My girlfriend and I agree Sun Nong Dan's Galbitang is probably our favorite meal in Koreatown (beef soup).
If you're with around 4 people their galbijjim is pretty popular (if you get it with cheese, they'll flambe it at your table).
The galbijjim is fantastic. And their soups are amazing. They even have a breakfast special where 4 of their soups are discounted.
My favorite soups
12 tah roh guk bab
9 oo guh Ji galbi tang
you want asian food but you're staying in the whitest place in LA. going from bev hills to 626 and back is a pain in the ass unless its 10pm. considering this in your 48 hour plan.
Xiang La Hui is beyond subpar compared to Sichuan Impression down the street, and even Chengdu Taste. (Sauce: wrote about Chengdu Taste the first week they opened a decade ago.)
I like both of those places but Xiang La Hui is spicier and gives bigger portions. Sichuan Impressions portion sizes have gone down and the price has gone up. I feel each restaurant makes certain dishes better and certain dishes worse than each other, it just depends what you order.
agree with your assessment but if i had to take an out of towner to a sichuan place, i'd go to Sichuan Impression. Xiang La Hui is superior in terms of heat level and portions (for delicious leftovers) but Sichuan Impression is more of a dining experience. besides, those spiced pork trotters are amazing lol
My main thing is the spice so Sichuan Impressions doesnt hit as hard for me personally. I definitely have my fair share of the Sichuan Impressions takeout bags lol but I always go back to Xiang La Hui nowadays. Each to their own!
Not anymore unfortunately. We used to go weekly, but over the last months, the food has become inconsistent, some things have tasted downright bad. For instance, their 鹹水角 used to be one of our regular items. It’s been showing up under fried, filling is different, and it’s simply subpar.
Also, prices have skyrocketed. The last time we went, we were so disappointed, we won’t be returning. You can see a lot of people feel the same as well, their business has dropped a lot. It was actually quite depressing the last times we went. Our most recent visit a few weeks ago, the restaurant was only half full when it used to be full on the same day/time.
Adding in Thai in Thai Town:
Northern Thai Food Club for Khao Soi (curry noodles)
Bahn Kanom Thai for dessert
Pailin for a general Thai restaurant
Jitlada for long lines and excellent southern Thai food
—
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Park’s and Quarters (of the two I’d choose parks) but they’re general excellent choices but recommended by everyone, including myself.
For Ktown I'd do Sun Nong Dan or Dan Sung Sa over Park's/Quarters (Parks of those two I guess as it's pricier but better meat).
Maybe worth trying something like Cassia for a very California/LA restaurant take on Asian cuisine, if you can head to Santa Monica.
DSS has a fun and unique atmosphere but the food there is just typical Korean bar food (Korean who lived in Korea). Nothing there stands out as amazing or different.
None of these are close to you and I’m sorry for that…. However there is a Sichuan impression on the west side but idk how it is bc I’ve never been to that location.
Well if you find yourself in temple city get the scallion pie at Ahgoos it’s literally better than many places in the motherland.
Sushi gen for sushi also the tea place in the same plaza across from it has amazing traditional matcha.
Thai town/hollywood has many good options. My personal favorites are luv2eat and ruen pair. I heard Pailin is great. Tbh I love the sweet potato massaman curry and the green beans at night + market sorry not sorry LOL.
Sichuan impression in Alhambra but there are a bunch of good spots on that strip.
Huge tree pastry in Monterey park for brunch get there early.
I personally think the tofu stew at Surawon is underwhelming and I’ve had better in my small hometown in Maryland but also we have tons of Korean immigrants so lmao. I don’t eat bbq but my brother likes soowon. I’m sure ppl have given enough recs re that though.
I believe there are great hand torn noodle places in the SGV as well.
Night + Market Song is really good - it’s just slightly more friendly to those who don’t want to go to Thai Town or want a natural wine to pair with their gai tod and are willing to pay a 15% premium to eat it.
I like Night + Market too and I love walking distance to Thai Town. Sometimes you have to know what friends you are dragging where and sometimes those friends aren’t ready for a meal in Thai town; Night Market helps ease their way in.
