Koguryo korean BBQ

Racist people. I stopped by with a group of friends, the place was practically empty. There was only 3 tables with people and 3 servers, it wasn’t even busy, we stood at the door for a while waiting to be seated, a young guy finally sat us down, but non of the servers took their time to come and wait on us, they totally ignored us, brought us water and asked if we were ready to order, with out explaining the menu or welcoming us, since it was our first time. We left because we felt unwelcomed very awkward moment and environment. We usually go to the Hae Jong Chon korean bbq down the street which is a thousand times better, and have such good food and friendly staff, there’s a wait but it’s so much worth it. We ended up going for some sushi after that.

Yess ! Amazing find. Only $ 39.95 for two people… For full course Shabu Shabu Korean meal. Make sure you get the Korean porridge at the end. Looved it. brought 3 friends here. Yummy!

It was overpriced and underwhelming. They didn’t even refill our side dishes like other korean bbqs.

Wife and I stopped here before a show at Wiltern and were presently surprised. It was our first Korean dining experience, and the staff was very helpful describing the various wonderful side dishes that came with our beef bulgagi, and how to eat it the traditional way. We both left stuffed, and they wanted to refill the side dishes but it wasn’t needed.
Total bill: $ 28.32
Being only Anglo people in restaurant: priceless.
Not to be missed, great atmosphere, super nice staff, fabulous food.

THEY DO NOT OFFER SHABU SHABU ANYMORE! TEARS =(
Came here wanting shabu but had their dinner special instead. The non-​bbq dinner option is so affordable at $ 9.99! It comes with rice, lots of side dishes and a pot of fermented bean soup. Their banchan (side dishes) are very good with little oil and salt added. You can add meat to your meal for an additional cost.
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Parking:
Dinner is valet only. I didn’t see a price for the valet but tipped him two bucks.

$ 11 for the all-​you-​can-​eat!!! It’s the most basic but I only car for the chicken and beef bugolgi!!! The meat is so sweet and flavorful. I love to eat it with the rice paper and I also love their sides. The mashed potatoes is perfect to pair with all the meat because it kind of cools it down for you and the bean sprouts are my favorite. I can’t eat spicy foods but my parents love the kimchi. They also get the sliced beef and dip it in their homemade sauce. I order the steamed eggs as well. You only get a certain amount though so they leave the dish on your table so they see how many your table has gotten. If you need something, there is a call button at the side of your table. They’re also really good at paying attention to when your grill needs to be changed.

This place has a very nice staff and good food. The wood-​grilled duck and pork belly are my favorite. The different appetizers are satisfying and the sauces are outstanding.

one of top 3 korean bbq place
Quality is the best.
Love the thick steal grill.
Side dishes are so great
Its just a great place that i want to take my whole friends and family there

I love this restaurant. my wife introduced to me on my birthday and I have been coming here once or twice a month. love the pork and kimchi… and add the soju to the meal. I am there.

everything is all different form other shabu shabu restaurants, ingredients and procedures, great side dishes

We came here for dinner with Family and the food was disgusting! The meat was chewy and the vegitable wasnt fresh! They better manage their food quality instead of keep changing thier name of the store! Also the team has some kind of their own additude which i didnt want to deal with it during the dinner hours. Never want to go to this place ever again! There has great shabu place with good customer service right next to it so there has no point to come to this ppace again!!!

Most korean authentic take on shabu shabu you can find. They import their own miso they make in Korea over to use in their broth. Great home made sides and amazing bbq as well. They use this pan that’s made perfectly for fried rice so that the rice doesn’t stick or burn. One of the best fried rice you can find in ktown and that’s saying alot. The best part of the meal is the porridge they make of our barley rice, so creamy and good! I’m glad not too many people know of this place yet. Come get it without a line when you can!

My family and I came here when it first opened. It used to be called Bokka, but I guess they changed it to Koguryo recently. I loved their food back then, but now I love it even more. Can’t go wrong with ordering the shabu shabu and pork belly. If you order the shabu shabu, they give you a bowl of rice and veggies to make bibimbap on the side. Also, they mix in rice for you with the leftover shabu shabu soup at the end. I’ve never been to a place that does that, so at first, I was like wtf… but it’s surprisingly good! When you’re nearly done with the pork belly, they also make you spicy fried rice over the grill pan, and it’s friggin’ delicious. HNNNNGGGG.
Besides the awesome food, staff is awesome, too. They will come by to cook the meat for you. On the down side, restaurant is in a plaza where there’s valet only. :c
Anyway, glad to see this place gain more customers.

