Went here with a Korean co-worker who did all of the ordering so I'm not sure exactly what we had, but it was pretty good- we started with some seafood pancake / omelette which was pretty tasty, then had rib meat cooked over an open grill, plus some kind of beef in a steamer cooker, with rice and Korean sides on the side. Very tasty and pretty reasonable. Off the beaten path though if you're staying downtown.
Review Source:First of all, don't come here if you don't have anyone knows how to speak Korean in your party. Â My husband and I came here on a Thursday night, the woman at first was friendly, sat us down. Then somehow she discovered I'm not Korean, and she started giving us the attitude--from not smiling, to asking if we needed the menu to begin with. Hellooo, who doesn't need menus at a restaurant?! Â
We ordered some marinated kalbi and kimchi jjigae. They started off with some steamed eggs, really really yummy and much needed on a cold day. Pan chan was good, not the best, but given her attitude, I was expecting way less, so i was pleasantly surprised. Â The meat was nicely marinated, the kimchi jjigae was one of better ones I've had in Chicago, but other places aren't that far off.
All in all, not bad, but not worth the drive in my mind. And given the typical Korean attitude, I don't think I'd be back.
"So bad! Â What kind of restaurant makes you cook your own food?" Â Although Bill Murray disapproves of this style of dining, I rather enjoyed it. Â It was adventurous AND delicious, a combination that doesn't always appear together. Â It was my first experience with Korean BBQ, and there was a bit of a language barrier, but it wasn't insurmountable to a hungry Joe B. Â Actually, to this day, I'm not sure exactly what I ingested, but cooking meat over a charcoal grill is a talent innate to all men. Â My qualms, besides the scant menu descriptors, are the prices and the decor. Â A meal for two was about $80, and the restaurant had the visual appeal of an Arby's. Â If you're into Korean BBQ, the food was delicious, and you really should stop by.
Review Source:This place and cho sun ok are hands down the best places for korean bbq in the city. Â Their ponchon and mool nangmyon are awesome too! Â They have some chigae that I usually order at the end of dinner its also the best in the city.... Â I've seen shin soo choo of the cleveland indians eat here on 2 separate occasions... pretty awesome!
Review Source:Boo-il Galbi is a great restaurant if you are already used to Korean bbq. They actually use wood charcoal, which cooks the saeng(unmarinated) beef quickly and with a lovely sear. The few times I have been here, I have always ordered the saeng galbi. The quality of the meat is heads and shoulders above most other Korean restaurants. The meat comes pre cut in bite size rectangular cubes and has great marbling, probably from a prime or choice cut. Sear each side of meat for perhaps a minute and you are ready to go with either a traditional lettuce wrap, or with a sesame oil/salt/pepper dip and other traditional sides.
Another plus to Boo-il is that the vents above the tables actually work. Unlike San Soo Gab San, where the minute you walk in, your clothes will be saturated with the smell of Korean bbq(not all that bad, unless you are headed out afterwards), you can  actually make plans afterwards and not worry too much about the smell.
My only complaint, and a big enough one to deter me from ever going back again, is the price and the quantity. Their marinated/unmarinated galbi is subject to market price which is understandable as the cost of meat can rise, but it is too expensive for the quantity that you receive for two orders. Two orders of saeng galbi and a spicy tofu soup for $64...no alcohol. Add a couple of beers and a bottle of soju and you are looking at perhaps $100. That is too expensive.
I will not talk about the service here because all Korean restaurants conduct service at a reactionary level. You want something? Grab their attention, flag them down. They might not like your request, but they will still probably get it for you. If you don't need anything, it is likely you will never be visited by them again unless it is to drop off the check.
All in all a solid, if expensive, restaurant.
Tonight for dinner, I took my business partner's family to Boo-il. Â They wanted U.S.A Beef as they are from singapore and U.S. beef is very hard to come by and also Very expensive.
Although the service can be very slow, it's so casual, I usually go to the kitchen and let her know what I need and i'll just bring it back to the table. Â
Even though it can be pricey, you need to consider that very well marbled meat isn't easy to come by and don't forget that this is also cooked on charcoal.
The place may look old and empty but it's full of heart and passion when it comes to the actual product they are selling. Â THE FOOD.