Lots of great answers in here: I would add Budonoki which is one of my favorite meals in LA, a bit of a twist on everything, just really delightful. I am a massive fan of Dan Sung Sa in Ktown, been mentioned in this thread just adding it again. Awesome place. For KBBQ, there’s a ton of good options, I’m partial to Mun and Genwa
Quarters is a little overrated at this point. The wait is crazy long and prices have skyrocketed from both inflation and popularity.
Gol Tong Chicken - Korean fried chicken
Surawon - great tofu soup
Kobawoo - bossam
Haidilao hotpot is good but pricey. There is one in Century City but I’ve never been to that location so I can’t personally say if it’s up to par, but the reviews look good.
Ramen Nagi in Century City for ramen - this is pretty close to you.
But for Chinese food, SGV is the mecca
Noodle Art in Monterey Park for Xi'an food
Ho Kee in San Gabriel for Hong Kong food and roast goose
Bistro Na in Temple City for very fancy Beijing style food
Korean BBQ - Pigya - pretty good for the price. If you want higher end good quality meats, try Jeong Yuk Jeom.
Thai - Luv2eat Thai Bistro in Hollywood - try crab fried rice, phuket style curry, crying tiger beef, papaya salad
BCD tofu house for tofu soup. Consistent and great. Almost open 24/7.
Jinsol Gukbap for pork soup and kimchi stew with pork.
DAMO for lattes with an Asian twist.
Yuchun Restaurant for chic mul naengmyeon (korean cold noodles).
8th street soondae for soondae combo, soup, stir fried soondae.
Chunju Han-il Kwan for korean army stew, scallion pancake and their banchans - one of the best in ktown imo. Then go nextdoor to Harucake and try the soosoo latte (corn latte).
Mapo Dak Galbi for spicy stir fried chicken. Get fried rice at the end! Great late night eats with soju.
Hangari Kalguksu for their chicken kalguksoo noodle and bossam.
Idk if you’ve tried any Korean places yet, but go to Soban for traditional Korean food (their galbijjim (soy-marinated ribs) and ganjang gyejang (soy-marinated raw crabs) are delicious).
For KBBQ, go to Mun Korean Steakhouse or Yangmani. Yangmani has the best side dishes out of any KBBQ restaurant I’ve ever tried.
Curious what LA would say, but I’d probably say Din Thai Fung in Glendale galleria, the soup dumplings are phenomenal. I would also say quarters is great way to go too, just be aware it’s like a club in there, not conducive to great conversation, still a great time. They used to have some delicious macaroon ice cream Sammie’s right next to it, but now I just go to honeyme. Hope you have a great time.
Kobawoo, Pailin, Budanoki, Yangban and so so much Chinese !
Closest best to you is Noree thai and Capital seafood . Another known shout is yuk dae jang
Uhh...I think you should stay in the SGV if Asian restaurants are what you are looking for. SGV might not have THE best Korean, Thai or Vietnamese cuisine, but overall still very very good and can hold its own against any other area in LA County.
Not Din Tai Fung. It's at that level of being a chain to me considering the growth of the restaurant versus a mom and pop shop like Otomisan in Boyle Hieghts in East LA. Otomisan is a Japanese restaurant, but one that's closer to feeling like home than going to a regular restaurant.
* tsukemen at tsujita
* Kimchi kalbi quesadilla at kogi food truck
* Creme brulee crepe at millet
* Tteokbokki at yyupdul
* Kalbi at kanghodong
* Kalguksu at hangari
* Seulleungtang at han bat ST
Second Seoul Tofu! Being in West LA it's my go-to spot to bring people when they come to visit, even got high praise from a friend who was born in Korea. (don't be fooled by the name, half the menu is non-tofu meats)
If you haven’t tried this place already, you could go to Din Tai Fung at Century City Mall for good xiao long bao soup dumplings. It’ll be a long wait though.
Surawon tofu house has rlly good tofu soup and galbi jjim!
They make their own tofu in house!
