Ondal 2: Spicy Rib and Crab Soup Heaven

Ondal 2 is well known for their kkot gae tang a.k.a. Spicy Korean Crab Soup, a bubbling pot of crabs, vegetables, and sprouts in a spicy broth.
Once you're seated, they will have you wear a red apron (ok, bib). Things are going to get messy.

The banchan spread is pretty impressive here.
Besides the usual suspects, you'd also get a whole fried mackerel ...
... and a whole spicy crab.

Their soups aren't cheap - a medium order may run you $55, though it will feed 3 people. There were six of us so we got two medium orders of different soup.

Here's the Spicy Crab Soup (menu item #2).
Your server will empty the contents of the crab shells onto your bowls and fill the shells with white rice, continuing cook them in the pot.
Alternate between slurping spicy, crab-flavored broth and bean sprouts and cracking crab legs. That's bliss.

When you're done with your crab meat and rice, you're not done yet! Next they tear off some dough into the still boiling pot.



The other item the waitress had recommended was the spicy beef rib stew, mae-oon sohgalbi jjim (I think this was #12?), which turned out to be even better than the crab soup!
The soup is actually more flavorful than the crab soup, and filled with ribs so tender they wonderfully give way upon your first bite.
While the crab soup was good, it was this that stole our hearts. I'd definitely return for this rib stew.

No pasta here, but they will instead use the remaining broth for some fried rice! Always one of my favorite part of a Korean meal ... It's that concentrated broth that's absorbed by the rice, it's that crisped rice at the edge of the pot.

Some shikhae (rice drink) to cleanse our palates. I always like shikhae, I sometimes wish I can just order a whole glass.

If you have never tried korean spicy crab soup (kkot gae tang), Ondal 2 is definitely worth going to for that, but it's the spicy rib stew that I'll be returning again and again for.

Ondal 2
4566 W Washington Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90016
(323) 933-3228