Kogi BBQ

The Kogi BBQ food truck, which started around Thanksgiving 2008, serves Korean fusion dishes and can be found at multiple locations throughout Southern California. As of this blog post, they have up to four trucks on the streets, and recently opened their first brick-and-mortar spot (Chego). Kogi's food can also be found at the Alibi Room.

After hearing so much about this famous food truck (heck, there are over 2,000 reviews of this truck on Yelp), I wanted to find where Kogi was no more than an hour after touching down in Los Angeles. My friend, who now lives in LA, had never tried the food and was equally curious. On March 16, we spotted the Roja truck near the Zona Rosa Caffe on S El Molino.

Menu
(March 2013)

I started with a couple of tacos ($2.29 each). All tacos come with choice of meat, sesame-chili salsa roja, an Asian slaw using a Korean chili-soy vinaigrette, cilantro-green onion-lime relish, crushed sesame seeds, and sea salt. I went with a short rib taco and a spicy pork taco this time. Both proteins had incredible flavor. The slaw and relish added a pleasing tangy dimension. An explosion of flavors that all work.

Short Rib Taco

Spicy Pork Taco

The kimchi quesadilla ($6) was perfectly prepared. A generous amount of cheese, yet I could still appreciate the slightly softened kimchi. The sauce coating the quesadilla is flat out amazing. Sesame seeds again give this dish an extra flavor profile. A good-sized portion.

Kimchi Quesadilla

There are several more menu items I'd like to try, like the Calamari Taco ($3.29), Blackjack Quesadilla ($8), and the Sriracha Bar ($4).

I love that you can "upgrade" your choices with extra meat ($2), double meat ($4), or kimchi (50 cents per taco or slider, otherwise $1).

As a note, Portland, Oregon, has several spots for Korean fusion dishes, and I just wanted to see how this one stacked up. I had high expectations for Kogi, and they passed with flying colors.

Check out the Kogi BBQ truck when you're in Southern California! I'm determined to try that sriracha bar.... 9/10