Seriously, don't be cheap when  you eat here.  Spend a little more and get the un-marinated kalbi sal.  This is truly the only way you can enjoy the quality of the USDA prime beef and appreciate the marbling.
I've been to every Korean restaurant on Bryn Mawr and this is the only one that has BBQ. We ordered the marinated Kalbi, which was "market price" and should of been a clue that it would be expensive.
I thought our waitress was a bit patronizing because she kept telling my husband and I what things were and how to cook. I wanted to say something, but my husband pointed out that the waitress had no idea that we've eaten Korean food a bazillion times and probably were doing things wrong.
The meat was ok, the pan chan was a bit lacking, and our bill was very high. We ordered 2 Kalbi and an O.B. and it was almost $60. Â
I wouldn't go back because there are better BBQ spots than this one, but I appreciate that I have this option walking distance from my house.
I love that they use charcoal. That is it. That's all you need to know.
Kara, our server, was really nice and amiable. I don't understand what my fellow Yelpers were complaining about. Maybe there was a misunderstanding? Who knows, but she was nice to us, and we enjoyed her company.
My sister was in town and she wanted Korean BBQ so we came here. This is where my sister and I differ in our tastes--- she likes marinated meat, and she doesn't eat beef. What, why did you want me to take you to a Korean BBQ place??!!
So for my sister's sake, we mostly ordered marinated meat. Boo-il Galbi's marinated meat were good, but I don't really have a taste for them. I prefer the non-marinated meat because the marinated ones seem a bit too sweet to me. But thankfully, my sister relented for galbi. So we had non-marinated beef short ribs. Yum!! The charcoal added a slight smoky flavor to it, and I was in heaven.
The meat were priced at market price because as Kara explained, the price of beef were going up all over the world. Our total for 3 orders were approximately $101 for three people. Wow, a bit expensive.
At the end, we were served doenjang jjigae. I found myself wondering if perhaps I've been spoiled in the past because boo-il galbi only gave me about half the serving I was used to. It was still good, but I prefer the doenjang jjigae elsewhere.
There's quite a bit of difference in service at San Soo Gab San and Cho Sun Ok, in comparison to this place. Â At those two Chicago staples, the older ladies have a language barrier mostly speaking Korean, and are so busy that some may confuse their lack of service as being rude. Â
No, lemme tell you about RUDE. Â Karen, or Kara, or whatever her young smart ass, name is a Boo-il Galbi. The entire menu was written in Korean characters, with no pictures to point out to when ordering. Â I prefaced we didn't' speak Korean, and didn't know how to correctly pronounce the names of certain dishes, and what do I get hit with? Â
1) rolling eyes
2) smart ass, condescending comments
3) smirks
Now, I don't have any tolerance for BULLSHIT. Â But, just for good measure, I let the first occurrence slide just in case I was being sensitive. Â The second time, when she walked away, I asked my dinnermates their thoughts on her attitude. Â Yep, these very laid back folks noticed it too. Â However, being as laid back as they were, they still decided to stay, even when in fact, I wanted to LEAVE. "Fine," I said. Â "but if she says anything else, I'm saying SOMETHING"
Hence occurrence #3, which led to a verbal confrontation, and some threats of me leaving (you guys can stay, I'll holla). Â Waitress apologized profusely, claiming she didn't even mean to come off that way, but C'MON! If you scoff at a customer for attempting to read the menu or ask a question, that's outright rude. Â As I pointed out to her, I'd be glad to go and spend my money somewhere else for Korean bbq. Â I have in fact, been on a Korean bbq tour, so it's not loss on my part.
The kalbi was decent, their cha dul bae gi was bland and lackluster. But what I came here specifically upon another Yelper's suggestion, was the gaeran jim, the fluffy egg soufflé served at many Cali Korean bbq.  Their gaeran jim was quite disappointing, as it was very runny and tasted watery.  Their banchan wasn't plentiful like San Soo, or fresh like Cho Sun, so it was nothing to write home about.  All in all, everything was quite disappointing.  I'd go to one of the very many Korean restaurants in the area for better service and better food.
Interesting little mom and pop shop on the bryn mawr. We really didn't know what to expect, but what we definitely received was attitude and bad service. Our waitress, was rolling her eyes at us and making inappropriate comments that belittled us.
