Chung Ki Wa

Staff is great and happy to see you. You know it is a great restaurant when you see only Korean people and it is always packed. The food excellent. I love it. I eat there almost every week now. They even let you take home the leftovers. The first and oldest Korean Restaurant in Korea town.

Honestly, my friend and I were expecting to love the nang myun (Korean cold noodle dish) because we were starving and thought it’s pretty hard to mess up a dish as simple as nang myun. but this place proved us wrong. The nang myun broth is the most important part of the dish and it was very bland. My friend ordered the bibim nang myun (spicy cold noodle dish) and the broth was equally bad.
We can’t speak for the meat because we didn’t try that, but the place prides themselves in specializing in nang myun
We came here because our favorite nang myun place Yu-​Chun was closed on Sundays but if you’re looking for good nang myun I would definitely recommend Yu-​Chun over Chung Kiwa.

I’ve heard about this place for years and always passed by but finally went after a recommendation from a friend. There is a parking lot in the front but it only holds like 4 cars so you’ll probably have to look for street parking. Service was a little slow considering we were only 1 of 2 tables that night. We didn’t have the bbq since it was late so we went in for a quick dinner.
Galbi + cold noodle combo — I liked the noodles since they were nice and chewy. The broth was a bit lacking in flavor but comes with wasabi if you like. The galbi was good but some pieces were burnt
Galbi tang — the meat was good but again the soup wasn’t as good as I’ve had other places.

Came here for a late lunch — got a few items to share with my girlfriend:
— Cold noodles with short rib combo
— Bibimbap
Everything was fine, but not memorable. The bibimbap was kinda bland — gotta load up on the red sauce!
Not a bad place to go for a quick meal — prices are reasonable as well. We got a soup to go so the total was about $ 40 for everything.

I am a fan of their galbi and buckwheat noodles. They have good cold noodles in broth and the spicy noodles. There is enough parking around the restaurant in the neighborhood.

I almost forgot about this tiny place. My parents used to drag me out here when I was wee boy and I never really appreciated how good it was until recently.
First, it’s a deceptively accommodating space. Probably because they pack it in well, but for being such a small building, I feel like a good number of ppl fit themselves in here somehow, so usually not a huge wait. It’s a pretty traditional establishment, so yep, mostly Koreans and a very homey menu of traditional foods.
We got their mul nengmyun + kalbi combos and it was killer. Nengmyun was refreshing and noodles chewy. Their kalbi here was tender and well-​marinated. Just an all around solid meal. Plus the yuksoo beforehand was perfect. A nice alternative when Yuchun is closed on Sundays hehe.
Glad I got reacquainted with this place!

BEWARE: IF YOU ARE NOT KOREAN, DON’T GO HERE. THEY WILL TREAT YOU BADLY AND WITH DISRESPECT. THEY DISCRIMINATE AGAINST NON KOREANS.
Everybody in there is korean and just because my bf and i are not, the server just gave us this look like what are you doing here you shouldnt be here. We asked her for the menu and she really looked at us with this very discriminatory, demeaning look. Who would want to eat at a place where the staff does not even want you to be there? Was afraid she’d spit on our food. The menu was in korean so we asked her for help and asked her what shed recommend and she just goes, «READ IT YOURSELF» like what??? Really??? We walked out of the restaurant without ordering anything and took our business elsewhere. HORRIBLE PLACE.

Pricey but the first Ktown place my family liked. We shared a seafood Jong Gul, a big pot of spicy soup of mixed seafood and veggies. My sister didn’t liked it but loved the ban chan (sides). Paid more for extra rice.
Small private parking lot with a guard. There’s one accessible parking space.
The women’s restroom is big but not wheelchair accessible.
It’s across from a big blue and yellow car wash.

Disclosure: know the owner so may be a bit biased.
With that said, our large party sectioned off the back two rooms as one. Had a traditional large family style dinner with items that they don’t have on the menu.
May have to ask more than once for certain things. But they are Korean owned so you’re getting an authentic taste. Language barrier is obviously better when you have someone that speaks the native tongue.
Delicious food. Even when you’re distracted by your large party, they’re not shy on taking over to make sure your food doesn’t turn out like a disaster. Now that’s service and care!
Remember: food adventures are out there. Eat ‘em up!

