Good vs. evil in a sandwich shop: Why ‘Clyde’s’ is a delicious bite of L.A. theater
In L.A.’s last three months as our last stop on the road to New York, it’s been a whirlwind of food, food, food, food.
The world-famous restaurant was founded in 1959 by a young Korean immigrant named Kim Do-hyung. The restaurant — which served the full gamut of American sandwiches — went viral the very last time it opened up for business, the only location in Koreatown.
The original chef, who left just a year after the restaurant opened, returned in 2011, and since then, his son, Hyung-jin Kim, has run the business.
The restaurant is located in Koreatown, at the intersection of Beverly Boulevard and Florence. The parking lot, which runs out to the intersection, is packed with pickup trucks and SUVs during the day, but becomes a food court at night.
The food, which is served in a wide-ranging menu that can be split into three categories: American-style sandwich fare; Korean-style “Sauce of the Week”; and a “Delicacy Corner” (which caters to the most discriminating palates).
And the menu changes constantly — last week’s menu listed a variety of “Shrimp Pasta” as their special (a dish with rice vermicelli served with shrimp and garlic on a large roll).
The staff, too, has been changing. Kim Do-hyung, the original chef, made the restaurant his sole passion when he started working there as a teenager.
And then his son made it his passion, and he took it with him when he left to work in Seattle, after which Hyung-jin Kim made the restaurant his job.
One of the most talked-about restaurants in Los Angeles is not Korean — not at all — but that doesn’t diminish the fact that it’s a beloved institution here. The word “clyde’s” is synonymous with L.A.’s best food, and a “Clyde’s” sandwich is sure to please any diehard fan.
In the interest of full disclosure, I made the trip from New York to the Koreatown location with two major stops on our itinerary: the famed Chateau Marmont hotel,
