Baroo

The format here is tasting menu only, and if you’ve been to Baroo in the past, don’t be surprised to discover some familiar dishes that harken back to their humble beginnings in an East Hollywood strip mall. Standout menu items may include a soy-braised black cod, but also, this is Korean cooking filtered through a deeply personal lens; expect fermentation, unusual textures, and flavors you can't quite put a finger on. On the whole, you're coming for a completely singular dining experience that couldn't exist anywhere else.

This modern Korean restaurant in the Arts District now offers one of the best plant-based tasting menus ($110) in all of Los Angeles. Though Baroo’s Kwang Uh also serves meat and seafood, the world-trained South Korean chef puts as much thought and detail into his vegetarian and vegan options. Both require 24 hours’ advance notice, but each includes thoughtful substitutes like smoked hearts of palm, fermented radish and seasonal vegetables.

When a special occasion calls for a vegan fine dining experience, Baroo’s plant-based tasting menu is the way to go. For $125 per person, the Arts District Korean restaurant offers a seven-course dinner that leans into the funk. The menu changes frequently, but one course might be tart fermented tomato gelee calibrated to make the side side of mouth water, followed by pickled hearts of palm in sweet-nutty ssamjang curry.

Chef Kwang Uh calls his Korean restaurant with fewer than 20 seats, located in a mini-strip mall in East Hollywood, a “freestyle experimental kitchen.” There are daily specials and a selection of grain bowls, all with a seasonal focus and almost all served with a variety of lightly fermented vegetables. The signature dish is the kimchi fried rice, from chef Uh’s native Korea, featuring a soft-boiled egg (the chalkboard says “63°C sous vide egg,” displaying the chef’s background, which includes a degree from the Culinary Institute of America and a stint at New York City restaurant Daniel), pineapple-fermented kimchi, basmati rice, gremolata, purple potato chips, seaweed, toasted buckwheat and quinoa, and microgreens. All dishes at Baroo are meatless and around $10; many are gluten-free and all are perfect for Instagram.

First, there is LA Times food critic Bill Addison’s Restaurant of the Year for 2024, Baroo, in Downtown Los Angeles. There was also the success enjoyed by recently closed but much loved Yangban, which served ‘Korean Americana’ food in the same area, as well as David Chang’s Majordōmo in the northeast corner of Chinatown, which has been open since 2018. In Silver Lake, there’s Joseon, a tasting menu concept from chef Debbie Lee, who has North Korean roots, and there’s Perilla by chef Jihee Lee in Victor Heights, which reinterprets banchan using premium Californian ingredients.

Baroo is the elegant Arts District destination for Kwang Uh and Mina Park’s inspired, modern Korean cuisine, but don’t miss out on the clever drink pairings curated by beverage director and general manager Jason Lee. Find four makgeolli options on the menu, including the brand Shinpyeong’s White Lotus, which adds actual white lotus flowers to the brew while fermenting. “A huge majority of people who come in have never had anything like makgeolli before, and the people who order it tend to be the more adventurous ones,” Lee says.

Hip and upscale, Baroo is the modern version of the Asian fusion ideal. With dishes like the one pictured, the karma circulation with grains, egg, and chicken is comprised of rice, Korean fried chicken marinated with noorook salt, kimchied corn salsa with celery, fennel, jalapeno perila fermented moo (radish), gochujang aioli, and sumac. These modern Korean classics with a modern American twist are a sheer delight.

Baroo’s website describes this eatery as “a free-style experimental kitchen.” While the furniture is minimalist, colorful preserves and dried, fermented fruits make up part of the décor. The menu features kimchi, handmade pasta, and housemade Kombucha. Finding this Santa Monica restaurant can be tricky, but the ambiance and dishes make the trip worthwhile.

Korean cuisine meets fine dining at chef ​​Kwang Uh and Mina Park’s Baroo. Smooth slabs of concrete extend from the floor to the walls, allowing the restaurant to fit right in with its vibey and hip Arts District neighbors. Though you can choose to sit at a standard table, the best experience happens at the chef’s counter of this Michelin Guide eatery.

Baroo has returned with a more refined tasting menu while holding onto the spirit that made the original spot so special. The warm, inviting setting and friendly service create a comfortable atmosphere, with an eclectic playlist adding a lively touch. It’s a great place to experience thoughtful cooking and see how the restaurant continues to evolve.

- Rating: 4.6/5 (168 reviews)- Price level: $$$$- Address: 905 East 2nd St. Ste 109 Los Angeles, California - Categories: Korean, Bars- Read more on Yelp. You may also like:Highest-rated cafes in the Los Angeles area by diners