When I first visited The Source OC, visiting Koreatown in Los Angeles definitely became another place on my summer checklist. On my recent girl’s trip to K-Town, we visited two shopping malls and I thought I’d share my experience.

Koreatown Plaza

When we arrived at the three-story shopping mall, the store that immediately drew my attention was H-Mart. You may be thinking, “Why? It’s just a grocery store.” Well, what caught my attention was not the fact that it was a grocery store, but, rather, that there was a grocery store directly linked to a shopping mall. I mean, that’s just so convenient. Need to grab some groceries? Well, you can also visit some retail stores on your way out! 

Of course, there’s much more to the plaza than just a grocery store. Other options included cosmetics, toys and a wide variety of food options (even for picky eaters like me). When we visited, we ordered spicy rice cakes and fish cakes with oden. Personally, the spicy rice cakes were a bit too spicy for me, but my friends really enjoyed the Korean “street food.” And while two of my friends specifically wanted to visit Koreatown in search of K-pop merchandise, the store Music Plaza had a vast and diverse selection of artist albums, posters and stationery. 

Koreatown Galleria

While we didn’t spend too much time here, I thought I’d still mention this place because it holds so much nostalgia. I know I was super impressed by the grocery store and shopping mall combination that Koreatown Plaza had, but Koreatown Galleria also had a similar layout.

We only visited Choice Music here, as we were low on time. However, in my past experiences, I’ve loved Koreatown Plaza’s wide selection of clothing stores and gift shops. 

I think its food court is also worth mentioning because it offers a multitude of Korean food, noodles and even cafés. I will say, however, that the Koreatown Plaza shopping mall seemed to have more options but Koreatown Galleria definitely had more seating available — and even an outside patio.  

Koreatown in Los Angeles is incredibly diverse, and these were only two shopping malls out of the marvelous selection of dining, apparel and other retail options. I think that when you do visit Koreatown — again or for the first time ever — you will truly be amazed.