50 Best Korean Restaurants near Des Plaines

“Simply amazing and satisfying food!“

“I had the pleasure of dining at NEW SEOUL Korean Charcoal B.B.Q., and I must say, it was an exceptional experience from start to finish.

The ambiance of the restaurant is warm and inviting, creating a perfect setting for both casual dining and special occasions. The decor beautifully reflects Korean culture, adding to the overall dining experience.

The menu offers a wide variety of authentic Korean dishes, with an impressive selection of meats for the BBQ. Each option is fresh and of high quality, and the marinated choices are particularly delicious. The attentive staff provided excellent recommendations, ensuring that we got the most out of our meal.

One of the highlights was the charcoal grilling, which enhanced the flavor of the meats, creating a delightful smoky aroma that filled the air. The banchan (side dishes) were equally impressive, offering a delightful array of flavors that complemented our main dishes perfectly.

Service was prompt and friendly, with our server checking in regularly to ensure we had everything we needed. Their knowledge of the menu and willingness to answer questions added to the overall positive experience.

Overall, NEW SEOUL Korean Charcoal B.B.Q. is a fantastic spot for anyone looking to enjoy authentic Korean cuisine in a comfortable setting. I highly recommend it to both newcomers and seasoned fans of Korean BBQ alike. I look forward to my next visit!“

“I admire this place! They provide delicious meals, their menu is rich, The chief cook in that restaurant is a real authority in the kitchen, I like very much eating all their dishes. The food is always fresh, the service towards the guests is nice. I frequently visit this restaurant and I not even once was unhappy. Highly recommended.“

“Our 1st time at the Algonquin location. Our server was very nice and explained everything well! The food was delicious.We will be back again.“

“Amazing place. Pricey but the quality and taste are equal to none – no other Korean BBQ place in the area can compete on those fronts, and I've been to multiple. The servers are always really attentive and nice too, I just really enjoy the place as a whole.“

“We were so impressed with this place! We were craving Korean food and felt so glad to have stumbled upon this authentic restaurant in Niles/Morton Grove.

Everything looked so good on the menu that we ended up over ordering with 4 dishes for 3 people: Jokbal (boiled pig trotters), Seafood Pajeon, Gopchang Jeongul (beef intestine spicy stew) and fried chicken wings. The platters looked just like the menu pictures, and everything was so flavorful and tasted so authentic as if it was a home cooked meal. We definitely could've just ordered the pajeon and jokbal and we would have been stuffed.

Jokball was tender and fresh, nicely thin slices. The seafood pancake by itself was great, crispy on the edges with the right amount of mixed seafood (not just batter). Gopchang jeongul was the highlight to the meal - savory and not overbearing spicy. Fried chicken wings were pretty good, too. This was an amazing, cozy meal.

On top of the great meal, the hostess/owner was so accommodating and kind! She gave food explanations and checked in on us often to ensure we had everything. I cannot wait to come back to try other dishes!

Parking: Mall parking“

“Delicious your food 🍱 very friendly !!!!“

“Our 1st time at the Algonquin location. Our server was very nice and explained everything well! The food was delicious.We will be back again.“

“Incredible experience. Very cool interior, the staff could not have been more friendly and accommodating, and the food was absolutely outstanding. We got the Kal Bi and Pork Kimchi Bokum. It was an absolute FEAST for 2 for about $65. Came with 5 sides (plus refills), rice, soup, lettuce for wraps, etc. and topped it off with a couple Haagen Dazs ice cream bars. One of the best culinary experiences we’ve had in quite some time! Thank you Chungkiwa!“

“훌륭한 음식. 돌솥 비빔밥과 무김치를 사랑해! 19 년 전 미 육군과의 국가에서의 시간을 상기시켜주었습니다. 같은 K-pop 곡들도 연주됩니다!“

“This place never disappoints. Great service, amazing chicken and overall great atmosphere. Highly recommend!“

“The best Korean food in Chicago, everything was so good, the Fry chicken was crunchy and the flavor was WOW, everything that we ate was really good, the quality also was A+ we order kimchi fry rice, fry chicken, some cold noddles, I can chose a favorite because everything was good, this is a place a must to try, the lady at the register was amazing she gave us some Choco pies, my kids were very happy… thank you for the great food and excellent customer service.“