I wanted to take the time to write a review for Bok Ga Shabu Shabu because it’s well deserved. A friend of mine and I wanted to find a shabu place closer to the downtown/​ktown area since we didn’t want to drive out to Ichi Ichi or Jazzcat. Saw this one pop up on Unilocal with under 10 reviews and decided to try it out since the reviews were positive.
Easy location in ktown. Valet is free in the little plaza it’s located in (just tip recommended to the valet guys). I’m surprised this place hasn’t blown up and packed all the time. The customer service is absolutely great. I’m pretty sure (it seems like it) that the people working are all family members who got this place started.
Within a two week span of me first eating here last month I think I came back 4 times with my brother and friends. I haven’t tried the BBQ, only had Shabu every time. The combo (2 people, 3 people, or 4 people) is worth it. The meat is great quality and you get noodles in the end! And the sweet korean drink with rice in it at the end. There a few huge televisions usually with whatever sports game is on. so far it’s been baseball (the dodgers) every time I’ve been inside.
It’s not AYCE, but worth every penny. You get a bowl of rice with your side dishes for Bibimbap. Seaweed pancake, noms. The soup base is miso. something? It tastes great to me. not too bland. just right.
I hope more people stumble upon this place and help it become a popular destination in ktown. There aren’t many options around the area for Shabu and this place is doing everything right. Bok Ga Shabu Shabu is my new favorite place in ktown.

I’m not sure how many Korean restaurants in LA do this, but I’ve always liked the option of having either Shabu Shabu or KBBQ at one location. It allows one to be spontaneous at that given moment. Shall we «Break It On Down» — 2 Live Crew.
VENUE
They got Time Warner Cable and that means LA Dodger games. Great start to any story. Recently remodeled, meaning that they haven’t been open for long. Clean facilities and plenty of room. This used to be a former seafood restaurant, if my memory serves me correct. Located in the same plaza as Mr. Coffee on 6^th and Western.
FOOD
For Korean BBQ, they only serve Piggie Smalls, AKA pork. The swine is cooked with kimchee and bean sprouts on a surface that reminds me of a shovel with a short handle. More on this next time.
Qster H. and I ordered the small size Shabu Shabu for $ 39.99. It doesn’t seem like much, but you get a lot for that. A large plate of premium beef, side dishes, rice, noodles, and vegetables. The broth is made of Korean Soy Bean and has this really clean taste. One thing I noticed is how the soup doesn’t get briny after constant boiling. It made me realize how salty the broth can be at other locations.
What I liked the most was how they gave us radish, bean sprouts, and spinach to mix with the rice. Add some gochujang (red pepper paste) and drench with sesame seed oil and you’ve got one great partner for the beef. The dipping sauces were soy sauce and miso I think.
SERVICE
Attentive and efficient. The server will actually come your table and load the greens into the broth for you. They’ll show you what to add first and what goes with what. I liked that. Whenever, I needed something, I didn’t feel bad about asking. Comfortable would be a good adjective.
I’ll definitely be back for the KBBQ and a lot of it has to do with not just the food, but the actual vibe that I get from this place. Not sure how crowded this place gets, but I’m down to bring a few friends and check it out. Why don’t you do the same.

Stumbled upon this gem while we were about to drive across town to Little Tokyo for Traditional shabu shabu. Best. Mistake. Ever.
First of all, the price is extremely reasonable for what you get. $ 35 total for two people, or they also have a $ 65-​ish set for four or more:
1) Great selection of ban-​chan, especially the pickled cucumbers and kim-​chi — some of the best I’ve had.
2) Bibimbap, or korean-​styled mixed rice with veggies. Excellent.
3) Seaweed pancake. Amazing.
4) Very generous serving of quality meat (not AYCE) and a great assortment of veggies (two types of mushrooms, leek, bok choy, kale, bean sprouts, cabbage, etc).
5) Handmade noodles to add to your broth after the main shabu meal
6) Shikae, which is basically like a korean horchata that is a refreshing way to end the meal.
What really sets this place apart for me is the doenjang (korean bean-​paste/​miso) broth instead of a plain water broth. It’s light and not overpowering, but it really makes a difference. And who doesn’t like actually getting to DRINK the broth. Don’t really have that option at traditional shabu.
Overall, this is hands down my favorite Korean-​style shabu shabu place and is a great alternative to traditional Japanese shabu.
They also have korean BBQ, which I’ve yet to try.

