Celebrity chef Debbie Lee and champion barista Frank La have launched Mokja, a specialized Korean market and café located in Highland Park . The new venue blends a curated retail storefront with a modern interpretation of Korean street food and specialty coffee.
A 1,400-square-foot nod to Seoul's convenience stores
Mokja operates out of a 1,400-square-foot facility designed to evoke the high-energy convenience stores common in Seoul. According to the report, the business identifies as a "neighbourhood k-markt," a term that plays on the linguistic way Korean speakers often adapt the English word "market." This hybrid model allows the venue to serve as both a quick-stop pantry and a destination for casual dining.
The physical layout of Mokja is optimized for a mix of speed and leisure, featuring a standing bar and twelve indoor seats. a central draw for visitors is the self-service ramen station, where customers can select their own noodle packets and customize their bowls with broth and toppings before watching the final preparation at the counter.
From oxtail hand pies to self-service ramen
The culinary direction of Mokja is led by Debbie Lee, whose professional pedigree includes appearances on Chopped, Food Network Star, and Morimoto's Sushi Master. as reported, Lee has developed a menu that blends Korean-American comfort foods with traditional staples, aiming for a casual vibe that fits the modern urban neighborhood.
Specific menu highlights include a braised oxtail hand pie and a Korean Cobb salad featuring crispy pork belly and gochu-spiced shredded chicken.. For those seeking more traditional fare, Mokja offers steamed mandu, seasonal banchan, and KBBQ plates, alongside a mayak egg sandwich served on milk bread.
Frank La's misugaru and omija berry infusions
The beverage program is steered by Frank La, a national barista champion associated with Be Bright Coffee. La has crafted a menu intended to mirror the ideal Korean coffee experience, merging contemporary café trends with traditional ingredients. This includes the misugaru latte, a drink based on a traditional Korean roasted grain powder.
Beyond lattes, the drink menu at Mokja features hoji-cha lattes and sparkling water infused with omija berry syrup. by combining these Asian-inspired flavors with high-end barista techniques, Frank La positions the café as a specialty coffee destination rather than just a secondary offering to the food market.
Turning 5715 N Figueroa Street into a K-beauty and culinary hub
The location at 5715 N Figueroa Street is designed to function as a community anchor, echoing a broader global trend where K-culture—spanning food, beauty, and art—is integrated into single-destination retail spaces. Mokja stocks a variety of branded merchandise, including tote bags and hats, alongside products from local and imported labels such as Valerie Confections, Woon Kitchen, Rooted Fare, and Seoul Sausage.
By offering Korean cookbooks and pantry staples alongside a dining area, Mokja attempts to capture the "third place" social dynamic. This strategy transforms the business from a simple eatery into a cultural outpost where the retail side supports the dining side, and vice versa.
The scale of Mokja's rotating pop-up schedule
While the report outlines ambitious plans for community engagement, several specifics regarding the execution remain unknown. Mokja intends to host K-beauty workshops, children's art classes, and cooking demonstrations, but the frequency of these events and the specific partners involved have not been disclosed.
Additionally,the venue plans to feature rotating pop-up stalls. It remains unclear whether these stalls will be reserved for local Highland Park vendors or if they will serve as a launchpad for other imported Korean brands, leaving a gap in the understanding of how deeply the business will integrate with the immediate local economy.
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