Ham Ji Park

Love this place! I’ve been here a couple times, and I’ve had a great experience both times. Simple menu, but long wait… definitely worth it. the Service is great, and it doesn’t get terribly smelly or stuffed inside.
+ PORK NECK STEW: Probably one of their most ordered menu items. The stew comes with a healthy serving of pork neck, a nice touch of spiciness, and some potatoes for starch. I love sitting outside when it’s cold and having this hearty soup. Great to share for 4 people
+ PORK SPARE RIBS: The other item that is heavily ordered. I’m a huge fan of bone-​in meat. The meat comes with a great caramelization and is another dish that you can share.
+ KIMCHI FRIED RICE: They have regular white rice too (which pairs well with the pork neck stew), but if you want rice with a bit more flavor, order this. The rice had a nice balance of sweetness, tanginess, and spiciness, and a creamy texture thanks to the egg. As always with the stone pot, the best part is the burnt rice at the bottom afterwards!

I used to love this place until this recent experience… I ordered take-​out and went to pick it up very early on in the evening, about 5:30pm. I ordered pork ribs, soybean soup and 3 side rice. In my bag I found just two packed rice, one of which looked like it was leftover rice from someone else’s dish. I say this because as I was taking it out of the package, I saw that there were pieces of kimchee in the rice! Gross! I threw the whole dinner in the trash and of course the restaurant denied re-​using their rice. My theory is that the restaurant had just opened and the rice was not quite ready so they tried to get away with packing old rice… their pork ribs are delicious but I don’t think I will ever go back after this incident.

We went there because of the overwhelming good reviews. However, it ends up being a quite disappointing experience.
The food is good, but the service is truly awful. It is Saturday noon, so we understand they are busy. However, they first took the wrong order. We have to ask to get our rice that is supposed to come with the dish. When we finished the meal and asked for the check, we have to remind the waiter three times, and waited another good 20 minutes. Lastly, after they charged my card, I was told their machine is broken down and I need to pay cash instead. Overall, the experience is very frustrating.

Best pork ribs I’ve ever tasted. Sooo good, they definitely know how to bbq their pork. It comes out sweet and savory and hits just the right spot. The portion is perfect for two people to share. Their pork neck stew is only so-​so. The pork meat is definitely very tender and fall off the bone, however I’ve had better. Therefore I usually order their kimchi/​tofu soup instead. They also serve white kimchi, which I think is different and pretty tasty.
The amazing thing about this place is the service. They are lightening fast. These guys get your order, bring out your sides, drinks, and food within the next few minutes, its awesome! The only downside is parking I guess, gotta find the underground parking with valet, we always seem to get lost doing that. And its a maze once you go upstairs trying to find this place: p

An iconic staple of Ktown’s dining scene!
Number 1 and number 1: Our order since the first time we ate and hasn’t changed.
The first number 1: Pork Spare Ribs. Must try signature dish! Satisfying crunch surrounding juicy tender meat. Very well marinated: sweet, savory and just a tiny bit spicy.
The second number 1: Pork Neck Stew with Potato. The pork is extremely tender and tasty. The broth is spicy, very rich and goes well with rice.
The space is not too big and perpetually crowded but it’s totally worth the wait. Parking is validated.

Ham Ji Park, I’ve been here so many times, that every time has been satisfying. They’re known for their barbeque Pork Ribs… and believe me, they are delicious. The marinated pork is a hit. Always had enough flavor and cooked to perfection. They’re baby back ribs with smaller bones. Some pieces towards the midsection has no bone which makes it even better. But if course, we need to share! Btw, the ribs are already cooked and it’s served on a hot sizzling platter.
Other items tried is the Pork Belly, Beef Sirloin, Kim Chi Fried Rice, and the Fermented Soy Bean with Tofu and Pork.
Each meat item is very good. However the fermented soybean tofu with pork and the kimchi fried rice is okay… but we still need a staple item to go with all the meat. Do either/​or should do the job.
Going back to the meats, the pork belly is mostly fat, and it did take a long time to cook. It’s not marinated, so you may choose to dip it in one of the sauces. In like the fermented bean curd sauce. The beef sirloin was good. Pre-​cut into small pieces, if was quite lean. It’s served with slices onions and it cooks quite fast.
The kimchi fried rice and the fermented soy bean tofu is okay. It was flavorful, and it’s more of a staple rice or soup item necessary to eat with the meat.
The place is rather small and compacted. When it gets crowded on weekends, the wait can be a couple hours. Be prepared to smell like the food when you leave. The exhaust fans does not work well. Service can be a hit or miss depends on how busy they are. Ringing the bell does not guarantee service. But all the waiter and waitresses are always busy serving. It can be overwhelming. However they try to accommodate.
Parking is tough to find. You can valet park at a nearby lot, or test your luck finding street parking.
This place is worth coming. The food is delicious. But make sure your party is small… or else, good luck! Go during the week.

