Kang Seo Myun Oak

Duk man doo kook or dumpling and rice cake soup is not recommended… it kind of sucks… it has three dumplings and a quarter pound of rice cake… terrible.

Great home-​cooking style Korean food!
The seafood rice pot was very very very well seasoned. The best seasoned rice pot I’ve had. Seriously.
Liked the ginseng chicken. The meat itself was a bit bland, but the soup grew on you after a while.
They gave each of us a cup of broth (good soup), and some barley tea.
Service was good,

Horrible. Came here once because my wife was next door for a hair cut. The food was sub par but edible since we were starving. The place is a hole in a wall. Everything was sticky. The table, the booth, even the silverware. They don’t speak English so there’s a lot of smile and nodding from them.
The second time we went there because the wife again got her haircut next door. However while I was waiting for the wife get a haircut the last at this restaurant told me move my car because it’s on their side. Understandable since it’s a small parking lot but it was 11 am, they have zero customers, parking lot was empty, and I told her once the wife is done we’ll go over to eat. She insisted again I move my car. So I’m suppose to move my car each time I go to a different business in this tiny shopping plaza? Not cool. To say the least, never giving them business.

Nice mom and pop place. Cold noodles and bulgogi (beef BBQ) pretty good. Nice place for lunch on the easy side of Vermont (less hassles with traffic) and free parking.

hole in the wall spot that serves legit nengmyun which is this old cold korean noodle dish… it’s not a dish that is loved by all… definitely more acquired especially since the broth is cold. Wait, cold? cold broth you say? Yep, good for a hot day.
I would recommend the galbi-​nengmyun combo, it comes with galbi beef over plain rice and just a bowl of the nengmyun so you get to see what it’s about. the nengmyun is quintessentially plain. It’s like a fine vermicelli with a slightly chewysoft texture. To add to the broth, you can scoop and mix in some hot mustard and a splash of vinegar. That hot-​sourness gives the nengmyun its character.
Be warned, if you’ve never had nengmyun before, it is definitely interesting. but. sometimes you try something and you might like it.
The owners of this place seem like a mom+pop shop, so their English isn’t the best but they’re super friendly. There are signs and their bowls say 1948 so I’m only to assume they’ve been around since 1948 (maybe they mean their Korean location? IDK or maybe it’s just décor), but if that’s the case. WHAT that’s like ancient so this has got to be the way authentic nengmyun is supposed to taste like.

