Gamja Bawi

Reviews

• Sarah M.

  star star star star star_border 4 June 2026

  Over all was ok , good flavor but the rice was too crunchy. I loved the bulgogi that was A+ ! Bibambap was mediocre.

• Stefanie S.

  star star star star_border star_border 4 June 2026

  Gamja Bawi Located inside the koreatown plaza international food court. Right away I could see that this stall had a decent sized line and people waiting for their food. The popularity drew me in.
  
  Taking a peek at everyone else's food orders coming out I could see that the portions were very generous. An elderly couple sitting down was thoroughly enjoying a spicy braised cod fish dish that looked stellar. I had to have it.
  
  After ordering #4 and waiting for quite a while... I was given #14!!!! The woman at the counter seemed annoyed that she made the mistake, as if it were my fault. She said I should have known That I was charged a lower price as the fish was more expensive.... I decided not to argue. Paid the difference and waited again.
  
  Luckily, it was worth the wait!!!!
  The sauce was soooo flavorful and not too spicy. The fish was tender and delicious. Large pieces of zucchini, daikon and onion topped 4 generous portions of delicate braised fish. There were a lot of bones but easily picked out and the bones add to the flavor of the stew anyway... served with rice, wakame soup and banchan (cucumber, kimchee and fish cake) I feel it was certainly worth $18.99
  
  I'll definitely be back and hopefully can add another star. The food was great. Service was slow, which is not so bad because the food was great, but not very friendly.

• Jennifer B.

  star star star star_border star_border 28 May 2026

  There was only one reason I came by here: scallion and seafood pancake.
  
  It was like having tunnel vision. I was just walking by, looked up and it was (literally) the only thing I saw on their menu that caught my attention. In fact, the interest in this dish was so strong that I didn't bother looking at any of their many other food offerings. Hell, I couldn't tell you one more thing on their menu if my life depended on it.
  
  Only one person ahead of me, the ordering was pretty quick.
  
  I expected a wait since they're pretty popular. The longest they didn't have a customer was probably for a good minute or two.
  
  It took about 15 minutes for my buzzer to go off. There were a few people also coming up for their food, so there was a bit of a chaos. The ladies behind the counter, however, were organized and on point.
  
  Lady asked if I would like my pancake sliced. "Sure, why not."
  
  VERDICT: a little too oily and a little too undercooked. The center of my pancake had too soft of a finish. It could have used a bit longer on the fryer (some kinda crisp woulda been good) and could have used a little more drying on a cooling rack. But there was plenty of seafood, so they didn't skimp on that at all. And the sauce was a winner. It made an impact on the overall flavor.
  
  But because it was a bit oily for me, I only had a one pie-sized slice. I was pretty much done after that. Took the rest to-go.
  
  FOOD: 3.
  SERVICE: 4. (Pretty average, really, but I'm gonna give them an extra bump because I overheard one of them rectifying a situation she previously had with a customer by comping him a potato pancake. The customer, picking up his food, was delightfully surprised! Now that's awesome customer service.)
  VALUE: 2. (Hardly worth the $12.99 price tag.)
  PARKING: Mall parking. Free on this visit. Located behind the building on James Wood Blvd.
  OVERALL: 3.
  
  I don't foresee myself coming through this area anytime soon, but if I do end up at this food court, I'll make sure to look at the rest of their menu. But their scallion and seafood pancake will certainly be a hard pass for that next visit.

• Dan W.

  star star star star star_border 27 May 2026

  My fiancee loves to visit Koreatown Plaza before we head back North, so after we did some K-pop shopping, we stopped by the food court. I chose this place based on the picture and description of #13, and glad I did.
  
  My plate included two pieces of fish and a platter of rice and assorted sides. Not much else to report, except the fish was cooked to order, fresh, hot, and tasted as it should. For the amount of food, relatively inexpensive. She got the Spicy chicken and potato platter, and enjoyed it. I had a bite, and, though to spicy for me (thanks, prednisone :p. ), I could still taste a juicy piece of chicken.
  
  To be honest, the food court area offers a lot of different authentic takes on Korean food, and I most likely will want to explore and try other places. That being said, I do recommend you try this place, as we both enjoyed our lunches

• Spencer Y.

  star star star star star_border 22 May 2026

  Never mind Yelp.  You can kind of tell which food station is better by the popularity at this food court off Western Ave.  Gamja Bawi is usually more popular than the other food court store fronts.
  
  We ordered a bibimbap and grilled mackerel fish with rice. Our order took a good 10 minutes before our number came up. The rice was stinging hot and crispy from the heated bowl. We left the meat off the bibimbap so it was a wonderful mix of vegetables and rice. The grilled mackerel was thin and full of small bones. When I was able to scrape some fish meat off the spine, it was tasty and light. A squeezed lemon adds to the flavor.
  
  This is definitely one of the better food court options and worth a return visit when we're in this dungeon basement.