This place has A+ customer service. My friend and I were looking for late night Korean restaurants and trekked out to Da Rae Jung... 20 minutes before closing. We were both very worried -- my friend said it was unlikely they would even serve us since it was almost closing time, but when we walked in, we were warmly greeted by the couple who owned the place. About three other tables were filled when we entered, too -- the restaurant clearly was very open to serve people despite the time. This alone made us feel excited.
After we ordered, the man came out a few minutes later and gave us a pancake dish. I looked at him quizzically, saying, "Oh, sorry, we didn't order that."
He smiled and said brightly, "It's for free!"
I almost shed a tear in awe at their hospitality.
(As I whispered to my friend, Â "maybe it's laced, or leftovers." I'm just cynical though -- it was pretty good, though I prefer Chinese green-onion pancakes.)
The food was delicious, but I think what we loved most was the service.
We ordered a bibimbop for me, & cow tail soup for my friend.
There were no problems except for the cow tail soup wasn't the best -- the broth seemed like it wasnt prepared correctly. It was unsalted and devoid of taste. We added a little salt and it tasted the same. We literally salted it 10 more times and it tasted just slightly better.
But overall, we loved it. The place is very casual and traditional. If you're looking for a place that is a romantic setting it is missing its candles and mood-lighting. But I have been pretty unimpressed by the Korean food in Chicago, being from the west coast. I enjoyed Da Rae Jung. The side dishes were A+, and the bibimbop too, and I definitely will go back.
Spouse and I love this place. We go every couple of weeks. Truly a hole in the wall, but you can tell they thrive on a regular clientele, mostly Korean, and the sajang-nim (owner) is about the sweetest guy in Chicago. Recently took a friend from Korea, curious as to his opinion and what he would order. He ordered his favorite, pork bone soup for us both, and when I asked him to rate it 1-10 he said "In Korea, 8. In America, 10." I couldn't have said it better. Never had a bad experience.
Its BYOB, with a liquor store right next door.
I think they serve decent marinated beef dish. Â It's a very small place with limited seats, so with 3-4 parties the restaurant is always full. Â When we went there for a saturday lunch, the place became packed eventually.
They have well executed beef, good side dishes and adequate service (I think the owners serve too, which is not uncommon in small Korean places). Â I would recommend this place to others.
We tried Da Rae this weekend but were not impressed. It is a good Korean restaurant but being the first time there, the menu can probably be rewritten so it does not give you the impression that its main offerings are just a bunch of soups. We ordered what was called BBQ Soup which later I realized was really just Suki Yaki. This was confusing because BBQ to me when it comes to Korean food is either Galbi or something grilled. We also had BiBimPab and that was good.
Between this place and Ban Po Jung, I will go back to Ban Po Jung even just for the Banchan (side dishes) which you upon sitting down. Their Banchan is excellent! I am sure Da Rae has other good food but probably because of communication issues, it can be challenging. The old couple were nice but that ain't gonna cut it for me.
I agree with the reviews that praise the excellent, kindly service by the elderly couple that run this place. Â The lady who cooked our bulgogi ("roasted beef" on the menu) at our table was so sweet about making sure I rolled it up in the lettuce leaves the "right" way. Â Everything was super-yummy. Â Our danchan tonight included some really delish spicy sweet pickled cucumbers, candied plantains, and other delights. Â This really hit the Korean craving spot. Â Their having a parking lot and taking credit cards are other pluses. Â We'll definitely be back. Â
They do take reservations supposedly, but when I called earlier today to make one, the elderly gentleman who answered took down my party size and time without taking down my name! Â It's like he was just humoring me and my silly desire to make a reservation. Â Hehe. Â When we arrived at 6pm there wasn't a wait, in any case.
OK, for the longest time, I have not wanted to rate this place. Only because I don't want others to know this best kept secret in Chicago. Selfish me.
It is really the best place in Chicago to get authentic Korean food. They have the best Bi-Bim-Bap Dotsol (Hotpot) and the best cold buckwheat noodles. Â Best soup in hotpots. Best chap-chae.
Service is impeccable. I'm NOT Korean, but no discrimination here, never. My 6-year-old son LOVES the old man who's the owner, because he looks so kind and is always nice to customers.
