Hi @Mr_Happy,
So glad you’re able to visit LA again. 
From the list, some suggestions / thoughts:
Workday Lunch Possibilities (~3 lunches, probably will try to stick around Koreatown)
Shorter Walking Distance aka “Down the Street”:
- Surawon Tofu House - Solid choice. Their Black Sesame Soondubu (Tofu Clay Pot) is unique, nice spot for lunch.
- Gwang Yang BBQ - If you’ve been to Park’s BBQ already, why not give Gwang Yang BBQ a try? IMHO, their meats are better quality / taste / texture (both use USDA Prime, but it’s just a better taste / cut IMHO). But I love Park’s for their Banchan and their BBQ is still quite good.
Longer walk or short ride on the bus/rideshare:
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Langer’s (would be a repeat visit) - Great choice. Legendary Pastrami Sandwich. If you haven’t tried, their Corn Beef & Beef Tongue Combo is great as well (you sub the Pastrami for Beef Tongue). Patty Melt is decadent.
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Iki Ramen - I would skip this. It’s been too inconsistent. I know it got a lot of hype and love, but they’ve had more failed dishes over my 8 visits than hits unfortunately.
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Sun Nong Dan - for galbijjim - I’d go to Soban over Sun Nong Dan for Galbijjim. Have you had Soban yet? You also get ~12 - 16 different types of (Free) Banchan (which are all amazing!) on your visit.
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Ham Ji Park - for gamjatang - SO good! Love their Gamjatang.
Non-workday Lunch Possibilities:
- Holbox and/or Chichen Itza: If you saw my Taco roundup, Holbox is back and better than ever! So a good choice.
- DTLA taco crawl - Sonoratown → Tacos 1986 → Guisados → Villa Moreliana at GCM → cup(s) of coffee
I would drop Sonoratown (overhyped, average Carne Asada, solid Flour Tortilla) and Tacos 1986 (they are a shell of their OG street stand, having turned into franchise mode with 5+ branches and all of them executing mediocre versions of their original greats, which actually was just the Al Pastor and Mushroom Tacos, and both of those were average at best at their brick & mortar DTLA shop (I went 3 times)).
But you can and definitely should visit Villa Moreliana! Get there before 12 Noon to ensure you get the best cuts (on the weekends. If it’s a weekday, you’re OK by 12). Don’t forget their best cut is not listed on the menu: Costillas Carnitas (Stewed Pork Ribs), and they let you mix & match 2 types of Carnitas cuts per Taco! So ask for 2 flavors to mix at once. I recommend the @A5KOBE special of Maciza (Stewed Pork Shoulder) + Cueritos (Stewed Pork Skin). Then get another with Costillas (Stewed Pork Ribs) + Orejas (Stewed Pork Ears).
If you want other “Tacos” to hit during the crawl, Angry Egret Dinette is only like 8 - 10 minutes from Villa Moreliana, and Chef Wes usually has at least 1 Taco on special these days (mostly other items now).
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Angry Egret Dinette - Worth a visit. Make sure to try the Breakfast Burrito “Hey Porky’s” at least. Chef Wes Avila is rotating out the menu a lot more frequently these days, but that’s a mainstay. You can check my thread on Angry Egret for pics / ideas for other items if it helps.
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El Ruso - Highly overrated. Hyped by the Eater PR machine, and I have no agenda. We’ve been 4 times and it’s just… OK at best. If you want great Carne Asada there are much better choices.
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Guerilla Tacos - This is a shell of its former shell. With Chef-Owner Wes Avila leaving Guerrilla, it’s not the same IMHO. Just go to Angry Egret Dinette, where Chef Wes is at these days.
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Howlin Ray’s - Not open.
They are doing Deliver Only via Postmates app, and only 2 items on their menu. Skip it for now sadly. -
Gjusta - Love this place. If you haven’t been yet, I think you’ll enjoy it. Try and book a table, or they allow some walk-ins, but be prepared to wait a long time if you go at prime lunch hour. They have the best Smoked Seafood deli counter in the city (Cold-Smoked Kanpachi, Smoked Salmon Belly!, any of their 5 types of Smoked Salmon / Gravlax, Lox, etc., Oil Cured Smoked Octopus, Smoked Sardines, etc.). Their Prime Rib Butcher Sandwich is almost back to normal now (medium rare), make sure you tell them you want it that way just in case. And many more ideas there.
Dinners - these are mostly booked already
- Hayato - booked - CONGRATULATIONS!
So happy you got a rare reservation! I think you’ll be very happy with the dinner.
- Death & Co. LA - @Mr_Happy, I would implore you to skip this place. They put out the worst cocktails I’ve had over the last… 5+ years, easily. I was shocked. Our whole party was shocked at how bad they were, and you get the “privilege” of paying ~$20 per cocktail for that. Awful.
My friends who’ve been to the OG Death & Co. NYC were stunned and upset as well.
- The Normandie Club - They’re pretty mediocre, IMHO, but better than Death & Co. LA. Sadly, with Bar Maestro Julian Cox’ return to LA broken up (license issues), the Cocktail scene is… not so good for actually great tasting Cocktails.
I’d recommend hitting up Ototo Sake Bar for a good selection of Japanese Sake to try (by the glass or carafe) for a fun night out, or Shibumi Downtown LA as they have a good Sake & Whisky bar area (but check if you’re able to only have drinks or get some of their Kappo style small plates).
If you are craving great Yakitori & Kyoto-style Oden, you might consider Torihei (Torrance). As I wrote in a previous thread, the OG Chef-Owners are back cooking in the kitchen! Just call ahead to make sure Sasaki-san (at the very least) is cooking that night. He’s usually cooking Friday & Saturdays, sometimes Sundays, but call ahead to make sure.
Enjoy your trip!
