Cho Mak has been a fixture on the northwest corner of Western and 4th in Koreatown since 2013 — a cozy, dimly lit spot that reviewers consistently describe as feeling like the restaurants you see in Korean dramas, complete with nostalgic K-pop, hands-on owners who walk around making dish recommendations, and walls hung with memorabilia from Korean celebrities who’ve apparently found their way to this particular stretch of Western Avenue. Also known as Joomak357, the restaurant specializes in fish — grilled mackerel, fire-torched butter squid, braised pomfret — alongside Korean drinking food staples and a hangover soup that has earned its own small fan club on Yelp. The LA County Department of Public Health closed it on March 26, 2026, and the inspection report is considerably more complicated than a straightforward pest finding.
What the Inspection Found
The March 26 closure was issued under California Health and Safety Code Section 114259, which prohibits vermin harborage and infestation in food facilities, according to records from the LA County Department of Public Health. The vermin violation was the trigger, and at 11 points major, it’s the kind of finding that shuts the doors immediately. But it wasn’t the only major violation on the sheet. Inspectors also cited improper hot and cold holding temperatures (4 points, major) and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned and sanitized (4 points, major). Two minor violations accompanied those: improper handwashing and glove use (2 points), and improper cooling methods (2 points). Four lower-level Good Retail Practice findings covered toxic substances, non-food contact surfaces, equipment and utensil storage, and premises and vermin-proofing.
Critically, the report includes an impoundment and voluntary condemnation line item — a notation that typically means food was deemed unfit for service and disposed of on-site during the inspection. That detail, combined with the temperature holding and cooling violations, points to conditions where food safety was compromised across multiple categories at once, not just a pest intrusion in an otherwise well-run kitchen. For a restaurant whose identity is rooted in fresh fish — a protein category that is acutely sensitive to temperature mismanagement — the temperature violations carry particular weight.
Not the First Time
Cho Mak has been down this road before. According to VisitKoreatown.org, the restaurant was previously closed by the LA County health department from October 31 to November 2, 2013 — within its first year of operation at 357 S Western Ave — for vermin harborage and infestation. That closure lasted three days, and the restaurant went on to build a following through more than a decade of operation. The question this time is how long the closure lasts and whether the multiple concurrent violations require more extensive remediation than a quick pest control visit and surface clean.
About the Restaurant
Cho Mak opened in 2013 in the space formerly occupied by Wando Fish BBQ, per VisitKoreatown.org. The name 초막 (Chomak) means a traditional grass-thatched hut in Korean — a nod to rustic, unpretentious origins that fit the vibe. The restaurant’s later operating name, Joomak357, means “tavern at number 357,” which fits even better given that the place leans into late-night drinking-food culture: it’s open until 11 pm on weekdays and serves a crowd that comes as much for the soju as for the braised pomfret. The atmosphere has been compared by reviewers to kdrama restaurant sets, and a 4.2 Google rating suggests the formula — hands-on owners, generous banchan, affordable lunch specials — has worked well for the better part of 13 years.
As KTLA has reported, vermin-related closures across LA County have been running at elevated numbers throughout early 2026. Cho Mak’s inspection adds to that list but stands out for the depth of its violation sheet — three concurrent major violations, including temperature control failures that go beyond the pest issue alone…