Olympic Noodle

Elite '08

82

220

Lisa M.

Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

I like it here. It's pretty freakin korean, but that's what happens when you get korean food in ktown, right?

They're known for their... you guessed it, noodles!! They make their own noodles for the soup, and it's really delish and fresh. I've been here a couple times, and I order the beef noodle soup, or whatever it's called in korean. It's a pretty damn big bowl, with lots of noodles, some beef, and a few veggies. I add some of the various sauces and such to give the broth some more flavor, but that's just because I love my salt. It's always really filling, I can never get through more than half of it. But MMMMM is it good, especially when it's cold and dreary outside.

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72

89

eugenia c.

Huntington Beach, CA

there's been a change of ownership at this location and though the noodles seem to be getting all the glory the kimchee is the reason i go. i'll even admit that on a kimchee loving scale from 0-10 i'm probably about a 2. dare i say even a 1.5 but hot damn, i can't get enough when i come here.

they also have a healthier do-to-ree (acorn) option which is really exciting and i haven't tried yet (just heard from my mom).

this place is all about the kimchee. let me know what you think.

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52

100

cj y.

Los Angeles, CA

I kept getting disappointed when eating kalguksoo cuz I couldn't find one that I really liked.  I thought maybe it was just that I don't really like it that much, but before giving up on ever eating it again, I scoured Yelp to see what other ppl had to say.  After reading EVERYTHING i could find, it seems there's no such thing as bad kalguksoo.  It's about personal preference.  

And here's my two little cents...

Madang Gooksoo:  Ktown's fav kalguksoo place, but not mine.  I don't like it cuz there's too much stuff going on in there.  I'm a minimalist when it comes to soups.  Noodles and meat shouldn't be lost in a flurry of other stuff.  It's so loaded, there's no soup.

Myung Dong Kyoja:  This place came so close to being the place that liked cuz it's so simple.  Lot's of soup to drink, and the little dumplings they put in there are so cute.  But I decided to keep looking cuz they don't do chicken, and the soup seems so heavy.  I mean msg heavy.  

Various little restaurants around Ktown that Yelpers said have good kalguksoo:  They all taste pretty much the same.  Not bad, but not what I was looking for.  

Olympic Noodle:  I found it.  I found a kalguksoo that fits my tastes.  Plenty of soup.  Plenty of noodles.  Plenty of chicken.  Not that much filler veggies, but just enough.  And it tastes good, too!

YAAAAYYYYYY ME!!!   :)  *shrug*

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2

33

Brad C.

Los Angeles, CA

This place is so good!!!  I took my mom there and she was surprised.  My mom makes noodles from scratch and she gave this place a good nod.  I was surprised.  I have taken my cousins there and they all love this place.  So So Good.  The kim chee is great.  My only complaint is I wish they had more side dishes.

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0

10

Joshua K.

Las Vegas, NV

Had the pleasure of staying in Korea Town for a week, so I reached out beyond the typical Tofu House and/or BBQ places. I found this place from reading Yelp reviews, and this is totally worth it!

First of all, the front door facing the main street (Olympic) is locked. I had to knock on it to have people unlock it and open it for me.  Turns out, all the customers in the know come in from the back door...

There's nothing but noodles here. Delicious, chewy noodles with good texture, in a big (and I mean big) bowl of tasty broth. I couldn't finish my noodles, but I made sure that I finished all the broth, it's that delicious!

Possibly the best Kim Chee I have ever had. I was given my own pot (yes, a pot, like the ones that Bibimbop comes in) of Kim Chee.  I learned from other yelppers that this is fresh kim chee rather than fermented, but it was delicious! Getting hungry just thinking of it. It is slightly sour, a little sweet, and not too spicy.  I am thinking of taking my wife here next time we are in Southern California (we live in Vegas) just for the kim chee!

Overall, very good food at a very reasonable price, I don't know if it's authentic or not since I am not Korean, but definitely worth a trip.

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3

20

Ed X.

Los Angeles, CA

Let me preface by saying that Kalgooksoo is one of my favorite noodle-in-soup dishes in the world.  Roughly translated, Kalgooksoo means "Knife Cut Noodles" meaning the noodles are made from flour dough and hand cut by a knife.  The noodles are usually in a seafood or beef broth and topped with various vegetables and seafood/meat.  My mother used to make it from scratch, and I consider it true Korean "soul food."

After recently moving to downtown L.A., I embarked on a quest to find my favorite Kalgooksoo restaurant.  After reading Yelp, I ventured to Olympic Noodle (http://www.yelp.com/bi...), Madang Gook Soo (http://www.yelp.com/bi...), Myung Dong Noodle House (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) and Myung Dong Kyoja (http://www.yelp.com/bi...).

