Nakzi Village

This is not an all you can eat place! But the prices are good and meat quality is awesome and the service is amazing for a korean place. This is one of my favorite kbbq spots. Valet parking only which is typical of k town. I tried the octopus dishes but didn’t really care for it.

Ok. I do not like the nakji bokkeum here. I thought it was terrible. It was bland, I even chewed on some of the kal pan (the little rings in the nakji legs that are supposed to be separated when the chef cleans it). Also, who makes nakji bokkeum so freaking watery? It was almost like nakji bokkeum soup! Also, dangmyun instead of udon or somen? Seriously? come on. The dangmyun stuck to the freaking pan like it was nobody’s business.
They had more meat on the menu than nakji items. What gives? Definitely not coming back here next time I’m in town.

This place is awesome for one thing, nakji jeongeul (octopus stew). Eating this rustic dish will take you straight to southern Korea. There is no bad time to order nakji as Koreans often believe the best way to combat a hot or cold weather is to eat this hot seafood fare. The flavors of this hearty hotpot work extremely well together. The pungency of the herbs, the sweetness of the simmered Korean radish, the saltiness and textures of the seafood, the slightly spiciness and the acidity of the kimchi make this a very balanced dish. Though there are so many flavors popping out (in a moderate quiet way), they come together to exalt the flavor of the octopus, which can easily be cooked bland. When you are done eating all the contents of the simmering pot but the broth, the waiter mixes steamed rice, veggies, sesame oil, seaweed and an egg to make a delicious porridge.
In Korea, ordering nakji is a social event, much like eating a paella in Spain. The authenticity of this dish is evidenced by the popularity of people who know good Korean food the best, Koreans from Korea. Although in the homeland you may see striking differences like the practice of dumping live octopi in the boiling soup, rest assured this is still as good as it gets.
PS: I think the address on this is wrong. Look for it on 3^th and Hobart right across from Miss Coffee shop.

Oooh yah — I don’t know many octopus/​nakji places in LA, and don’t bother looking because this one suits me just fine~
I do the ‘medium’-spicy and sweat comes out of my nose pores, but it’s so addictive! Their serving’s pretty large, so 3 ppl can eat 2-​ppl serving (which is 1 order anyway). Besides, you gotta leave room for some kimchi fried rice, made with Nakji bokeum sauce & leftover.

i love LOVE LOVE this place. the parking is great bc it’s in ktown plaza. i love that you can get the spicy squid and then get fried rice cooked in front of you. DELISH. took some friends who are not Korean and they also really liked the place. it’s nice that you can pick how spicy you want to eat it, but that even the really spicy is more sweet than super spicy.
When i went in the summer at least, they’d give you shaved ice and fruit for dessert (in individual cups). not sure if they still do that now.
i also took a friend for a birthday (small group) and it was pretty nice. a bit pricey, but def worth it for a good meal once in a while. the waitress was really nice and took our pictures (a few times) and everything.

Nakji Village is still open at this address
4177 W 3^rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90 020
(213) 380‑8382
If you can’t handle spicy stuff, order mild version. Its still good.
U can also order extra nakji-​squid in it.
Stir-​fry rice after meal is also super good.
All waiters and waitresses here are super nice and awesome.
Totally recommend to go here. I already went three times and plan to go again next Tuesday!

I walked around k-​town plaza a few times, then consulting the directory only to realize it’s gone! #105 is replaced by a chicken wings place. l’ve been wanting to try for the past 3 years, but sadly it’s no longer there! ;-(

a family portrait
or
getting high on spice
my day began with my parking lot flooded and i had to park my car on a hill. i was about to leave to the gym and my car wouldn’t start. no gas. which actually worked out for the best cuz my mom was coming up to la and i would have missed her if i went to the gym. so i had my friend come pick me up to get gas in a gas can and fill up my car. im filling up the gas can, the gas is going everywhere, get it to my car, it’s raining and im getting soaked filling the car up. its enough to get the car started and then i go to fill up the tank. now by this time and by the time my mom and sister and niece come i am freaking dizzy from gas fumes! they want to go to the market and also eat and i say nakzi village! that way we can eat all in one place and not get wet.
nakzi not nazi. it means octopus. octopus village! its hot and spicy, a place where you got to eat with your mouth open to get some air in your mouth to cool it from the heat and the spice! where white smoke might bellow out of your mouth and ears. they make nakzi fried rice, and then nakzi in red hot sauce with noodles. thats their signature dish along with the kal gooksoo, which is noodles with seafood. mmmmm flavor country. or is it flavor village. no nakzi village!
the server who helped us talked in that slow deliberate cutesy talk like a 5 year old just learning to speak cept she wasn’t cute. i hate it when noncute girls try to talk cute. leave it to the professionals! they also had that free coffee machine, and of course when its free its ng. ng means no good. but you get to see the plastic cup appear like magic then fill up!
my sister was trying to feed my niece which is always a chore and for some reasoning whenever i see my niece being fed, when my sister says open your mouth, i open my mouth along with my niece and start to chew along with her. its some psychological thing watching her eat i follow along. dont ask me i dont get it either.
my mom is wearing a blue hoodie, im wearing a red one, and of course my sister is all dolled up. she cant leave the house without getting all dressed up. she a weirdo like that. i remember a long time in my life i used to be embarrassed about hanging out with my family, i wanted them to be perfect. now its their imperfections i love and these times with them i enjoy than any other thing.
so by this time my head is itching, my cheeks flush, first i was dizzy with gas fumes, now i feel high from all the spice! my sister said why did you want to come here if you cant handle the spice? (fyi — i haven’t eaten spicy food in ages because my doctor told me its bad for my acid reflux). i told her simple, cuz its good. but i told her to go to the market and not wait for me cuz after nakzi village i may have to run to the nakzi toilet.
a bunch of brazilian korean girls with moms came in. and they were talking loud and laughing in portugese. and the ladies, maybe aunts or one aunt and aunts friends, or one mom and mom’s friends? i am not sure but the older ladies looked at them with this confused look like. ok, they aint speaking korean, they aint speaking english, wtf i am just confused! i dunno its a thing i got, that when you are with your elders you should speak in a language they can understand. just my thing. shiet or in a language i can understand to see if they are saying how cute i am!
i told them to finish up their shopping without me i am sleepy now. so after the market they dropped me off home, with my niece. noooo! i can’t be left alone with a kid! they make me sleepy. i’m gonna fall asleep and wake up with crayon on my face! shes a toddler still. shes such a girl, she even sits with her legs crossed like a girl. funny.
so i did what i always do, fall sleep while holding her ankle so she cant run away and get herself in trouble. my ears still itch from all the spice from nakzi village! i need a coke!
i watched this movie with my nephew and niece, «meet the robinsons». theres a song in there that vividly explains the feeling that comes over me when i see them. no matter whats going on in my life it sets me straight. the little wonders that is…
let it go,
let it roll right off your shoulder
don’t you know
the hardest part is over
let it in,
let your clarity define you
in the end
we will only just remember how it feels
our lives are made
in these small hours
these little wonders,
these twists & turns of fate
time falls away,
in these small hours,
these small hours still remain
let it slide,
let your troubles fall behind you
let it shine
until you feel it all around you
and i don’t mind
if it’s me you need to turn to
we’ll get by,
it’s the heart that really matters in the end
all of my regret
will wash away some how
but i can not forget
the way i feel right now