We had to hunt her down to take our orders, after sitting around for about 30 minutes without water or menus. After we received both, it took another 20 minutes to order. We actually went to refill water ourselves, but then she was offended, saying "this water is warm, you'll get ice water later."
but we were thirsty already!!! after 1 hour of waiting!
She recommended the house specify, not marinated kalbi. Which was good, but in VERY small portions. The marinated kalbi was good too, but the best was the spicy pork. Big portions and big taste.
We were cooking the spicy pork table side, and the waitress hurried to us and said "this is not how to cook, cook this way like you cook at home. Or you'll burn our pot."
but we don't cook korean at home.
Just random commends and lots of eye rolling. Of course she also added 20% tip to our total.
Horrible.
Perfect example of a Korean BBQ where if ya don't know whatcha gettin', you probably ain't gettin' the right thing! Â But really, that's just a matter of how good your Korean is. Â And mine is pretty damn horrid, but apparently just enough to get by!
I've been a fan of Boo-Il Galbi since who knows when- basically since it opened like 20+ years ago. Â And it's still the same sweet ol' owner who makes the same amazing food that never fails to remind me I'm home. Â Obviously, the decor is a little shanty and could use a facelift- but the food is great and the loyal customers like myself really keep it going.
And for folks actually reading this because you want to know what's good there... Korean BBQ, duh! Â Ask for some marinated galbi (short ribs), thinly sliced ribeye, and pork belly- all equally awesome choices! Â Also, I'm a huuuge fan of their doenjang chige (korean soybean paste soup).
So this was my first experience doing Korean BBQ. And it was great. And to help those, who like me, were a bit confused on how to be initiated into the world of table-top Korean grilling I have written:
Koren BBQ for White Girls 101
Boo-il Galbi is a great place to have your first experience. The waitress who greeted us (as opposed to when we went to Chicago Kalbi and weren't even acknowledged, and had to stand awkwardly in the doorway behind a crowd until we gave up and left) was friendly and helpful. There was no language barrier, and she informed us how to pick, cook, and enjoy our food. So...
TIP #1 - Ask your server for help, or see if you can bring an experienced friend along. Remember this is your meal, don't be afraid to ask for help to fully enjoy the experience!
It appears that most places want you to purchase two orders of one dish to get a cooker at your table. The reason you can't order individual items is because each item may be cooked in a different way, and you have to order enough meat to make it worth it to make the fire. Plus, some items may not go along with others - ie: some may be cooked over flame, others in a small hot skillet. Thus,
TIP #2 - Pick which meat your group likes best and order 2. Base your other choices on meats cooked in the same fashion. Refer to Tip 1 if you don't know which these are.
As you wait for your little fire to arrive, you are provided with some sort of hot tea. While this was great because it was FREEZING in the restaurant (I believe due to the grill vents in the ceiling) the tea wasn't exactly.....everyone's cup of tea. It had a very...acquired taste. Thankfully once the fire arrived, we all warmed up even without the beverage.
TIP #3 - You don't have to drink the tea, you can ask for water. And you can take your coat off when the grill arrives as you will defrost then.
If you wonder why you are waiting it is because it takes them time to ready up your table top camp fire. Not too long though, about 10-15 minutes. When it comes out it IS rather exciting. With it you are provided an array of side dishes while you wait for your meat.
Tip #4 = Try all the side dishes, even if you have no idea what they are.
Then finally the meat arrives. We had the marinated short rib first, which was thin cuts of beautifully marbled steak. It also game with four large rib bone chunks (more on that later). Now it was time to cook!
Tip #5 - Take the meat in the tongs and place several slices of meat on the grill, making sure they are flat. Let them cook for a minute or two (you will see the edges start to get a nice brown) and then flip them. You can also grill the garlic cloves, but be careful not to burn them.
Tip #6 - Don't burn the meat! Once the meat has been cooked on both sides, snag it off with your chopsticks. DO NOT USE THE TONGS. They were just getting cuddly with some raw meat juices...not tasty.
Tip #7 - Put your meat, a little rice, some sauce, a little garlic, and a little of the seaweed shreds in a leaf of lettuce. Roll and eat and talk about how good it is with your mouth full. It is also acceptable to shove the meat directly into your mouth, granted it isn't still burningly hot from the fire it just sat on.
