Koreatown LA: Desserts, Desserts, & More Desserts!
One of my East Coast friends is flying to LA this summer and staying in Koreatown. Since I'm a San Diegan that sometimes heads up to LA on weekends, she asked me what to eat and where to go when visiting K-Town.
Being that we've got a whole bunch of K-Entertainment fans on here, I figured it might be useful to list places for ALL of you - so if and when you're in California, you know where to visit to try some delicious food.
I figured I'd start off with a card dedicated to some of my all-time favorite Koreatown desserts! Bingsu @ Cafe Heyri 755 S Hobart Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90005
There's plenty of places to get Korean-style shaved ice in Koreatown, but none of them have the variety of Cafe Heyri. There's traditional red bean (pat) bingsu, melon, green tea, coffee, chocolate, and - my personal favorite - seasonal fruit (pictured above)! Macaron Ice Cream @ HAUS by Coffee Hunter 3826 W 6th St. Los Angeles, CA 90020
A growing trend in dessert cafes is the ice cream macaron - an ice cream sandwich made by layering ice cream between two very big macaron shells. Not only is HAUS' version my absolute favorite, but if you're a K-Pop fan, this cafe's got massive flat-screen TVs that play all your favorite music videos while you eat! Bungeoppang @ Okrumong 3801 W 6th St. Los Angeles, CA 90020
Not only is Okrumong famous for its incredible take on traditional patbingsu, but it's also one of the few places in Koreatown where you can get a basket fresh bungeoppang - fish-shaped waffle-like breads filled with red bean - to share with friends! Animal Donuts @ Fantastic Donuts 1101 S Vermont Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90006
You can read a little bit more about these adorable donuts here, but Fantastic Donuts has become pretty Instagram popular for their cute animal and character donut designs. (However, I'd definitely also recommend their cereal-topped ones. The Cinnamon Toast Crunch one almost tastes like a churro!) Honeycomb Ice Cream @ Honeymee 3377 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 116, Los Angeles, CA 90010
I was telling my fellow So.Cal foodie @hmfong that I've never been able to check out Honeymee personally. Why? Because every time I'm in the neighborhood, there's a huge line of customers! How's that for a testament about how locals feel about this simply vanilla soft-serve topped with liquid honey and a generous REAL honeycomb on top? Mochi Ice Cream @ Mikawaya 118 Japanese Village Plaza Mall, Los Angeles, CA 90012
So I'm cheating and throwing in a Little Tokyo wild card - Mikawaya! Chances are, if you've ever had store bought mochi ice cream, it was made by the Mikawaya company. But LA is the only place where you can visit its shop and order some pretty unique mochi ice cream flavors, including plum wine, black sesame, and mint chocolate chip! So which one of these would you be down to try? Have any of you visited Koreatown and have other recommendations?
Let me know in the comments below, and for more #FOODPORN, follow my brand new foodie collection #FOODPORN!