Gam Ja Gol

We were starving to die when we came here. Their pork rib pot is excellent. Delicious, large service, and not expensive at all. Great for people who love meat.

The highlight of my trips to LA is to eat gam ja tang. Not sure why the gam ja tang sucks in SF. I was excited to see this gam ja tang restaurant walking distance from my hotel. Came here yesterday for lunch and it did not disappoint. There was only 1 medium sized potato in my soup, the rest was all pork bone. nom nom!

Atmosphere: Small, quiet, and clean! Great spot for future dates. Parking is a little limited, but valet is available.
Service: The servers are all korean. They’re all very nice and did not hesitate to refill our side dishes and water. They split the bill between my friend and I before we even asked which was nice too.
Food: DUUUUUUDE. The food here is SO good. I’ve only had gam ja tang (spicy potato&meat soup) a few times, but this place made me a true fan of the soup. The broth is very flavorful and the meat is so tender that it falls off the bone! There is plenty of meat and substance in one bowl of gam ja tang to share between two people who are NOT starving. This place also serves purple rice instead of white rice which is a HUGE plus for me because I like to eat colored rices when possible to be a little healthier. The sides given here are also very tasty and go along well with the heat of the gam ja tang. For 12 dollars for this huge of a portion of great quality food, I will definitely be back for more. Gam Ja Gol made me go nuts for gam ja tang. A+ ⁵⁄₅

Gamja Gol pretty much just makes one thing (gamja tang), and boy do they make it well!
What exactly is gamja tang? It is a slightly spicy Korean soup that uses pork neck and often contains potatoes, perilla leaves, and green onions. What make the gamja tang dish truly great is the nice developed broth that is hearty and spicy with good sized chunks of pork that fall oh-​so-​easily off the bone. I do recommend that one allows the potato absorb all of that wonderful broth and then consume. But be careful! it is hot after simmering in the boiling soup so refrain from biting into it too quickly after taking it out.
Considered about what you are going to do with all that left over soup? No worries! Because you can ask them to make a version of fried rice with it. The waitress will take your bowl and mix the soup with some rice, seaweed, sesame oil, and kimchi all together. If you weren’t fully satisfied yet, you will be after you have had a nice bowl of this stuff!
The gamjatang comes in a small, medium, and large size. When my friend and I go, the small size is sufficient and sometimes is more than enough.
In terms of service, the staff is pretty good but going with someone who speaks Korean seems to be the best. Parking is valet in front of the restaurant, but if you are lucky you can find some street parking.
Overall, I would highly recommend Gamjagol especially if you are looking to have something warm and hearty.

You can’t go wrong with gam ja tang on a cold rainy winter day! The gam ja tang (or pork bone soup) is so good here. I love all the perilla leaves they have in the soup, and you can always order more leaves to cook while you eat!
Don’t forget to order a side of ramen or rice cakes to cook and absorb all the soup/​sauces.
I haven’t tried any of the other dishes yet, since the gam ja tang is pretty big and they cook fried rice with the leftover soup in your pot. So save room for the rice! (And after coming here twice, I realize that you can ask for either white or purple rice for your fried rice.) A small is good for 3 people, despite the servers saying its meant for 2.
Parking: Small lot for the plaza. Free during the day, valet at night.

Came here last Saturday night with my girlfriend. Food was good but service was too slow. I really wanted give 5star overall because of slow service I had to knock off 1star. I will go back and give them a one more chance because of the food. Also I live close to ktown!

