Sa Rit Gol
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street, Valet, Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
34 reviews
Neighborhood: Culver City
"This past Friday I was very fortunate to have dinner at Gyenari, the new Korean BBQ with a California twist. I felt so special, because that…" read more »
43 Reviews for Sa Rit Gol
Food was pretty good, but the SERVICE SUCKS! wouldn't go here again, since there are plenty of other good korean restaurants in ktown with better service.
The food itself here was okay (although it really doesn't stand out from most other korean food I've had in Korea town). The service was pretty terrible though. So unattentive. Our table kept waiting for our food while all of the waitresses were chatting amongst themselves near the register. The kitchen staff hit that **ding - the food is done bell** like 8 separate times and no one made a move to go get the food until they were all done chatting.
The meat was mediocre, and the cuttlefish pancake was also average. I probably won't be back here. Compared to that other place on 6th and Kenmore - that place is way better. It doesnt have an English name....but it starts with Chung Il i think (located in a corner in a plaza). That place has the same type of food with superb service.
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This is probably my favorite Korean restaurant in Los Angeles - a city with a lot of options for finding some of the most delicious Korean food anywhere. A small family-owned Koreatown restaurant which is tucked away in the back corner of a strip mall, Sa Rit Gol is well known for serving the most authentic Korean food in LA.
They make some of the tastiest barbeque, stews and fish dishes in K-town. But Sa Rit Gol's claim to fame is their wide variety of excellent complimentary side dishes or banchan.
Here is the list of banchan served here:
steamed eggs (gyeran jjim)
sweet soy braised potatoes (gam ja)
seasoned squash (ho bak jeon), potato salad (gam ja salad)
seasoned spinach (shi geum chi)
grilled Corvina fish (saeng-sun gui)
diced radish kimchi (kak-tu-gi), seasoned tofu (doo-boo cho-rim)
red leaf lettuce (ssang-chu)
seame leaf (kket-nip)
laver soup (mee-yuk guk)
fish cake (o-deng)
seasoned bean sprouts (k'ong na-mul)
mustard leaf kimchi (gat kimchi)
radish water kimchi (tongchi' imi)
cold radish kimchi noodles (tongchi' imi gooksu)
mung bean custard or cake (cheong po mook)
and, of course, Korean cabbage kimchi (baechu kimchi).
Their selection of menu items are among the most comprehensive you will find in any Korean restaurant. The barbeque meats are superb: quality meat, flavorful, tender. The waiter will bring the meat, cut it right in front of the patrons who will cook it themselves on the grill-in table. The beef rib (galbi), to me, is on par with Park's BBQ or Chosun Galbi. And you will get a good quantity of meat here. It's as good as it gets!
Besides their BBQ, the spicy black cod stew (dae goo maeun tang) may be their most popular dish. It is definitely one of my favorites here. They keep it boiling hot by heating it again on the tabletop grill.
I have thoroughly enjoyed all the dishes I have ordered here, including the seafood and vegetable pancake (hae-mul pa-jeon), spicy squid (ohjing-oe bokeum) and kimchi stew (kimchi jjigae). They are among the best I've ever had at a restaurant. It's no-frills, excellent homestyle cooking.
I am noncommittal about giving a strong opinion but the service here. Unfortunately, their service has received some bad reviews. I did not get the snooty attitude here mentioned by some reviewers but I would agree the service is generally pretty slow. I have noticed they are a bit understaffed here. There are call buttons at each table to request prompt service and I did use it the first time I ate here.
Note: make reservations on weekends or expect a long wait; a private dining room is available for special events; and they sell containers of their kimchi.
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If this place had even decent service, they would get 4 stars, but the service is so bad that they only get one. The waitresses try to pressure you into spending more money and snarl at you if you don't. They are extremely surly and if you are not willing to spend in a major way, they are very rude. Stay away from this place. You'll walk out with a bad taste in your mouth. The food is good though.
If it wasn't for my friend's wife, I don't think I would have ever found this place!
The food here was actually quite good. We came here after service for lunch, amd must say I wasn't disappointed.
