1001 S Vermont Ave Ste 102
Los Angeles, CA 90006
(213) 383-3554

On the intersection of Vermont and Olympic in Koreatown is a 24 hour spot which should be a part of any late night trip to Hollywood or Downtown Los Angeles. Hodori serves up spicy Korean Food which will revive your tequila shocked taste buds.

One of the specialties here is the Spicy Tofu Stew or Soondooboo Jiigae. I am an especially big fan of this dish for two reasons. They let you choose how spicy you want the stew and they give you a bunch of side dishes to add to the soup or to snack on as appetizers. It is really hard to distinguish the tofu in the stew. It is un-coagulated tofu which means it isn’t compressed into those typical tofu cubes. Even tofu haters (like me 5 years ago) can be tricked into loving this.

Another popular dish is the Bulgogi or thin sliced grilled steak. It is less spicy than the many other Korean dishes. It is served sizzling hot with a great aroma. It took a while for ours to arrive, but it was tasty.

Bimbimbap is a rice, vegetable, and beef dish which is served in a hot stone pot. A raw egg is placed in the center and is cooked by the hot stone surface when the bowls contents are mixed. I have never been a big fan of this dish because of its lack of spice and the large amount of vegetables.

Dduk bok-kee is a homestyle Korean dish which is made with rice cakes and sautéed beef. The Dduk bok-kee at Hodori was good, but the tough rice cake and slightly watery sauce made it worse than most other preparations that I’ve had.

Daeji Bulgogi is similar to the previously mentioned Bulgogi, but uses thin sliced pork instead of beef. Hodori’s Daeji Bulgogi was spiced very well, but the vegetable pieces were too large and the meat was overcooked.

Then there was the spicy grilled squid. I forgot the Korean name, but it was really fiery and delicious. The squid was pretty tough from being overcooked, but the flavor made up for it.

Overall, Hodori has good food…depending on what you order. They have a huge menu and some dishes are much better than others. If you are unsure, ask the staff what the best dish is or get whatever most of the other patrons are eating. I love that they are open 24 hours and they don’t hold back on the spices, but it isn’t the best Korean Food in Los Angeles.

Tags: Los Angeles · Restaurant Reviews · Food ·