In the back of a Koreatown strip mall awaits some of the best barbeque, stews, fish and panchan in LA.

Sa Rit Gol is perhaps the foodie favorite for Korean food in LA, and this is a town with a lot of options. The barbecue here is of the do-it-yourself variety: Servers bring huge slabs of marinated meat to your table and slice it up over the table's built-in grill, and you take it from there. All that protein is accompanied by dozens of small little plates and bowls holding the side dishes collectively known as panchan. These are often unrecognizable to western palates and eyes, but they're all good so it doesn't really matter if it's egg, tofu, vegetable or tuber. Other entrees are quite good as well, including the braised eel with root vegetables, which usually becomes everyone's favorite dish, even those who think they wouldn't like eel. The waitresses are usually quite willing to tell you what to order, thankfully for those new to Korean food. —Katherine Spiers