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Crab House

4.1 (1.1k reviews)
Open 11:30 am - 10:00 pm
Updated over 3 months ago

Crab House Photos

Business Info

CRAB HOUSE ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Quiet
Casual
Good for kids
Good for groups

Recommended Reviews - Crab House

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Reviews With Photos

Uni bowl
Cathleen H.

Not exaggerating but this is the best place for raw marinated crab! We got Combo A that include spicy and soy marinated crab , Uni bowl and seafood tofu soup. Both the soy marinated crab and spicy marinated crab is fresh and delicious. Very easy to break and get the meat. They also gave us a free Uni bowl that is not oceany and has good flavor. Seafood tofu soup has some clams and is well made. Totally worth the price! The aunties/staff are so nice and friendly! Quick service as well. They have tables and seating and it's reminds me of a cozy at home vibe.

Korean crab and American crab
Thomas C.

One of the best experiences I've had in LA. First off, the service was AMAZING. The staff was attentive and very friendly. They even taught us how to properly eat the crab! It was honestly a pleasure dining here. Service aside, the food was amazing. The crab didn't have a fishy taste and was very smooth to eat. When mixed with the rice and condiments, each bite became an explosion of flavor that blended umami and texture together. Note, could be a bit salty if you add too much crab juice. We ordered both the Korean and USA crab, I couldn't really tell the difference between them. The uni bowl was delicious, uni was FRESH! The sides were also great, they gave us a Salmon head on the house and it was delicious! I didn't even know I was eating salmon, every bite was melt in my mouth! Was more like "wagyu" fish lol! The ambiance is normal for ktown, nothing too special. Typical hole in the wall vibes. But the food and service definitely make up for it. 10/10 would come back again. FYI I don't do paid reviews, this is how I genuinely feel about this gem.

outside
Nicole L.

Oh my goodness, I haven't had something this delicious in SO LONG. I'm so so happy to finally have tried Crab House in ktown LA. This spot has been on my list for the longest time ever. To start off I was quite suprised to walk in to the restaurant and there was no fishy crab scent that I usually expect. We came on a Sunday evening and got seated immediately -- it wasn't too packed to my surprise. The servers were the sweetest ladies too -- v attentive and made sure we got what we needed :) My friend and I ordered the gangjang gejang (soy raw marinated crab) and the uni bowl combo. This was my first time trying soy raw marinated crab and I AM A FANNN. The way it was so flavorful and fresh oh my goodness. I usually make my own gochujang spicy raw marinated crab but I think the soy version tops it. They provided us banchan to eat with the crab and the concoction of the banchan they gave us paired with the crab was the best tasting thing I've had in a while -- all the flavors & textures pair together so nicely. The uni bowl was also very good, but not as good as the raw marinated crab in my opinion. I know this place is good when the uni doesn't taste too fishy. I would 10000% come back here again and recommend this place to my friends :)

Jenny P.

Luckily found residential parking on a Sunday afternoon so we didn't have to pay for valet. Restaurant was not too busy, so we were seated quickly and ordered the U.S. marinated crab ($35). Between the three people, the portions were enough since none of us were huge fans of the crab. The crab was incredibly fishy, making it hard to eat. Tasted like they just pulled it out of the sea. Service was nice.

Small uni rice
Sammy C.

Overall 3.5 stars. I love Korean soy sauce marinated seafood, so my husband always tries to take me to different restaurants that offers them. My favorite ones in Los Angeles area are Rich Crab and the Crab House. We have been to the Crab House for about 3 times now. They have more variety than Rich Crab; however, it seems like the crabs here were slightly smaller. However, they also had soy sauce marinated shrimps with heads, scallops, salmons and abalones. Although, the salmon and scallops could be too salty. And if you're fan of Uni (sea urchin), they offered whole Uni with different size options. I only had a large sized once because the first two times they only had small sized. They were generous for giving out complimentary side dishes; especially the boiled fish - it could be a dish on its own. They have a parking lot outside of the restaurant, but the space is tight. We usually come here early right when they open to get a good parking spot. Customer service wise... pretty slow. I understand that if the restaurant is busy, wait is reasonable. However, last time we went, it was just us and another (1) table. They had 3 workers in the front but seemed like the female staffs didn't have the responsibility to take orders; they only gave us menus (and that's after we asked for them). We had to wait till the male staff to slowly taking the order of the other table, enter the orders in the system, bring them drinks, then come over to take our orders. Even when we wanted to order one more bottle of beer, we had to really get their attention. Perhaps it wasn't a good day. However, It would have been more stars if the service is consistent.

