Top Korean Restaurants in LA According to Koreans: 3 Spots Tested! 🇰

I rarely go out of my way for Korean food while traveling, but my partner insisted LA is an exception! She said Koreans widely believe LA’s Korean food scene totally outshines Chicago 🔥. Based on Korean forum recommendations, we tried three spots this time. BCD Tofu House A popular Korean tofu stew chain across North America — LA has several locations. Soon Tofu means soft tofu — unpressed, fresh, silky, similar to Japanese tofu texture.😘🙌 Each tofu stew is around $10+, with options like beef, seafood, mixed, or offal. Besides stew, they also have stone pot rice, grilled galbi, seafood pancakes, etc. We ordered combo sets for two adults + two kids: Grilled short ribs + original tofu stew Marinated raw crab + offal tofu stew The original was perfect for the kids — mild and comforting. The offal tofu stew is something you won’t find in Chicago Korean spots! Lunch combos are $4–5 cheaper than dinner, but since we visited on Labor Day, no discount applied.😊👍 📍 Address: 3575 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles Jinsol Gukbap Specializes in soup-based meals — gukbap literally means “soup rice.” The broths are rich, usually pork bone or beef-based, and it’s a beloved traditional Korean dish, especially in cold weather! Many on social media recommend their spicy pork trotters, but we stuck to their signature soups. The style involves eating rice directly in the hot soup, and they serve chives to blanch in it.🙌😁 Note: broths come unsalted — season to taste. We got pork soup for the kids, blood sausage soup for my partner, and I tried the pork offal soup — huge portions and even included pork ear! 📍 Address: 4031 W 3rd St, Los Angeles Sun Nong Dan Three locations around LA — we went to the one closest to Disneyland. Their signature is braised beef short rib hot pot — ribs stewed with potatoes, carrots, scallions, onions, and Korean rice cakes in a rich sauce. Adding cheese costs $8 extra, and the server torches a thick layer of mozzarella tableside — visually stunning and irresistibly aromatic! 🔥 Only Medium and Large sizes available. We ordered Medium and couldn’t finish half — easily enough for three people. 📍 Address: 710 S Western Ave, Los Angeles #LAFood #LARestaurants #LALife #LifeInUSA #InternationalStudents #ImmigrantLife #KoreanFood