Broken Mouth

We have been meaning to go here for about a year. Finally made it before a Kings game. The food was ready exactly at the time promised. (We ordered about 90 minutes prior) The food was The beef jun was one of the best things I have ever put in my mouth. Delicious, tender and flavorful. We also had the chicken teriyaki which was cooked to perfection. My partner loved the macaroni / potato salad combo and noted the spot on blend of the two. As chef was there and greeted us with our order. He threw in an extra spam musubi gratis. A lovely and kind human. The food hall is bare and has zero ambiance. The lighting is awful and it was not particularly clean. But this place is all about the food ! You will be happy that you made the effort.

Broken Mouth - A Weekend Visit Requires a Game Plan and I definitely mean that. Driving into the city, I couldn't help but notice the overwhelming presence of tent encampments lining 7th Street. It's heartbreaking to see so many people struggling, and Los Angeles truly needs to step up in providing resources for those in need.That said, I was excited to finally try Broken Mouth, a highly praised spot for Hawaiian cuisine with a twist. From social media buzz to Food Network features, the hype had me eager to see what the fuss was about.Parking Woes - Plan AheadFinding parking near the restaurant was an absolute nightmare. If you're planning a weekend visit, I highly recommend taking an Uber or Lyft. Street parking is scarce, and nearby lots or garages require some walking. I eventually found a spot, paid $5, and walked about a block to the restaurant. As a pleasant surprise, I noticed Holy Basil was right next door--another spot on my foodie bucket list.The Wait - A Deal BreakerWhen I approached the counter to place my order, I believe it was the owner who informed me there would be at least a 1 hour and 25-minute wait for food. That instantly raised a red flag, considering I had only put that much time in my parking meter. I sat down to browse the menu, debating whether the wait was worth it. By the time I returned to the counter to order, I was told the wait had now increased to 1 hour and 40 minutes!The owner mentioned that weekends are their busiest time, which I completely understand, but after already spending an hour searching for parking, I just couldn't justify waiting that long. I wish I had known in advance that ordering ahead was the best strategy.Final ThoughtsWhile I didn't get to try the food, I wanted to share my experience so others can be better prepared. If you plan to visit on a weekend, order ahead or prepare for a long wait. As for me, I'm unsure if I'll be back. I was really looking forward to tasting what everyone raves about, but the overall experience left me disappointed.Unfortunately, no pictures this time--just some lessons learned.

MUST ORDER AHEAD! Placed the order before they opened, around 11:30 am and food was ready at 12:45 pm, just as promised. This place is a gem. The owner is super friendly and helpful. He was impressed we knew to order ahead for our first time. We got the chicken Teri and beef plates with Korean greens, kimchi cucumber, potato-Mac and black rice. I ordered the spam musubi too. For drinks, we picked the cold coffee and passion fruit juice. Everything was delicious. Generous portions too.This place is located inside a small food court, which was lightly populated. Gotta ask security to use the restroom. When we picked up our food and ate there, he told the next people it would be about 2 hours if they ordered food now. I'll be back another time soon. Thanks Broken Mouth!

Atmosphere - Warehouse-like building, limited seating, street parking available. Taste - Authentic Hawaiian dishes. Garlic shrimp was deep fried with shells on, seasoned with lots of butter and garlic. Yum! It was very flavorful and crispy. Best Meat Jun in LA. Reminiscent of meat Jun on Oahu. Meat was tender and delicious. Winner!Dishes came with purple rice, mac salad and cucumber Kim Chee. Cucumber Kim Chee had the right amount of spice and crunch. Spam musubi was made with purple rice, teriyaki spam and furikake. The best!Customer service - Very friendly, helpful and took time to chat with us. Price - AverageWe will definitely be back!

I finally made it to Broken Mouth, and I get the hype!! This place is serving up some of the most flavorful and satisfying Korean-Hawaiian food I've ever had. Every bite was a perfect balance of sweet, savory, and umami - comfort food at its finest.I ordered the Meat Jun with salad & cucumber kimchi, and it was absolutely magnificent. The flavors, the freshness... I was blown away. I only wish I lived closer so I could grab food here more often! The Spam Musubi was a little rice-heavy for my taste, but it was a generous portion and definitely hit the spot.Service was great, and the owner even threw in an extra musubi! Super friendly and welcoming, which made the experience even better. I definitely recommend ordering ahead to avoid waiting.This spot is located in a small food hall, so the ambiance is what you'd expect, but there was plenty of seating to enjoy my meal on-site.I highly recommend this place - it's so worth the drive for amazing Hawaiian comfort food. I can't wait to come back!

