Gangnam style in the heart of LA

With a heady mix of karaoke and sake, discovers Koreatown’s now place to be

FORGET Beverly Hills. Right now, the hottest part of Los Angeles is Koreatown, a formerly run-down quarter right in the centre of the city.

K-Town stretches for approximately three square miles; throbbing streets filled with karaoke bars, bubble-tea cafes and Korean barbecue restaurants, where meats are brought to your table to grill yourself.

It’s a place where supermarkets are filled with unrecognisable ingredients, where a plain door in the wall will lead to one of the city’s most chic cocktail bars, where side streets are dotted with neon signs and the smell of kimchee and it feels as though you’re lost somewhere in Asia rather than deepest LA.

The streets of K-Town have seen major changes – in the 1920s and 30s Hollywood celebrities came to the bars and hotels to party. The Ambassador Hotel, torn down in 2005, but in the heart of K-Town, hosted the Oscars in the 1930s and was the site of Robert Kennedy’s assassination.

By the 1970s it had become home to a huge number of Korean immigrants.

Today it’s a mix of Hispanic, Korean and Angelinos, giving the area a unique feel. Signs are in Spanish, Korean and English and if you tire of oriental food, there’s always a taco bar around the corner. Approach it with an open mind and be prepared to try different things.

STAY

The Line (dialling from the UK: 00 213 381 7411/thelinehotel.com), is co-owned and run by one of the city’s most renowned chefs, Roy Choi.

It could only exist in LA; the bedrooms have walls of exposed cement and floor-to-ceiling glass, with mid-century modern pieces, and offer views across to the Hollywood Hills. Great fun.

Don’t miss brunch in Commissary, the hotel’s gorgeous glasshouse restaurant; try avocado toast with goat’s cheese or wagyu burger. Doubles from £200, room only.

SHOP

Shopping is a major pastime in K-Town and there are several big