Sa Rit Gol

We used to go to Westminister for our Korean fix but now we go here — setting is humble but food is good. I prefer the Yukke beef tartar but Miho likes the tofu soup.

Okay, so here’s the deal: I’m white but I work for a Korean company, and my Korean coworkers told me something very interesting: the food you get in K-​Town is actually more authentic than Korea’s cuisine. How is this possible? Because about 30 years ago a bunch of Koreans relocated to LA and brought their old-​school recipes with them. Meanwhile, back in Korea, cuisine has changed because of their increased exposure to the outside world. This means Koreatown’s Korean food is some of the most authentic and delicious Korean food on Earth, even better than the stuff you get in Seoul. So consider yourselves lucky Angelenos; when you eat in K-​Town, you are eating a dying art.
Among the Korean places in K-​Town, I believe this place is among the best, and my Korean colleagues agree. Sa Rit Gol has this amazing fish dish that is their house specialty (not sure of the name) but oh man, it is off the hook, slightly sweet, a touch spicy and 100% yummy. Sadly I forget the name of it, but ask for their special fish dish, which runs about $ 20.
I gave it 4 stars because the service isn’t so great and the seats aren’t very comfortable. But if you can tolerate poor service and weird benches, then this is the place for you.

When my friend Ed M craves chadolbaegi (brisket) he comes here. I’ve been here a number of times for the spicy seafood soup. Aside from the chadolbaegi, that’s what they are known for. Unfortunately, the spicy seafood soup didn’t measure up to the place across the street — Chosun Galbee. Yes, CG, the place where everyone takes their out of town guests for K-​BBQ.
Now, back to SaRitGol. I have been craving chadolbaegi. We had it last week at the K-​Town Cook-​off winner Moo Dae Po. But my Korean princess told me that’s what SRG is known for. I did my research and read Ed M’s review.
I do agree with Ed that their banchan is great. Also, their miso/​tofu soup was outstanding. But that’s not why we went. We went for the chadolbaegi.
Bad news. To me, it didn’t measure up to Moo Dae Po. Here’s why. The meat looks pretty and there’s the right percentage of red meat and white fat. But two problems. First, the meat is a little thicker than I like. It makes it a little tough to chew. Second, the sauce it comes with is too salty and dark. It overpowers the meat.
In comparison, the meat at Moo Dae Po is sliced paper thin. When it cooks, it melts in your mouth. To top it off, the sauce is perfect.
So I must respectfully disagree with Ed M (who has earned Review of the Day). He often gets a bad case of Bahng-​goo, he will drink anything even if it’s oh-​joom and his tongue must be connected with his ddong-​ko-​mong.
;-)

Difficult to pronounce for some, and even more difficult to find, tucked away in the corner of a small plaza. But if you get past these two small hurdles, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with some great Korean food.
Like any other Korean restaurant, Sa Rit Gol has a standard selection of side dishes before you start your meal. I tried the Dongchimi Guksu (noodles in cold radish soup), the Yuhlmu Nengmyun (noodles in a cold kimchi-​like soup), and the Eun Daegu Johlim (the second fish dish listed on the menu, which is like marinated, steamed fish in a stew). I just really felt like having some cold noodles that day, but I have to say, noodles are not their forte. I will say though, that the Eun Daegu Johlim was probably the best fish I’ve had at a Korean restaurant. The fish swims through your taste buds and leaves a somewhat sweet and spicy flavor. All the other elements of the dish (carrots, daikon, etc.) are just as delicious.
Next time, I won’t be fishing for anything new. The Eun Daegu Johlim is just too damn good.
GET: Eun Daegu Johlim

When I’m craving chadolbaegi, I head straight to SaRitGol. It’s the best in K-​Town. The samgyupsal and jumulleok are also one of the best, as well as their banchan.
Your tongue and digestive system will heartily thank you … well maybe not your colon and large intestines, but proper courtesy was never their strong point anyway.
Speaking of which, I’ve looked @ the other reviews on this page and have noticed that people are complaining about the service. Korean restaurants are sometimes notorious for this, but I’ve never had an issue with this joint.
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I’ve found that speaking the language works wonders in getting you better service. So here are some basic Korean phrases to help you out at K-​Town restaurants:
BAHNG-​GOO — «More of this side dish, please.»
OH-​JOOM — «I would like more water, please.»
DDONG-​KO-​MONG — «Check, please.» [Note: If it’s too loud inside the establishment, you can also use the Korean gesture for requesting the bill by placing both hands on top of your head and moving your arms back and forth.]

