(No website found at time of publishing) – Cerritos, California

How I heard of this place: My sister Mojgan wanted to take us out for Korean BBQ and requested recommendations from her friends. The Corner Place was highly recommended as far as food was concerned, but the rumors were that the service left something to be desired. We decided to go for food over service and sampled it anyway.  

Type of cuisine: Korean BBQ and accouterments, bibim bap, cold noodles. “…the menu is pretty no-nonsense Korean, offering a small but comprehensive variety of meats to barbeque, jigaes, bibim bap, mandoo, pa jeon and other popular dishes.”

Ambiance: Unassuming exterior, the place had very little by way of signage and windows. Upon entering, however, the large interior hosted well-used booth seating and chairs and tables throughout the space. The patrons during this early dinner were all Korean except for the couple seated across from us, quietly enjoying their meal. Each table came built with an insert for BBQing meat. The entry way was somewhat darkened, with a small hostess/cashier corner and Asian-inspired décor on the wall opposite. Beyond that, the place did not boast frills and gimmicks, just good food. “With its 70’s brown boothed interior, it’s obvious that [it] used to be some sort of family friendly coffee shop like Coco’s or Denny’s in the past, and really, you wouldn’t really know it was a Korean restaurant if you didn’t notice the the grill plates on the tables or that the hostess greets people in Korean.”

What I ordered: We ordered off of the limited three-person combinations and enjoyed beef, two ways, Bulgogi (sliced beef rib eye), thinly sliced beef, and spicy pork, which were cooked at our table on the BBQ-insert with the assistance of The Corner Place owner, Grace. We also ordered two cans of 7up ($1 each) to help wash down the meal. Panchan was plentiful: little dishes of baechu (napa cabbage) kimchi, oi (cucumber) kimchi, kong namul moo chim (seasoned bean sprouts), moo saeng chae (seasoned daikon), and others that I cannot recall the names of, such as seasoned seaweed, blanketed the table. 

What I loved: I most enjoyed one of our ten side dishes, the broccoli stems, served cold in a spicy sauce. My sister loved the ribeye, as did I when it came to the meat, but both of us agreed that additional spice would have increased the flavor and enjoyment. Our third dining companion loved the spicy pork, hands down.

Why I loved it: The service was more friendly than we had anticipated based on the reviews from friends and on Yelp! And the food was tasty and fresh. The sides, all provided prior to being served the meat, were diverse and replenished at our request. The experience and the food combined made for an enjoyable evening out.

Cost: Average to high ($20 per person for the combination)