We got the bim bim bap, the spicy beef noodle soup, and some huge stew thing that said it was for two. It was more like for 4+!
The stew had mandu, tofu, kimchi, beef chunks, noodles, and a tasty broth!
And they serve beer/wine.
The service pretty much sucked.
The panchan was good, though limited seiection, but tasty for what they had.
And the menu is fairly large.
Yes, I will be back!
I used to hit this place up on the regular when I lived in LA . The galbi was bangin, and their stews were pretty good, but the seating situation wasn't the coziest and neither was their service. Don't mind that much since I live in NY and we all know friendly service isn't the top priority when dining in NY. So I went back when I stopped by LA for a minute last month and their wait staff had a complete change up that bummed me out. A lot of people, Korean or not, know non-Koreans get slighted or blown off here mega harsh and the last time I went was no different. Our fish was burnt on one side and the waitresses blew us off, and on top of that mad dogged the cute Korean lady friend I was with 'cause she was rolling with a non-Asian. I wasn't buggin, she confirmed it. WTF. I'm not going to try and draft her into my sector or anything. So basically the food wasn't good and on top of that we got vibed out by the wait staff for being paying customers.
Anyway. Going back to the fundamentals. The food WAS good. The service WAS whatevs. Everything about this spot WAS until that point, and the only thing is it now is blown out.
Also. I dipped into their candy bowl at the register though as we split and got stinkeye from the manager. Whaaaat? Sorry maam.
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EXCELLENT
and very authentic
This place has the BEST bibim kuksu I have ever had. I come back here very often just for the bibim kuksu. Yes, it has a B-rating and yes, I have seen a baby cockroach crawling behind me, but it hasn't deterred me from coming back to their consistently delicious bibim kuksu. The spicy sauce with sesame oil is so good and their banchan (side dishes) are always consistently tasty and fresh.
I have brought so many people to this place and they become hooked on the bibim kuksu or other dishes at this restaurant. What's also great is the variety and how good all of their dishes are except for their kalbi tang. One friend ordered the kalbi tang and it was very dry and tasteless according to her and another friend.
The prices are also reasonable. The bibimkuksu dish costs less than $10 and the portions are good. I never leave hungry. I always leave full.
If you want real, authentic Korean food...I would totally recommend this place. i eat here often with the family. The food is good, but can't say about anything else...
The parking has a small valet, service (it's korean...we all know korean service ain't the best) and they have these really uncomfortable chairs that fit literally half of my ass cheek.
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Wow, this place is amazing! Excellent Korean BBQ (though I am not expert) and a fun time. We had a long wait because it was slammed at 8pm on a Friday night - go figure. But they were funny and nice while we waited and the other people that had to wait were funny too. Made the time go by less excruciatingly. We had the BBQ for 2 even though there were 3 of us and it was plenty! The meat was seasoned perfectly and cooked to perfection. We also had an enormous bowl of spicy shredded meat soup or something along those lines, it was a delightful soup. The kimchi is hands down some of the best, and I have a picky palate. The greens and tofu were stand outs as well as whatever that paste is.
I liked the service, they were funny and chatty. Definitely would go back but next time I don't think we'll bring our own wine. $110 corkage is a bit much. Beer comes with the meal though!
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Surly waitresses shouldn't dissuade you visiting this homestyle Korean nest. Getting their attention is hard, and the wooden benches are harder, but the portions are large and the panchan pleasing and plentiful. In fact one of the panchan was an extremely tender beef that I've never had the likes of anywhere north OR south of Wilshire. However, only come here to eat. If you're looking for employ as a dishwasher, go elsewhere because the volume of ceramic dishes this place goes through in a night would surely drive you mad.
Parking is a to-do, but take your cue from the lot full of Mercedes and go valet. It's only two bucks.
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After driving by the place 2 times because its hidden far back in the corner of the parking lot, we walked in to find a restaurant that was much smaller than many of the bbq places I've been to in the past. This place was packed, but we were still seated within 15 minutes. not bad
The menu is easy for korean bbq novices such as myself, since they have combinations a, b, and c, which mixed different types of marinated beef and pork.
