The specialty of this place is Gamjatang, which is a Korean pork and bone soup. This dish is definitely not for people who don’t like knawing on bones and putting a little effort in your food. Your shirt may be covered in red dots by the end of it, but it’s totally worth it. I ordered a single portion of the Gamjatang($ 12.99) and it was a lot heftier than I expected it to be. There were about 6 – 7 huge pieces of pork neck(bones included) in the stone bowl. The meat was incredibly tender and fell off the bone easily. Crushed perilla seeds added an interesting textural contrast to the soft meat. The soup has a well-rounded porkiness that isn’t overpowered by Korean chili powder and it isn’t too salty. It definitely went well with rice. This is a solid Korean restaurant with nice touches. I liked how the rice provided was that purple Korean sticky rice; eating that always makes me feel like I’m eating«healthier.» There were about 7 types of banchan provided that all tasted fresh; I especially liked the kkakdugi(Daikon Kimchi) because it was pickled well. And like a lot of Korean restaurants, this place felt very clean and almost«sterile.» Service was attentive. The ajummas don’t speak much English but are very sweet!
Candice L.
Place rating: 5 Hacienda Heights, CA
This is one of my favorite restaurants to visit during the cold, winter days! I admit that I occasionally visit during the summer too, but it’s especially delicious during the colder nights. I’ve been coming here almost as soon as this location opened yet I haven’t had a chance to review it. I have tried the Gam Ja Gol in LA and I honestly don’t notice too much of a difference in flavor between the two restaurants. This location is definitely cleaner, brighter, and much larger so we usually don’t have to wait as long. I also order the: Gamjatang — the spicy pork bone soup with potatoes. It’s delicious and flavorful. I usually wait until it comes to a bit before I start eating so the meat is extra tender and it soaks up the flavor of the broth. I really enjoy drinking the soup, it has the perfect hint of spiciness along with the aroma of that herb(not sure what it’s called). My favorite part about this dish is the kimchi fried rice at the end though … no matter how full I am, I always make sure I get in a few spoonfuls. I usually share with my boyfriend when I visit — a small is more than enough for the both of us. People always complain about service here but I think the waitresses are really friendly and cheerful. They always give me refills on the side dishes and are pretty attentive with the beverages.
Lori C.
Place rating: 4 Los Angeles, CA
Very unique experience! I think the menu was a bit hard to navigate, but luckily we had someone who had been here before and chose some excellent options for us. The portions are huge and were filling for our group of five. We got: 1) Gamja Tang(Spicy Pork Bone Soup with Potatoes) — Very flavorful, and we got mild so it wasn’t too overwhelming. The meat was plentiful and fell off the bone easily but I felt the pork bones were such a waste of space. I guess that’s what makes this dish unique and the pork flavor to be so prominent throughout the soup. 2) Daeji Bo-Samm(Boiled Sliced Pork with Cabbage) — The pork slices were very tender and delicious, but a bit salty, in my opinion. 3) Ya Che Jeon(Pan-fried Vegetable Pancake) — This was a great quality pancake, which is a rare find! This was one of my favorite parts of the meal. At the end, the server brings by rice and uses part of the remaining soup to make kimchi fried rice, which is also another favorite part of this meal! I think for the price though, I think you can get a better value elsewhere; in a lot of the dishes, the meat only took up a small part of the whole, for example. But over all, this was a great visit, the staff was friendly, and the leftover kimchi fried rice and pork made a great snack for later: D
Paul H.
Place rating: 4 Torrance, CA
There are not many restaurants that sells Gam Ja Soup(Pork Rib Stew). Ambiance is typical Korean Restaurant this place is not that best even during weekends. so parking is usually free! within the complex(no valet) if its full you gonna find a street to park but its really easy to find parking so no worries. The stew can be ordered small portion or big group size. The food tastes pretty clean and well made. I recommend coming here as a group to order large size stew.
Diana L.
Place rating: 4 Chino Hills, CA
The soup pot was delicious! I do wish I brought someone who spoke korean because I felt like I had no idea what I was doing with my food(and I am Asian and eat a lot of korean food)! I got the cabbage wrapped boiled pork belly dish and it was very good. Definitely go with a group of 3 – 4 and get the soup because it was so flavorful and perfect for sharing.
Ivy C.
Place rating: 5 Chino Hills, CA
Their potato and pork soup is the best!!! Side dishes are also delicious. They have really nice service too, love the Chinese waitress, she s so adorable and helpful!