OK, folks out there reading this, please don't flock to this place. I want the same old short waiting time and a parking spot right outside the restaurant. But, I fear I have done myself a disservice. It's ok, I'd rather be truthful.
Great place who loves spicy food!
Waiter was so polite, that I can not expect!
When my soup was ready (I do not remember its name), it was boiling right in my plate for a minute or so! Taste was sweet-sour and spicy which is very unusual for European guy like me. My wife ordered bay octopus which was served with 8 different plates with starters.
Place is very comfortable and small and think that is home business.
Thanks to that old korean man, that served us that day!! Everything was wonderfull.
wow the best restaurant i've ever been in Chicago. The old couple were the best servers i've ever seen. they are genuine and they put their heart in to it. He even mixed the food for me because I had no idea how to eat them. he explained each food item and how to eat them. it had this feeling of a home. I'm going back again. Â :)
Review Source:Like most authetic korean restaurants, this little restaurant tucked away in a non-descript plaza is great. Â Run by a really lovely older man, his wife and a super small staff, the food here is as good as any korean grandma would make. Â Soups and stews are rich and flavourful. Â Their dol sot bi bim bap is excellent too, something about the heat of their bowls and the texture of their rice, in addition to all the toppings make theirs one of the best in Chicago (can't quite put my finger on what it is, but it is better than most others I've tried in the city. Â Service and hospitality by the old couple is great, they are really sweet to all their guests, including round eyes.
Review Source:The elderly Korean couple that own and singlehandedly run this operation are the cutest, nicest people in the world, and i want to give them hugs and send them presents accompanied by Papyrus cards telling them how much I appreciate their hard work and culinary talents!
everything on the menu is delicious and tastes authentic....like no MSG or fake soup bases.
can't imagine how busy they are in the kitchen scurrying around to cook all this delicious food...It tastes like home-cooked korean food.
I always get the black goat soup (i know, it sounds weird and goats are too cute to eat...but TRY IT!), but it doesn't really matter what you order because i'm sure you'll be pleased.
Much love.
After riding around all day and getting a little tip at The Atlantic, my buddy and I swung on in for some authentic Korean food. BOY, did they deliver!
My friend and I shared the bi bim bap, mool nang myun, and the fish pancake deal. After enjoying some of their Banchan, which were exceptional, we plunged into the fish pancake. Wow, it was really surprising how awesome it was. We devoured it.
The mool nang myun was crazy different. I wasn't expecting the temperature to be cool or the flavor combinations. I think if I knew how to properly add to it, or maybe order the bibim nangmyun I may enjoy it better. We only ate about half of it. Again, someone could probably have helped us enjoy it better if it weren't caught so off guard.
I took the bi bim bap home and enjoyed it the next day on the couch.
It's obvious how authentic Da Rae Jung is. Their food speaks for itself. The interior is a dive, but you shouldn't be expecting much. The prices are also very reasonable. I'll be looking forward to coming here when the weather cools down.
This place is super Korean.
If you walk into a quiet small lunch place in SeochoDong, this is what it would feel like. Â Korean TV programming blaring in the background, oscillating fan, and a ahjumma or ahjussi with a subtle yet good customer service.
As usual there was the steady stream of lunchtime patrons. Â Mostly Korean clientele and that's what I like to see in a Korean restaurant as evidence of good food.
I got the HwaeNaengmyun (Spicy cold noodles with fish). Â I didn't like how non-spicy it was, but I was all over the beef broth drink "Yooksoo" they give you along with it. (authentic Korean restaurants should offer you this "Yooksoo" when you order HwaeNaengmyun)
We also got the seafood & scallion pancake, which turned out to be less crispy than I like.
Overall, this place is about average in terms of taste. Â Service is awesome, and the atmosphere is very... how do I say... minimal. Â But I would still take this over fusion-Lincoln Park-wannabe-korean anyday.
After returning from Korea, I've been on the prowl for delicious Korean restaurants. I've had my fair share of over-Americanized cuisine and was really hoping for an authentic experience to recover from a long weekend. THIS IS IT!! The restaurant itself is very modest, which is to be expected by Korean standards. The menu is not extensive, but it offers enough to pick from. There are also some specials posted on the wall. They even have gamjatang (though not in the summer).
