Koreatown

Hyongsoon Kim: The Koreatown Advocate

One of the fascinating Angelenos featured in L.A. Weekly's People 2013 issue. Check out our entire People 2013 issue here.On the 24th floor of Century Plaza Towers, in his office at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, attorney Hyongsoon Kim enjoys expansive views of West L.A. and the Pacific Ocean b ... More >>

Third Street and Western: Live Octopus, New York Slices A Patio Party Upstairs

In the land of strip malls, Koreatown in king. There are stacks upon stacks of tiny one-off eateries that dot the landscape around Western Avenue as it cruises towards Wilshire Blvd., an untold number that speaks to just how well K-towners must eat. More often than not, these are the sorts of places ... More >>

Pollo a la Brasa: 99 Essential Restaurants 2013

Where's the (Piedmontese) Beef? At Star King in Koreatown

Where would you show off an elite variety of beef? Not in some flashy high-end dining spot but in the most beef-centric part of Los Angeles -- Koreatown. There, it's hard to find a place that doesn't serve bulgogi and galbi, and the buzz words are grass-fed, Wagyu, Kobe and Black Angus. That is, un ... More >>

100 Favorite Dishes: The Whole Menu

Over the past few months, you've watched us catalog our 100 Favorite Dishes. Catalog being a lovely term meaning eating our way across this town, well, even more than usual. And because we thought you might want a better way to access these, we've collected all one hundred into one piece, a menu if ... More >>

28: Tamal de Mole Negro at Guelaguetza

28: Tamal de Mole Negro at Guelaguetza. The legacy of the Lopez family's popular Oaxacan restaurant looms large over not just over Koreatown, but over Los Angeles' Latino culture in general -- a place where wedding receptions, retirement banquets, and quinceañera parties seem to cycle through at r ... More >>

Top 10 Old-School K-Pop Groups

By Michelle Woo Before there was SNSD, 2NE1, Big Bang, and Wonder Girls, there was S.E.S., g.o.d., and H.O.T. Familiar with these names? You must be an O.G. K-pop fan. See also: *K-pop Till You Drop: The Skinny on the Korean Boy and Girl Groups That Get Major Play in Koreatown *Our review of 2NE1 ... More >>

34: Bossam at Kobawoo House

Celebrating this year's Best of L.A. issue -- now out in print and online -- we're counting down, in no particular order, 100 of our favorite dishes. 34: Bossam at Kobawoo House. Kobawoo is one of Koreatown's older restaurants, having been established all the way back in 1985, and although it bega ... More >>

Kang Ho Dong Baekjeong Is the Restaurant Koreatown Didn't Know It Needed

44: Hot Wings at Beer Belly

Leading up to this year's Best of L.A. issue (due out Oct. 4) -- and probably beyond, at this rate -- we'll be counting down, in no particular order, 100 of our favorite dishes. 44: Hot Wings at Beer Belly. Is there a more natural and satisfactory partner for football and beer than a plate of deep ... More >>

Jamie Oliver to Produce Chef Race: U.K. vs. U.S TV Show

Well, Jamie Oliver is back filming in L.A., and this time he's not hanging around school cafeterias. Instead, he's serving as the executive producer on a new show on BBC America called Chef Race: U.K. vs. U.S., which premieres with two back-to-back episodes on Tuesday, Oct. 2. The show will pit tw ... More >>

A Fish Called Wando: Wando Fish BBQ Restaurant, Koreatown's Free Fruit Restaurant

After dining at enough restaurants in Koreatown, you begin to expect the unexpected. A menu with six distinct types of intestine? Right on. Yogurt-flavored soju served in a hollowed-out pineapple? Order another round. But after a rather brilliant lunch at Wando Fish BBQ Restaurant, shoehorned into ... More >>

Tonight at Guelaguetza: Free Oaxacan Bites for KCRW's Sonic Trace

KCRW's newest cultural project Sonic Trace, which documents the experiences of L.A. residents who have immigrated from places like Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, will be hosting an opening party tonight at Koreatown's Guelaguetza restaurant from 7-11 p.m.

