This place saves me gas and mileage, 1 star. Â This place saves me time since I live less than a mile away, 1 star. Â Nice and friendly service, 1 star. Â Now as for the food, and I am being totally honest here, the food is pretty good, 1 star. Â It's very authentic Korean food. Â I really like their rice cake and ramen noodle in a sweet and spicy sauce called "lo bokki," and their stone pot beef and veggie rice called "dolsot bibimbap." Â They have decent Korean bby ribs "kalbi" here too, but you can't cook at your table like some other places. Â However, the upside to this is that you can leave without smelling like you've been to a bbq. Â Their soups are very good too. Â This will be my go to place for Korean fix from now on unless I relocate, or really want to do my own kalbi grilling.
Review Source:Serviceable if pedestrian renditions of all the standard Korean dishes. Nothing to complain about but also nothing gourmet or interpretative. We had the pork pulgogi, the kalbi and the fish soup. The panchan was plentiful and kept coming so no problems there. Service was smooth and friendly. This place got real busy on the Friday night we went, so come early or come late. Once people plop down with their BYOB some don't leave for hours (like us!). This restaurant is very pleasantly designed and smartly avoids the sad bus terminal look and atmosphere of most other Korean places. So nice not to have to drive way way up northwest to get exactly the same food, and nice to see Chinatown developing a little variety. Next, hopefully we'll see Momofuku Chicago!
Review Source:I'm very happy this place opened up in the neighborhood. No longer will you have to drive up to the north side (or the burbs) for Korean food.
Gotta love the staff here, service is exceptionally prompt and friendly.
I've eaten here a few times already, even took my family once and the experience was always enjoyable.
I've had the soon dooboo jigae which I really like (always comes out nice and bubbly), jopchae, seafood pancake (nice and crispy) and the usual assortment of Korean bbq.
The decor is very cool and is different than anything else in Chinatown.
Its worth checking out, I'll definitely be trying out the rest of their menu.
Had a great experience here for dinner. Came around 7:30 with mom and dad in tow--we were originally going to go to the Phoenix but saw this place was packed and decided to check it out. A good decision on our part!
The first thing I noticed was the space/decor--it is gorgeous! Modern, open, not too noisy with and with interesting graphics on the walls. Our server was awesome and she put up with our numerous requests; moving away from the door, recommendations for the menu, etc.
We ordered well and the food was great. The best dish (in my opinion) was the stir-fried squid. Nice and spicy, complex favor, not too greasy. We ordered a ton (I can't remember it all right now) and I was not disappointed with any of it. It was all really delicious. One of the best parts of the dinner was the small side dishes that come complimentary with each meal. There were about seven small dishes of things like kimchi, pickled/chili vegetables, and other Korean specialties we might not have ordered otherwise. Even my hard-to-please, old fashioned dad loved the place. And the prices were great--65 dollars for three people and we ordered a TON.
The cherry on top of the dinner was a great conversation with the owner of the restaurant. She is so friendly and personable! She answered all our questions about the place and was generally great. She made our experience just that much better! We will definitely be back. Check Ahjoomah's Apron out for a fun and delicious Korean dining experience in Chinatown. It does not disappoint!
absolutely terrible experience!!! Â walked in around 9:30pm, waited 5 minutes before being seated, waited 30 minutes for food. We had some soup and spicy fried squid. The food was average. Â the spoon and chopstick are made of steel and you can clearly see the stains on them. Anyway, worst experience of any Korean catering.
Review Source:i am definitely a fan but there were some hiccups...
so went on a friday night around 8pm and ordered the following::
-soon tofu jjigae - didnt try it but my friends all liked it!! it has seafood but i think it might be a frozen mix?
-yook gae jang - i liked it... it tastes closer to home than others ive had in the past
-ddukbokki - pretty good, the sauce was a little more watery in consistency than i expected but it was still good with fish cake and other veggies
-haemul pajeon (seafood pancake) - also good, large in size and packed with seafood. definitely thicker than i expected
-banchan - tofu, kimchi, radish kimchi, egg omelette
the wait was definitely over an hour. and there were people that came in after us that got their food before we did. which was a huge bummer when you are starving at 8pm and you can see and smell all the food coming out of the kitchen and you know that they all walked in after you did...
i did politely ask about the wait and they did throw in a porkbelly and kimchi. i really liked the porkbelly and kimchi... even my friends that are not kimchi fans really loved it!!
they give you water and boricha (not to be confused with boriqua ... its a korean barley tea).. which i liked and at the end they give you korean hard candies with the check. we got grape, plum, burnt rice and ginseng candies.
so all in all... i love that its super close, the food is good, prices are good... but youre gonna have to wait and maybe grab a snack somewhere beforehand? i think its worth it and im personally excited to go back to try more stuff esp on their lunch menu. and seriously, id rather take the red line a hop and a skip away than to take the train / bus adventure an hour or two. hey ajoomah... save a table for me, ill be back very soon!!!