Met up a couple of friends here on a Tuesday night and surprisingly it wasn’t super packed for dinner time. We walked in & was seated fairly quickly by the wall within minutes.
So just a quick description of the place: Ham Ji Park is located on the corner of 6^th and Catalina Street. On Catalina St., there’s an small plaza parking garage for the shops where HJP is located at. Valet is about $ 2 & they close up shop around 9ish pm, so if you’re still eating, no rush! They’ll come around & exchange your keys for the cash payment. Let’s be honest here, when you’re walking through Ktown, it can get a little scary with all the signs & shops so close together that you’re not exactly sure which is which. Exit the garage & turn left and keep going until you see a until restaurant space that has a outside enclosed patio area with 2 tables outside & bright red walls & table tops inside. When you see HJP, it will stand out because of the outside patio space which will kind of remind you of East Coast stye restaurants. These tables on the patio will have no grills for cooking, so only the ones inside the actual dining space will have them.
When you walk inside, just make eye contact with a waiter to indicate the number of people in your party & wait to be seated. Towards the back is the kitchen/​prep area while the remainder of the restaurant are just tables for grilling food. Restrooms are toward the back, right turn from the kitchen. Also, there’s a back entrance directly from the garage as well to enter.
So back to the food! Having just ate KBBQ AYCE over the weekend, not sure what we were thinking when we decided to go have more KBBQ & going home smelling like grilled meat. But seriously, just look at those spicy pork spare ribs! Their simple menu items consists of mainly BBQ, Soup & Stew, some Meal plans, and then Soju Imported Korean Wine, Beer and other drinks.
Since we didn’t have that many people in our party, we knew we couldn’t go crazy & order everything that appealed to us so we stuck with their #1 seller, those Pork Spare Ribs, Black Pork Bacon & Vegetable with Soybean Paste & Pork Meat. Along side these dishes, you also get served complimentary spicy side dishes that include bean sprouts, cucumbers, broccoli with spicy paste, etc. In addition, they also serve a large bowl of spicy salad as well for those that don’t want rice (but we ordered rice anyways!).
The Pork Spare Ribs were excellently marinated and quite flavorful with a mix of sweet and salty and even has that slightly charred flavor/​look. The portion size was normal, but generous with lots of pieces with a good amount of meat on them. You can seriously keep eating them if you probably had the chance. The Black Rib Bacon sizes were also pretty decent & once they’re grilled up, very nice taste & thick as well. Not salty like regular bacon, but definitely has a more rich taste to the meat.
The Soybean Paste & Pork Meat was just okay in my opinion. When it arrived, I was excited to try the soup base, but it tasted very salty to me where I ended up leaving the soup & instead focusing on the tofu pieces & pieces of minced meat in the soup which were good. In the soup itself are other ingredients such as opinions, avocados, etc. that give the soup taste, but just too salty!
Overall, food was good & can be great if you order the right items! Service was excellent & even more quicker because of the little service bell they have on each table that you can ring if you need anything. There is no AC in the place, so prepare to walk out a bit sweaty and smelling of KBBQ if there’s a lot of grilling happening. But I loved that even thought we had been done eating, they didn’t try to rush us out to clear the table so we sat there a bit longer and just talked until we were ready. Nice find indeed and those Pork Spare Ribs!!!

Been wanting to try this place for months! I finally got to try it this past Saturday.
I’ve heard mixed response when it comes to waiting to be seated at this restaurant, but my friend and I went to the restaurant by 5 pm and there was no wait at all.
We ordered one order of Pork rib to share and the portion was sufficient to make both of us feel content. The price was good for the portion we got and it tasted great! I will definitely update this review once I try their pork neck stew.