I wasn't too impressed with the banchan, which was the reason I came here in the first place. They seemed to be all some variation of kimchi, with no meat or fish.
anyways, overall the meat was excellent and I'd definitely like to return and sample some more of the menu with someone who knows their k-bbq
A brief review. Food excellent! Service adequate. Overall a 4 star place for me. This was the second time dining here. First time we all mostly had the black cod casserole that many Yelpers were raving over. It was good, but just to me... it was not to die for, but it was quite tasty and a good item to share amongst the 11 of us foodies.
We had the spicy pork which was tasty but hard to cook as the marinade was a bright orange and it was difficult to tell when the meat was cooked. The galbi(short ribs) was good but the bulgoggi was a bit unusual. Well it was called something else, sorry can't remember the name, but it came to the table frozen and in very thin rolled up slices. The Korean pancake was great and the panchan was all good. Loved the soybean paste and this place served red leaf lettuce to go with our meat dishes. The kimchee was delicious as well and I appreciated at they give us a ton of fresh garlic to throw on the bbq and peppers panchan.
Eleven of use were a bit cramped in one big table, but it made for a cozy experience. Foodie Extraordinaire Erica was out guide and ordered all the dishes for us and it was great. Oh, they do not sell chap chae which astounds me. I had a little more fun the first time I came here, but there it was dinner and we drank copious amounts of sake and KBeers.
Good street parking and there is a parking lot. Good for groups of 10 to use the table we sat at. They also have a private room where you sit on the floor using a low table, I guess we should try that sometime.
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Thieves! Food was good, above average banchan, but they ripped us off! I swear they padded our bill by at least 30%. If you decide to go, I would be extra careful when paying the bill. Why we didn't notice at the table is beyond me. Oh yeah, I know why.
One of the better Korean homey style restaurants I've been to. It has Korean BBQ, but it's more of a comprehensive, all around Korean cuisine kind of a place, since they have a very extensive menu that ranges from noodles to fishes. I came here twice and tried the ssap with bulgoki, the dolsot bibimbap w/ root vegetables, the yellow corviana fish, the pike mackerel, and cuttlefish green onion pancake.
Overall, their food is very good. Their banchan consists of unique choices and are pretty fresh, which is something I don't encounter at many Korean restaurants. The entrees themselves are very tasty and authentic, especially the bibimbae and the ssap. Cooked pretty well and of good quality. And I should also point out that the seaweed soup here is amazing. One of the bests I've ever tasted.
In all, I recommend this restaurant. Although not the best Korean food I've ever had, it's pretty close. Hardcore traditionists and food connoisseurs should find favor with the tastes of this place. In other news, the decor is practical but clean, and the service is so-so. But my 4 star rating goes to food taste/quality only.
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I like the numerous pan chan they have especially the eggplant and pepper one. We ordered the spicy black cod soup which was pretty good and the cold noodles. I usually don't like cold noodles but the one here wasn't bad at all...not as bland as I thought it would be. They also serve barley iced tea instead of water. I like the little doorbell buttons they have when you want a server to come by. I wish all restaurants had that.
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Number One Hundred! I've been saving it for something special but had no clue what. Lately it's been a sad affair of restricted calories. Unfortuntately, while I've made a lot of new friends since joining yelp, some of them have taken up residence around my middle section. Fat and Happy should be the official yelp motto.
Lukily for me, this weekend was my film school's "almuni conference" (think family reunion) and one of the visiting students, a native of South Korea, introduced us to her favorite Koreatown joint. Even better, she ordered a family-style feast of all her favorite things which made my experience yummier by at least ten fold. I would have just ordered "beef" and a side of "rice", as this was precisely my second KBBQ experience.
Dug the atmosphere. Tucked in the back of the "Olympic-Serrano Plaza", you'll find this place marked only by a sign in Korean. Inside is quaint and homey with brick walls and cozy but long booths perfect for big groups. It was well-lit and cute compared to Soot Bull Jeep's stark and dark environs. Our waitress seemed enamored with our friend who gabbed and giggled with her in Korean. We got enthusiastic service all night.
I just received a thorough text message confirming what we ate (Cos I sure as hell didn't know!)