I came here with my family once when it hasn’t been long since this place opened. My parents have already tried this place before me and brought me here because they knew it would be great.
This place only serves pork for Korean BBQ, but that’s not a problem since the quality of their meat is pretty good. We ordered samgyupsal (pork belly) and it came out slightly cooked, but made no difference to the taste and the texture of the meat. It was great. Their grill is a fascinating concept since it’s the shape of a shovel when they insert the wooden handle to pick it up! The assortment of banchan was delicious too, I asked for refills several times hehe.
I came back another time to try their shabu shabu. It was different than other shabu shabu places since they based their broth with soy bean paste, and it wasn’t too salty. I loved it. Another difference is that they give you bibimbap as a part of the shabu shabu combination, and the seasoned vegetables (namul) that goes with the rice was so fresh and tasty!
The service was excellent. They provided us with ample attention to feel welcome and well cared for. They never hesitate when you ask for seconds with banchan and have a friendly, gentle attitude. They also never fail to check up on you to see if you need anything. I hope they’re consistent with this kind of service.
I’d love to come back again!

⁵⁄₅
I’d like to start off by saying this place was not our original destination. We started off at the Thai restaurant just across the street on 6^th street, but they took Cash only. Sorry, we only have Credit! Next stop, a Korean restaurant that served VERY authentic Korean food that we weren’t used too. In reviewing the menu, we noticed they divided the cash price vs. the credit card price for each food item… What the heck? So again we passed.
So thrilled we decided to go to Bok Ga Shabu Shabu. First, we were greeted with the sweetest most gracious waitress. Then, the food variety… We had the lunch special for 2 for $ 26. It was so much food and so delicious!
The waitress prepared the soup for us. The veggie platter was incredibly huge and fresh. They even had kale! Awesome. As part of the appetizer, they serve a seaweed pancake that was delicious!
The place is beautiful, clean and just pleasant. Everything from the ambiance, to service down to the food and light dessert all that came as part of the lunch special was a delightful experience in K town.
Will definitely be back with a larger party.

Review only for shabu shabu!
This place just opened up a few months ago. We decided to eat here before my boyfriend went to ranger school. We ordered the shabu shabu 4 people for $ 65. The amount of food you get with the order is pretty hefty for the price you’re paying. I do agree with what the other reviewers say: the meat and vegetables are all fresh!
The flavor of the broth is light and really good! They also give a variety of banchan and of course my favorite is the cucumber kimchi! The service is good and they come around often making sure your broth is still enough and sometimes will even add the meat and vegetables for you. Oh and their dipping sauces are SO GOOD. I liked the lemon sauce for the meat and the soybean sauce for the vegetables, but it really is your choice!
At the end of the meal they give you noodles to add to the broth and its good! Then they serve you with their Korean rice drink for dessert. Needless to say, my stomach was very very happy and satisfied!

New shabu shabu place in Ktown (about a month old now from this post). Wife and I came in through a friend’s recommendation and boy were we gladly surprised.
Keep in mind, this is KOREAN shabu shabu, which is different from JAPANESE shabu shabu. Should you order the shabu shabu, you’ll be treated to an awesome pot of dwaenjang (Korean miso)-based soup which you dip in a plethora of locally grown vegetables (kale, bok choy, variety of mushrooms) and a plate of very good quality shabu shabu meat. At the same time, you’re given several side dishes (different kinds of kimchi, soybean sprouts, etc.) and also a DIY bibimbap that includes organic rice and sides of veggies. At the end, you’re given a small plate of kalguksoo (knife cut noodles) to add to the soup and eat. Very tasty and very satisfying.
For those all about organic/​locally grown produce and looking for a healthier alternative to Korean food other than BBQ, check this place out!