Ham Ji Park is one of those restaurants you have to check out if you are not familiar with Koreatown. This place has been on Anthony Bourdain’s The Layover, so it’s pretty known.
They are known for their Gamjatang (Pork Neck Soup) and their Pork Ribs. I feel like just ordering those two items on the menu will fill up 30 – 4 people. I personally really enjoy their Pork Ribs here, because they marinate and grill it so perfectly that the meat isn’t too rough and it melts in your mouth. The Pork Neck Soup is also something that you need to try. The meat is boiled down for few hours to be prepared, and Ham Ji Park always has their meat on point. It just glides off the bones once you take a bite of it.
I have also tried their Bean Paste Soup and Kimchi Jjigae. And they are both worth trying. Flavorful and Delicious. I like to come at an odd hour to avoid the crazy wait, because this place does get packed. Make sure to get the waiter’s attention, because they aren’t too attentive.

This place is definitely super hyped up. I’ll totally buy into the hype!
My fiancé’s family and I decided to feast it up– aka we ordered way too much food for ourselves. Let me start with the classics here– the pork ribs and the gamjatang (pork and potato stew). The ribs themselves were so delicious. They weren’t fall-​off-​the-​bone tender, but they were still tender enough. The sauce makes it delicious. What really pushes the ribs over the edge is the char they get on it. It is so smokey and delicious, it takes the ribs from great to excellent.
The gamjatang is very big. Just be wary when you go, it’s meant to be shared with 2 – 3 people. I loved it. It looks spicier than it actually is, but that’s perfectly fine with me. The neck meat is so delicious (even as leftovers lol) but they can be a little difficult to get to because they’re served on the bones. Of course, they have to serve it this way because the bones give the stew the flavor!
We also ordered Jeju pork belly, which is basically pork belly from the Jeju black pigs. It was so flavorful, I barely even used the sesame, salt, and pepper they served it with. The kimchi fried rice in the stone pot was extremely delicious as well. It actually went perfectly with the pork belly. My favorite part was the caramelized bits of rice, kimchi, and veggies that accumulate at the bottom of the stone pot in which it is served. Lastly, we had dwenjang jjigye (soy bean paste soup), which was also delicious. I loved that they used a traditional anchovy base. We devoured most of our meal! Other items included were the side dishes, which were all delicious, especially their kkakduki (radishes) and odeng (fish cakes). The side salad was pretty good, too.
All in all, I’m glad I got to come try this place. My goal is to try and replicate their amazing pork ribs someday :)

Love! Living in LA all my friends rave about this place but never had the time or chance to go. The long lines don’t help either. My sister would bring leftovers of the spicy pork which tasted great but never satisfying.
Finally tried this place after driving by with a friends and realizing there were no people waiting towards 6^th st. Thankfully got seated right away. Within us ordering the food and getting side dishes there was a long wait and they started taking the paper and pen out.
Highly recommend!
** Spicy Pork ribs — the flavor is on another level and love the lettuce salad that accompanies it since it goes so well together.
* Potato Stew– so much flavor and MEAT. They give Tina lot more meat than other potato stew places but not too much potatoes which I’m not mad about.
The side dishes are okay. The main entrees taste better
Definitely would come again soon!

Quick in service. They’re smart about it too. While you’re waiting and when they know you’ll be seated soon, they’ll give you menus and take your order. This way, food is ready within minutes of sitting down. Bravo!
Ordered the spare ribs because it was most reviewed on Unilocal.Also, the black belly and Soondobu. All very delicious. Their grill trays were different than most I’ve seen but looks easier to clean. So good for them. Couldn’t figure out the burner well enough though. Very unbalanced heat. One side was hotter than the other, then switched to the other side later the night. Took forever to cook the belly. Never waited that long before. Other than the wait for the grill to cook, everything else was above par.
Their tables are pretty close together to utilize the space. Have table separators for multiple parties to sit at the same «large» table. Covered and semi enclosed patio seating. TV to watch games off of.
A little too crowded. We had a party of five. And the tables barely fit all of our plates, food plater, soup bowls, etc. and then having elbow room. And we were all women. So it’s not like we need too much room. Just slightly uncomfortable. Good thing that the next party of five sat down next to us just as we were getting ready to leave.
$ 2 valet parking in the garage. A lot more convenient than street. Finding the restaurant if you’re unfamiliar and can’t read the characters is difficult. So from the garage, take a right and it’ll be the first outlet to business on the left. Next to a café/​tea shop (that looked empty).
Remember: food adventures are out there. So eat ‘em up!