Uni
Kenny N.

Located on the corner of a small strip mall, you can easily find parking at this plaza since it's valet only. Parking was only about $3 which isn't bad considering you don't have to look around for tight street parking as this street is pretty busy. We came here on a Friday night around 6pm or so. It wasn't busy; about 3-4 tables which was good for us. Plenty of seating available though a smaller place. The staff were very nice though and very helpful! Being our first time here, we had asked the staff for their recommendation. We ended up ordering the Korean style raw crab which the portion was ok; a bit smaller than I had expected. Also ordered their medium sized uni filled with roes, quail yolk, rice and about 4-5 uni. They gave us a cabbage salad which was pretty good as well as other various smaller dishes. Also gave us a free salmon head which a bit spicy but plenty of meat. Raw crab as mentioned was a bit smaller but very juicy. Tasted pretty good along with the uni. Not too bad of a first experience. Will be a while before I have raw crab again though but next time will get the American style to try out.

Seafood stew
Zinnia V.

The only time I've had marinated raw crab was from Hmart. This was wayyyyyyy better, out of the ballpark better. The texture was gooey and flavorful, paired with the rice it was heaven!! I love that they gave a bowl of seaweed and some crab meat that you mix the rice into, so fun to mix w the innards. If you like light tasting things, soy marinated would probably be your go to. For me, I like strong flavors and things a bit on the salty side, so I enjoyed the spicy marinaded crab more. Another favorite of mine was the seafood pancake, packed with chucks of shrimp and a bunch of squid, mussles, and oysters. It was light in batter and crispy. Delishhhh!! I loved the side dishes and I reallly, really loved the barley tea, it's so refreshing and for me it helps clean my palate. The service was very pleasant, the lady was checking up frequently to see if we were okay. It was fairly pricy but looking at other places it seemed pretty on par with the other restaurants offering similar items. I would come back again!

Combo ganjang gejang & sea urchin bowl
Viviane P.

Delicious food -- their ganjang and yangnyeom gejang are absolutely amazing. Everything is super flavorful, fresh, and prepared really well. If you love marinated crab, this place is a must. The staff has always been kind and helpful every time I visit, and they even provide bibs and gloves, which is great because things do get messy (in the best way). Parking is valet-only, so make sure to bring cash. This is my favorite spot for gejang in LA. Highly recommend!

Anh P.

Honestly our uni rice tasted like soap. The crab and panchan are the real highlights. We arrived 1 hour before the store closed time so the kitchen already closed, otherwise we would order soup and other hot dishes

Sara Jieyi T.

This place serves amazing and fresh marinated crabs! We tried the spicy USA crab and it was amazing, I'd order it again! However, I personally think the sea urchin bowl was alright, the uni wasn't sweet but the presentation was cool. They have amazing size dishes in my opinion and I loved it! Service was friendly and it's a decent sized restaurant that get filled up fast during dinner time!! Food: 8.5/10 Value: 7.5/10 Atmosphere: 8/10 Service: 9/10

Soy marinated crab
Jessie Z.

Cute small business run by lovely people. The service is hospitable and if you've never had marinated crab, the staff is very kind in teaching you how to eat it. We got the American soy and spicy marinated crab. They provide plenty of gloves and even have a small mixed bowl to add to your rice so you can mix it with the shell. The spicy marinated crab is yummy, good marinated, nice portions. I wish they provided scissors or some way too to cut the claws and legs to get the meat out as it can poke through the gloves. The soy marinated crab.. it might just be personal preference but I found it a bit soapy? And the marinated reminded me too much of bulgogi marinade. There were some darker colored crab flesh that did not taste fresh at all. This would probably be the most affordable option and the restaraunt has made a name for itself. Id recommend the spicy crab versus the soy one.

