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    Gam Ja Gol

    4.2 (576 reviews)
    ModerateKorean, Soup
    Closed Closed
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Gam Ja Gol Photos

    Business Info

    GAM JA GOL ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Gam Ja Gol

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    Gamjatang
    Ellen K.

    You know the food is going to be delicious when it's run by a group of Korean ajummas :P Even better, they had huge portions of meat for the gamjatang! They did have a parking lot, which is rare for koreatown, but I do think it fills up fast.

    Timothy L.

    A solid place to get authentic Korean food! Their Gamjatang was delicious, broth tasted great, and can feed up to 4 people + leftovers! Their Bo-Ssam was also delicious.

    Gamjatang
    Cindy L.

    Had an amazing experience at Gam Ja Gol. My friends and I got the large Gamjatang to share and it was so much food! I will definitely comeback to their lunch special! You will leave feeling so full especially with the kimchi rice they make for you at the end if you save your rice! I really love the purple rice it comes with since I love the texture of it. I usually hate pork since I think most establishments don't prepare it well but and it ends up having a stinky pork taste but you can tell they parboil the pork neck properly to get rid of any impure tastes. The soup was also so flavorful and went perfectly with rice! The pork neck was falll off the bone and extremely tender! I really loved the side dishes it came with and thought the radish kimchi was perfectly prepared. I will say it's a little pricy (25~pp including tip) compared to other places you can get Gamjatang in ktown but the quality and preparation of the Gamjatang is truly worth it. I really recommend supporting locally owned businesses!

    Gamja Tang
    Justin C.

    Solid meal and experience! Hole in the wall Korean restaurant specializing in gamja tang. Delicious savory soup with giant pork bones and potatoes. I came in a group of four and got the large gamja tang as well as an order of bossam. It was really good but honestly too much food for a group of four haha. We wish we got the medium size because we had a ton of leftovers. After you finish the gamja tang, they turn it into a delicious fried rice in the same pot, which is really good because it just soaks up the flavors of the leftover soup. The service is on point. Solid 10/10 experience this morning.

    The aftermath
    Jenny S.

    Pass by this place all the time and finally stopped in to enjoy a delicious warm meal on a rainy day. You know the place is legit when you see a mix of old Korean ahjussis hanging out and drinking soju along with people of all ages and ethnicities here for the same dish: Gamjatang We ordered the small gamjatang which was more than enough for 2 people, finished it down to the bones, and topped it off with some delicious fried rice with the crispy rice at the bottom. Small old school vibe with friendly and helpful service. Enjoyed it so much I returned with my family a couple weeks later and ordered the large gamjatang for 6 people along with juicy/tender bossam and a ya che jeon (veggie pancake). Highly recommend the ugeoji (cabbage/radish leaves) add on to the soup!

    Gamja tang
    Jonathan W.

    Gamja tang $20.99- pork neck soup. This is an individual serving. But actually enough for 2 people. The meat fall off the pork bones. The soup is a mild. The bottom of the soup has all the seasoning and quite good. It's not that strong If you get the Stew- gamjatang, it's a larger serving and comes with fried rice after Daeji bossam 39.99- pretty good. I like that the meat is boiled then seared. Vegetable pancake (ya che jeon) 12.99- pretty good pancake, soft, Vegetabels, some fake crab meat

    Gamja Tang
    Jenny T.

    I was staying in KTown for a bit so I decided that while I'm here I might as well try out some Korean food. I pass by this place all the time and it was still pretty early on a Saturday, before the lunch rush, so I decided to come in before it gets crowded. I was seated at a table immediately. I ordered the Gamja Tang ($15.99 lunch special), which also came with a bowl of rice and some banchan. The meat was so tender and slid off the bone. The broth was really flavorful and rich. Just one individual size is enough for two people, so I packed the second half of the meal to go. Service was pretty quick. They took my order really quickly and gave me my check as soon as I asked. The dining area is really simple just with chairs and tables and not so much decor, but it's straight forward and to the point. This would be a great meal on a cold winter day so I'll have to come back to warm up. Really glad I tried this place out on a whim!

    Keren M.

    Came on a Sunday night and was able to get seated quickly, but the restaurant did fill up quickly after. Servers were quick and friendly. Banchan are nothing special but still tasty and abundant. We ordered the gamja tang main dish, it was quick and flavorful. The bowl was overflowing with meat. Also ordered the Mandoo gook, also tasty but nothing special. Will come back next time to try the gamjatang stew, which every table seem to have. Parking is just like every other ktown strip mall.

    Gamjatang (Chongol)
    Winn H.

    On the list? Yup! Stopped by with a friend to get the Gamjatang // (chongol) and it was delicious! There was a sufficient parking in the lot, and there's also spots on the street. This was my first time, and I wasn't sure what to expect... so we got our table for two and were seated fairly quickly. First thing's first, this restaurant really brought me back to Korea from the simple wooden color palette and neutral, earth-toned walls... something about it just screamed traditional - ethnic. We went with the top item: Gamja Chongol, and after devouring our sides, it was out within minutes. Oh no! Looks like pork.. actually I'm not a big fan of pork. But it's the signature, so it's a must try. Delicious it definitely was, though a bit tough. Midway through the meal the soup had evaporated too much, and the staff member stopped by and shocked me by asking in Chinese! Impressed, I responded in both Chinese and Korean... what an experience! Towards the end of the meal, our server packed up the leftovers and fried rice with the leftover sauce in the pot. If you're into nurungi (burnt rice), this was simply a delicious, savory treat. Of course, once you get the crust, make sure to add some cold tea to help loosen it up - crunch crunch!

