Won Jo Kokerang Agurang Restaurant

The spicy blue crab stew is to die for!

This place is amazing, for its spicy crab soup or even its spicy fish soup. Be prepared to pay 20 – 30 bucks per person without drinks alone on something like this. If you love spicy food because the silent endorphin rush always leaves you in a smiling daze (my theory on why Koreans are addicted to their spice); if you love eating stew/​casserole with delicious ban chan dishes on the side; if the sound of eating spicy food and drinking alongside to produce a wonderfully orgasmic, entheogenic food reaction within you leaves your mouth drooling; if you want to try something equally satisfying as a Korean BBQ experience without all the meat smoke; or if you simply want to try something new, you have to come here. You may want to bring your Korean friend or acquaintance who may be familiar with the dishes, in which case my services are available!
My only gripe is that seafood and all, this is a great experience, but it’s a tad bit on the expensive side. Ondal too. All the places like this. This is a portable gas stove cooking your food, no real cook. Sure there’s side dishes to come with the meal, but it doesn’t seem to justify the extreme cost. The overhead must be so low on a place like this. I mean, I can do this at home.
In fact, I will!

After eating lunch, my friend asked me how I would rate this place… I told them for sure 3, but was leaning higher to 4… but the owner sealed the four star for the after lunch service she provided!
Got the XL Crab Stew and large order of Monk Fish Steam Dish… I liked their variety of the banchans… and for the firs time, had corn with cheese on a hot plate… must be something new in LA area… So we got the Monk Fish dish first, it was hot as in spice hot… as for the seasoning, it was little underseasoned, but it was good. As we ate this the crab stew came out… we divided right in… oh man that crab stew was awesome! I tasted the full flavors of the ocean and the seasoning was just right!
Now, there’s only one lady who takes the order, brings the food, etc… and she did her best to check on us… but when you asked for something she brought it out to you… one thing I liked is how she explained how to eat and/​or why she was doing what she was doing… getting education and food is excellent combo!
At the end, we were debating about how much of fried rice to order… the lady said, four and we were like… maybe six, eight, ten? As we told her we wanted 8, she looked at us like we were crazy… then, we went back to discuss further on the amount of rice to order and finally settled on 10… man, the facial expression on the lady was priceless! She went back and piled on rice after rice on the stainless steel bowl and handed it to the cook in the kitchen… she brought 4 plates of fried rice for us… and joking said, we were pigs… lol… we were to be honest :) Well, even though we weren’t able to finish all the rice, he did manage to eat around 80% of it and the lady was amazed…
She packed up the leftover and we gout our shikkah (rice drink)… it was very sweet and cold… which was nice way to finish the meal… then she asked one of our friend if he wanted more and he said, why not… so she brought more for him and asked the rest if we wanted more? Long story short, we walked out of there with 3 large containers of rice drink… I think the lady liked having conversation with us… and to be honest, I wasn’t sure if she was laughing at us for the amount of food we had or just laughing in general… but it was an entertaining lunch.
BTW — they are relocating to Western, between 5^th and 6^th, not sure when, so make sure you call ahead because they may not be at their old location on your next visit…

Plain and simple: Overrated and overpriced.
— I went to this place like 6 months ago, it was $ 55+tips for a stew of like 3
crabs! I may have an elastic stomach of the capacity of three guys at times but we, two tiny girls, weren’t even filled up at the end.
On top of this, one star for the pretty decent banchans though.
The crabs were not really fresh judging from the quality of crab meat and wasn’t a bomb (NOT at all) as I expected. And really, can Koreans be more «creative» in the ways of cooking? From soon tofu to gam ja tang, I already mastered the art of stew by just tasting it.

The food and quality is above average but honestly, the price is just not worth what your getting in my opinion. It might be a 4 star in Cerritos area and if you never go to Koreatown in Los Angeles, but I go to Koreatown and they do it better and cheaper. I am sure the rent on this place cant be more than the rent in Los Angeles… so…what is the deal with that?

this place is just… alright
everything was really just subpar.
and subpar is not acceptable for the $ you’re paying for this.
if you’re craving this kind of food, seriously just go to ondal.
it tastes better and it’s CLEANER ++++

«hello?»
“dinner?”
“diet…”
“agujjim?”
“perfect.“
This place is officially in the rotation. It’s legit. This is the closest I get to vegetarian. Do beansprouts have much nutritional value? I love gaejang. And garlic. One day I want to eat monkfish AND crab soup at the same time. I’m still sweating.
*** the next day ***
This is why you dont write up a review when you’re high.

