Beer Belly Bar / Gastropub

Koreatown, Los Angeles –

Hidden behind one of Koreatown’s many cookie cutter strip malls is a world of craft brew, just waiting inside Beer Belly’s white, graffiti-covered building.

A spinoff of the owner’s beer-collecting hobby, the bar features a drink menu offering a rotating range of budget-minded locally produced drafts and premium bottles that can cost a pretty penny.

High ceilings, glossy wood walls, and recycled Coke-bottle chairs give the place a modern cottage flair that’s a cross between a tiny cafeteria and an IKEA display.

Flannel-clad foodies sidle up to the counter bar, happy to find upscale pub grub like duck fat fries and wet-aged rib-eye on the menu, while sports lovers catch a game on the TVs as they dig into hot wings and mac and cheese.

Much of the food is cooked with beer, right down to the grilled broccoli served with cheesy Pale Ale dipping sauce, and sampler flights ensure the mix of rambunctious college kids and casual locals always find the right drink to accompany their eats.

Brunch on Sundays brings patrons back for another round, when sugared insanity like Lucky Charms pancakes and eggs Benedict with a foie gras hollandaise inspire guests to put off that diet for at least another week.

Then again, neither the grub nor the grog will attract health nuts – but for those looking to work on a Beer Belly, this might just be the tastiest spot in town.