Damsot

Bibimbap can be found at dozens of restaurants in Koreatown, but it’s usually a humble sidekick rather than a starring act (RIP Jeon Ju). But that’s where Damsot turns the tables. This chain from South Korea specializes in rice bowls, with a menu that’s essentially a Pinterest board of pots topped with things like sweet glazed eel, a mountain of spicy eggplant and crumbled pork, or a big glistening mackerel filet that juts out from the bowl.

The restaurant looks like a photo studio with white walls and bright lights, but you can still show up in sweatpants for a solo lunch or casual dinner. Each bowl costs around $20 and comes with a tray of goodies: a steaming rice pot piled with toppings, a side salad, miso soup, a few banchan, and a kettle of barley tea. There’s a bit of a ritual you have to follow (every table has a how-to guide), but it’s more straightforward than any IKEA furniture we’ve built, and worth the effort. Because while all the elements are delicious on their own, they’re better mashed together into a savory jumble.

Scoop the contents of your rice pot into the stone bowl (which we wish came pre-heated), give it a good mix, and then pour the hot tea from the kettle into the layer of crunchy, charred rice sitting at the bottom of your now-empty rice pot. Got it? The tea and rice will slowly turn into scorched rice soup by the end of the meal—a toasty finale that’s as soothing as a long shower.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Cathy Park

Fried Eggplant Shrimp

We wish this appetizer could be ordered by the dozen. The golden, deep-fried nuggets crackle like the top of a crème brûlée and scatter crumbs before you get to the soft eggplant-shrimp mixture in the center. They’re too heavy to pick up with chopsticks and dip in the mayo sauce, so just use your hands instead of fumbling around and dropping one like we did (the five-second rule applies).

photo credit: Cathy Park

Spicy Eggplant Pot Rice

This flavor has a loyal fanbase in Korea for a reason—big, caramelized pieces of eggplant and spicy crumbled pork over a bed of fluffy rice. Stir it all together, and everything ends up in the right proportions.

photo credit: Cathy Park

Beef Bean Sprouts Pot Rice

A pile of bean sprouts sits on top of spicy, saucy beef chunks, and once mixed, it turns into a messy bedhead-like tangle that’s fun to eat.

photo credit: Cathy Park

Mackerel Pot Rice

The most photogenic of the pots and our favorite seafood option. It’s topped with a big grilled, flaky mackerel fillet that you break apart before mixing into the rice. Use the roasted seaweed sheets to wrap up little bites—just watch out for a few sneaky bones.