Harang Bistro

WARNING: THIS REVIEW IS LADEN WITH EXPLETIVES AND REPRESSED EXPRESSIONS OF KOREAN RAGE.
HARANG CAN S MY D.
The only thing it has going for it right now is $ 4.99 soju which I believe is only available on the weekdays ($ 10 on the weekend) — not sure if that still holds in effect since I haven’t been there in a while and I heard rumors floating around that it shut down.
It isn’t so much that the food is terrible — although it’s definitely mediocre it isn’t like they’re overpricing it up the ass — everything is either $ 5 or $ 10 — so that’s not my point of contention. We usually get dukkpoki, steamed egg, corn cheese and *yum!* bossam (not yum here, just yum cuz it’s bossam). And you definitely can’t find a better deal on alcohol anywhere in K-​town and it attracts the usual K-​town hoodrat crowd you’ll see teeming around Gaam.
No, it’s. the. fucking. SERVICE. I know that Korean, and really, all Asian, establishments have a reputation for terrible service b so I’m always VERY forgiving on that front (besides, service is never usually something that will affect my rating of a place, regardless), but Harang is the exception to the rule: it just takes it to a level that is unfathomably, jaw-​droppingly rude. On more than half of the occasions that I’ve been here, our group has been chased down for not giving enough tip — this is after we had, exsqueeze my French, SH*TTASTIC service ALL night (forgetting orders, taking forever to bring out simple things, servers and owners being very visibly intoxicated). What da hayuhl?! I almost got into a K-​raged out brawl with a lady who works there when they chased us for anoter trip and AGAIN when they were extremely rude to us trying to usher us out when we were using the bathroom at the end of the night. THE BATHROOM’S IN THE DAMN RAMADA INN, DON’T TELL ME I CAN’T TAKE A PISS THERE! (although K-​rage is a side effect of soju, at this point it was well-​deserved).
Regardless if it still exists I know the promise of $ 5 soju will somehow lure me in again when I’m in the mood for some weekday raging/​Seoul Train’ing, so that is what the one star is for. as $ 5 meets my In n Out scale of value — that is, $ 5 is around the price of a #2 meal at In N Out which is one of the best, fairest deals around so certain meals/​establishments have to be proportionally as worthwhile. Other than that, STAY FAR AWAY.

$ 5 soju everyday except Friday & Saturday, which is $ 10.
Quiet and not as packed during the weekdays so I would definitely make this my weekday bar of choice. But since I haven’t been here during the weekends, I wouldn’t be able to tell you the full story about this place but it’s not that bad.
The service was on point, probably cause there wasn’t a lot of people.
No diversity whatsoever and the servers can hardly speak English so if you plan on coming here, have a fluent Korean-​speaking friend tag along with you so that you don’t have to use sign language to communicate with these international workers.
$ 5 for fries which is a bit expensive yet standard to bars but hey, intoxicate yourself enough and you’ll be able to forgo the thought of paying that much for fries when you can get the same amount at McDonald’s for less than half the price.
Overall, who can go wrong with the $ 5 soju? They are in no way altered or anything so it’s the same soju you get anywhere else except at almost market price.
Also, free parking on the southside of the hotel/​bar! Unlike most places that force you to pay a valet fee, you get to park for free! Though it’s kind of a shady and sketched out spot, at least its under minimal surveillance.

I used to frequent this place due their low prices and free parking. Soju was $ 5 any day of the week and parking was free… until they became mega popular. Soju is still $ 5 Sunday through Thursday, but now $ 10 on Friday and Saturdays. Free parking is also no more – they have valet in the underground lot next to the building. For those of you who have a hard time finding the place, it is located inside the Ramada hotel on Wilshire and St. Andrews – across the street from Mr. Pizza.
I was never a huge fan of their ahn-​joo or bar food. The majority of their food items are $ 5 or $ 10, but I was never impressed with any of the dishes I’ve tried here. I literally only came because of their $ 5 soju, but since that is no more, I don’t think I would choose this place over the other suljip’s in K-​town.
The décor is fairly nice for a K-​town establishment. If you’re looking to throw a party here, they do have a semi-​private area you can reserve. I think the minimum total bill has to be $ 200, though. Service wise, it is what you get at any other K-​town bar.
For those of you who despise or are allergic to cigarette smell, steer clear of this place at all costs. They allow customers to smoke indoors, so there is no avoiding it.