Corey l.
Place rating: 3 Walnut, CA
It’s my second time here since this summer. Today I took my mom and my sister to try their specialty dish– the pork bone soup, and the grilled pork with cabbage wrap! They were very delicious, at the end they serve the fried rice, it was a perfect ending ! The one thing I’m not very satisfied with was they don’t serve the cabbage kimgi, and the taste of the side dishes are average. Overall I will recommend friends & family to come here again, if they want to try something new.
Jin K.
Place rating: 3 Rowland Heights, CA
I don’t eat pork so I can’t write my opinion about the bo ssam(sliced pork served with lettuce) or the gam ja gol(Pork neck potato soup) but I did enjoy the broth and the side dishes. The food was decent but what really takes away from this restaurant’s potential is their service. The service is really, really, REALLY slow. We had to ask for napkins and iced water 2 – 3 times before they actually brought us some.
Kevin B.
Place rating: 3 Los Angeles, CA
I’ve had plenty of Gam Ja Tang in my day and this restaurant serves a somewhat average but acceptable version. Like many reviews have said, the service is very spotty and questionably bad at times. I think hiring one or two more waitress would totally catapult the overall rating of this establishment. Also like a lot of recent reviews, I had a groupon and that made the experience ten times better. Bad service and average food that is discounted is all good in my books.
Vickie C.
Place rating: 4 South Pasadena, CA
My friend bought a groupon to come here and invited me to lunch. The place specializes in the pork rib stew, so its definitely a must order! They have 3 different sizes. The small size was said to feed 2 people, but it can definitely feed more than 2. There are plenty of tender, moist, ribs with meat that are literally falling off the bones. There’s also potatoes that have been stewed and has absorbed all the flavors of the soup, and some veggies inside. You have the option to order side orders of noodles or rice cakes to cook in the soup. I’m definitely going to do this next time as the soup is so flavorful! When you are done with all the ribs, and the soup has been reduced down from all the boiling, they will come make fried rice for you. They use the healthier purple rice, with seaweed and kimchi, and its all cooked and mixed with the leftover reduced broth. So delicious!!! They also offer a variety of other dishes such as bbq meats, cold noodles, bossam, and other korean stews. Overall, the flavors were great. Banchan was ok, but the star really is the pork rib stew. Parking: Huge parking lot shared with the strip mall.
Sherri Z.
Place rating: 4 Irvine, CA
YUM!!! Ambiance: Typical Korean Bbq place Service: Not the best, but they do give you a button to push when you need to call someone Food: VERY delicious! I highly recommend their Gamja Tang, which is a pork broth with potatoes boiled at a high temperature with spices and chili. By the time it’s done, the meat is falling off the bones and you have true Korean comfort food :) Afterwards, they make the most delicious fried rice from the soup dregs! A medium is more than enough for 2 people. This place will be PERFECT during the cold, cloudy days(if they ever come)
Patrick Dhenny A.
Place rating: 2 Loma Linda, CA
Okay, I didn’t try the signature Gam Ja Tang because I don’t eat pork, so this was not a factor of my whole dining experience… HOWEVER I saved my stomach today for a food hangout knowing I’d be going to Rowland Heights with my friends and thinking I’d be eating some good brunch, right? WRONG. Lol we tried the main dishes and honestly and unfortunately, the sides were more praiseworthy. I guess it’s good I at least had that to fall back on, but I was hoping to leave the place more satisfied since my previous Korean dining experiences were just that. FOOD: Ssam Bap with Beef — I ordered it, and it was okay, even though it had a weird after taste. Ya Che Jeon — My friend ordered it, but it was oily and thin and I attested to that cuz I tasted it too. Ddeok Bok Gi — My other friend ordered it, and I tried it. It was OK, but nothing special. I can’t say the same for the price though. This cost $ 9 but it tasted like a $ 3 dish… –_– Seaweed Soup — Oh mah gah the seaweed soup… there’s a reason why I’m commenting on this last, jk. The thing is that we thought it was supposed to come with my order, but I had to ask for it. I regretted it cuz it was too fishy… as though they literally added fish in a pot of water and drinking that same water. I guess there’s a reason why it’s free lol SERVICE: We all got the feeling like they didn’t want to serve us, and when we requested something they would leave immediately even though we had more things to ask. They didn’t even offer refills on our sides nor check up on us. Finally, at the end when we were paying, one ahjumma who wasn’t even our server had the audacity to ask, «Where’s my tip?» In my head I’m like, Really? REALLY? There’s a reason why we didn’t even wanna leave a tip in the first place, but the fact that the ahjumma asked was somewhat rude in our opinion because we felt like they didn’t earn it…(sigh) I felt cheated for a service and experience that we believed was short of anything more than a dime and a nickel lol okay maybe that was too harsh, BUT at least half of my $ 14-something total plus the undeserved $ 1 tip that I parted with… almost tearfully though waaah I was hoping for a better experience, but this was mine, so eat happily or at least try to… ugh: p But I hope you all enjoy the Gam Ja Tang ehehe
Ber D.