Korean food is one of my favorite cuisines and the food here delicious. I’ve been coming to this place for years because they serve up some of the best pan chan in town — a fabulous selection of spicy, salty and sweet little side dishes — and a large selection to boot. There’s always 7 – 8 dishes brought out with each meal. The scallion pancakes are great and they make a tasty soon tobu chigee. Plus they have about ten different nang myuns — cold noodle soups — which are perfect in hot weather.
The reason they get three stars and not more? The service is incredibly rude. I often dine here with a friend who speaks Korean fluently and that doesn’t help. They’re super rude to her as well. If you’re willing to put up with major attitude — and I obviously am for good, spicy food– you’ll get a delicious meal. Just be prepared for poor service and be rude back to the wait staff, if you have to. Somehow that earns some respect.

One of my favorite authentic Korean restaurants!
Faves:
Eun Dae Goo Jorim (spicy cod)
Haemool Pajahn (seafood pancake)
Dwang Jang Chigae
This restaurant is really yummy and the service has always been pretty good. I’m Korean and can speak Korean-​food-​language which I’m sure always helps. But every time I’m there, I always see tables full of non-​Koreans.
The banchan is usually pretty good… the tables are a little uncomfortable (sometimes they seat 5 – 6 people in a table that’s comfy for 4)… and the parking is usually valet which is convenient.

We came here for a friend’s birthday and a coworker’s going away. I had never been before but my coworker found it on Unilocal and we decided to try it. It’s pretty authentic and pretty darn yummy! You know it’s for real when no one really speaks English and the name of the restaurant is only in Korean. We ordered some spicy octopus dish, some bibimbap and a whole mess of meat for bbqing. So good! And the waitress gave us a free bottle of beer since it was my friend’s b-​day! And they cooked and packed up all the leftover bones from the ribs for my coworker to give to her dog! How nice is that? I know a lot of people complained about the service here, but the service was pretty good when we went! The only thing is that it was pretty pricey — about $ 250.00 for a party of six… but I guess it depends how much you eat…

The people who are complaining about the service are clearly not Korean. Its typical Korean service, you have to flag down the waitresses for everything. They don’t mind you screaming out ahgashee if you need something. This is definitely much more traditional Korean restaurant that has its place in Koreatown. Sa Rit Gol is best known for their ban chan and for good reason. They have the best selection and tastiest ban chan selection. We ordered the combination ssam and pork belly. The pork belly was tender but not as crispy as I would have liked, thus the preference of places where you are in charge of the grill. They handed us what amounted to a garden of greens and wraps — lettuce, dandelion leaves, seaweed, boiled cabbage, spicy peppers, etc… All in all a good meal, I’d go back just for the ban chan.