The definition of an old school Korean restaurant. Located right on Olympic, with its own parking lot in front and across the street. Being down the street from my apartment, I’ve always ordered take out here. And my favorite dish on the menu is the Galbi Tang (bone in beef Korean soup). Always fresh and hot, they pack it up for you with a serving of rice and a bunch of Korean side dishes including kimchi!
The one time I came here to sit and eat, we had to wait about an hour to be seated. So yes it is quite popular here in Ktown. Sitting there you have the option of ordering a single served dish, a spicy Korean hot pot with seafood, or Korean bbq. I suggest getting the hot pot with sea bass since it’s absolutely huggeee and it can feed up to 4 people with one order which costs $ 49. Also make sure to get it extra spicy since medium is not that spicy.
My only complaint are the prices are a bit expensive and the place is very small. Most places in Ktown, you can get a bowl of galbi tang for about $ 12 — $ 15 more or less. This place charges about $ 19. Other than that this is my go to spot for a hearty meal!

I always drive by this place but I never noticed it. I’m not sure if they have valet, but there is a guy outside greeting people. They have a very small lot. Luckily, I found street parking next to the restaurant.
I made reservations for 6 people at 7pm. The lady on the phone said they were booked for that time slot but that she would try to get me in. I appreciated that honesty. Once we got there, I guess we were in luck because we were immediately seated. The whole restaurant seems tight, condensed, packed. They were very busy but were able to fit us at a big table in a separate room.
As for the BBQ– the meat itself was OK. The cha-​dol (brisket) was on the chewy side. Their pork belly was pretty good. What I did enjoy was their galbi jjim. Full of flavor with huge meat pieces.
All in all, I would come back here for their soups. Staff was friendly and as most Korean restaurants have, the button always helps with service.

Wow, so much food here! I loved the nengmyung here. I got the combo– nengmyung with the galbi. The nengmyung is a bowl of cold broth noodles with pieces of beef and deliciousness. The galbi had an interesting texture and had more of a «meaty» taste. I wasn’t a huge fan of the galbi, but I’ll be back here for the nengmyung.
I also really enjoyed their side dishes as well. They had a large variety of the side dishes and their service was enjoyable.

Came in for dinner last month for the first time and it was surprisingly pretty good Korean Bbq… this time it was raining outside and so I ordered take out… I got the galbi combo, I switched out the cold noodles for the spicy noodles, the spicy noodles were not so good. But the galbi was pretty good, but it was thinly sliced, which was not normally a galbi cut… cost about $ 21 not bad…

Once again, my coworker and I decide to make a quick run to Koreatown during lunch for some good olé Korean food and so far, I have to say, he’s been a perfect 3 for 3 on Korean food. So this time he decided to take me to his favorite spot, the place he brings his mother to when she’s in town. Once he said that I knew this was going to be the real deal because mothers don’t play when it comes to food. If they feel they can make one thing better the place gets a zero.
We arrive to this place I would pass up 1,000 times and never think twice about if it wasn’t for him. The parking lot is packed and there is a guy who sits out front just to tell you where you can park. I hope he gets paid because it looks very unofficial lol. Anyways once we walk in my coworker begins speaking Korean and they seat is at the table. Menus come and they are in half Korean, half English so you kind of get an idea of what your getting but not the complete ingredients. My coworker says, «let me check in, yep I’m still the Duke of this place!» And commences to close his menu and wave the waitress over. We had no clue what he ordered because he ordered in Korean but we got the chicken bulgolgi.
The banchan was amazing! Why you ask? Because for the first time ever had I had banchan with beef being an option and it was great! I honestly didn’t even have to order a meal and could of just had that the whole time. It was real all I could eat marinated beef banchan and it was free! Of course we asked for another side of it!
The Bulgolgi was delicious wrapped in a big leafy lettuce wrap smothered in the bean paste banchan and a little rice. I made about 5 of those until the Bulgolgi was finished.
Overall, I’d have to say this place is a solid 5 Afros and we will definitely be back! No questions about it. The beef banchan just sealed the deal for me. This could be the ultimate favorite spot so far.
OOOOO
5 out of 5 Afros

Very good food. price is little high but worth it.
I really like cold noodle and min uh spicy soup. Also service was wonderful…

Mother in law just came back into town and missed Korean food. She suggested Chung Ki Wa so on our way we went.
Arrived at 9pm and it was still bustling.
We ordered:
BiBim Nengmyung — Pretty good. When you order the regular sized bowl you can order a smaller size for just $ 3 more.
Angus Galbi — Good but so expensive for the quantity.
Yookgaejang — Horrible. So Bland.
Galbi Tang — Pretty good.