Place rating: 3 Loma Linda, CA
FOOD — 3 stars My order was the Daeji Bo-Samm which was very good for my first time trying it out, although it could have been better. The ddeobokkie was not what I expected. The rice cake was too big and can taste little chunks of the sauce. It would have been nice if there was more to it added such as ramen, fish cakes, egg, etc. I’d gladly pay extra for the additions. The taste of the ddeobokkie wasn’t worth the $ 9 my friend paid for. Also, the ya che jeon was oily and thin. I will definitely not order this again. CUSTOMERSERVICE — 0 I have a rating of customer service from 0 being the lowest(not worth rating) to excellent. The list starts from Excellent, Good, Okay, Worse, 0. The customer service in this restaurant was a 0. They didn’t bother to check up on how my friends and I were doing. It felt like they didn’t care about serving us. We had to call for refills and when we wanted something, they’d leave immediately without fully understanding our order. Lastly, a lady who wasn’t our server had the nerve to ask«Where’s my tip» which I felt was very rude of her especially with the service that was given to my friends and I. We felt like it was reasonable for us to not leave a tip based on our experience. But my friends and I left a tip individually, which we felt very cheated on. Overall, this was my first and will be my last visit. I do hope you enjoy your visit to this restaurant! Lol
Lee L.
Place rating: 1 La Verne, CA
Food = Pricey and nothing special. Service = Terrible Gamjatang– Way too much pickling spice and the«fried rice» afterwards was a disappointment. Short ribs– $ 21.99 for 4 pieces?!? Servers were rushed and barely acknowledged you when you asked for anything… rice, extra bowl, banchan. Even with a $ 30 Groupon, this ended up costing us $ 30 without tip. The worst part was that when I presented my Groupon on my phone, the server took my phone out of my hand without asking and walked back to the front cashier to write down all the info. All she had to do was ask or just jot the the info at the table. WIll never return.
Celine L.
Place rating: 4 Los Angeles, CA
Since my friend was craving bossam, we decided to visit this spot. I was surprised when I got here and realized that this was where I used to go for kbbq. I guess it shut down? Anyways, we ordered the small spicy pork bone soup and bossam. The banchan that came with the meal was pretty good– the typical stuff. The spicy pork bone soup was giant! The three of us couldn’t even finish it… The soup was very flavorful and different from your typical spicy pork bone soup at a shabu place. You can really taste the spices and herbs they put in the soup! It was also cool how you can take out the bones and eat the meat and marrow left on the bone. The bossam was delicious! It comes on a tray with other toppings that you can pair the bossam with, and with everything combined, it tasted so good. The tray comes with lettuce, garlic, bean paste, mini shrimp sauce, and some spicy radish dish. After the soup, the lady made a kimchi fried rice with the soup base, which was a really nice ending to the meal. This place really reminded me of good comfort Korean food. Great spot to hit up if you’re in the area!
Elizabeth S.
Place rating: 5 Chino, CA
Tbh, I felt awkward since I usually eat alone and tables around me were packed with groups of people out for lunch. However, I thought ‘screw it, I’m craving some gamjatang’ so I stayed. Their gamjatang is pretty damn delicious. Their lunch special(Mon — Fri 11 – 3) is $ 8.99 for a single portion. They gave 6 banchans like Dotorimuk(acorn jelly), radish kimchi, napa kimchi, kongnamul-muchim(beansprouts), oisobagi(cucumber kimchi), and potatoes. There was also a dipping sauce with hot mustard to dip the meat into as well. They also give heukmi chapssal(black/purple rice). There was plenty of meat, well cleaned too since there weren’t any shards of bone unlike other places I’ve went to. Plenty of tender meat that fell off the bones and was quite spicy as well. The broth with green onions and potato leaves was pretty tasty too. The staff was nice, a lady there kept refilling my water without me asking. There were about 3 – 4 ajummas helping around, though one kept staring at me while I was eating. There’s a call-button on each table so you don’t have to wave around to get a lady’s attention. They take card. Place is kinda hidden, it’s next to Greenland Market.