I ordered kimchi jjigae and my boyfriend ordered dol sot bibimbap. The kimchi flavor at this location is slightly salty, but I know that kimchi varies family to family and always expect different flavors. I really enjoyed the jjigae, it was a nice portion (larger than most other places I've been to), was served boiling hot, and tasted wonderful! The bibimbap was also a great taste of our previous home! All the ingredients were fresh and delicious.
The ahjussi running the dining room is polite and kind, and the ahjumma in the kitchen knows what she's doing! I'd highly recommend this restaurant. Though, it may not be the place to go with a large group (I did see them accommodate 6, but more than that could be tough). Side note: there is also Korean TV on, just for that extra touch of home.
It's a little hard to find because the restaurant name is only written in Korean (in Engish it says "Korean Restaurant"), but in a city filled with Korean restaurants with lukewarm service, Da Rae Jung truly is a diamond in the rough. The elderly owner (?) was very sweet and treated us like family. Â
DRJ is kind of a speciality restaurant. Â They have a short menu because their specialty is naeng myun - cold buckwheat noodles that come either in a cool broth, or a spicy red pepper marinade that is knock-your-socks-off good. Â Both are great summertime meals. Â Their bulgoki was good too, and they grilled it and basted it at our table in a savory broth that was good to spoon over your rice for beefy flavor. Â
Considering we drove all the way from Oak Park for their food (I'm Korean and get the shakes if I don't have my K-grub regularly), I got a satisfying Korean fix.
Judging from the reviews, this place is excellent, so my sad tale is probably isolated. But I wanted to get it out there so I could see if it's happened to anyone else!
I walk in with my partner and all is well - we're greeted warmly and see a cute table of Korean elders chowing down. We get our food, complete with awesome little fried fishies, and everything's great. When we entered, they'd been playing girl and boy bands on the TV, and then switched to a Barcelona/ManU game. The elders and owners are clearly ManU fans, reacting to everything dramatically! Entertaining.
Then, as our meal is concluding, the owners start to ignore us. I mean, they bussed the other table and walked right by us and gave no indication they even saw us. No drink refreshers, no eye contact, no nothing! We sat for /at least/ 45 minutes doing absolutely nothing (obviously we were wimps here and should have said something, but we were actually kind of incredulous!). The last straw was when the lady came out to have /her/ dinner and watch TV with her back to us. I finally asked her at that point. I also asked about the burnt rice soup and she just said "No" and walked away.
We were so confused! And had no idea how to react. I really don't think it was a race issue (I'm white, he's Indian) because the treatment at first was fine. The only thing I can think of is that we did something that indicated to them that we were Barcelona fans!!! Ridiculous and far-fetched! Really? ...Really?
Anyway, that's my harrowing tale. Has anyone else experienced anything like this?
Highlights:
--did not try BBQ
--menu is not as extensive as at a lot of korean places
--had kalbi tang, mul naengmyun, and spicy raw blue crab
--excellent korean food. Â Better than any place I've been to in SF (though I've only been to To Hyang once). Â Kalbi tang was better than any I had in LA, mul naengmyun was comparable.
--very nice, friendly service from grandpa
--nice banchan. Not the most I've seen (and sadly I didn't get myeolchi), but above average.
--definitely recommend for anybody craving korean in chicago.
I'm in chicago for a few days on the way to a wedding. Â It was an 89 degree day--hot for a san franciscan like me--and i'd spent the day walking around. Â So I was craving mul naengmyun. Â I yelped "korean" and didn't get many results, so then I yelped "naengmyun" and got three results. Â Da rae jung seemed promising--several tips and reviews described the mul naengmyun as the best in the city (or best they've had).
When we got there, it was an unassuming little place with no english on the front other than "open." Â Good sign. Â We walked in, and I'm the only white person. Â Good sign. Â The grandpa who seats us was so nice!
The menu is a little smaller than at many korean places. Â It's two pages, and they are not packed with 80 numbered items. Â There are 4 entres on the top left (including spicy raw blue crab and a spicy goat soup), then something like 12 staple entres below that (including kimchi jigae, two kinds of kalbi tang, a few varieties of bibimbap). Â It hits on many classics, but leaves off others like yuk gae jang. Â Which is fine--the kalbi tang was so good that I'm glad they specialize in a few things. Â Right side of the menu has, on top, three cold noodle dishes (whe naengmyun, bibim naengmyun, and mul naengmyun). Â Below that are the cook-at-the-table bbq items, which I ignored this time. Â There were also a few specials on handwritten pages on the wall--including jeon pancakes, spicy squid, spicy baby octopus.