Note: Location is on 3029 6^th Street (the given address is about a half a block north).
A lot of times, I think what is lost about Naeng Myun, even among Koreans, is that it is a dish that originates in North Korea. Naeng Myun at its purest essence has to capability to take one back to the good old days. I was raised on the dish by my late grandfather, who was born and raised in what is now North Korea, and he made sure to let me know of this dish’s significance. To this day, a good bowl of Naeng Myun will take me back to a time when I was just learning to talk and my grandfather was still alive and kicking it. In truth Naeng Myun is a representation of a currently unimaginable concept: a united Korea. With that said, it is crucial that this dish be done correctly.
I think to truly understand the essence of this wonderful Korean delicacy, one must be familiar with Naeng Myun’s origins. Unfortunately due to cold relations between North Korea, the United States, and South Korea there tragically isn’t a «authentic» (per se) Naeng Myun establishment here or in South Korea. Though I have not been to North Korea, I have been fortunate enough to visit North Korean restaurants in China and Cambodia to eat their Naeng Myun. Though not necessarily 100% spot on to these North Korean restaurants, Kang Seo Myun Oak is as close to the real stuff you can get.
Though the exact origins of this establishment is a bit of a mystery to me, it is a restaurant that has been an institution frequented by both sides of my family since the end of the Korean War. In South Korea, this restaurant has several locations, and from personal experience I can tell you that the Naeng Myun there is exactly the same as the Naeng Myun at this location. Though it has been at least 60 years since this restaurant has been directly exposed to North Korean influence, I would not be surprised if a bowl of Naeng Myun at this restaurant in Seoul fifty years ago is exactly the same as a bowl of Naeng Myun at this restaurant in Los Angeles today. Some recipes are indeed timeless.
Fundamentally speaking, there are two different types of noodle styles, Hamhung and Pyongyang, that can be classified as Naeng Myun. Each type has its own merits. For instance, Hamhung Naeng Myun is best served spicy (Bibim Naengmyun) and Pyongyang Naeng Myun is best served in a non-​spicy cold broth (although hot mustard and even pepper paste can be added). Kang Seo Myun Oak serves the latter style (Pyongyang) and they are the best at it.
What makes Pyongyang Naeng Myun so sublime is the chewy, but non-​resistant consistency of the noodles as one is chewing them. What I mean is this. The noodle isn’t as soft as American style pasta but it also isn’t as chewy to the tooth as spaghetti al dente. Of course the noodles itself isn’t as thick as spaghetti and there should be minimal resistance to cutting the noodle with your teeth. That is to say, the perfect Pyongyang Naeng Myun should not be cut with scissors. Although the waitress may offer to do so, at Kang Seo Myun Oak, the noodles are made well enough for you to politely decline the offer. The hearty beef broth is served cold and you should add a splash of vinegar and hot mustard to give the broth a further twang. Enjoy the garnish placed on top of the noodles (the slice of beef, pear, cucumber, and the hard boiled egg). Might I suggest that you separate the egg yolk and dissolve it into the broth to give it a more creamy finish. Couple your cold bowl of Naeng Myun with a hot cup of Yooksoomul (hot broth which you drink like tea) and you are bound to have a wonderful Korean food experience.
Of course you can add another dish to accompany what should be a magical bowl of Naeng Myun. For instance, you can order a Galbi (beef short ribs) + Naeng Myun combo, though this really isn’t traditional and you can find much better Galbi elsewhere in Koreatown. A nice compliment to a bowl of Naeng Myun can be bindaedduk (Korean Pancake) or mandoo (dumplings), although you are certainly not bound to my suggestions.
I should make note of this restaurant’s atmosphere. It is a casual mom and pop style restaurant. Take a couple of visits and everyone here will know you well. If you are looking for a more up scale Naeng Myun experience, might I suggest Chosun Gabli (which is a bit more expensive). However, if you are looking for the most authentic and real Naeng Myun experience, there really isn’t a better place to go than Kang Seo Myun Oak.

All the people on Unilocal are saying that this is the best naengmyun place.
HELL NO!
The naengmyun tastes really disgusting.
The broth/​soup tastes disgusting.
They gave me only a little bit
This place smells like fish!
THIS RESTAURANT HAS A B RATING
I paid and they didnt give me change.

Attention all Indecisive Naengmyun Lovers: This is your place!
They specialize in Combos.
You can get naengmyun with almost anything:
galbi
bulgogi
pork belly
bibim rice
dumpling soup
mung pancake
stir fried squid…
I’m talking anything.
I actually ordered the mool and bibim naengmyun together.
While it certainly isn’t the best I’ve ever had, it was quite decent.
The noodles were more on the thicker and softer side, the broth a little too delicate, and the toppings were pretty standard.
But hey, I got to each both kinds… That’s a plus in my book =)
The server was sweet. I added a couple more bucks as tip… Tis the time of year =P
Great place to stop and grab a quick bite to eat. Will definitely be back!

Their bibimbap used to be way better… I don’t know what happened… I was a bit sad…

OK. This lady was very nice when I first went here, thats why I became a regular. But after a few times, she started giving me an annoyed pissed off look even though I was very polite. I brought my friend here today and man it was the worst thing ever. I am a regular, I go to school near here and I would stop by to eat lunch or dinner here every week. Now I am never going to go back. I am not going to waste my money on someone who is going to give a bad attitude to a customer. She also chased after me yelling «WHERES THE TIP??» …well the tips on the table dear, were you expecting a 25% tip for bad and rude service? Bad service, semi-​expensive food. Oh did I mention take out is +.75cents?

