Park’s is a charcoal BBQ restaurant. Order any of the meat dishes and cook it at your table with friends. Plenty of tasty banchan (appetizers).

This is a very traditional, multi course meal. The portions are small because that’s the style, but you get many courses. The stuffed bosam kimchi is famous here.

Korean-style Mongolian hot pot, similar to Shabu Shabu, with great beer and lots of vegetables.

This is a new find for me though my friend’s family has been going here for years. It’s my new favorite restaurant. It’s traditional home-style Korean cooking with lots and lots of delicious side dishes.

My family has being dining at Noshi since I was in the 10th grade. Today Noshi’s been invaded by trendy Hollywood folks. There’s always a line in the evenings so make sure you go inside and put your name on the white board. You can’t make reservations and they don’t take credit cards. CASH ONLY. Noshi is famous for its generous slices of sushi, so you get full for less money, unless you decide to indulge in saki. Try the spicy tuna roll. It’s the best I’ve ever tasted.

Woo Lae Oak caters mostly to non-Koreans and tourists on bus tours, so everything tastes watered down to me. I believe they charge for appetizers and even kimchi. I’d rather sacrifice ambiance for great food and lots of it.

Tofu Ya serves Korean BBQ and spicy tofu soup, similar to Tofu House, but they do not offer as many free appetizers. I eat at Tofu Ya when I’m craving Korean food but do not have the time to drive into Ktown. It’s a good alternative.

Every time I visit my parents in Glendale or my sister in La Canada we eat at Daban. It’s in the Ross/Kinko mall. Plenty of free parking which makes life easy. Next door is a Tae Kwon Do martial arts studio where my nephew takes classes. On the other side I believe is a Korean market where you can buy goodies. Order any of the meat dishes. You get so much for your money and the quality is great. I also like the all the stews.

Whenever I’m in Torrance and craving Korean food, my gal pal takes me here. It’s hearty. It’s fast (actually most Korean restaurants are quick). It’s authentic. I enjoy the stews and fish dishes. Try the Jogi Jorim (braised Croaker). It’s a bit spicy, but delicious.

If you like the food at Panda fast food restaurant then you’ll love Sorabol. Sorabol offers a healthier choice than Panda, but the food does sit in those heated bins. They do offer Bibimbab and other Korean favorites.

Relaxing and soothing atmosphere with private areas to sit. Try the different teas. They offer free rice cakes and cookies to nibble on plus free barley tea. Must order the pat bingsoo. It’s shaved ice with small chunks of watermelon, honeydew, mini rice cakes, and green tea ice cream all on top. You may get a server that doesn’t speak English. I told them they needed to hire someone who does. But if you get the one that doesn’t don’t worry they have an English menu.

They have tea tasting everyday. Not that many tables so it’s very quaint. I buy my teas and teapots here as gifts. It’s the highest quality.

Korea pub with Korean draft beer and Korean-style bar snacks including great spicy chicken wings and pig’s ear. Personally I’ve never visited this location. It’s a friend’s hot pick, but I’m always willing to try new things even pig’s ear. I’ve tried worse things before and it wasn’t Korean.
Feel free to hang out at Korean cafés. They don’t expect customers to vacate the tables as quickly as restaurants.

The spa caters to the upper crust of the community. It features mud baths, stone treatments, facials, and massages in private rooms. You must try the Korean scrub (exfoliation) treatments. For $30, you’ll get a full head to toe exfoliation. Dead skin from years back will fall off your body and you’ll be left with fresh pink skin. The scrub ends with a vigorous, but relaxing shampoo. Do not get a scrub every week. It’s best to get it done once a month or so, because your body needs the oils. But I think the scrubs keep Koreans looking younger than most. Also visit the food court and practice golf range.

Get the half hour body scrub (the best exfoliation ever) plus the 35 minute massage. If you do both you don’t have to pay the entrance fee, which is $15.
Unlike Aroma, Olympic, Natura and Beverly Hot Springs do not offer private rooms for your treatments. The treatment areas are sectioned off, but sometimes still visible. If you’re body conscious, this is not your thang, because you’ll be laying totally naked next to another women on a table getting her treatment. Be bold, get a scrub, don’t miss out! As far as facials are concerned get the Goddess Treatment. It’s $100. They use great French Products.