It was hard to pick, but we ended up with mul naengmyun, kalbi tang, and out of curiosity, the spicy raw blue crab.
I can't recall all of the banchan I received, but they included odeng, potato, fried banana/plantain (seemed too starchy for banana), broccoli, kimchi, pickled cucumber, pickled radish, tofu, and one or two other items. Â Sadly, we didn't get myeolchi (my favorite).
The kalbi tang was AMAZING. Â Delicate broth, good ingredients, excuisite and tender beef. Â Best I remember having, including my time in LA.
The mul naengmyun was very good. Â They put in a slice of asian pear, which was wonderful, but I kept wishing for more slices. Â I'm not sure it's the *best* I've ever had, but it compares with what i 've had in LA and it blows SF out of the (vinegary) water.
The spicy raw blue crab was fascinating (and messy). Â Having lived all over the country, but primarily on the east coast, west coast, and midwest, I tend to be skeptical of midwestern seafood, and I'm picky about my crab (I love blue crab and stick my nose up at dungeness unless it's prepared vietnamese style (and even then, in SF, I won't go to PPQ. Only La Vie!)). Â So I was a bit skeptical, and just decided to not think about where the crab was coming from.
But it was delicious! Â I don't have much to compare it to, never having had raw blue crab before, and there was enough spicy sauce to keep my tastebuds distracted...but the taste was nice, the texture was interesting, and there was even some roe waiting for us at the end (which tasted a little like good uni). Â A little hard to get at some of the meat in the claws with no mallots or crackers. Â Good dish, worth trying for the experience and/or on special occasions, though I doubt I would order it regularly.
Throughout the entire experience, the grandpa was so very nice!
It wasn't perfect. Â There was still room for improvement, but I'm going to give it 5 stars--I never expected to waltz into a korean place on a whim in chicago and get such excellent food.
If you have a craving for korean, or you want to introduce a friend to korean, go here!
(I hope I'm back in town sometime to try the rest of the menu.)
I came here earlier this month during a short trip, and when I got here, there was only one table filled, and it was filled with ten men visiting from Korea. Â Loved it. Â By the time I left, there were two other people there eating lunch (it was a Thursday afternoon).
I ordered the naengmyeon, cold buckwheat noodles, and the owner, well aware of my more American side than my Korean side, asked me if I knew the dish was cold - cute - yes, I did. Â It was great, and he checked up on me and was very nice, which is great, because honestly, you do not get great, friendly service that often in Korean restaurants. Â Or at least it's a rarity to me and I've been going to them my entire life.
My only small downside was that I only got a few plates of banchan because I was by myself, and I knew I would have gotten more had I been there with at least one other person. Â The only time I was depressed to be taking a solo trip to Chicago :(
Plus, you better bet your ass I wasn't going to be rude and ask for more.
Much like Ban Po Jung which is just down the street, this place is also one of my favorites for Korean soup. Again this is a nice hole in the wall find. The restaurant is mom and pop ran also. The waiter being the friendly old man and the chef being his wife. I was thinking he did not understand me when I was asking for extra side dishes, water, etc. But he was super nice and brought me everything I requested.
The dishes we ordered:
1. Yumsotang (Spicy goat soup) - Delicious with plenty of veggies and tasted very goatish. Not recommended if you do not like lamb/goat.
2. Spicy tripe soup - Delicious as well. Sort of a korean menudo without all the artery clogging grease.
3. Bulgogi - Tender and well seasoned.
4. Bibimbop - Typical BBB fair, nothing to complain about.
The side dishes were plentiful and they have one of the more distinct kimchi's that I have eaten in a while. This place is definitely a hidden gem!
I am a sucker for great service, especially when the owner would personally greet you at the door and see you out. Food was amazing - BBQ bulgoki was extremely tender, flavorful and for lack of a better word, refreshing. The lady who served our table personally put the meat on the metal heating device and served us the perfectly cooked meat. She also mixed our naengmyeon (cold noodles) for us and asked for our bowls so that she could save us the trouble of sharing the dish. Althought she didn't speak much English, her cordial service made the entire dining experience so wonderful it was like a family dinner.