Best gamjatang I’ve tried so far! My mom and I were looking for something to warm our souls on a cold, dreary day. I suggested Hamjibak since I’ve been meaning to try it.
We got here around 11:50 on a Friday and were seated right away. The gamjatang was 22.99. I wanted to try the pork spare ribs, but I knew it would be way too much food.
The side dishes are pretty standard Korean dishes. The pork stew came out fast. First off, they do not skimp on the meat! And it was cooked exactly how I like it. I love melt-​in-​your-​mouth type of meat, and this was exactly that! Yum yum yum! Not only was the meat delicious, the broth was on point. Perfect amount of heat at the back of your mouth with plenty of umami flavor.
The pork stew was so plentiful that my mom and I finished about half. This dish is definitely enough for 4 ladies.
All in all, I wasn’t disappointed with this place. I would definitely come back for their pork stew and other dishes.

Gamja tang here is pretty damn good. I had it several times at other places, but this one is really the only one I am willing to eat. The stew is hearty and perfect for a cold winter night. The pork neck meat comes right off the bones and the potato absorbs the flavor of the stew. The pork ribs are the most popular thing to get here and they live up to the hype. Adding on kimchi fried rice with pork was a great way to carb up, and it was really tasty. One gripe I have though is that it’s really greasy and they could probably do without adding the extra butter. Just a matter of preference though.
Now all your night needs now is some bokbunja-​ju or some soju and you’re set!
Service is pretty good, they get you what you need and they don’t skimp on banchan if you ask for a lot. The décor is bright and clean, but can be a little cramped on a busy night. And it does get busy at times. This place is one of the première restaurants in K-​Town and for good reason.
Parking is standard K-​Town valet for $ 2 in case you’re wondering.

First time at the restaurant, I pulled into a parking garage and was delighted to find out it’s only $ 2.00 parking with validation. I exited the garage and was clueless where Ham Ji Park is… (Since I can’t read Korean). Saw a bunch of people standing outside a restaurant and think to myself. «This gotta be Ham Ji Park». Of course, the pictures on Unilocal reassured me that I am at the correct restaurant. Wow! It’s Friday night and this restaurant is hopping!
Waiter will come out and call your name about 10 minutes before your table is ready and hand you their menu. They don’t really have a large selection of food. You either go with KBBQ or Soup & Stew. We decided we would go with the spicy pork neck soup and BBQ Spare Ribs. And yes, you will be ordering at the sidewalk with the waiter.
Talk about efficiency! Food is ready almost immediately after they seat you down. Enjoyed digging into our food and loved the table separator they place between you and the other party that is sharing the table. Gives you the privacy to talk and stuff your face with those delicious pork neck bone and spare ribs!
The serving portion were relatively big. I would say our order was enough to feed 3 people. I loved the spare ribs, but not so much with the Gamjatang. The Gamjatang itself have a thicker broth than most that I have tried, but the downside is that it is not spicy enough and way too salty for my liking.
Overall, a good dinner. Little bit on the pricy side, but I am a happy camper. Would come again, but definitely not on the weekends or with a big party.

Yum Tum Tum!
SITREP
Striking culinary gold with Korean BBQ in the middle of Koreatown!
THE SETUP
Of course, saying you found a good Korean BBQ establishment in Koreatown is like saying your found a «Catholic» at the Vatican:
.
Nonetheless, as my talented gourmet friend PeterPaul has taught me, just because a place is good, or even very good, doesn’t mean that it measure up to being one of the best!
OUR TREK
On this occasion, PeterPaul took me Ham Ji Park (just a few blocks from his flat), and I was impressed immediately with the authenticity of… well… EVERYTHING! Let’s start with the crowd — we were the only Caucasians in the joint. Everyone else was of Korean /​Asian extraction. So ‘Nuff said about the «authenticity»!
LE MENU
There was so much to enjoy and then choose from:
* The complimentary side dishes were there in abundance, including Kimchee!
* We enjoyed BBQ Pork Ribs, succulent, spicy, and in need of an industrial pair of scissors to cut some of the meat away from the bone; and,
* We also enjoyed the hearty & spicy Pork neck potato & leek soup — absolutely scrumptious!
THE LOWDOWN
Ham Ji Park is definitely the first stop you should make to try excellent Korean BBQ in the heart of Koreatown in Downtown L.A.