There’s something charming about having your own portable gas burner — we all like to play with fire, amiright??! Might be a good early date spot, you know — watch the eating manners and eating styles with gnawing and sucking on bones. I did hear the adjacent diner moan in foodgasm after her large meal.
Gruff servers that speak barely any English, could they be faking? Keep ktown hipster free — my friend says. But for those Mandarin speakers, there is one lady who is bilingual! They’ll kick her over to you if they suspect you ain’t Korean. They take care of business — bottom line. Quick table clearing and set up — and they’ll get the fried rice addendum going for you pronto.
The gamja tang is great! Sure it’s different than Ham Ji Park — but quite lovely nonetheless and you can order in different sizes. I felt the medium portion was quite generous compared to HJP. The sesame leaves are nice difference and you can order more for $ 3. The broth is not as spicy so that was appreciated. Yeah and the banchan is great too.
Tips:
Get that $ 3 ramen add on. Sure it’s a bit overpriced for something mass produced packaged, but it appealed to my inner child playing with the gas burner.
Ask for an apron if you’re not too macho — like Disney Land — you’ll be in the splash zone with your dining pals scooping ladles of hot soup around.
$ 1.50 charge if you can’t take care of business at the table and you need to bring the large bones home.

If you’re looking for the best Korean stew dish, this is your spot. The Gamjatang, which means potato stew, is served with mountains of pork, potato, and veggies. Please note you’ll need to use your hands cause there are some massive bones in there. Be careful for sharp bone shards! You never know. Aside from that, pair this with soju and you will have the perfect Korean combo. My favorite part is the kimchi fried rice they make with your pot at end. A small is big enough for 2 – 3 people. You can order extras on the side. I sometimes do cause extra veggies are always a plus! Parking can be a bitch but you can park along the sidewalk of surrounding stores or on the street.

Not many places do pork neck stew (gamjatang), and this place does it right. It’s a hole in the wall place — no frills, but the food is delicious and addicting. Bring friends/​family because this is definitely a place where you want to share the dishes.
The pork neck stew is delicious — not too sweet, comforting and surprisingly, strangely light. Definitely eat the broth. Once you finish, they make you a fried rice in the leftover broth and the little bits and pieces left. Can’t go wrong with that!
We also ordered the yukaejang, which was really good. It was spicy, meaty and the broth was delicious (maybe because they use pork necks…)
If you’re feeling adventurous and want something besides Korean BBQ in Koreatown, I definitely recommend this place.

Best Gam Ja Tang in ktown right now, hands down.
This place sh*ts on Ham Ji park on 6^th street.
The two of us ordered the small Gam Ja tang (pork neck stew) and it was plenty of food for two girls. This is enough food for 3 – 4 people, seriously, but we finished everything because it was that good and we’re fat. The stew mostly consists of the pork neck meat, which you have to scrap/​pick out of the bones. There actually weren’t that many potatoes in the soup, which is ironic because it is called gam ja tang after all (gam ja means potato in Korean). After you finish the soup, they make you kimchi fried rice at the end, which is The bomb.
I can’t believe I just discovered this place. If you love spicy soupy food, this place hits the spot.

Came at a good time. or else you’ll be stuck in the parking lot trying to find a spot.
There was 3 of us and ordered the following (which was the perfect amount!)
— Medium pot
— Bott Saam plate
I don’t think you need rice while eating… (that’ll be too much) wait for the last!
That’s when they mix the rice for you in the pot! (the best part!)

Fun experience. We got off the plane from Seattle and headed toward the Coliseum where we were going for the Huskies — USC game in the evening. We were hungry and decided to try something different. Left turn for Koreatown it is.
My co-​pilot Unilocaled as I drove, and we settled on Gam Ja Gol. It was easy to find and access. Sign outside says traditional Korean food. Terrific. We can get bulgogi or kalbi beef anywhere. We went in and were seated promptly and got menus. This was a lot different than the other Korean restaurants I’ve been to, so I tried to ask about it. I don’t speak Korean and our server spoke very little English. I was able to figure out that they specialize in Gam Ja Tang, or Pork bone and potato stew. Well then, fix me up a bowl of that spicy pork stew.
I was impressed. The broth was rich and meaty, the the meat was tender and pulled right off the bone. And boy were there a lot of bones! I had 6 or 7 sections in just my small bowl. I’m not real squeamish about bones, but I usually don’t get served pig vertebra. The broth was just a bit spicy, the potatoes were filing and the greens and spices on top were a nice addition.
My daughter had dolsot bibimbap with beef, and was very happy with her choice. We also got a vegetable pancake, which was terrific, and the banchan were all well prepared. This was a fun choice, although at first a little intimidating for a first-​timer. Other reviewers have opined about how authentic this stew is. I can’t speak to that, but I really enjoyed it, and had a good experience. I’m glad we tried something a little different.

