Koreatown Newcomer Lee Ga Is One Of LA’s Most Comforting Restaurants

Lee Ga, an unassuming Koreatown restaurant that serves soul-warming Korean soup, noodles and other comfort food, has established itself as one of the best new restaurants in Los Angeles. While it specializes in naengmyeon (buckwheat noodles, made on-site by an imported machine that was customized for the restaurant and has become a bit of a social-media sensation) and seolleongtang (ox bone soup), Lee Ga excels at numerous things simultaneously.

The plump handmade mandu, including an option loaded with kimchi, pork and beef, are some of the city’s best dumplings. The kimchi, made with a generous amount of oysters, is umami-rich, oceanic and deeply savory. (Many guests make a point of coming back to Lee Ga largely because the kimchi here just hits different.) The galbi, marinated short rib that’s been charcoal-broiled, is juicy and flavorful if you want some Korean barbecue. The soo yook, giant trays of tender boiled brisket or beef cheek or assorted choice cuts, is a wonderful family-style feast.

For many guests, the naengmyeon is the main event at Lee Ga. That’s understandable because this dish isn’t prevalent in Los Angeles. Order Lee Ga’s spicy version of the cold noodles for a pleasant balance of heat, acid and a little sweetness. Slurp up the springy noodles and the multi-layered broth.

For the most comforting option on the menu, though, get some hot soup. The simultaneously clean and rich seolleongtang, which you can get with brisket or oxtail or neck bones among other options, is habit-forming. Add some kimchi and eat it all with rice. This is the kind of food that restores you, that recalibrates your mood, that sets the tone for the beginning or the end of a day well-spent. (Lee Ga is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Monday.)

Lee Ga, especially when you factor in the generous set meals here that come with naengmyeon, soo yuk and soju, feels like a total-package restaurant. You want to go back again and again. You think about returning to the restaurant the moment you finish your meal. You want to bring a lot of people, but you also know that it would be totally fine to come alone for a combo meal of noodles and dumplings and take leftovers home.

That’s saying a lot in a city loaded with Korean soup specialists. It’s understandable if you’re partial to specific dishes at mainstays like Sun Nong Dan (which recently opened a second Koreatown location) or Jinsol Gukbap or Han Bat or Yuk Dae Jang (which recently opened a Rowland Heights outpost) or Sulga or even Musse in Northridge. You can have a terrific meal at any of those restaurants.

But the greatness of Lee Ga, which attracts Koreatown elders but also the proprietors of new-school Korean restaurants like Yangban and Chimmelier, is undeniable. This destination stands out even in a city that has the best Korean food outside of Korea. Lee Ga is doing familiar things with love and a high level of skill and care. Sometimes, that and an imported noodle machine are all you need.