Park’s BBQ & Quality Meat In LA’s Koreatown

Park’s BBQ is very famous among the locals in Los Angeles and everyone has heard about Park’s BBQ.  They have a wall of fame.  The pictures contain anyone from Iron Man, Yoshihiro Akiyama, 2pac/Biggie before the beef and Taylor Swift with Kimye before the video.

The name could be a bit deceiving cause the restaurant isn’t located in a park and there isn’t any coal or wood to barbecue.  The restaurant is situated in LA’s Korea Town district on Vermont and Olympic.  The service was good enough but it wasn’t great.  It’s on par with all the other Korean restaurants in the area and the decor is typical Korean restaurants.  Park’s BBQ comes with all your typical characteristics of a Korean restaurant, which include no ventilation, signature bell service, valet parking, and small plaza.  I know!  What a novelty!?

However, unlike most Korean BBQ spots, it’s not AYCE (i.e., All You Can Eat) and there’s multiple high-end American beef cuts from top American Wagyu breeds.  That’s as high-end as you can get when it comes to American Beef.  There are multiple Los Angeles and Orange County AYCE Korean BBQ spots people rave about having high-end proteins on Yelp.  It’s simply not true cause 1) it’s not economically possible for a restaurant to stay in business charging $10-20 for AYCE on high-end beef and 2) Yelpers are stupid idiots who don’t know what they’re talking about.

With every Korean meal, complementary banchans are the first to arrive at the table.   It’s an assortment of pickled veggies, kim chi and potatoes.  The real star out of the banchans was this meat stew type of dish.  The simple flavors is perfect for simple minded people like myself.  Now, onto the red meat as I pound my chest and grunt.

1. American Wagyu Rib Eye – The Rib Eye cut tend to be more fatty, tender and buttery than other cuts on the cow.  In addition, Park’s chooses cattle raised without antibiotics and hormones, which made me question why I was dining there.  The marbling was good for American beef; however, it’s a complete joke compared to A5 Japanese Wagyu or Kobe beef.  On the flip side, American Wagyu or Kobe-style beef doesn’t come with the price tag of A5 Japanese Wagyu or Kobe beef.  The flavor of the Rib Eye was robust and much better than a lot of the stuff you get at other KBBQ establishments.  All it needed was a little salt and pepper for seasoning or some cheese with your whine?

   

2. Beef Briskets – Briskets are one of the typical Korean BBQ cuts on the menu.  Park’s choice of briskets tend to be a little more lean unlike myself year round.  It didn’t take long to cook on the grill and the burnt edges brought more flavor to the briskets.  It’s the perfect beef cut to dip in sesame oil with salt and pepper and you’ll come out of the restaurant smelling like a million bucks.

   

Overall, Park’s BBQ is probably one of the best Korean BBQ establishments in an area saturated with Korean BBQ restaurants.  It’s an upscale take with quality American beef and typical Korean service.  However, don’t expect white table cloths or exceptional service.  It’s no Denny’s.