Tip #8 - The bone hunks sit on the grill at the edges, NOT in the middle. Let them cook, turning them occasionally, while you cook all your other meat. It takes them awhile and you can't always tell by sight. Once cooked, pull it off, let it cool, and eat the bits of meat attached to the bone. You may be provided scissors to cut the meat off (and any char from the long grill time) and for the true meat-lover, it is so, so worth it. This chewy, juicy meat has some of the best flavor and nutrition, thanks to the bone that gave it tasty awesomeness.
In addition to the beef we had pork belly...which is not intestines (as the nonfoodie may initially think) but a type of BACON. Yum.
Tip #9 - When cooking fattier meats (like bacon) on the charcoal grill, keep them on the edges. The melting fat makes the flame flare, and will potentially burn your bacon. Tragic.
Tip #10 - The pork belly is served with a sesame seed oil with salt and pepper. A little touch of this to the pork belly is excellent, but don't go overboard.
and finally...
Tip #11 - Don't plan on going to a friend's house or anywhere fancy after this, unless they don't mind you smelling like fire and grilled meat. But really, why should you hang out with anyone who doesn't like the smell of grilled delicious meat?
Overall the experience was a blast. Yes we were freezing until the fire was brought out, and the place could use some redecorating. But the service was awesome, the food was fantastic, and it was a FUN interactive dining experience. Bring your friends and grill it up, baby.
On my first visit I took a friend, on our second visit just one week later we came with 5... Â The food both times was off the chain! Â English is not spoken here; leaping of faith is a necessary action with in these modest confines... Â The service is, well, questionable at many levels, and then charming beyond understanding at other levels... Â On both our visits we were the only non-Koreans in attendance, which is always a good sign when eating traditional ethnic food... Â
What really separates this place from most Korean BBQs is the use of traditional charcoal cooking pots at the table, and as we all know the flavor achieved using legit charcoal is like no other... Â In our multiple visits we tried just about every beef option available and every last piece was flavorful juicy and just perfect to the last bite! Â
I have seen more sides at other places, but more is not always better, the Kim Chi here is off the hook! Â I was devouring it straight up, in my lettuce wraps and even sashimi style hoisted atop little bites of meat perfection...
This place is just great, but be prepared for a full experience, kind of like being in grandmas kitchen, not my grandma, but someone's, she had no sense of urgency but in the end it was all worth it and beyond any ones expectations...
I will return!
Cannot believe how bad the service and the taste of food.
Too salty for everything, be prepare to drink lots of water after you had bbq.
Also it took us to have our food ready (we only order BBQ) about 1 hour and half. We got there 5:20pm on Saturday in order to avoid business of the restaurant, it turned out we waived the service we need.
We went there because our friends recommend but too disappointed to even tell them not go.
it wasn't even cheap!!! cannot believe it!!!!
Came here on a Tuesday night around 8 with a party of 4 and were the only people in the restaurant. This should be a 4 star review but the whole "you must purchase 2 of each choice" is really a head scratcher.
We had the marinated beef short ribs which were EXCELLENT and pork bacon with kimchi and other assorted veggies (the latter was cooked in a gas skillet at our table). The short ribs were listed as "market price" and when we asked about the cost the woman kind of scrunched up her face and thought about it before (seemingly) pulling $21.95 out of her butt. Not highway robbery  by any means but it was still funny.
Regardless- great food, appropriately friendly and helpful service - but having to buy 2 of each item you want is lame. The 4 of us would have split 3 items (it really is a lot of food) but since we had to get 2 of each I feel like we ended up paying an extra $20 for food we didn't need.
Also: I didn't leave reeking like meat. Which was weird.
I bought 10 of my friends here on a Friday night and it was spectacular. We ate so much and everyone agreed the UN-marinated kalbi was amazing.
The older Korean lady, who I suspect is the owner and is always overwork was SO friendly towards us after our 3 round of giant Korean beer and she came over to ensure we knew how to cook our food and how to serve it.
She made a "Korean lettuce taco" for my friend Dianne and shoved it in her mouth which was SO HILARIOUS and endearing for the rest of us!
I love coming here. Hope it never gets too busy like the other two popular places for my sake!
I've been on a big KBBQ fix this entire week (third one this week) and we checked out Boo Il Friday night. It's a bit down the ways, but it was easy to find. It wasn't that crowded for a Friday night, however there is a smoking and non-smoking section. So... of course I was a little irked by the smoking section.
