OB Bear

Don’t let the divey outside look scare you — there some serious old-​school Korean food in here. My friend was visiting from Atlanta, and my wife and I were still looking for a good wing place since moving to the OC area. It’s not quite the wings we were looking for, but we definitely found a spot where we would come back.
Walking in, I was pleasantly surprised. Perhaps because it was only like 5:15pm in the afternoon, but it was pretty clean. It was trashed. It didn’t wreak of alcohol or vomit. People were having a good time, but not being obnoxious. It was Super Bowl Sunday, but surprisingly (probably because they open at 4PM and the games started at 3:30PM, there were plenty of seats available and plenty of TV screens to catch the games.
It was four of us, and so I ordered 2 large fried chickens (the large is 4 quarters = 1 whole chicken) and an order of hot wings. The waitress told me that usually two people can eat a large, but I think it’s closer to 1 person per large order because the chickens aren’t huge. But fried chicken — get that Kentucky Fried junk out of here — there is no outside breading. Think more Peking duck style — straight fried chicken, skin and everything. This is classic Korean fried chicken. Tear off a piece, dip it in a little bit of salt, and let if fly.
The hot wings were good too. These were more classic American wings — breaded and fried, but the sauce is very Korean. It wasn’t that spicy. I think most my non-​spicy eating friends could handle it. But they were good. It’s really good sauce and well fried.
The only complaint I had was that the salad dressing had a slightly weird after taste. Probably only thing I didn’t really enjoy.
Prices were decent, and I wish we had time to order more, but we had to move on. We’ll definitely come back for more.
IMPORTANT! Look for the mechanic shop looking parking lot. I couldn’t find parking and parked in the valet for Moodaepo. Charged me $ 5! Look for the OB garage, which is just west of the restaurant.

I knew OB bear ever since I moved to LA
It’s one of the oldest pup that’s been around
Beers are always fresh and chilled
Good to come for dinner if you’re not a drinker because the food is good too,
I especially like their chicken (whole and spicy seasoned chicken wings)
There is a large parking area across the street on both the east and west side of the restaurant
If you go on weekends, be ready to wait to be seated if you like quiet time you can request seats upstairs which is a bit more private

okay place, nothing special. tip is that there seems to be a parking lot for OB Bear. Check the parking location before you head to.

I’m not sure if I just went on an extremely bad day but the staff seemed very overwhelmed. It took about 30 minutes to get seated and one of the waitresses even told a guest that they need to wait in line be issue they’re just too busy for them right now. When we finally got seated, it took an additional 10 minutes or so to be greeted. The food was good-​we ordered the regular fried chicken and the Spicy chicken wings but the lack of friendly service ruined our experience.

Chicken Wings that are amazing. Dive-​bar /​old time booth restaurant atmosphere (it works).
Staff is very friendly, attentive, helpful.
The wait times can be long, and it’s not the cheapest spot; but every good restaurant has a wait, and you can’t beat the free parking.
Well worth a visit.

One of the OG bar places in ktown. It’s been around for a while, and the interior is kept old-​fashioned. Nothing fancy or chic. This joint has a very korean-​homey feel with wooden interior all around.
You will see alot of older koreans group. But it balances out because there are surprisingly alot of younger generations too.
People typically go here for the infamous CHEE-​MEK (this means chicken and beer in korean slang): a combo many koreans love and crave. They offer decent chicken, ranging from different sauces, and spicy levels, and how they cook it.
The food is average. And they don’t have a big selection of beer.
They have tv’s all around, with usually sports on.
Comfortable place to hang out with friends. Don’t expect anything spectacular.

An interesting spot — it’s a dive bar with good food. They have a parking lot down the street which was totally full but we were able to get street parking. There is a bar when you first walk in, but it is not open seating (we tried to sit there and got yelled at). Don’t be like us — just put your name down on the list and wait.
We had the Leeks Pancake, Spicy Chicken Wings, and the Spicy Rice Cake (probably one dish too many, but we wanted to try more things).
The Wings are outstanding. I didn’t find them to be hot at all, but they must be lightly fried before glazed to get that delicious crispy exterior with tender interior. Very messy to eat.
We liked the leeks pancake because it reminded us of Chinese scallion pancakes which we love. I still prefer the scallion pancakes, but this was good too.
The spicy rice cake with squid was covered in the same sauce as the chicken wings — also messy to eat — and I liked it just because I really like rice cakes, but the sauce was a bit much. I’d probably just stick with the wings next time.