Agujjim…
It’s really hard to find good agujjim in America. That’s why I was surprised to find this place. They don’t take off ALL the beans off the sprouts but there’s not so much that it affects the flavor. The spiciness was at a moderate level but it felt like they used hot sauce with the pepper flakes because it didn’t leave a lingering pain, like it’s supposed to — even though it was spicy enough to be good.
So, if your from Kyungsang-​do, you know what’s up with agujjim. For everyone else, it’s Monkfish, or Angler — depending on what you call it, in a very very very spicy sauce (unless you eat it in Seoul, where they often make it sweet) along with these weird barnacles, leeks, and bean sprouts without the bean. Now… Monkfish is the ugliest, tastiest fish you’ll ever come across. And with Korean food they don’t make their fish look appetizing, but worry not for the meat is tender and you don’t have to eat the entire thing (skin and ligament and all that other stuff) like a Korean. This dish is a Masan favorite and also popular in Pusan so if your ever in Korea, go find some — because it tastes better back home.
On a personal note: I usually find Korean food better in LA than in Korea itself — mainly due to the fact that it’s cleaner here and you get higher quality ingredients (except beef, you can’t really compete with the tiny cows they have in Korea with all that marble, American cows are just too lean and buff to make that fatty steak that you really want with Korean BBQ) Banchan as a rule is almost always better here in the states. This place had average banchan, they add the marinated crab as a freebie and also a myulchi, not sure what that is in English — too lazy to look it up the highlight of the banchan was the mung bean pancake (bin-​dae-​dduk). But really this agujjim was better than anything I’ve had in the states, but I don’t really expect much because Monkfish is just as expensive here as in Korea and you really can’t hit the spot with the spiciness unless you break a few health codes. It can’t really compare though, with what you can find in the Korean Kyungsang province but that’s all good and fine. If you’ve been away from Korea long enough it’ll taste like the best thing ever. But it won’t leave you crying at the end from the spiciness like it should…

What a let down! I used to come here when it was a sushi restaurant. This place was a disappointment compared to Ondal. Their GJGJ was mediocre… I felt cheated after ordering it. The blue crab stew was good, but I think it’s hard to mess up. The banchan (side dishes) were bleh.

Homey little restaurant with big time flavor. The crab stew broth is just incredible, especially considering the simplicity of the stew — main ingrediants are blue crabs and bean sprouts. Not a big variety of veggies or seafood so it must be the seasoning. The other Unilocal reviews were right-​on, great crab stew and high quality ban chan. Do youself a favor and don’t get too full upfront then spend a couple extra bucks for the rice at the end. For a buck a person, they will add rice and veggies to whats left of your crab stew and cook a another rice dish at your table — it was excellent. We took the leftovers home for another delicious meal the next day. BTW, service was super friendly and helpful.
Next time? Seafood stew — if it is anything like the crab stew I will be in a happy happy food coma.

Ordered the ggotgae jjim and left satisfied and extremely full. I only wish it was more spicy…

Surprisingly, not a lot of people know about this place. I guess it’s because eating crab stew is more of a Korean thing to do, and there’s a lot of opportunity cost in getting your hands dirty/​smelly by eating crap with your bare hands. Try getting that smell off your hands. Not a great place for a first date, but it’s a good test because if your date likes it, you probably got yourself a keeper.
Pros: Pretty cheap ($ 74 for 5 of us), plenty of side dishes, free shik-​hae (rice drink) for dessert, and the best part is the fried rice they mix in afterwards with the rest of the crab stew. Oh and they give you these aprons so you don’t get your clothes dirty. They also sell soju for you true Koreans out there.
Cons: Small tables, so it will be hard to find seating if you go with more than 4 people. The crabs are pretty small.
Parking situation is average.

I don’t know what we ordered but it was terrible. I was pretty sure I asked for the smallest version of the spicy crab stew. What we received subsequently was a huge plate of crab and bean sprouts. I’m still confused as to how 3 small crabs and a pound of bean sprouts translates to $ 55.
The crabs looked delicious as they were coated in an orange-​colored sauce. However, one bite into them left me speechless. They were completely flavorless. It’s nothing like the stir-​fried crab you get at Chinese restaurants that are yummy inside and out.
The only positive thing I can say is that the banchan were plentiful. The raw spicy crab banchan was far better than the cooked crab we got.
I’ve been underwhelmed by places I’ve found on Unilocal in the past but this may have been the worst disappointment. For $ 30 a person, I could have had an amazing feast at any number of other places.