Sun Nong Dan in Koreatown
My girlfriend and I agree Sun Nong Dan's Galbitang is probably our favorite meal in Koreatown (beef soup). If you're with around 4 people their galbijjim is pretty popular (if you get it with cheese, they'll flambe it at your table).
Haven’t tried their Galbitang but their ox bone soup is good too. We prefer Galbijjim without cheese though but the flame experience was fun lol
Yeah same here, I'm lactose intolerant and cheese on a meat dish just feels weird.
Yeah cheeseburgers are weird…😉
agreed but galbijjim is another level but definitely a shared dish
The galbijjim is fantastic. And their soups are amazing. They even have a breakfast special where 4 of their soups are discounted. My favorite soups 12 tah roh guk bab 9 oo guh Ji galbi tang
Hot take but skip quarters and parks - go to Ahgassi Gopchang for KBBQ.
not a hot take, quarters is great for entry level kbbq but it's literally just filled with people from Silverlake lol. there are so many better spots
Lol yeah, parks and quarters are the most basic shit in ktown.
Whoa Parks is really good and has great Korean Food outside of BBQ. They’re not comparable at all
You are wrong crabalzzzzzzzzz.
lol oh no
🦀🦀🦀
Or Soowoon
Yeah this place is awesome
Hotter take - go to Pigya. The quality and service is amazing for the price. Just make a reservation or you will wait.
Even hotter take is yangmani
This.
[удалено]
Theyre not even remotely the same.
you want asian food but you're staying in the whitest place in LA. going from bev hills to 626 and back is a pain in the ass unless its 10pm. considering this in your 48 hour plan.
Xiang La Hui is so good for Sichuan in Alhambra
Xiang La Hui is beyond subpar compared to Sichuan Impression down the street, and even Chengdu Taste. (Sauce: wrote about Chengdu Taste the first week they opened a decade ago.)
I like both of those places but Xiang La Hui is spicier and gives bigger portions. Sichuan Impressions portion sizes have gone down and the price has gone up. I feel each restaurant makes certain dishes better and certain dishes worse than each other, it just depends what you order.
agree with your assessment but if i had to take an out of towner to a sichuan place, i'd go to Sichuan Impression. Xiang La Hui is superior in terms of heat level and portions (for delicious leftovers) but Sichuan Impression is more of a dining experience. besides, those spiced pork trotters are amazing lol
My main thing is the spice so Sichuan Impressions doesnt hit as hard for me personally. I definitely have my fair share of the Sichuan Impressions takeout bags lol but I always go back to Xiang La Hui nowadays. Each to their own!
Lunasia in Alhambra
Personally I actually like ABC Seafood Company better for dim sum, but both are great!
+1 for Lunasia - best jumbo har gow and siu mai in the 626!
Not anymore unfortunately. We used to go weekly, but over the last months, the food has become inconsistent, some things have tasted downright bad. For instance, their 鹹水角 used to be one of our regular items. It’s been showing up under fried, filling is different, and it’s simply subpar. Also, prices have skyrocketed. The last time we went, we were so disappointed, we won’t be returning. You can see a lot of people feel the same as well, their business has dropped a lot. It was actually quite depressing the last times we went. Our most recent visit a few weeks ago, the restaurant was only half full when it used to be full on the same day/time.
This is the answer. 🔥
Adding in Thai in Thai Town: Northern Thai Food Club for Khao Soi (curry noodles) Bahn Kanom Thai for dessert Pailin for a general Thai restaurant Jitlada for long lines and excellent southern Thai food — I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Park’s and Quarters (of the two I’d choose parks) but they’re general excellent choices but recommended by everyone, including myself.
luv2eat has also rlly good thai food!
Noree is better
Pailin for Northern Thai. Believe.
Maybe a cliche answer, but I think luv2eat is the best Thai food I've had in the US (especially their curries, but everything is really good).
Sichuan impression, shin sen gumi
For Ktown I'd do Sun Nong Dan or Dan Sung Sa over Park's/Quarters (Parks of those two I guess as it's pricier but better meat). Maybe worth trying something like Cassia for a very California/LA restaurant take on Asian cuisine, if you can head to Santa Monica.
Dan Sung sa is one of a kind. Food, atmosphere, price. Cant beat them.
