I appreciate the folks here who notified everyone that Ham Ji Park was closing. Last night, we went with some friends for one last meal at the Pico location, which is the one I almost always went to over the years. They said they’d be open through the end of the month so there’s still 10 or so days left.
Our order, in the end, was the same as when I first started coming here, probably 15+ years ago, maybe because of a JGold review: pork ribs + back-bone stew. The ribs are always good but man, their version of gamjatang was absolute S-tier for me. It’s my favorite Korean dish and no one else in LA/OC has ever come close to nailing it like they do.
But I come not to grieve but to give thanks. HJP has been in operation for over 30 years, an incredible run by the Kim family, that spanned-at one point-three locations. I always loved their OG Pico location because it’s a block from the Mateo’s on Pico/Crenshaw and for many years, whenever I had out of town friends ask where they should go to eat and Los Angeles, I would tell them to hit up HJP for dinner then walk a block to get paletas for dessert: two examples of what makes food in LA so awesome.
Clearly, the word of their closing was out because the wait list was *packed* last night. There were six parties ahead of us and the wait was around 40-45 minutes but we figured it’d be busy so we were all game.
The meal, as always, was lovely but what was especially meaningful is that I had the opportunity, as we left, to thank Mimi Kim, the long-time owner (and I think daughter of the founder?) I’m sad they’re closing but I appreciate what HJP brought to LA for all these decades and I’m glad to have been able to show some gratitude to the people who made that possible.
by soulsides
Dining and Cooking