The last supper meal – Korean BBQ

Ok so first, if you’re a vegetarian, look away. This post is not for you.

If you are a lover of all things Korean Food, this post is totally for you.

Our last visit to L.A. we took our kids on a food tour of some of our favorite places and to show them how diverse the food scene is in big cities. We live in a small town that has few diverse cuisine options. We hit up Cuban, Japanese, Greek, Mexican, French and my all time favorite…Korean!

The last few trips to LaLa land I had been wanting to trek down to Koreatown specifically to eat at this restaurant which every foodie, reputable chef and Korean food lover knows about. And on this last trip, we finally did it! Parks BBQ!!!

Being Korean American means you have a deep and true love for Korean BBQ and honestly people this place lived up to the hype for K-town BBQ. This was seriously like last supper type of food. Beyond!

For those of you who have never tried Korean BBQ (I’m shaking my head at you like a little Korean Mother right now! Tsk Tsk) and may be intimidated by how it all works, let me break it down for you.

Right out of the gate your server places down a bunch of tiny dishes filled with bite-sized portions of food. These free side dishes come with the meal. They are called banchan in Korean and are shared at the table. Don’t be afraid. Some look exotic and different but trust me this is like how the side dishes at Thanksgiving steal the show. Parks banchan’s were by far some of the best I’ve ever had and their kimchi was forking amazing! You’ll see seasoned spinach, bean sprouts, marinated cucumbers, kimchi two or three ways but my favorite are the rice wrappers that you tuck all your meat and goodies in like a little heavenly present for your tastebuds. I mean seriously, Koreans think of everything!

It was a religious experience and my hubby kept laughing at me because I couldn’t stop smiling. Literally died and gone to heaven.

Then you order your meats. At Parks they had a rad combo menu where you could order a mix of different cuts of meat. I can’t recall the exact one we got because of the food coma that overtook me after this meal but I do know that it had Parks original marinated gal bi (It’s a specific cut of beef) the bulgogi (another cut of specialty beef), Wagyu and I think brisket point and one other. Too many to count really.

You cook it yourself on the built in bbq that is part of your table but every now and then a server will come over and make sure you’re not screwing it up. Pro tip: You will also learn that it’s so much easier to cut meat with full on scissors and you’ll wonder why you haven’t been doing this with all your kids food.

We also ordered the seafood pancake and the glass noodles (jap chae) because the whole cow we ate might not have been enough. My kids made fun of me because in typical Korean fashion I over ordered like a beast. Mama wasn’t playing. I was going to have the full on Parks carnivorous BBQ Experience and When in Koreatown as they say…

So if you are in L.A. run, don’t walk to Parks BBQ and treat yourself to one of the best dining experiences of your life. Seriously you guys I wouldn’t post this crappy picture of myself if I didn’t wholeheartedly endorse this place.

xoxo Sj

Parks BBQ | 955 S. Vermont Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90006 | (213) 380-1717