WARNING: AVOID AT ALL COSTS!
The pictures here do not, in any way, truthfully portray this restaurant/​bar. Harang Bistro is located on a rather desolate stretch of Wilshire, directly under a very grimy looking Ramada motel. Even the valet parking here looks totally sketch… all the way tucked around the corner with barely visible signs. The inside of the bar isn’t swanky or trendy at all (as the pictures on here may suggest), just a less dim and crowded suljip.
The worst thing about Harang is the customer service. Not only do all of the servers and bartenders not speak an ounce of English, but they were totally discriminative! A Korean guy friend I was with was able to score a whisky on the rocks, while my non-​Korean girlfriend and I were told that they do not have any hard liquor or cocktails. Nor did they have any flavored soju or yogurt soju, she basically had to order pineapple juice and mix it with soju on her own. Then as it approached 2am and they were about to close, at least 3 different servers came over and tried to kick our large party out on multiple occasions after we had paid the bill. However, another party sitting in the front of the restaurant were still sitting merrily with a table full of food. WTF dude, what’s with the incessant discrimination?!
P. S. A fight broke out here the night I was there. A group of underage-​looking Asian wannabe gangsters looked like they were trying to jump an older white guy. Some shouting and pushing took place in the restaurant, followed by the white guy leaving through the front and about 7 of the Asian kids running after him through the front and back doors with glass bottles in hand. The staff at Harang did nothing to try to calm the situation, the security/​bouncer on duty actually hid in the back to avoid being involved at all. In fact, they even allowed the hysterical «gangster» Asian kids to stay and finish their partying after everything happened…
P. S.S. This is a racist establishment, that unsurprisingly attracts equally racist customers.

No more $ 4.99 soju deal, but that came hand in hand with less crowdedness.
I also think it strange that every. single. time. I go here, they somehow mess up the check. Either overcharging or losing your credit card. Might be a good idea to double check your bill here.

After another 12 hr shift at work, I was relieved when a gf of mine suggested we grab drinks. I wasn’t so happy when she suggested Harang, but I thought why not? Perhaps I ordered all the wrong things last time (not that I could remember what I ate because quite frankly, it was all forgettable *obviously*).
$ 5 soju… kind of tasted a little stale. You know that flavor when the soju has gone bad where it tastes like straight rubbing alcohol! Not that I’ve had rubbing alcohol, but the soju tasted like rubbing alcohol smells.
From the $ 10 menu, we ordered the Cheese Poke cutlet. I could have made it better, and I don’t even know how to make it! The cutlet tasted slightly like it was fried in cheap oil. The cheese was probably a melted slab of mozzarella. It got so rubbery so fast… but I ate it to kill the rubbing alki taste out of my mouth.
I finally got to try the bacon tomato skewer. FAIL! I imagined cherry tomatoes wrapped in bacon (like EVERY other place that serves tomato and bacon), but instead, it was a small tomato, sliced, with bacon wrapped around the slices!
Complimentary edamame was a little bland. Absolutely no salt! Why would a bar serve you bland edamame? I would think it’s smart business to serve them slightly salted so people order more drinks! I would have let it slide, but there were a few «darker» pieces in our bowl. I avoided them, but my friend happened to grab one… bad idea! It was rotten!
The ONLY thing that made this night delightful was the company. I could be having drinks in a portapotty and my gf would still manage to make it a good time!
Sorry Harang… I will most definitely NOT be back!!!

So apart from the majority of the people who wrote about this place, I came here to eat, not drink. Weird, I know.
Anyway, the place is pretty nice inside, prettier than the usual korean bars. The food was actually really good for bar food.
The price for their specials are not bad at all! Would never come here on my own because I can’t speak/​read in Korean, but is definitely a place to check out.

Got my first legal drink here and regretted it. Oh maaaan the pictures liiied.
The décor is gorgeous, which is what won me over while I was trying to Unilocal a nearby bar during dinner. The actual place is still nice (not as nice as the pictures though), but the tables were really sticky/​dirty and the menus were tiny only came in Korean.
This is probably my bad because:
1. I’m not Korean
2. I can’t read, write, or understand any Korean
3. What was I expecting, I was in Koreatown
Luckily my friends could so we got some soju, Hite, and Coronas. They had some $ 5 soju deal but apparently it only applies to a certain type? of soju (I guess this was confusing to my friend that ordered too – but anyway it cost $ 10 so make sure whatever you order is whatever is specifically on the menu). They had food but I ate prior to coming here so I didn’t try anything but the edamame they brought out.
I think my stars of for the bathroom guy. He directed people toward the bathrooms and opened the door for you to and from your trip to the loo. Prob highlight of my time at Harang.