We started with thumb sized glasses of Sansachun- a sweet wine made of sticky rice, rose essence, and spices. It tasted similar to plum wine.
We feasted on galbi BBQ (beef ribs) which we wrapped in lettuce leaves with bean paste and various condiments. The bean paste was spicier than Soot Bull Jeep's and my lame pallate had to rise to the occasion. Of course I had a bowl of rice to tame the burn. There was also a refreshing shredded green salad-like side and some cold marinated tofu to assist the tongue cooling.
A big yellow blob placed next to me didn't pique my interest until other people dug in and started making yummy noises. It was Haemul Pajeon (seafood pancake) and it looked like a cross between a pizza and a frittata, but tasted like neither. It was doughy and soft (something like a thick crepe) with calamari and some extremely friendly but not spicy flavors mixed in. There was egg involved but it was not a prevalent texture or flavor. I'm not sure if this description is selling it but I can tell you it was crazy delicious and the best thing I ate that night.
We also had bibimbap (fried rice with veggies and bean sprouts) which has a nice sesame oil flavor and all the comfort of a bowl of carbs.
As if this wasn't enough there was a cauldron of duenjang chigae- a hearty and spicy bean paste stew brimming with mushrooms and tofu that I loved in spite of my spice-puss tongue (who may in fact by evolving, yay!)
I am now a fan of Korean food. Some of the others had trouble with parts of the ribs that were unchewable, but I liked the flavor so well that i just sucked happily on the cartildege bits. Everyone in our group, both the KBBQ virgins and old timers, really enjoyed this meal. It was a sensational way to reunite with some very beloved individuals. I would probably come back here before Soot Bull Jeep for the fantastic vibe and tasty dishes that I now could order myself (I locked the text messege into posterity.)
Each person put in $25, including tip, which seemed like a great deal to me!
Complimentary Valet.
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I've been here maybe four times in the last two years. I have mixed feelings about this place.
First off, the place is always crowded. That's good right? Tells you that something must be good about this place, because people keep coming! Well, it has its downside too. Two of the four times I've been here, they sat us down on the other side of an already occupied table. Usually this is not a problem, but the last time i went there, a family that had a little too much to drink made us feel very uncomfortable (loudness, getting up for them so they could walk out and take a drag, etc.).
Anyways, food-wise, the place has an extensive menu. A fun thing to order is the "ssam bab." It consists of many different varieties of veggies you can wrap your pork or bulgogi in. It also comes with a special "ssam jang"/bean dip that you can use to dip your meat or put in your wrap. The dip is served in a hot stone pot, and usually this is one of the highlights of the ssam bab. Unfortunately, Sa Rit Gol's dip did not meet my tastebud test. It was too salty and tasted too much like a Korean JJajjang (black bean) sauce.
Aside from this though, Sa Rit Gol has yummy side dishes and ok tasting stews--I've had better.
Staff is nice, if you are nice to them. ;) Service can be slow b/c it's so busy, but not too slow. If you go there during prime time, expect to wait...parking is valet in the plaza, but street parking is not hard to find....
This place is hidden in a corner. You can seriously miss it in a blink of an eye, so keep your eyes WIDE open and turn into the plaza, even if you can't find it...because it's there. :)
*Picture Posted*
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This is the place to go for some down home Korean food. The BBQ is tasty and the banchan is good. The spicy black cod is delish. This is my favorite Korean BBQ place.
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good ban chan. Egg custard $1 but good. It's smooth and light.
They have gook su here. Like dong chi mi, bibim gook su etc etc.
the minnow meheun tang was good. And so was the gook su.
Kinda pricey for korean food.
i also tried the al tang, which was good. Had a clean taste.
The noo reung jee dahk jook was bland but good if you don't like lot of flavor. (chicken rice porridge)
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I usually don't eat out at Korean restaurants, because why would I pay money for what my mama cooks me for free?
However, when I am entertaining guests and they want some Korean food, I can't very well put my mama to work, and I'm not going to take them to some dank bar on Wilshire and subject them to gizzards and bundaegi, so I take them to Sa Rit Gol instead-- yeah, yeah, everyone wonders why I don't take people to Shik Do Rak, but my guests are usually travelling folks and I don't like to send them away with the royal funk of burnt meat clinging to them for days on end. I'm trying to be considerate here, people.
