TOKiMONSTA's Ultimate L.A. Koreatown Guide

When it comes to Los Angeles neighborhoods, Koreatown is hard to beat. Ten, and even five short years ago, the neighborhood was relatively closed off to non-Koreans. Many of the older residents still don’t speak English, and every cop, bank, post office, and grocery store employee in the area only really lasts if they can speak Korean with the residents. “I really love Koreatown because it’s one of the more authentic neighborhoods in L.A.,” says Jennifer Lee, who you probably know best as TOKiMONSTA. She’s been a resident there for years and knows the ins-and-outs of the best spots to eat, drink, shop, stay, and relax.

According to Lee, although there are a few outlying American cultural mainstays, like iconic music venue The Wiltern, the true gems are independent businesses whose owners are still warming up to new non-Korean patrons. They come in droves seeking out Korean BBQ at places like the eclectic Kang Ho-Dong Baekjeong, acupuncture from the mother-daughter team that runs the Dr. Na AcuChiro TMJ Clinic, and food truck pioneer Roy Choi’s Korean fusion food experiences at The Line Hotel. “It’s also totally walkable, which is rare in L.A.,” notes Lee. So the next time you find yourself in Los Angeles without wheels, head to Koreatown to stroll to one—or all—of her favorite spots.

Go for the: Seolleongtang

“This is one of my favorite places in Koreatown. It only really serves this one kind of Korean soup called Seolleongtang. It has a very opaque color to it, almost like Tonkatsu. It comes with salt for you to put in. It’s really good when you’re sick, but it’s also very comforting. People think it’s bland if they don’t know to put the salt in themselves. It’s served completely unsalted.”

Go for the: Intelligentsia drip coffee

“There aren’t that many nice coffee shops in Koreatown. It’s mostly just grab-and-go spots or places for bubble tea. There are two in particular that I like, and Bourbon Street is the first one. They do drip coffee, cold press, and cool brewing techniques like that. They sell Intelligentsia coffee, La Mousse cakes and cookies, and bring in their baked goods from BREADBAR.”

Go for the: Lavender cappuccino

“The second coffee shop I really like, Brew/Well, is kind of a mixture. It’s not super snooty, but they have a lavender cappuccino that’s really nice. They have some pressed juices. That place is interesting because it’s attached to a really big Korean grocery market so you wouldn’t really see it unless you walked in.”

Go for the: Korean BBQ

“This Korean BBQ spot is a staple. It’s owned by a TV personality [Kang Ho-dong] who used to be a wrestler. The only drawback is that Yelp caught up with it, so now it takes hours to get served. They have a sister restaurant called Ahgassi Gopchang. It serves intestines as its specialty, but also has beef and pork and any of the other stuff you’d look for with Korean BBQ. I go there more often because it’s faster.”

Go for the: Total Roy Choi treatment

“Everything at The Line Hotel could be a pick for me. It’s all Roy Choi’s influence. The bar, the bakery, the two restaurants, and even the room service kind of like has its own concept. It’s not pretentious at all; it’s a nice way to do Korean food. Roy’s a restaurateur everyone is proud of because he’s not just about money. He does a lot of community outreach. He’s one of the least pretentious people I know. He’s really sincere.”

“The bakery has this amazing cheese French bread pizza thing. They have this really great sesame mochi bar. The bar itself is kind of made out of mochi, but it has buttermilk sesame cream on top of it. A lot of the cocktails at the bar are savory, which is a really nice change away from the sweet cocktails you get everywhere. Pot is just great Korean food. Commissary is a little broader—not totally Korean. It has some Latin influences. And the hotel itself is awesome. There aren’t a lot of really cool hotels in Koreatown.”

Go for the: Craft beer selection

“Beer Belly is one of the only places in Koreatown where you can get craft beer. The owners, Jimmy and Yume Han, focus on California beers. I go there pretty often. The food there is really good too, but I tend to go there for beers. They have robust, heavy, beer-belly food. Fish and chips, and everything fried and cheesy.”

Go for the: Iconic live music

“The Wiltern is a historic music venue in Los Angeles, and it’s literally in the heart of Koreatown. Now Koreatown is a little more open, but The Wiltern is one of the only staples people have been coming to in the neighborhood for years. Flying Lotus plays there, but acts from all over will play like two nights in a row, sold out. It’s Art Deco, so it’s mint green. The sound’s really great, too. It will always be this nice cultural center in Koreatown.”

Go for the: Korean mall experience

“The Koreatown Plaza is the most historic Korean shopping mall. It has a great food court on the bottom floor. There are things like a Korean electronics store, beauty shops to buy Korean cosmetics, hair salons, and clothing stores that sell brands from Korea. I’ve been going since I was a kid. There’s a really good bakery on the bottom floor, cool places to get your nails done, and stationery stores. It’s a lot of fun. It doesn’t even feel like L.A.”

Go for the: First-time acupuncture trial

“This clinic is run by a mother-daughter duo. The mother has been doing acupuncture for like 40 years. The daughter does acupuncture and is a chiropractor, too. It’s cool because it’s this East-meets-West thing. It’s good for people who experience severe pain, or if you’ve never tried acupuncture. They specialize in TMJ (jaw soreness) treatment.”

Go for the: Body scrubs

“Wi Spa is maybe my favorite thing in Koreatown. For a $25 entrance fee you have access to the pools, hot and cold, sauna, steam rooms, showers. This one has a coed floor, where most of them have guys and girls totally separate. They have a restaurant and a common area with computers. You can go in and lay around on the floor; you can get Korean food. You can spend the whole day there. On Tuesdays it’s only $15.