It had been awhile since I had eaten at Solga. I used to go there when I got spicy buckwheat noodle cravings, the Korean bibim nangmyun. Service was always good, efficient, and I remember their oxtail soup had been frikken ginormous! Well, things changed with the new ownership.
We went on a Saturday for dinner. All the tables were full, but we got seated after around 15 mins. I was surprised to see only two waiters manning the floor. Service was slow, understandably; our king-sized dumplings appetizer came well after we finished our entrees lol, like an hour after we'd placed our order.
Besides the dumplings, we had ordered two of the spicy noodles with skate fish, the regular non-spicy noodles, and some beef to cook at our table. Well, after a long wait, a waiter comes with the regular noodles, along with two small servings of the regular noodles. He explained that they were out of the skate fish, so he brought over complimentary regular noodles. That was a nice gesture of him, but he should have told us earlier. Then we tried the noodles dish. SO BAD. I was surprised that they changed their noodles from their original thin, handmade noodles into this thick, cheap, store-bought one. They hadn't been cooked long enough either. The broth that it came in was bland. No vegetables except for some spare slices of pickled white radish. I don't see how the full-sized dish of it was priced at $11.
Meat was average. Instead of having it cooked on the table's grilltop thing, a portable gas range was used. I saw other tables doing that too.
The dumplings were pretty to look at, but the filling was bland, the tofu not soft enough.
Side dishes can make or break a Korean restaurant, and the selection & taste of Solga's was poor.
Solga is sitting on some prime real estate with their free parking lot, but until they fix the service and the quality of their food, I would not recommend this place. Eat the lollipop chicken at the nearby Great Sea Chinese Restaurant instead if you're craving Asian.
I've been here a number of times over the years through--I think--four different ownerships and I have to say the current management is by far the best. Tim treats every customer with real respect and it's easy to see that he's trying his damnedest to make everyone's experience delightful.
The meat is tender and delicious and pairs well with any of their jjigaes. I would be more specific with recommendations but, really, they're all quite good.
If you're looking for quality Korean food in a clean, non-divey setting, choose Solga. Enjoy the choco-pies after your meal--they're a real nice touch!
A lot can change over the years, apparently. Came here for Sunday dinner and it was nice and not too busy. The marinated galbi comes with rice and some traditional Korean soup. The flavors are great! And the side dishes were excellent. The kimchi was spot on. The service was great.
The fried dumplings were good, too. But i think the standout here is the BBQ.
I'm rating this solely based on the food and not the service; I can appreciate two servers working by themselves servicing a full restaurant. (Perhaps if people walk into the restaurant and wait to be seated for five minutes you should at one point acknowledge them though. This didn't happen to us, but we saw it happen to multiple people.)
We ordered the kalbi cooked in the kitchen, stone pot bi bim bap, and seafood pancake appetizer. Everything we ordered was just okay. Even the eight banchan dishes were just okay. Â I enjoyed the purple sticky rice that came with the kalbi, but the same type of rice in the bi bim bap was mushy. The kalbi meat was relatively thinly sliced and removed from most of the bones which made me sad because I love those thick fatty cuts that you tear off the bones yourself. The seafood pancake was thicker with dough than usual, but it gets an B+ for not being fishy.
I know of other Korean restaurants which I think are better, but if I didn't, I would come back and try other things.
Food: Good
Service: Fair, They have lack of staff, but the 2 servers was doing as fast as possible and get us everything we need and the restaurant was almost full.
Price: A bit pricey, but there is Groupon of $20 for $10, $45 for $20 for 4 or more people which bring the total bill down to a reasonable priced.
I enjoyed this place very much! Â I am not familiar with Korean food but I had friends to help me. Â The staff was very nice and polite. Â The food was very good and LOTS of it. Â The staff was very patient as I was with a group of friends and we stayed quite awhile to catch up. Â They patiently waited on us despite us being the only customers and closing the restaraunt.
Review Source:Really enjoy this place, I go every few months.
