Hong Galbi

I had a sudden craving for Korean pork ribs. I Unilocaled and found this place!
Parking lot is very small (I think seven cars + handicapped spot) which is shared with herb shop and jewelry store.
We went after 3pm so the store was empty, but we still received great service!
We ordered Combo A since that is what everyone talks about from the restaurant.
I thought the portion was great for two people.
The soybean paste tasted more like soybean soup. Other than that, everything else tasted great!
I will come back once I crave pork ribs again.

This place was one of my first stops after getting to the city, this food is just really good and price is very attractive.

Food is great
Service is also great
I ordered combo A it was so nice and delicious.
Price is the greatest.

I was in the mood for some comfort Korean food. I had this placed bookmarked and wanted to check it out. Came here with my friend Christmas eve so safe to say it was pretty empty. Parking is pretty tiny so better luck on the street. The inside is a bit small but cozy. The menu varies on either a la carte or you can do combo set menu’s which is what we did and better idea to get a little bit of everything.
We got combo A (2 people $ 35), which was their most popular. Comes with Hong Galbi (pork ribs), Kimchi jjim, Soybean stew, and Bean sprout rice. This was perfect for my friend and I. We were quite full after this and did not finish everything.
The pork ribs came out on a sizzling plate. The pork itself was seasoned real well. Not to salty or spicy but the right amount of flavor. My friend and I agree we like this place a bit more compared to Ham Ji Park because over there there is not much meat on the bone. Where as here at Hong galbi they have lots of meat on the bone! The soybean soup was the perfect soup to have with this meal. The soup was good and not salty as most that I’ve tried. The kimchi jjim is similar to a bossam (pork meat with veggies and kimchi wrap) It was slices of pork and think cut kimchi. Flavor reminded me of kimchi tofu. It was okay. My other fave was the bean sprout rice! Served at the beginning we thought it was somewhat of an appetizer but turns out it was supposed to be eaten with the pork. They served the pork towards the end so we had to ask for another bowl of rice and shared that. The bean sprout rice is good and simple, you add some soy sauce that it served on the side. I would order this again as an extra side :)
Among the kimchi, they served salad which pairs real well with the pork. I would make a small wrap out of it, which helps to cut a bit of the richness from the pork.
Our waiter was nice and spoke English well. He gave us a complimentary alcohol beverage since it was Christmas eve haha. FYI: make sure to eat the pork while it’s hot, once it gets room temperature or cold it does not taste the same. I would come here again. Price is very reasonable.

First time here but it’s so good!!! I would totally come back. The owner Hong is really nice too!

The food was delicious. Much better than all you can eat. The service was also top notch.
The quality of the meat was exceptional. The place is kind of sketchy but the service is welcoming! Definitely recommend.

Went three times so far. Always great service & food. They are consistent.
Atmosphere could be slightly better but they are so good in other areas.

Cant go wrong with any meal from ere. From breakfast, lunch, or dinner, there is something tasty in all! To me the pork ribs win hands down! They are very tender and tasty! They are definitely the best Korean food restaurant that makes these ribs! I have tried them at other restaurants, and they do not compare.
The place itself is clean, bathrooms are clean, and waitresses are nice. Good place overall.

Hong Galbi is great! If you’re cruising along Olympic looking for a place to eat, stop by here and you won’t be disappointed.
I came here a while back with a group of three other friends a few Fridays back, but somehow didn’t manage to review it. On about 6:30 on a Friday, the restaurant was busy but hadn’t experienced the weekend dinner rush yet, so we were able to get a table no problem.
We got one of the combos (enough food for 3 – 4 people) that included both the spicy pork ribs and the soy pork ribs. To be honest, I liked both thoroughly, and I would have a hard time deciding between the two. The bean sprout rice, which was also part of the combo, is like a fried rice with bean sprouts. That wasn’t exactly my favorite, but it’s nice to have some more mild rice to go with the heavily flavored ribs. I also was pleasantly surprised by the octopus dish that came with the combo too. It was stir-​fried in that Korean red sauce with assorted veggies, and not only was the portion pretty big, but there was also a lot of octopus.
Of course the meal came with your standard share of banchan side dishes, and it included some that I hadn’t really seen elsewhere before, like pan fried tofu.
Service: Our server was great. At one point our order got messed up and he not only apologized profusely, owned the mistake, and made sure that it was corrected immediately moving forward.
Bottom line: Line too long at Ham Ji Pak? Consider this place instead!