Anyway, yes, panchan is great, the black cod soup is bonkers, and the service is totally shitty. Loves it.
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Last July, I organized my quarterly "Quartet" dining series for my group and this time around, we focused on checking out 4 Korean BBQ restaurants, one a week for a whole month. The chosen four were: ChoSun Galbee, Shik Do Rak, Soot Bull Jeep and Sa Rit Gol. Considering that there are over 600 hundred restaurants in Koreatown, with quite a few of them being Korean BBQ places, it was hard to narrow them down. Eventually, after a lot of research (Chowhound, opinions, articles, food critics), I chose the four restaurants that I felt each had something unique to offer.
(see earlier reviews on ChoSun Galbee, Shik Do Rak and Soot Bull Jeep)
Finally, our Korean BBQ foursome ends with Sa Rit Gol. When I had read about Sa Rit Gol, the one thing that stood out from all the writings is that they are known for their excellent panchan and I can definitely see why now. The cool thing about Sa Rit Gol is that there were things that we ate and drank that you didn't see at either of the three previous restaurants.
For example, upon our arrival, instead of water, we all got iced barley tea, which by the way, was very refreshing. While the panchan included the potato salad, mung beans and cabbage kimchee that seems to be the standard, we also were treated to marinated watercress, a "greens" kimchee (maybe, spinach?) and a squash salad. All the panchan were absolutely delicious with lots of flavor and a kickiness to them. Of the four restaurants, I enjoyed Sa Rit Gol's kimchee the best. Just looking at the deep red of the sauce, you already know that their kimchee was going to give you a great mouth zing.
As for our meats, one of the things we ordered was a short rib, which while not marinated, was very good. Unlike the other meats at the other three restaurants, this short rib was cooked while still on the bone with garlic and with a sprinkle of sea salt. I'm not sure if leaving the bone intact makes a difference or not, but even without marinade, the meat was really tasty. Before eating, our waitress actually cut the meat off the bone and in pieces, so that we wouldn't have any trouble eating it.
Other grilled meats that we ordered included thinly sliced beef that was cooked with onions and garlic, bulgogi and spicy pork. All the meats were excellent and you can really tell that the meat quality was above par. While the meats at Shik Do Rak could have improved ten-fold with some kind of marinade, the ones that didn't have marinade at Sa Rit Gol still would have made the meal.
Along with the barbecue, we also ordered a mung bean pancake, which I enjoyed, but believe it or not, I liked the one at Shik Do Rak better, but considering that everything else met and exceeded my expectations, I'm not going to cry over one mung bean pancake. Finally, our meal ended with an iced honey tea, which was a nice way to cleanse our palate
Overall, this was a wonderful "Quartet." It was a great way to compare similar foods and to see how much the same or different they are from each other and the same goes for the 4 restaurants where we did our "Korean BBQ" tastings for the whole month of July. Even all the grills differ between ChoSun Galbee, Shik Do Rak, Soot Bull Jeep and Sa Rit Gol, from shape to gas vs. charcoal. But in the end, it's really all about our preference and for this particular foursome, Soot Bull Jeep and Sa Rit Gol were winners in my book. :)
To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/...
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this place is hidden in a plaza, so FOCUS when you try to find this place. i came here for lunch and dinner b4.
Galbi Tang - the meat is very tender and chewy, but the soup is a bit plain, and you will need to add some salt and pepper to balance it.
Spicy cold noodle with no soup ..........very chewy and spicy!!! very flavorful.
Yellow bean porridge with pork - it's taste good with rice and the sauce that they provided which is pepper and spicy sauce and sesame.
They have many quality side dishes. steam eggs, bean sprout, tofu, kimchi, beans etc......
I think it's was kinda expensive cuz i had galbi tong at this other place b4, and it's a lot more. *if you check my other review* The size is still good, but just not enough meat for me to chew. lol~~~ i love chewy meat and soup. It's healthy and less salty and msg.