Not too difficult to get a reservation, or walk in at this place. Â The food quality is great. Â Kalbi, seaffod, bulgogi... also enjoy the hot pot bibimbap. Huge points for authenticity!
Service is a bit mixed, you need to be proactive to ask for what you want and have expectations set accordingly.
Also, you should be prepared for the odor that will innevitably be transfered to your clothes after all that BBQ cooking!
Okay, I really want to give them a good rating because the food was really good and the serving size was just right, but man, oh man! The service sucks! This is coming from a girl who really doesn't ask much from servers.
So we go in on a Saturday night expecting a full resto but surprisingly it wasn't. After waiting at the entrance area for probably about 5 minutes, the only server that night lead us to our table. We were hungry so we immediately made up our mind and waited for her to swing by us to get our orders. The waiting and trying to get her attention our way was very frustrating. I wish they had at least another server there to help her out!
THE FOOD IS AWESOME, don't get me wrong, but they served the lettuce for our bolgogi almost when were done cooking the rest of the meat! And our rice was served at almost the end of our meal! Unbelievable!
And when we were done eating, it took us probably about 10 minutes of trying to get the server's attention while she chatted with her friends who came to dine at the resto that night.
So the 3 stars I'm giving here is for the food, not for the servers at all. I'll go to another Korean BBQ place next time. Good thing we tried this using a Groupon.
I was surprised to see all the bad reviews about the staff here, as it was perfectly fine when I went with a friend recently. There was a slight difference in the banchan assortment our table received, compared to a Korean table seated behind us (we were missing a common fishcake dish and a seaweed dish, both of which they seemed to have) however there were only two people at our table and three in their party, so I'll give Solga the benefit of the doubt, and assume that they downsize the number of plates when the table is a deuce. Anyway, food was decent, (we had grilled pork and grilled squid, plus an order of gunmandu) and our waiter, a stocky younger man, was friendly and conscientious.  There were hardly any other patrons during most of our visit, so maybe service slips when they're busy, but we had no complaints. My male friend did agree that the bathrooms were gross, but I didn't  visit them myself. 4 stars for service, 3 stars for food, and 3 stars for value. I'd probably go back with a Groupon or other deal, but there are so many great choices in Chicago, that I might hesitate at full price.
Review Source:Had a great experient here for lunch on Saturday, service was attentive without being intrusive and the food was very good!
Hubby ordered a pork dish that he said was ok, not what he expected but not bad either. He also commented that his soup was not  as scalding hot as it normally is and he would have liked it a bit hotter. Otherwise, we were both very happy with our meals. We loved all the side dishes that came with it, in exception of the fish cake we finished them all and the waiter gave us an extra portion of the sweet radish right away because we commented that we liked it.
My bibimbap was good, the only complaint I had was that the beef was a little skimpy but all in all a great experience and we definitely will return!
Solga was a great find! I ate lunch there two days in a row because the food and service were just *that* awesome. The waiter (I think he was the owner) even brought out free dumplings and included extra soup for those of us splitting lunch specials. The portions were reasonably sized, but the amount of side dishes was huge! So delicious - I'll definitely be going back soon.
Review Source:I honestly think the bad reviews are the competition spreading lies about Solga. This place was so good that we went back the next day. The bibbimbap was incredible. The sides were plentiful and fresh. Most importantly, I've never had such good service in my life. The staff literally ran to refill our water, gave us extra appetizers, and answered our questions about the food. He bowed and said thank you often. The food was delicious, the atmosphere awesome, and the service impeccable. Â I'm newly engaged and want to use this place for my rehearsal dinner.
Review Source:Solga is pretty phenomenal. The food portions are just right and most lunch/dinner entrees come with soup and more sides than I've ever seen. The owner is polite and courteous. He threw extra after meal candies in our take out bag because someone in our group simply mentioned that they liked them. Wonderful restaurant!
Review Source:I used to go to Solga once a week. Â If the people who work there read this, i'm the one who orders dol sot bim bim bop every time. Â Ok, so I don't really care that the people who work there are cold and kinda ignore you, however here are the reasons that I will not go back to Solga after the last experience.