When in L.A., a Korean meal is a must. My friend found this on Unilocal and decide to come here on our last night there. Valet park in the garage for $ 2 with validation from the restaurant.
Go to the restaurant at around 7pm and the place was packed with people and a few groups in line. Waited for about 15 mins and we got seated. What ever the guys are doing here works… their service is fast and on point!
After we go seated, the guy brought out some banchan and barley tea. We also went with what was recommended which was the Kimchi rice and the pork neck stew with potato.
Pork Neck Stew with Potato — OMG… I’m in heaven. This is the first time trying this and it was delicious. I’m drooling just thinking about it. The stew comes with a giant potato and the pork meat falls off the bone tender. This stew also have the perfect about of spice and you can taste the potato in the soup… soooo good and its a MUST TRY!
Kimchi rice — very different style then what I have seen before. This comes out in a stone pot with chopped up kimchi on the bottom, white rice in the middle, and a freshly cracked egg on top. Once they set it down, the server will mix the whole thing and wala… you will have your delicious kimchi rice. This also have very good flavoring and I like how they chopped up the kimchi is small bites so you have it in every bite of the rice.
Will definitely recommend this place to anyone who is in the L. A area and wants Korean food. Both dishes we ordered were delicious and I bet their other dishes will be too. Will come back to try other items on the menu when I am in the L.A. area.

I can’t believe I never wrote a review for Ham Ji Park as it’s one of my favorite restaurants! All you need to know is that the gamja tang (pork neck soup) and the pork ribs from here are a MUST! Even though I typically come here with my husband and getting both these dishes is too much for just two people, we still get both and just have leftovers. We really love it that much!
I have also tried the spicy squid with noodles and that was just okay. The noodles weren’t cooked well but I could see the potential of it being better.
There is typically a bit of a wait unless you come at an off time but it is worth it!

How many Korean restaurants are there in LA? Hundreds? Thousands? Well, I’ve been to my share and Ham Ji Park ranks as one of the top in my book. I came here with a bunch of friends on a weekend night and if you knew this place you’d would be thinking Eddie C. is crazy! The place was hopping! Tables were full and the waiting crowd spilled out into the cold Korean town night. Worth it, you are thinking? YES!
This place got it going! I took one look at the menu and thought — they must have created this menu just for me. Pork belly, tripe, squid, octopus and all kinds of bbq meats. Their signature dish is Pork Neck Stew. We had just about everything. Piles and piles, bowls and bowls and plates and plates of food. The Pork Neck Stew was fantastic but I’m not sure it was my favorite of the night. Surprisingly my favorite of the night was BBQ Pork Ribs. Why surprisingly? Korean BBQ is usually far from my favorite Korean dish. However, Ham Ji Park’s was out of this world.
So as busy as it was, I thought service would lag. Not so. All the servers were young men that earned their keeps. No one was slacking and they all worked as a team, helping each other out, to keep all the customers happy. The owner even got in the mix, she worked as hard as any of her workers. I not only appreciated their hustle but there concern for their customer overall.
Next time? Why am I not there now?

Another night on the town with my coworker to get some food and drinks after a long day of aggregating numbers. He wanted to take me to one of his favorite restaurants in Koreatown, claiming they have the best pork ribs he’s ever had. I took him up on his offer and ended up at this place.
The place is very small and I can definitely see it getting packed easily. I think we came at the best time (6:30−7) because people were starting to pour in. As we sat down, my coworker said he was going to place the order and just said a few words in Korean and like 3 minutes later we had banchans, a huge plate of pork ribs, rice and a big bowl of salad. It was as if he called in the order before we came or if they are really just that quick!
The food was amazing and messy! The pork ribs were unbelievable. I’m not sure how they season it but it was seasoned to perfection. I’m not a spicy person but I was able to handle this amount of spice. The meat on the bone was tender and fully cooked. There were no traces of fat on the meat. The salad and rice were normal but was definitely heightened by the rib flavor. I had a few of the banchans and it was delicious as well. Extremely fresh.
Overall, I’d have to give it 5 Afros because #1 I’m not a spicy guy and #2 I’m not really into ribs BUT my coworker promised me I wouldn’t stop thinking about these ribs and I haven’t yet lol. Best pork ribs I’ve ever had! Hands down.
OOOOO
5 out of 5 Afros