Korean food floods every corner of Southern California, but actual Korean burgers? That just changed. Lotteria’s grand opening on August 11 drew crowds to Fullerton, where the cartoon burger mascot with googly eyes marked Korea’s most beloved fast-food chain finally hitting American soil.
Founded in 1972 with over 1,300 locations across Asia, this isn’t some trendy fusion concept—it’s the McDonald’s of South Korea, complete with drive-thru efficiency and family-friendly chaos. The bulgogi burger justifies the hype, featuring a bulgogi-seasoned beef patty layered with house-made bulgogi sauce, crisp lettuce, and onions on toasted sesame buns.
At $6.49 for a single or $12.77 for a combo, pricing stays competitive with SoCal’s brutal fast-food market. The Deluxe version adds marinated bulgogi slices for maximum Korean comfort food nostalgia, delivering the authentic taste that generations of Korean families know by heart.
Rice Buns and Gochujang Enter the Chat
Beyond bulgogi, Lotteria’s menu reads like Korean street food translated through American fast-food logic.
The Bibim Rice Burger swaps traditional buns for compressed rice, adding fried eggs and tangy gochujang sauce. It’s weird in the best way—comfort food engineering that makes perfect sense once you taste it.
Shake It fries arrive with seasoning packets for DIY customization, while K-BBQ bowls cater to rice-over-bread preferences. Even dessert stays authentically Korean with bingsu—shaved ice layered with red beans, fruit, chewy rice cakes, and honey cookies that transport you straight to Seoul’s dessert cafes.
This expansion rides California’s Korean food boom perfectly. While trendy spots like Knotted and DamSot capture headlines in LA, Lotteria brings household-name credibility to the movement. The chain bills itself as “the original K-burger,” and that’s not marketing fluff—this is legitimate Korean food culture claiming its space in American fast food.
Located at 150 W. Orangethorpe Ave with ample parking and wheelchair accessibility, the Fullerton outpost promises California expansion, though future locations remain unconfirmed. Korean culture continues claiming its rightful space in American food, one bulgogi burger at a time.