This Korean tide just keeps riding down south closer to home, from Foster to Taylor, from Taylor to Cermak. Behold the first-ever Korean restaurant to open in Chicago's Chinatown!
Impressive décor.
But food-wise? Mediocre.
Sunday afternoon's lunch for three was soon tofu chigae and two orders of bibimbap. My order of bibimbap was served in a large plastic bowl with the usual ingredients of beef, vegetable, and sunny-side-up egg. There was very little beef but lots of rice. The rice stuck together in chunks and it was tough to chew on. The bibimbap also came with a small side of sriracha sauce. That was very much needed and it brought the bibimbap to three stars.
Our lunch also consisted of five banchans: bean sprouts, cucumbers, kimchi, tofu, and pan-fried eggs.
They have a long way to go if they want to lure people away from Foster and Lawrence.
Went to Ahjoomah's on Friday night for dinner. It's actually a really nice looking place. Compliments stop there. I sat down and the first thing I noticed is that there is no seat back; not the biggest deal. I'm definitely not new to Korean food as I live near all the great restaurants on Lawrence. We sat down and after exploring the menu, we decided on 3 dishes: jopchae, stir fried pork belly and kimchi, and dolsot bibim bop.
The bibim bop came out first (maybe 10 mins after ordering). There was nothing special nor anything wrong with this dish. The bowl wasn't hot enough and the rice didn't crisp to the bottom, but otherwise it was fine.
Next came the jopchae about 10 minutes later. I'd like to start the review of this dish by saying that I've eaten jopchae many times and from many places. Ahjoomah's jopchae tastes like pure sugar. It tastes like a dessert dish. We called a waiter over to tell him that it was too sweet and he responded saying, "It's authentic Korean, it's supposed to be sweet." After a little back and forth, he said he would ask his manager what to do and he took the dish. 5 minutes later we get another jopchae. It was a little less sweet, but still inedible. The manager comes over and says, "It's made from sweet potato noodle, it's supposed to be sweet." Jopchae should not taste like a dessert. It should be lightly sweet. We never got offered a different dish either.
About 10 minutes after this ordeal (about 40 minutes after ordering), I inquired about the stir fried pork belly and kimchi., the waiter said it would be out shortly and it came within a few minutes. The pork belly was extremely over cooked and all you could taste in this dish was kimchi (I like kimchi, but it's nice to taste other things in a dish).
With all of our food half eaten, we asked for a check. No one offered to box anything for us, presumably because they knew we didn't want it.
It took another 10 minutes for them to bring me a check. Once I got the check I decided to walk my credit card to the front and it took ANOTHER 10 minutes for them to run it while I was standing there.
Stopped for food on my way home and was finally satisfied. Will not be back to Ahjoomah's.
Their kitchen was verrrrrrrrrrrry slow on a Saturday night around 8:30pm.... Â but service was friendly and prompt.
Anyway, both their seafood and kimchi pancake was pretty good and crispy.
Def recommend their Fresh Cod Fish  w/ Veggie and Tofu soup!
Banchan's were okay... Â Looking forward to try more dishes!
Had dinner at Ahjoomah's Apron yesterday and loved everything about it. Â The decor is casual chic and as another yelper put it, "a very refreshing look for Chinatown." Â There were several patrons, when I arrived, that I would describe as yuppie Asians. Â They all looked so relaxed and content. I fit right in, though I'm more of an ouppie... Older Urban Professional :)
I was immediately greeted with a smile and soft welcome. Â I said I was waiting for a friend, so the waiter allowed me to select a table and offered me water or tea while I waited. Â I asked for "boricha", a Korean grain tea, which they never allowed to empty. Â When my friend arrived we ordered the Korean Seafood Pancake (Haemul Pajeon), Dolsot Bibim Bop and Kimchi Chigae soup. Â Everything tasted fresh, came out piping hot and tasted like my Korean mom's home cooking... That is, if I had a Korean mom. Â Maybe Ahjoomah will adopt me ;) Â The soup was my favorite... So tasty, light and healthy. Â For desert we had the sujunggwa... New to me and it was mildly sweet, warm, fruity and I loved it!
