Gushi
978 Gayley Ave
Los Angeles, CA
(310) 208-4038 (no website)
7 days a week, 10:30 AM - 11:00 PM
Location
On the edge of the UCLA Campus in Westwood Village, this Korean fast-food indy sits in a strip of parking lots with a couple of similar-looking Mexican-food shacks. Free or even metered street parking is scarce, while paid lots charge $4 or $5. Many students and other budget cognoscenti come on foot.
Ambience
Gushi's self-service patio seating area covered by a corrugated metal roof is as reminiscent of hawkers-style stall eateries in Singapore as its tasty no-frills fare. Though its fans adore this local secret as the best Westside Korean chow spot, it’s no place for a romantic date. At times you’ll be lucky to get a table and you may have to wipe it off yourself. But Gushi offers hanging plants, space heaters, and soft lighting rather than the bleak fluorescence typical of such structures elsewhere.
Food Efficient kitchen staff quickly prepare large-portion (share, or take home the leftovers), mostly under-$10 dishes: Kalbi (barbecued short ribs), Jiji Gae (spicy kimchi soup), Jap Chae (“glass” bean noodles), Bibimbap (vinegared vegetables with seasoned beef and fried egg) and Gushi's signature Bulgogi, with a superabundance of the same slightly sweet-flavored beef slices as the Bibimbap. Others include kimchi fried rice and several Japanese-accented dishes served with Teriyaki sauce. Most come with rice, kimchi, and a savory sauce, like the Bibimbap’s spicy bean sauce with chili peppers. The drinks don’t quite match the food. The lemonade, for instance, is over-sugared and unappetizingly greenish.
