The Pearl Samples KTown’s Tastiest Noodles
March is National Noodle Month, a celebration of one of the world’s most popular foods. Great news for residents of The Pearl, Korean cuisine boasts a tempting array of noodle dishes, offering authentic flavors and serving styles from savory and super-spicy to ice cold and piping hot. And catering to the health-conscious crowd, a number of restaurants offer vegan and gluten-free options. Many Koreatown restaurants are family-owned and committed to preserving the rich culinary traditions of their homeland, so when you’re satisfying your noodle craving, you’re supporting local businesses as well.
Hangari Kalguksu 3470 W 6th St. Suite #9-10, Los Angeles CA 90020
What started as a simple dream to serve the perfect bowl of hand-cut noodles has grown into something truly special. Hangari Kalguksu has been sharing the warmth of Korean comfort food with Los Angeles, one steaming bowl at a time. While their famous kalguksu still steals the show, they’ve evolved to include crowd-pleasers like melt-in-your-mouth Pork Bossam and Jowl Platter. All these years later, they are still here, still family-owned, and still making every dish with the same care and attention that earned them their first loyal customers.
MDK Noodles 3630 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90010
In 2005, Michelin-recognized Myung Dong Kyoja moved from Seoul, Korea and opened up a location in the heart of Los Angeles. Since then, Myung Dong Kyoja has become a staple in Koreatown, and is now referred to by locals as MDK Noodles in English. The restaurant proudly boasts that every morning they roll up their sleeves, pick out the freshest ingredients, and make their noodles and dumplings from scratch.
Yu Chun 3185 W Olympic Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90006
Koreatown cold noodle favorite Yu Chun prides itself on the quality of its beef broth so much that it doles out the savory liquid in little complimentary cups. The beef broth serves as the base for Yu Chun’s famous mulnaengmyeon (Korean cold noodle dish), and Yu Chun’s rendition is best enjoyed with the dark kudzu starch noodles, otherwise known as chik naengmyeon. Make sure you ease in the mustard and vinegar — there are no refunds for ruined bowls!
Lasung House 3134 W Olympic Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90006
Attention gluten-free friends! Lasung House offers spicy cold buckwheat noodles, which are naturally gluten-free and packed with fiber. The noodles are served with a refreshing icy broth and crisp, fresh cucumber slices. Or choose from noodles with gochujang sauce, spaghetti bolognese, and cream pasta with seafood.
Jjamppong Zizon 3446 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90010
Jjamppong Zizon, one of South Korea’s biggest spicy noodle chains with over 100 outlets in Korea, is serving up its Korean Chinese classics in Koreatown. Menu highlights include jjajangmyeon (black bean noodles) and jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup). Jjamppong incorporates a special sun-dried chili powder in its signature dishes, including the Hell Jjajangmyeon and Hell Jjamppong. You can choose from four levels of heat, but those who want to stick to the basics can order the non-spicy versions.
Lee Ga 698 S Vermont Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90005
Lee Ga, which translates to Lee’s family, is one of Koreatown’s most popular soup specialists. The naengmyeon (cold noodes) is a favorite dish, made with freshly pressed buckwheat noodles and served with a crisp, tangy beef broth. Lee Ga has a wide menu of bubbling stone pots filled with a variety of aromatic vegetables and beef parts. The housemade dumplings, steamed and served piping hot, are also excellent.
Kobawoo House 698 S Vermont Ave. #109, Los Angeles, CA 90005
Opened in 1983 by the Baik family, Kobawoo House is one of the most iconic Koreatown restaurants, and has endured for over 40 years by serving some of the best homestyle Korean food in Los Angeles. Noodle lovers flock to Dotori Guksoo, a platter of cold acorn noodles and vegetables with red chili sauce. Another favorite is Jangban Guksu (cold noodles with vegetables). Jangban means ‘flat serving tray’, and guksu means ‘noodle’ in Korean. This noodle disk is always served on a large flat plate with lots of vegetables in a portion big enough for two.
Ma Dang Gook Soo 869 S Western Ave. #1, Los Angeles, CA 90005
Ma Dang Gook Soo is rocking the noodle game in Los Angeles! Their popular chewy noodles are served in kong-guksu, or soybean broth, with cold noodles. Ma Dang Gook Soo’s version of soy milk is made fresh on premises, and lends itself well to a pairing with a vinegary, punchy bit of kimchi. Other favorite dishes include hot chicken noodles, chicken handmade noodles, and cut noodle soup.
The Corner Place 2819 James M Wood Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90006
The Corner Place Restaurant has been a destination for lovers of authentic Korean food since 1982. They offer a variety of classic Korean BBQ dishes, along with their Signature Dish: Dong Chi Mi Gook Su, a healthy and traditional cold noodle soup, made from their own secret recipe. The menu has changed very little over the years, and the loyalty of customers ensures that they will not be changing the menu or recipes anytime soon.
Photo credits:
Photo #1: Hangari Kalguksu
Photo #2: Hangari Kalguksu
Photo #3: MDK Noodles
Photo #4: Yu Chun
Photo #5: Lasung House
Photo #6: Jjamppong Zizon
Photo #7: Lee Ga
Photo #8: Kobawoo House
Photo #9: Ma Dang Gook Soo
Photo #10: The Corner Place