Lisa of Blackpink's autograph
Cindy M.

I've never had raw marinated crab and was eye-ing other raw marinated crab restaurants, but since their hours were limited/required reservations, we decided to come here instead. Apparently Lisa from Blackpink has dined here (you can see that she has her autograph framed here)! Parking can be challenging here, unless you're shopping at El Super nearby... The restaurant is pretty compact and isn't particularly fancy, but is clean. We were warmly greeted by the staff and brought to our table. We were a party of 3 and decided to get 1 Korean raw marinated crab (soy seasoned...also not sure what is the difference between the Korean and USA crab) since we were unsure about whether we would enjoy it, and we asked about what size we should get for the uni. They said they only had small, medium, and large despite having other sizes listed beyond that. We ended up getting the large just to share. We also got a crab stew. We got several banchan including tteokboki with fishcake, kimchi, japchae, edamame, and a a shredded cabbage salad with a black sesame type dressing and slivered almonds. Btw the rice they give you is yellow colored! Not sure what makes it yellow, but the rice is also so fresh and so soft and like the texture of sushi rice. The staff knew that it was our first time having raw marinated crab, so they gave us tips on how to eat it (putting gloves on, and squeezing the meat out. They have gloves available on the table.) Then mixing it in a bowl that they provided which includes some shredded dried seaweed (maybe like furikake), some shredded imitation crab. Eating the crab with the mixture and hot rice was soooo delicious...especially if you get to eat the crab guts! When the crab was presented to us, they had it marinated and cracked, so it should be pretty easy to eat and you don't need any special tools. The crab also had a piece of salmon and some decorative garnishes on top. The crab is very fresh and did not taste fishy at all. If you've never had raw crab, the texture is like eating ebi. As for the uni, the presentation was lovely! The staff told us not to mix up the ingredients in there (a raw quail (?) egg with different kinds of roe, fresh red seaweed?, and red bell pepper?)...lots of question marks because these were items that I thought they were but I could not confirm with the menu. The uni was very fresh...not fishy like some other places I've had. Eating this with hot rice was also the best combo! The crab stew was a very generous size. There was plenty of crab in there and also very fresh. It also had some daikon and zucchini. They didn't ask us to specify spice level, but I would say it is probably pretty spicy for the average person (too spicy for the MIL haha)...I liked it at this level of spice, though! Overall, I had such a great experience here. If we came here again, I probably would have rather gotten 2-3 crabs to share among 3 people, and maybe either 2 medium unis or 1 large uni again. Even though the crab stew was enjoyable, I'd probably skip to enjoy the fresh seafood instead. I would definitely recommend Crab House!

Marinated raw seafood in soy sauce.
Emeline L.

This place will make you feel like you've died and gone to heaven. We arrived around the afternoon on a weekday. Shortly after opening they were already full house with a small line outside. I believe we waited about 30 minutes or so for two people. The service was standard. Meal was ~$200 including tip. Let's get to the important stuff. The food presentation and flavor was absolutely amazing. Banchan is good and standard. The unique item was the salad with black same dressing--delicious. For entrees we ordered USA crab, Korea crab, marinated raw seafood in soy sauce, and seafood pancake. Everything was delicious. The sauce on the raw crab plate was salty and flavorful. I think we believed there might be some hints of cinnamon in it. I loved dipping the pancake in it. (I'm a huge sauce girly.)

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Crab House Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Crab House

Is it still hard to get in? Is there a line usually?

Not really. Go on a weekday it should be fairly empty now

Is parking very hard to find? Thanks!

Valet parking for under $5!

If we have 3 people, can we just order one Korea crab (to share) plus other food? The menu shows "1crab per person". Will they require us to buy 3 crabs for 3 people?

