Ham Ji Park - It's Porkalicious! (Los Angeles)

Ham Ji Park, one of the first Korean restaurants I visited when I moved to Los Angeles three years ago, and to this day, it's one of my favorites. While the food and decor is nothing fancy, this place serves Korean "comfort food" at its finest.

On this visit, I came with Jackie of Citynitz and her boyfriend David and we were all starving. Usually I'd get 1 order of pork ribs and 1 order of the famous pork neck/potato soup (gamja tang) and it'll feed 3 easily, but since we let our stomaches order for us, we got an extra squid dish.

Panchan (반찬)

Here we have the usual 반찬 served at Korean restaurants. Kim chi, Gakdukkee, potatoes, among others. Nothing fancy, and nothing really stood out, but you're not here for the side dishes (반찬). Next!

Marinated Pork Ribs - $16.99

I have to say, these ribs are tender, flavorful and just simply delicious. When you visit Ham Ji Park, this is THE dish to order. Served on a bed of onions, the ribs were marinated in daenjang (fermented soy bean paste) and other seasonings. There's not much I could say, but try it, it's VERY good!

Pork Neck & Potato Soup (Gam Ja Tang) - $15.99

Since I'm a fan of soup, I actually prefer this over the pork ribs. Paired with a bowl of rice (bap), the pork meat was fall off the bone tender, and the soup spicy, yet not too much so. One thing that was disappointing on this trip was that the potato served in the soup was still actually raw, unlike the previous 20+ trips here. Maybe I came on an off day, but the raw potato took away something from the dish, albeit slightly.

Spicy Squid with Noodles - $17.99

This was a dish that Jackie insisted on ordering and it was solid as always. It's hard to go wrong with squid, hot pepper paste (gochujang), and noodles. The spicy squid provided a nice contrast for the noodles.

More pictures of the squid noodle dish

All in all, Ham Ji Park provided me with another solid, if not great dinner. Other than the raw potatoes found in the soup, everything I had tasted familiar, and delicious. This is a family operated restaurant, and the service can range from brisk to excellent (It definitely helps to have a Korean speaker present, but you should have no trouble ordering in English). If you have more room, Bouchon is a few steps away, as is the famous Ice Kiss for their Korean shaved ice (pa bing su), but their quality has gone down in the past few years. Nevertheless, check out Ham Ji Park, especially if you're craving something warm and hearty!

*Note* Street parking sucks around here, but there's valet parking to the side (across from Chevron on Catalina) for $1.50 with validation.


Final Grade

• Taste: 4.5 out of 5
• Decor: 3.5 out of 5
• Service 3.5 out of 5

Ham Ji Park
3407 W. 6th St. Suite 101-C
Los Angeles, CA 90020
(213) 365-8773