With a name like Café Kool, you’d expect the joint to be some sort of smoking lounge(it’s halfway true as the smoking section appears to be just as big as the non-smoking area). Actually, this place serves a variety of Korean seafood dishes. Food: Our legit Korean friend suggested we sup on the famed sashimi platter. This meal had perhaps the most side dishes I’ve ever seen in my life. We started with two kinds of pancake( ), quail eggs, salad, snails still in the shell, shrimp, edamame( ), and porridge( ). The portions of each side dish were small but they made sure we had enough to go around. After a brief wait, our giant sashimi platter came out( ). This monster contained all of the usual suspects artfully laid on a bed of shredded daikon: tuna, uni, albacore, salmon, red snapper, and a bunch of other fishy friends with which I’m not familiar. One of the diners at the table was courageous enough to take a chunk of the sliced abalone still in the shell and recoiled when it started wiggling. Now, I like fresh seafood, but not when its still-living flesh is writhing on the plate. Also, this tasted horrible and appeared to be some sort of endangered species that I think is banned. Not sure about that, but yeah, many species of abalone are pretty endangered so I was not cool with the situation. After pigging out on some fairly good quality fish slabs, we were pleasantly surprised by the arrival of more banchan: kimchi veggies( ), a spicy tuna roll( ), a cheese and corn baked dish( ), wasabi veggies( ), jigae( ), fried fish( ), and a rather tasteless-but-props-for-recycling-rice-that-would-probably-be-thrown-away soup( ). I’m going to be frank and just say the wasabi veggies were flat out gross, but everything else was fine. My head is still spinning from all the side dishes… Atmosphere: The restaurant isn’t labeled in English from the street so we had a hard time finding it. Upon entering the area, you suddenly realize that the building must’ve been some sort of concert hall or stage in a past life. Seems like they turned the waiting area into a smoking patio and kept the interior as the non-smoking section. Service: Pretty good. As typical of Korean restaurants, we had very attentive service. Synopsis: Though there was a lot of food and a lot of variety, the price and the quality just did not win any prizes. I wish they had just given more of the good side dishes rather than give us multiple mediocre ones. Also, not a fan of the wriggling abalone.
Liz T.
Place rating: 4 Los Angeles, CA
Can you really go wrong with all-u-can-eat-crab and all-u-can-gorge appetizers??? I think it’s $ 25 for the crabfest and an extra $ 10 if you want all the yummy appetizers. I went with a legitimate Korean source! We had a group of about 10. Had pork katsu and fried chicken appetizers. All good. The crab itself was perfectly steamed and seasoned. I mean I just kept on eating passed the point of pain because you can’t let good crabs burn in crabby hell and leave them uneaten on the table. We also had lots and lots of soju… always a nice way to wash it down. Overall good service, GREAT food. Highly recommended if you’re in the mood to spike up your cholesterol.
Jason A.
Place rating: 3 Cerritos, CA
Shoot… a $ 15 cover charge?! That was already a –1 from the get-go. In exchange, you get one ticket good for one cocktail at the bar, which still doesn’t make the fact that you paid $ 15.00 any painless. I ended up going here with a group of friends for a night out last week. And it’s not because of the original name of the place. Thankfully, we did a little bit of pre-party drinking at my friend’s apartment in Little Tokyo and took a cab here and back, as we were probably in no state to drive. I know what you’re thinking… a cab in Los Angeles? No way. Yes, way man! There were a lot of Korean people here. Then I realized we were in Koreatown. This established a small language barrier, as the only useful thing I know to say is «hello» and«thank you.»(I also know how to say«I love you» from all those Korean soaps, but that using that phrase with a lady here might illicit some stares). As expected, I didn’t understand a damn thing the MC was spewing. I kept a mental tally in my head and I and certain members of my group were the only non-Koreans here that night. I figured I may have to consult the three Korean people in my group for translations. «This is a learning experience for us,» said one of my Cambodian/Chinese friends, referencing our non-Hangul heritage. But I still felt loved. Random people came up to me at various points in the night giving me five and hugs. Then I realized it’s because they’re trashed out of their ass, not because they necessarily love me. Whenever I met someone new throughout the course of the night, people kept introducing themselves like, «Peter, Joe’s brother,» assuming I knew who the hell Joe was. I responded, «That’s nice, but I have no clue who Joe is either. In any case, nice to meet you» and exchanged a fist pump and bought a round. They still smoke inside here, as when you enter the door, it’s like traveling 6000 miles to Korea. Anti-smoking California state law, my ass! My friend paid several visits to the restroom and paid the porcelain god some tidings each time, kneeling before it each time. I don’t think even I do that before a status of Jesus or Mary as often. We had our Armenian cabbie drive us back to our friend’s apartment somehow before my friends started passing out one by one. All in all, it was a pretty productive night.
Mike N.