The pork stew is the must have here. The meat falls off the bone and the best part is everyone is encouraged to suck in the bones and eat with their hands. It feels like home. Lol I especially like the fried rice at the end with some soup poured over. Make sure you save some of your stew in the side and then pour some over your fried rice. You also have the option of noodles over fried rice. The noodles is very tasty, most of my party preferred the noodles but I preferred the rice. The rice can be a little bland without the stew poured over it. The fried fish is really good. It is a bit salty so you need something to balance the flavors. I also tried the bimbim bop and the vegetable pancake… For both I’ve had better. It’s worth while and maybe even addicting to just stick with the park bone stew. Perfect for a cold day.

I guess this is the spot to go for gamja ttang since all the other gamja ttang placed closed according to my mom. We got the kind with Oo guh ji on top which is a kind of dehydrated kimchi.
Each pot has one big hunk of potato at the bottom but it is kind of a peasant dish. You have to pick the met off the bones and there are strange tubey internal offal bits. I didn’t even ask what it was and stuck mostly to the rice and sides. I probably will wouldn’t come here on my own or bring friends haha.

TL;DR — If I I had a korean mama, I would hope she cooks like this, lol.
The gamjatang is GREAT. Savory and full of pork flavor! Thats it. The gamjatang is great. Prices are good. Service is good. End of story.

Gam Ja Gol is by far my favorite place to get gamjatang!
If you’ve never been to Gam Ja Gol, the whole experience might seem a little intimidating given the preponderance of Asians (or relative lack of non-​Asians) dining here. The waitresses do, however, speak some English, so don’t let language or cultural barriers deter you from checking this place out. The restaurant is fairly busy on most nights of the week, so you’ll have to ask for a number if there’s already a line. As you’re waiting for a table, the waitresses will typically ask for your order. The menu — a giant billboard-​like poster on the wall — is readily visible from the entrance; I assume they have conventional menus, but have never actually seen anyone with one. Keep in mind that this place skews more towards whole-​in-​the-​wall joint than fancy sit-​down restaurant.
While most restaurants normally serve individual portions of gamjatang in small iron pots (like other stews), Gam Ja Gol gives you the option of sharing a larger pot of gamjatang which you «cook» at the table. In reality, you don’t really cook it at your table since most of it’s already probably been precooked, so you’re essentially reheating everything and re-​infusing flavors. This option comes in small ($ 29.99), medium ($ 34.99), or large ($ 39.99). The small comes with 8 – 10 bones with varying amounts of meat, making it perfect to share amongst 2 – 3 hungry people. If you order other items, you can probably get away with sharing the small portion amongst more people. The gamjatang here features lots of perilla leaves, lots of leeks, and several sliced potatoes. Because the semi-​spicy broth isn’t overly thick, heavy, or salty, it ensures that all the elements cohere. I like the assortment of bamchan, though the kimchi tends to be more pickled than what you’ll find at other restaurants.
Even if the waitresses hand you your bill prematurely, don’t think that that’s the end of the meal! Be sure to ask for the fried rice, available only if you order one of the shared gamajatang, once you finish the stew! Several reviewers have noted that the restaurant didn’t automatically provide the fried rice, so be proactive; it’s not rude to ask for the fried rice as it is included in the price of your meal. The rice tends to be moist (as opposed to crispy or crunch) with pieces of kimchi. Although the rice presumably absorbs some of the leftover broth, it isn’t particularly spicy or salty, so I like to mix in any remaining bits of pork, extra kimchi, or leftover broth.
Valet parking is available in the lot in front of the restaurant. Street parking can be found in the surrounding neighborhoods, but may be difficult at nighttime. Credit cards are accepted here.
If you’re a fan of gamjatang, then do yourself a favor and check out Gam Ja Gol!

