I've been to about 75% of all the Korean BBQ all you can eat restaurants in Koreatown and Los Angeles over the last 2 decades and I've got to say, Hae Jang Chon is my new favorite all you can eat Korean BBQ restaurant.
Why? Well, first of all, they have high quality Kalbi included in their all you can eat menu. That's marinated short ribs, which costs way more than chicken or pork, so usually most Korean BBQ restaurants don't include it on the all you can eat menu, only on the a la carte menu. But for only $16.99, they include kalbi, black angus beef brisket, Canadian fresh pork belly, unmarinated kalbi, bbq chicken, squid, intestines, about 19 items in total! That's the most I've ever seen on an all you can eat menu. And it's on the lower end of the price spectrum. How do they make money?!?
Anyways, the value is incredible and the quality of the meats and the taste is excellent. I still can't believe how they can make money after the high cost of the expensive meats like kalbi. My uncle is in the restaurant business and I used to work for him. So I know how high meat costs are going, especially with the price of gas going up and thus transportation costs.
The only way Hae Jang Chon can make a profit is by sheer volume...they have to have a lot of customers, and they do! That's how they're able to offer such cheap prices, because so many customers go there. People know a good deal and good food when they experience it. That's how this place stays popular.
I am now officially a regular at Hae Jang Chon, having gone once a week for the last month. I love the fact that they're open till 2AM. Not many good restaurants are open that late. And the vibe inside the restaurant is nicer than most places too. Young hip crowd enjoying tasty KBBQ and soju. Thumbs way up for this restaurant!
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