Best Bars in Koreatown
Koreatown doesn't do bars halfway. Whether you're sliding into a leather booth with a stiff well drink or sipping a clarified cocktail that took three days to make, K-Town has a version of the night you're looking for, and it usually goes later than anywhere else in the city.
Here's where to actually drink in Koreatown, from the institutions to the craft spots worth planning around.
Normandie Club · 3719 W 6th St
This is the one people mean when they say Koreatown has a great cocktail bar. Rated 4.6★, the Normandie Club is a proper craft cocktail room, dim, focused, and serious about its drinks without being precious about it. The bartenders make their own ingredients in-house, and it shows. Classic riffs land clean, originals are worth trying blind.
Go on a weekday if you want a seat without waiting. Street parking on 6th is workable before 8pm. Order whatever the bartender suggests, they're not upselling you, they just know what's good that night.
Dan Sung Sa · 3317 W 6th St
Dan Sung Sa is a pojangmacha bar, the Korean tradition of a casual, snack-friendly drinking spot, and it's the real thing. Rated 4.4★, this place is all wooden walls, hand-written menu signs, and soju flowing freely. It's been here long enough that everyone from line cooks to off-duty chefs ends up here eventually.
Order the soju cocktails and get some bar snacks to go with them. It gets loud and crowded after 10pm on weekends, which is honestly part of the point. Cash-friendly, no-attitude, stays open late. This is the bar that makes K-Town feel like K-Town.
The Prince · 3198 W 7th St
If you've seen Chinatown or Mad Men, you've seen The Prince, it's been a film location for decades, and walking in explains why immediately. Red vinyl booths, low lighting, a bar that looks like it hasn't changed since 1970. Rated 4.4★ and genuinely one of the most atmospheric rooms in all of Los Angeles.
Come here before or after a show at the Wiltern (just up Wilshire). Order a whiskey, settle into a booth, and don't be in a rush. Parking in the structure on 7th makes this easy.
HMS Bounty · 3357 Wilshire Blvd
The HMS Bounty is a dive bar in the old Los Angeles sense, nautical decor, cheap drinks poured strong, a crowd that spans ages and backgrounds without anyone making it weird. Rated 4.4★ at the one-dollar-sign price point, which tells you everything about the value here.
This is your before-bar bar, or your after-everything bar. It opens early and stays open late. The regulars are friendly. The drinks are honest. There's something genuinely comforting about a place that hasn't tried to reinvent itself.
R Bar · 3331 W 8th St
R Bar sits on 8th Street in the quieter, residential edge of K-Town and has a loyal following for a reason. Rated 4.4★, it runs cocktails and wine in a space that feels more neighborhood-bar-that-got-good than destination spot, which is a compliment. Reservations are available if you're coming with a group.
It's the kind of place where you end up staying two hours longer than planned. Go mid-week for the best experience. Street parking on 8th is usually fine.
Jjan · 3328 W 8th St
Technically on the restaurant side of the list, but Jjan does cocktails seriously enough to belong here. Rated 4.5★, it's a modern Korean spot where the drinks program matches the food, thoughtful, not predictable. Reservations recommended on weekends, and worth making.
If you want a full night, good food, good drinks, good vibe, Jjan on 8th Street is one of the cleaner options in the neighborhood.
A Few Honest Tips
K-Town parking is real. Use the structures on 6th Street near Vermont or validate when you can. Most of these bars don't have their own lots. Rideshare in if you're hitting more than two spots, the neighborhood is walkable once you're in it.
The neighborhood runs late. Don't show up at 6pm expecting atmosphere. Things get going after 9, and the best nights here start when most other parts of LA are already winding down.
And if you're bar-hopping: Normandie Club to Dan Sung Sa to The Prince is one of the better bar crawl routes in the city. Three completely different rooms, all within a few blocks, all distinctly Koreatown.
Citywide guides featuring this neighborhood: Bachelor party ideas in LA that don't involve a party bus · Bachelorette party ideas in LA the group will actually remember · Group dinner spots in LA that can handle your whole crew · The best dive bars in Los Angeles · The best karaoke in LA, from private rooms to dive bar stages · Where to go dancing in LA without bottle service