No you can just get one, it's recommended one per person because they're pretty small

Are you still requiring any vaccine proof?

Nope!

If you don't have a vax card do they accept a Covid test as an alternative?

Before they required vac card only, now they don't check it anymore. Staffs all wears masks inside

Is the Uni/Sea Urchin on the menu daily or is it seasonal?

Its daily! Just a regularly offered in their menu. The sizes offered may vary depending on what they have each day. Like we wanted a Super but the max they had that day was a jumbo

Can you get take out from this restaurant?

Yes, I believe so, I saw people getting take out last time I was there. But since most of the stuff we normally order there are raw, I personally will not order to go, unless… Read more

Best place for marinated crab?

No.

Is there any non spicy dish for kids?

They have abalone rice porridge, potato pancakes, scallion pancake, and rice. Other than that it's mainly a place for adults. We had my 2 year old nephew and he was fine eating rice and porridge.

How much is the New item raw crab rice bowl? Thx

Hello! The price of the Crab Rice Bowl is $29.99.

Do you still do weekday lunch specials?

I dont see that in the menu, however they are running out of the combo (crab + uni)

Do you need a vax card to dine in still?

Yes I had to show mine.

Can you take to go for the crab and uni?

Yes, you can! Call ahead and your order will be ready in 20 or so minutes. Skip the lines and head inside to pick up!… Read more

What are the weekend hours? planning to go this saturday.

We are 11:30am(open)-10:00pm(closed) Thank you...

Do you accept credit card?

Yes,of course...

Do they sell alcohol?

Yes,of co course.

Do they take reservations?

No they don't take reservations

How can I make a reservation? I tried to call them, but their mailbox is full and the website doesn't seem to show how to make a reservation.

No they do not take reservations

How many crabs are served in one serving of the korean soy sauce marinated crab dish?

1per(1pic)입니다

I'm planning to visit LA in October, and this is my first stop! Is the Korean crab still available then?

Yes, it's not a seasonal thing. But depending on the season you may or may not get the roe/ a lot of roe (the orange stuff inside the crab).

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Hangari Kalguksu - (LARGE) Hangari Bossam

Hangari Kalguksu

4.4(3.2k reviews)
0.6 miWilshire Center, Koreatown
$$
Women-owned & operated
10 years in business

the clam kalguksu (바지락 칼국수) was definitely the highlight for me! it was super yummy and really…read morerefreshing. i remember eating it on such a hot day and it honestly hit perfectly i also got the yulmu bibim-guksu (열무 비빔국수), which is a cold noodle dish, and that was really refreshing too. overall, this feels like such a good summer spot. the vibe was lax, you just sit down and enjoy!! even the water felt refreshing because they serve it in those cold korean metal cups hehe they also move pretty fast service-wise, which i appreciated, and it's in such a good area with a lot of other food spots nearby. i'm really happy i randomly came across this place and i can't wait to explore more around the area