We sat at a larger round table even though there were just two of us. But it was fine because it gave us more room to eat when all the food came out. The server we had was pretty stern/ straight forward. We started off with dumplings which were standard, followed by kimchi chiggae (reaaaaally burning-hot and spicy). We had about 7 sides of banchan, with one really good veggie that we couldn't figure out what it was.
We ordered this pork bulgogi - which was prepared in a different way I guess. It came out in this iron pan a la Indian food and it was really spicy, but good.
Abridged review: Â fairly priced restaurant, good food, but not sure if I'd return.
Okay all you, kimche loving, Korean bbqing, grease on you shirt loving people, THIS IS THE PLACE TO GO. They have traditional charcoal grills, this place has better homemade kimiches than San Soo Gab San in Lincoln Square. Things to get cold buck wheat noodles spicy mix ( in a red chili sauce) then main course with a group of 5 I suggest 4 servings of "cal bi" or in English marinated beef short rib meat, comes with steamed white rice and and *god like* amount of kimches. The food might be a tad bit salty, so drink lots of water and bring beano. Go after 5:00pm and not before 8:00pm.
Review Source:I debated over four and five and the only reason i would give them a four is the price was just average, not a great deal. Â however, the food was amazing. Â after my first bite i said, "this is the best beef i've ever had". Â just thinking about the charred, slightly sweet pieces of meat make my mouth water. Â we had the marinated kalbi, maybe next time we will get the unmarinated kind. Â service was a little slow, but the fact that one of the waitress spoke real english was a gift from heaven. Â usually at korean places, all you get is broken english. Â but our waitress spoke english as a first language! she also helped us not order too much. Â she also explained that we had to get two orders to cook at the table. Â if we wanted, we could have them cook it in the back, but there is a BIG difference in taste. Â when it is cooked in the back it is cooked in a skillet of a stove, not on top of a wood and charcoal grill. Â there would not have been that explanation if she didn't speak real english! Â as others have said, there is no ambience here except for a lot of smoke. Â it's just wooden tables with ghetto chairs, but you go for the meat not the decor.
Review Source:Yum. Exactly what everyone else said. Old school, no frills, come for the meat. We got right in at 8pm on a Saturday night, no wait for a table. There only appeared to be one wait person for all the tables. She was quick and efficient when the food was ready, and was nice to us when we asked questions, even through she had her hands full.
There is parking in the back (and ample parking out front or in the neighborhood). Everything is delicious.
Unmarinated galbi is where it's at here. Â We came on a cold Sunday evening, and things were very quiet inside Boo-il. Â It's in an interesting stretch of Koreatown, close to the two bingsoo cafes in town, the KBS studios, and a few other random little restaurants.
Probably because we were only one of three tables in the restaurant, service was pretty hands-off, but that's typical of KBBQ - you're cooking the meat yourself, after all!
Reasonable prices, low-key atmosphere... come hungry and leave happy!
Two must-haves: the sang galbi and the deng jang chigae, which comes with the BBQ meats. I love this place for the food, but my main and huge complaint is the service. There is usually only one ahjumah working there and one bus boy. I think this ahjumah does the cooking and serving, so she is stretched thin and the result is neglectful service, not even rude service. I have no problems with rude service as long as I'm getting some attention. Geesh.
The ambiance is lacking, of course, but Korean BBQ has an ambiance genre of its own.
Overall, service is horrible, but the food is so darn good I come back periodically and put up with the neglectful service.
We came here for a friend's birthday dinner, and was not disappointed. Â I am surprised that it was kind of empty, but people did start trickling in after us. Â While we waited for the last person to arrive we started out with fried dumplings, which were burning our tongues hot. Â We then got 2 orders of the kalbi as there is a minimum of 2 and I think that they have to be the same too. Â The kalbi was very good. Â I usually leave Korean bbq spots stuffed, but I was full but not wheeling myself out. Â The price was average, and the lady was really quiet and didn't see too much of her and would have appreciated another glass of water or tea.
Review Source:My girlfriend and I went here for Valentine's Day and surprisingly the restaurant was almost empty, a rare sight for a Korean BBQ place. The atmosphere was not the best but at least there was no wait for food and the place was quiet. The lady who brought us our food was helpful and friendly although she looked very overworked :(
We had the unmarinated kalbi which was tasty. My only complaint about the food is that you have to put in two orders of the same meat. If you're going to make someone put in two orders of meat, at least let them try different meat. The banchan was great although there was not as much variety as at some other places. I guess you don't really need 25 different kinds of banchan. The kim chi was especially delicious and not as tangy as I've had before (which is a good thing for me).