    Delicious banchan (sides).
    Cindy S.

    Gam Ja Gol is a classic in Koreatown LA! I believe a second location opened up in Buena Park, CA in Orange County. This restaurant serves traditional Korean food and are known for or specializes in Gamjatang (Spicy Pork Neck Stew) and Bossam (Boiled Pork Belly Wrap). Pretty much every table orders it. Their Bossam is out of this world DELICIOUS! Tender pork belly served with sides: like Napa cabbage, spicy radish, raw garlic and jalapeno slices, bossam sauce, salted shrimp sauce or kimchi. The pork belly, Napa cabbage and side dishes are wrapped together for the perfect bite! 5/5 The Gamjatang (Pork neck stew) here is light tasting and clean. Very good but I must say my favorite spot makes a better version for my personal taste. I like a stronger red pepper paste garlicky finish; again the Gamjatang here is great, just a lighter broth profile from what am used to. 4/5. Green chives pancake with faux krab. Soggy -skip. 2/5. Overall, I like it here. It's an absolute hole-in-wall with zero ambience. The dining area is bare-bones;however, that's most places I go to, lol. Good food, good service. Parking: small mini-mall with tight parking. Good luck with parking. No valet.

    Gamjatang
    Millena P.

    Gamjatang was sooo flavorful and mouthwatering that I also had to try their sister restaurant in LA. Parking: They're located in a very small plaza, so finding a spot can be difficult. We visited around 15:30, and got lucky with a spot. Ambiance/Environment: This spot is truly Korean. They have a small indoor space with a decent amount of seating. They weren't as busy when we visited, but it started getting busier closer to dinner time. Service: I didn't catch any of their names, but all the servers were attentive, quick, & efficient! They speak limited English, but they understand enough. Foods: 1) Gamja Tang - The portion size was LARGE! The soup was as flavorful as the gamja tang at their sister location. There were a generous amounts of meat and vegetable. 2) Vegetable Pancake - This tasted as expected. Its thinness and non-crunchiness made it stand out from other pancakes I've had. It was really soft, yet delicious. 3) Fried Rice - One of the servers offered fried rice. She packed the remaining gamja tang in a to-go bowl and took the pan away. When she came back with the pan, there was a thin layer of fried rice mixed in with the flavors of the soup! Yummm! 4) Banchan - I appreciate the amount of banchan they provide. If you want more of a specific side, simply ask. They didn't provide purple rice, so I asked for some hehe. Pricing: Definitely worth it! Dishes can be shared between 2-3 people!

    Banchans and Gamja-jungol
    Priscilla K.

    My favorite gamjatang spot in K-town! This is one of the oldest of its kind! Gamjatang is Korean style pork bone broth and potato soup. I always order the large here that's enough for 3-4 people because I want to take the leftovers home. The stew really hits the spot every single time and the price is very reasonable for the amount they give you. Service is typical for a Korean restaurant- the waitresses are very straightforward and friendly with you. They'll refill side dishes for you for free at any time, but they charge extra for the soup toppings, but it's worth just getting everything - perilla leaves, perilla seeds, radish leaves, and everything there is to add. Ambiance can seem a bit hole-in-the-wall because it's K-town but there is a parking lot shared with other establishments and the restaurant isn't small, but it fills up pretty quickly. I would come here any day when I'm craving for some comfort food or something meaty and heart

    Isaac C.

    This place has my parents' stamp of approval. Every time I come home, they ask if I want to eat here, and I never say no. I always be spamming the braised potatoes side dish since it's my favorite banchan. The gamjatang is our go-to order and I highly recommend it. The broth is rich from the pork bones, and the perilla leaves add an aromatic balance. They even make kimchi fried rice for you at the end, and the portions are so big that we always leave with leftovers. The only downside is that parking can be tough to find sometimes, but it's definitely worth it.

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    9 days ago

    Great for classic hang over soup or soul food. Ample food and fast service. Parking is plenty

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    7 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    4 days ago

    Authentic heart warming potato pork soup. Always the to go place when not sure what to have

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    27 days ago

    Wow amazing great food and service experience. Will be back soon for this best spot in ktwon

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    8 months ago

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    4 months ago

    Very good Korean Gam Ja Tang. Must try it. I have been eating here since 1990 and it been always good.

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    5 months ago

    Best gamja tang in Cali no doubt. KTown location is the original. Do not compare with the OC one.

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    Page 1 of 15

    Gam Ja Gol Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Gam Ja Gol

    What is u-geo ji?

    In Korean cuisine, ugeoji is outer leaves or stems of cabbage, radish, and other greens, which are removed while trimming the vegetables. Ugeoji is often used in soups and stews, including haejang-guk.

    Whats the parking situation?

    They have a free parking lot outside the restaurant. Was just there tonight! Love that place!

    View All 3 Questions

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    Hangari Kalguksu

    Hangari Kalguksu

    4.4
    (3.3k reviews)
    0.7 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)
    0.8 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)
    0.8 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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    Gam Ja Gol - korean - Updated August 2026

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