I would rate:

My Mom's (10 of 10):  Come on...who can beat home cooking?  

Olympic Noodle (9 of 10):  The best I've tried at a Korean restaurant.  I've tried both their seafood and chicken selections...both very good.  HUGE portions, and excellent kimchi.  My new regular Kalgooksoo spot in L.A.

Madang Gook Soo (7.5 out of 10):  Decent; tried both their seafood and chicken varieties...but somehow still lacking somehow...I can't put my finger on it...but it was a B- at best.  Kimchi was so-so...  

Myung Dong Noodle House (5 out of 10):  Not great, but they had pretty good banchan.  Kimchi was so-so...

Myung Dong Kyoja (2 out of 10):  I rarely get sick from eating food out.  I seriously thought I had an iron stomach until I tried this place.  Tried it twice, just to make sure...but both times...I got really sick...  And the kimchi was gross...way too garlicky...

Hope these reviews help for you Korean noodle-in-soup lovers!!!

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Elite '08

122

222

Albert H.

Los Angeles, CA

I am not Korean, (I'm Chinese). From taking classes in college, I can read Hangul and somewhat understand if you speak slowly, but I can't really speak. They barely speak English at Olympic Noodle, so beware, like many places in K-Town, you need a Korean speaking companion to get full service.

That said, I moved up up the street from Olympic Noodle on Sept 1. Any noodle joint near my pad was gonna get a test-run in my first week. Due to the language-barrier, ordering and asking questions was a challaenge, but eh, the food was pretty good.

So, I know Kalgooksoo means knife-cut noodles.. I ordered the Kalgooksoo and Sujaebi (didn't know what that was at the time, but it sounded interesting), and oddly enough I got a bowl of standard-looking noodles and what I assumed were the knife-cut noodles. Confusing to say the least.

Turns out, Kalgooksoo is not the same as Chinese Dao-Xiao Mian ("Knife-Cut or -Shaved Noodles"), it's more like Chinese Shou-La Mian ("Hand-Pulled Noodles"), which are typically hand-cut. Sujaebi is more or less Dao-Xiao Mian. The Kalgooksoo noodles are nice and fresh, but I wasn't really impressed by them.

I'd definitely come again, mostly because it's so close to me. Bonus that they have Sujaebi!

PS: I asked if they do take-out, they said no. I asked my roommate, who goes there often. He said I should've asked if they do "TOO-GO". Because they do, lol.

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15

85

Suji ..

Los Angeles, CA

*Update: After eating at nearby Madang Gooksoo (869 S. Western), I had to take off a star, as I won't be returning to Olympic Noodle for kalgooksoo*

This Korean hole-in-the-wall specializes in soups with kalgooksoo (knife-cut noodles) and sujaebi (torn wheat dough).  They also serve bibimbap (mixed veggies over rice dish) and handmade dumplings.  Most everything on the menu is $6.50.

I ordered the #1 on the menu, chicken knife noodles (dak kalgooksoo).  The chicken was darker and more moist than the meat at Madang Gooksoo, but there were fewer and smaller zucchini pieces in the soup.  The broth was very good, after I spiced it up with kimchi and a little bit of red pepper paste.

The noodles came in a large bowl and were freshly made with different widths and thicknesses, but they looked more perfect, probably machine-cut and not knife-cut like Madang Gooksoo's.

I prefer Madang Gooksoo's hand-cut noodles and larger menu of hot & cold noodle soups, but I have not tried Olympic Noodle's other dishes, especially sujaebi (which Madang doesn't have).

Bibimbap--both dolsot (stone pot) and regular versions--is a popular dish here.

The dumplings (beef with chives) were handmade and small, but not special, maybe bc they were boiled.  You can order them boiled, steamed, or fried.  Frying makes everything taste better.

Banchan (free sides): a huge bowl of delicious Napa cabbage kimchi (use tongs to put into a small dish); and ice-cold, pickled white mu (daikon).  Madang Gooksoo gives an extra dish of pickled, leafy-green veggies.

There's a small window into the kitchen where you can see the older Korean ladies work with the noodles.

At night, plenfiful parking in the lot behind (enter on Norton).  At lunch, there's valet, but there is usually street parking available on Norton.

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0

10

christine p.

Westwood, CA

the myulchi (anchovy) kalgooksoo is slurpingly delicious.  i'm getting a runny nose just thinking about it.

the noodles are thick and chewy and served in a stainless steel bowl, which somehow adds to the beauty. lots of garlic. no, seriously, lots. more than any place else i've tried. take that, myungdong.

and forget about the underfermented kimchi, it's totally habit forming and just plain evil.

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