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The 16 Essential Orange County Korean Restaurants

What lies behind the curtain? The best naengmyeon in California, hands down, among other great Korean eats.

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While describing L.A.'s sushi scene in a 2010 op-ed in LA Magazine, actor John Cho made a powerful statement about the power of nostalgia and its ability to preserve an immigrant's culture.

"The generations that immigrated here in the '70s and '80s are more Korean than Koreans are," Cho wrote. "They carried this culture and preserved it in a jar in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, back in Korea, the culture did what it does: It evolved. You go back to Korea, and it's culture shock. So bizarrely enough, this snapshot of Korean culture only exists in America."

As Koreatown blossoms as a mainstream dining destination, it also takes on a character similar to Seoul. Though some of those great old establishments have stood guard for the better part of the last half century, rapidly increasing rents have led to parts of the city being more given to the motherland's progressive machinations. Further south in Orange County and Southeast L.A., however, the heart of an immigrant generation is still beating, steadfast in a commitment to regional cuisines and traditional preparations, undeterred by the whims of change.

The Korean immigrant population of Garden Grove's "Little Seoul" is decidedly more blue-collar. Pool halls still buzz with ajeoshis (middle-aged Korean men) shooting three-cushion billiards and exchanging hard-luck stories over shots of soju at the nearest watering hole. The restaurants on this stretch have withstood the test of time and carved out a niche that's endeared it to its non-Korean neighbors and its longtime residents alike.

To the north is Fullerton, a massive suburb with a Korean community that stretches out past city lines to parts of La Habra and Buena Park, propped up by an excellent public school system and a proliferation of new businesses. Those well-acquainted with Los Angeles' Koreatown will see some familiar names here, including spicy pork rib experts Ham Ji Park and the immortal Kang Ho Dong Baek Jeong.

Though technically Cerritos is a part of Los Angeles County, neighboring Artesia and La Palma is home to a Korean-American community with some of the earliest residents dating back to before the 1980's. It's home to the venerable Whitney and Cerritos High Schools and also some of the best haemultang (a spicy Korean take on bouillabaisse) and dak galbi (spicy chicken Korean-style hot pot) in the country.

It might take a little driving, but the extent to which each specialization is explored and the sheer amount of attention to detail in the pursuit of evoking that all-important Korean nostalgia makes Orange County a must-visit for fans of Korean food. Here are the region's standouts.

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Mo Ran Gak

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As Garden Grove institutions go, Mo Ran Gak is a no-doubter. The barbecue is a la carte style, and those translucent slivers of meltingly marbled chadol and nicely sweet marianted short ribs are definitely worth the price of entry alone. The true star of the show, however, is the naengmyeon — served authentic Pyongyang-style with a thicker cut of noodle, the icy, amber-colored beef broth is uncharacteristically rich and slightly salty. It's when you first bite into those incomparable noodles that you realize that Mo Ran Gak isn't a Korean BBQ restaurant so much as it is a naengmyeon restaurant with some excellent barbecue. For my money, it's the best bowl of naengmyeon anywhere in the States.

Chil Po

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Chil Po Haemultang (formerly Won Jo Haemultang) has its specialty listed in its name: Haemultang, or a spicy Korean bouillabaisse, is a specialty of Incheon's Bupyeong District, where an entire street dedicated to Haemultang restaurants has invited fierce debate over which bowl of fiery seafood stew reigns supreme. More than a few native South Koreans, however, swear by the one at Chil Po — it's got serious heat and fresh seafood to give the broth an incomparably refreshing quality. What makes Chil Po extra interesting is that the Haemultang might not even be the standout dish. Its Hwangsil-Bossam (Imperial Pork Belly Cabbage Wraps) takes pork belly and simmers it with medicinal herbs and is served with a one-of-a-kind fermented-to-fizziness kimchi. It's unsettling in its addictiveness, and the unique take on bossam might be the best rendition in the Greater Los Angeles area, hands-down.

Gamja Tang House

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Gamja Tang House's Buena Park location is an offshoot of the original Garden Grove Gaesung Gamjagol. The ajeumma helming the original Garden Grove location left her son in charge of that location, moved out to Fullerton to start a second location and changed the name of both storefronts. Gamja Tang House's gamjatang, or spicy pork neck potato stew, is set apart from imitators in two major key ways: The meat-to-bone ratio on these pork necks is probably the largest I've ever seen, and the porky, rich flavor of the stew is complemented by just the right amount of heat. Add to that the option to dip your already-spiced pork neck meat in a little wasabi-soy-sauce slurry, and it's spicy, porky, delicious heaven. Be sure to come with a party of three or more if you don't plan on taking one of the giant jeongols, or elaborate casserole dishes, home with you — the portions run pretty large.