As with Chinese restaurants, you know a Korean restaurant is good if 1) most of the people inside are Korean and 2) you absolutely do not understand what the signs on the walls say but you just want to eat there anyways. One of my friends asked the girls next to our table what to order and they recommended a seafood panckage, which had too many green onion chunks for me. All the side dishes were wonderful too.
Yes, there was a language barrier. Â Yes, our 'ala tarzan' communication gestures did not work well. Â But, alas, we had the best Korean lunch ever that day!
We were in search for a new place for Korean BBQ, so I suggested Da Rae Jung after reading the raves on Yelp. Â
I couldn't recall exactly what information have been exchanged between the bf and I with the owner (an older Korean guy), but we failed to get our BBQ. Â We got something that was cooked in broth instead. Â The old guy cooked the dish for us himself, on our table. Â Then he taught us how to eat it. Â Dip in that, mix with this, then open your mouth big. Â Chew. Â Swallow. Â Repeat. Â
Towards the end of our meal, the old guy's wife (or we assumed so) emerged from the kitchen. Â Ah, so, here's the genius behind of all these yummy food. Â She smiled at us, then noticed we only have a lil bit of meat and broth left on the big bowl. Â Without hesitant, she grab the bowl and gestured me for my bowl. Â I complied. Â With a skill of a life-time cook, coupled with motherly/auntily love, she pour every single bit of the broth and the meat unto my bowl. Â
Bottom line, I heart Da Rae Jung. Â It's like having lunch/dinner at your Korean uncle/aunt (with money involved, obviously). Â Kam sam needa. Â We shall return.
For me, the thing that stands out the most about this place is the service. Most, if not all, Korean restaurants in Chicagoland just suck at service. I mean they are just absolutely horrible and this is coming from a Korean who sort of understands some of it. Da Rae Jung is by far the best in service among all the Korean restaurants in Chicagoland and they've been that way from day one. The old man usually waits the tables by himself and his wife cooks in the kitchen. This man is extremely humble and always speaks with a smile. His attitude somehow makes everyone else speak with respect. I would be extremely proud to call him my grandfather.
Now on to the food, which is excellent as well...
I have said time and time again that restaurants need to concentrate on their specialty and this is one of the places that does that well. My favorite items on their menu are the mool naeng myun (cold buckwheat noodles) and jeuk suk boolgogi which you cook at your own table. I personally vote their naeng myung best in the city. It really cools you down on a hot day while quenching your thirst and hunger at the same time. The most popular dish for Koreans on any blistering summer day. The boolgogi is fresh and the marinade is just right, not too sweet. The old man is pretty good at explaining how to eat these two dishes if you need but his English might be hard to understand. At least he's patient and seems to genuinely enjoy explaining things day after day.
All their side dishes are always fresh and tasty but you won't see very many of them. Quality over quantity is how it is served here.
This is another location that I came to try with my fiance and her parents. Â
I love this place. Â I believe I have found a korean restaurant in Chicago where the food is comparable to restaurants I've been to in Korea Town, Los Angeles. Â
I got Sul Lung Tang and Seafood Pancake. Â Banchan was fresh and the owner was very friendly. Â
Parking is a pain though and nearly got ran over by a fat, ugly driver who was on the phone. Â Nevertheless, I survived and currently writing this review. Â Good place to eat if you are in the mood for a good korean restaurant.
This has to be one of the most non-descript restaurants I've tried. There's no sign in English, except something like "Korean Restaurant" on the strip mall's sign. Let the smell of bulgogi (or the neighboring liquor store) be your guide.
It's no-frills inside, but clean and comfortable enough for me. A smiling gentleman (the owner, I think) sat us down at a table with a view of the glass doored fridge where there were elephantine tubs of kimchi just chillin' there making me hungry. We poured over our choices for few minutes. Being relatively new to Korean food, I wanted to try everything on the menu, but in the end I went with the spicy pork.
This dish would've definitely been big enough to share. It is a heaping pile of marinated pork that also comes with rice, soup (just a plain broth) and all the little sides that I love so much. The pork itself was tasty, but it wasn't as spicy as I was expecting. I found myself mixing it up with some of the spicier sides to heat it up.