My biggest complaint is the fact that cooking the meat is a smoky affair. The vent blows the smoke around rather than suck it up. And it gets very cold at the table when the vent is on.
Overall, I'd give 5 stars for the food and about 3 stars for everything else.
first we went to San Soo Gab San but the wait was a hr...so i hopped on my yelp app (gawd i love it) and looked for another place and Boo-il came up...so i gave them a call and found out there was no wait..and since i was starving like a hostage we made the decision to leave the crowd at san soo. the place was def not packed only two other tables there who promptly turned and looked at the two black chicks walking in and began to chatter in korean. but we're a lively duo and just said hello and waved..lol..the place is def not fancy and decorated for your viewing pleasure so don't go in expecting exquisite decorations. the waitress came over and gave us menus and said need any help and explained that we had to order 2 of the same items as a minimum and that was pretty much the extent of what she said to us at first. we put in our order and then she went to the back where i'm assuming she had a shot of her "make me awesome" juice back there because when she came back she was super nice and really being nice and talking to us. the banchan was sooo good, there was not a single thing on the table that i didn't like. i love spicy food so i really like the jalapeno and onion one and the kimchi was great. then came out the meat and she gave us tips on cooking the bones and with throwing some meat on the grill. then came the soup and rice and then we were really cooking. the food was A-MAZING!! the galbi was so well seasoned and tender and since im not a huge red meat person that's a big compliment from me. Â we def couldn't finish all the food on the table but i'm happy to have some waiting for me in the fridge for...well, now..lol....i highly recommend this place, reluctantly though because i want to keep it all to myself on a sat night without an hr wait. but you should go because the food is really awesome!!
Review Source:I call myself as an expert in Korean food and this place has the best unmarinated gal bi! So many of my Korean friends told me about this place and I had my doubt before I went there since I went to many Korean restaurant and they were good and bad. Â This place blew my mind.. !!
This place is very authentic which means it's not a fancy dressy restaurant. It's more like old school Korean restaurant and food tastes awesome. I wish I live close to this place so I can go every week. When you see a lot of Korean people in the Korean restaurant, it's always a goooood sign!
the food here is pretty tasty.
there's really no service. Â the restaurant was empty when we first came and the lady barely said anything to us and only gave us what we ordered.
then a group of obnoxious korean guys came in and all of a sudden the lady was super nice to them (as if she was scared of them or something)... they sit down and start lighting up their smokes! wtf!
we look over in disgust and the lady asks us if there's something we need or if there's a problem and first we try to brush it off but she insists so we tell her we're bothered by the kids smoking and she takes the blame by saying 'oh i told them they could smoke indoors cus it's cold outside, plus you won't smell it since the fans are on'... obviously she didn't get that we were bothered about the kids' behaviors... i mean it's more about the principle... plus there are signs on the wall that state there's no smoking inside the restaurant...
man, you gotta stand up for yourself lady...
soon after two young ladies come in and act all as if the lady at the restaurant's their friend 'hi unni (big sister)....' bla bla... where are these young korean kids' manners?? i mean yea ok you're a regular at this restaurant but come on! Â the lady at this restaurant could be your mom! have some respect!
from a service stand-point, i don't think i'd want to return to a business like this. Â we were the most civil and well-mannered people there and yet we got the short end of the stick...
but if you're not korean (or part korean or familiar with the korean culture) maybe you won't have to deal with that kind of crap.
an experience like this just gives a bad name to the korean community. Â quite a pity...
If you're looking to eat some seriously good kalbi, this is the place . I'm a meat lover and I've been to lots of kalbi places in Korea but Boo Il impressed me with the meat quality. This place is just as good as really good kalbi places in Korea. The owner buys special quality kalbi. The saeng kalbi is the best here. I heard that boolgogi's not as good. And you get free jjigae and rice after eating kalbi.
Highly recommend this place!!!