Pretty bomb cold noodles (naeng-​myun) and Korean bbq ribs (gal-​bi) !!
You know a Korean restaurant is legit when you see a lot of older Korean adults dining in.
Unfortunately, those two items were the only ones I’ve tried from Chung Ki Wa, but if a restaurant can get naeng-​myun right… I can trust that almost everything else would be bomb, too. Good naeng-​myun is hard to come by, in my humble opinion. I am willing to come back and try other items.
Parking lot is super tiny… Confusingly tiny. My friends and I parked in another parking lot across the street, which a lot of other customers did, too. Idk if it’s illegal but I decided to jump in the bandwagon.
This restaurant is an authentic Korean restaurant. Don’t come here without a knowledgeable friend! (also because the waitresses do not know English and they are not the friendly-​type)
If you’re craving naeng-​myun on a hot day and Yu Chun is closed, hurry on over!

Come here for KBBQ and also for the amazing naengmyun +galbi combo. SO GOOD especially on a hot summer day. The meat quality is superb. The galbi is perfectly lightly marinated with the right amount of fatty marbling. The naengmyun is served in a huge bowl and comes with the noodles, cold broth, big slices of beef, sliced cucumbers, sliced Korean pear and half a boiled egg. Make sure you add the vinegar and mustard to your liking!
KBBQ is great here as well. On the pricier side but worth it. Lots of delicious banchan too!

*** This review is only based on cold noodles and banchan, not their à la carte Korean BBQ ***
Chung Ki Wa offers both popular and less known traditional Korean dishes such as bibimbap, Korean cold noodles (naegmyun), soups (maeuntang, also known as spicy fish soup), Korean BBQ (non AYCE), jeongol (Korean hot pot), haemul pajeon (seafood pancake), etc.
Parking: There’s a tiny parking lot, but plenty of available street parking.
Our meal started with icy cold barley tea and various banchan (cucumber *excellent*, pickled greens *tasted a bit bitter*, kimchi *somewhat average*, potato *best side, tasted a bit sweet*, bean sprouts, and seaweed). Later a cup of yook soo (beef broth) came and it was very savory.
***
Hwe Naegmyun (Hand-​Made Buckwheat Noodles Spicy Sauce with Seasoned Skate Fish, $ 11.99): It was very close to a home run — right spiciness, good chewy skate fish, chewy noodle, and not overly salty broth. It was just a good all-​around Korean cold noodle. The only downside? Spiciness and saltiness from broth started to build up and I didn’t finish the entire broth.
***
Decent (but not mind-​blowingly good) banchan and delicious Korean cold noodle — overall a pretty satifying meal!

One of my favorite Korean restaurants! I lived on the East Coast for a few years and whenever I came back, the first restaurant I would go to is this place. They give you lots of banchan (side dishes) and I haven’t tasted a dish that I haven’t liked. And they don’t skimp on quanity either. I usually get their Korean Cabbage and Beef Rib Soup and it comes bubbling hot with huge pieces of beef rib. This usually lasts me another meal or two.
This time, we had:
1. Non-​marinated galbi (meat orders require a minimum of 2 orders) — it’s around 35 bucks per order so it can get a little costy but it’s high quality.
2. Broiled King Fish (jogi gui) — most places give you only 1 fish but this place gives you 2 big ones.
3. Bo sam — I still think go ba woo is better for this but nonetheless, it was good. This place gives you oysters so my mom enjoyed since she doesn’t eat meat.
4. Maeun tang (spicy fish soup) — also a big pot enough to share
So there were 5 of us and we left stuffed and there was so much leftover!
The waitresses come and cook the meat and pour the soup into individual bowls for everyone. They are very attentive in getting more side dishes and whatever else you may need.
There are a few parking spots in front and a larger parking lot adjacent. A gentlemanis there that helps you find parking also.
This place is popular so prepare to wait if you come during busy times.