Yuk Dae Jang San Gabriel
Korean restaurant · San Gabriel ·
Hearty Korean comfort food: yukgaejang, bossam, galbi jjim, cold noodles
Hearty Korean comfort food: yukgaejang, bossam, galbi jjim, cold noodles
"There are more than 220 YukDaeJang stores in Korea, with five in Southern California and just one in the SGV. Especially during the pandemic, I feel like I should eat mostly at tiny family-owned or independent shops, but there’s a reliability to this place that makes me happy. That means galbi jjim (beef short ribs), bossam (pork belly), and the namesake of yukgaejang (spicy shredded brisket stew in an ox bone broth) with toothsome ahjumma-made pasta that I can count on. When that ox bone flavor hits you, you realize that this place is all about the juice. With a small outdoor seating tent, this is a reliable spot to gather with your pod - when you’re done, pop over to Bopomofo Cafe for a refreshing boba from YouTube star Phil Wang." - dakota kim
"It’s hard not to feel an indecisive pull when driving up to this plaza with some of San Gabriel’s best Korean and Chinese restaurants, including a Bonchon fried chicken and the famous Hui Tou Xiang Noodles. But stay focused and head for Yuk Dae Jang. An outdoor tent lets you sit outside to sweat it out and savor the cold, sweet broth in the hot weather. A Korean chain from the motherland, this place’s specialty - yukgaejang - has an influence on its naengmyeon. Instead of brisket slices, this naengmyeon is topped with long, shredded strands of beef that resemble pulled pork. Mu radish is sliced extra-thin and spicy here, and the ice is plentiful in the broth." - dakota kim
"It was another rainy weekend in the city, so soup was calling my name yet again; my cousins and I shared a large yukgaejang hot pot along with a plate of bossam and its accompanying banchan, and expressions of joy were the only conversations we had when the dishes arrived. The yukgaejang’s broth generously coated shredded beef, tofu, and shimeji mushrooms as we mixed everything together, making for a hearty bite each time; the broth itself was just right — spicy, rich, and smoky. We added ramyun noodles too, which completed our requirements for a rainy-day soup, and I’d recommend gathering friends to savor a heaping bowl of yukgaejang or any of the other soups on the menu." - Eater Staff
"There’s nowhere I’d rather be than in front of a bowl of Korean cold noodles when the sun’s blazing and temperatures are climbing. My current favorite bowl of naengmyeon is served at Yuk Dae Jang in San Gabriel, which bests Yu Chun Chic Naeng Myun in Koreatown, in my humblest of opinions. The naengmyeon’s icy, tangy, and highly slurp-able broth cools from the inside, while its thin and chewy buckwheat noodles are light but filling somehow. Hot mustard and vinegar is served on the side for adjusting the soup’s profile, but I find it pitch-perfect as-is. —Cathy Chaplin" - Eater Staff
"I turn to this San Gabriel spot for icy, tangy naengmyeon when it’s hot—the broth cools you from the inside and the thin chewy buckwheat noodles are light yet unexpectedly filling; hot mustard and vinegar come on the side but I find the soup pitch-perfect as served. On another visit the restaurant’s signature yuk gae jang impressed me most with chile-spiked ox bone broth, plentiful Angus brisket, and silky handmade noodles—the portions are large enough to share." - Eater Staff
