781
Staticmap?center=34
  • Details: Full Bar
  • Hours:
    Daily 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

What's Nearby

Picks by the LA Times Staff
Restaurants
0.0 miles
0.0 miles
Bars & Clubs
0.0 miles
0.2 miles
More to do in: Koreatown

Know something we don't?

Dong Il Jang

213-383-5757
3455 W. 8th St., Los Angeles, CA  90005
Rate it:

Avg User Rating
 
(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 Lisa S. on Yelp_small
     

    The bulgogi was good, the other beef was okay. My end of the table was predominately eating cow tongue, and I'm not the biggest fan. The banchan was...

  • Ss
    Posted by Kylin B. on Yelp_small
     

    I've eaten here several times with family and friends. The reason why this is unique compared to other korean bbq places is that you have the option of...

  • Blank_user_extra_small
    Posted by Cameron C. on Yelp_small
     

    We ate here on Sunday with some friends. We eat here occasionally, and I was surprised I hadn't reviewed it already. We like it a lot. The menu is pretty...

What's New