Mo Ran Gak Restaurant - Garden Grove
Korean barbecue restaurant · Garden Grove ·
Korean BBQ with North Korean-style noodles and grilled meats
Korean BBQ with North Korean-style noodles and grilled meats
"Garden Grove is a Korean stronghold, where the shopping plazas are lined with Korean bookstores, chess shops, grocery stores, and barber shops. But the biggest line you’ll find here is at Mo Ran Gak, where people will wait for an hour outside every day (or even two on weekends) for some of the best samgyupsal and chadorbegi in the LA area. So it’s no surprise that the naengmyeon is excellent here - and it’s even beautifully presented, with a neat mound of buckwheat noodles topped with long julienned mu radish and high-quality beef in a succulent beef broth. The bibim naengmyeon leans toward sweet rather than too spicy, though the broth is pleasantly red, and comes with pollack. If you’re torn, order the large bibim naengmyeon and get a free mini mul naengmyeon on the side. For takeout orders, you can grab a combo meal of naengmyeon and kalbi for $22.95." - dakota kim
"For 24 years, Mo Ran Gak has remained a staple in Garden Grove for Korean barbecue and is still one of the few places to find North Korean-style noodles called mul naengmyeon. The cold buckwheat noodles are a specialty of the restaurant, along with the spicy bibim naengmyeon with crunchy bites of radish, cucumber, and Asian pear. They’re best served with grilled galbi, marinated beef short ribs." - Jenn Tanaka
"One of Orange County’s staples, Mo Ran Gak has been serving up Korean barbecue in Garden Grove for over 24 years. Though the restaurant may have garnered initial acclaim for its infamous Pyongyang naengmyeon — which replicates cold buckwheat noodles hailing from North Korea — their Korean barbecue is also a frequent hit among visitors. The naengmyeon and grilled meat are a common pairing, as the refreshing tanginess of the cold broth cuts through the umami flavor of the beef and pork. One can’t go wrong with the various non-marinated and marinated meat combinations, which are accompanied by bowls of steamed egg and either soybean paste stew or seafood silken tofu stew." - Cathy Park
"Garden Grove is a Korean stronghold, where the shopping plazas are lined with Korean bookstores, chess shops, grocery stores, and barbershops. But the biggest line you’ll find here is at Mo Ran Gak, where people will wait for an hour outside every day (or even two on weekends) for some of the best samgyupsal (pork belly) and chadorbegi (microbrisket) in the LA area. So it’s no surprise that the naengmyeon is excellent here - and it’s even beautifully presented, with a neat mound of buckwheat noodles topped with long julienned mu radish and high-quality beef in a succulent beef broth. The bibim naengmyeon leans toward sweet rather than too spicy, though the broth is beautifully red, and comes with pollack. If you’re torn, order the large bibim naengmyeon and get a free mini mul naengmyeon on the side. For takeout orders, you can grab a bargain combo meal of naengmyeon and kalbi for $22.95." - Dakota Kim
"For 24 years I've known this Korean barbecue staple in Garden Grove whose business depended on diners cooking meat at tabletop grills; during the shutdown it's essentially lost all revenue, with only overcast light coming through the windows while a worker cleans the hoods and takeout orders for chewy mulnaengmyeon and some soups and stews trickle in. Owner Dal Lee says doing to-go doesn't even cover rent or utilities, that a PPP loan of roughly $10,000 should help pay rent and keep staff, and that the current shutdown is worse than 2008 — he is also concerned that reopening at reduced capacity would signal conditions aren't fully safe for customers or workers. The restaurant remains one of the few places to find North Korean–style mul naengmyeon and serves spicy bibim naengmyeon with crunchy radish, cucumber, and Asian pear, dishes best paired with grilled galbi (marinated beef short ribs)." - Euno Lee