Even from my very short visit, I feel that I am able to write a review for this bar.
SOJU = $ 5 (except Fri & Sat $ 10)
ANJOO = $ 5 menu & $ 10 menu
There are lots of seats/​booths, and they way it’s set up, it really reminds me of Korean lounges. The only thing that’s different is that there aren’t any buzzers to holler at the waiters. Anyway, the prices are ridiculously low for a night in Ktown; however, the $ 10 sojus on Friday night totally scared us away (you know us college kids ballin‘ on a budget…)
Apparently this place used to be even cheaper, but now that it’s bumpin, prices have increased AND you have pay for valet parking. Lame!
Oh well, generally speaking, it’s a pretty cool place to hang out with friends. Lots of TVs and lots of seats!

I remember coming here occasionally a couple of years ago and it was nice and quiet with only 3 – 4 parties inside, but now its crazy and jam packed as it hits 9pm, lol and they bump loud house music. i always find myself coming back here every weekend… i don’t know why.
$ 5 soju and $ 5-​$ 10 dollar ahnjoo-​korean foods– so not bad at all for the prices.
their chicken gizzard is the best
!!But recently, cheap drinking and eating stopped last week of April. All the prices shot up. No more free parking, they take valet now.

A Korean bar used more for the first round of drinking or for a chill night out with a bunch of friends, I can sorta see the appeal of this relatively new place in K-​town.
Harang Bistro is located right below the Ramada Inn, across the street from Mr. Pizza and just down the street from the Wiltern Theater. It’s not too hard to miss, and there’s free parking on the bottom floor of the hotel.
By 11PM, it was already pretty packed and we were told that it was going to be 1.5 hour wait. This place was filled to the brim with mainly Koreans, and the menu is all in Korean. So if you can’t read or speak the language, it’s better to bring a Korean or two.
So what stands out about this place? Why, it’s the $ 4.99 soju, of course! Where in LA would you be able to find such a place that charges for soju so cheap?! Large bottles of beer cost $ 6.99, and provides plenty for the party. We ordered around 7 bottles of soju and 6 bottles of beer.
As for drunken munchies, we ordered the fried chicken, chicken wings, cheese corn and bossam. The chicken wings and cheese corn were amazing and definitely the more memorable items of the night. The bossam was kinda meh…
This place is relatively small, compared to some of the fancier bars in K-​town and has an intimate yet somewhat rowdy environment. Like a typical bar in Korea, most of the parties were playing drinking games and toasting at the top of their lungs. I’m not sure if this would be my first place to drink in K-​town, since I prefer places that are a little larger and more upbeat, but it’s definitely good for a night out drinking and catching up with old friends who you haven’t seen in a while.

Harang Bistro is located in the Ramada hotel and there’s free parking connected to the hotel in the lot downstairs. We made a reservation for 10 the day before and didn’t have to wait for seating when we got here. However, the service is so slow and there are no buttons at the tables either to call for a waiter. It was so difficult to flag someone down.
For food, we ordered french fries ($ 6.99), kimchi fried rice with fried egg ($ 15.99), and chicken wings ($ 12.99). The chicken wings were definitely the winner of the three and were amazing but the other two items were surprisingly really good too, albeit a little expensive. The biggest downside is that it takes forever for the food to come out. I think we waited at least 30 minutes!
For drinks, we took advantage of the $ 5 soju deal and also ordered some hite ($ 6.99) to go along with it. If you’re huge soju drinker, this is probably the cheapest you’ll get in a ktown bar. Grocery store prices are like $ 3 — 4 a bottle.
Overall, it’s a little noisy here, as it is at every ktown bar, but I did really like the sleek and clean interior. Free parking is also a plus.
I will note that we spent over $ 130 here and didn’t get any «service» from them.

The GOOD:
–This place is dirt cheap. They have $ 5 soju and $ 5 & $ 10 anjoo (food) specials ALL night.
–Nice interior
–Free parking
The BAD:
–This place is always jam-​packed with a million people
–Reservations are impossible because they NEVER pick up their phone
–Service is SUPER slow… (What kind of Korean bar doesn’t have a button??! You literally have to chase the waiters down /​shout across the bar to order)
–Indoor smoking. Expect to leave the bar reeking of cheap alcohol & cigarettes.
But seriously…$ 5 for soju??! I really shouldn’t be complaining.