This is probably my favorite Korean restaurant in Los Angeles — a city with a lot of options for finding some of the most delicious Korean food anywhere. A small family-​owned Koreatown restaurant which is tucked away in the back corner of a strip mall, Sa Rit Gol is well known for serving the most authentic Korean food in LA.
They make some of the tastiest barbeque, stews and fish dishes in K-​town. But Sa Rit Gol’s claim to fame is their wide variety of excellent complimentary side dishes or banchan.
Here is the list of banchan served here:
steamed eggs (gyeran jjim)
sweet soy braised potatoes (gam ja)
seasoned squash (ho bak jeon), potato salad (gam ja salad)
seasoned spinach (shi geum chi)
grilled Corvina fish (saeng-​sun gui)
diced radish kimchi (kak-​tu-​gi), seasoned tofu (doo-​boo cho-​rim)
red leaf lettuce (ssang-​chu)
seame leaf (kket-​nip)
laver soup (mee-​yuk guk)
fish cake (o-​deng)
seasoned bean sprouts (k’ong na-​mul)
mustard leaf kimchi (gat kimchi)
radish water kimchi (tongchi’ imi)
cold radish kimchi noodles (tongchi’ imi gooksu)
mung bean custard or cake (cheong po mook)
and, of course, Korean cabbage kimchi (baechu kimchi).
Their selection of menu items are among the most comprehensive you will find in any Korean restaurant. The barbeque meats are superb: quality meat, flavorful, tender. The waiter will bring the meat, cut it right in front of the patrons who will cook it themselves on the grill-​in table. The beef rib (galbi), to me, is on par with Park’s BBQ or Chosun Galbi. And you will get a good quantity of meat here. It’s as good as it gets!
Besides their BBQ, the spicy black cod stew (dae goo maeun tang) may be their most popular dish. It is definitely one of my favorites here. They keep it boiling hot by heating it again on the tabletop grill.
I have thoroughly enjoyed all the dishes I have ordered here, including the seafood and vegetable pancake (hae-​mul pa-​jeon), spicy squid (ohjing-​oe bokeum) and kimchi stew (kimchi jjigae). They are among the best I’ve ever had at a restaurant. It’s no-​frills, excellent homestyle cooking.
I am noncommittal about giving a strong opinion but the service here. Unfortunately, their service has received some bad reviews. I did not get the snooty attitude here mentioned by some reviewers but I would agree the service is generally pretty slow. I have noticed they are a bit understaffed here. There are call buttons at each table to request prompt service and I did use it the first time I ate here.
Note: make reservations on weekends or expect a long wait; a private dining room is available for special events; and they sell containers of their kimchi.

EXCELLENT
and very authentic

If you want real, authentic Korean food… I would totally recommend this place. i eat here often with the family. The food is good, but can’t say about anything else…
The parking has a small valet, service (it’s korean… we all know korean service ain’t the best) and they have these really uncomfortable chairs that fit literally half of my ass cheek.

Surly waitresses shouldn’t dissuade you visiting this homestyle Korean nest. Getting their attention is hard, and the wooden benches are harder, but the portions are large and the panchan pleasing and plentiful. In fact one of the panchan was an extremely tender beef that I’ve never had the likes of anywhere north OR south of Wilshire. However, only come here to eat. If you’re looking for employ as a dishwasher, go elsewhere because the volume of ceramic dishes this place goes through in a night would surely drive you mad.
Parking is a to-​do, but take your cue from the lot full of Mercedes and go valet. It’s only two bucks.

Wow, this place is amazing! Excellent Korean BBQ (though I am not expert) and a fun time. We had a long wait because it was slammed at 8pm on a Friday night — go figure. But they were funny and nice while we waited and the other people that had to wait were funny too. Made the time go by less excruciatingly. We had the BBQ for 2 even though there were 3 of us and it was plenty! The meat was seasoned perfectly and cooked to perfection. We also had an enormous bowl of spicy shredded meat soup or something along those lines, it was a delightful soup. The kimchi is hands down some of the best, and I have a picky palate. The greens and tofu were stand outs as well as whatever that paste is.
I liked the service, they were funny and chatty. Definitely would go back but next time I don’t think we’ll bring our own wine. $ 110 corkage is a bit much. Beer comes with the meal though!

A brief review. Food excellent! Service adequate. Overall a 4 star place for me. This was the second time dining here. First time we all mostly had the black cod casserole that many Unilocalers were raving over. It was good, but just to me… it was not to die for, but it was quite tasty and a good item to share amongst the 11 of us foodies.
We had the spicy pork which was tasty but hard to cook as the marinade was a bright orange and it was difficult to tell when the meat was cooked. The galbi (short ribs) was good but the bulgoggi was a bit unusual. Well it was called something else, sorry can’t remember the name, but it came to the table frozen and in very thin rolled up slices. The Korean pancake was great and the panchan was all good. Loved the soybean paste and this place served red leaf lettuce to go with our meat dishes. The kimchee was delicious as well and I appreciated at they give us a ton of fresh garlic to throw on the bbq and peppers panchan.
Eleven of use were a bit cramped in one big table, but it made for a cozy experience. Foodie Extraordinaire Erica was out guide and ordered all the dishes for us and it was great. Oh, they do not sell chap chae which astounds me. I had a little more fun the first time I came here, but there it was dinner and we drank copious amounts of sake and KBeers.
Good street parking and there is a parking lot. Good for groups of 10 to use the table we sat at. They also have a private room where you sit on the floor using a low table, I guess we should try that sometime.

