Three Los Angeles restaurants have been newly designated as “Excellent Korean Restaurants” by the Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korean Food Promotion Institute. The announcement is part of the ministry’s ongoing Korean restaurant awards program, which evaluates global Korean restaurants across 27 criteria, including taste, food quality, and the use of Korean-grown ingredients.
Among the seven newly designated restaurants worldwide, three are in Los Angeles: Soowon Galbi, Baru, and Daedo Sikdang LA.
Soowon Galbi, opened in 1996 in LA Koreatown, is known for its marinated short ribs made from USDA Premium Black Angus. The restaurant ages the meat for 48 hours before grilling. After a full renovation last year, it expanded to 3,500 square feet and adopted a modern Korean barbecue style. It also continues to serve popular Korean dishes such as kimchi jjigae, bulgogi bibimbap, japchae, and doenjang jjigae.
Located in the Downtown Arts District, Baroo, is recognized for its fermentation-focused approach to modern Korean cuisine. The restaurant creates sauces from house-fermented kimchi, beans, and jang, and offers a seven-course tasting menu that highlights experimentation and refinement.
At the corner of 6th and Western, Daedo Sikdang LA has expanded its customer base with classic Korean barbecue dishes such as Angus Beef Prime steak, bulgogi, kkakdugi fried rice, and yukjeon.
Other restaurants newly designated this year include Soon Grill in Paris; Naeum in Singapore; Seoul Restaurant [location not clearly stated in the source]; and Yongbaek Eom, whose listing in the announcement refers to the chef rather than a restaurant.
Launched in 2022, the program aims to strengthen the global image of Korean food and support the qualitative growth of Korean cuisine. Designated restaurants receive benefits such as marketing support and assistance in purchasing Korean ingredients.
The Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced plans to expand the program to 100 Excellent Korean Restaurants worldwide by 2030 to further increase the global competitiveness of Korean cuisine.
BY EUNYOUNG LEE [lee.eunyoung6@koreadaily.com]
