Restaurant: MUN Korean Steakhouse
Location: 3519 W 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90020
Date: November 2, 2025
Cuisine: Korean BBQ
Rating: Solid KBBQ, Empty Atmosphere
Sunday dinner with the usual suspects brought us to MUN Korean Steakhouse in Koreatown, a relatively high-end KBBQ spot that bills itself as a Korean steakhouse rather than the typical all-you-can-eat warehouse. I’ll say this right away: thank god it’s not AYCE. There’s something about the AYCE model that tends to attract chaos and compromise quality, and MUN clearly positions itself a notch above that fray. The trade-off, however, is that the place was notably uncrowded—probably because of the à la carte pricing—which created an atmosphere that felt a bit too quiet, almost empty. Better than deafening K-pop and screaming birthday parties, sure, but it did make the space feel somewhat lacking in energy.
Chef Jeongyun “JY” Kim brings a Le Cordon Bleu pedigree to MUN, blending traditional Korean flavors with modern steakhouse sensibilities. His philosophy centers on “Munhwa”—the integration of culture with culinary arts—using locally sourced, fresh ingredients to showcase Korean cuisine with a refined edge. The menu focuses on premium cuts of beef and pork, prepared tableside on built-in grills, alongside an array of elevated banchan and Korean small plates.
We brought some serious wine firepower to the table: from my cellar, 2006 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs—an elegant, mineral-driven Champagne from a stellar vintage—and Krug Grande Cuvée, the house’s iconic non-vintage blend that showcases complexity and depth across multiple grape varieties and vintages. On the red side, we opened 2006 Colgin from Napa Valley, a cult-status Bordeaux blend known for its power and precision, 2011 Le Pergole Torte from Tuscany (a celebrated single-vineyard Sangiovese), Domaine du Pegau Châteauneuf-du-Pape with its classic Grenache-driven richness, and two Saint-Émilion Grand Crus: Château La Gaffelière and Château Monbousquet, both offering that elegant, age-worthy Bordeaux character. It was a lineup that elevated the meal considerably.
The dining room with its black marble tables and brass grill insets, warmed by amber pendant lights—though the Halloween decorations (giant spiders and dangling dolls) added a mischievous, slightly haunted vibe.
The meal began with the traditional banchan spread and a few cold starters.
Salt and wasabi toppings for the grilled meats.
Fermented Bean Paste—doenjang for wrapping grilled meat in lettuce.
Potato Salad—creamy and mildly sweet, a standard banchan.
Kimchee—the essential fermented cabbage, sharp and funky.
Pickled Radish with Peppers—crunchy, tangy, with a hint of heat.
Spicy Pickles—more funky, fermented crunch.
Spicy Salad—bright, acidic, with gochugaru kick.
Fried Spam Rolls—these were delicious, but insanely salty. The crispy exterior gave way to that familiar Spam funk, but the salt level was borderline aggressive.
Beef Tartare—this was plagued by being way too cold, ice cold in fact. Temperature matters enormously with raw beef, and serving it straight from the fridge mutes all the flavor and makes the fat unpleasantly hard. A real missed opportunity.
Fried Chicken in a tangy sauce—interesting sauce, with a sweet-tart glaze that cut through the richness of the fried coating.
Then came the main event: the grilled meats:
Tongue—thinly sliced beef tongue ready for the grill.
Tongue on the BBQ, crisping up beautifully with that characteristic tender-chewy texture.
Noodles with Veggies—a palate cleanser between rounds of meat.
Seafood Pancake—a kind of gelatinous pancake which was really good. Technically I think it was a seafood pancake, with that characteristic chewy-crispy texture and bits of squid or octopus throughout.
Beef—premium cuts arriving at the table.
Close-up of the marbling.
Big Plate of Meat—a generous butcher’s platter with various cuts ready for grilling.
Samgyeopsal and Ribeye Platter—thick ribbons of pork belly with pearly fat seams alongside marbled ribeye and a scored king oyster mushroom. This is what KBBQ is all about: quality cuts cooked to order at your table.
Butcher’s Platter—another round of pork belly, ribeye, and king oyster mushroom, this time arranged on a dark board. The quality of the meat was evident in the marbling and the way it cooked up.
He’s an expert cook—one of the gang manning the grill.
Grill-Melted Mozzarella in a brass bowl over the grill—shredded cheese that melts into elastic, molten strands, picking up a hint of smoke from the grill. A fun, indulgent touch.
Cheesy Dip—for dipping the grilled meats, because why not add more richness?
Egg Fried Rice—the classic closer, studded with bits of egg and vegetables, soaking up the residual flavors from the grill.
MUN delivered some solid KBBQ—quality meat, proper grilling technique, and a few interesting touches like the melted mozzarella and the tangy fried chicken sauce. The premium cuts were well-sourced and the à la carte model meant we weren’t dealing with the chaos of AYCE. But the meal had its issues. The beef tartare being served ice cold was a real problem—temperature is critical with raw meat, and this felt like an oversight. The spam rolls, while delicious, were aggressively salty to the point of distraction. And then there’s the atmosphere issue.
The space itself is nice enough—black marble tables, brass grills, decent décor (Halloween decorations aside)—but it was so quiet that it felt empty. I get that this is the trade-off for not being an AYCE zoo, but a restaurant needs some energy, some life. The silence made the whole experience feel a bit flat, like eating in a showroom rather than a dining destination. Maybe we just caught them on a slow night, but atmosphere matters, and MUN’s was lacking.
That said, when you’re with the usual suspects, good wine, and quality meat on the grill, you can make your own energy. The Taittinger and Krug added elegance to the banchan course, while the Bordeaux and Super Tuscan lineup elevated the grilled meats considerably. The seafood pancake was a highlight—gelatinous in the best way, with that addictive chewy-crispy texture. And the core KBBQ experience was sound: good meat, proper cooking, solid banchan.
Is MUN a destination Korean BBQ spot? Maybe not quite. But if you’re looking for a step up from the AYCE madness, with premium cuts and a quieter (perhaps too quiet) environment, it delivers on the fundamentals. Just tell them to warm up that tartare and ease up on the salt.
