HOJOKBAN LA
Korean restaurant · Historic Core ·
Modern Korean restaurant offering contemporary twists on classics
Modern Korean restaurant offering contemporary twists on classics
"Conjuring a dim, intimate Seoul hangout, the space pairs high ceilings and a generous layout with ornate traditional decor and a dash of industrial cool, a look that mirrors an approach to Korean cuisine that feels familiar but undeniably new. A trio of kimchi arrives in small golden bowls—regal, elegant, and properly fermented and piquant—while the kitchen is still buttoning up a few seasonings and sauces. From the menu, the golden-brown truffle potato jeon eats like a dreamy latke, its ultra-crispy disc of carbs covered with bacon, Parmesan, and truffle aioli; pork belly suyuk, slow-simmered in broth but served without the customary soup, resembles an appetizer-sized bossam; Shin Ramen–seasoned fried rice is strange but oddly tasty as naturally savory, tangy chopped kimchi contrasts with the technicolor umami of instant ramen powder; fresh salmon ssambap—seasoned white rice topped with succulent raw salmon cubes, uni, and caviar—might be unfamiliar to first-generation Koreans, but the setup still feels incredibly old school and delectable; and the pre-sliced Hojok galbi is slow-cooked and tender, laid out along the bone and served with a zingy dressed green lettuce salad. Portions aren’t as generous as in Koreatown, since things are sized for snacky sharing, so one jeon for every two people and a gim rice order per person help complete the meal; if cool young Korean Americans make this their new hangout, it might become one of the tougher tables to get in the Arts District." - Matthew Kang
"After nearly a year of anticipation , New York–based modern Korean restaurant Hojokban has arrived in the Arts District just in time for the brisk winter evening air in Los Angeles. The operation comes in tandem with the splashy South Korean brand Cafe Knotted , which opened a few days later next door and should draw Instagram influencer types by day. Hojokban’s space conjures a dim, intimate Seoul hangout but with high ceilings and a generous layout that one wouldn’t find in the bustling Korean capital. That dash of industrial cool amid the orante traditional decor illustrates Hojokban’s approach to Korean cuisine: familiar but undeniably new. Parents and grandparents probably wouldn’t recognize a lot of the dishes, like fresh salmon ssambap topped with uni and caviar, but the setup still feels incredibly old-school and delectable. A trio of kimchi comes in small golden bowls, regal and elegant, each banchan properly fermented and piquant. Most tables will order the immense pre-sliced galbi, laid out along the beef bone and served with a dressed green lettuce salad. The golden brown truffle potato jeon looks like a dreamy latke, but whose ultra-crispy disc of carbs comes covered with bacon, Parmesan, and truffle aioli. The kitchen is still buttoning up a few seasonings and sauces, like an inert rosé curry sauce accompanying the pork katsu and the fried chicken that’s frankly coated in too much breading. Still, there’s a lot of promise here, especially if cool young Korean Americans can make it their new hangout, a hole left open when Yangban closed earlier this year." - Eater Staff
"A Seoul-born contemporary Korean restaurant that launched in 2019 (with a New York outpost in 2023) has debuted in the Arts District with a menu that’s modern in style yet firmly rooted in Korean flavors, much of it inspired by CEO Joon Lee’s mother-in-law. Expect jeon and galbi alongside perilla noodles slicked with perilla oil and soy dressing, Hojok galbi glazed in soy then topped with Fresno chiles and peanuts, cold starters like yukhoe (listed as yukhwe) with crispy lotus root chips and yellowtail mulhwe in chilled doenjang broth, and hot bites including budae jjigae reimagined as a pancake, truffle potato jeon with black truffle aioli, and honey fried chicken. Larger plates span pork belly suyuk, a bubbling red-hued maeuntang with monkfish liver, gochujang-glazed chicken on nurungji (crispy rice), and a breaded bone-in pork chop in a cream-infused rosé curry, with finishers like salmon ssambap dotted with uni and caviar, Shin ramyeon fried rice, and truffle jjajangmyeon. Drinks revolve around soju cocktails—the Strawberry Moon (golden barley soju, strawberry shrub, gochugaru salt rim) and the Gim-Let (sesame oil–infused soju, toasted gim syrup)—plus wines by the glass and deep selections of makgeolli, cheongju, and soju, including Red Monkey makgeolli, Jinmaek 22, and Hana Makgeolli yakju. The room echoes the brand’s New York look: a dark, green-and-wood space where a tiled entry leads to a stone bar before a grayscale hillside painting, with globe-lit booths and plant wallpaper; hardware and finishes come from South Korea, and the mood aims for serious cooking that’s still fun, fit for date nights or birthdays. Open Sunday–Thursday 5–9 p.m. and Friday–Saturday 5–10 p.m., with reservations on OpenTable." - Rebecca Roland
"After opening in Seoul and then inNYC, Hojokban now has an LA outpost in the Arts District with a menu that puts creative twists on Korean comfort foods, like truffle potato jeon, spicy octopus tteokbokki, ramen fried rice, and truffle jjajangmyun. They also serve a complimentary spread of banchan, along with a big makgeolli and soju selection." - Cathy Park
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