The boyfriend ordered the hot noodle special (most of the noodle dishes are cold) with beef, veggies, sesame oil, etc. It reminded me of a heavier version of a Japanese seaweed salad. I like seaweed salads a lot, but this dish was a bit one-dimensional. I was glad I went with the pork.
As so many reviewers have mentioned, the owner (I assume he's the owner, anyway) is SO sweet. He's a quiet guy, but will definitely make you feel welcome.
The food at Da Rae Jung was tasty and plentiful but they do make it hard to find. The sign on the strip mall just says "Korean Restaurant," which I suppose is accurate but does a poor job getting you in the door.
Alas, we were glad to stumble into the place. My friends and I ordered the blue crab, spicy pork, and bibimbap. Everyone enjoyed their food, although as other reviewers have pointed out, the raw crab proved to be a bit of challenge to eat for my one friend (as was the accompanying spice).
Between the great service, banchan and affordable prices, Da Rae Jung is definitely worth visiting.
This place is awesome and authentic.
It's kind of hard to find ... the plaza has only the sign "Korean Restaurant" to let you know where it is. But look for the tiny restaurant with the liquor store right next door and you're in business.
We came here with a large group of people and almost took up the whole restaurant. The owners I think are an older Korean couple. The cutest little Korean man took our orders and recommended dishes to our new-to-Korean-food group members.
So. much. food. We tried the raw crab, which wasn't my thing (kinda weird texture) but everyone else at the table was gobbling it up. I loved my soup - it was perfect for the cold weather.
Bonus points for BYOB, and it's the most authentic looking and tasting Korean food I've had so far in Chicago. It's also a perfect place to stop for food before going over to the nearby Lincoln Karaoke :)
I love it when you have great friends who know where to go for some good grub. They'll never steer you wrong even if looking at the place you weren't sure. That was the case with my time at DRJ.
Driving by it would probably be not the first place I would expect awesome Korean food spot but as I mentioned earlier, you trust your buds not to lead you astray. DRJ was really good and the dozen or so of us who assembled in their small dining area were happy to made the trip.
The pork dish I had was fabulous! I believe it was jae yook bokum. I also enjoyed all the small plates that came out as well. I especially liked the cucumber dish but my buddy, we'll call him "J.T.", couldn't handle its delicious properties. I offered and offered but he resisted. I vow never to offer fine grub to J.T. again!
I need to go back to DRJ and try some more dishes as the place left me wanting more. Also, the service was really great and the people were friendly.
Da Rae Jung is incredible - best Korean food I've had in Chicago! Â There is a little man who wears suspenders (presumably the owner), who takes care of everything - your order, serves food, pours water, etc. it is clear he takes much pride in his restaurant. Â
I came here with two friends and every dish was amazing! Along with your meal, Da Rae Jung serves 8 small dishes - each and every one was so, so good. Â The portions are very generous, we left STUFFED - I had to unbutton my pants (true story).
If you are looking for a good, genuine Korean experience, skip San Soo Gap Son and go here - you won't be disappointed!
I've been going to this place for years and absolutely love it! Â It's a hidden gem in a small strip mall on Lincoln Ave. Â We love the warm welcome by the elderly man who runs the place each time we visit. Â
There isn't much ambiance but I prefer excellent food and service over beautiful table cloth anyday! Â A few of my favorite dishes are the raw crab, pork bone soup and the cold buck wheat noodles. Â Love it everytime I go!
Went with a party of 5 on a Weds Night.
Warning: Signage is all in Korean. Look for the address.
Location: In a strip mall with parking, small.
Ambiance: Simple. Not fancy.
Service: Owner was our waiter. Very humble guy , who was very nice to us. Made us feel very comfortable in his restaurant. I kept wanting to serve the dishes cause he was so nice and elderly, I felt bad he was serving us! :p
Food: Wow!
- Mul Maengmyeon - (about $8)
The Cold Buckweat noodles with mustard and vinegar added. Not my favorite, but had a refreshing , cleansing effect. Others in my party liked it more.
-Jae yook bokum - (about $10)
Spicy Pork Dish - Was soooo good, Gone in a Flash.
- Dolsot bibimbap (about $10)
Mixed veggies with raw egg over rice cooked in a stone pot with hot sauce on top. Wow. So flavorful. Was cooked just right so that the rice was had a nice "crust" on the bottom. So crunchy and flavorful. My favorite dish.
