Los Angeles · Korean
Dan Sung Sa
Sixth Street pojangmacha tavern for charcoal skewers, kimchi pancake, cheese corn, and soju until late; a Koreatown nightlife landmark since 1997.
- Price
- $$
- Opened
- 1997
- Neighborhood
- Koreatown3317 W 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90020
About
Caroline Cho opened Dan Sung Sa in 1997 as one of Los Angeles’s first true pojangmacha-style rooms, modeled on the tented street pubs she remembered from Korea and named for Seoul’s historic Danseongsa theater. Before that, Koreatown drinking leaned toward sports bars and suljips; Cho wanted a home-away-from-home for immigrants to linger over anju and soju every day of the year. The Sixth Street room is still dim, wood-paneled, and loud after dark: a central grill throws smoke over graffiti-scuffed booths, and the menu arrives on big wooden blocks with roughly a hundred bar bites. The Infatuation treats it as a citywide hangout landmark; Time Out and Eater keep it in the pocha conversation for skewers, kimchi pancake, cheese corn, tteokbokki with ramen, and teapot soju cocktails. Walk-in only; weekend waits regularly stretch past an hour, so arrive early or expect a clipboard line. It is a drinking room first. Confirm any live drink-minimum policy before you go if you want food without alcohol.
Menu highlights
- Charcoal-grilled skewers (scallop, shrimp, spicy chicken, and more)
- Kimchi pancake; haemul pajeon when ordered
- Cheese corn (corn cheese)
- Tteokbokki with ramen; bulgogi with crystal noodles
- Soju, beer, makgeolli; lemon or yogurt teapot cocktails
Diners say
Public reviews praise the late hours, skewer variety, kimchi pancake, cheese corn, and the dense, smoky group-night energy. Recurring friction includes long waits (especially weekends after 8 p.m.), noise and smoke, brisk or no-nonsense service, and a bill that climbs once soju bottles and skewer piles stack up. A smaller thread notes that solo dining or a quiet meal is the wrong use of the room. Diners who like it usually want Koreatown nightlife with serious anju, not a calm early dinner.
Review synthesis as of 2026-07-31. Synthesis of recurring themes in public Yelp and Google Maps reviews sampled July 2026; not a rating or ranking. Cross-checked against dansungsala.com, The Infatuation, Time Out, Eater LA, Voyage LA (Caroline Cho), and Visit Koreatown. Michelin Guide restaurant page not found as of research pass. Soft drink-minimum / alcohol-forward culture note: confirm live house policy.