The food, any dish, is alway great at Chil Po. I have been going here for years and the ambiance is no nonsense with a very attentive and polite staff.

Korean restaurant pro tip: if you wanna know if a restaurant is legit - look around to see how many older Koreans are dining there. I was craving haemooltang and remembered that my in laws brought me to this restaurant a while back because my mil knows how much I love spicy seafood stew. My husband and I went back yesterday and it tasted exactly the same as the first time I tried this place. I used to be obsessed with the maeoontang in the redondo beach pier but realized now that I only loved it for the beach vibes surrounding the area and not the actual quality of the dish there. So if you're looking for a better, tastier, quality version of spicy seafood stew then Chil Po is the place to go! We also ordered the potato pancake and it was so delicious. The ladies working are always so nice and helpful. They also make fried rice for you at the end and it's the perfect finale to a perfect meal.

Best bossam I've had, service is always great and the ambiance makes me feel like I'm in Korea. Must try

This small hole in the wall type place is legit good! Their Haemultang (mixed variety seafood stew) had perfectly balanced flavor and very satisfying! I also tried EunDaeGu JoRim-BlackCod marinated in variety of Korean spices and cooked to perfection. Melts in your mouth. Damn good! Totally surprised. Typical Korean Ajumma and Ajussi service style but feels at home. They even speak English - a bit. Love this place! Two enthusiastic thumbs up.

Chil Po is a hole in the wall restaurant that serves authentic and comforting Korean food. Located just across the 91 freeway exit, Chil Po is tucked to the side and is very easily missed, so make sure to keep an eye out when you're trying to find the restaurant! They have a small parking lot available and ample seating as well. I came in for lunch and like most traditional Korean restaurants, no reservations needed. When you first walk in, you'll notice that the restaurant is definitely on the older side with a very homey/authentic vibe to it. You're immediately greeted by the server and they're all very kind and friendly! As it was my first time, they were more than happy to share their specialties and encouraged us to try their kimchi, as they say their's is extra delicious! I came in a party of 2 and we ordered the small hwangsil bossam for the two of us. This was more than enough food for us plus it's served alongside a lot of banchan as well! The bossam comes with a large serving of kimchi, garlic, jalapeno, and ssamjang to wrap it in their lettuce. They were not exaggerating when they say their kimchi is special, because it truly is! It's the perfect in between of sour from the fermentation but also fresh and crisp! The bossam was also perfectly cooked and tasteful. Wrapping it in the ssam was the perfect lunch! Overall, if you're looking for an authentic Korean restaurant without having to drive all the way to Koreatown for, I would recommend checking out Chil Po!

Seriously the best haemultang (seafood stew) in Cerritios/ Buena park area . Small hole in the wall that's been around for over a decade with a quaint ambiance but has many tables even for big parties. They open at 11 and the service is great unlike most Korean restaurants - the ahjummas are kind and helpful. I also recommend either fish dishes they are soft and tender or the bossam my favorite. Another specialty decision is they're monk fish dish highly recommend!

This Korean restaurant off the 91 Freeway is like a hole-in-the-wall where you can immediately miss it due to the freeway proximity. Adjacent to this stand alone restaurant, was a Nepalese restaurant that's distressed, so the attraction to this restaurant does not look appealing. However, we should judge a book by its cover, this place is worth the visit. This restaurant has a standing CRT old-school television hanging on the corner. Although it wasn't functional, seeing that electronic was a blast from the past! What we ordered: HWANGSIL BOSSAM (House special steamed pork wrapped in kimchi) - The description can be challenging for some folks who have never tried "bossam", but the true beauty of its taste is the pungent flavor of garlic, the spiciness of kimchi, and the savory and sweet taste of boiled pork. Overall verdict, GREAT if you don't want to travel to LA for the next best thing. Service was amazing as we received a complementary drink for being chummy with the owner. I have also heard great things about their signature dish, Hae-mul-tang (Seafood Soup), which I can't wait to try.

The best Bossam (thinly sliced boiled pork with veggies) I have ever had! I've always been neutral about this particular dish, but I am now a fan. The meat is so tender and juicy. The side dishes are also fresh.

This place is my go-to Korean restaurant place when I'm craving Bulgogi boiled in a delicious sweet/soy broth (Special Traditional B.B.Q Beef). The beef is so tender, and the broth is so delicious I always end up eating two bowls of rice to soak up the broth with my rice. Chil Po is known for their Seafood Soup (haemultang), which is a spicy stew filled with generous amounts of seafood (crab legs, squid, mussels) and topped with Korean parsley. The broth is very deep and rich in flavor and simultaneously refreshing (an oxymoron and interesting combo but very delicious). One note is that you have to order at least 2-servings for the Seafood Soup. I've also ordered their Hwangsil Bossam (thin slices of pork belly broiled in herb) which was served with their famous kimchi. There was nothing special about the pork belly but the kimchi was indeed delicious and was the star of this dish. The seafood pancake was also good but nothing too special. I did really like the Spicy Buckwheat Noodles, which was sweet and not spicy - just the way I like it! Because this restaurant only has Korean-speaking aunties, the service may not be as on par, but this doesn't really hamper the experience. Overall, this is a nostalgic and solid Korean seafood restaurant!

We went to the same place second time around in three days because we craved the original NangMyeon with no sugar aftertaste and noodles that are firm but thin. We also wanted their famous BoSsam-Boiled Porkbelly with salty cabbage leaves wrap and shredded Yangnyum turnip to add to the Porkbelly inside the cabbage wrap. Unfortunately they ran out of BoSsam. The service was slow and the foods were not as fantastic as we expected compared to our first experience. We ordered three Mul NangMyeon, which were delicious and excellent. Bibim NangMyeon with raw skate fish with cartilage is solid four stars. A little too sweet for me. Then we got the Pork Ribs marinated in soy sauce and barbecued. It was pretty good. Overall a solid four and half stars today. The sautéed octopus with sweet spicy sauce with wheat thin noodles was good but tad too sweet.