There’s no place in Los Angeles for a unique seafood meal quite like Hwal A Kwang Jang. Thrill-seekers head to this longtime Western Avenue strip mall joint for wriggling pieces of live octopus (though you’ll need to reserve in advance), but the real everyday draws here include affordably priced rice bowls and generous family-style seafood combinations centered around heaping platters of mixed sashimi that feature halibut, tuna, and salmon — or all halibut, a variety preferred by many within the Korean diaspora for its chewy texture. Regardless of the time of day, expect to find an older, mostly Korean-speaking regulars’ crowd tucking into prismatic rice bowls topped with either vegetables and raw fish (hwedupbap) or a rainbow-hued assortment of flying fish roe (albap).
An affordable lunch for under $40, including tax and tip, or a unique, bang-for-your-buck seafood meal that’s a far cry from your average sushi restaurant.
Expect to pay for valet if you want to park on-site — the attendants normally take Zelle.