowl are also available!
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156 reviews that are not currently recommended
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