Soowon Galbi — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Came here on a Monday night and it was so not packed at first, but had more people come in after. I have to say the service was so not up to par compared to other places I been, especially when they are on the pricey side; they suck. However, I notice that the workers treat other customers better than they did to us in that they were more attentive and the workers brought what the others asked for way faster (10 minutes to refill salad!!). We waited and even had to asked twice for the lettuce to wrap (its upon request)!! Our thoughts were that we both look young (which was true) and they really didn't take care of our needs. Dude, they didn't even look towards our table, like we never existed. Other tables (Korean and non-Korean) we noticed the whole time we were there were treated with better customer services.... older couples or a big family. One word: OLDER!!

Food on the other hand were on pricey side, but were not sooo good as other Yelpers stated; We ordered their signature dish (Soo Won Wang Galbi) and beef ribs; I had better marinated galbi for that price or even cheaper. The galbi was a little too sweet for me in that I did not really enjoy it. Beef ribs were of good quality, but for about $30 for a few pieces of meat, I did expect that. However, I do commend them on the numerous side dishes that were actually tasty and some that you don't find in other Korean restaurant.

Also, remember to bring change for the valet ($2) and to tip the guy..although I did tip the waiters for their bad service also.

Recommended for OLDER couples or family..but not for young looking...

Came here on a Friday night around 8PM, and was told that the wait was going to be 30-45 minutes (we expected it to be longer anyways). To our surprise, we were seated within 20 minutes!

We saw all the different options in the menu, and was recommended to get Combo B, which is suited for 3-4 people (we were a party of 3 - 1 girl and 2 guys). The Combo B is great because it comes with 4-5 different type of meats (including galbi, brisket, pork belly, rib eye?, etc), lots of delicious banchans (sweet potato, seaweed, kimchi, bean sprouts, rice paper, etc), soup, rice, and either soju/beer/soft drink (we opted for the peach soju). The price is really reasonable too, it was about $85 for Combo B, so if you split that with 3 people, you're only paying $40 with tips. The meal can definitely be shared among 4 people, since we left the restaurant stuffed! So $85 divided by 4, you can easily leave satisfied with just $30! That is a steal, compared to the KBBQ places in the Bay Area, where they charge you so much for so little!

Overall, the meats were amazingly fresh and delicious, and loved the variety of banchans. From time to time, the servers would come help you cook the meats just so you don't accidentally burn them. The star of the night was definitely the galbi. It is advertised as marinated for 40 hours, and I can definitely taste the effort that went into that nice piece of meat. It was so tender, moist, and well flavored. Next time, I might just get that and skip the other meats because it was...

KBBQ at its best! But take note that this is not an All you can eat KBBQ.

By now you most likely have already experienced all you can eat places. First thing you will notice when you go to Soowon is that its not AYCE and its pricy. Per person get ready to spend 40+ depending how much drinks you consume. That’s right, 40+ minimum. If you come to Soowon don’t go cheap and experience some of the best meat you will encounter.

Soowon is a full service shop, you pick the meat, the staff will cook it in front of you. You can try to cook it yourself but why not let the pros handle it.

The meat quality is very high and the marinade is great while not overly sweet. Staffs are very nice to work with. Definitely try to Soowon galbi its the best.

This place gets packed very quick. Parking lot is super tiny. If you drive, get ready to wait for a spot or park elsewhere and walk over. Make a reservation or get ready to wait. No reservation wait time can be hour during dinner. Dinner rush starts around 5.

What i truly love about Soowon is the fact that it allows takeout. Yeah that’s right, you can order your food and pick it up. Only certain items are available for takeout, mostly marinaded meat. It is precooked.

One last thing, Soowon has one of the best side dishes in LA and they are open to refills! Love a side dish don’t worry ask...