I have not been here in while, but my non-Korean friends often go here and Olympic Spa.

The entrance fee is around $40-$50 depending on what day of the week, but it’s worth it. BHS is a natural hot mineral spring in the middle of Ktown. The treatments are around $10 more than the other Korean spas (but still less than Burke Williams’ treatments). To get a better price on the entrance fee I buy a series of 25 tickets for $600. Buy your tickets from Eric because he always gives a few extra if you ask nicely. Just a note for the men. My straight guy friends enjoyed the water, but were uncomfortable with the large, non-Korean gay clientele in the men’s quarters. If it bothers you, try Natura, Aroma or Grand, which cater mostly to Korean clientele.

The great thing about Century is that it has two relaxing rooms. There’s the marble floor room and clay floor room. The floors are heated so it’s basically a sauna. Take your towel and take a nap for however long you can stand it. Hopefully your nap time won’t be invaded by a bunch of older Korean women chatting away or me and girl pals. Like Olympic Spa, Century has two hot tubs. One is filled with some kind of herb for overall health. Note: Century is also a favorite of my gay boyfriends.

The Grand is open 24 hours and it’s cheap ($15 entrance fee). Many young people clubbing and partying in Ktown will trip into the Grand around 3AM and crash out in the sleeping area, which is one large common room. I say if you’re flying into LA for just a night, come with a small carryon and head straight for the Grand after your meetings. Shower, shave, soak and sleep. You can stay the entire next day and even order Korean food that’s made at the café/bar downstairs. Warning: Women do snore loudly.
BHS is the only spa that you have to be really quiet unless it’s just you and your friends, which can be a possibility. BHS is not that crowded surprisingly, but there are days like Mother’s Day that every mother treats herself. Also be warned that the female masseuses at every Korea spa all wear black bras and underwear as their uniforms. I don’t know the history behind it, but I’m guessing it’s because it doesn’t get as dirty and it’s more comfortable than wearing a bathing suit or damp uniform all day.
I would tip 15% to 20%. After your treatment, you may be given an envelope for the tip. You can give the envelope directly to your masseuse or to the front desk. If you like your masseuse and want to request her again remember her full name because there are so many Mrs. Kim’s, Mrs. Lee’s and Mrs. Park’s.

Try the food court, grocery store and especially the bakery. Korean bakeries are wonderful. Many Korean bakers have been trained in France, so the quality is amazing.

Howondang is in the Koreatown Galleria, on the same level as the market. They offer traditional Korean pastries. The pastries come in lovely packaging. They make great gifts. Other locations are in Fullerton, Rowland Heights, and Northridge.

Inside the plaza, you’ll find everything from a Korean grocery store, bakery, cosmetics, clothing, music & video store, food court. Visit the bakery, grocery store, food court, and the Korean-Chinese restaurant (Mandarin House) on the ground floor. There is also a bookstore that a lot of our teachers like to visit during our fieldtrip.

Every Korean housewife gets her knives, rice cooker, fancy tupperwear, chopsticks, ear pickers, suitcases here. What you can’t get here you go to Chung’s (on 7th and Wilshire Place) or IKEA.

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Average Customer Rating 3.75 out of 5. Teachers who attend our seminar from out-of-state remark that they thoroughly enjoyed their stay at the Garden Suite, appreciated the very gracious service, and the very comfortable accommodations in hotel rooms.

Hotel Class 3 out of 5 stars

In 1976, the intricately decorated bronze bell and pavilion was donated by the Republic of Korea to celebrate the bicentennial of the U.S. Independence, honor Korean War veterans, and friendship between the two countries. The bell is rung only three times each year: 4th of July, August 15 (Korean Independence Day) and New Year’s Eve. The bell is located in the Angel’s Gate Recreational Center in San Pedro, CA.

(On the corner of Olympic, across from the 76 gas station)
The temple is open to anyone who would like to visit or learn about Buddhism. Unfortunately, most of the people who do services at the temple do not speak English. KAFE does offer a tour of the temple during our five-day summer seminar.