Newish K-​Town bar located directly across Wilshire from Mr. Pizza. Didn’t get to try the food here but the drinks are stupidly cheap. $ 5 soju bottles? Pretty much grocery store prices.
We had a group of about 20+ to celebrate a birthday. We had soju & beers all night until it was clear everyone had enough, fast efficient service, and even complimentary snacks like fries to munch on. Somehow, we all ended up paying $ 8, which included tip. What?
I don’t smoke but I wasn’t surprised by the indoor smoking. The place is trendy so if you want to give your friends an authentic K-​town night experience, this is the place to take them.

I went to Harang last night in a group of 6 and had a good time. We were seated in a cozy side booth facing pretty lighted décor. All soju’s were 4.99 (SUPER cheap compared to the standard 12.99 at most other korean restaurants/​bars). They didn’t have any beers on tap, so no pitchers, but they had big bottles of Hite for 6.99.
For anju dishes, we ordered the tofu and kimchi plate, and the fried chicken wings. The warm tofu and kimchi dish was well-​recieved by all, and people thought the fried chicken was good but that the serving was kind of small.
The service wasn’t attentive but we didn’t have problems flagging down people when we needed them. I would just caution people against this place if they had an aversion to cigarette smoke because people were lighting up inside everywhere.

Cute new bar located next to the Ramada on Wilshire in K-​town.
Nice change up from the usual wood walls with graffiti everywhere that I’m used to. The drinks here are also reasonably priced. $ 5 per soju bottle! Not bad at all. Came here with a large group of friends (10ish) & they took a while to accommodate us (also not the greatest service but it was a busy friday night). After getting seated and settling down, I really enjoyed the ambiance.
Good place to come out with friends. will be coming here again soon!

I came here because they are having 1 year anniversary special. Otherwise I won’t be here. Everything is overpriced. Go somewhere else for cheaper, better food, bigger portion and service.
1 year anniversary special: $ 4.99 soju all day, and $ 5 and $ 10 food. Unfortunately, they only have Korean menu for these sale items, so none of us could read it.
We ordered just soju $ 4.99×2, Hite beer $ 6.99×3, octopus with noodles $ 10 (reg price $ 14), and kimchi pancakes $ 5×2. We also got complimentary edamame and rice snacks. Of course when I saw our bill, they just charged us $ 5 and $ 7 instead of $ 4.99 and $ 6.99 each.
The service was VERY slow and hard to get server. The food was just average. Nice décor though. Very modern and clean.

I saw their ad about big Soju sale-​$ 4.99 all nite and $ 5.00 & $ 10.00 food sale. Photos of the place looked nice so we went there to check it out.
Once we stepped in, I’ve noticed that it was a small place but cute. The host Placed us between tables people smoking when we clearly asked for non smoking table. Only bcz they had tables for larger crowd left. Bummer… And somehow, space between group tables and small tables were too close so it was too loud to hear each others conversation.
Fishcake soup was descent but fried shrimp cake was burnt so it was barely touched. Go here if you want to pay less $$ for soju but for good night out, I recommend finding other places.
Bottom line is that I wont come back here.

What’s…with…the…smoking???
Hey, if you like a nice scent of Marlboro Menthols to go with your food, come here. Like some K-​town places, unfortunately, this place has no respect for local laws, much less for their patrons who do not want to come out smelling like a pack of Camels.
The food wasn’t bad (tofu w/​kimchi, ‘kyeran-​jjim’ [steamed egg]) and soju is soju…
Staff was nice and service good. One of the managers even came over to greet us. There is a free underground structure, which is great for K-​town.
If you’ve read this far, I do want to point out a few things about Unilocal reviews and reviewers. There are some obvious signs that there is a possibility of reviews and reviewers not being authentic. Often owners of a place and/​or their friends will write a biased review (often under a fictitious name/​account). I don’t know if that’s the case here, but read the other reviews (and profiles) here and do consider:
1. If a place only has a handful of reviews, all of them glowing with ‘5-​stars’, that’s a ‘red flag’ for the following reasons:
2. If there are no recent reviews, it means ‘regular customers’ aren’t reviewing it — hey, what are the chances of that? Come on, we Asians love to Unilocal and last time I checked, K-​town places were crawling with so-​called ‘Asians’.
3. If you check the reviewers’ profiles and they’ve only ever written one or two and nothing recently, that’s a sign that they may not be a ‘real reviewer’ but just someone who had other motives to write this.
4. If the review sounds like an advertisement, without any personal touches, stories or anecdotes… then it sounds like it was written just to drum up business.
PS — Anyone got a cig to spare???

I came with a group of friends and had a great time. Had the duc boki and lots of beers. The wait staff was attentive and they played some good music. It’s a bit hidden at the Ramada but visible off whilshire. Had other dishes and the food is way above part from other lounges.