After a prolonged search for the equivalent of Ondal 2, a string of Unilocal reviews led me to this restaurant with my friends for a crab stew feast. The restaurant is small and easy to miss on the bustling corner of Olympic and Harvard Blvd, and the well lit, clean, humble interior was unassuming to a point we thought we had came to the wrong place.
Albert: «Who picked this restaurant?»
Me: «I saw it on Unilocal.People said it’s better than Ondal 2.»
[5 minutes of looking around the restaurant…]
Me: «Emily, are you sure we came to the right place? You had the right address, right?»
Emily: «That’s what it says on Unilocal.»
[5 minutes of looking up and down the small menu…]
Me: «Hmmm…those people on Unilocal better be right about this place.»
Since we were the first to arrive at this restaurant, there were no signs to suggest it could be a hidden gem that people were raving about. We started with an order of Seafood Pancake ($ 18) which came with a truck load of mixed seafood and green onions flavorfully integrated. The texture was missing the crispy dimensions but portions were humongous.
Next, our order of large size Crab Stew ($ 65) arrived boiling hot along with an impressive cohort of banchan that included sizzling corn with crabs and cheese, orange-​colored pancake, grilled tender mackerel, marinated jelly fish, ginseng roots, fish cake, potato salad, broccoli, radishes marinated with natto and topped with smoked seaweed, pickled anchovy, tofu, and cold seaweed. The blue crabs were sizable and noticeably larger than the ones at Ondal 2. The spicy broth was rich with spices and tasted much better too as it was naturally sweetened by the fresh blue crabs with plenty of crab eggs to go around. It was so delicious especially when we scoop the broth to complement our bowls of steamed rice.
Unlike Ondal 2, this place does not include hand-​pulled noodles in the meal but the large meaty crabs itself prolonged our indulgence. The meal however, does include kimchi fried rice in the end as the stew was emptied out and replaced with a mix of kimchi, dried seaweed, fresh greens and steamed rice as our server stirred fried our rice at the table. In the end we were each provided with the usual dessert drink, SuJeongGwa for the perfect finish.
Overall, it was a very impressive meal highlighted by fresh blue crabs that had plenty of crab eggs, aromatic spicy broth, eleven types of banchan, and crab flavored kimchi fried rice. With our appetizer, the total came out to be $ 27 per person including tax and tip, and service was down to earth, very friendly and expedient. A great place for groups, I am willing to overlook some of the minor limitations in exchange for another encore of that wonderlicious crab stew.

I went to this restaurant after reading the reviews. I ordered the crab stew and the spicy galbi jjim.
Was NOT impressed. The crabs were small. Not enough meat in them. REALLY. Isn’t that reason you eat crab for the MEAT?
Maybe it’s just because I’m accustomed to my mother’s cooking (she uses HUGE crabs and the way she seasons the soup is just better)
I give 3 stars because the service was great and the small dishes (corn cheese, fish, fried rice etc) were awesome. I wouldn’t come back here ever again tho.

It happens to the best of us. After so many pounds consumed of luscious marinated meat grilled over hot charcoal, Korean BBQ seems to lose its flavor and the world suddenly seems less bright. There is hope. Won Jo Kokerang Agurant (WJKA — abbreviated since it’s the longest restaurant name ever created) can help. And it’s guaranteed to work better than Cymbalta without the negative side effects.
The ajjuma (common term for the middle age waitresses/​cooks) who works the kitchen has got the touch. Her scallion pancakes are crispy, nutty in flavor. The banchan (appetizers) are very fresh and well seasoned. The spicy crab stew is top notch. They are not kidding about the portions either. For $ 45, the small portion will serve 3 people in my opinion with plenty of leftovers for two. For an extra buck or two, they’ll add handrolled noodles, which the ajjuma will break apart and put into the soup for you. You’ll have to ask for this otherwise they’ll go straight to the amazing kimchi fried rice with the Korean crab «consumme.» My favorite touch was their off the hook taste bud satisfying shik kae (a dessert rice drink) at the end of the meal.
This is certainly not a place to go on a first date unless you find runny noses, sweaty foreheads, and messy fingers particularly attractive. The place isn’t fancy, but it’s no hole in the wall either. The ajjumas are soooo incredibly nice here. Seriously, what merited the fifth star in my book. She even packed a large to go portion of the shik kae at the end because she saw how much I was loving my drink. Now thatza a nice.

man oh man. this place is AMAH-ZING…i know that the place doesn’t look like the most elegant place in the world, but they know how to make authentic korean crab stew. The korean women here are soo sweet and friendly, and you get TONS of ban chan (little tapas) that are fresh.
i would recommend the spicy crab soup (it’s their forte)…at the end they take what’s left of it and make fried rice with it… i went here twice, and we were sooo full both times we didn’t have the room for it.
it’s a great find, and i think it’s the place to go before it gets known by everyone…