- Spicy Seafood Soup ($28.95) -(For Two)
This soup had whole chunks of fish, squid, imitation crab meat, and whole shrimp. All five us ate this and we still had leftovers! Served table-side on a portable propane burner, Everyone loved it. So much seafood!
Overall, if your looking for a Korean Down Home cooking, this is the place to go. Friendly service and mouth watering food. Yummy! Yummy!
My wife and I had a wonderful meal at Da Rae Jung recently.
We were in the mood for low-key Korean. The Korean BBQ experience can be a lot of fun with a group, but sometimes you're just looking for a quieter, smokeless experience. Enter Da Rae Jung, located a couple blocks west of San Soo Gab San. It's in a strip mall with easy parking and next to no signage. If you're not looking for it, you're pretty much guaranteed to miss it. Kind of the opposite of the very conspicuous, smokey and energetic San Soo Gab San.
The place is owned and operated by an elderly Korean couple who are the absolute epitome of old-world charm and hospitality. We went on a Friday night and every table was full, so I guess the locals are in the know. The menu is a short two pages but the offerings are more than enough to keep the adventurous interested.
Our meal started off with an assortment of banchan. Â Everything was prepared simply but well. The textures varied nicely from dish to dish with plenty of spice in the kim chi and sourness in the bean sprouts. Banchan at some restaurants can have a stale/canned quality to them, but at Da Rae Jung everything had the clean, crisp flavor indicative of the care you'd expect from a mom and pop restaurant.
Next came the dolsot bibimbap. Â Once again a straight down the middle, simple, yet well-executed preparation. The dolsot came out extremely hot so we waited as the rice got nice and crispy at the bottom of the bowl. The meat was well seasoned and didn't overpower the dish and the crisp lettuce and sweet daikon melded textures and flavors beautifully.
Finally came the star of the show, hoe naengmyeon. When we ordered it the owner seemed to hesitate. He was visibly worried that we wouldn't like it because it had raw fish in it but he couldn't seem to articulate his concern. We assured him that we were up to it, and he said it was a great choice and grinned widely when he realized we knew what we were getting into.
The noodles were silky and soft. I peaked into the kitchen and saw a big bowl of the noodles covered in flour. From the texture of the noodles and this quick glance I'm guessing the noodles are made in house, though I'm not 100% sure. Either way, they were an excellent base for the spicy chili paste and delicate raw fish. The raw fish had a smooth texture (though it did have some bones in it) and a mild flavor.
As we were getting ready to pay the bill the owner came over to congratulate me on marrying such a beautiful girl. That was all the dessert she needed.
I love everything about this place.
Service is wonderful. There is a small, elderly gentleman, who I presume is the owner and he wears suspenders and is just too sweet for words. And I want to adopt him. He doesn't speak a lot of English but he is always smiling and helpful. He even offered to stir my bimbim bop for me. It was so cute. He was gesturing to show me to pour sesame oil in it and then stir it all up. So sweet. You can tell that he genuinely wants his guests to enjoy their dining experience.
The food is to die for. The pan chan is different every time we come here but always good. I've ordered several soup dishes, rice dishes, seafood pancake and have cooked the marinated beef at the table. All dishes were great and it would be hard to pick a favorite.
The restaurant is not very fancy but its really clean. The bathroom is beyond spotless. Not even a water mark on the faucet.
BYOB with no corkage fee. Look for the address as there is minimal signage.
LOVE LOVE LOVE Da Rae Jung.
"Too Mom and Pop"
The service was Okay. just Okay. The owners/servers were very nice, but ignorant in that they assumed a black girl from the South Side of Chicago knew little of Korean Food. Â They were wrong. My "Dolsot Bibim Bop": was served in a cold bowl instead of the sizzling hot pot. There was NO BEEF in the Bibim Bop, so I essentially had accoutrements and rice. After receiving said rice bowl, the server attempted to show me how "Koreans" eat the dish. While I appreciated to gesture, I found it to be slightly overbearing. Â The kimchee was too tangy for my preferences but the other side dishes were pretty good. Â Therefore, the food was an A, but my overall dining experience was such that I will not return.
Wow, I can't believe I didn't write my review of DRJ yet! I'm such a slacker! I organized dinner for a large group of party people one fine spring evening. There were almost 20 of us and while DRJ is small...they accommodated us quite nicely. The service in this mom n pop joint could not be beat either. The old man whom I've dubbed Mr. Smiley took care of all our needs and made sure we were happy...and we were!
