Yangban

Yangban looks different these days and, no, it’s not a phase. Since it opened in 2021, this Arts District spot has reinvented itself on two (three?) occasions, with each iteration inching closer to the upscale Korean-American restaurant it is today. Conceptually, what you’ll find now is the most cohesive Yangban to date, with table service and a more fleshed-out menu than its previous new-wave deli format. And we hope it sticks around. Because even after a few identity crises (and a floor-to-ceiling makeover), Yangban has kept its most redeeming quality: a fun, genre-blurring approach to Korean cooking. Okay, that and the life-changing chicken wings.

photo credit: Stan Lee

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

photo credit: Stan Lee

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

If you haven’t dined here in a few years, you might not recognize the place. Remember the bright, colorful deli where you could order seasonal banchan and buffalo soft serve at the counter? Or the hip bodega on the second floor, where you could shop for soju and Korean snacks? All of that’s gone. Yangban is simply a restaurant disguised as a dark, brooding art gallery, with a coat of black paint and modern art installations that look like charred trees and floating plastic bags.

Despite the highbrow makeover, the menu at Yangban still includes many of the restaurant’s earliest hit dishes—which is a good thing. These Ghosts of Yangbans Past make up the bulk of the highlights, like the crunchy, twice-fried soy-garlic wings, the creamy smoked trout dip with big lumps of fish, and a pot pie filled with lobster and savory congee. And then there’s newer dishes, which make use of Korean ingredients like perilla leaf, gochujang, and kimchi in clever ways, but with varying results. The makgeolli-marinated scallop toast bathed in brown butter and tangy “golden sauce” is so good we suggest ordering one per person, but the delicate gochujang-braised cod is all heat, no flavor. Generally speaking, inconsistent seasoning is our biggest critique of Yangban 3.0, with many entrees and seasonal banchan missing a pinch (or two) of salt.

We’d be lying if we said we didn’t miss Yangban’s casual days when you could leisurely show up on a weeknight for soft serve and beer. But dwelling on that would detract from how gracefully this restaurant has evolved. The experience might be different, but the food at Yangban continues to expand what Korean-American cooking can look and taste like in our city. And that by itself makes it an LA restaurant worth visiting. 

Food Rundown

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Golden Hokkaido Scallop Toast

This scallop toast is super indulgent, but that won’t stop you from inhaling the whole thing. The warm scallops are sweet, and the mayo-y golden sauce is baked or torched to make a nice crust.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Hot Smoked Trout Schmear

We would spend questionable amounts of money on a tub of this fish salad. The plump potato rolls served on are nice, but the extra creamy schmear with an unexpected horseradish kick is the bar. And there’s so much dill. So, so much dill. (A good thing.)

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Banchan

With the exception of the cabbage kimchi, Yangan’s banchan veers from the traditional and showcases beautiful California produce. That being said, the good ol’ kimchi is still our favorite. The honey-glazed carrots are almost sickly sweet, the grilled cucumber salad doesn’t taste like much, and the steamed broccoli is just that: steamed broccoli. The avocado and pear salad with a sweet mustardy vinaigrette is a winner, though.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Matzoh Ball Mandu

An example of carb-on-carb done right. The mandu wrappers are plump and chewy, the matzoh ball filling is schmaltzy and custardy, and the naked chicken broth is just salty enough. It is $26 for three small, golf ball-sized dumplings though, which stings a little when you see the bill.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Yangban Wings

A clear must-order. They’re some of the best (albeit priciest) wings in LA: $36 for four massive chicken wings that are twice-fried so they stay juicy inside and extra-crispy outside. The soy-garlic glaze is less sticky than we remember, but there’s also a zippy kimchi hot sauce great for dunking these chicken flappers.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Stone Pot Rice

This sizzling entree comes with a little show as your server mixes salty bean sprout dashi into a heated stone pot of koshihikari rice tableside. The dish only gets better with time as the rice, garlicky kimchi, and thick-cut pork belly get to know each other and crisp up in the pot.

photo credit: Stan Lee

Buffalo Soft Serve

Similar to the wings, you kind of have to order this. The use of buffalo milk gives the soft serve a slight tang to balance the sweetness, and the custard texture means it slides down our esophagus like a silk cloud. The drizzle of funky, salty doenjang caramel and crunchy puffed rice are nice touches, too.