Maht Korean Restaurant

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Dak galbi is the name of the game at this phenomenal hole in the wall in an unassuming strip mall in La Palma adjacent a 7-Eleven. With just a few tables and chairs, the specials are written on the board but you'll be getting a steaming hot pot full of spicy chicken thigh topped with perilla leaves, onions and carrots that's perfect when you mix it into a bowl of rice. It's the closest thing to homestyle Korean cooking, with personable servers and a bona fide ajeumma (Korean auntie) back-of-house setting up the pots.

Kang Ho-Dong Baekjeong

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Yes, the fact that a Kang Ho Dong Baekjeong even exists in Buena Park hardly seems fair for other KBBQ restaurants in the area (Sorry Mr. BBQ, but you guys seem to be doing just fine). The Korean wrestler-turned-comedian-turned-perfect-Korean-BBQ-restaurant-scaling-mastermind's outpost in Buena Park has great natural lighting and crippling wait times, but the quality of meats are identical to the Koreatown flagship.

Jang Mo Jip

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Jang Mo Jip specializes in... well, it wouldn't be fair to say exclusively seollungtang (Korean beef soup). Jang Mo Jip is a purveyor of all forms of soup-and-rice, and the little hole in the wall puts out some of the best dogani tang (beef's knee cartilage soup) and gukbap (spicy soup with rice) around at a more-than-fair price. Bonus points for ordering the kongnameul gukbap special: A clear, spicy soup of bean sprouts accompanied by a bowl of rice. It's spartan, sure, but it's usually not more than $6, and you'll feel like a true Korean elder O.G. when you polish it off with some great kimchi.

Han Yang Restaurant (한양 설렁탕)

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Han Yang's menu is a little bit confusing (you want katsu? Go to Yoko up the street) but you only need to roll through to the part that says "Seasoned Thistle with Rice" to know what to get. It's not really "thistle," but Gondeurae Dolsot Bap (or "Seasoned Gondeurae Leaves over Stone Rice") takes a mildly fragrant, almost perilla-like aromatic leaves, wilts them with some sesame oil and salt, and serves it over a rice in a hot stone that develops a nice brown, charred crust. With a little extra special soy sauce (and that fried egg, if you feel so inclined), it has this nice balance of richness from the yolk mixed with the muted, evergreen-like fragrant qualities of the mixed greens. It's delicious, healthy eating and absolutely worth a try. Do Ga Knee tang, or ox knee soup, is also a great candidate for a cold or rainy day, with that gelatinous cartilage offering a little textural change-of-pace for an otherwise savory soup. But seriously, with all of this great food, that pork katsu really sticks out like a kid's menu.

Surah Korean BBQ & Sushi

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Servers swish around in hanboks (Korean traditional dress) with a muted deference at this traditional Korean food-and-sushi restaurant. Fullerton's well-heeled chatter softly in dimly lit, wood-adorned environs featuring traditional Korean ceramics along the walls. There's an assiduousness in Surah's attention to detail, and it's unrelenting at every aspect of the experience. From the service, to the decor, to the naengmyeon (delicious, chewy thin noodles and a positively tangy broth) to the silken savory egg custard and the rest of the banchan, it's evident this isn't your everyday Korean restaurant. Spare the grill and spoil yourself with one of Surah's phenomenal prepared dishes, including a meltingly tender galbijim, or short rib braised in sweet soy sauce, or eundaegu jorim, the braised black cod with daikon radish. It's serious Korean food in a serious Korean restaurant setting — just prepare to pay a serious premium.

Samgeoli Korean Restaurant

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Samgeoli's dwaeji bossam is an archetype of the dish — simple, tender simmered pork belly is sliced uniformly and served up with crunchy napa cabbage kimchi and fresh oysters. It compares favorably to Ye Dang's off Beach and Imperial, with better service and even better pricing. What a concept.

Past Memories

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Min Sok Chon is Garden Grove's answer to OB Bear, Dan Sung Sa, or Dwit Gol Mok, or (insert other Korean beer-and-soju watering holes here). What stands out about Min Sok Chon isn't just how long it's been around, but a great paper-fried-skin chicken (tong dak) that's juicy all the way through, from white meat to dark. Add to that a killer corn cheese and a complimentary side of white radish pickles and you have enough delicious solid food to last you through your next 12 rounds of beer.

