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  • Details: Full Bar
  • Hours:
    Daily 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

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Picks by the LA Times Staff
Restaurants
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More to do in: Koreatown

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Dong Il Jang

213-383-5757
3455 W. 8th St., Los Angeles, CA  90005
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(2 ratings)
Cuisine: Barbecue, Korean
Price Range: $$$$ ($21-$29)

Times Description

Going to Dong Il Jang is like stepping back in history. When it opened more than 22 years ago in what is now Koreatown, it was a pioneer, not just one among the present flood of Korean barbecue and noodle places. Roy Kim, who runs the daily operation, says it was the first Korean restaurant to put in a sushi bar, now a common practice. The inspiration for that was Kim's grandfather, who studied in Japan and opened a sukiyaki restaurant in Seoul in 1945. That too was named Dong Il Jang ("No. 1 in the East"). Sung Kim, Roy's father, opened a Dong Il Jang here and added sushi to honor his father. And this serene place with a koi pond still serves sukiyaki, tempura, teriyaki and sushi along with a full Korean menu, full of the usual barbecued meats, roast kui (rib-eye steak sliced quite thin and cooked with an onion slice), and seafood, including succulent shellfish. There's a minimum of two orders, which is enough food for three people. When the beef is finished, the waitress greases the grill with any leftover butter, dumps on a pile of kimchi and slivered beef, and stirs in a generous spoonful of hot chile paste. Then she upends two bowls of rice into the mixture and stirs this until blended. It's spicy stuff, and filling.

Reviews from Yelp_large (3)

  • Ss
    Posted by Jessica Y. on Yelp_small
     

    This will be a short review. Hands down, delicious! No marinade madness that filled 5 full bellies. No complaints here... we had four orderes of their...

  • Ss
    Posted by Sherrie G. on Yelp_small
     

    This is the very first place I ever had Korean BBQ at in LA and tonight was my third visit. I love its rather old-school atmosphere - the restaurant has...

  • Blank_user_extra_small
    Posted by Cass M. on Yelp_small
     

    It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. The service was pretty good and the facility is a throwback to the 1950s (reason for 3 stars instead of 2). Oh...

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