They also has BBQ as well, but i never have it b4.
it's good for a regular weekday's dinner or lunch when you don't have to impress your date.
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I would like to thank my fellow yelpers for the recommendation. Without you guys, there is no way that I would've found this great BBQ place.
Excellent panchan. To my knowledge, Sa Rit Gol won the bronzed cabbage for having the best kim chi. Since I am not an expert in kim chi so I couldn't really tell the difference. But don't get me wrong, it was good. The tofu and string beans panchan were quite delicious as well.
Now to the BBQ, the Galbi was flavorful and tender. What really surprised me was the pork belly. They were thicker than most places, but not as oily and heavy. It went well w/ the lettuce and bean paste. I like the fact that they cooked for you. As far as BBQ is concerned, it's definitely on my top 2. We also ordered the cod stew, which is a pretty common dish, and it was a hit. Unlike most places that simply covered the cod w/ thick spicy sauce. This one was on the lighter side. It was not overwhelming and it had a nice sweet/spicy taste.
What truly make this meal great was the service. Prior to the meal, we were expecting the worse simply based on other yelpers' reviews. Initially, the waitress treated us as she would with any other customers (but she was not rude or anything). She chit-chated w/ us in chinese (there are several waitresses who are chinese/korean) as she cooked the meat. After a while, she began to share some personal stories with us and it was kind of touching. Oh yea and she was pretty attentive.
Anyhow, it was just a great meal that garnished with some pleasant surprises.
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I used to come here every other day a few years back cause the service and food used to rock. Seriously. The waitresses knew me and my father by name and always asked about whatever I was reading (always brought a book with me to read while waiting..). They were really generous on all the sides and meals, which were delicious. I have some REALLY fond memories of this place.
But as of late, it's gone down the proverbial toilet. Changed management and employees quite a few times, and nowadays it's overpriced and not as tasty. Do yourself a favor and go eat naengmyon at the restaurant next door (forget the name, but you can't miss it) instead. If BBQ is your thing, drive a bit down Olympic to Manna instead (all-you-can-eat bbq for like $16/person).
I've been here twice, and both times I wasn't sure if I'd be walking out because I was so full. Loved it.
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This is my favorite Korean BBQ place. Tried a bunch. Chosun is good too, but ritzier. This has an authentic feel, not that I'd know or anything.
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1/27/08 ** Edit, edit, edit!!!
I went there today after quite a 3-4 month absence... I am sad to say that this place has gone downhill.
Their banchan has dwindled to a minimum 4 plate and they were just mediocre.
Worst of all was the service. The women were all pretty rude. We had to ask them to bring out everything (things that came with our order) and then they would give me the rudest look as if they were pissed that my meat came with dehn-jhang chigae.
My friend (non-Korean) and I frequent Korean restaurants about 2x a week so we were completely un-impressed with the downfall of this once enjoyed establishment.
With that said... we've agreed we will never go here again. There are way too many Korean restaurants that we would want to give our $$ to rude servers. As many of u know, it can get expensive eating KBBQ
*My new favorite spot. Ham Hung on 8th & Ardmore. Delicious, good service, and friendly staff.
MY OLD REVIEW:
The food is really good... Galbi and bulgogi is delicious and tender. They gave about 6-7 banchan plates... all really good. We even got ttuk with filling which surprised me.. I've never seen that given before.
One of the best things about this place is the menu is quite extensive. It seems like a great place to go and try new things, descriptions in English, and has things that I have never seen on the regular Korean restaurant menu.
Kimchee chigae... although large was only mediocre... BUT i will definately be back.
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By far the BEST Korean food I have ever had!
If you can find this place it will be well worth it. Tucked away in the corner of an obscure strip mall in the heart of Korea Town sits a little piece of heaven.
You don't come here for the service, you come here for the food which stands completely on it's own. I'm willing to be subjected to slow service as long as I have the honor of eating their amazing BBQ.
I recommend to let them do the cooking for you. It will taste much better! We had the traditional bul gogi but we also had their marinated pork BBQ which was amazing. We also had a fish dish which was cooked to perfection! Our friend Sonia, who introduced us to this place did the ordering and had us try a large assortment of dishes and had us experiment with the various different sides that come with it.