This place seems very authentic. Â I mean, our food looked just like the pictures on wikipedia. Â That means it's authentic right? Â (Google Banchan and see for yourself. Â You'll get a whole slew of those, whatever you order. Â I think.) Â
I don't know. Â I had a nice bowl of fish soup, chock full of bits and pieces and odds and ends of various unidentified ingredients. Â It was fishy and half way through or so I even discovered a big old clam. Â But it glared at me and muttered something under its breath, so I put it back. Â Clams can be like that - very negative and unpleasant. Â
My companion (I LOVE YOU, HONEY) had the bibimbap. Â I suggested it to her because it was fun to say. Â Bibimbap. Â (I now use this word regularly, often when I shower. Â It makes my showers more korean.) Â
Google bibimbap. Â You see those wikipedia pics? Â Yeah, it looked just like that, but no raw egg yolk. Â It was a cooked egg yolk. So anyhow, oddly, the dish is served cold. Â I mean, it looks like something that would be served hot, right? Â Nope. Â Cold. Â You mash it all up (the yolk makes for a sauce) and eat it up. Â It seems kind of wrong in a way, like you're playing in the kitchen and trying to make the grossest thing possible to feed to a friend or loved one. Â
I mean, who goes out to eat in Chicago for something good? Â Especially if you didn't grow up here. Â You go out to find something fun! Â
SO GO HERE
I was in the mood for Korean (well I'm always in a mood for something)
so I yelped and found this restaurant.. so I thought I would give it a shot.
I've had Korean BBQ before, but it was nothing like this. The meat was so so.. so.. tender.. and it was well seasoned... Not only that, you grill the meat yourself according to how you like it. Their Kim-Chi is the best I've ever tasted. The service is excellent, the lady was so helpful and she even rolled out food and was trying to feed me. Hahaha!
Don't let the look of the restaurant fool you.. cause when I walk in, I had second guesses but I stayed anyways cause I was feeling very Korean-ny (at that time..). I didn't regret one bit, the food was awesome, the service is excellent.
Look at the picture.. Doesn't it make you hungry? :)
Best 'saeng kalbi' place ever. (Saeng kalbi being unmarinated--you dip it in sesame oil/salt usually to eat. I haven't tried their marinated stuff but I'm sure it's fine--it's pretty hard to mess up). I don't know where they get their beef but seriously. I don't even like plain beef usually... but I get cravings for this place :) The meat is all self-cook (as usual) and it's cooked on coals (not an electric fire) which means you need to watch carefully to make sure you don't burn everything. But if the pan is too hot, just tell the people there and they'll stack another pan on top to adjust the rate of cooking.
The decor is kind of bleh, but who cares. The restaurant is definitely clean. The ventilation system works pretty well if you fiddle with it, so you usually don't smell smoke-ish afterwards.
They give lots and lots of side dishes... off the top of my head, they usually serve (for example): boochim (Korean pancakes), regular kimchi, bokkum kimchi (sauteed is the best word, I guess), radish kimchi, some sort of potato thing that shows up in some variation or another at kalbi restaurants, and egg-jjim (steamed egg). If you don't get the egg, you can ask for it. Also, the dwen-jang-jjigae (a common korean soup) here is exactly suited to my taste.
I think the restaurant is mostly run by one lady (and a person or two in the kitchen who will bring out coals, etc) and she's super nice. But since she's usually one of the only people there there's sometimes a bit of a wait, depending on how many people are at the restaurant.
Definitely try this place out, and don't get fooled by the interior decorations.
It was an interesting experience when we went there since we had kalbi that wasn't marinated and they give you a sesame oil/salt & pepper mixture dip for it. Typically I have marinated kalbi but it was still tasty in its own way. Â Pan chan was good and loved the fact that we also had the steamed eggs dish. Â I know some people may want more from this place in terms of atmosphere but I don't mind since I'm used to these kinds of places growing up and for me, it's the food that's the most important.
Review Source:the galbi here is excellent. Â tender, juicy and marinated to perfection! Â you cook your own meat and they give you tons of appetizer/side dishes that are standard at any korean bbq restaurants.
the food here is delish but the atmosphere is so-so. Â it has a dingy appeal to it. i just remember a lot of pressed wood panels. Â but i come here for the food, not the decor. Â
the prices are standard korean bbq prices so i didn't feel gipped.
this is a great place to bring your friends to eat meat while drinking korean liquor. Â may i suggest the soju?
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