One of the better Korean homey style restaurants I’ve been to. It has Korean BBQ, but it’s more of a comprehensive, all around Korean cuisine kind of a place, since they have a very extensive menu that ranges from noodles to fishes. I came here twice and tried the ssap with bulgoki, the dolsot bibimbap w/​root vegetables, the yellow corviana fish, the pike mackerel, and cuttlefish green onion pancake.
Overall, their food is very good. Their banchan consists of unique choices and are pretty fresh, which is something I don’t encounter at many Korean restaurants. The entrees themselves are very tasty and authentic, especially the bibimbae and the ssap. Cooked pretty well and of good quality. And I should also point out that the seaweed soup here is amazing. One of the bests I’ve ever tasted.
In all, I recommend this restaurant. Although not the best Korean food I’ve ever had, it’s pretty close. Hardcore traditionists and food connoisseurs should find favor with the tastes of this place. In other news, the décor is practical but clean, and the service is so-​so. But my 4 star rating goes to food taste/​quality only.

good ban chan. Egg custard $ 1 but good. It’s smooth and light.
They have gook su here. Like dong chi mi, bibim gook su etc etc.
the minnow meheun tang was good. And so was the gook su.
Kinda pricey for korean food.
i also tried the al tang, which was good. Had a clean taste.
The noo reung jee dahk jook was bland but good if you don’t like lot of flavor. (chicken rice porridge)

Number One Hundred! I’ve been saving it for something special but had no clue what. Lately it’s been a sad affair of restricted calories. Unfortuntately, while I’ve made a lot of new friends since joining Unilocal,some of them have taken up residence around my middle section. Fat and Happy should be the official Unilocal motto.
Lukily for me, this weekend was my film school’s «almuni conference» (think family reunion) and one of the visiting students, a native of South Korea, introduced us to her favorite Koreatown joint. Even better, she ordered a family-​style feast of all her favorite things which made my experience yummier by at least ten fold. I would have just ordered «beef» and a side of «rice», as this was precisely my second KBBQ experience.
Dug the atmosphere. Tucked in the back of the «Olympic-​Serrano Plaza», you’ll find this place marked only by a sign in Korean. Inside is quaint and homey with brick walls and cozy but long booths perfect for big groups. It was well-​lit and cute compared to Soot Bull Jeep’s stark and dark environs. Our waitress seemed enamored with our friend who gabbed and giggled with her in Korean. We got enthusiastic service all night.
I just received a thorough text message confirming what we ate (Cos I sure as hell didn’t know!)
We started with thumb sized glasses of Sansachun– a sweet wine made of sticky rice, rose essence, and spices. It tasted similar to plum wine.
We feasted on galbi BBQ (beef ribs) which we wrapped in lettuce leaves with bean paste and various condiments. The bean paste was spicier than Soot Bull Jeep’s and my lame pallate had to rise to the occasion. Of course I had a bowl of rice to tame the burn. There was also a refreshing shredded green salad-​like side and some cold marinated tofu to assist the tongue cooling.
A big yellow blob placed next to me didn’t piqué my interest until other people dug in and started making yummy noises. It was Haemul Pajeon (seafood pancake) and it looked like a cross between a pizza and a frittata, but tasted like neither. It was doughy and soft (something like a thick crêpe) with calamari and some extremely friendly but not spicy flavors mixed in. There was egg involved but it was not a prevalent texture or flavor. I’m not sure if this description is selling it but I can tell you it was crazy delicious and the best thing I ate that night.
We also had bibimbap (fried rice with veggies and bean sprouts) which has a nice sesame oil flavor and all the comfort of a bowl of carbs.
As if this wasn’t enough there was a cauldron of duenjang chigae– a hearty and spicy bean paste stew brimming with mushrooms and tofu that I loved in spite of my spice-​puss tongue (who may in fact by evolving, yay!)
I am now a fan of Korean food. Some of the others had trouble with parts of the ribs that were unchewable, but I liked the flavor so well that i just sucked happily on the cartildege bits. Everyone in our group, both the KBBQ virgins and old timers, really enjoyed this meal. It was a sensational way to reunite with some very beloved individuals. I would probably come back here before Soot Bull Jeep for the fantastic vibe and tasty dishes that I now could order myself (I locked the text messege into posterity.)
Each person put in $ 25, including tip, which seemed like a great deal to me!
Complimentary Valet.