I work down the street, so I went in yesterday to grab some takeout for lunch.
I’ve been craving bibimbap for what seems like an eternity (it’s difficult to find the will to drive out to Koreatown from Burbank on the weekends, especially since I work here but never have enough time on my lunch break to venture much further to get quaity Korean food), so that’s what I ordered. They have a lunch special for about $ 6, but it doesn’t come with banchans or soup so I got the regular order for about $ 10. I received my order in about 8 – 10 minutes and happily trekked back with my bag of what seemed like enough food for a family, completely surprised that all the little boxes inside didn’t seem to be jostling around and spilling everywhere.
As I unpacked my lunch, this is what I found: a large takeout box of bibimbap toppings including a little to-​go ramekin of gochujang (spicy red paste of absolute deliciousness), a small takeout box packed with white rice, a container of soup, another of banchans (3 in total, nicely packed with foil lining in the box), and the best part, a korean newspaper providing a flat bottom to the plastic bag, the key to getting everything back to the office (and my stomach) safely. The food seriously hit the spot and the thoughtfulness of the packaging speaks volumes.
Will definitely be back!

Note: Location is on 3029 6^th Street (the given address is about a half a block north).
I love these people. They have been very friendly to me as a newbie to Korean food, and their food quality is excellent.
My faves are the dumplings and the pancakes, but they also appear to be set up for Korean BBQ.
Great people, a nice, simple restaurant. Support these people.
True, the prices are a little on the high side, but you’re only paying about 2 – 3 dollars more, and it’s worth it. K-​town will provide you with some awful food if you go based on price alone. This is the good stuff.
PS, I believe they are closed on Sundays.

Small Mom and Pop joint in this little strip plaza, and yes, as all other Unilocalers have mentioned, free parking! Rare in Koreatown, huh??? :)
Decided to try this place out since I drove past it leaving from work a few days ago. The waitresses here are very nice and friendly, especially this older one that waited on me. She pointed out the lunchbox menu to me, and I ended up picking the LunchBox with Korean Ribs… though interesting version of ribs since I’m use to seeing them with bones on it.
She brought me soup first, which the broth wasn’t too salty or hot, because I winced when I was pepper flakes, but thank goodness, it wasn’t spicy. Only gripe, too much soybeans in it, which made it very difficult to enjoy my soup without getting my face splash with soup from time to time, but I’ve added rice from my lunchbox, and so that helped.
Either way, it was a good lunch, but expensive (at least to me) for total of $ 12, not including tip. The box consisted of the yummy potato salad, which I’ve absolutely loved! In addition, there’s pickled radishes, kimchi, rice, and pomegranate seeds, well, whatever, it was, it was totally sweet and crips, and of course, slippery wet noodles, which was yummy, and not greasy, but hella slippery when eating with chopsticks though.
Overall, the meal was pleasant, the tea that she gave me was delicious! I loved the rice tea drink since my tummy was feeling funny, but that made it all better. Also, she found it amusing that I ate in my lil white soup bowl, but hey, I’m Chinese — lil rice bowl with my meals, lol… and yea, those cold noodles were slipper to hold onto!
Will probably come back later on… still have other parts of Ktown to explore!

I really like this place, it’s small, mom & pop shop type of feeling, very iced noodle and service is very friendly. The broth doesn’t taste like pure MSG juice like the ones I had in another place. The service is quick, they always give me more banchen :)

I have this thing where if I’m feeling down or empty, I like to fill my belly with yummy food. Times like this, I also like to eat by myself. When I was younger I felt self conscious about dining alone but as I got older, I adopted the mentally of I don’t give a f*ck. I just want to eat in peace, not talk in between bites, and not have a discussion of where or what to eat. It’s a mini sense of freedom. With all this being said, today I woke up feeling a little under the weather and a tad bit sad. I contemplated for a good 10 mins whether to eat at home or go out for something yummy. I decided on the latter and headedover to Kang Seo Myun Oak.
The great thing about this restaurant is that it’s close to my place, they have great combos for indecisive ppl like myself, and the best is the servers. The ajummas that work here are so warm and friendly that it instantly ups my mood. First they serve yuk soo (warm beef broth) which is soooo comforting. This time I chose the mul neng myun and the galbi dup bap because the server recommended it (they were having a sale for $ 12). The first time I came here, I assumed the portions would be tiny due to the price, however that is hardly the case. I usually end up eating the soup or nengmyun and taking the other dish home.
So far I’ve tried the neng myun, bibim neng myun, dduk guk, galbi dup bap, and the ojinguh dup bap and everything was pretty solid. It’s not the best I’ve had but because the ajummas are so attentive and friendly, it just tastes better. I would highly recommend this place for good eats and great service.