Peking Gourmet Chinese Restaurant

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Great Korean-Chinese food is a distinction made by inches, and Peking Gourmet in Garden Grove nails down the Korean-Chinese basics with a soundness that's hard to find elsewhere. The Garden Grove institution puts out amazing gingery, golden blistered gun-mandu (fried potstickers) and has one of the better tangsuyook (sweet and sour pork) dishes. The jjajangmyeon and jjampong can go toe-to-toe with any old-school Korean Chinese joint in Koreatown, though Lee's Noodles in Koreatown might have them beat on both there.

Seoul Soondae Restaurant

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It's blood sausage, I get it, and some of us aren't fans, but Seoul Soondae has been around longer than most of us reading this article for a reason, and that reason is that it's prime take-home-and-eat-with-your-middle-aged-Korean-buddies-over-a-bottle-of-soju-or-seven food and if you're into that kind of thing, I won't judge. It's also got some great pig trotters (jokbal), but the main focus is on the soondae and soondae-guk, which has been nourishing hungover Koreans in Garden Grove through multiple generations.

Im Bang Ah (Korean Bakery and Deli)

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Outside of Kim Bang Ah in the Rodeo Galleria in Koreatown, Im Bang Ah is one of the last bastions of old-school Korean tteok (rice cake) bakeries in Southern California. Sure, there are fancy rice-cake slingers on every corner and grocery store in Koreatown, but this is where you go for those old school rice cake displays you see at Korean weddings. The Korean Bakery and Deli (or Im Bang Ah, as it's known in Korean) is a cultural icon, one that's sadly becoming overlooked by those who prefer their rice cakes prepped, primed and put in fancy gift boxes to impress people. Im Bang Ah speaks to an older time, and any Korean-American kid who's grown up or been to a Korean function in Orange County will have probably tried their freshly made, still-somewhat-warm red bean rice cakes or perfect ovaline rice rounds in their New Years' dumpling soup at one point in their lives and wondered "wow where do you get these?" It's at this humble Korean rice bakery in this strip mall.

Hangari Kalgooksu

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Hangari Kalgooksu has no relation to (the admittedly excellent) Hangari Bajirak Kalgooksoo in Koreatown, but it's a serious player in a competitive space. Big, shareable pots of knife-cut-noodles cooked to just this side of al dente in a rich broth of clams and green onions are just part of the story here. Try the accompanying bori-bap (oat rice) and chonggak kimchi (baby-radish kimchi) for a truly authentic experience.

Kaju Soft Tofu Restaurant

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Kaju Soft Tofu (for those of you interested, it's pronounced "gah-ju soon-doo-boo" in Korean) is the local Garden Grove answer to BCD Soft Tofu down the street, and what an answer it is. Though the service can be downright atrocious at times, the banchan, better ambiance, and a cleaner tasting broth makes this establishment compare favorably to its chain-restaurant competitor.

China Station

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China Station is a Korean Chinese restaurant in a forlorn-looking (and that's being gentle) strip mall across the street from a Big Lots, and what it lacks in looks, it makes up for in probably one of the best honey walnut shrimp dishes I've ever had. Thick, juicy, tempura-length shrimp are battered golden brown and topped with that warm mayonnaise-like sauce and served with candied walnuts. It's an indulgent pairing for your noodle dish. The jjajangmyeon is nothing spectacular, but the noodles have a decently springy consistency to at least somewhat offset the greasy sauce.

Mo Ran Gak

As Garden Grove institutions go, Mo Ran Gak is a no-doubter. The barbecue is a la carte style, and those translucent slivers of meltingly marbled chadol and nicely sweet marianted short ribs are definitely worth the price of entry alone. The true star of the show, however, is the naengmyeon — served authentic Pyongyang-style with a thicker cut of noodle, the icy, amber-colored beef broth is uncharacteristically rich and slightly salty. It's when you first bite into those incomparable noodles that you realize that Mo Ran Gak isn't a Korean BBQ restaurant so much as it is a naengmyeon restaurant with some excellent barbecue. For my money, it's the best bowl of naengmyeon anywhere in the States.

