Wonjo is always my second-choice restaurant, but don't let that fool you into thinking that it's not good! The BBQs are fantastic and their other dishes are very good. Wonjo just has the misfortune of being a great restaurant on a block packed with great restaurants. I say it's my second choice because I frequently go to Koreatown for dinner at a time when the other restaurants are filling up, and Wonjo is where I go when I don't feel like waiting 25 minutes for a table.

They have an upstairs and a downstairs, and the upstairs is mainly for BBQs. The downstairs is a slightly more traditional-looking restaurant but doesn't have the BBQ pits in the middle of the table. Wonjo has an actual sushi bar, which not all places in Koreatown have, and I'm told the sushi is excellent.

The BBQs can compete with the BBQs at the more established places on the block in both price ($20-$25 per person) and quality, so if you find yourself here don't think for a second that you're getting second-rate food. The rest of the menu is diverse and comparably priced to the rest of the restaurants nearby. The kimchi chigae is blazingly spicy, and their other stews are solid, although strangely contain pieces of fishcake when you wouldn't expect them.

The staff tends to be able to converse in English or Korean and is friendly and helpful. If something's not on the menu, you might be able to get it anyway, especially if you can ask in Korean. The tables tend to seat 4, but I believe some of the BBQ tables upstairs could probably fit 6.

In short, Wonjo is a good all-around restaurant that's usually not crowded and you can often walk in and get a table when the other restaurants have waiting lists. It's a great place for a BBQ and a great place for eating. They have a lunch menu that's about what you'd expect in the neighborhood ($7-$12 per dish). There isn't much to set it apart from some of the other new Korean restaurants, so it unfortunately winds up being my Plan B, but it's a great Plan B.

They have a website at (http://wonjokoreanrestaurant.com/) where they have a menu and photos of the restaurant.