This afternoon, a friend of mine took me out to lunch and we were musing about what to eat. i suggested that we get some neng-​myun and i pointed the car towards Yuchun on Olympic and Serrano. My friend suggested that we try out Kang Seo instead
It’s situated on a small corner strip mall but, as most Unilocalers have mentioned, there’s free parking! (no valet!)
We decided to have mool nengmyun combos. He had the nengmyun+pork rice bowl combo, whilst i had the nengmyun+bibim nengmyun one. For about $ 11, it was a good-​sized meal; my two nengmyuns were around what Koreans call «mat beh gi» sizes (translated roughly to «taste test»). i normally don’t like bibim nengmyun, because many places make it just spicy with no flavour. Here, there was a good balance between spice, salt and a hint of sesame seed oil. The yook-​su (beef stock) has a good hearty, beef flavour and tastes awesome with the mustard paste
It’s a nice little place to enjoy nengmyun. Recommended :)

Good Food, Cheap, Easy and Free Parking!
Lunch with Maggie C in K-​Town. Ok Food, but what a deal! Added star for Price and Free Easy Parking!
~Bi Bim Bap-2.5 to 3 Stars
Small amount of beef, yummy egg, lots of veggies. Lettuce was a little wilted. Overall a great value. Good tasting and cheap. How Cheap? Read more!
~Price-​5 Stars
$ 5.95 Lunch Specials. $ 7.50 out the door with tax and tip included.
Includes Barley water/​Tea and Banchan.
~Service– 5 Stars
Great Service. Yes, great service. Sweet nice ladies that greet you smile and even said thank you several times. There is also a handsome and dapper gentleman who directs parking and makes sure you get a spot with east. yes easy parking.
~Easy Parking. in K-​Town? Yup! 5 stars
Free Free Free Free Free Free Free Free Free Free Free Free Free
Easy Easy Easy Easy Easy Easy Easy Easy Easy Easy Easy Easy
Parking Parking Parking
I will be back!

Another bibimbap lunch… look for $ 5.99 lunch special sign.
Nick H found this place and he told me to meet him there for lunch. I guess I turned him into bibimbap lover ;)
Look for the parking guy in the camoflauge outfit and he will help you find a parking spot. My bibibmbap wasn’t as good as So Hyang or Jeon Ju but it was just right for the price. I left the place full and satisfied.
3 stars!
Kang Seo Myun Oak is yummylicious!

I like this place a lot. The lady is SO nice and the food is great. Few but well-​made, traditional bahn chan (side dishes) and great beef soup that they serve in a kettle.
I am always on a quest to find good naengmyun and this place is one of the best. I especially like their soup that they make and the texture of the noodle. It’s so cheap, too. $ 10 for a naengmyun-​bulgogi duhpbahp (marinated Korean fajita) combo — the latter was just okay. I’ve had their Gahlbi Tang (beef ribs soup) too — very hearty chunks of meat.
Free parking! Go go go.

This place is just down the street from Central Civil West Courthouse so it’s not a surprise that the court clerks recommend this place.
They actually recommended the lunch bento boxes (bbq beef, ribs, chicken, pork) but seeing all the photos of naeng myun on the walls, I decided this was the way to go.
I ordered the Naeng Myun combo with Mandoo soup. It comes with a few panchan: kimchi, cucumbers. It’s interesting, the other diners in my group had different banchan than me, not sure if we were supposed to share.
The Naeng myun was a good texture, but the toppings were meager: just 2 slices of very dry beef, 2 slices of cucumber and 1 slice of asian pear. The Mandoo was very soft and fell apart, filled with ground pork and lots of scallion.
My friend’s bibimnaeng myun looked the best and I’ll order that next time!