A divey bar/​pub and restaurant with good chicken wings.
Came here for an early dinner Saturday night and there was no wait for a table. We had the fried chicken wings with sauce on the side and the seafood leek pancakes. We were unsure how hot the chicken wings were so the waiter suggested to get the sauce on the side. When we asked him how hot was spicy, his answer was that it’s Asian hot. Huh? What’s Asian hot? Does that mean siracha hot? Thai chile hot? I thought it was barely spicy. So get the sauce mixed into the chicken wings. The seafood pancakes was also good dipped in the sauce. It has octopus, shrimp, leeks, and onions.
We had enough food for two and to take home for a second meal. This place also serves alcohol so no one under 21 is allowed to dine in. They have an upstairs dining area too. It’s a mixed crowd of young and old.
Service was slow and there’s a button at the table for you to push to get a waiter to come to your table. Free parking in a private lot down the street. They take reservations for large parties.

My friends and I recently stopped by for dinner on a Wednesday night and was glad the wait wasn’t too long. They also have their own parking lot a few lots over so make sure you look for their sign! Parking was free so that was another perk!
We ordered the following items:
Chicken Wings (+ spicy sauce on the side) — I’ve always heard about their AMAZING chicken wings but never got a chance to try it. I was very glad I did though! I can see what the hype has been all about. Their batter is pretty light and perfectly crispy. The spicy sauce wasn’t actually spicy. Even my friends who don’t eat spicy food were able to handle it. I would definitely recommend getting with spicy version of their chicken wings! It was more of a sweet and sour sauce.
Seafood Leek Pancake — The portion size of this dish was HUGE. It includes not one but TWO pancakes that were both the size of the plate! At first I was a bit hesitant because I’m personally not a big fan of leeks. Luckily, the leek flavor wasn’t too strong. This dish was great because it balanced out our heavier-​flavored dishes. Great dish and was definitely worth the price!
Spicy Squid (+ udon) — This dish was a bit too spicy for my friends but it wasn’t too bad for me. I would recommend adding noodles or udon to the dish because the flavors are a bit heavy. They were pretty generous with squid portions!
Between the 4 of us, we ended up packing half the food to go because we couldn’t finish it all! These dishes are definitely family styled considering portions are huge. I can’t wait to return to try some of their other dishes! We were looking at the neighboring table’s pig’s feet dish and that looked amazing as well!

I came here for the spicy chicken wings. I regret to inform you that they are just ok. They probably taste better when paired with three pitchers of Hite. Maybe four. The flavor on the wings is disappointing and considering the cost, they should be much better. If you’re intoxicated and it’s past midnight, you’ll likely enjoy this place.
If it’s a reasonable hour, your common sense will prevail and hopefully you’ll get up and walk out of this joint to find a better place to eat.
The ambiance ultra divey.
The two best things about OB Bear are that it’s open late and they serve beer. The good news is that there are hundreds of other places in the area that do those two things better.

Not the best, but not the worst –
Went here after studying with a friend to get some chicken and beer. We quickly found parking at the OB Bear lot and waited between 5 – 10 mins to get seated. The menus posted on the walls were in Korean and we were given an more extensive menu — also written in Korean. We were given salted peas to snack on as we decided on what to order.
After some time, we decided on a pitcher of Hite, spicy chicken wings, and a whole fried chicken. Our beer came out first, followed by the whole fried chicken, and then the spicy chicken wings. The chicken entrees came with a chopped salad w/​thousand island dressing & jalapenos.
For the price that we paid, we got pretty sizable portions. It was definitely way too much for just two people. The fried chicken order came with a lot of big, meaty pieces and was super filling. The spicy chicken wings came with 13 pieces and was tasty, however the wings weren’t as spicy as I’d like — they were a bit too sweet for my liking, but they were still tasty.
In the end, we were satisfied, but had a lot of chicken left over and had to bring it home. The chicken here was satisfying, but do not compare to the spicy wings at KyoChon! …I probably had too high expectations from reading the Unilocal reviews.
I would definitely come back here and will look forward to trying other items such as the jok bal (pig’s feet) and mixed octopus/​squid!