“All the food we ordered was alll delicious!!“

“Love the vibes and food! Come here with your friends!!“

“Didn't have any food so can't comment on that, but service was great, prices are excellent the karaoke room was very fun and the machine worked flawlessly. Had a lot of music, however there selection for Hispanic music is very limited so wouldn't recommend for that, but other than that great spot to have a fun night out with friends.“

“This is my first time at this restaurant, and I was told it's good. So far, the Chicken Tender Lunch Special I ordered is great.“

“Went in with my family and tried Korean food for the first time and didn’t know what to order. It didn’t matter, the food was too good and our server was very hospitable. Left him a good tip and it’s well deserved! Definitely would recommend 😁“

“Always amazing food and super nice owners“

“The Food Overall is on point & The service is Perfect 👌 Always We Love ❤️ eating the Variety of Choices Thank you for always serving Fresh Food 🥘 🙏😉😷 5 Star in our Book 😉“

“If you’re checking the reviews to see which spot is best to eat at I recommend you give this place a shot.

I’ve tried almost every spot outside of the chicken spot in the front and I have to say that what a dumpling is by far my favorite. Reminds me of my grandmas and mother’s food. Homemade dumplings and the broth tasted great. It’s a complete different texture compared to the frozen ones.

The Noona that worked there was great as well and I observed that all the customers that ordered from there were satisfied as well. When you see empty plates and bowls you know that’s a good sign.

Support this business! :) I got the traditional one. No 7 I believe.“

“I somehow hadn't noticed Kong Dog here until I was at City Hall for a permit. Now I know it's there, I'll be frequenting. Love a good Korean Corn Dog, and this place fits the bill. It's so hard to only eat one, but so hard to eat two!“

“Save 3% by bringing cash.
This was that rare occasion where the food looked nicer than the picture on the menu.
I ordered beef bulgogi. It arrived on a sizzling plate, with a delicious cup of beef broth, and two vegetables. The dish was large and delicious. I had leftovers to take home.“

“So delicious! The service was absolutely stellar!

We had more fun with the service ladies than each other. So much laughter!

The food was amazing! We had a 4 person combo. Highly recommend. We will be back many many more times!! 💕“

“A very casual nice little Korean restaurant. The Seolleongtang was pretty good but I have had better in other restaurants (oth cities). It’s a bit weird that the place is called Seolleongtang and featuring Selleongtang, but actually I think the Wang Galbitang was better. The huge beef ribs in it were very satisfying. The chicken gizzards were also pretty good, no gamey tastes. Will come back if in the area.“

“Was the best! Great staff; fast and friendly service. Food was amazing!“

“A Korean yakiniku restaurant run by a married couple. A characteristic of Korean Yakiniku is that there are quite a few small plates served with the meat, more so than at Cheong Ga, which is popular in this area. As a Japanese person, they also have beef tongue and yukhoe, which is nice, but the beef tongue doesn't come with lemon juice.
Do you have cut lemons in your kitchen? I asked about it, but they said it wasn't there.
The owner may not seem friendly at first glance, but when you're eating, he'll smile and talk to you in simple Japanese.
It's a small restaurant, so it's more suitable for families on holidays than for large groups.“

“Our go to restaurant.. the. best kimchi ever 😊“

“This restaurant has the best rose tteokbokki I've ever had! The bulgogi and ramen are also delicious! The staff is very patient and will guide you through your menu selections. If you don't like your food too spicy, they will also adjust it to your liking. Very cute spot. Wonderful for date night.“