Place rating: 3 Santa Monica, CA
So basically if you go there for all you can eat, they have 3 options, $ 13.99 for 11 different appetizer things(fried chicken, sausage, kimchee pancake, pork katsu, lychee, soup, etc.) or $ 24.99 for just dungeness crab, or $ 29.99 for both. We ended doing both, since only eating crab would probably taste like chewing styrafoam after a while, as it’s only boiled but comes with a few dipping sauces. Is butter a sauce? Anyway it was good. The fried chicken is even better. I’m not sure if i can say it’s worth it. I would definitely go back for the $ 13.99 and just get the appetizers. I would never go just for the crab. I think I ate 4 by myself. My fingers got tired taking them apart. Also, it’s pretty obscene so I would only recommend going with close friends or maybe someone who is blind cuz you will end up with crap pieces all over your hand and juices dripping down your wrist. But then again after 5 bottle of soju, none of that really matters. Décor was okay, we sat outdoors on the patio, which got chilly and they heaters kept shutting off. A little cheesy with christmas lights strewn about. Service is good. But we went with a korean. I’m not sure how it would have been without one, presumably a lot harder to communicate. The good thing is they don’t give you nasty looks for ordering crab after crab. They are fast with cleaning off dishes and the bucket of crab shells. Altogether a good place. I’d go back eventually but this isn’t a place I crave.
Joyce L.
Place rating: 3 Los Angeles, CA
(Why are restaurants not as good the second time around? This time I didn’t come with any of my korean friends and we didn’t get any kimchi or a scallion pancake like I did the first time I came. Weird. Sorry I’m deducting a star for inconsistency.) All-you-can-eat dungeness crab $ 24.99!!! Overall the outside patio is charming with the lights and foliage. I felt like I was in another country like Thailand or something. It was a little cold outside and they have heat lamps but they wouldn’t turn them on. Instead the waitress gave me a blanket to keep me warm… kinda weird but nice. The all-you-can-eat crab also comes with a scallion pancake but you don’t want to eat too much if it so you can save some room for the crab! The crab is really fresh and the shell is easy to peel off so you can get really big pieces. You have to pay for a bowl of rice. But its really good when you mix the rice in the head of the crab. The service is a little slow. I’m not sure if its because it takes a while to cook the crab. Because we were waiting for so long for our food, our waitress let us order a complimentary entrée. We got the pork katsu which was just ok. I would only come here to eat crab… nothing else. Btw the guy that valeted my car was WEIRD. The parking lot is little so the valet guy had to move like 5 cars to get to my car. I felt like I was watching Austin Powers. He moved cars he didn’t need to and he moved the same car twice. And he didn’t slow down if he drove close to pedestrians. I think he was new.
Lori H.
Place rating: 4 Los Angeles, CA
What’s in a name? If they’ve got beer and soju, I’m a happy camper. But my heart breaks a little every time I go — it always seems like tonight is its last. The patio has potential. With all the ownership and name changes, there’s a lot of upkeep that has been poorly maintained and left to waste — especially the below ground fish tank — if you can’t handle it, do something with it, or get rid of it, it was empty and ugly. For the year and a half that I’ve been a patron, I think I’ve only seen it decent once. It seems strange that they would bother remodeling the curtained table areas and neglect its coolest feature. Also, the unsightly fish tanks near the server station featuring their new seafood fare need a little love as well. Oh well. This is how the interior looks(for real) and what should be going on(but isn’t): 30 people dancing on the well lit dance floor with the long, floor to ceiling curtains flowing to the hot DJ of the moment on the big stage with the other 60 – 90 or so peeps cooling their heels at the long bar in the back or up on the swanky lofted areas with couches and tables ordering anju(Korean bar food), mekju(beer) and soju(soju) I can keep this sentence running longer… sadly, there were only a handful of people there this Saturday night. Look for a new name soon. But I love this place — I’m an unapologetic dreamer who knows one day I’ll be able to say that I knew it way back when no one cared. The food is great — great big! and they offer plenty of options to serve peeps from the East or the West. This time around I enjoyed the fried whole chicken and chicken gizzards and boiled peanuts(peanuts serve as the amuse bouche and as part of a Korean tradition of serving food immediately — especially if you’re drinking). I miss the old servers who knew me(there’s not many white girl regulars to remember– wink) and took care of me, but as long as this place stays open — whatever they want to call it, I’ll keep going. PS: Surprising to see that there’s very little mentioned about the fact that they are a brewing company, making their own line of brews: Ales: Lagers: Kool Light Tokyo Lager Korea Town Ale Kool Amber Sunset Red German Lager ____Wheat Michlob(?) Sorry, I can’t read my handwriting for the name of the wheat beer — must remember to write first, shoot soju after…
Stan C.
Place rating: 2 West Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
–I don’t like it here. –This place changed its name too many times. –Drinking in a place where most of the people are my parents’ age kinda creeps me out. –Drinking in a place where the 40 – 50 year old women think they’re still young and wear tight fitting clothes and capri pants creeps me out even more. –I don’t want to be old.
Jeanie C.