Chicken Wing Love is STRONG!
Pros: The food:
1. Sweet and spicy chicken wings :
These wings are to die for! They are fried to perfection and the sauce is a good balance of sweet and spicy.
2. Stir– Fried Squid w/​Udon noodles: (udon noodles is additional cost)
This dish is not for those who cannot handle spicy. The level of spiciness is probably a 7 and this is coming from someone that eats spicy things on a normal basis. Originally, the squid is served as a dish by itself but I think adding the udon will level out the spicy taste. Plus, it is more bang for your buck because you get more food and the additional $ 2-​$ 3 is just chump change.
Cons:
1. Service, non-​existent. Only came by when delivering our dishes and bringing the check.
2. Pricing, some of the items on the menu are way overpriced.
3. Parking: They have a private lot two doors down, but it’s super small and I have seen people who didn’t dine here park there which takes up spots for us patrons. Street parking is also limited as well so good luck !
Tip: Must be 21 to dine here, sorry kiddos !
Final Verdict:
Thumbs up.

This place is known for their wings, while they are delicious. Let’s talk about their seafood leek pancake. It comes with not just one but TWO giant pancakes. A mouthful of seafood and leek in every single bite and the spicy dipping sauce is the besssst. I want to order a bottle of that to go.

This place is legit. That perfect blend of American and Korean.
We ordered;
Chicken wings: huge piece of wing battered and fried with a spicy sweet sauce. Come with cabbage salad and jalapenos. Getting this again for sure.
Spicy Squid with noodles: awesome flavor. nice tender pieces of squid, and great heat. You can order it with noodles, rice or plain, (Rice or noodles are extra), but with noodles and you mix is with the sauce, amazing. Sweet and spicy with seafood and veggies with the fresh noodles, perfect combo.
Korean sausage: homemade sausage with rice in it. It reminded be of boudin which are various kinds of sausage in French, Belgian, German, Quebec, Acadian, Creole, Austrian and Cajun cuisin usually with rice in them. Come with glass noodles and veggies. Again has a good spice.
Huge portions, their was three of us, We took at least half of the food home, it was enough for 5 people if you aint drink and 6 is you are…
Beer. Soju. Rice wine… enough said.
Great ambience, friendly service, lots of TV’s with sports.
LONG WAIT, gotta get their early, Korean folks know their food and this place gets packed.
DRAGON EGG APPROVED!!!

Came here for my birthday celebration with a couple of my friends on a Monday evening. I called in advance and made reservations for 10. I was surprised at how busy the place was on a Monday evening. There are lots of TV’S that show various sports games that are on.
We ordered the regular and hot fried chicken wings, spicy squid with noodles, and seafood leek pancake. The chicken wings come out piping hot! It is so good but make sure you take caution before biting in! It comes with a side salad with thousand island dressing and jalapeños.
The seafood leek pancake was good too. Each plate comes with 2 pancakes and each pancake is as big as the plate it comes on.
The spicy squid noodle has squid, veggies, noodles, and rice cakes. You mix it all together and chow down. The squid was a bit too chewy though.
I would come again for the fried chicken!
The service is a bit lacking. Despite the bell located at each table, it still took a while for someone to come and help us.
There are 2 parking lots. Keep your eyes open because they are not located right next to the restaurant.
Everyone must be 21+ to enter!

Yummy! Came here for Connie S.‘s birthday dinner on a Monday night at 6:45pm — she reserved a table for 10, good thing because we definitely needed the room! The place is definitely a Korean dominated clientele, we had to ask for English menus so most of the group could read it.
I love me some fried chicken and I’ve heard really good things about OB Bear’s! We got the non-​saucy wings and the spicy sauce wings as well. Both were crispy, juicy and delicious! The seafood leek pancake was also good, yet dense and we also ordered these spicy squid noodles that were so slurpable and slippery.
Service was fine, press the button on the wall if you need anything. Bathrooms are clean and parking was easy peasy in the OB Bear parking lot! Apparently there are two lots of OB Bear, one is west and one is east of the location. The one just east of the restaurant is bigger. Super unassuming area, looks kinda divery, but the inside is friendly and people are chowing down and watching sports. Would definitely be back for more fried chicken!