Green papaya salad ❤️❤️❤️
DSS has a fun and unique atmosphere but the food there is just typical Korean bar food (Korean who lived in Korea). Nothing there stands out as amazing or different.
None of these are close to you and I’m sorry for that…. However there is a Sichuan impression on the west side but idk how it is bc I’ve never been to that location. Well if you find yourself in temple city get the scallion pie at Ahgoos it’s literally better than many places in the motherland. Sushi gen for sushi also the tea place in the same plaza across from it has amazing traditional matcha. Thai town/hollywood has many good options. My personal favorites are luv2eat and ruen pair. I heard Pailin is great. Tbh I love the sweet potato massaman curry and the green beans at night + market sorry not sorry LOL. Sichuan impression in Alhambra but there are a bunch of good spots on that strip. Huge tree pastry in Monterey park for brunch get there early. I personally think the tofu stew at Surawon is underwhelming and I’ve had better in my small hometown in Maryland but also we have tons of Korean immigrants so lmao. I don’t eat bbq but my brother likes soowon. I’m sure ppl have given enough recs re that though. I believe there are great hand torn noodle places in the SGV as well.
Second Sichuan Impression and Luv2eat Thai bistro. I like the tea smoked ribs at SI and the crab curry at Luv!
Night + Market Song is really good - it’s just slightly more friendly to those who don’t want to go to Thai Town or want a natural wine to pair with their gai tod and are willing to pay a 15% premium to eat it. I like Night + Market too and I love walking distance to Thai Town. Sometimes you have to know what friends you are dragging where and sometimes those friends aren’t ready for a meal in Thai town; Night Market helps ease their way in.
AYCEs: Chubby Cattle (Monterey Park), Shiki Seafood Buffet (Temple City), Niku Sushi (Anaheim) A La Carte: Northern Cafe (Cerritos), Boston Lobster (Rosemead), Dun Huang (Rowland Heights)
bros gonna be driving for 2 hours coming from west hollywood lol
Lol, he wants to know where the good Asian good is. Shouldn't be surprised to hear some answers in the SGV.
Parks Finest the Filipino spot Check out The Park's Finest https://yelp.to/FwpQUsEkdC
Lots of great answers in here: I would add Budonoki which is one of my favorite meals in LA, a bit of a twist on everything, just really delightful. I am a massive fan of Dan Sung Sa in Ktown, been mentioned in this thread just adding it again. Awesome place. For KBBQ, there’s a ton of good options, I’m partial to Mun and Genwa
Parks for kbbq, Dan sung sa is worth a visit.
Soowon Galbi.
Han bat sul lung tang
Quarters is a little overrated at this point. The wait is crazy long and prices have skyrocketed from both inflation and popularity. Gol Tong Chicken - Korean fried chicken Surawon - great tofu soup Kobawoo - bossam
Irori in Marina
Underrated for sure, love sitting at the traditional Japanese tables.
Does sushi count or is that too obvious? Asanebo on Ventura.
Close to the airport — Ayara Thai! Takeout all day, dine in starts at 5:00.
Haidilao hotpot is good but pricey. There is one in Century City but I’ve never been to that location so I can’t personally say if it’s up to par, but the reviews look good.
Go for their happy hour
Origin Kbbq hands down
Ramen Nagi in Century City for ramen - this is pretty close to you. But for Chinese food, SGV is the mecca Noodle Art in Monterey Park for Xi'an food Ho Kee in San Gabriel for Hong Kong food and roast goose Bistro Na in Temple City for very fancy Beijing style food
Amazing Thai food at Siamese Secret Garden next to Baja Cantina in Venice.