Try the plum soju it pairs well.
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The last time I came around to this restaurant was about 5 months ago. Most of my friends like it here because of the good food. U could come here for 2 and spend about $40.00. I've been here several times and service "pretty bad" compare to some other places ive been too. Everything is fine but one thing I cant forgive "Roaches" please clean the restaurant. Last time I was here eating w/ a friend I saw a huge roach I screamed and my friends told me to shut up. But really can't stand them. It wasn't even small, it was huge. Ever since, haven't been there. It would of been 5stars if it wasn't for that. They need to pay more attention to there grade "B". Purhaps next time I pass through and they have a " A" ill stop by again.
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My favorite Korean restaurant in Ktown. My parents, who think all Korean restaurant food is at best par, even like this place. They have your Korean restaurant staples: Soju, lots of ban-chan, beer, BBQ grill with a variety of meats, rice, not sure if the wait staff speak english...
But my favorite dish there: Eun-deh-goo Jo-rim (Braised Silver Fish...or something like that). The best I've had at any restaurant. If anyone else has had better, PLEASE let me know.
The place isn't very large, so parties of 4 or less are recommended. Parking's a pain in their little lot, but drive around the block and you'll find a spot.
On the recommendations of others on Yelp, I decided to drive out to K-town and try this place. I have to say it was a bit disappointing. The food was good enough but the service was atrocious! I've never sat around for so long without being served, and I'm used to Korean restaurants. Even after I spoke Korean to the waitresses they wouldn't serve our table. How aggravating!
So while the food was good, I wouldn't go back and deal with the rude wait staff again.
Update: I capitulated and went back because I was in the mood for Korean food without dealing with high prices. I have to say, this time the food was even better, and while service again left much to be desired, the food (especially their stews) makes it worth it.
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I've been a loyal patron of Sa Rit Gol for the past 4 years ever since my Korean employee highly recommended this place. Besides the panchan and meats which is always good, one of my favorite dish is the cod stew which is always a hit when we bring friends there. For those who dare to venture into more exotic foods, try the spicy raw crab dish.
For my fellow Chinese Yelpers, there are a couple of waitresses there that speak Chinese that will recommend dishes if you ask.
Simply put: Sa Rit Gol lived up to the hype. The banchan was excellent--and I loved the faux-earthen-ware dishes. The meat was tasty and plentiful. Their non-meat dishes also looked quite tasty, especially the hot pot ('jun gol', in korean) stews that were getting a lot of love by all the serious koreans there. Really, the food quality was quite high. A solid introduction for the newbies and a solid go-to joint for the veterans.
That's my quickie review. I'm too stuffed to think up a longer review. Slowly drifting to food coma as I type this...but got work left to do... Snap.
The service isn't the best here, but it's typical of a restaurant like this. However, the food is always great, and they give you a bigger assortment of banchan than most other Korean restaurants in the area. I will continue to go back. It's hidden away in the corner of a little strip mall on Olympic and Serrano.
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I like to eat here because of the horrible service. It builds character.
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Oh I love this place. It's true you have to sit on wooden benches, but for about $25/person, they will stuff you with tons of delicious korean bbq, side dishes, and soju.
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actually 3.5 stars. decent korean bbq. nice panchan. there was a gas leak in our grill, so i felt like there was a subtle chance that i would pass out at any given moment.
the spicy cod soup was amazing though. big chunks of tofu, vegetables, and a rich, spicy broth. highly recommended.
the homemade rice wines are not to be missed. they were out the night i went recently, but the milk rice wine in clay pot is really tasty and creeps up on you like a pickpocket in times square. tambeh!
i'm more into the flavor at some other places like shik do rak and soot bul jeep, but this is always a nice experience.
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Excellent Korean food. Very popular and busy during dinner hours. Wait can be long but, worth it. My Korean friends took me there and we had this delicious miso based soup with tofu and veggies. MMMMM. Spicy octopus can't be beat either. Of course, we had kalbi. MMMMM. Steamed egg was good, too!