As LA’s Koreatown has become an entertainment hub with a variety of places to eat and play, and the number of non-Korean residents has increased in recent years, the food scene has become increasingly globalized. As a result, it’s now possible to enjoy foods from all over the world in one neighborhood.
According to the consumer review website Yelp, 27 of the 36 hottest new restaurants in LA Koreatown (about 75%) are global, not Korean. Yelp defines new restaurants as those that opened in the last six months.
Ten of the 36 had burgers and American-style pizza as their signature menu items. There were nine Korean restaurants, six cafes, three Japanese restaurants, three Mexican restaurants, and two Italian restaurants. There was one French, one Thai, and one halal restaurant each.
Italian restaurant Etra, Latin American restaurant Zozo at Maison Midi, pizzeria Naughty Pie Nature, Mexican restaurant Chulita, and other international cuisines were represented in Koreatown. For Korean food, there’s Jilli, a Korean bar, Bitbokki, a ramen restaurant that gives you bitcoin for eating ramen, and Slurp & Sip, a self-serve noodle bar. All of these restaurants feature fusion Korean food rather than traditional Korean food.
Danny Jeon, owner of Kingyubu, a month-old restaurant specializing in yubu sushi, said, “Recently, as Koreatown has changed to a commuter town, there has been a lot of influx of other ethnicities.” “We looked at other areas in Orange County, where many Koreans are moving in, but we chose Koreatown because it has the largest population,” he said. More than 90 percent of his customers are non-Koreans, he added.
“We were looking for a trendy location with a lot of young people,” said an owner of Naughty Pie Nature, which opened six weeks ago. “We decided to open in Koreatown because it’s the most diverse neighborhood,” he said. The restaurant’s signature pizza is the Cosmo, which is topped with mozzarella cheese, Caribbean chili sauce, and Italian sausage. Vegan options are also available, as well as a seasonal secret menu.
“As LA Koreatown has established itself as an entertainment hub for second-generation Koreans and other ethnic groups, it is turning into a commuter town due to the increasing number of multi-family apartments,” said a restaurant industry insider, adding, “More diverse and global restaurants will open in Koreatown in the future.”
BY HAEUN CHUNG, JUNHAN PARK [chung.haeun@koreadaily.com]
