![\"4](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1788004152_949_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nMokja brings Korean-inspired convenience store charm to Highland Park<\/p>\n
Guest: Debbie Lee, co-owner of Mokja, a Korean-inspired market-cafe in Highland Park.<\/p>\n
After opening a modern Korean pub called Yi Cha in 2025, chef Debbie Lee decided to pay homage to her heritage with Mokja, this time serving Korean goods and convenience.<\/p>\n
Lee sat down with AirTalk Friday host Austin Cross to talk about her vision for gourmet Korean style snacks in L.A.<\/p>\n
Grab-and-go convenience with a twist<\/p>\n
Lee says the idea behind Mokja was to take the model of American convenience stores and blend it with Korean flavors.<\/p>\n
Keep up with LAist.<\/p>\n
If you’re enjoying this article, you’ll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s a place for people who want to grab something for the road, stop by for a quick snack or even meal prep for the week. The store also partnered with Frank and Michele La, creators of Be Bright Coffee, to offer Korean-style coffee drinks to pair with the snacks.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Daru Yu, Frank La, Debbie Lee and Michelle La<\/p>\n
(<\/p>\n
Stan Lee<\/p>\n
\/<\/p>\n
Courtesy Mokja<\/p>\n
)<\/p>\n
The Korean word Mokja translates to “let’s eat.”<\/p>\n
\u201cIf your mom or your grandma was calling you over the table, they’d say, \u2018Bali Mokja,\u2019 which means, \u2018Hurry, let’s eat\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
What you\u2019ll find at Mokja<\/p>\n
One of the quick, to-go items you\u2019ll find is Lee\u2019s northern style mandu dumplings, stuffed with fatty pork and shrimp and inspired by her grandmother\u2019s recipe.<\/p>\n
\n Build your own ramen tray\n <\/p>\n
(<\/p>\n
Stan Lee<\/p>\n
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Courtesy Mokja<\/p>\n
)<\/p>\n
\n Build your own Ramen station\n <\/p>\n
(<\/p>\n
Stan Lee<\/p>\n
\/<\/p>\n
Courtesy Mokja<\/p>\n
)<\/p>\n
\n Grab n’ Go Banchan\n <\/p>\n
(<\/p>\n
Stan Lee<\/p>\n
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Courtesy Mokja<\/p>\n
)<\/p>\n
For optimal convenience, the king-sized dumplings are offered in the grab-and-go fridge. Lee recommends popping them in the microwave at the store and enjoying them with a coffee.<\/p>\n
Mokja also features a make-your-own ramen station, which Lee says has become incredibly popular for families with kids.<\/p>\n
Korean hand pies with southern flair<\/p>\n
One of the highlights on the menu is the oxtail hand pie, which features a braised Korean-style oxtail known as kkori-jjim. It\u2019s inspired by southern soul food influences her parents picked up on.<\/p>\n
![\"hands](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1788004153_79_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Braised Oxtail aka \u201cGori Jjim\u201d Hand Pie<\/p>\n
(<\/p>\n
Stan Lee<\/p>\n
\/<\/p>\n
Courtesy Mokja<\/p>\n
)<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mom learned how to cook from the Black cooks in Jackson, Mississippi, and she learned good old soul Southern food.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n Kimchee Cheese Biscuits\n <\/p>\n
(<\/p>\n
Stan Lee<\/p>\n
\/<\/p>\n
Courtesy Mokja<\/p>\n
)<\/p>\n
\n Yuja Cha Ice Box Pie\n <\/p>\n
(<\/p>\n
Stan Lee<\/p>\n
\/<\/p>\n
Courtesy Mokja<\/p>\n
)<\/p>\n
Lee said Mokja is all about telling the story through food.<\/p>\n
The restaurant also features other Korean\/Southern fusion, including a Yuju cha ice box pie and Kimchi cheese biscuits.<\/p>\n
Location: 5715 N Figueroa St Ste 102, Los Angeles
Hours: open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mokja brings Korean-inspired convenience store charm to Highland Park Guest: Debbie Lee, co-owner of Mokja, a Korean-inspired market-cafe…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":136146,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[9571,34191,28007,69133,57688,171,69134,69135,69136],"class_list":["post-136145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-korea","tag-cafe","tag-convenience-store","tag-dumplings","tag-hand-pie","tag-highland-park","tag-korean","tag-masubi","tag-mokja","tag-oxtail"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136145","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=136145"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136145\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/136146"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=136145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=136145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=136145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}