Soot Bull Jeep

The Scene – On a Koreatown sidewalk, crowds wait for a seat in this dim, no-frills barbecue joint. Tables fitted with charcoal-fueled fire pits fill each room. Service is efficient--but the staff speaks little English, so the uninitiated might feel like they are traveling internationally without a guidebook. – – The Food – This smoky spot offers remarkable barbecue. Order from a choice of meats--including beef, chicken and pork--which arrive at the table raw, ready for diners to throw onto the smoldering grill. Most cuts are marinated to perfection in sesame oil,…

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Parking:: There's a lot outside for those unable to score street spots in this busy neighborhood.

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User Reviews (49)

ambiance	53.13000202178955% positive	“Exceptional food quality and great atmosphere!” “It's fun because you get to cook your own food, right at your table, the whole place smells like cooked meat, they have 20 ounce beers and the waitresses are friendly.” “That and the sketchy neighborhood, painful parking and long lines cause me to hesitate to recommend SBJ as a place to casually drop by after work.” “The parking is bad, the lines are long, and the tables aren't necessarily comfortable.” “When you first walk in, it is not a great place for ambience, as they had plastic chairs and the floor was dirty from all the charcoal.” “People who criticize this place nitpick about the parking, the wait, and the sometimes pushy waitresses.” “The restaurant is not meant to attract people looking for a romantic atmosphere, but if you want the best Korean BBQ, this is it!” “That said, if you're not going for atmosphere and you're up for doing some laundry afterwards, I recommend SBJ.”
drinks	63.33000183105469% positive	“The variety of traditional side dishes that are included with the meal are fantastic, and a nice cold beer or soju is the perfect accompaniment.” “the meat is excellent, the vibe is dead-on (and, therefore, not swanky by any means) and the beer is cold.” “It's fun because you get to cook your own food, right at your table, the whole place smells like cooked meat, they have 20 ounce beers and the waitresses are friendly.” “Funky, hole-in-the wall Korean BBQ with amazing authentic food and drinks.” “Soot Boll Jeep's servers were completely rude and were too busy stocking their beer fridge for the end of the night duties to check if we wanted to order (15 minutes).”
food quality	90.41999816894531% positive	“Exceptional food quality and great atmosphere!” “The food is great, nice and traditional.” “The meat, although it looks sketchy at times, is delicious.” “The variety of traditional side dishes that are included with the meal are fantastic, and a nice cold beer or soju is the perfect accompaniment.” “Although my clothes still smell like I went on a camping trip, the grilled beef, ribs and shrimp were incredibly good.” “Great food” “One of the best korean bbq joints in ktown.” “My husband Eric and I have been to a plethora of places and aside from reeking days afterwards, it is the best green onion salad and marinated beef anywhere.” “The food here is so delicious, and it is completely perfect for a group of friends as an interactive way to hang out.” “It is relatively impossible to ruin the food; although we got distracted by side conversations and would leave the meat cooking on the grill for far too long, the flavor was still so incredible that the fact that none of us knew beans about cooking couldn” “love meat.” “The best K-bbq in Koreatown.” “Unreal food combined with a nice smoked flavor "you" will leave you floored and ready to come back for more.” “Funky, hole-in-the wall Korean BBQ with amazing authentic food and drinks.” “The meat is delicious.” “The meat is cooked on top of charcoal pit that causes a lot of smoke so make sure you arent waering your favorite outfit cause it may be hard to get the smell out.” “This is an amazing food "experience", not a fru-fru place.” “But the bbq is definitely good so if that's all you care about then go for it.” “good korean side dishes and the galbi is just absolutely delicious.” “enjoy the "activity" of cooking (maybe it satisfies my ADD) and love gettin' all messy with my food (satisfies my innerchild).” “Its not that the food was bad, just average.” “THis place has great authentic korean food!” “This place scores huge with me for a great lunch spot with co-workers, and would be equally good for a family dinner (minus small children) - I'm seriously impressed by the food - but want to redecorate the dining area.” “but if you want terrific, charcoal-grilled meat--and the best eel and mino i've had in the city--this is your spot.” “and I love Korean food.” “This place takes all that is great about our wonderful meats and vegetables here in the US and combines them with the truly authentic Korean preparations.” “the meat is excellent, the vibe is dead-on (and, therefore, not swanky by any means) and the beer is cold.” “The best are the pork short ribs, get those they are AMAZING.” “The awesome bbq was served with kim chee, lettuce, soup, and assorted veggies - accompanied with yummy soy bean paste.” “We absolutely loved the food here.” “And the meat was not as fresh and tender as some other restaurants in Ktown.” “We ordered short ribs (boneless), shrimp and marinated steak - all the meat was fresh, tasted great and had very little fat.” “Order a couple big Sapporos, get some pork and beef ribs or shrimp and enjoy the ride.” “recommend all the marinated dishes, especially the shrimp and squid.” “Good food” “The bbq is excellent, there's no question.” “Really good food.” “really enjoy their food every time I go.” “This restaurant's food is delicious, it's one of the best Korean BBQ I've ever had.” “It's fun because you get to cook your own food, right at your table, the whole place smells like cooked meat, they have 20 ounce beers and the waitresses are friendly.”
menu variety	66.66999816894531% positive	“The variety of traditional side dishes that are included with the meal are fantastic, and a nice cold beer or soju is the perfect accompaniment.”
overall	75.0% positive	“When you first walk in, it is not a great place for ambience, as they had plastic chairs and the floor was dirty from all the charcoal.” “but if you are looking to simply grub this is a great place!” “My favorite restaurant in LA by far.” “think this place started off as being a great "dive" Korean BBQ place, but all the hype got to their heads.”
return potential	50.0% positive	“Unreal food combined with a nice smoked flavor "you" will leave you floored and ready to come back for more.” “Pretty expensive for what we got, probably would not come back again.”
service	45.0% positive	“It's fun because you get to cook your own food, right at your table, the whole place smells like cooked meat, they have 20 ounce beers and the waitresses are friendly.” “The restaurant is not meant to attract people looking for a romantic atmosphere, but if you want the best Korean BBQ, this is it!” “Soot Boll Jeep's servers were completely rude and were too busy stocking their beer fridge for the end of the night duties to check if we wanted to order (15 minutes).” “People who criticize this place nitpick about the parking, the wait, and the sometimes pushy waitresses.” “Although almost the entire staff do not speak good English, their service is excellent.” “Food was good, the service was fast.” “The service was terrible as well as the ventiliation.” “We had some of the worst service I have ever experienced.” “The service is terrible.” “The service is outstanding.”
value	66.66999816894531% positive	“Pretty expensive for what we got, probably would not come back again.” “And the price is nice.” “This place scores huge with me for a great lunch spot with co-workers, and would be equally good for a family dinner (minus small children) - I'm seriously impressed by the food - but want to redecorate the dining area.”
wait time	31.25% positive	“That and the sketchy neighborhood, painful parking and long lines cause me to hesitate to recommend SBJ as a place to casually drop by after work.” “The parking is bad, the lines are long, and the tables aren't necessarily comfortable.” “Soot Boll Jeep's servers were completely rude and were too busy stocking their beer fridge for the end of the night duties to check if we wanted to order (15 minutes).” “It is relatively impossible to ruin the food; although we got distracted by side conversations and would leave the meat cooking on the grill for far too long, the flavor was still so incredible that the fact that none of us knew beans about cooking couldn”

