10 Essential Restaurants in Koreatown & Beyond
A local’s guide to the best kimchi stews, noodle slurps, mezcal flights, and flaky pastry in a city block radius.
Koreatown is one of LA’s most dynamic eating neighborhoods—an electric mix of late-night BBQ dens, quiet noodle houses, and spots where you’ll be seated next to someone who can recite the menu by heart. It’s where recipes are passed down through generations and new-school chefs are remixing tradition with housemade gochujang or 24-hour broths. And while Koreatown alone could fill a dozen top ten lists, we’re widening the borders just a bit to include a few not-to-miss favorites within striking distance—because great food doesn’t care about zoning.
From smoky pork belly to hand-folded pasta in brown butter, these are the dishes that reward curiosity and appetite alike. Come hungry. Leave full of broth, joy, and the kind of satisfaction that only comes from a really great dumpling.
1. Soban
Koreatown – Banchan Royalty & Hanwoo Beef
Soban is the kind of restaurant that feels calm in a way few places do. You sit down, the table disappears under a tide of banchan, pickled, marinated, fermented, and the world softens. Their hanwoo (Korean native cattle) beef is exquisitely marbled, but it’s the slow simmered dishes and subtle flavors that define the experience. There’s nothing flashy here, just deeply rooted technique and food that reminds you to eat slower.
2. BCD Tofu House
Koreatown – Bubbling Stews, Open Late
If you’re not slightly sweating while eating your soon tofu, you’re doing it wrong. BCD Tofu House is open 24/7, but its signature bubbling cauldrons of silky tofu, egg yolk, and chili oil hit hardest at 11pm on a Tuesday. Served with hot stone rice and crisp banchan, this is comfort food that anchors you, whether you’re nursing a cold or a hangover.
3. Here’s Looking At You
Wilshire Center – High-Concept, Low-Ego Cooking
You never know what to expect at HLAY, and that’s the point. Lamb neck with peanut curry. Charred broccoli with puffed rice. Plates that pull from Korean, Southeast Asian, and Californian flavor maps with humor and precision. It’s a dinner party in restaurant form, hosted by someone with impeccable taste and a deep spice cabinet.
4. Dan Sung Sa
Koreatown – Skewers, Soju, and Graffiti Walls
Dan Sung Sa is loud, dark, and absolutely essential. It’s where you go when the group text says “drinks and food?” but no one has a plan. The walls are scribbled with names and love notes, the soju comes in cold buckets, and the menu of skewers, stews, and snacks makes everyone happy. Pro tip: order the sizzling spicy chicken and don’t wear white.
5. MDK Noodles
Wilshire Center – Knife-Cut Noodle Therapy
MDK (short for Myung Dong Kyoja) is all about texture: their kalguksu, hand-cut noodles in a rich chicken broth, are somehow both delicate and chewy. Add in giant pork dumplings and kimchi with a back-of-the-throat burn, and you’ve got a meal that sticks with you in the best way.
6. Guelaguetza
Mid-City – Oaxacan Heartbeat of LA
Walking into Guelaguetza feels like entering someone’s celebration. There’s usually music. There’s always mole. The restaurant’s iconic black mole negro is earthy, bittersweet, and deeply layered, like a great novel in sauce form. Whether you’re here for a tlayuda or mezcal flight, this place doesn’t just serve food, it shares culture.
7. Park’s BBQ
Koreatown – Gold Standard Marinated Blue Crab
Park’s is the kind of place where you point at the menu and someone makes sure it lands sizzling and perfect in front of you. The quality of meat is exceptional, especially the marinated galbi and pork belly, and the service is surgical. Yes, it’s pricier than most KBBQ spots, but it’s also the one that sets the bar.
8. Noshi Sushi
Koreatown – Omakase With Zero Pretense
This quiet sushi spot delivers pristine cuts of fish with none of the ego. You’ll get buttery toro, briny uni, and perfectly seasoned rice, all served with care. It’s not trying to be Tokyo or Santa Monica. It’s just really good sushi in the middle of K-Town, and that’s exactly what makes it special.
9. Antico Nuovo
Larchmont – Sophisticated Italian With Soul
Just west of Koreatown, Antico Nuovo is where pasta dreams live. Think agnolotti filled with sweet corn and mascarpone, or a lasagna bolognese that’s 12 layers of tender precision. The room is warm, the wood fire oven hums in the background, and everything on the menu tastes like it had a purpose.
10. DGM Soju Bar
Koreatown – Fried Chicken Meets Karaoke Energy
DGM is a vibe. The fried chicken is hot and crunchy, the corn cheese is bubbling, and the soju is always flowing. This is your late-night reward, rowdy but friendly, loud but never obnoxious. You come for the food, stay for the energy, and maybe leave with a new best friend (or at least a blurry group selfie).
Eat Koreatown (And Just a Little Beyond)
This list is built for eaters who want to dive deep: into broths, into banchan, into a neighborhood that never stops serving. Whether you're after handmade noodles, dry-aged duck, or a 2am tofu stew, Koreatown is ready, and better than ever.
