I wanted to try POT, Roy Choi’s new Korean restaurant at the Line Hotel, as soon as I read about it. In case you are wondering, they definitely try to play up the name, as there is a green neon sign illuminating the word “POT” that welcomes you as you enter the restaurant from the hotel lobby. Upon first glance, POT is casual and trendy — it’s one of those Korean restaurants that you wouldn’t mind taking your non-Asian friends to, not unlike Genwa. In fact, Joe Jonas was sitting at the table right next to us. (We saw some people in the restaurant trying to take pictures with the goal of getting Joe Jonas in the background. Yea, it was really obvious.)

Our group settled on some dishes to share: the Old School pot, potato pancake, BBQ galbi, kimchi fried rice, and the beep beep (uni dynamite rice bowl). We had a lot of questions about the pots (were they all soup-based? were they similar to sundubu jjigae? how big were they?), and the waitress (who wasn’t Korean and probably had no idea what sundubu jjigae was) was unhelpful. We opted for the small size of the Old School pot, and she insisted that we move up a size. We stuck with the small size, and that was definitely the correct decision (see below for the enormous pot).

Overall, the food was much better than I expected. I had read some unfavorable Yelp reviews on the food not being authentic, and I agree that it was not authentic Korean cuisine. However, it was tasty nonetheless. Here is our meal in a nutshell:

BBQ Galbi.This galbi was a bit sweeter than I would prefer, but that didn’t stop me from savoring the tenderness of the meat.

Kimchi fried rice. The rice was flavorful, and I liked the addition of the egg.

Potato pancake. The pancake was crunchier than I anticipated, but I enjoyed the saltiness of the accompanying sauce.

Old school pot. This was actually incredible in how flavorful it was — the soup was mouth-wateringly spicy and the bulgogi, rice noodles, and veggies were all delightful. I went back for a second and then a third spoonful. 

Happy friend. I wasn’t the only one that was happy with the meal!

I had an excellent meal and would gladly go back to sample some of their other pots.

POT, 3515 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90010