Jjan

This place isn’t bad. Good food get here early there might be a wait for you to get wasted…

A great place to chill with friends and have flavor soju and makgeolli (rice wine). From personal experience, most sj bars don’t really have good food, but this place surprised us! The food is very tasty and the service is great too; very very friendly. We had the grilled pork belly, spicy pork ribs, and the cheese-​hot cheetos-​fries, which were all awesome! Definitely a place to recommend to my friends.

What do you do when you sit through bumper-​to-​bumper traffic from San Diego all the way up to LA, take a nap from 6 – 10, and then realize you ran out of time to do anything other than eat or drink? Eat AND drink!
So glad we passed down the pricey or divey (like B health code rating divey) around the conference center for this place. Been craving cheese fries so that’s what we got. ⁴⁄₂₀ fries all the way. For the first time ever I will say, they could have used some meat. There was something oddly satisfying about eating fries with chopsticks though. LOVED the frozen beers. (How come these aren’t sold everywhere???). The tortilla pizza was actually a cheapo pizza on top of a quesadilla… so fatty! Interesting, but not my favorite.
Loved so many things about this place, just not the prices. Bring the prices down by a couple dollars and I’d be tempted to brave the traffic again for another late-​night meal.

Came here from the hype of their frozen alcohol drinks + hot Cheetos bar food. I love Hot Cheetos so I had to come.
Hated that the wait was long since the place is small and fits only a few amount of people. Had some people the waiters knew go in before us…
**Mayaka gamja Twigeem (Drug French fries) — which I agree because this was super tasty and addicting. It was like a mix of in n out animal fries+ Hot Cheetos & cheese and topped off with an egg sunny side up which makes everything better. RECOMMENDED
I’m V familiar with hit Cheetos and cheese growing up in LA eating odd the ice cream trucks + 7 eleven.
This place made all those memories come back topped with FRENCH FRIES + RUNNY EGG.
Love this dish. Didn’t try anything else but would go again.

Cozy with your standard variety of alcohol. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the US now has flavored soju too. We got the peach one. :3
Pretty hole-​in-​the-​wall. The bathroom is single so you really have to have a hawk-​eye to see whenever someone leaves the bathroom… It’s usually occupied and has the typical Korean sj bathroom vibe (aka can definitely tell a drunk person was there).

I was craving katsu/​deep-​fried goodness and JJAN happened to be on Caviar.
JJAN was amazingly quick! It only took 30 minutes for my entire order, from paying to delivery.
I had the:
*Pork Cutlet — huge portions! It’s no Wako Donkatsu but it’s not bad at all. The Pork Cutlet came with a side of my FAVORITE cabbage salad. Disclaimer: there’s really nothing special about this cabbage salad; I just like Korean-​style cabbage style. The Tonkatsu sauce was different than what I’m used to though. It was a little more on the sweet side and not really like Japanese Tonkatsu sauce. I could do without it so, I just got it on the side.
*Tofu Kimchi with Pork Belly (Stir fried kimchi and pork belly with spicy Korean sauce and steamed tofu on the side) — Generous portion! Had a little kick to it but tasty & classically prepared!

Nice, out-​of-​the-​way place with free parking.
Great, cheap snacks with chatty and fun wait staff. While I wouldn’t encourage trying to smoke here, the menu clearly implies that some of the folks in this restaurant are 420 friendly. What that really means is that the place is super chill.
Lighting is dim and party-​style. Drinks are very reasonably priced. Snacks are super tasty too! There’s really not much more you can ask for!

Best korean anju!
I really liked the spicy cheese fire chicken!
Service was wonderful too!
Thumbs up!

Small hidden bar in koreatown. There’s only one door access through the back parking lot. Took 30 min to get seated. They are known for their frozen beer, which is a beer with beer slurpee on top to keep the beer cold. Kind of a novelty thing I guess. They say it’s a gastropub, but the food just reminds me of pothead food, which I can’t complain, but I didnt think it was worth the price for hot-​cheetos with cheese. I can get that at 7 Eleven.