Really good for the price. Lots of meat!
I came with a friend and we only ordered the beef bulgogi and their spicy/​sweet pork ribs.
The pork ribs win hands down. If you come here stick to their pork ribs. They also give you a large side of lettuce to wrap bits of meat in. Two plates of meat and we just barely finished everything. Great amount.
They also give you kimchi pancake when we ordered beer. It’s nothing to run home about but it’s free!

My elementary friend always brings his family here when they visit for LA. The order SO MUCH it is a feast! All of the meats are marinated well.
I’m trying to recall the recommended spicy squid noodle. It’s sweet and spicy and comes with Udon noodles for those who like it thick!
Need to come back soon!

We were hankering for Korean and we finally made our way here. The hong kalbi was good but a tad bit on the sweet side. The kimchi jjim was bomb — that deep fermented spicy kimchi paired with a fatty piece of pork, so fricken’ good. The bean sprout rice was a good change up from regular ol’ rice.
And as always a nice bottle of soju makes great company.
Four stars because the signature dish was a bit too sweet in its marinade.

I’m always looking for those hidden gem restaurants in Koreatown. All the big locations are crowded and the service and quality always dips.
I hate to write a review for my new secret place but it was too good.
Spicy pork. (Momma should always cook a breakfast with hog)
I think it’s still warm in my belly. Yummy.
Prices are more than fair. Service was superb. The food makes this place jump to my new #1 I miss mom’s cooking restaurant.
Service A
Food A
Price. A
parking sux though =/

I’ve passed by this place numerous times over the past few months, finally my Mom and I decided to stop by after her coworker had told her about how good their ribs were… UM SHE WAS RIGHT.
We got their Combo A (apparently feeds 2ppl but really, it’ll prob feed 3 – 4 ppl, their portions are huge!) it comes with spicy ribs, soybean stew, soybean rice and kimchi stew. It was very authentic and tasty. Another plus was that unlike other Korean restaurants… The server was very friendly and attentive. I would definitely go back. 100%

I really enjoyed my experience at the restaurant.
They have good combo menu and pleasant service.
I love their food such as soy sauce and spicy galbi.
I might go back really soon!!!

What a great little find!
If you’ve been to Ham Ji Park. this is similar, but better in the sense that you definitely get more of that mom and pop feel here. Came here for lunch with a friend and decided to get one of the two person combos for $ 35.
For $ 35 you get a giant plate of spicy korean pork ribs (a little less flavorful than ham ji park, but more meat and less bone), kimchi braised pork (tender chunks of pork and marinated kimchi), soybean soups (yum), small salad, bean sprout rice dish, and several sides.
YEA.all THAT for $ 35 .it was a lot of food and everything was very good. Not too oily, flavorful, hearty, and homey tasting.
I think the best part of the meal was how attentive to two aunties were. Even though they had a giant party of 20, they still made sure to take care of us and showed us how to mix the bean sprout rice dish etc.
Very awesome service for known standards and definitely a great price for korean food.
I would definitely recommended the combo here if you’re craving something other than AYCE kbbq.

The food leans closer to 4.5 stars, but the incredibly kind and warm service here is compelling me to give Hong Galbi 5 stars. The boyfriend and I came here for Christmas dinner (yeah, we like to keep things fancy). We decided to go with Combo A, which comes with: Hong Galbi (spicy pork ribs), Kimchi Jjim (pork belly braised w/​kimchi), Dwenjang jjigae (soy bean paste stew), and bean sprout rice. We also got complimentary kimchi pajun, which normally only comes out if you order alcohol. I guess they were just feeling generous that night! I’m still shocked that our entire meal cost $ 35 (sans tip and taxes).
All of the food is good — tastes just like dinner at mom’s house. I especially loved the bean sprout rice. It’s deceptively simple — just rice, ground beef, and tons of bean sprouts. Pour a spoonful of their soy sauce over the rice and enjoy.
On top of the incredible value, the service here is wonderful. Our waiter, who I am presuming is the owner’s son, was pretty much manning all the tables alone that night. He was so attentive and genuinely nice. At the end of our meal, he came around with some free Edible Arrangements and even saw us out of the door. I highly recommend Hong Galbi. Definitely one of my favorite meals in LA so far.

