Koreatown Los Angeles
Koreatown Los Angeles is one of the more fascinating neighborhoods in the city of Los Angeles (L.A.). An integral factor in L.A’s DNA is the fact that it is a make up of neighborhoods from cultures spanning the entire globe.
Even though L.A.’s more renowned mainstream enclaves like Hollywood, Venice, Santa Monica, and Beverly Hills often steal the spotlight, we would not be painting an accurate picture of Los Angeles if we ignored important ethnic enclaves such as Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Little Bangladesh, Thai town, and Little Ethiopia, just to name a few.
In this post however, we are going to focus on Koreatown Los Angeles. Koreatown Los Angeles is a three square mile area in central L.A. bordered by West Olympic Boulevard, West 3rd street, South Vermont Avenue and South Western Avenue.
It is referred to by locals simply as K-Town, an interesting fact about Koreatown is that even though a lot of Americans of “South Korean origin” have chosen to call this portion of Los Angeles home, a majority of K-Town’s residents in recent times are of Spanish ancestry.
Furthermore, what makes Koreatown unique is that it tells an unromanticized story of what Los Angeles is all about.
The story of Koreatown is one that is often defined by the resilience of the migrant communities that have chosen to make it home.
Koreatown’s nightlife, restaurants, and shopping malls are so unique that enough time here could leave one convinced that they have teleported to a city in Asia.
All in all, we believe if a tourist were to visit Los Angeles, a stop in Koreatown is necessary for a truly authentic L.A. experience.
Getting To Koreatown Los Angeles
As strange as it may seem to anyone visiting L.A., getting around is best done by car so we always advise renting one.
In the absence of being able to get your hands around a steering wheeling, patronizing a ride sharing app like UBER or using public transportation is your next best option.
There are two metro stops that can get one to the heart of K-Town, the first is “Wilshire/Normandie” and the other is “Wilshire/Western” both on the purple line.
The Los Angeles Metro website – Metro.net is a good resource on how to get around Los Angeles using the metro rail. Once at this metro stop, one can easily get a taxi, or use the bus to get to your chosen destination in Koreatown.
Things To Do In Koreatown Los Angeles
Koreatown is very spread out and can actually leave a first time tourist confused on arrival. There is no one center around which things revolve so walking around would prove futile.
Our advice is to pick a venue to visit in Koreatown and stick to it. Here are some things to do while in Koreatown.
Restaurants
Koreatown is an amazing place for food due to the Asian and Hispanic influences that have come to define this part of Los Angeles. From 24 hour restaurants to food trucks, Koreatown has enough variety to keep a foodie permanently salivating.
Some must go restaurants in this part of town include:
- Kang Ho-dong Baekjeong
- Park’s Barbeque
- Pollo a La Brasa
- Myung In Dumplings
- Mazinga Z
- Gaam
For a more in depth information on some of the best eateries in Koreatown, resources like Zomato and Yelp will be useful.
Shopping
There are lots of shopping options in Koreatown, from night markets to bigger shopping malls. We have listed some shopping options below:
- koreatown Plaza
- Koreatown Galleria
- Koreatown night market
Nightlife
The nightlife in Koreatown is epic and in recent times has been taken to new heights. There are lots of nightlife options in Koreatown from karaoke bars to
Nightclubs, and Bars.
Of significance are the Houston brothers who are nightlife aficionados and have brought their nightlife expertise to Los Angeles in the way of “The Line Hotel”. At The Line Hotel, there is a restaurant, bar, and nightclub called Breakroom 86.
For more on Koreatown nightlife, please use the resources we have provided: Koreatown Nightlife
Spas
If you have ever been to South Korea, you would know Spa culture is big over there. For the same reasons, there are tons of spas in Koreatown that are perfect to detox after a night out in Koreatown.
Some spas you must visit while in Koreatown include:
- Daengki Spa
- Olympic Spa
- Wi Spa
- Natura Spa
Final Note
In conclusion, koreatown is one of L.A’s up and coming neighborhoods. It is definitely worth a visit for anyone coming to Los Angeles.
The food is cheaper, the experience more authentic and tells a better tale of everyday Los Angelenos than any other neighborhood in the city.
In our next post, we shall visit a part of Los Angeles synonymous with wealth, status, and excess — Beverly Hills
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