Place rating: 4 Bend, OR
Rainy nights are the worst nights for eating out, in my opinion. Normal traffic is increased tenfold because everyone is driving slower and it’s harder to see where you are going. So nights like these are my stay home nights, where I let the pizza delivery boys battle the rain traffic. But on this particularly rainy and cold night, a friend called me out so I dragged my butt out of my place and headed to Café Kool. I really wasn’t expecting much of this Café Kool. I’ve passed by this place several times, but was never inclined to check it out. But it was recommended, so we decided to try it out. I have to admit, I was pretty surprised by this place. The ambience, the food, the fish… Yes, there are fishies you can see swimming underneath your table. Half of the deck on their outdoor patio is fitted with glass and it was pretty kool to see their little aquarium. Their outdoor patio is pretty nice. There are heaters and pretty lights everywhere, so you forget how cold it is outside. Although this is more of a bar than food place(the alcohol menu was much longer than their food menu), we went only for food. Yes, we decided to be our boring selves on this rainy Tuesday night. We ordered the seafood pasta(14.99) and pork cutlet(13.99) dishes. Although it was a while for the food to come out, I was easily distracted by the fish and the Mariah Carey/christmas songs they were playing. When the food finally came out, I wasn’t disappointed at all. It looked and tasted as if it were just made. The pasta and rice were still steaming. The portions were a good size. And I would have to give it a 4 out of 5 for presentation. Overall, I had a good experience here. It helped me forget about the cold and rainy night and have a fun time outside.
Hen A.
Place rating: 1 San Mateo, CA
rosen to luna to kool… another name change… keepin’ luna face ‘n’ interior… bottle ‘n’ pitcher service available… cocktails seemingly fierce ‘n’ strong… swing in age of patrons noticed… mostly looking late 30’s ‘n’ 40’s…a typical saturday night… outdoor ‘n’ indoors… kool large enough for all… food poor and at time. bluntly…bad…seafood pancakes almost a inch thick… dry ‘n tough… stir-fry sausages bit salty ‘n’ saucy… shrimp over mashed potatoes found to be spicy, buttery, cold ‘n’ eccentric… in a bad way… hamburger steak okay… microbrew nothing special… overall…$ 177 spent for four… pitchers of tokyo lager ‘n’ food… disappointing the result…
Mike W.
Place rating: 4 Tustin, CA
luna lounge aka: café kool is an awright place. i think the drink prices are fine — soju is $ 11.99 and not the usual 13:00+ the service is great(atleast very attentive to our table) the food is… not great — but it’s a bar/drinking place — cut them some slack — ya hurr? location is awesome cuz i live a block away and can walk home staggered all in all — this place is cool for secluded drinking with peeps
Caroline Y.
Place rating: 4 Santa Clarita, CA
Wanna get fracked up? Well… this is the place to do it. This place is huge and if you’ve lived in K-town long enough… you would know that about 10 years ago… this used to be a club called Komma where all the little underaged kids used to go. Of course… I only heard about this… kekeke… Anyway…while this place does have a legit liquor license for the tables inside… they don’t have one for the patio. I know… weird…I didn’t know there were parts of the restaurants that have this license and parts that don’t. Ya got me… I dunno… Well…the inside is nice but it’s all about the outdoor seating. They have rows of big cabanas with tables great for big parties. Part of the deck is a Koi fishpond made of Plexiglas that runs throughout the deck. Pretty cool. Now what I meant by getting fracked up… like I said they don’t have a liquor license for the patio seating so when you order bottles of Johnny… what they do is… bring out like 50 shot glasses put them on the table and a server comes out and pours Johnny into all them and take the bottle back. WTF? Question: Do you know what this does to you? Answer: You lose track of how many shots you drank. Question: You know what that means? Answer: You get hella messed up. As most of us did that nite(ahem). Hey but it’s nothing a gallon of gatorade before bed and a bowl of suhllungtang the next morning can’t cure… After many visits from our server with many bottles of Johnny and I mean MANY… everyone had a great time… some more than others. Hehe. :D It felt like it was everyone’s birthday that nite~!!
T T.
Place rating: 3 Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
The spicy chicken wings are the main and perhaps only reason why we end up going here. The flavor is yumtastic but gets messy. I saw a stew or rice dish that came in a squash. Haven’t tried it. I’m sticking to the chicken and various snack food. And of course, like many drinking establishments, the prices are questionably high, but then again, after several bottles of Patron, you won’t even care.
Joel Y.
Place rating: 2 麻布十番駅, Minato, Japan
Luna is your typical overpriced drinking place trying to be posh however it’s still really really ridicuslouy overpriced. Of course the usual $ 25 fruit platter(I swear. what the hell is up with fruit platters in ktown being over $ 15) and other Anju(korean bar food) is all overpriced. We tried some flavored soju here which a friend ordered(the melon) and it was so dirty tasting I wanted to vomit on the spot. Fast forward a few hours… and yep. I threw up because either they used cheap soju or the flavoring was just too artifical for me. This place is far and expensive. Don’t come here.