1. Its been getting more and more dirty and they are really letting it slip.
2. NO TOILET PAPER, NO PAPER TOWELS, NO SOAP in the bathroom. Â Seriously, if there is no soap than the employees are not sanitizing their own hands while working with food. Â UNACCEPTABLE.
3. Â Lots of burnt out lights, broken fixtures, clutter.
I think the owner has lost his or her passion. Â When Solga first opened it was really busy and the place was in much better shape. Â I rememer my Korean friend taking me there. Â I definitely would go back if they cleaned up and started to care.
Well, this is definitely not my mom's bulgolgi. Â Â Â A friend and I had a Groupon deal and tried Solga. Â Â She was much more impressed then I was. Â Â The bulgoli was ok. Â A little too sweet for my taste but a solid effort. Â Â With our bulgolgi we were given many small sides some good some bad. Â Â Kim-chi had way too much peper paste but some do like it that way. Â Â I don't think I'll be dining here again but solid effort.
Review Source:I'll start with the good news, the food isn't rancid.
OK here's the rest: Though they were polite, the service was terrible. I've had lots of Korean BBQ. Both in Chicago and in other cities around the country. I couldn't shake the feeling our table was being ignored. We were served AFTER other parties who arrived later then we did. We didn't get nearly the variety or amount of banchan other tables got, even with the same order.
We ordered 2 bulgogi yet I have the sneaking suspicion that we only received 1 order. They cooked our food for us at the table (which I know at SOME places is their "thing" but not here, every other table cooked their own food) and ignored us so long the food got overcooked and some started to burn a bit. We had to turn off the burner ourselves and just started eating. Halfway through eating our bulgogi we finally got our rice, would've been nice to get it before so we could eat it with it but hey, we clearly didn't count.
Best part was I didn't pay full price due to a coupon. Thankfully, because if I DID pay full price for that I'd be livid.
I'd go anywhere else before returning. I don't care for being talked down to about what I'm eating if I don't ask and I like getting the same service everyone else is in the place. Way overpriced for being slapped in the face.
There's a lot of Korean bbq places in Chicagoland, and Solga isn't necessarily a place I'd recommend.
The food is okay at best. Meat quality is also just okay. This is all fine, but the prices tagged onto each item on the menu is borderline hilarity.
Service is great when Solga isn't busy; otherwise, it's almost non-existent. Going with groups larger than six will also pose a problem. They will send you into one of their party rooms, where you must sit cross-legged on the floor. I understand that this is Korean tradition, but it can be bothersome.
underwhelmed and kind of over priced. On a Saturday night this place was pretty dead (except for the GIANT group playing soju bombs) and the server was rude. Â I like to get a table full of banchans and this was did not live up to expectations. Â Skip. Â The meat was fine....which means it's not good enough. Â I need explosive flavors!
Review Source:Food was just acceptable; really, nothing special and nothing made me want to visit again.
The servers and the whole restaurant ambiance are sooo spooky. They don't smile, no greeting when you walked in, no thank you after you paid the bill. Light in the restroom is not working, it''s really dark. Floor is sticky, and overall, it didn't give me good impression about the food and restaurant itself. I think they lost the passion serving good food there.
I feel I waste my money there....
The food here was great and they have a good selection of menu items, but our server was super rude. I didn't think anything of it when I was singled out and carded. I'm pushing 30 so it's amusing when people think I'm under 21! Everyone ordered their drinks with ease, except for me. I wanted the blackberry/black raspberry/whatever it was wine. It only came in a bottle, which was fine. I planned on sharing it with a friend.
The waitress told me to get the plum wine instead, as it comes in a glass. I told her the bottle was fine. She insisted again that I get the plum wine, then mumbled something really fast. I wasn't in the mood to argue so I complied. Hey, I look like a kid so all I need is a glass, right?! ugh
I've had better experiences at other Korean bbq restaurants and will stick to BYOB ones! That way I can drink a whole bottle of wine if I wish and no one can tell me otherwise. nah nah nah!