Jackson Y.
Place rating: 5 West Covina, CA
I gave Gam Ja Gol in Ktown 5 stars, and it’s tastes just as good here. Cause Gam Ja Tang is bomb, and I LOVE how they make it here. When I think good Korean food, I think about this place. It’s comfort food for me. The dish to get is Gam Ja Tang(Pork bone soup). The meat may be a little tidiest to get to, but the flavor and texture is so good. The meat is soft and has a slight kick of spice. Hardy chunks of potato just soaks up the essence of that glutamate(umami) filled spicy soup. Another excellent dish here is Bossam. Which is boiled pork belly. And how they eat it is with boiled cabbage, and some Korean condiments. I’ve had it at a few Korean places in Ktown, annnd I think the BoSsam here is probably the best I’ve eaten. It $ 20. Worth every penny. The best part is the end(it’s included when you order the pork bone soup). When the soup boils down, the ladies uses the left over soup to make you kimchi fried rice! So all the good stuff left on the bottle of the pot gets transfer to make the kimchi rice addictively delicious. All that«fond» on the bottom is where the business is. I always leave this place super full and happy. Guess you can call it a «Happy ending?»
Tiffany C.
Place rating: 4 Arcadia, CA
So I ordered the gamjatang for two-three people and dukbokki. The gamjatang was just ok. I thought the soup wasn’t rich enough. Tasted a bit watered down. Maybe I’ve been spoiled by my favorite gamjatang restaurant in boston… But the dukbokki here DOESNOT disappoint. It’s sooooooo gooodddd!!! The rice cakes are so large and perfectly chewy with the dukbokki sauce perfectly flavored, spicy, and thick. Yuuummmmmm. One of my favorite things about this meal. So dukbokki aside, I also enjoyed the kimchi fried rice that was made at the end with some leftover gamjatang soup. That was a nice touch and in fact was quite tasty and flavorful. I wonder if you can order that by itself hmmm. Workers are a little slow but I think the night I came there were only three people working and the tables were packed full with people. Decent service and mediocre banchan. Come here for the fried rice and dukbokki! Nomnomnom
Charlton C.
Place rating: 5 Hacienda Heights, CA
Korean comfort food at its best! YUMMMMM! After several attempts of trying to dine here, I finally got to try out this place. Located in a Korean plaza next to the supermarket it may be hard to miss since it is off to the side and does not face the street. There is plenty of parking that is offered unlike the k-town location. Seating is limited but thankfully it doesn’t get too packed. The main thing to get here is the gamjatang and the bossam. Every table is huge and can easily seat 6+ people which are nice since there are a lot of banchan to go around. Be sure to save some room in your stomach for some fried rice they make afterwards with the soup! It is a nice addition to the already generous meal provided. Gamjatang(medium size) — Pork neck potato soup was more than enough for the 3 of us. Although they forgot to put the potatoes it was actually a blessing disguise since it is mainly used as «filler» food. The soup is not overly spicy which is great for people who can’t take spicy food like me and the meat will just simply melt off the bone. Granted you may have to pick at it the bone to get all the meat out but the extra effort is worth it. Bossam — Pork belly deliciousness, use the lettuce, garlic and the sauce to create the perfect combo your tastebuds will thank you for! Vegatable pancake — A great appetizer to share! Definitely give this place a shot! BONUS Kimchi fried rice — A perfect way to end a perfect meal. Just one more icing on the top! Shout out to the 626 master JY and Queenie for suggesting this place!
Lucy N.
Place rating: 4 San Francisco, CA
Much less well-known than soondubu, gamjatang definitely deserves more attention. It is a heartier, spicy Korean soup made with pork bones and veggies. It is perfect for a cold day or if you’re nursing a hangover. The medium can easily feed 4 people if you order other items as well. They give you a lot of meat which is so tender that it falls right off the bone. Grilled octopus — It comes with noodles. Nothing to write home about. Veggie pancake — One of my favorite Korean comfort foods. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside — mmmm! Don’t forget to save room for the kimchi fried rice at the end that they make with leftover broth! My only gripe is that the gamjatang is pretty expensive for what it is considering pork neck is not a good cut of meat by any means.