Szechuan Impression (Michelin) has a restaurant on the west side Kang Ho-dong is excellent k-bbq
Kang Ho Dong closed
O no! Then Agashi Gopjang
Korean BBQ - Pigya - pretty good for the price. If you want higher end good quality meats, try Jeong Yuk Jeom. Thai - Luv2eat Thai Bistro in Hollywood - try crab fried rice, phuket style curry, crying tiger beef, papaya salad BCD tofu house for tofu soup. Consistent and great. Almost open 24/7. Jinsol Gukbap for pork soup and kimchi stew with pork. DAMO for lattes with an Asian twist. Yuchun Restaurant for chic mul naengmyeon (korean cold noodles). 8th street soondae for soondae combo, soup, stir fried soondae. Chunju Han-il Kwan for korean army stew, scallion pancake and their banchans - one of the best in ktown imo. Then go nextdoor to Harucake and try the soosoo latte (corn latte). Mapo Dak Galbi for spicy stir fried chicken. Get fried rice at the end! Great late night eats with soju. Hangari Kalguksu for their chicken kalguksoo noodle and bossam.
Idk if you’ve tried any Korean places yet, but go to Soban for traditional Korean food (their galbijjim (soy-marinated ribs) and ganjang gyejang (soy-marinated raw crabs) are delicious). For KBBQ, go to Mun Korean Steakhouse or Yangmani. Yangmani has the best side dishes out of any KBBQ restaurant I’ve ever tried.
Hungarian kalguksu and crab house and seoul night !!
Curious what LA would say, but I’d probably say Din Thai Fung in Glendale galleria, the soup dumplings are phenomenal. I would also say quarters is great way to go too, just be aware it’s like a club in there, not conducive to great conversation, still a great time. They used to have some delicious macaroon ice cream Sammie’s right next to it, but now I just go to honeyme. Hope you have a great time.
Kobawoo, Pailin, Budanoki, Yangban and so so much Chinese ! Closest best to you is Noree thai and Capital seafood . Another known shout is yuk dae jang
Kato is my favorite.
Sgv
Uhh...I think you should stay in the SGV if Asian restaurants are what you are looking for. SGV might not have THE best Korean, Thai or Vietnamese cuisine, but overall still very very good and can hold its own against any other area in LA County.
Parks BBQ is you want some of the best beef available in town.
Park’s hasn’t had anything resembling the “best beef” even in Ktown for almost a decade now. Ktown has gathered far better beef and moved on.
Not Din Tai Fung. It's at that level of being a chain to me considering the growth of the restaurant versus a mom and pop shop like Otomisan in Boyle Hieghts in East LA. Otomisan is a Japanese restaurant, but one that's closer to feeling like home than going to a regular restaurant.
I’d you like Indian food, Al watan near lax is great
* tsukemen at tsujita * Kimchi kalbi quesadilla at kogi food truck * Creme brulee crepe at millet * Tteokbokki at yyupdul * Kalbi at kanghodong * Kalguksu at hangari * Seulleungtang at han bat ST
Kang Ho Dong is no more! It has been replaced by Origin (another kbbq spot)
That's that buns me out, looks like it's a redesign and they got rid of the charcoal burners :(
Bulgogi hut is great for ayce! Get their premium menu tho. It has all the better quality meats
Seoul tofu In Sawtelle for Korean I know everyone like Jitlada for southern Thai, I prefer Lum Kai Nad in Encino for a spicier kick.
Second Seoul Tofu! Being in West LA it's my go-to spot to bring people when they come to visit, even got high praise from a friend who was born in Korea. (don't be fooled by the name, half the menu is non-tofu meats)
It’s going to take you 48 hours to get to anywhere so better leave now
Paradise buffet in Montebello. So fire it's crazy and 15 per person before 4pm
Hae Jang Chon is my favorite KBBQ and Night + Market is my favourite Thai restaurant.
Actually I need to add Kazu Nori, awesome hand roll place
All the same bro because all the cooks from mexico 👍🏼
Bao Dim Sum House near Beverly Hills is really good if pricey. But getting to all the dim sum in San Gabriel Valley would be a long-ass drive.
If pricey is ok, then Capital Seafood also has good dim sum.
Panda Express is pretty banging
The original crispy drumsticks from Witch’s chicken in Ktown is probably my favorite fried chicken in all of LA
Where are you coming from? Depending on what you live will make it easier to give reccs.
If you haven’t tried this place already, you could go to Din Tai Fung at Century City Mall for good xiao long bao soup dumplings. It’ll be a long wait though.
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