No matter what time of day you drive through Koreatown, you will find customers walk into the various businesses set up here. It is known as the town that never sleeps and even at midnight, the atmosphere is as lively as the morning.
Perhaps it is the Korean culture that influences the traditional late nights of Karaoke, drinking and plenty of food, but Koreans are not the only people who join in the festivities. Koreatown is quickly becoming a destination point for anyone that wants to enjoy a nice night out and it does not matter what you do.
“Most of our customers are not Korean, actually,” Natalie Seo, 47, the general manager at Haus Dessert Boutique said, “Koreans do come here, but we attract all kinds of people. Some even drive all the way from Diamond Bar.”
oreatown stretches within a three-mile radius from Olympic Boulevard to Wilshire. Among them, several places stay open past midnight and some even run for 24 hours.
“This is Koreatown, it’s part of the culture. Most public transportation closes at 2 a.m. so they just stay out until the morning when public transportation opens,” Min Gyu Song, 23, said.
Koreatown is still lit up even in the early hours of the morning. At this hour, it seems as if a second wave of energy has hit the city.
“Our rush hours are typically from 8p.m. to 11 p.m.,” Chris Kim, 47, owner of Haus Dessert Boutique said.
Even coffee shops benefit from the late night customers that wander around the city.
The most popular businesses may seem like the typical bars and lounges, but they also include a favorite pastime of the Korean culture: Karaoke.
“I think it’s just something we like to do to sing our lungs out and be silly around each other. It’s something fun and enjoyable,” Karena Im, 24, said about her Korean heritage.
Also popular are a number of cafes that offer a variety of specialty coffees and desserts such as Café Mak or Loft Café.
One of the more modern and specialized places is Haus Dessert Boutique and is as interesting as the owner.
“Coffee is like wine, there are different tastes and each unique according to where they came from,” Kim said.
Kim grew up on coffee plantations in Hawaii and moved to the United States to bring authentic Kona coffee to the States.
An award winning coffee maker and the first Korean to own a plantation, he takes the process of creating a unique cup of coffee very seriously. He puts in so much work into perfecting the right cup of coffee people know him as the “Coffee Hunter.”
“Each cup of coffee is different. They all have different, distinct flavors and textures. It’s like water and milk. They both have different textures, right? That’s how coffee differs from each other,” Kim said.
Kim said he was born into the coffee business but he likes how coffee is universal and connects him to people.
“That’s how we are able to stay open late…plus this is Koreatown,” Kim said.
The nature of Koreatown seems to mirror that of the Korean culture.
“The nightlife and food is great and close to my house, but there is a lot of history too,” de Ramos said.
The businesses of Koreatown seem to work together whether they know it or not. Once customers are finished eating at an all you can eat Korean barbeque restaurant they go to the café across the street for a cup of tea and dessert.
Most customers travel in packs and sit down talking and enjoying their time with each other. They also created relationships with their favorite places in the neighborhood.
Kim said they have a lot of regulars that come to their boutique.
Most businesses in Koreatown are becoming so successful that they did not have time to speak with me when I asked about their business.
Whatever the allure is of the neighborhood, Koreatown is benefitting from it and is slowly growing in population.
“My favorite part of the business is talking to the customers and getting to know them,” Seo said, "We stay open late because we have to. That's when our customers need us the most."