Great alternative to Ham Ji Park if you’re a fan of spicy Korean pork ribs (which are not really spicy at all) and want to spend less! The pork ribs are comparable to Ham Ji Park’s, but I think Hong Gaibi’s might be fattier and thus juicier? What separates this place though is their affordable combos.
We got the $ 35 combo which comes with the pork ribs, some braised pork and kimchi dish, fermented soybean paste soup, and and soybean sprout rice. This combo will feed 2 easily and is a great deal. Mix the seasoned soy sauce with the soybean sprout rice if you never had this before. A nice Korean meal without breaking the bank!

There has to be more restaurants like this one right here!
This restaurant is family run and it is not a big restaurant. I have only been here twice but both of my visits were very satisfactory.
Their specialty is the korean style pork ribs. These pork ribs are seasoned with special korean seasoning based on Gochujang which is red pepper paste. Hamjipark is known for their pork ribs but I really like the pork ribs here! It tastes almost perfect to me. It is a bit different from Hamjipark but to my taste, I like here more. They are pretty generous too with the portion.
Also tried their spicy squid with udon noodles. The server guy, who is the son of the lady cook, told us that it will be a bit spicy and so I was worried but it was not as spicy as I expected. I really liked the fact that they put udon noodles with it. I know some koreans eat it with somen usually but I’ll choose udon over somen any day. The pieces of squid was very soft. I dont like overcooked, chewy and rubbery-​like taste of squid and that is one of the reasons why I dont normally eat cooked squid but this place knows how to make it the right way.
The traditional Korean soybean paste soup, dwenjang jjigae had a little kick to it with jalapeños and it was good enough to lessen a bit greasy taste in my mouth after eating pork ribs.
They will serve you a hot kimchi pancake along with many sidedishes before your food gets delivered and they are very generous. I will definitely come back again with friends and my boyfriend.
ONE MORE THING I WOULD LIKE TO MENTION is that this place offers AMAZING CUSTOMER SERVICE! This is probably like the only two restaurants I know in Koreatown that have extremely good customer service (the other restaurant is Buil Samgyetang by the way). You will know what I am talking about once you visit.
Parking is on the side of the restaurants which is a bit hard to see if youre coming from Vermont, so maybe make a U-​turn after passing a block or something!

I don’t have as many Korean friends as I wished I had, but I think this comes the closest to home cooking from all the Korean places I tried.
We ordered a set because clearly that is what you do to try a bit of everything.
The banchan was yummy! The first thing that came out was the kimchi pajeon, which was chewy and flavorful. That, along with the warm sliced tofu with scallions in a soy sauce (which I pretty much make at home) was delicious. The kimchi was also pretty damn good.
Their Spicy Ribs were really good– not too spicy, not too sweet. Ah just right.
The Hong Galbi Ribs were sweeter but had a nice balance of salty and sweet. I think that was my favorite, but it depends on the mood you’re in!
Kimchi jjigae was very warming. Apparently they make the kimchi themselves as I found out from the son! The lady owner and her son were very kind in helping us prep this. When the son cut the kimchi pieces too large, the mom came by and cut them even smaller, filling everyone’s bowls like she would her own children!
My absolute favorite that night had to be the Bean Sprout Rice. So simple and yet so good. I don’t think I’ve ever had it like this, with some scallions and soy sauce. YUM!!! I wanted to finish my friends’ leftovers and let them have the meat, but that’s preposterous, isn’t it?
The wait can be kind of long, but I think it was pretty good.
It was fun to see the mom knock back soju at a nearby table upon insistence. Pretty sure she could drink all the guys under the table since she seems like the type! I love the fact that this place is hard-​working and has been here for a bit… and I hope it continues that way!
I think this place wins hospitality for all the places I have been to in Ktown, hands down. The son never forgot about us waiting outside and kept updating us on the table situation and then walked us out the door at the end of our meal!