Amazing broke da mouth grindz! Finally able to be in the area, FIND parking AND place an order! My stars were totally aligned today!Food-BELIEVE ALL DA HYPE! I wasn't thinking clearly as I should have just bought all the different plates so we could've sampled them all when I got home!Got the meat jun plate-the recipe is unlike any meat jun I have had on the islands. The batter was just right, layers of thinly sliced beef and batter, perfectly seasoned, that sauce is unnecessary! HOWEVER, when dunked in the sauce-it takes the plate to da NEXT LEVEL!!! So flavorful it's ridiculous! The Mac salad was on point, the purple rice and generous portion of furukaki was greatly appreciated! Makes me wonder why I never ever saw purple rice plate lunch when I am in Hawaii! Da locals need to take notes from you! Purple rice is no ka oi! Got a special musubi on the side, IYKYK! Also bomb af! The ratio of purple rice to spam was perfect as I don't like too much rice in my musubis. Mahalo nui loa to Chef Tim! Appreciate you bringing a piece of Hawai'i here where I can come visit and feel like I'm home! Congratulations! I hope one day Broken Mouth becomes a franchise located all over the country! People everywhere deserve to broke their mouths, in the best way possible! Maybe you consider your second location in Kaimuki? Pretty Please???See you next week! (Not joking!) TIP to Yelpers: Call ahead and make a plan...not good to just take a chance, unless you have a lot of time. FYI: It IS worth the wait and all the effort!

Tucked away in an anonymous food hall in LA's fashion district, Chef Tim and his team at Broken Mouth have crafted a culinary testament to his Korean and Hawaiian heritage, one that I was hitherto unfamiliar with but am now unquestionably thankful for. It is IMPERATIVE you follow the common warning of ordering online and at least 1.5 hours before you intend on eating, for both the food prep time itself and attempting to find street parking in DTLA. Mega bonus points for the beautiful and smoothly operating UI of their ordering portal.My friend and I split a Meat Jun/greens/cucumber kimchi and a Garlic Shrimp/rice/mac salad for an astonishingly affordable $40 before tip. When we got to picking up our food after doing a little window shopping around the area, Chef Tim handed us our food and entertained our questions about the restaurant and some of the ideas behind his food - even throwing in a drink for our first time and a surprise spam musubi we discovered before digging in. Meat Jun - ridiculously tender cuts of ribeye layered in fried egg pancake-style with some delicious soy-based dipping sauce that made every bite so succulent (although I could've annihilated the plate without the sauce as well). So homey but so new in the best way possible!Garlic Shrimp - a mainland masterpiece. Lightly breaded for some uncontested crunch and fried till the tail is indistinguishable from the rest of the shrimp. Let me tell you right now - this is hands down the best garlic shrimp I've had in my entire life and I am fairly confident it will stay that way for a while. So much delicious garlic flavor that makes for a mouthwatering combination with the butter sauce and lemon.The Korean green salad was pretty much a spring mix with lots of sesame and soy flavor (good) and the cucumber salad was piled high with chili garlic (great). I loved the chewiness and nuttiness of the purple rice compared to traditional white rice, which worked well with the spam musubi. Potato Mac salad is heavy on the potato and mayo, similar to the potato salad typical of Korean banchan, as opposed to the more acidic Hawaiian style. We finished our massive bowls in under 20 minutes and had to go back to thank the chef. Worth every penny and then some. See you again soon!

Looked forward to going here. Got:1) 3/5 shrimp with 2 sides ($18): cucumber kimchi & Korean greens. Both sides were seasoned very well. The shrimp tasted like seafood boil, except milder. I was told the shell is edible, but I can take it off if it bothers me. I did eat the shell, but a few pieces of it did bother me. 4/5 brioche bread pudding ($7): very cinnamony, warm, & very good, fall/autumn vibes; feels like sipping cinnamon punch in a cozy hoodie

I came here with my husband and dog on a Friday afternoon around 2pm. This is located in a small food mall which is not obvious from the street, so it can be easily missed when you are driving. It is located near a huge flat rate parking lot for like $8, or you might get lucky and find street parking with a pay meter.Chef Tim was working the register when we came by, and he is such a kind and friendly guy!! After he explained the menu to us, my husband got the beef rice plate with cucumber kimchi ($19), and I got the shrimp rice plate with potato-mac ($18). The beef was good, but the shrimp was soooo good. It was fried to absolute perfection, resulting in a crispy, crunchy shell, and it was seasoned well, not at all too salty. The fried garlic all over the shrimp and rice was truly chef's kiss.Tim was so sweet and gave us drinks on the house (it was our first time trying Hawaiian beverages, and they did not disappoint!!! POG was excellent). He also threw in a spam musubi, and it was so freaking delicious, definitely the best spam musubi I have ever had.There are not a lot of restaurants I would brave LA driving AND parking for, but this place is pretty darn worth it. The food is unique and tasty, and the customer service is unparalleled. I appreciate that the food mall seemed low-key enough that no one minded my dog being there. Definitely worth a try when you're in DTLA!

The owner was super nice and the food was amazing. It helps to order ahead. There are a few paid parking lots nearby.