If you're looking to have a conversation without competing with the din of a very busy place packed with fellow diners, this is a great alternative to San Soo Gab San. The food is comparable, but not quite as good.
Service is quick as this place is usually not busy, the waitstaff is attentive, and your food arrives promptly. Great jjigae and noodle dishes, a few more adventurous and authentic items are on the menu. Don't let the waitstaff talk you out of ordering tripe or brisket if you know what you're doing or game to try something new that you might not like.
Had a Groupon here, and had read great reviews. Â Nothing impressed me that much. Â The galbi was above average, full of flavor and juicy, but also very pretty expensive ($24) considering that the portion size was not great either. Â The bulgogi was only about $12 so that was a huge price variance. Â If i were to come back I would probably try the bulgogi.
The side dishes were the normal ones, Â I asked for a side of those anchovies and they had none, so that was disappointing.
Recommended to come here if you are with someone that knows about Korean food and/or- speaks Korean. It pains me to see someone had no clue coming here and asking about every single items on the menu... Sure you can get the soup, but you are missing out on more authentic Korean food.
We came here over the weekend with the in-laws--they know their Korean food. So we ordered the pork belly on the grill, spicy squid on the grill, some spicy noodle soup that was sooooo good. I really don't know the name of the dishes, but here are a few tips:
(1). Do not get red or white wine when you come here, trust me you don't look classy with wine everywhere, and wine really don't go well with Korean food. Get the damn soju.
(2). Skip the chicken teriyaki, it's not Korean.
(3). When in doubt, look around, if there's a Korean table next to you and what they have look good, ask for the same thing.
(4). Service can be slow when they are busy, this is when you need to be pushy--wave, ask loud, or even walk up to the counter--that's the Korean way of doing thing per the in-laws. :)
Although I'm no Korean connoisseur, I can comfortably give Solga 4 stars. The aesthetics, service, and presentation won't blow you away, but the food is more than worthy of 4 stars.
Not an all you can eat BBQ, but the quality of the galbi is very good. The fresh galbi is something that is different than the customary marinated ones you would find at the all you can eat locations.
Man Doos are seemingly homemade and delectable. The small plates that come free are numerous and you can always ask for more. Bibimbop in the stone bowl is also a favorite. Â
Good bang for you buck. If you get any of the BBQ items, it will be more expensive.
Yums! This place was very delicious.
We had a little bit of a hard time trying to find the place (Google Maps problem moreso than anything else), and then we were a bit confused because the entrance is actually in the parking lot. Solga has its own private parking lot, but even then there is parking on the street. :)
We had a groupon. We ordered dumplings, and two soups. My bf who is Korean was pleasantly surprised at how authentic and delicious everything was. I also enjoyed my spicy noodle soup broth (sorry, can't recall the names of the dishes lol).
The side dishes were nice and fresh. Delightful experience. :)
Under new ownership, the food at Solga has gotten a lot better. Their naengmyun is still pretty sweet, and their soups are hearty and delicious. My dad recently ordered their octopus dish and I almost ate half of it (SO GOOD). My only criticism is that their banchan offerings are a little sad - this might disappoint all of you banchan enthusiasts out there. I'm also almost certain they use msg, so get ready to take a nice long nap afterward.
Their recent renovation makes Solga less divier than other Korean restaurants in the city.
My granny approves!
3.5 stars, rounding down. Came here with a friend for dinner on a Wednesday night and it was fairly empty. We split the wang mandoo, and I ordered a soon dubu chigae while he got the bibimbap.
Banchan was okay but there was no potato salad which is my fave :( Mandoos were meh, I was kinda expecting them to have big fluffy buns but these were thin like dumpling wrappers. My soon dubu was just okay too (I got the seafood), not nearly as good as what you would find in LA but it satisfied my cravings for Korean food. My friend's bibimbap was superb though. Prices were average, around what we would've expected to pay for this sort of food, and we had a groupon which made it even better. Service was pretty good. Â Overall decent average meal.
Someone said "Go to Solga for the food, not the decor." Let me tell you: Just go to Solga. Go.