Gamjatang or Korean Pork Neck Stew. It’s one of those things that I don’t order often at restaurants because it’s one of those dishes that could go horribly wrong and honestly my mother makes the best one at home. My boyfriend really enjoys eating gamjatang so whenever he craves it, we more often than not go out to get it. I’ve heard about Gam Ja Gol for awhile so I thought this was the perfect opportunity to try it out. Parking was a breeze since we were there kind of late but it is a small parking lot. Not sure how easy it’ll be during peak hours.
Their specialty is gamjatang. They serve it in three different sizes: small, medium, large. The small is for at least 2 people. You can also get it if you’re a solo diner for a cheaper price. We ordered the small since it was just us two dining for $ 29.99 (comes with 2 bowls of rice). I thought it was the perfect size. I think you can actually share it between 3 people if you aren’t huge eaters. Now you can eat it two different ways. If you choose to save your rice, you can have the waiters make you some fried rice with your leftover brother. Or you can just eat regular steamed rice with your stew. I wanted fried rice and my boyfriend wanted steamed rice, so we just fried 1 bowl of rice in the end instead of 2. We were very happy with the amount of meat and vegetables in our stew and the fried rice was absolutely delicious and well worth saving some extra stomach space for.
Overall, we really enjoyed our meal and I walked out pleasantly surprised by how tasty everything was. It’s also English friendly so for all you non-​Koreans, come by and try some authentic cooking. Service is friendly and I think the next time we are craving gamjatang, we’ll be back! ⁵⁄₅

Uh… this food was bad. The gamja tang gave my mom diarrhea. The pork tasted old. I dunno if it’s cuz it’s 90 degrees out and no one is eating soup so they just reheat the same pot every day. I’ve had good gamja tang in Rowland Heights. Not sure what’s going on in Ktown.
This place is run down, which i usually don’t mind but add that to old food and it’s just plain ol’ cheap. Brought my toddler here and they served him seaweed soup and rice first which I appreciated. The soup was delicious and simple. Too bad the pork soup did not live up to expectations.
Also they totally skipped out on fried rice at the end. Bad service for discriminating against foreigners.

For Gam Ja Ttang, I think this is the place to go to!
Expect a wait though… sometimes, they run out and you have to wait even longer!
Good for groups because the portions are so big, but don’t bring a posse of 10+ppl. Or else you’ll definitely be waiting for a long, long time!
Refer to my pictures– — the gam ja ttang is really amazing and the meat just falls off the bone. At the end, they make you fried rice so save room or take it to-​go ;)
Parking is free but it is REALLY hard to find parking in their small lot. You can try street parking nearby as well!

An awesome restaurant who specializes in Gamja Tang or Gamja Jungol (GJ) which is better described as Spicy Pork Neck Casserole. Their small portion of GJ is more than enough for two people. Maybe even three if three of you are not heavy eaters. For $ 29.99, you get a whole lot of food. I mean, I am talking about numerous pieces of pork along with sesame leaves and softened potatoes.
Though potato is Gamja in Korean, this isnt the reason why it is called Gamja Tang. Gamja actually means one of the bones in a pig (pork). Pretty fascinating huh? But you cant really take the Gamja for granted. Its so soft and it just melts in your mouth.
I dont know what else to say because it is just GOOD. The soup is good, meat is good and service is pretty good too I should say. These ajummas who work here are a lot nicer than the ones in Rowland Heights Gamja Gol. That’s for sure.
Parking is free at their private lot and to add, I have never seen a valet here.
Oh, like everyone else was saying, save some room for the fried rice at the end. Save some pork meat and eat with it. Its really good that you might not want to share with the people in your party!