Escala

Escala has a great vibe, making it an easy spot to hang out and enjoy good food in K-Town. The environment is lively but not overwhelming, with music that adds to the energy without making it hard to hold a conversation. The decor has a cool, urban feel, and the mix of Colombian and Korean influences makes for an interesting and unique experience.The food was solid across the board. Every dish had bold flavors and was well-executed, with a nice balance of spice and richness. Portions were generous, and everything felt fresh. The cocktails were also a highlight, well-made and not overly sweet.Service was friendly and efficient, even with the steady crowd. The staff made good recommendations and checked in just enough without being overbearing. If you're looking for a spot with a cool atmosphere, flavorful food, and good drinks, this place is worth checking out.

Escala in K-Town is such a great spot with a fun vibe and interesting decor throughout the restaurant. I was craving the loaded arepas, but unfortunately, they were out. I ended up ordering the K-Town rice con pollo instead, and it did not disappoint! The shredded chicken was incredibly flavorful, and the dish was perfectly made. The vegetarian empanadas were also good, and the plantain chips were a standout--thin, crispy, and paired perfectly with the tomato salsa.The music on the speakers added to the great ambiance, and the service was fast and attentive. While I'll definitely be back to try the arepas, this visit left a great impression, and I'd highly recommend stopping by for a delicious meal and good vibes!

Big disappointment!!I normally order online from this place. Their Chicken Sancocho is one of the best I've had in LA.I decided to go to the location in K-Town and dine in.As soon as you walk in you notice they have a DJ on site that's playing pretty loud music. I think they want to create this Frat House type of atmosphere.After looking at the menu I decided to go with the Sticky Chicken Kimchi Fried Rice. In hindsight not the best choice for a Colombian restaurant. In the end, it wasn't terribly bad, yet it fell short in the flavor and texture department.I ordered the yucca fries, which turned out to be pretty good except they served them with basic ketchup instead of some delicious cilantro sauce.All their nonalcoholic drinks are basically store bought instead of freshly made in house. They do have smoothies but those are also made from the frozen isle in the supermarket.When it came to ask for the check, this is when things got so awkward and pretentious on their end. They decided to add a 18% gratuity to a party of ONE on a pretty slow afternoon.The waiter "explained" that it was costumary to add 18% gratuity because it was "Brunch" on a slow Saturday early afternoon. This is where the pretentious part comes in. Here is a business that decided that is good business practice to auto charge customers for the tip, for a party of ONE no less. I find this so tacky!I'm crushed that the place with a really star dish like their sancocho had to get so desperate to make some extra money instead of creating other dishes that could be winners in a market where Colombian food is not readily available in LA.

First of all, love the vibe here. Tables are picnic style bench so gives the vibe of just family style meals. We just ordered a bunch of tapas cocktails and got our grub on and listened to great music. They have a DJ spinning and playing the jams. Everything we ate was super flavorful from the ceviche, empanadas, BISTEC Al Caballo, wings, pork belly. Great service and even better food. Parking is a bit tough in K-town there's street parking if you get lucky and some paid parking lots adjacent to the restaurant although they were full when we drove by.

Loved Escala! This Korean-Colombian fusion restaurant is delicious. I've been here for Happy Hour but recently tried the Brunch menu and I'll definitely be back!Ambiance: Casual but you can definitely dress up if you want! It was also very lively, they were playing Throwback R&B/Hip Hop/Soul like Usher etc which was amazing. Food: We got Calentado - Rice w. pulled pork, pork belly, blacks beans, egg, green onions, cilantro, and chopped plantains. They also give you a spicy sauce if you want to make it spicy and I LOVED this dish! It was sweet and savory, the pork was tender and flavorful, and the hot sauce took it to the next level! Getting this everytime honestly.BeatsJunkie Loco Moco - this was a different take on the usual Loco Moco so I was interested to try. It's a carne asada burger patty with fried spam and a chorizo sauce, on top of a bed of coconut rice. This also came with plantains. It was good! But I don't think I'd repurchase this one as it was pretty heavy for a brunch meal for me.Red Snapper- this wasn't bad but I found it to be a little too salty for me Passion Fruit Mimosa & Mango Chile Mimosa - we got bottomless; you can get a tajin rim if you want which is nice, but these drinks weren't strong like at all. It took a long time to feel even a little tipsy. That's the only reason I omitted one star

Food (5/5): The Bandeja was BOMB! The plethora of diverse food balanced each other. My favorite out of everything on the bandeja is the galbi. It has a perfect amount of fat and sweetness. The pork belly is crispy on the outside and soft inside. The salsa has a kick to it and the sourness of the kimchi balances out the fatiness. I love the arepa with its cheesy goodness that I think could have used a little more love on the stove to make it more gooey. Service (5/5): I can't promise they'll do this for everyone, but they were so nice enough to give my party a bottle of champagne! Ambiance (5/5): I love the environment here! The loud music, open doors and windows, and the hip decor. The DJ is playing my music right here! Price (5/5): My party was 11 of us and we spent ~$500 with tip. Not bad at all!

K-town is known for great food and this didn't disappoint. Not an Asian spot, but Colombian. Empanadas, Red Snapper, Margaritas.... They are everything you want them to be

I came here with a party of 12 and it was a great setting! They have a live DJ who was awesome and set some fun vibes for conversation. Half of us ordered the platter for 4 but it was more than enough for 6 of us. The chicken wings were SO good and crispy, plantains were perfectly ripe, and the sausage was super flavorful. I'd recommend the platter if you love variety.

I was trying to decide between giving this place 3 or 4 stars, since if I could, I would give it a solid 3.5 stars. My friends and I came here to celebrate a birthday, and we had a great time with each other. The service and vibes were awesome. The restaurant was a perfect fit for a night out with friends and drinks. I just was not a huge fan of the food. Five of my friends and I decided to share the Picada. The portion size was huge. We didn't come close to finishing it. I thought the Colombian chorizo and Colombian blood sausage were pretty good, but I personally found everything else very dry and flavorless. The street corn was so salty that I could barely finish it. The arepas, sweet plantains, and papas criollas did not seem to have a flavor. It could be that maybe I'm just not a fan of Colombian food so I didn't know how to enjoy it. One of my friends thought the food here was really good. No one else gave any feedback, so I can't really say.

Be Aware of this place- they demand a tip from pick up orders!!!It was few months ago, I placed an order on the phone for pick up.I had a pork chilaquiles for to go and it was about $27. When I came to pick it up, the cashier guy handed me my bill and after I signed, he demanded a tip- it was to go order.I didn't sit or got served in the restaurant but why he demanded a tip from me. It was very rude of him and the food tasted very dry and bland. Lots of fat very small portion of pork.. very disappointed. Wouldn't recommend this place.