Best wings in the area! This is a regular spot for us when we need a quick break from studying and want to grab a beer and wings.
Huge portion of wings with just the right level of spice. They are crispy, the way wings should be and they are covered in an absolutely delicious tangy spice sauce and sesame seeds. $ 13 gets you a full order and it is more than enough. Comes with a side of coleslaw and thousand island dressing which no one ever eats. Makes me wonder why they don’t just serve a side of rice.
Haven’t really tried anything else in all fairness because the wings are too good to pass up.
The interior is kind of divey but they have a couple tv’s around to catch the game. Bathroom could use some cleaning/​upgrading. And the service is fast but not necessarily friendly. All in all, good place to come in for a quick bite.

Came here on a Tuesday night for dinner around 8pm and we had to wait! I was surprised how busy this place was for a weekday!
I say your typical Korean bar. They have a bunch of comfy booths which I like since it definitely gives you more privacy vs table/​chairs. Food selection was typical of your Korean bar scene along w the alcohol selection. The service was acceptable. It helps that they had a service button on every table and our waiter was pretty prompt in responding. The prices were comparable to other Korean bars.
We ordered their infamous SPICY CHICKEN WINGS which was pretty good. It was fried very well. Crispy the way I like it. The sauce however I felt was more sweet/​tangy than spicy but I was told you can get it more spicy? Hmm I shall try this next time. We also got the BUCHU JEON aka LEEK PANCAKES which I thought was just average. Nothing special.
Overall I thought the food was pretty good and I liked the vibe of the place. I can see myself coming back here for dinner or to just grab a few drinks!

Features:
–Everyone recommended the spicy chicken so we decided to order it. The chicken came with a salad on the side which was okay. In my opinion, the chicken wasn’t super amazing or anything, it was just spicy.
–The leeks pancake was actually my favorite. It was distinctive from other pancakes that I’ve had and was savory and enjoyable. This is a must! Oh and the sauce! Yum!
–We also had the pan fried chicken gizzard which was extremely chewy and exquisite! I like chewy food so this was my second favorite.
Improvement:
–Service was super slow on a weekday night.
Tips:
–They have their own parking garage a few hundred feet from the restaurant so park there free.
–Get the leek pancakes!

AHHHHHH! I love this place! At first I was kind of skeptic about it and wanted to just go to Moodaepo 2 next door but damn am I sure glad I did not!
This place has its own parking and on non Fridays and weekends you could park there for free! It looks like a mechanic garage in the exterior and has been converted to a parking garage.
This place is the King of Korean comfort food. I use to go to another place to get drinks and Korean wings but this place cannot be beaten for both it’s price, quantity, and quality!
I ordered the Pig’s feet which doesnt seem to be in the menu but it costs around $ 28.00 it’s quite expensive. But the portions are huge and the meat is fatty and yummy. Order that with a pitcher of Hite for $ 12.00 and you and your friends are on your way to drunken joy.
I highly recommend the jeon (the leek pancake), the spicy wings, the chicken (which is kind of dry but it’s still good), and the pig’s feet!

3.5 stars for now.
:SERVICE:
Service could be a hit or miss depending on the night. Sometimes they will show up right away when you ring the bell, three to four rings to get their attention when they are super busy. I try not to get too annoyed for slow service unless I am hangry or thirsty. Serving beer before water seems to be a pattern here from my experience.
:FOOD:
Korean bar food. Seasoned tofu salad and maybe their soup seems like the only option for people who wants to eat healthy or light.
— pigs feet — A popular dish on the menu, I was underwhelmed. I forgot why… Had this over a year ago.
— seafood pancake $ 20– Pricey but satisfying and filling. Leek pancake ($ 10) is also a good substitution if you want to go cheap or if the seafood is sold out.
— fried chicken — This is always the highlight of our meal. The chicken is crispy and covered in savory sweet sauce. If you never had it then it’s worth trying.
:PARKING:
Street parking or try parking at the free lot a block away. It looks like a garage with the sign «ob» on it.

Service is always just a little bit slower than I’d like here, but this place hits the spot for eating food and drinking with friends.
They do have a lot down the street which is free parking (just across the light) and they also have a valet that says OB on the opposite side for $ 2.
Usually when I come here the wait is pretty long, but I think it’s pretty worth it.