Maybe I'm biased since this was my first and very late venture into Korean bbq, but I was floored by the food and presentation. My boyfriend and I ordered the Kalbi and brisket, and the kalbi was absolutely amazing. The sauce/oil given for the brisket was to die for also, and have we all mentioned those side dishes enough? No, we haven't. They're delicious.
Best of all, I wasn't shamed for being totally clueless when we walked in. We had a Groupon, but I will most definitely be back, more than willing to pay full price!
After finding this restaurant it's really hard to go elsewhere when I have a taste for Korean. The bulgogi was tender and our server was very helpful and attentive.
The panchan(little dishes of kim chee ect) were delicious and our server was quick to replace the ones we finished.
Also had some sake and Hite (Korean) beer, I was full twenty minutes into dinner but something just would not let me stop!!
Superb Korean restaurant, the best things are: all the side dishes that come with your meal, the authenticity and the portions. Â There has never been a problem with parking in their lot and I've never had to wait for a seat. Â The Kalbi at the table (you have to order a minimum of 2 to cook at the table) is to die for. Â The soups are also hot (temperature-wise) and excellent as well.
The prices are a little higher that other restaurants, however for the taste and the portions, I can't complain. Â The service is excellent and very attentive. Â Solga is not elitist (the feeling I get from some K-restaurants) and therefore EVERYONE will feel comfortable eating there.
I'm from Michigan, and whenever I visit Chicago, I make sure to eat at least one meal at Solga.
Let's get one thing clear - you don't come here for KBBQ. Â Well, you *could* but that'd be like going to an ice cream parlor only to load up on the sprinkles.
I know WHY you want to have KBBQ here. Â It's CLEAN and BRIGHT and it's probably more "conducive" to eating of charred meats but falling into this trap would be a mistake. Â I'll say it once and I'll say it again, Solga is not a KBBQ place. Â Sure, tables are outfitted w/ a gas grill (hint #1) but a gas grill alone (*cough*) does not a KBBQ place make.
Savvy?
The REAL REASON why you're at Solga is the naengmyun (cold noodles - see <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FNaengmyeon&s=4c03e0abce472120b5315c3c63f01d95ec663f7f8b524e7e0aecd21d55b87909" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/…</a>).  I'm a fan of the spicy variety (surprise surprise) called "bibim naengmyun" which they offer in three different options.
You can have the regular - which consists of cold noodles, thinly slices of meat, vegetables, spicy red pepper sauce and a hard boiled egg. Â Then there is the "hoe" (rhymes w/ "meh") naengmyun which is the same as above except the beef is substituted for raw skate fish (w00t!) and my personal favorite, "sekimi" (meaning "mixed") which is the surf-and-turf version.
When you do order the naengmyun, make sure you ask for the yook-soo which is a beef broth they serve in a tea cup. Â The broth is served warm and is supposed to take the edge off of the spicy meal - it does and it's awesome.
I have to come clean here and tell you that the entire reason for me coming to this place is solely for the yook-soo alone. Â I understand this is a bit backward and is akin to ordering wings b/c you crave ranch dressing. Â Yeah, I get it. Â It's a bit unorthodox.
But back to the naengmyun - it's served well and as w/ all other decent naengmyun places I've ever been to, the portions are a tad small. Â My other gripe would be that it's also a bit on the expensive side but my constant refills on the yook-soo make up for the difference.
The service can be a bit schizoid. Â You may have excellent service on one visit and be punished by horrible service on the other. Â They've recently hired a bunch of n00bZ on their waitstaff and that has turned their service into a major Charlie Foxtrot.
I've deciphered the pattern however and can relay you this word of advice: Â If there are more males on the waitstaff than females, you're bound to have a 2-star experience. Â If there are more females on the waitstaff than males, you're looking at a 4-star experience.
I recommend going there for lunch for quicker service and cheaper menu.
More often than I care to recall, I usually end up eating Korean BBQ at some of the more divey joints in town. Washed down with a stiff soju, there's nothing better than BBQ meat cooked over charcoal at your table, setting be damned! For some reason I associate grime and surly service with great BBQ. And I'm not quite convinced that great BBQ can be found at places that have slightly upscale decor.
