AS SEEN ON EXPEDIA LOCAL LENS
Food writer and chef David Chang sat down with our family as part of Expedia's Local Lens: Koreatown series — a portrait of the restaurant, the noodles, and forty years on Western Avenue.
AS FEATURED IN AAJA VOICES — 2019
Challenging tradition in Koreatown's intergenerational restaurants.
The Asian American Journalists Association's Voices platform explored how Ham Hung and other Koreatown institutions navigate the tension between preserving culinary heritage and adapting to a new generation of diners.
Read the ArticleAS SEEN IN KOREATOWN DREAMING
A photographer's portrait of Ham Hung.
Photographer Emanuel Hahn spent time with our family as part of his Koreatown Dreaming documentary series — intimate portraits of the people and places that define the neighborhood.
View the ProjectAS FEATURED IN EAT THE WORLD LA — 2023
Ham Hung: the naengmyeon you need to know.
Food writer Bill Esparza's Eat the World LA Substack spotlighted Ham Hung as a Koreatown essential — a deep dive into our potato-starch noodles, the family behind them, and why this bowl has outlasted decades of change on Olympic Boulevard.
Read the ArticleHam Hung, the city
A tale of two noodles
Our founder, Oh Hung-Il, was born in the city of Ham Hung during the Joseon era, when the peninsula was under Japanese rule. His journey was shaped by history; early exposure to the English language while working alongside U.S. GIs during the Korean and Vietnam Wars eventually led him and his family to Los Angeles. Before establishing our restaurant, Hung-Il spent years gaining experience in the industry, operating a classic American-style diner and other local mainstays. As tens of thousands of Koreans settled in Central Los Angeles leading into the 21st century, he helped build the foundation of Historic Koreatown—a sanctuary for many, like our grandfather, who had fled the northern regions of the peninsula following the war and the end of the colonial era.
Long before the modern division of the North and South, a friendly rivalry existed between the flavors of Ham Hung and Pyongyang. While Pyongyang-style noodles are made from buckwheat and are common in Korean fare, our specialty—Ham Hung naengmyeon—is crafted from potato starch. This traditional choice gives our noodles their signature chewy texture and distinct character, carrying the culinary heritage of our grandfather’s birthplace to your table.