As A Pro Chef, These Are The Koreatown Eateries I'd Miss The Most If I Left Los Angeles
We Angelenos are spoiled for choice of stellar cuisines. Los Angeles is, of course, famous for amazing and authentic Mexican food, but it also offers incredible Japanese, Middle Eastern, Thai, Italian, and Ethiopian food — and that's just the tip of the iceberg, excluding the state's own California cuisine borne out of our bounty of stellar produce, meats, and seafood. As a professionally trained chef and as a regular citizen, I feel so fortunate to live in such a beautifully diverse and delicious city. We may get a bad rap in the media or be perceived as shallow Hollywood types, but LA is rich in community, and communities centered around food.
I've lived on the outskirts of Koreatown for nine years, and love having walkable access to some of Los Angeles' best food and bars. After living in New York and only experiencing NYC's very small but delicious Koreatown, the shock of moving to a city famous for having the largest population of Koreans outside of South Korea was wonderful and exciting. There are countless Korean BBQ spots in Los Angeles, but you won't find any of those on my list. Although I do adore KBBQ immensely, they are so plentiful in Los Angeles that it's hard to narrow down a favorite.
I frequent many haunts in this sprawling neighborhood, and these are my favorite unique spots that my fellow food-industry friends and I return to over and over again. An unspoken rule of a night out in Koreatown is that there's a strong chance you'll end the evening in a private karaoke room, and start the next day with a hangover. But I promise that you won't regret a single moment of a lively, mouthwatering night out in my beloved K-Town.
The Prince
Fans of the shows "Mad Men" and "New Girl" will recognize the iconic red interior of The Prince, as this Koreatown restaurant is a popular filming spot ever since the 1970s. What makes The Prince so special is that it's quintessentially Los Angeles, meaning the interior of this restaurant has remained unchanged throughout the decades. The Prince has managed to evolve with the times, but only in the ways you'd hope, keeping all of the original charm while occasionally updating the bar area, playing modern music, and serving great cocktails.
As you squeeze through the heavy, nondescript doors and down into the restaurant, two full-sized suits of armor greet you. The wallpaper, carpets, seating areas, and tables are all shades of red, with painted portraits that look to be of the Victorian era. Seats at the U-shaped bar are great for watching sports on the televisions, but the best seats in the house are the large, red-leather circular booths. Bigger parties are easily accommodated in the back portion of the restaurant, and I've celebrated more than one birthday here with large groups. A small but always thrilling part of dining at The Prince is the call button you press when you need service, which may or may not always work (but that's part of the charm).
Particular favorites of mine on the menu are the deep-fried chicken (which you can order in whole or half portions, and is uniquely un-breaded), the chapchae (stir-fried cellophane noodles with vegetables and tender slices of beef), the dukkangjeong (spicy fried rice cakes), and the spicy chicken wings, which come with a large side of shredded cabbage with a mayo sauce drizzled on top, providing a perfect crunchy and cooling contrast. Portions are huge, so bring friends and share accordingly.
Dan Sung Sa
Walking into Dan Sung Sa is an assault on all of your senses. As you enter the restaurant after waiting for your table in a strip mall parking lot, a riot of smells and noises jolts you to attention. Meant to look like you're eating outside in Korea, the wooden walls are covered in decades' worth of drawings and graffiti, and every seat is packed with diners either beginning or ending a big night out, depending on the hour. It's easy to imagine the restaurant clogged with the haze of cigarette smoke, as it used to be back in the '90s. Thankfully, these days the only smoke wafting through the dining areas comes from the kitchen's grill.
It's essential to go with a group so you can share everything — plus, going with several friends makes the entire experience more fun, especially if those friends tend to enjoy a rowdy evening out on the town. Bottles of soju and beer line most tables, but my advice is to avoid the flavored soju if you're planning on having more than one drink, as the sugar in the flavored options can lead to a terrible headache the next day (or so I've been told).
A 90-plus-item menu features grilled skewers from Vienna sausage to beef intestine, in addition to classic dishes like kimchi pancake and tteokbokki (Korean rice cakes). Beer and soju flow freely, and the place begins to feel like a real party as the night goes on. Must-order dishes include the corn cheese — which is essentially a skillet of corn mixed with a bit of mayo and smothered in melted cheese — along with the kimchi pancake, the chicken wings, and a variety of skewers, particularly mushrooms and pork belly.
Jilli
Tragically, my favorite among the best restaurants in Los Angeles, Here's Looking At You, closed its doors in June 2025 ... but just a few doors down sits a small but bustling restaurant, Jilli. While The Prince and Dan Sung Sa are neighborhood classics, Jilli is a new, more modern experience. Jilli is "a vibe," as the kids say, with a bold black-and-white mural washed in glowing pink light, a pale wooden bar, and 2000s hip-hop on loud rotation. Jilli calls itself a modern sool jib, which roughly translates to "drinking establishment," offering reasonably priced natural wines, beer, and a large selection of makgeolli — a cloudy, fermented-rice-based alcohol, which isn't yet ubiquitous in Los Angeles.
A small menu features Korean-inspired dishes like tuna dip with trout roe and salmon fried rice, all meant to go perfectly while drinking with friends. The honey butter chips are a perfect snack, and the Chimmelier KFC (Korean Fried Chicken) is a nod to Jilli's sister restaurant, Chimmelier, an amazing Korean-style fried chicken spot on the very eastern edge of Koreatown. Jilli's most unique and satisfying dish, in my opinion, is the Rigatoni Alla Kimchi Vodka — a spicy, perfect mashup of heat from the kimchi used in the sauce and salty, chewy bacon and cheese.
Jilli does accept walk-ins, but reservations are recommended, as there's usually a wait otherwise. Located just one block north of The Wiltern theater, Jilli is a great place to grab a bite before heading over to a show there. After a fun meal at Jilli, mosey around the corner to Frank n' Hank on Western Avenue, one of the best dive bars in Los Angeles. Ask for Damon, and be sure to tell him I sent you.