Great experience. My friends and I were visiting from out of town and ended up staying at an Airbnb in Koreatown. The majority of the group was excited at the prospect of Korean food, and though I am not usually a fan — I try not to limit myself by saying no to things. I looked up places within walking distance of our accommodations and found a few promising choices… Amongst them was this spot. What appealed to me initially was its seemingly casual nature… As our group was simply looking for a quick bite after a long adventurous day.
We walked up and were disappointed to see what we thought was a closed storefront… We voiced our frustration over this and before we could sulk away a homeless gentleman sleeping nearby informed us very kindly that the entrance was through the neighboring laundromat and around back. We thanked this helpful sidewalk sleeper and headed into what ended up being a delightfully lively little hole in the wall. Kpop, and young drunks cackling together, soaking up their mistakes with kimchi and crispy meats.
We were seated quickly in one of their cozy little private alcoves. They brought us ice cold water as we deciphered the menu. I ordered a frozen beer (yes!) and the Kimpidon — being that I never eat Korean food and was looking for something less traditional. Also ordered were the spicy chicken gizzards, fried dumplings, a chicken dish and the green onion pork belly. All of it was beautifully prepared! My favorite items were the dumplings and the frozen beer… Holy lord. The frozen beer was so creamy and wonderful… I could have easily sat there all night rinsing away my sweaty hot day with an endless supply of those. My Kimpidon was very good… It reminded me of a schnitzel or a chicken parm. It was wonderfully cheesy and had a great texture. I would definitely recommend it to others… Especially folks like me who are particular about the sometimes rich and overwhelming flavors of Korean food.
The service was fantastic. It was a very busy night, but our waiter was very fast and attentive. The atmosphere was really great and perfect for a small group of friends like ours who want to enjoy a little nightlife while still being able to maintain a conversation.
If you’re in the area, want to try something new or already enjoy Korean food… Then most definitely go for it!

I live down the street from this place and it has intrigued me since I moved to koreatown a few months ago.
After trying it for the first time I came back twice in the next three days.
It’s a great hidden gem for locals to bring their friends to try the flamin hot Cheetos with nacho drizzle, the frozen beer/​cocktails, and the satisfying Korean pub food.

Had the best time visiting friends in LA at this hole in the wall bar in ktown. From the outside you’d think it wasn’t much but once you step in you’re surrounded by music, laughter and drinks. They have an extensive menu and long list of alcoholic beverages, both Korean and not. The women’s bathroom even gives you a compliment, making this cozy place definitely fun and somewhere to go for a good time.

I had the most amazing frozen beer, the food is excellent too. I tried the Kimchee Pizza/​pork cutlet, I have never tried both before– just amazing!

Honestly, I would never have found this place if I were driving. Located inside THE grossest looking plaza (ample parking tho) Jjan is the definition of a hole in the wall. Right in front of their entrance way sat an unwashed cauldron with a family of flies feasting on the dried up content. Yum. I head on in and the first sign that catches my eyes is the big fat C bestowed upon this small establishment by the Dept of Public Health. No surprises there but I’ve never been the type to be fazed by dirty restaurants (my favorite snacks in LA are sold by undocumented street vendors) so we head right in.
As though we’ve stepped into a restaurant version of an a&f or hollister, I felt the need to grab a flashlight in order to find a table. As my eyes grew accustomed to the dim lighting I realized they had dimmed the lights even further as time ticked towards 7. We got here around 6:30 on a Thursday, and although completely empty, it wasn’t long before the place started filling up. We ordered the beer with frozen foam, the kimchi donkatsu pizza, large intestine stir fry and their drug french fries. That frozen beer is a serious gimmick and I suggest only one person in the party order it and let everyone have a taste. It’s pretty gross. The food was decent and staff was attentive. I enjoyed my night out but I doubt I’ll be back.

Jjan is a super tiny bar in the most random plaza ever. Below are my pros and cons
Pros:
1. Interesting food, they really are a fusion restauraunt. Kudos for that
2. Some of the waiters are pretty attentive
3. This is where they serve that frozen beer everyone keeps talking about (it’s not really frozen, just the foam is)
4. Free parking
Cons:
1. Overpacked, a wait for 2 at 930 pm took 40 minutes.
2. Food is a bit overpriced for what it is
3. Overcrowded. Literally your walking into tables

I really enjoyed all the dishes here including the frozen beer.
Ordered:
Kimpitang — kimchi, pizza and tangsooyook (deep fried pork) smothered in this addicting sauce.
Kimpidon — similar to the dish above but instead of the fried pork its donkatsu.
Tortilla pizza — nice little twist to the Mexican pizza.
Mayak Gamja Twigim — it means Drug Fries in Korean. This dish will make you go through some serious withdrawals.