So I was pleasantly surprised the other night when we sat down for dinner at 9 pm on Friday night at Solga, which is about 5x more fancy than my usual Korean haunts. It was the first time for both of us. After some initial confusion about ordering - turns out we couldn't split the meat order to include more than one type of meat - we compromised and ordered a full order of the chicken. I had hoped that we would be able to try something a little more substantial to get a flavor for Korean BBQ but my own dietary restrictions got in the way. Sigh. We also ordered the Seafood Pancake. I'm glad we ordered it, because it was delicious.
Our server was a lovely, sweet woman originally from Mongolia (didn't ask if it was outer or inner). She was goofy and extremely helpful. The panchan arrived quickly and was an impressive selection of tastes. Not the best I've had by a long shot but very tasty nonetheless.
The biggest disappointment of the night is that Solga no longer uses charcoal - it is a gas grill, which doesn't impart the same wonderful flavor that wood charcoal does. Our chicken was spicy, but we are rather acclimated to heat and we ordered a side of spicy bean sauce to up the hot factor. It helped, a little.
The Soju we ordered - Fresh, the stuff they're pushing on the place mats - was very mild and sweet. Next time I'll try something else. It didn't pack the same punch I'm used to in slightly more potent distilled bevvies.
Every server we came into contact with was sweet and friendly. At the end of our meal, the servers asked my dining companion about his cape - it is, after all, a rather natty accessory. He was only too happy to tell them about it.
I can't believe I waited so long to try Solga! Â Great food, definitely try the galbi, it's mouthwatering and will have you craving for more the next day. Â A decent amount of panchan, although not as many as SSGS. Â
The waitstaff is extremely hospitable regardless of their lack of expertise with the English language. Â They gave us suggestions on how to eat the panchan w/ our galbi and it tasted that much better! Â Don't forget to ask for refills of your favorite panchan dishes. Â They were also constantly returning to refill our water.
I love that they have a parking lot! Â This is definitely one of the cleanest Korean restaurants I've dined at. Â It is a bit pricier than other Korean restaurants but the dining experience you get here rivals that at any other Korean restaurant and more than makes up for it.
Outstanding!
Of all the Korean BBQ places I've been, this is nearly (if not absolutely) the best.
It was a very comfortable, friendly atmosphere. Â The staff is not the typical Korean could shoulder that I'm used to at these places. Â They were actually super friendly and helpful. Â Offering refills on panchan? Â Hell yes!
The food was very good. Â We had Kalbi and the homemade steamed Mandoo, which were each as large as my fist. Â A good panchan selection, less numerous than San Soo Gap San, yet better than most - they had some nice twists on the old classics, like fresh scallions with the fish cakes.
Overall, outstanding. Â Whether you're a veteran of Korean food, or a rookie, this place will make you happy.
My mom comes in from Michigan and always wants to go to Solga. Â Partly because she knows my wife really likes galbi and partly because this place just has some very solid Korean food. Â So the galbi...I think it is the best in the city that I've tried so far. Â No it isn't as good as LA or New Jersey...but it is pretty dang close. Â Definitely go for the table cooking versus the kitchen cooking it for you. Â There is a pleasure to seeing all the raw beef sitting in front of you. Â You kinda feel manly...or in my case just makes you friggin' hungry. Â Yes, you will stank really bad when you walk out.
(I wonder if I can package the galbi smell as a cologne...ahhh)
The Wang Man Doo or King Dumplings are tasty only as they come right out of the kitchen. Â These are HUGE Korean style dumplings that are steamed. Â Try these at least once.
Some of the other dishes are good as well, the Duk Gook (Rice Dumpling Soup) and Soon Doo Boo Chige (Spicy Tofu Stew) are also pretty good. Â
This place is pretty far north for me, so I only go on special occasions, and when I do I try to stuff myself with enough galbi to last me two months...sorta like a boa or an alligator.
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