Visited Hangari on Saturday evening to try their renown Kalguksu with some friends. I've known that…read morespecific parking lot/strip mall to be a nightmare parking wise, so I bit the bullet and used the on-site valet. There is sometimes street parking but the availability is rough, it's tough to park, and even one of the meters we ended up at just didn't work. They only charge a $5 cash service charge though, which isn't bad. We were lucky to be seated right away, even in a packed restaurant. The restaurant has a surprisingly modern design, and is comfortable for as small as it is. We were quickly served their signature kimchis and barley rice. The kimchi, particularly the yeolmu (young summer radish) kimchi, has a unique flavor profile well suited to their food. We ordered 2 bowls of their plain kalgooksu, 1 bibim milmyun, and 1 tteokbokki. The food came out fairly quickly. The kalgooksu was as expected the star of the show. The anchovy broth brings a savory complexity that seems impossible for a soup made from just dried fish and a few other ingredients. It even has a rich, almost thick, quality to it that is surprising for a fish broth. Their noodles, the titular kalgooksu, have the signature irregularity and chew of knife cut noodles. I appreciate the vegetables that always come in kalgooksu, like potato, pumpkin, and zucchini, which offer an earthy heartiness to the light soup. My only complaint is that the potato is in huge irregular chunks, and is barely cooked, though I feel like I have had this issue with many of the kalgooksu bowls I've had over the years. The bibim milmyun was solid. I think that I prefer the texture and flavor of naengmyeon buckwheat noodles, but the milmyun, which are made with mostly wheat flour, still provide a satisfying chew. The sauce tasted bright and fresh, especially with a splash of added vinegar. It also came with a small side portion of spicy pork and some rice paper to wrap. The tteokbokki was the one let down of the meal. To be fair, I wasn't expecting much out of tteokbokki at all restaurant like this whose specialty is essentially the opposite. I ordered the tteokbokki as a "safe pick" for a picky eater in the group. It turned out to be a bit mediocre in our opinion, and that friend ended up enjoying their kalgooksu anyways. If you're looking to try this dish, it's definitely one of if not the best I've had in Southern California, so I'd totally recommend it. I'll also warn to steer clear of the Garden Grove restaurant of the same name and specialty. I think it's a disappointing mimicry of this place.

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Hangari Kalguksu - Belly and Jowl & Chicken-KALGUKSU

Belly and Jowl & Chicken-KALGUKSU

Hangari Kalguksu - Bossam jowl combo

Bossam jowl combo

Hangari Kalguksu - (MEDIUM) Hangari Bossam (Serves 2)

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(MEDIUM) Hangari Bossam (Serves 2)

Anju House - covered patio seating

Anju House

4.4(693 reviews)
1.4 miKoreatown
$$
Outdoor seating
Happy hour specials

It was my first time here. The place is very nice and love the decor…read more The parking is valet or street parking. The service was very good. The chicken was a little in the dry side but overall all the food was good. We will be back!

I'll start with the positives. The location is very nice. Designed with an elegant, but…read moreminimalistic vibe. I love that, traditional mixed modern social dining feel. I had placed a phone order, for pick up; upon arrival, I found the service was prompt. I saw my food ready to go, just past the main walk-in area. Almost immediately after that, I was taken care of by the host and on my way. I've been waiting to try this place for ages so on the drive back to work I was excited to steal a piece of meat from the bag. Initial bite flavor was good, meat was tender just a bit on the chewy side.. I wasn't bothered by it too much as I'd have to leave it in an oven warmer at work. Trying to keep food warm, in doing so, I knew there'd be only two possible outcomes, melting tender or either tough & dry. So, the dish of meat and rice sat in the warmer for almost an hour hour and a half. The downhill slope.... Set the "meat " on the veggies and began to eat. Meat after meat, I kept experiencing the same exact texture. It was the same exact rubbery chew, I initially tasted. Each and every piece was the same exact flavor. There was no peak, there was no pitfall. If you cook or grill, you know this is a red flag. Normally, consistency would be a good thing, a Master craftsman type experience, but this was NOT it. As go on, I get the sinking feeling, this can't be real meat. I lock in, the deeper I dig, each piece looks the same, broken apart the same, tastes the same, just various shapes. They can call me crazy for this one - I'll stand by it. Something is not right here. I'm not even going to throw it away. I'm going to study it for the next few days and post an updated review. I hope I'm wrong but as of right now, I'll never revisit this place. Too freaky of an experience. We

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Anju House
Anju House - Inside

Inside

Anju House

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Danbi - Wagyu zabuton

Danbi

4.5(383 reviews)
0.7 miWilshire Center, Koreatown
$$$

We went shortly after they opened and it got busier as the night went on. The Honey butter chips…read moreare dripping with the honey butter sauce & I wished I had a whole bowl of that. The Grilled jowl was thinly sliced & one of my favorite dishes of the night! The Zabuton came out still sizzling on a bed of onions- I absolutely loved this & it is definitely shareable between 2 or more people. The Scallop pancake had baby scallops cooked in to it- very fluffy & filling, another shareable dish between 2 or more people. The Mushroom bibimbap mixed with the sauce is a great vegetarian dish! Parking- $10 self park in the plaza

