Tabletop grilling of marinated short rib (galbi) and pork belly in Koreatown. The LA cut of galbi, sliced thin across the bone, was perfected here in the 1980s.
The LA galbi cut, beef short rib sliced across the bone 1cm thick so each piece holds three bones in cross-section, was a butcher innovation that started in Koreatown in the 1970s and 80s. Korean butchers wanted a quick-grill format that suited the tabletop charcoal grills imported with the first wave of post-1965 Korean immigrants. The thin cross-cut format spread back to Korea and is now standard. The Koreatown grill room emerged as a category at the same time: Park's BBQ since 2003, Quarters since the 1990s, Chosun Galbee since 1989. The marinade, soy, pear, garlic and sugar, soaks 4 to 6 hours and the rib hits the grill for under three minutes a side.
4 editor picks for Korean BBQ in Los Angeles, ranked by editorial score. All Los Angeles signature dishes · Korean BBQ across every city.
Park's BBQ ★ 4.7
koreatown · 955 S Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90006
Jenee Kim's Park's BBQ in Los Angeles Koreatown grills USDA Prime short rib over real charcoal in a buttoned-up dining room with reliable banchan.
Quarters Korean BBQ ★ 4.5
koreatown · 3465 W 6th St, Ste C-130, Los Angeles, CA 90020
Quarters Korean BBQ in Chapman Plaza, Koreatown, serves marinated and unmarinated cuts in quarter-pound portions, encouraging diners to sample widely.
Soowon Galbi ★ 4.5
koreatown · 856 S Vermont Ave, Ste C, Los Angeles, CA 90005
Soowon Galbi on Vermont Avenue, Koreatown, grills charcoal short rib galbi as the house specialty in a 2000s-era room beloved by Korean families.
Chosun Galbee ★ 4.5
koreatown · 3330 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90019
Chosun Galbee on Olympic Boulevard has grilled charcoal galbi in Koreatown since 1989, in a large patio-and-hall room that seats up to 300 guests.