*Close your eyes and think about plain ol’ nachos*
*Now replace those chips with HOT CHEETOS*
GAME CHANGER!
Have I reverted back to my high school days at 7 – 11?
Except here at Jjan, it’s about $ 11 (instead of 7 – 11’s DIY Hot cheetos with Nacho Cheese drizzle for $ 2). I also had their frozen beer (refreshing) and Kimpidon (Kimchi, Pizza, and Donkatsu. an okonomiyaki-​lookalike). It was good but a super saucy, mushy mess. I might try the one with Tang Soo Yook next time!
The service was great even though they were busy, and this place is poppin’.
Jja JjaN!

Holy crap, this place is hoppin! We went to Jjan for round 3 on a Wednesday and the place was filled with young Koreans. I can’t imagine what it’s like on the weekends.
Jjan is in the most unsuspecting place. We actually walked up to the front that’s facing the street and the place looks like it’s closed since it’s all dark and the gate is down. Don’t be fooled. The entrance is actually out back so you have to walk around to Irolo and make a left.
The service was amazing here. They respond super fast to the bells. They forgot one of our dishes and when we nicely asked about it, she went and got it for us right away for free.
They have this really interesting frozen beer. The foam on top is thick and super cold. It really keeps the beer cold for an extended period of time. I was nursing my beer for over half an hour and it was still nice and cold.
I haven’t tried too many of their dishes but the kim pi don was good. Kim pi don stands for kimchi pizza donkatsu. It’s fried sliced pork, topped with this tomato and kimchi sauce then topped with melted cheese. They also have other variety of meat other than donkatsu. I saw this is Kdrama recently so I guess it’s a thing in Korea right now.
They also had hot cheetos topped with nacho cheese. For $ 10, it’s kind of a rip off but the nacho cheese really works with the hot cheetos. Eating all of that with chopsticks just feels so right.
I will be back again for sure to try their other dishes although I’ll probably try to stick to weekdays so it’s not too crowded.

Why did I find out about this place just now? Ugh.
I think might have discovered the next hidden gem in KTOWN. I go to this plaza all the time for the crappy Chinese food right next to it (my Panda Express substitute) and it was my first time seeing it and going to it. Parking and entrance in the back.
Happy hour is till 9 and the discount only applies to drinks. But the food taste and selection are pretty good that I don’t mind it too much! They have your mediocre Korean bar food along with some new menu choices I have yet to see on other menus. It’s my first time ever seeing Hot Cheetos with nacho cheese and I just knew I had to try it. Honestly, it was the best decision I made that night, shoutout to myself and however much I imbibed before ordering this. (Note: it’s just hot Cheetos and cheese). The KimPi– is something I would really like to recommend. I have yet to see a place that serves anything similar to this. You WONT regret it. Don’t forget to try their slushie drinks as well (ladies, you will love it).
The crowd: Korean (not too packed)
Age group: Varies
Cleanliness: Pretty clean
Service: Good
Likely to return?: Very likely
I came here on a Monday btw. Haha.

Just your average korean bar. Kind of new in Koreatown. Located on Irolo and 8^th street and it looks pretty small from outside but its not as small as you think. The entrance to this bar is in the back by the parking lot where you can park anywhere for free (no valet).
Service is superb! Very kind and they always give you ‘service’. Their menu has a lot, I mean ‘a lot a lot’ of food/​anjoo that you can find at other bars but also one-​of-​a-​kind unique dishes as well.
Last time i tried their seasoned/​grilled eel, it was too salty so stay away from this if you can. But their hongaptang (mussel soup), kimchitang (kimchi cheese tangsooyook), and daechang bokkum (seasoned large intestines) were very good!
They also sell what they call frozen beer which I had a high expectation, but it was just OK. Nothing special. It was just regular beer with frozen foam on top (you can see my posted picture).
So to make this short, awesome, unique food with great servers and very generous. Oh, it can get really loud in here and many people smoke in here. I didnt like that. But please use their happy hour 5−9PM!