Nestled in a casual strip mall, Eighth Street Soondae serves up the best Korean blood sausage and hearty soups that might just convert any skeptic.
"If you’re into blood sausage and organ meats, Eighth Street Soondae is the promised land. And if you’re not, well, this humble Koreatown restaurant might change that. As the name implies, this family-run strip mall spot serves Koreatown’s finest soondae, Korean blood sausage stuffed with rice and glass noodles. Nearly every table orders the soondae combo that easily feeds two to three carnivores, which comes with a mound of sausage, slices of poached heart, liver, and tongue, a rich beefy soup, and a handful of banchan. From there, dip your sausage in salt or salted shrimp or spicy soybean paste, or throw it into the soup with purple rice. Repeat until blissed out. " - brant cox, nikko duren, sylvio martins
"If you’re into blood sausage and organ meats, Eighth Street Soondae is the promised land. And if you’re not, well, this humble Koreatown restaurant might change that. As the name implies, this family-run strip mall spot serves Koreatown’s finest soondae, Korean blood sausage stuffed with rice and glass noodles. Nearly every table orders the soondae combo that easily feeds two to three carnivores, which comes with a mound of sausage, slices of poached heart, liver, and tongue, a rich beefy soup, and a handful of banchan. From there, dip your sausage in salt or salted shrimp or spicy soybean paste, or throw it into the soup with purple rice. Repeat until blissed out. " - sylvio martins, brant cox, nikko duren, garrett snyder
"If you appreciate blood sausage and all things offal, Eighth Street Soondae is the promised land. If you don’t, this could be the place that converts you. As you might’ve guessed from the name, this quiet family-run strip mall spot serves Koreatown's finest soondae, Korean blood sausage stuffed with rice and glass noodles. The menu here is relatively short, and practically everyone orders the combo, which comes with a heaping pile of soondae and poached slices of heart, liver, and tongue, plus a rich beefy soup with perilla seeds and a handful of banchan. Dip the sausage in salt or salted shrimp or spicy soybean paste, or throw it in the soup with some purple rice, then wash it down with chilled cornsilk tea— repeat until blissed out. A large combo costs just $30, which is a steal because it includes enough sausage to feed at least two hungry bodybuilders." - Sylvio Martins
"Soondae isn’t for everyone. It’s a type of Korean sausage that’s a mixture of cow’s blood, sweet potato glass noodles, ground beef, and various vegetables, sliced and served with a side of offal (tongue, liver, and heart being the most popular). Eighth Street Soondae is the king of soondae in LA, and for those who are ready to take their next step in the world of Korean cuisine, this is the place to come. Like so many spots in the neighborhood, the strip mall location and bare-bones interior aren’t much to look at, but when you come here, you’re guaranteed to try something you haven’t before."
"Few dishes encapsulate Korean revelry like sundae (pronounced SOON-day). The fresh-steamed blood sausage itself is a staple of the pojangmacha (street food tents), and sundaeguk, a soup that incorporates the blood sausage into a hangover-curing elixir." - Euno Lee