02/16/10

No reason to complain ...

by notgab

Last night I came here with several friends to celebrate my boyfriend's birthday and I cannot see how anyone could find reason to complain. The food here is so delicious, and it is completely perfect for a group of friends as an interactive way to hang out. It is relatively impossible to ruin the food; although we got distracted by side conversations and would leave the meat cooking on the grill for far too long, the flavor was still so incredible that the fact that none of us knew beans about cooking couldn't ruin it. We ordered a little bit of everything and you cannot go wrong with anything on the menu: though as a warning, squid is the one thing you do not want to leave cooking for too long (as after a few minutes it will turn rubbery).

Pros: Otherwordly flavor

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10/14/09

Anyone who hates this place is dumb.

by Fatrick

This place is great. Anyone I've ever known that knows anything about food in LA mentions this in their top ten.

Pros: Best Korean BBQ in Los Angeles, hands down.
Cons: None, unless you're a douche or a princess.

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01/26/09

Pretty Good food

by four4

Thought it was a good, no frills kind of place. Food was good, the service was fast. No complaints.

Pros: fast service, had a parking lot

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01/25/09

BE WARNED....STAY CLEAR!!

by luvlee2

BE WARNED!........when you see many reviews......it IS because the negative is true......I just came back from one of the worst places I have ever had KB..(this place!!).and we go often. The service is terrible......they just put the food down and you have to call them back to ask anything......we could never get a refill for our water. (we ordered Korean wine) wanted more......couldn't get the waitress (who had an attitude) to come to the table. The barbeque pit was spitting sparks........it burned my arm. The food (compared to other places) was sparse. The floors and chairs were dirty...(It was filthy)..I had to take a napkin and clean my chair. This place made my skin crawl.......We expected crawly things to appear any minute....... They have a B rating........I wouldn't use the restroom there. Needless to say, we will not be visiting this establishment again!!....Stay Clear!!

Cons: They have the worst service........couldn't get a waitress to the table after the food arrived!

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05/28/08

pardon?!?

by akse

did you say "none of real korean people don't go here?" grammar aside, who, then, are all the korean people i see eating there every time i go? are they actors? robots? seriously, friend, give me a break. this place is the real deal and no amount of nay-saying or backlash can change that. the meat is excellent, the vibe is dead-on (and, therefore, not swanky by any means) and the beer is cold. want swank? go to chosun galbi or tahoe galbi or even yissi hwaro (which is also durned good). but if you want terrific, charcoal-grilled meat--and the best eel and mino i've had in the city--this is your spot.

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Editor's Tips

02/16/10

No reason to complain ...

by notgab

10/14/09

Anyone who hates this place is dumb.

by Fatrick

01/26/09

Pretty Good food

by four4

01/25/09

BE WARNED....STAY CLEAR!!

by luvlee2

05/28/08

pardon?!?

by akse

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