Cafe Livre Morphs into Spanish Fly Gastropub in Koreatown

Café Livre, the popular bistro in Culver City, closed its doors July 1. Two days later, executive chef Farid Zadi and his wife, director of operations Susan Park, reappeared at the Spanish Fly, a new gastropub in Koreatown. Partnering with owners Gene and David Park, they're revamping the menu of ... More >>

86: Galbi Jjim at Soban

Leading up to this year's Best of L.A. issue (due out Oct. 4), we'll be counting down, in no particular order, 100 of our favorite dishes. 86: Galbi Jjim at Soban. Walk into any cozy Korean mom-and-pop restaurant, the kind with the old lacquered wood tables and weathered pictures of soups and stew ... More >>

Shaoyan Almazan, Bicyclist Run Down And Fatally Shot, Was Riding in M.S. Gang Turf

On a warm and breezy afternoon over the weekend a bicyclist was run off the road by an SUV in Koreatown and then gunned down. It remains a whodunnit for the LAPD, which named the victim of Saturday's attack as 19-year-old Shaoyan Almazan. A friend who was also on a bike was shot in the hand and sur ... More >>

LACMA Six Taste Host Weekend Mole Tour

If there is a singular food worthy of its own museum exhibit, it's probably molé, the versatile Mexican sauce that ranges from the pitch-black Oaxacan negro to colorful varieties tinted with tamarind or pistachio. On Saturday June 2, in connection with LACMA's current exhibition, Children of the ... More >>

Food News Roundup: Sustainable Seafood, Noma Alums The World's Most Expensive Vegetable

The Salt: "Buying Sustainable Fish Is Getting Easier, But It's Still Hard" The Los Angeles Times: Jonathan Gold recalls looking for a quart of milk in his Koreatown neighborhood on May 1, 1992. He revisits the area 20 years after the riots. Grub Street: Noma alums coming to a restaurant near you.. ... More >>

Food News Roundup: No More Starred Reviews, Mario Batali Settles Lawsuit Notorious B.I.G. Food Lyrics

Daily Dish: No more starred reviews in the L.A. Times, effective now. The Salt, NPR's Food Blog: Mario Batali settles lawsuit alleging he and business partner Joe Bastianich took employee tips. Gilt Taste: What Francis Lam learned about food from the Notorious B.I.G. ("The milks was chocolate; t ... More >>

LaOn Dining: "Exceptionally Satisfying" Korean Tapas

LaOn Dining is a tapas restaurant located right next door to Don Dae Gam, the immensely popular, pork-intensive Korean BBQ restaurant. If you walk into one because you thought it was the other -- depending on where you were trying to get to, the presence or absence of the tabletop grills should tip ... More >>

Jonathan Gold's 60 Korean Dishes Every Angeleno Should Know

See Also: A Google map for all 60 of the Korean dishes Jonathan Gold says every Angeleno should know, read "5 Koreatown Restaurants Open 24 Hours: Hangover Soup," learn about "5 Koreatown Beer Joints: Hite Requirement," or just look at more of Anne Fishbein's beautiful Koreatown food photography. I ... More >>

5 Koreatown Restaurants Open 24 Hours: Hangover Soup

There is a segment of the population whose late-night cravings consist not of bacon and eggs or burgers and fries, but of sizzling grilled short ribs and flaming hot soups and comforting porridge. That segment of the population is the one you'll find after last call in Koreatown. There are so many ... More >>

Koreatown's Biggest Art Party, at Commonwealth and Council

Commonwealth and Council, an artist-run exhibition space and studio in the heart of Koreatown, is what some might call a classic "underground" art joint. It's located on the second floor of a dilapidated building, and you have to walk between Amigos Liquor and the popular OB Bear Korean pub to find ... More >>

Five Artsy Things to Do This Week, Including a Penis Costume Film

Our list this week includes not just a video with someone dressed in a penis costume but also Ellsworth Kelly, a hidden Koreatown gallery and the ubiquitous Judy Chicago. 5. Making money sing CamLab, the two-person troupe Anna Mayer and Jemima Wyman, wants art to be social, spontaneous and sensual, ... More >>

L.A. Redistricting: Herb Wesson's District 10 Looks Like a Fat Turkey

Simone Wilson​This is the fifth chapter in a (badly Photoshopped) series on the L.A. Redistricting Commission's gerrymandered new voting districts. Previously: "Eric Garcetti's District 13 Looks Like an Evil Squirrel" "Bernard Parks' District 8 Looks Like a U.S. Army Tank" "Tom LaBonge's Distr ... More >>

Anthony Bourdain's The Layover Uses Jonathan Gold as a Guide

The Travel Channel obviously saved the best for last. The season finale of Anthony Bourdain's The Layover airs tonight, in which Tony will enlighten viewers on how to get the most out of the L.A. food scene in a short period of time. Between cocktails at the Chateau Marmont and, we think, a peek in ... More >>

Jonathan Gold Reviews Westfield Culver City Food Court

340 N. Western Avenue in Koreatown: The Postmodern KFC

The The Postmodern KFC at 340 N. Western Avenue in Koreatown. Get it? It's a chicken and a bucket!