Food is very good. I would give 4 stars for food. If you want spicy seafood, this is the place to go. Crab soup was very yummy but it requries 2 or more people to order.
The only complaint I have is inadequate service I recently experienced. I arrived at 11 AM and saw on the door that it opens at 10AM. When I walked in, they weren’t ready to serve and we had to wait a while to be served. Why bother to say it is open at 10AM when that is when employees come in to prepare to get ready? Anyway, it is probably not a problem for many since very few would want to eat spicy seafood at 10AM.
Also, my dish came with a strand of hair which I pointed out right before I started eating. It was less than a minute after the waitress left the dish on the table. When I called her to point out the hair, the waitress said she couldn’t see it. So I told her to look more carefully. When she saw the hair, she became very frustrated and looked at my long hair and said it wasn’t there when she served me. I was like… look lady, of course you didn’t see it because you couldn’t see it even when I said it was there! I haven’t touched the food and if I knew it was my hair, I wouldn’t have bothered to complain. As far as I know, the food was delivered with the hair and I wasn’t about to eat someone else’s hair. She kinda grudgingly without saying sorry brought a new dish but her attitude totally pissed me off. So, yes, their customer services sucks!

After driving by this place countless times over the years, I’ve only known one thing about it — they serve crab. How do I know this? Because the giant, flashing neon red crab in front told me so! But that’s about all it told me since everything else is in Korean.
What I learned tonight is the place totally gives Ondal a run for its money! We walked in and just about every red apron clad patron turned around to gawk at us like we must be lost. I get the feeling not many round eye folks venture into this joint.
So here’s the deal. Nothing here is in English. (We discovered the couple of things that are aren’t even translated correctly according to our waitress who laughed it off). Everything on the menu is a combo deal of some sort and most come in different sizes to feed more or less people. Some even include booze. We got lucky with a great waitress but you’d probably be wise to either come here knowing what you’re gonna order or with a Korean translator in your pocket.
The small spicy crab soup (the house special most everyone seemed to be gettin’ down on) for two was $ 45 and plenty for three to share, or, in our case, awesome for lots of leftovers for two. Add a large Hite for six bucks and you’re set.
You start off with a bunch of panchan including a plate of cold chili covered crabs and a really tasty green bean pancake, then they set up the tabletop hot plate and bring out the pot of boiling soup brimming with crabs to simmer right there. When it’s ready to roll they come back around with scissors to cut up the crabs and plate your first serving. Everything was delish.
As if that’s not enough, the meal ends with a huge pot of fried rice also made at the table served with a nice little side of green onion kimchi. Cannot wait to have the leftovers cold for brek! Then they bring out some cold radish soup that’s a great palate cleanser followed by sweet barley water that makes for a perfect ending on a full belly.
Something I don’t often expect in K-​Town is stellar friendly service but that’s exactly what we got. Our server didn’t speak much English but she knew enough to help us navigate the menu, had a great sense of humor and was super attentive all night. Seriously, one star just for that.
No need to take my word for it. Check out the pics!
Word to the wise: Unless you love the way you look in a red apron, think you’re super hot under harsh fluorescent lighting or enjoy cats following your fishy self home after dinner, this is probably not the best pick for a hot date.

I’m too lazy to write reviews.
But a place like this, I want to share. one of many hidden gems in Ktown…
«won jo» KKOT GAE RANG A GU RANG
The «Original» Crab and Monkfish?
It does sound catchy in Korean,.but even I would be like wtf? if I didnt happen to speak Korean.
crazy hard name to prounciate for non korean speakers.
anyways…
As advertised in the name, this place specilalizes in the crab stew «kkot gae tang» and the monkfish dish called «a gu jjim»
They have these «combo deals», we ordered the «D» which came with their two signature dishes (crab stew and the a-​gu jjim) Crab jjim (casserole?), and gae jang (marinated raw crab??)
The above mentioned 4 dishes, and a bottle of soju. for freaking 80 bucks… They had an ad line in Korean saying «economy is bad,. we’ll take out the gas price! printed on the menu. hah good stuff.
Definately a DEAL, enough to feed group of 5 easy, and dont forget the soju! Let’s not discuss drinking soju until you tried it with some good kkot gae tang cooking away on your table.
Damn shame this place doesn’t have an English menu. may be a bit tough to navigate for non Korean speaking crowd…
To make it easy, stick to combo C and D. Both combos come with the «kkot gae tang», which is a must try. Good for groups of 3 or more, you have been forewarned, alot of food,.
P, S, havent even mentioned the complimentary fried rice after…