Restaurant

Baroo

Name: Baroo
Address: 905 E 2nd St #109, Los Angeles, CA, 90012, US
Telephone: (213) 221-7967
Price range: moderate

Korean•Arts District•moderate

Editorial restaurant image stand-in for Baroo

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Editorial restaurant gallery image 1 for Baroo

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Editorial restaurant gallery image 2 for Baroo

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Baroo is one of the best korean restaurants in Los Angeles for date night, especially if you want a strong option in Arts District.

Baroo is what happens when a chef refuses to let fine dining forget where it came from.

Editorial review•Apr 8, 2026

Baroo is what happens when a chef refuses to let fine dining forget where it came from. Kwang Uh and Mina Park's Arts District room — reopened in September 2023 at 905 E 2nd St after years of evolution from a casual grain bowl counter in an East Hollywood strip mall — now operates as a tasting menu destination rooted in Korean temple cuisine, fermentation, and the kind of seasonal discipline that treats each plate as an argument about what modern Korean cooking can be. The LA Times named it restaurant of the year in 2024, and it has been recognized internationally as one of seven overseas restaurants distinguished for culinary excellence and authentic use of Korean ingredients. That pedigree matters here because the room earns it: loft ceilings, carefully chosen pottery, and the quiet choreography of chefs ladling sunchoke purée into bowls create an atmosphere that diners describe as simultaneously serious and warm — fine dining signifiers without the stiffness. The menu changes with the seasons, so Baroo asks for a degree of trust, but the kitchen's through-line stays constant: fermentation as a foundation, Korean pantry ingredients in dialogue with global technique. The soy-braised wild black cod — served with dongchimi, lemongrass, buttermilk, and papaya — has been widely cited as the kind of dish that anchors the menu's identity: preservation and brightness in the same bowl, Korean pickling tradition folded into something that reads as entirely Baroo's own. Doenjang-jjigae, Korea's deeply fermented soybean paste stew, appears as a frame for fried lobster, which tells you everything about how Uh thinks: grandmother's pantry, luxury protein, no apology. This is a kitchen that has been bending tradition since 2015, and the 2.0 format sharpens that instinct into a cohesive arc across a full tasting. Because the tasting menu format means you eat what the kitchen is excited about, there's no single dish to hunt — the move is to book with enough lead time (this is one of the most-talked-about rooms in LA right now) and surrender to the progression. Seats facing the open kitchen are worth requesting: watching heads-down chefs work in a space that reportedly feels like being inside a sunrise alarm clock is part of what the evening is. Book directly through the restaurant's site or OpenTable, go on a weekday if you want a slightly less charged room, and know that price level 2 for a tasting of this ambition is one of the more honest value propositions the Arts District offers.

Priya Sharma, Dining Editor

Methodology•Los Angeles guides•Editorial team

Arts District dinner date night group dinner industrial stylishcocktails

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Rating (Google) 4.8

423 reviews

Los Angeles

At a glance

The fastest read on whether this place fits tonight.

4.8

Rating

Based on 423 reviews

Best used for

date night and group dinner

Price and pace

moderate

Neighborhood

Arts District · 905 E 2nd St #109, Los Angeles, CA 90012, USA

Price

moderate

Google rating

4.8 from 423 reviews

Phone

(213) 221-7967

Photos of Baroo

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Why go

What makes Baroo worth the move

Baroo works for date night in Arts District because the room and the food both help the evening land. It also holds a 4.8 rating across 423 Google reviews.

What to know fast

Public rating

4.8 from 423 Google reviews

Best used for

date night and group dinner

Style

Korean in Arts District

Spend

moderate

Best for

Arts District dinner date night group dinner industrial stylish cocktails

Know before you go

Google rating: 4.8 from 423 reviews

Price point: moderate

Website linked on this page

Phone number available

TastyPals Reviews

What diners are saying

0 diner reviews · reviewed by Priya Sharma for Baroo

Google snapshot

4.8 from 423 reviews

TastyPals notes

Editorial review by Priya Sharma · diner notes coming in

This page is ready for real diner notes from the app database.

We only show authentic public TastyPals reviews here. Once diners leave public notes for Baroo, they'll appear in this section automatically.

In the meantime, Google currently shows 423 reviews with a 4.8 rating for this spot.

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Quick details

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Address: 905 E 2nd St #109, Los Angeles, CA 90012, USA
Phone: (213) 221-7967
Price: moderate
TastyPals score: Coming soon
Google rating: 4.8 (423 reviews)
Cuisine: Korean
Neighborhood: Arts District

Restaurants in Arts District

Frequently asked questions

What cuisine does Baroo serve?

Baroo is a Korean restaurant located in Arts District, Los Angeles. Baroo is what happens when a chef refuses to let fine dining forget where it came from.

What is Baroo best for?

Baroo is best for arts district dinner, date night, group dinner, industrial, stylish, cocktails. Baroo works for date night in Arts District because the room and the food both help the evening land. It also holds a 4.8 rating across 423 Google reviews.

How much does it cost to eat at Baroo?

Baroo is in the moderate price range (moderate). Google rating: 4.8 from 423 reviews

What should I order at Baroo?

Start with Soy-braised wild black cod with dongchimi, lemongrass, buttermilk, and papaya and Fried lobster with doenjang-jjigae. These dishes are shown from TastyPals notes or restaurant data on this page.

Is Baroo worth visiting?

Baroo holds a 4.8 Google rating from 423 reviews. Baroo works for date night in Arts District because the room and the food both help the evening land. It also holds a 4.8 rating across 423 Google reviews.

Where is Baroo located?

Baroo is located at 905 E 2nd St #109, Los Angeles, CA 90012, USA. Directions are available via Google Maps.

Is Baroo good for a date night?

Yes — Baroo is tagged for date night dining. Baroo works for date night in Arts District because the room and the food both help the evening land. It also holds a 4.8 rating across 423 Google reviews.

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