Popular Korean duck barbecue spot Sun Ha Jang has opened up a front outdoor patio for one of LA’s most unique tabletop grill styles. After a parade of fatty, delicious duck seared on a skillet, diners get a flavor-packed fried rice to end the meal.

Seafood staple Soban can do no wrong, starting with an amazing array of banchan to begin each meal. The menu features terrific raw crab in one of two forms, either a garlicky soy sauce or thick spicy red pepper sauce, as well as pan-fried fish and spicy braised black cod (or opt for the spicy beef short ribs instead). Ask for the special squid tossed with julienne vegetables if they’re available. Consider specials on the wall written in Korean, ask the servers what they are, but examples include raw squid salad. Everything is available for takeout and delivery.

One of LA’s newest Korean barbecue players, this place already has a massive wait thanks to its lack of reservations and popularity on social media. The simple beef menu features certified angus beef ribeye sliced into three cuts and seared on a cast iron skillet. The sides are pretty elemental too, from the yeolmu guksu to the pan-fried kkakdugi rice.

The cloudy bone marrow broth here is legendary, as is the tender slabs of brisket and various organ meats floating in it. The menu here is very simple — seolleongtang only. Build the meal with seasonings, kimchi, and rice, along with a dash of salt and sprinkling of green onions.

Soy-marinated crab isn’t the only part of the meal at Rich Crab, one of LA’s new players for ganjang gejang. The entire coursed menu comes with appetizers and ends with a fantastic spicy stew filled with crunchy bean sprouts and other aromatics.

Formerly known as Myung Dong Kyoja, the easier to pronounce MDK has the same carb-laden menu of knife-cut noodles, pork dumplings, and chewy spicy cold noodles called jjolmyeon. They’ve got outdoor seating but everything can be taken to go as well.

BCD Tofu House is one of Koreatown’s most innovative restaurants, introducing a popular silken tofu stew (sundubu-jjigae) to a wider market starting in the mid 1990s. The chain has outdoor seating, plus takeout and delivery, at all of its locations.

Late night fare is one of Korean cuisine’s specialties. This place has a lot of competition from the nearby restaurants in the plaza, like Sun Nong Dan and Hangari, but the place holds its own with the fantastic namesake pork neck stew, with hulking bones and a rich, spicy broth that helps cure any and all ailments.

Koreatown’s all-night galbi jjim destination comes with tender chunks of short rib, chewy rice cakes, and tons of spice. While the soups are more than respectable, crowds wait in line for the meat festival in a stone bowl. Top the galbi jjim with cheese to take it to the next level. All options of takeout, delivery, and outdoor dining are currently available.

Koreatown loves soondubu, the silken tofu stew popularized at places like BCD and Beverly Soontofu. But Surawon Tofu House makes its own tofu on the premises, resulting in a rich, almost nutty tofu with a lot more complexity. The combo deals here are fantastic too, such as the one with fried mackerel big enough to split for two.

This restaurant might be on the small side, but it serves up well-crafted traditional Korean dishes with huge flavor. The braised short ribs is a table-pleaser, along with the strong pot bibimbap. The spicy-braised mackerel is the show stopper, with layers of rich flavor that go perfectly when spooned over the multi-grain rice.

Though lunch time crowds go for the bossam, a Korean specialty featuring pork belly slices and accoutrements, it’s worth trying the traditional dishes as well. The hulking seafood pajeon is a classic, as well as the kimchi stew in a stone pot. With indoor dining closed, Kobawoo has shifted to a takeout model, and so far fans seem to be very pleased with the quality of the food.

This LA chain has locations across the Southland serving polished Korean soups like seolleongtang and the restaurant’s namesake yukgaejang. The spicy beef noodle soup is one of Korean cuisine’s most popular dishes, amplified here with hand-cut noodles or even thick ramen noodles. The bossam and other dishes are solid too.

This soondae specialist does the Korean blood sausage right, with the classic sliced preparation that makes a great snack or good hangover cure. It can also be ordered in a large soup or stir-fry that’s good for sharing. Definitely one of the standout soondae spots in the city.

Modern Korean fare is a bit of a hard sell, and an even tougher find in Koreatown. This Korean-inspired restaurant from Justin Min, Dustin Lee, Brian Shin, and Kevin Son has the kind of new school cooking from a chef’s perspective that one would find in Chicago, New York City, or Seoul, like yeolmu tomato salad, boullabaisse-inspired jjamppong, and bolognese mandu. If you want to see Korean food from a younger cook’s perspective, here’s where to try it.