"Most people go to Kobawoo for the restaurant's famous pork belly ready to be wrapped into little bundles with cabbage and kimchi. Rightfully so—it's our favorite bossam in the city. But Kobawoo’s real draw is that the restaurant feels refreshingly traditional, especially when so many buzzy, new-school restaurants have popped up (and sometimes disappeared) nearby. The Koreatown institution has been around since the 1980s. It's still the kind of wooden-beamed restaurant that makes you want to sip on a hot cup of tea and get lost in an old picture of a Korean home on the wall. Meals aren't just for social media, they're for real socializing: friends dipping slices of pajeon in soy sauce, cousins layering bites of bossam and slurping spoonfuls of jjigae. The exception to the "groups are better" rule is lunch, when Kobawoo House offers $20-ish specials for individual portions of bossam and stew. It's one of the best and most affordable ways to experience the dish, and always a great solo dining idea. Kobawoo House's tight menu hasn’t changed much over the years, either. Every meal starts with a bowl of purple rice and a small spread of classic banchan (including soy-braised beef) before your soups, tangy acorn noodles, and platters arrive. Glistening, slow-cooked bossam may be the obvious choice, but don’t stop there. LA's less shiny stuff deserves love, too. Food Rundown photo credit: Cathy Park Bossam Meet the aforementioned famous platter of thinly sliced pork belly—some fatty and chewy, others meatier—lined up like dominoes. The pork is neutral in flavor, and it's best when loaded up with some acidity and funk. So stack each slice with few strips of kimchi and a scoop of pungent shrimp paste before wrapping it in a sheet of napa cabbage or radish. photo credit: Cathy Park Kimchi Jjigae There are lots of good options for stew here, but this bubbling red soup with aged kimchi, huge braised chunks of beef and pork belly, potatoes, tofu, and rice cakes is our favorite. Jangban Guksoo With so many vegetables on this plate, this dish is basically a salad. Though to be clear, Sweetgreen could never. It takes some serious mixing to get everything properly coated in the gochujang glaze, but it's worth the effort so that each bite of the springy noodles is tangled with crunch. photo credit: Matt Gendal Haemul Pajeon This seafood pancake is the size of a pizza, so there’s enough to go around. It’s thick, crispy, and stuffed to the brim with shrimp, squid, and green onions." - Cathy Park