this location is the best one.
i never got sick from this location. from the other ones, yes.
my favorite part is at the end, when the server comes and puts rice and some veggies into the leftover sauce and makes kimchi fried rice.
in fact, i could do without the octopus and all that. just gimme the kimchi fried rice.

something different. and i truly enjoyed it.
we ordered the spicy octopus thingy in the sizzle pot. it came with kim chi fried rice and typical korean appetizers. kim chi, potato salad, fish cake salad and fresh tofu with bonito flakes. barley iced tea was already on the table. it was a deal for $ 9.99 a person. (we went at lunch time)
my biggest complaint: too much carbs

nothing too great.
we had the bacon and squid stir fry. we got it medium and it was a bit more spicy than expected.
nothing about this restaurant, especially the food, wowed me. usually, the fried rice that the waiter/​waitress cooks into the leftovers gets me reallly excited. yet, the rice was mediocre.

If you like spicy octopus with kimchi fried rice, or nakji bokum, this is the place that has been getting a lot of good word of mouth lately. Located inside Korean Plaza in K-​town, the food is spicy and the specialty is as mentioned, nakji bokum. Thus, the menu choices aren’t very big.
For food of this ilk, it can be a bit pricey, especially if you go for dinner. For a sizeable pan of spicy nakji (along with a plate of kimchi fried rice) for two, it is about $ 15.00 per person, which is about $ 30 overall. This is dinner price, which is a little higher than lunch. It is quite spicy (as it should be), but if you like food of this kind, it’s quite tasty.
The restaurant isn’t very big, so it’s not recommended to bring people beyond a group of 5 people. The atmosphere is brightly lit with LCD screens (they played Abba when I was there) and I just love how they set up the place. As soon as I walked in, top of each of the empty tables had a large, cold, icy pitcher of bori-​cha (barley tea) ready with cups beside them– now, just seeing that already won me over half-​way. It was going to be spicy and they were going to be generous with the bori-​cha.

At first I read the sign and thought it said «Nazi Village».
I think it’s a bad translation, it should be «Squid Village» instead.
Anyways, we got the «nakji bokkuem» (squid stir fry) medium hot.
Medium hot is not medium hot — it’s super spicy.
I can usually handle spicy foods, but I felt like fumes were coming out of my ears while eating this. It’s good mixed with rice, and their cold radish kimchi makes your mouth feel better.
Their bulgogi is just okay, but good for kids who can’t handle spicy foods.

It is a totally different experience on trying Korean Food.
We usually eat Korean Tofu and BBQ at the Korean Restaurant. For those who is looking for Tofu or BBQ, Nakzi Village will disappoint you. What they serve is totally different. They serve Octopus. Although they do not have a lot of selection on the menu, they focus on the Stir-​Fry Octopus in a hot pan. There are different combination for your choice. One of them is Octopus with Marinated Beef. Except those seafood or meat ingredients, the combination also come with noodles and vegetables. They will serve with a hot pan and you do your own «Stir-​Fry» dishes. The store require a minimum order of 2 for the «Stir-​Fry» dishes and each order cost about $ 13.99 + tax and tips.
Another alternative to try in Nakzi Village is their Stone Pot rice and the Seafood Noodle in a clay pot. The dishes are light and taste extremely good. It’s a really nice experience on trying Korean Food in other styles. We had also tried the Seafood Pancake and it gave me welcome home feeling. The outlook of the pancake was not impressive, it gave me the home-​made style feel. Unlike the one I tried at Koyang in Moneterey Park. That one looks fancy, but this one looked so simple and tasted much better.
One good thing about Korean food is they have lots of side dishes and is very light. No matter the stone pot rice, the seafood noodle or the seafood pancake, they are not oily and have great portion of veggies on it.
If you want to try other Korean Food, this one is good to try.