Gangnam Station Korean BBQ — Restaurant in Los Angeles

I originally found out about Gangnam Station because of the hype around their neon-lit, clubby dinner vibe—but what really impressed me was how good the lunch experience is too. I went during lunchtime recently, and let me tell you—it might be one of K-town’s most underrated midday food gems.

Location & Parking: Smack dab at Western & Wilshire, it’s in the heart of Koreatown and super easy to find. They have validated parking in the back, which is honestly crucial in this area, especially if you’re squeezing in a lunch during a workday or trying to avoid a ticket.

Food – AYCE Lunch Edition: Even during lunch, they offer All-You-Can-Eat KBBQ with access to their self-serve meat and veggie bar, and it's not some stripped-down version like at other places. The meat selection was still super solid: thin-sliced brisket, marinated pork, spicy chicken, and even shrimp. Everything was fresh and well-organized. I especially liked that they had tongs and gloves at the bar—clean and easy to navigate.

On top of that, the veggie and side dish bar had all the essentials: salad, radish paper, onions, kimchi. I was able to make some killer grill wraps with all the fixings.

For lunch, the pace is a bit more relaxed, which I loved. The grill gets fired up fast, so even if you're on a tighter schedule, you’re eating within minutes.

Atmosphere – Still a Vibe at Noon: Even during the day, the inside of Gangnam Station feels cool and immersive. The neon lighting and modern decor don’t lose their effect in daylight—it still feels like you stepped into a low-key club or lounge. The music was a bit more mellow at lunch, which was nice for conversation, but the energy was still there.

Soju & Drinks: They do serve soju at lunch if you're feeling spicy—perfect for a Friday lunch hangout or if you’re not heading back to work after. It’s a great way to kick off a weekend or wind down on a day off. Grapefruit and peach soju are my personal faves.

Service: Even with the self-serve aspect, staff were attentive—came by multiple times to switch out the grill, refill dipping sauces, and make sure we had everything we needed. Super friendly without hovering.

Price Point: Very reasonable for what you get. Honestly feels like a steal considering the ambiance and variety.

Final Thoughts: Gangnam Station isn’t just a dinner hotspot—it’s also an excellent choice for lunch if you’re craving KBBQ without the crowd. Same neon, same top-notch meat bar, same great service, just with less of a wait and more chill. Whether you’re going out with coworkers, friends, or just treating yourself, this place delivers from noon to night.

Pro tip: Come hungry, try everything at the meat bar, and don’t skip the soju if you’ve got the rest of the day free.

Definitely coming...

I’ll be honest if I could give negative stars for this experience I would. Me my fiancé and my soon to be sister in law decided to stop by after spending the day at Universal Studios excited to try a new KBBQ spot after a long day.

The first red flag was while we were waiting. We checked in and waited for our names to be called, it didn’t take long. But the occurrence happened when another couple had left after their meal. One of staff members, a middle aged guy, chased them down hallway and put the receipt in their face. Me giving the benefit of the doubt I thought they had just forgotten to sign their receipt. It wasn’t til later on the car ride home that we had discovered that this place will hunt you down if you do not tip or do not tip at least 15%.

Onto our meal we were sat in the middle of the restaurant. The floor was exceptionally slippery, like someone had poured grease below the table, it was very hard to move my chair around because my shoes couldn’t grip the floor. The quality meat itself I would say mediocre at best and that’s to say for the meat we could get. Getting our order in from their kitchen menu was difficult already, we waited about 10 minutes before someone even asked us what menu we were selecting from. We made use of their meat bar since they imposed a 2 hour time limit. But to back track to their kitchen menu, trying to get staff to wait on us was like pulling teeth! My fiancé and I had to wave down different staff members to place orders and half of the time we were ignored. When someone finally stopped we were quickly dismissed and the staff member each time was acting like we were such a burden to them.

Our first round of meats was forgotten so we had to repeat the process of trying to get staff to pay attention to us so that we could order. All the while my sister in law noticed that other tables were being tended to quickly, many getting their second round of orders in before we even got our first bowl of rice and these were people who had sat down long after us. Other tables were even getting their meats cooked and cut for them while our table was barren. We only got our grill changed once, and that was because it was smoking so bad from all the sugar used in the marinades for the meat. We felt so isolated and unwelcome that our appetites quickly fizzled soon after.

One thing they were quick to act on was when we asked for the check. Almost instantly I had the check next to me and as soon as we got up the guy from earlier scurried to our table to collect the check. Very unprofessional and very off putting.

Save your money, don’t come here. There are better chain KBBQ spots that will attend to you better than this place. It’s safe to say that we will not be...

Actually, this is not our first choice because we were at somewhere else and it was closed at 10pm. We searched and found this one open that late at night.

Parking on the street is kind of dangerous, but we were lucky and did not get parking ticket. I am not sure downtown LA is ok after 10pm? And I have no idea where to park when I want to come again.

We did not wait too long to get in and it was quite full. We just needed to order the meat we wanted and the most popular ones were already in the back and we could take as much as we wanted by ourselves.

The fire is quite weak and it took a while to cook everything. The meat we took from the island ourselves was full of fluid and that was probably why it took so long to evaporate the fluid out of the meat before it was done.

The food is ok and the waiters are working hard to move around. They don’t proactively refill your water, but when you ask, they are quick to do so.

The things I don’t like are the music and the floor. The music is loud and it is hard to make a conversation. And I don’t like the music type that makes your feel like you are in a night club. Not sure this is only in LA or it is only here.

And the floor is black marble. It makes the chairs extra slippery and it is also slippery when there is water spot. You also can see many food drops on the floor and people just walk over them again and again. They don’t have time to clean it especially when people are eating. It is common, but it is more obvious when the floor is reflective black. It just does not look nice. That is all.

But the worst part is the restroom. Not only it is dark with dead bulb, but also black marble floor. And the urine is overflowing on the floor. It is not only slippery and dangerous, but also disgusting that you will definitely bring other people’s DNA home with you and spread it in the dining area before you leave.

I don’t like to be too critical or to sound harsh. The food is ok, the people are working hard. It just seems like they cannot do much for the restroom and music. Everyone is only working and getting paid there. They are ok and not responsible for the hardware issue.

I may not go back again simply because I don’t...