Food Seaweed salad…read more Elevated and the best I've had, easily. The only issue is I can't really eat too much of it. The cherry tomatoes bursted with acidity and umami. 4.7/5 Honey butter chips. I've eaten an alarming amount of chips in my life and I will say these are solid but nothing noteworthy. The chips had no warmth to them and were slathered with decently flavorful honey butter that pooled to the bottom. 4.2/5 Mushroom bimibap - A very balanced dish with cohesive elements. Wish there were more mushrooms as they of course were the best part. The chili sauce was solid but the dish benefitted when we added another half portion of it and mixed it in. 4.4/5 Waygu - A decent flavor (definitely needed the flakey salt), portion and a nice medium rare cook, wall to wall. The steak was not as tender as I hoped it would be and some extra chewing was required. The banchan was all solid. It reminded me of Cote's but actually edible. 4.5/5 Yuzu popsicle - Definitely the best popsicle I've ever had. Refreshing and light. Balanced sweet to sour flavor. 4.7/5 Service A decent job. Good hostess. The steak took longer than expected to come out? Perhaps the kitchen messed it up and had to start over. Either that or maybe the waiters were busy. Or maybe it just takes a while to make it. Not sure. The waitress did the job competently but nothing above that. Overall, definitely not Michelin level service. 4.4/5 Ambiance A little too loud and it affected the entire vibe because I had to raise my voice to speak with the waitress. It became easier to just use nods and thumbs up. Like Cobis, a very modern and upscale restaurant that is hampered by lighting that is too dark. Pictures turned out good because I used another phone's flash. Just a little more light would be so much of an improvement without losing the romantic intent. Bathroom was average. 4.5/5 Overall, I had a solid meal that left my mood elevated. The service or food weren't as good as Cobis, Barsha, Ammatoli, or even Sonoratown - all top LA restaurants, but still worthy of a experience and I may return. 4.5/5 I would highly recommend Chois in San Diego as an extremely similar modern Korean fusion restaurant that also had better food, service, and ambiance. That place was 5/5 in every way.

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Danbi - Inside bar

Inside bar

Danbi - Perilla Cild Noodle

Perilla Cild Noodle

Danbi - Pork cheek

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Pork cheek

Kobawoo House - Kimchi Jjigae

Kobawoo House

4.3(1.6k reviews)
0.3 miWilshire Center, Koreatown
$$

What more can I say? This K-town staple consistently delivers when you're craving Korean cuisine…read more We started our meal with a generous portion of Haemool Pajeon (Seafood Pancake), which arrived sizzling on a hot plate reminiscent of a Chili's Fajita Plate. Next came the main attraction: the Bossam Plate, featuring simmered and cooled pork belly sliced to perfection. When you wrap all the other ingredients together, they create the perfect bite. Just after the Bossam Plate hits the table, a bubbling cauldron of Kimchi JJigae (Kimchi Stew) follows behind just in time to help wash down the delectable bites of bossam. Don't forget to order some rice because you'll need something to soak up the stew which turns the rice into a whole meal by itself. The service was jovial and welcoming, and like other Korean establishments, they have a handy-dandy button that jolts the attention of every server working whenever you're in need of service. The small space is very cozy, just the way I like it when I'm visiting with my loved ones. They don't have an extensive menu, just the OG staple items, but I feel the taste has improved over the years. I wish Kobawoo were closer to where I live, or I would be here this weekend, but perhaps it's a good thing we're so far apart.

This place has been here for so long, I haven't been here in yrs! I was in the area so I decide to…read moredo a take out for lunch to take home for me and my family, such a disappointment! $76.80 for 3 dishes and what a puny portions these are, like a kid's portion. Very small kimchi maybe one or two bites. Three orders that I'm surprised that they give such a small amount of banchan. How can establishment justify this high priced meal for such small portions? God and I drove all the way from South Bay, stuck in traffic for almost 1 1/2 hrs of this. Maybe this is the type of place you should dine in only?? Do not ever do take out here! The food in general was just ok. Nothing special and Kimchi soup was very salty. Threw all 3. Wow, what a waste of money. Very disappointing... I guess I won't be coming here ever again.

