Saek Dong Juh Gori

Maybe I should write this review when I actually remember the night. We were here for the military stew (18.99) which would have been the right amount of food for the 5 of us at a great price, but then we ordered 2 soju bottles and hite. The food kept coming after that.
It’s a bit pricey for other food here: Katsu (15.99), Corn Cheese (8.99) and a couple of things I cant remember… but it ended up being $ 30 per person which is a bit much for a 1AM meal.
Though I’m glad I tried this place with new friends. This is their favorite place. Probably because of the dark vibe. Maybe will just get the bossam next time.

Good bar for soju and to catch up and talk.
Service is quick as ktown has the amazing buttons that I wish all american places had.
Tofu Kimchi is good, but only 4 stars cause I wasn’t really a fan of the pah jun (korean pancake).

Was my favorite place. But now it has gone south. The fried chicken is no longer good. They forgot half the food we ordered. And most of all they let everyone smoke. The place smells like cheap smoke. The service has also gone south. All the way to hell. This will be the last time I come here. What a shame, was one of my favorite places.

Way too much egg in the Pajeon. A $ 14 pancake should have more seafood in it and well be better, particularly if that is your thing. The one I got had a few scraps of squid and was otherwise basically scrambled eggs with onions in it. Very disappointing.
The ODaengTang was better, although not enough to really redeem the place.
Makguli is Makguli. For the price I would expect home made Dongdongju or at least a few other varieties.

Unlike the other Korea town bars, the ambiance in this location is pretty nice. Dim lit lights, spacious seating areas and the restaurant doesn’t smell like smoke!
Menu is old school Korean style, and written on a scroll. Note that the menu is in Korean so unless you read Korean, it’s going to be a bit difficult to order!
Service was horrible though. ordered a seafood pancake and asked for it five times throughout the night, and after three hours, my friends and I gave up. Their rice wine (makgeoli) comes in a stone pot, but doesn’t taste that great. Pretty disappointed!

All I can say is that this is my spot! Good service and bomb food. Love the atmosphere and their large proportions!

I like to come here for a chill night out with my friends and we never had a bad time here. Their food is really good, but on the pricier side. There’s this one girl there (server) who always seems annoyed whenever we ask for things/​order more and has this resting bitch face with a bitchy tone whenever she responds – like all the time. Or maybe it’s the botox that gives her that facial expression, but she still got that bitchy tone, though.

Aahh this place is haunted!!!

They have so so service. The servers are never happy and friendly. But their food is really good. Good atmosphere to grab drinks and food with friends. It’s pretty loud so don’t plan on having serious conversation unless you guys are loud talkers.
They never have enough menus so they make sure to take it back as soon as you order. I was told by the server they only have 5 menus –_​_​_​–
The ambiance is nice. Not fancy but not too cozy.
Parking is valet $ 2 or street parking.
I think their food is on the pricey side for korean style casual bar but literally everything on their menu is good. They have a good variety of dishes.

Great place for youngster who wishes to drink with some korean side dishes. The service to me was very great and I dont really mind how the great the food was to be honest. Food was just okay but this place was able to give me great time drinking. The server also remembered me and my friend and gave us extra bottle of beer! This place can be loud but great for large groups.
valet parking is available but street parking is also possible near street.
cool place to go chill with ur friends.

if you are looking for a place to hang out in Koreatown, this is the right place for you!
they have amazing food and spacious environment that suits me perfectly.
Servers are really really friendly so once you get to know them they will offer you some food or drinks on the house :))))

I’ve been here a few times but I like it cuz it’s noisy and the food are tasty
The servers are not that friendly but if you know them they become your buddies
This is one the of the most hip place in ktown
Only thing is very smoky for some reason that the smoke doesn’t leave the area
I’m gonna drink now…

This is a 1 star review for the Valet Parking. Found my brand new vehicle with damage to the front left bumper and they didn’t say a word. Even after I tipped him the same amount as the valet fee! Just be careful if you are going to park here. The basement they put it in has posts and pillars all over the place!

My review is based on two things quality of food and service.
I understand the place is loud, but if I have to raise my hand 3 times literally right next to the waiter, but still fail to get their attention and resort to the ding button after they leave my sight, there is definitely something wrong with the service. My group encountered 2 different waiters and 2 different waitresses during our stay, none of them bothered to smile or be friendly. Food was mediocre and service was terrible which is why i’m leaving a two star. What we had was french fries, chicken gizzards, and intestine soup.

A lot of bars specialize in flavored soju drinks but Saek Dong Juh Gori is one of the few in Koreatown that specializes in Makgeolli (fermented rice alcohol). I personally think it tastes a lot better than soju and I hear that as far as alcohol goes, makgeolli really isn’t all that bad for you so drink up! This is an expensive, upscale bar. It’s really quite nice inside but I think the price deters people since there’s never a wait. Parking is really horrible too so you’re going to end up valeting no matter what. For a place that really isn’t crowded, you would expect service to be better but the service is slow too. Double lame.
When we came in, this was the first stop of the night which meant we weren’t exactly here to get super drunk. We ordered one Peach makgeolli, fried chicken wings, ddukbokki (spicy rice cakes) and pajun (seafood pancake) to get us started for the night. Here is where I have a problem. Everything tasted decent but the portion size was so small! Fried chicken wings were crispy, hot and super tasty. Too bad there just wasn’t enough of it. Ddukbokki was good but they were very stingy with their dduk. Mostly just cabbage and carrots. Their pajun although on the larger size was mostly just batter and lacking the ingredients. Their saving grace was their makgeolli. It was delicious and more than enough to get the four of us started that night.
Service is on the slower side and the food does take some time to come out. It is a bar though so you really shouldn’t be walking in expecting awesome food and great service. Come for the makgeolli but I would honestly eat elsewhere. ²⁄₅