I tasted a lot of dishes....goat, cold noodles, blue crab, kim chi pancakes, bulgogi, spicy pork and all the banchan that accompanies your meal. I was looking forward to the blue crab and I thought the sauce was really tasty but it was too much work for me to try to get the meat outta those suckers....plus they looked like big slimy spiders and that really creeped me out. The cold noodles were nice and sort of refreshing. The standouts for me were the spicy pork and the kim chi pancakes. The banchan was lovely...the kim chi was delicious!
I'd love to pop in here for lunch some time and I'd definitely go back for dinner. BYOB make DRJ a totally affordable spot with a liquor store right next door - score! Don't let the no frills appearance of this place deter you. The service is great and the food is wonderful.
My friend and I were the first ones in our group and the only customers in the place when we arrived. Although not Christmas, I had flashbacks from the scene of the movie Christmas Story when I took my seat.
The owners and staff hurried to prepare for our large group. My friend and I sat at the end of a very long table and drank our drinks bought from the liquor store next door - talk about urban planning?! Â
The liquor store, two car lengths away, was a bare boned kind of place, a lot like the restaurant. But, it had what you came for and had plenty of that for a good price. The vodka section alone could easily submerge a Hyundai.
It wouldn't surprise me if the respective owners of these places were  somehow related, just from their similar aesthetic tastes - early 70s taxi driver hang out.
This was my first time eating Korean... food that is. Some of the food was somewhat difficult for me to eat. But what I had was spectacular and spicy. Â I definitely cleared out my sinuses for sure and had the owner busy restocking my napkin supply. But, I would order it again.
Although we had a large group, the owner, chef and his staff handled the situation with ease . The owner was fantastic and quite pleasant.
It was a nice introduction to Korean food. But, where were the chopsticks and fortune cookies!?
Oh, wait...
It's all about location, location, location. So with Da Rae Jung, a Korean BBQ that's BYOB, located next to a liquor store that sells all the basics plus Soju, I would say they have the equivalent of beach-front property on a sea of booze and great food.
A large group of us (18 people) took over the front half of the restaurant. The awesome Joanne W. organized the entire thing, and it sounded like they were nothing short of extremely accommodating. I know they did a great job of making sure we had everything we needed when we were there. If I could have requested a single thing beyond what we received, it would have been to simply have a little more space on our tables for the mass amounts of food we ordered. I ended up holding my large plastic glass of wine between my legs and we combined some of our platters to give us a bit more room.
I got to sample a little bit of the "cook at the table" goat dish, which I would have liked more goat meat in. It was flavorful and quite spicy, almost too spicy but not overwhelming. The raw blue crab was too spicy for me and too much effort. It comes in the shell, cold and covered in sauce. I was not a fan. I did, however, thoroughly enjoy my beef spare rib soup with egg, noodles and onions. The bulgogi was by far the highlight of the evening. I mixed it into my leftover soup and ate that for the rest of the weekend. I also noticed people mixing the different kinds of cold and hot noodle dishes together and heating them up with the main courses on our tabletop burners.
It's hard to coordinate with so many people, but we pulled it off and had more than enough food for everyone. For many of us, our eyes were bigger than our stomachs. Leftovers were plentiful and it came out to $20 each.
After multiple foiled dinner plans on a Friday night, we trucked it up to Da Rae Jung aka Korean Restaurant for some late night nosh. Greeted by fluorescent lights, the cute old grandpa, and a fridge CHOCK full o kimchee jars, Â we put in our orders and in no time had suitable nomz.
I had the dolsot bibimbap complete with said cute old grandpa insisting on stirring up my bowl for me. For like a whole minute. I guess he could tell that my shallow stir meant too much leftover rice. Delish, and I ended up taking home maybe two lunches-worth of my entree. As far as the banchan, favorites were the octopus, marinated tofu (outstanding), kimchee, and egg-battered zucchini. Also, whatever the hell that soup was with the green onions in it, I am a HUGE fan. All of this was $13 incl. tip; a great deal for all of my delicious leftovers. I like.
Though I doubt I'll make it up here again anytime soon, it's a great alternative to a long wait at San Soo Gab San!
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