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Kobawoo House - Popular place. Had to wait 30 minutes for a table for 6 on a weekday at 6:15pm which is not bad!

Popular place. Had to wait 30 minutes for a table for 6 on a weekday at 6:15pm which is not bad!

Kobawoo House - Lunch Jangban Guksoo

Lunch Jangban Guksoo

Kobawoo House - Jangban Guksoo Vegan

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Jangban Guksoo Vegan

Borit Gogae - Dwenjang

Borit Gogae

4.4(511 reviews)
0.8 miKoreatown
$$$

Be prepared to walk away feeling very full. We got the set meal here, which came served with…read moreappetizers, barley rice, a lot of banchan (and by that I meant a LOT), soup, congee, dessert, etc. It was definitely more than enough food. We also got an additional order of LA kalbi for some protein. The meat quality was good but I felt like the meat was not marinated long enough and so the flavor was a little bit lacking. If only it just sat in the marinade for a couple more hours, I think this would have been perfect. The tofu soup was not my favorite, to be very honest. There was some flavor in there that made it smell like a stinky towel. Very different from other soondubu soup places and unfortunately not for me. Everything else we had was excellent and I would definitely come back again just for the barley rice and banchan. Service was quick and servers were nice. We also came at 3pm on Saturday so there was no wait. Recommended!

Across the street from the new Zion market is this wonderful and unique Korean eatery. Unlike most…read moreof the run-of-the-mill Korean restaurants in Koreatown this restaurant serves unique appetizers and a multi-course set menu that gives you a taste of a variety of authentic Korean village food - like pumpkin porridge and acorn jelly salad. It's a lot of food for the price ($35 pp at this writing). While the minimum order is for 2 people, we've tried sharing the 2-people order among 3 and it worked for us, with addition of a couple of other items from the menu. The Korean BBQ beef is at par with most other nice restaurants in K town; their marinated crab was delicious! Service is okay - given how busy they are! Most servers are not very conversant in English so a little patience would help you get the right things you need. Nice and unique vibe with Korean handicraft items and art work on display (and for sale, I believe).

Photos
Borit Gogae - Restaurant decor- art work and Korean figurines

Restaurant decor- art work and Korean figurines

Borit Gogae - Barley rice mixed with side dishes

Barley rice mixed with side dishes

Borit Gogae - Grilled spareribs

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Grilled spareribs

Ham Ji Park

Ham Ji Park

4.2(1.8k reviews)
0.6 miWilshire Center, Koreatown
$$$

Really sad that Ham Ji Park is closing down permanently. For years, this place has been our…read morefamily's go-to place for pork spare ribs - the best in town. In fact, we regularly brought visitors here. They raved about how good the spare ribs were and even insisted that their last meal before LA should be at Ham Ji Park.  Here's my belated review of what I consider the best spare ribs in LA. From the moment the Korean-style spare ribs arrived at the table, it was clear this was a dish worth savoring. Each rib bore a beautifully charred exterior--deeply caramelized without a hint of bitterness--offering that irresistible smoky aroma the moment it was placed before us. The glaze was nothing short of spectacular. A perfect balance of sweet and spicy, it clung to the meat with a glossy sheen that promised flavor in every bite. There was just enough heat to make your taste buds sit up and pay attention, but it never overwhelmed the deeper, richer notes of the sweet components. But what truly set these ribs apart was the texture. Beneath the charred surface lay meat so tender it practically fell off the bone with the gentlest tug of a fork. Each bite was juicy and succulent, the result of careful cooking and a respect for quality ingredients. Ham Ji Park, you will be missed. Thank you for the memories. Thank you for the food.

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.

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Ham Ji Park
Ham Ji Park
Ham Ji Park

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Crab House - korean - Updated May 2026

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