Large clean venue with excellent food selection!
Best items on their menu:
Boo dae jji gae (army soup)
Yang nyum chicken (flavored spicy fried chicken wings)
Cheese dduk bok e (spicy Korean rice cake covered with cheese)
Everything is really good and it taste even better with soju or beer.
Street parking is almost impossible in the residential area unless you have a special permit. So save yourself time and get valet parking on 3^rd street for $ 3

Pretty neat place, pretty cool scroll menu. The place is located in the corner, the parking I would assume would be hard to find since I had to park down a block on a Sunday night. The atmosphere is okay, they have MLB on tv at the same time playing Korean pop music.
Only went here to drink after eating elsewhere. However, I did enjoy the Korean pancake A LOT (the only reason for the solid 3 star). The place wasn’t packed or anything and the service was slow. They didn’t seem too enthusiast about their jobs. The restrooms are similar to the at the mall. The urinal was smelly. I think people come in with high expectations knowing that this place has only the chill factor. Overall, it’s an okay place to drink. Would I come again? Yeah, it’s likely but not frequently.

SAEKDONG JUHGORI– is a traditional Korean garb specifically for children, which is striped at the sleeves with an array of brilliant colors.
3.5, I say but I’m rounding up on this one because I’m a sucker for themed shit.
Service:
Really, this place only deserves like 2 stars for how horrendously slow the service is, but when in K-​town, one must actually experience– K-​town. And as much disdain as I have for the average Korean bar server’s indifference to the gratification of the customer, 1. It’s not uncommon, 2. We drunkards are probably at fault, and 3. That’s what those little buttons are for. Deal with it. (for those of you who aren’t as familiar with Korea Town, you’ll find at many restaurants, that there are ‘call’ buttons installed at the end of every table. There is something to be said about a culture that’s so impatient that we require such devices, but that is another story)
Ambience:
As ugly as this town may be, this place is not as seedy as your average Korean night spot. There are chairs instead of booths and it’s actually quite clean and pleasant even before the sun goes down. There are large open windows so you can peer out and enjoy the view of 7-​eleven across the street, or for those of you smokers, utilize the empty brass bowl [with a wet napkin inside of it] that you’ll be given when you are first seated.
Most people probably wont notice, but the décor is kind of nice; there are wooden lattice motifs and natural materials for fixtures and such. It’s all Very oriental and very deliberate to its traditional theme, as the name of the establishment suggests. Even the menu Is printed on canvas and rolled up like a scroll. (It’s a fun, but a total fail. The font is tiny and difficult to read)
True to his name– The selection of food here is also very colorful and traditional– There are your staple bar foods like soondae bokkeum/​korean sausage stri fry (which actually doesn’t contain meat– the only animal product of it, is its casing) and odeng tang (fishcake in broth) and there are also more unique– banquet style foods such as hae pah ri naeng chae (cold jellyfish salad), which is refreshingly delicious.
I’ve been here quite a few times, and the food has never failed me. The prices aren’t necessarily cheap but the selection is broad, the portions are generous, and I’ve had no complaints yet about the taste.
Me? I’ll drink here over Gaam any day.

What sucks about this place is that they serve grilled chicken gizzards, but not fried chicken gizzards like Mazinger does :(. If you’ve never had it, you’re missing out. If you’re grossed out by the idea, one morsel will change that. Anyway, the food here is pretty good, and totally worth overlooking the smelly korean bar clothes and hair when you get home (yuck, nonetheless).
Friday night 8pm, not too crowded. We were seated right away. Reading the menu can be a challenge, because it’s printed on canvas in tiny letters, but we still managed to pull through!
What we got (with our soju):
Dweji Jok Bal, it’s pig feet. They also have Bossam, which is basically the same thing, except that you get the fermented bean paste and steamed cabbage to make your own bite-​sized wraps. Just a heads up, pig feet is usually served chilled. I really liked that the slices were a bit thinner than what I’m used to. It’s much easier to eat and doesn’t become too much of a mouthful. The salad mix that came with was refreshing. It’s very vinegar-​y and heavily marinated, so although it loses its crunch, the overall flavor pairs well with the meat.
Soondae Bokkeum, it’s called blood sausage plate, but don’t let the name «blood» turn you off, because it’s just a sausage with a lot of dangmyun (potato noodles) cocooned in there, and is VERY delicious. Unlike the jok bal, the slices of soondae is very thick, so I definitely enjoyed the heartiness of each one. None of that super thin broken slices going on! (Ahem, Byul Pocha) There are cabbages, squash, onions, carrots, jalapenos, and more dangmyun (awesome!!) incorporated into this dish, which compliment one another very well. Also, it’s supposed to be spicy, but I didn’t detect any kick.
Service can be slow and it can get pretty stuffy in there.

I do my best to stay away from pubs/​bars in Koreatown since it’s mainly frequented by immature folks, but once in a while, I get suckered in to them when reunions or company outings occurs.
If I can help it, I choose to go to Saek Dong Juh Gori. The crowd is a lot less rowdier than other popular spots in Ktown.
They offer combo deals with up to 4 food items and makgeolli or beer option. If you get the combo with makgeolli, you can choose to upgrade the makgeolli to a large size for $ 5. My combo came with mussel soup, dduk galbi, jaeyookbokkeum, and makgeolli. I definitely recommended getting the mussel soup. It comes packed with mussels and the soup has a nice kick of spiciness to it. The other dishes weren’t anything too special and something that will taste similar at another pub/​bar.
Their bathroom is relatively clean. This is extremely important to me because we all know how nasty and dirty pub bathrooms can get.
My main gripe about this place is that they still allow patrons to smoke inside.