Chil Po

Chil Po Haemultang (formerly Won Jo Haemultang) has its specialty listed in its name: Haemultang, or a spicy Korean bouillabaisse, is a specialty of Incheon's Bupyeong District, where an entire street dedicated to Haemultang restaurants has invited fierce debate over which bowl of fiery seafood stew reigns supreme. More than a few native South Koreans, however, swear by the one at Chil Po — it's got serious heat and fresh seafood to give the broth an incomparably refreshing quality. What makes Chil Po extra interesting is that the Haemultang might not even be the standout dish. Its Hwangsil-Bossam (Imperial Pork Belly Cabbage Wraps) takes pork belly and simmers it with medicinal herbs and is served with a one-of-a-kind fermented-to-fizziness kimchi. It's unsettling in its addictiveness, and the unique take on bossam might be the best rendition in the Greater Los Angeles area, hands-down.

Gamja Tang House

Gamja Tang House's Buena Park location is an offshoot of the original Garden Grove Gaesung Gamjagol. The ajeumma helming the original Garden Grove location left her son in charge of that location, moved out to Fullerton to start a second location and changed the name of both storefronts. Gamja Tang House's gamjatang, or spicy pork neck potato stew, is set apart from imitators in two major key ways: The meat-to-bone ratio on these pork necks is probably the largest I've ever seen, and the porky, rich flavor of the stew is complemented by just the right amount of heat. Add to that the option to dip your already-spiced pork neck meat in a little wasabi-soy-sauce slurry, and it's spicy, porky, delicious heaven. Be sure to come with a party of three or more if you don't plan on taking one of the giant jeongols, or elaborate casserole dishes, home with you — the portions run pretty large.

Maht Korean Restaurant

Dak galbi is the name of the game at this phenomenal hole in the wall in an unassuming strip mall in La Palma adjacent a 7-Eleven. With just a few tables and chairs, the specials are written on the board but you'll be getting a steaming hot pot full of spicy chicken thigh topped with perilla leaves, onions and carrots that's perfect when you mix it into a bowl of rice. It's the closest thing to homestyle Korean cooking, with personable servers and a bona fide ajeumma (Korean auntie) back-of-house setting up the pots.

Kang Ho-Dong Baekjeong

Yes, the fact that a Kang Ho Dong Baekjeong even exists in Buena Park hardly seems fair for other KBBQ restaurants in the area (Sorry Mr. BBQ, but you guys seem to be doing just fine). The Korean wrestler-turned-comedian-turned-perfect-Korean-BBQ-restaurant-scaling-mastermind's outpost in Buena Park has great natural lighting and crippling wait times, but the quality of meats are identical to the Koreatown flagship.

Jang Mo Jip

Jang Mo Jip specializes in... well, it wouldn't be fair to say exclusively seollungtang (Korean beef soup). Jang Mo Jip is a purveyor of all forms of soup-and-rice, and the little hole in the wall puts out some of the best dogani tang (beef's knee cartilage soup) and gukbap (spicy soup with rice) around at a more-than-fair price. Bonus points for ordering the kongnameul gukbap special: A clear, spicy soup of bean sprouts accompanied by a bowl of rice. It's spartan, sure, but it's usually not more than $6, and you'll feel like a true Korean elder O.G. when you polish it off with some great kimchi.

Han Yang Restaurant (한양 설렁탕)

Han Yang's menu is a little bit confusing (you want katsu? Go to Yoko up the street) but you only need to roll through to the part that says "Seasoned Thistle with Rice" to know what to get. It's not really "thistle," but Gondeurae Dolsot Bap (or "Seasoned Gondeurae Leaves over Stone Rice") takes a mildly fragrant, almost perilla-like aromatic leaves, wilts them with some sesame oil and salt, and serves it over a rice in a hot stone that develops a nice brown, charred crust. With a little extra special soy sauce (and that fried egg, if you feel so inclined), it has this nice balance of richness from the yolk mixed with the muted, evergreen-like fragrant qualities of the mixed greens. It's delicious, healthy eating and absolutely worth a try. Do Ga Knee tang, or ox knee soup, is also a great candidate for a cold or rainy day, with that gelatinous cartilage offering a little textural change-of-pace for an otherwise savory soup. But seriously, with all of this great food, that pork katsu really sticks out like a kid's menu.

Surah Korean BBQ & Sushi

Servers swish around in hanboks (Korean traditional dress) with a muted deference at this traditional Korean food-and-sushi restaurant. Fullerton's well-heeled chatter softly in dimly lit, wood-adorned environs featuring traditional Korean ceramics along the walls. There's an assiduousness in Surah's attention to detail, and it's unrelenting at every aspect of the experience. From the service, to the decor, to the naengmyeon (delicious, chewy thin noodles and a positively tangy broth) to the silken savory egg custard and the rest of the banchan, it's evident this isn't your everyday Korean restaurant. Spare the grill and spoil yourself with one of Surah's phenomenal prepared dishes, including a meltingly tender galbijim, or short rib braised in sweet soy sauce, or eundaegu jorim, the braised black cod with daikon radish. It's serious Korean food in a serious Korean restaurant setting — just prepare to pay a serious premium.

