Rex’s Koreatown Eaters Guide

Koreatown is my and my friends’ favorite activity. After countless late nights at many a place, this is a guide for where to eat in K-town based on recent explorations.

Koreatown is my Mecca; it’s as simple as that. Thinking about the 150 magical blocks of grilled meats, banchans, and rice cakes… I’m giddy. It is truly a magical place, where you can get lost in the hundreds of expansive malls with the most complicated parking structures, and marvel at endless options for K-bbq. Here, let yourself get sucked in by the lively restaurants, trendy dessert spots, and karaoke bars before realizing it’s 1:00 am and you’re at the 6th stop of the night: the Korean billiards hall. Below is a guide to eating like a king in Koreatown based on my most recent findings.

Sun Nong Dan – when you have a medium-sized group of friends who are adventurous eaters, take them to Sun Nong Dan, order the Galbi Jjim, and then feast on this glorious cauldron of beef short rib stew. Galbi Jjim is great, but you can kick it up a level by ordering a tableside flame-torched cheese mountain on the top. I find that this stew is like a glorious treasure trove, with layers of potatoes, rice cakes, and some delicious unidentifiable stewed veggies and whatnot. 

(Photo by Rex Podunovich)

IDEK what to say about this… just look at the picture

However, I will say that Galbi Jjim is probably not for everyone. Let’s just say as a customer you are definitely getting your daily serving of collagen in this meal. Other notable dishes at Sun Nong Dan are the rice cake soup which is reader, friend, and fellow Koreatown aficionado Karis Ma’s favorite, and the next best pick according to The Infatuation– the spicy beef and cabbage stew. 

Ham Ji Park – This is a great first stop for a full night in Koreatown. While I’m sure everything here is amazing, I come here for their glorious, glorious pork ribs, which I down along with their medium-tier banchan selections, while sipping on chilled barley tea. Come here with a group of friends and order this platter of glory, honor where it came from, and then move along.

Dan Sung Sa – Genuinely my favorite thing to do in Koreatown. Not quite a bar, not quite a restaurant, Dan Sung Sa is a Koreatown legend, offering traditional skewers and little plates of joy. My love for this place is indescribable. The best thing I can try to do for you, dear reader, is just tell you the musts here because I know it can be overwhelming looking at that menu. Along with a chosen assortment of the 1-4$ skewers and complimentary soup (which is delicious), You’ll wanna get the:

• Corn cheese (TRUST)

• Kimchi pancake

• Sweet and spicy rice cakes

• Wings (if you can handle them)

Then to end your wonderful meal, you’ll order the lychees on ice, which is exactly what it sounds like it is.

(Photos by Rex Podunovich)

(Photos by Rex Podunovich)

Dan Sung Sa is a place you go to share mystical prophecies (hot goss) among friends.

Park’s BBQ – This Michelin guide kbbq spot, and Anthony Bourdain’s favorite, is phenomenal. When you have rich relatives in town, take them here. Some of the best banchans in K-town IMO, along with the most glorious and perfect cuts of meat. From galbi to bulgogi, to their pork belly, it is all amazing, every dish unique and outstanding.

Borit Gogae – Come to Borit Gogae after a couple of hours at the Wi spa, for a wonderful coursed meal that will make you feel cleansed like a new person, or maybe even enlightened. I almost don’t want to tell you what this meal consists of, but you will get the $30 set menu, which includes various soups, porridges, salads, and banchans. Then, everyone gets a bowl of barley and rice, and you make your own bowl of nourishment from the 10-15 vegetable banchans, served in beautiful little golden bowls. If you come here with more than two people and are in the mood for something meatier, one person can order their meal as a platter of sizzling galbi (a common thing to do here), and then you all share. A couple of highlights here, besides the myriad of banchans, are the pumpkin porridge, acorn jelly salad, cabbage and ssamjang, and cucumber salad.

(photo by Rex Podunovich)

A feast fit for a vegetarian king minus the snails

Sul and Beans – After you’re for sure done eating in Koreatown, or rather eating your dinner course, head to Sul and Beans on the second floor of one of the thousands of plazas and malls in the vicinity. While unassuming and kind of hidden, what you will find is an incredibly popular dessert place, packed with couples, friends, and families all sharing Korean shaved ice otherwise known as Bingsoo. At Sul and Beans (definitely worth it for vibe alone btw) each shaved ice is shockingly expensive at 15 dollars or so, but then when you get the memo that like four people can share one, it doesn’t seem so outrageous (especially considering how good this sh** is). Last time, me and my friends ordered the taro one to split, and it was incredible with red bean, mochi, a drizzle of condensed milk, and toasted coconut flakes on top. Big shoutout to Chloe Kolahi for insisting that I give this place a try.