Internationally famous chef Akira Back is on a tear, expanding from his home base of Las Vegas to open restaurants in Indonesia, Seoul, LA, and recently Dallas. But the Korean chef honors the rich barbecue scene in Los Angeles with this upscale ode to tabletop meat, with wagyu and dry-aged offerings, as well as stellar banchan and side dishes. It’s one of the city’s top Korean barbecues.

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 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 dressed one of two ways, either in 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).

One of Los Angeles’s longest-running Korean barbecue restaurants continues to excel at two things: quality and classic flavors. With a large outdoor dining space and a solid takeout situation, Chosun has endured because of its dedicated following and impressive execution. Try the naengmyeon with a combination meat platter to impress anyone looking for great Korean barbecue.

The cloudy bone marrow broth here is legendary, as are 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.

There’s a lot of all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue in LA, but perhaps none has stood the test of time as well as Yerim, which retains excellent overall quality for a modest price of under $50 for most menu options. The tender, flavorful meat coupled with free-flowing drinks and attentive service make this a solid pick for groups that need a lot of KBBQ in one sitting.

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.

This classic K-Town restaurant had an ownership change in recent years, but longtime customers likely won’t be able to tell the difference on the plate. Everything from the stellar radish banchan (the restaurant’s namesake) to the seared fish tastes as it should, which is to say, just like a grandmother’s cooking. The tiny, packed dining room filled mostly with Koreans should be a key indicator that this place remains a community fixture.

Koreatown’s all-night galbi jjim destination serves it 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. There’s a big new location along Western Avenue as well — in the former Sizzler building.

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 are 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 multigrain rice.

With a recent ownership change from Yangmani operator Jennifer Choi, this Vermont Avenue Korean barbecue spot adds to the block’s rich lineup of Park’s, Soowon, and nearby Corner Place. Ong Ga Nae does a solid Korean barbecue offering, though the seng bulgogi, a new way of serving a classic boiling, bubbling thinly sliced meat hot pot, is one of the must-order items here.

Though lunchtime 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. The classic, dimly lit dining room is now open again.

Nestled into a strip mall in Koreatown, this old-school gem has the kind of food a Korean grandma only cooks for her favorite people. Koreans call this Olympic Cheonggukjang, calling out the ultra-fermented soybean paste stew that has an incredibly rich, deep umami flavor. The fried fish and spicy grilled pork are also excellent.

This sundae (not the ice cream) 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. It’s probably the best place for sundae on the West Coast, if not America. (Yes, the Korean government prefers we spell the dish like the ice cream dessert.)