Top 5 Korean BBQ restaurants

Over the last decade or two, a slew of forward-thinking restaurants have moved into the once-traditional arena of Asian cuisine, promoting heart-healthy Pan-Pacific dishes and fancypants Asian-fusion dishes. Not these places! These are the real deal -- the kind of hard-core Korean barbecue restaurants that would make the average vegetarian lose his lunch before he even gets a chance to order his dinner. The kind of eateries where the wonderful aroma of charred animal flesh hangs heavy in the air, cut only by the psychedelically acidic stink of fermented cabbage and radish known as kimchee. Be prepared: You'll find mostly Korean characters on the menu (and at the table next to you), so it's wise to bone up on a few terms if you don’t already speak the language. "Bulgogi" is thinly sliced barbecued beef. "Galbi" is ribs. That and a little polite finger-pointing should get you started.

1. Soot Bull Jeep   Koreatown

At Soot Bull Jeep, meat is king and kimchee is queen. Leave your royal robes at home, however, as the barbecue smell that permeates the place will definitely leave your clothes with a meaty Martinizing.

2. Shik Do Rak   Westlake

Meat matters at Shik Do Rak, and it's priced per order. So if you’re a raging carnivore prepare to burn a hole in your wallet.

3. Dong Il Jang   Koreatown

Going to Dong Il Jang is like stepping back in time. When it opened more than 20 years ago in what is now Koreatown, it was a pioneer, not just one among the present flood of Korean barbecue and noodle places.

4. ChoSun Galbee   Los Angeles County

This huge restaurant, the second ChoSun Galbi in Koreatown, may bill itself as a barbecue, but really it's an all-purpose place with a menu specializing in comfort food.

5. Corner Place   Koreatown

Known as "Gilmok" in Korean, this K-Town institution is favored for its assortment of marinated meats, its unmarinated roast beef or gui, and its cold noodles or "dongchimi gooksoo."