Dumbfoundead On Dropping Out Of High School, Working As A Bail Bondsman, And The Advantages Of Being An Asian Rapper

Jennie Warren​See also: Dumbfoundead: Koreantown Rapper Inspires a Tremendous Following with his Unlikely Story In our music feature this week, Dumbfoundead discusses his seeming overnight success, which was actually preceded by a largely unseen and tedious grind. Just 25, he was already an i ... More >>

Dumbfoundead

Koreatown rapper inspires a tremendous following with his unlikely story

Jewelry Store Burglars Burrow Through Hole in Wall at West Hollywood Retailer But Apparently Scurry Before Cops Arrive

​The jewelry heist business in L.A. County is crazy these days. There have been a series of smash-and-grab robberies in downtown and Koreatown, which the Los Angeles Times blames in part on the higher-than-a-rock-star price of gold. It looks like sheriff's deputies in West Hollywood might hav ... More >>

Best D.I.Y. Pig Foot Feast: Jangchung-Dong Wong Jokbal's Jokbal

A. FrougBraised pig's foot at Jongchung-Dong Wong Jokbal​ Glistening under soy-glazed skin, slices exposing alternating layers of rosy meat, creamy fat and opaque gelatin, pig's foot at Koreatown's Jangchung-Dong Wong Jokbal arrives to the table on a silver platter, looking like a prop from th ... More >>

Jonathan Gold Reviews Iota

Teen Smash-And-Grab Robbery Suspect Arrested by LAPD With Help From His Own Parents

LAPDA Koreatown smash-and-grab.​Just be glad you're not this kid: A 17-year-old was arrested in connection with a smash-and-grab jewelry store robbery that happened downtown on July 12. And you know who cops say fingered him? His own parents. The teen wasn't identified because he's underage. ... More >>

The Thursday Edition: A Roundup of Newspaper Food Stories

Flickr/dubh​ What's the country reading today food-wise? Here's a roundup of some of the food-related stories from other newspapers, many of which print their food sections mid-week. And remember, even if you don't actually buy papers these days (or not; this paper is free), it's where most of ... More >>

CicLAvia Los Angeles Bike Ride Planned For Sunday: 7.5 Miles of Streets to Be Closed

Gary LeonardCicLAvia in October.​The first one was such a success that a second CicLAvia is scheduled to take place this weekend, when 7.5 miles of city streets will be closed to cars so that tens of thousands of bicyclists can take part in this ride. This one heads through the heart of the c ... More >>

Short Attention Span Dinner Theater: Your Week in Food, 3/7-3/11

Flickr/Lauren Manning​ In which we highlight the past week in food, either at home or abroad. "You're the porteño with the Ph.D. in literature. You tell me." Ask Mr. Gold: In Search of Salteñas, Revisited. "And the drink is named The Bitter End 'because we all know this isn't going to be ... More >>

Britney Spears, Jennifer Hudson, Nick Nolte Invoked For Movie Investment Scam, Feds Allege

Britney was used.​In a town for where handshakes and words often suffice for written contracts, it's easy to see how an alleged scam like this could go down. Two L.A. area men were arrested today on suspicion of running a "boiler room" operation that raised $300,000 for films that weren't pro ... More >>

Zha Jiang Mian Food Fight: The Dragon vs. Malan Noodle

In case you haven't noticed, we really like noodles here. But while spaghetti and meatballs, pad thai, and ramen seem to get all the attention, other heavyweights are left to languish in relative obscurity. Zha jiang mian, for one, is amongst the all time great noodles in human history. So why is it ... More >>

Dak Dak Galbi

Playing musical Korean barbecue chairs

You’re a Pig!

If you want to be, at Koreatown’s Don Dae Gam

Popeye’s and Jazz

In search of the perfect portable chicken dinner

Of Cumin Bondage: Korean at Feng Mao

The improbable, cross-cultural carom

Supersuckers: Masan's Tenacious Tentacles and Fiery Monkfish

Food that writhes

Must-Stops on a Spicy-Food Marathon

Heated discussion

I Yam What I Yam: Mr. Pizza Factory

Retooling an Italian tradition

Hen Party

Sacrificial poultry and heavenly hangover relief

Ask Mr. Gold: Korean Barbecue

Cracking the Clubbing Code

K-Town after dark

Into the Melding Pot

Rich flavors from the old country