Samgeoli Korean Restaurant

Samgeoli's dwaeji bossam is an archetype of the dish — simple, tender simmered pork belly is sliced uniformly and served up with crunchy napa cabbage kimchi and fresh oysters. It compares favorably to Ye Dang's off Beach and Imperial, with better service and even better pricing. What a concept.

Past Memories

Min Sok Chon is Garden Grove's answer to OB Bear, Dan Sung Sa, or Dwit Gol Mok, or (insert other Korean beer-and-soju watering holes here). What stands out about Min Sok Chon isn't just how long it's been around, but a great paper-fried-skin chicken (tong dak) that's juicy all the way through, from white meat to dark. Add to that a killer corn cheese and a complimentary side of white radish pickles and you have enough delicious solid food to last you through your next 12 rounds of beer.

Peking Gourmet Chinese Restaurant

Great Korean-Chinese food is a distinction made by inches, and Peking Gourmet in Garden Grove nails down the Korean-Chinese basics with a soundness that's hard to find elsewhere. The Garden Grove institution puts out amazing gingery, golden blistered gun-mandu (fried potstickers) and has one of the better tangsuyook (sweet and sour pork) dishes. The jjajangmyeon and jjampong can go toe-to-toe with any old-school Korean Chinese joint in Koreatown, though Lee's Noodles in Koreatown might have them beat on both there.

Seoul Soondae Restaurant

It's blood sausage, I get it, and some of us aren't fans, but Seoul Soondae has been around longer than most of us reading this article for a reason, and that reason is that it's prime take-home-and-eat-with-your-middle-aged-Korean-buddies-over-a-bottle-of-soju-or-seven food and if you're into that kind of thing, I won't judge. It's also got some great pig trotters (jokbal), but the main focus is on the soondae and soondae-guk, which has been nourishing hungover Koreans in Garden Grove through multiple generations.

Im Bang Ah (Korean Bakery and Deli)

Outside of Kim Bang Ah in the Rodeo Galleria in Koreatown, Im Bang Ah is one of the last bastions of old-school Korean tteok (rice cake) bakeries in Southern California. Sure, there are fancy rice-cake slingers on every corner and grocery store in Koreatown, but this is where you go for those old school rice cake displays you see at Korean weddings. The Korean Bakery and Deli (or Im Bang Ah, as it's known in Korean) is a cultural icon, one that's sadly becoming overlooked by those who prefer their rice cakes prepped, primed and put in fancy gift boxes to impress people. Im Bang Ah speaks to an older time, and any Korean-American kid who's grown up or been to a Korean function in Orange County will have probably tried their freshly made, still-somewhat-warm red bean rice cakes or perfect ovaline rice rounds in their New Years' dumpling soup at one point in their lives and wondered "wow where do you get these?" It's at this humble Korean rice bakery in this strip mall.

Hangari Kalgooksu

Hangari Kalgooksu has no relation to (the admittedly excellent) Hangari Bajirak Kalgooksoo in Koreatown, but it's a serious player in a competitive space. Big, shareable pots of knife-cut-noodles cooked to just this side of al dente in a rich broth of clams and green onions are just part of the story here. Try the accompanying bori-bap (oat rice) and chonggak kimchi (baby-radish kimchi) for a truly authentic experience.

Kaju Soft Tofu Restaurant

Kaju Soft Tofu (for those of you interested, it's pronounced "gah-ju soon-doo-boo" in Korean) is the local Garden Grove answer to BCD Soft Tofu down the street, and what an answer it is. Though the service can be downright atrocious at times, the banchan, better ambiance, and a cleaner tasting broth makes this establishment compare favorably to its chain-restaurant competitor.

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China Station

China Station is a Korean Chinese restaurant in a forlorn-looking (and that's being gentle) strip mall across the street from a Big Lots, and what it lacks in looks, it makes up for in probably one of the best honey walnut shrimp dishes I've ever had. Thick, juicy, tempura-length shrimp are battered golden brown and topped with that warm mayonnaise-like sauce and served with candied walnuts. It's an indulgent pairing for your noodle dish. The jjajangmyeon is nothing spectacular, but the noodles have a decently springy consistency to at least somewhat offset the greasy sauce.

Related Maps