Last July, I organized my quarterly «Quartet» dining series for my group and this time around, we focused on checking out 4 Korean BBQ restaurants, one a week for a whole month. The chosen four were: ChoSun Galbee, Shik Do Rak, Soot Bull Jeep and Sa Rit Gol. Considering that there are over 600 hundred restaurants in Koreatown, with quite a few of them being Korean BBQ places, it was hard to narrow them down. Eventually, after a lot of research (Chowhound, opinions, articles, food critics), I chose the four restaurants that I felt each had something unique to offer.
(see earlier reviews on ChoSun Galbee, Shik Do Rak and Soot Bull Jeep)
Finally, our Korean BBQ foursome ends with Sa Rit Gol. When I had read about Sa Rit Gol, the one thing that stood out from all the writings is that they are known for their excellent panchan and I can definitely see why now. The cool thing about Sa Rit Gol is that there were things that we ate and drank that you didn’t see at either of the three previous restaurants.
For example, upon our arrival, instead of water, we all got iced barley tea, which by the way, was very refreshing. While the panchan included the potato salad, mung beans and cabbage kimchee that seems to be the standard, we also were treated to marinated watercress, a «greens» kimchee (maybe, spinach?) and a squash salad. All the panchan were absolutely delicious with lots of flavor and a kickiness to them. Of the four restaurants, I enjoyed Sa Rit Gol’s kimchee the best. Just looking at the deep red of the sauce, you already know that their kimchee was going to give you a great mouth zing.
As for our meats, one of the things we ordered was a short rib, which while not marinated, was very good. Unlike the other meats at the other three restaurants, this short rib was cooked while still on the bone with garlic and with a sprinkle of sea salt. I’m not sure if leaving the bone intact makes a difference or not, but even without marinade, the meat was really tasty. Before eating, our waitress actually cut the meat off the bone and in pieces, so that we wouldn’t have any trouble eating it.
Other grilled meats that we ordered included thinly sliced beef that was cooked with onions and garlic, bulgogi and spicy pork. All the meats were excellent and you can really tell that the meat quality was above par. While the meats at Shik Do Rak could have improved ten-​fold with some kind of marinade, the ones that didn’t have marinade at Sa Rit Gol still would have made the meal.
Along with the barbecue, we also ordered a mung bean pancake, which I enjoyed, but believe it or not, I liked the one at Shik Do Rak better, but considering that everything else met and exceeded my expectations, I’m not going to cry over one mung bean pancake. Finally, our meal ended with an iced honey tea, which was a nice way to cleanse our palate
Overall, this was a wonderful «Quartet.» It was a great way to compare similar foods and to see how much the same or different they are from each other and the same goes for the 4 restaurants where we did our «Korean BBQ» tastings for the whole month of July. Even all the grills differ between ChoSun Galbee, Shik Do Rak, Soot Bull Jeep and Sa Rit Gol, from shape to gas vs. charcoal. But in the end, it’s really all about our preference and for this particular foursome, Soot Bull Jeep and Sa Rit Gol were winners in my book. :)
To see pics, go to:

By far the BEST Korean food I have ever had!
If you can find this place it will be well worth it. Tucked away in the corner of an obscure strip mall in the heart of Korea Town sits a little piece of heaven.
You don’t come here for the service, you come here for the food which stands completely on it’s own. I’m willing to be subjected to slow service as long as I have the honor of eating their amazing BBQ.
I recommend to let them do the cooking for you. It will taste much better! We had the traditional bul gogi but we also had their marinated pork BBQ which was amazing. We also had a fish dish which was cooked to perfection! Our friend Sonia, who introduced us to this place did the ordering and had us try a large assortment of dishes and had us experiment with the various different sides that come with it.
Try the plum soju it pairs well.