I met the owner whom is nothing like the restaurant's name. Ahjoomah, means old Korean lady. She is beautiful, fit and passionate about offering the best Korean food outside of Korea. Â The service was great. Â The waiters/waitresses and owner were all very attentive and sincere about their patrons having the best dining experience. Â The portions are generous, so I had extra to take home. Â When I opened these leftover's later, I was pleasantly surprised to see how nicely it was tended... Like mom packed her favorite son a lunch.
If you love Korean food or want to try it, I highly recommend Ahjoomah's Apron. I think its the only Korean restaurant in the Chinatown area and certainly the most authentic on the South Side.  I had trouble finding their website to explore their menu so here it is: <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ahjoomahchicago.com%2F&s=c06cd18ffd54a76274a177a33756d2efbe68ec3fe29b8a96a1e198b841c736b5" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.ahjoomahchica…</a>  BTW... BYOB.
An authentic Korean restaurant opening up in Chinatown? Â Definitely a must try in my book. Â Came here for dinner with a friend the other night and was shocked how upgraded it looked from its previous state. Â Everything was clean and modern looking. Â It is such a refreshing look from other restaurants in Chinatown.
We started off with ddukppoki, which is spicy Korean rice cakes with cucumbers, carrots, and fish cakes.  It comes in a tangy and spicy sauce.  This appetizer was delicious.  It had the right amount of tang and enough kick to the dish.  For our main entrée, my friend ordered the dolsot bibimbop and I ordered the soon tofu chigae.  My friend said the bibimbop was just like any other bibimbop she had eaten; nothing too special.  The soon tofu chigae was ok also, I had better.  If the soup was a little thicker in consistency, it would have been great. Â
The service here was impeccable. Â The servers always checked up on us by making sure our tea cups were always full, offered replacements for our sides, and if we just needed anything else. Â One of the servers also held the doors open for two elderly ladies. Â What more can you ask for? Â Overall the prices are a little bit higher than other Korean places which have better tasting food, but Ahjoomah's Apron is a lot closer and more convenient for me. Â Hopefully the service here doesn't change and the food only gets better, but I would definitely come back.
Went there with a friend a day after they opened for dinner. We ordered one of the meals for 2 people Boodae Jun-gol. The soup came with one of the burners that you use when you get together with your friends for shabu shabu and a giant pot of stew with pork, vegetables, spam, hotdog, etc ! Bubbling goodness! I enjoyed the soup and the contents of the dish immensely. It was spicy and I expected it because I really like the extra kick of flavor that it gives to my palette.
The service however was what docked of two stars for me. They were consistent in asking us if we wanted extras on the side dishes. However, not once were we asked if we wanted a refill or actually a refill on the waters. I progressed to drink my friends water after I was done with mine. And then later when we went to go pay for our food (it was a cash only day) we needed change. So we asked the server to help us get change and my friend followed her to get the change. The manager progressed to follow my friend and rushed her out during the process. It was awkward....I thought to myself damn..we are these tiny little asian girls we are not going to ROB YOU.
All in all the food was good, service however leaves much to be desired. But I am sure that they will improve given that they have only just opened. Practice makes perfect!
Went to Ahjoomah's Apron on opening night. This place has tons of potential. Complete renovation from the old Emerald City. Very healthy and authentic Korean dishes. Ordered their Kimchi Chigae, Bulgogi and Kalbi definitely recommend these dishes. The interior decor is very unique built with recycled materials. Definitely a very refreshing look for Chinatown. Will definitely be back for more and looking forward to the improvements.
Review Source:Had the kimchi pancake and soon tofu chigae. The pancake was pretty good. It was doughy but not heavy. The chigae was with tofu and seafood, but the seafood clearly were canned as they were tiny and unflavorful. Even the soup base didn't have much flavor. Service was pretty slow. My second refill on hot tea was actually lukewarm to cold and was nearly water tasting, so they needed to brew a new fresh batch. The place only opened last week so hopefully it'll improve. I really did enjoy the setting and atmosphere of the place especially the seats, however.
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