“They opened really nice restaurants in neighborhood since its really hard to find all u can eat good quality bbq around Schaumburg, Arlington heights, Elk Grove Village etc.
You don't get to grill the meat, they will take ur order and grill it in the back and bring it on the table which I found surprisingly cool and calm. There is no smoke or urge to overcook the meat etc. Usually its little messy when u get to grill the meat. Just found out today its really actually great idea if mear served grilled like theirs.
You will calmly be served with delicious tender good quality steak in front of u already cooked professionally. The side dish and kimchi stew was top notch. They will serve you side dishes with everything you want to enjoy with the meat. Grilled onion, garlic,jalapeno, side zucchini, carrot mushroom even the sauce and salt was so good! 0 complains! Cannot get enough of kimchi stew. My husband said even their water tested better lol . We only paid around $70-$80 but it was all worth it. Definitely will come back!! Its been so hard to find good restaurants nowadays. They are exceed the expectations! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️“

“The food there is absolutely amazing, and the owner and the staff are very friendly. The owner is very sweet and greets and tends to the food himself. I have not once had a negative time, and I go there super regularly. He also volunteers a lot, which shows that this is a community-based restaurant, and I love that. Fantastic food and even better people with big hearts serving you. I recommend their jjambbong, and their happy hours are lit! Reasonable prices a great time.

Wheelchair accessibility: My mother is disabled but she loves how the place is super wheelchair accessible!“

“Took my daughter's at a 7p on a Friday. Made reservation ahead of time. Small wait time. No problem. We sat, ordered, food came fast. The owners mother was there and cooked our entire meal for us. Being first time at korean bbq we didn't know much. Such a joy for her to show us how to eat with motions not an English speaker. Lovely experience. My new favorite place. Ordered Berkshire pork belly 10/10. Short rib9/10 bulgogi 10/10. Highly recommend“

“Had a great mini reunion with 2 surgical unit NSUH! Everything was good to parking, food, ambience and karaoke!“

“We had Korean Café cater a dinner for over 150 adoptees (transracial/transnational), the menu was amazing! The food was fantastic and everyone loved every item. Mrs. Oh was so helpful determining the portions. It was an excellent experience working with them.

Vegetarian options: Many vegetarian and vegan options!“

“Yeolmu Guksi is really delicious, pork cutlet, ugly tteokbokki (a lot of tempura), ramen, and gimbap are all delicious.Yeolmu Guksi/Kimchi noodles and pork cutlet are delicious. The best.You take pride in your radish kimchi, and you make all the side dishes yourself, so it's delicious❤️❤️“

“As a local Korean, this one of my all time favorite restaurants in all of Illinois. There are other Korean restaurants in the area but Korean Spoon uses authentic recipes that make the food taste just like the food back in Korea, which is so hard to find in the Chicagoland area..!

I’ve tried a variety of other dishes as well but I love the kimchi stew as well as the noodles !!!

The owners are the friendliest and seem to have such a warm heart. 10/10 recommend the lunch options here and they also have a lot of Korean stews and banchans (side dishes) packaged and ready to be taken home :’) It tastes so much better than the banchans and the gimbap at Joongboo Market down the road“

“I somehow hadn't noticed Kong Dog here until I was at City Hall for a permit. Now I know it's there, I'll be frequenting. Love a good Korean Corn Dog, and this place fits the bill. It's so hard to only eat one, but so hard to eat two!“

“The view at this place is great! After a graduation celebration with family, we went here to have another round of drinks and party even more. We got some juicy fried chicken and a huge egg omelette. It paired well with our beers and it was just great night“

“I had the Soon Tofu Soup with Kimchi & Pork. My friends had the Bul-Go-Ghee & marinated Chicken. We were all very happy with our dishes and the service was excellent! You can tell they didn't use shortcuts or just put the meals together in a half-hearted/haphazard manner because the flavors were well developed and the seasoning was spot on in all our dishes. I will definitely be back & would highly recommend this place!“

“My family and I recently moved to a place near H-mart in Niles location.
As SGD Dubu (so gong dong) can be found in many different locations in IL as it is a franchise restaurant, but! this SGD Dubu place serves the most well prepared and very delicious SGD Dubu soup the way it should taste.

I highly recommend this place and we will definitely visit again!!

Thank you for the delicious food !!

Parking: This location has designated parking space ( shared with H- Mart - a Huge parking lot)“

“My husband and I we are KOREAN BBQ lovers and today we enjoyed the most delicious BBQ dinner in Chicago area, very good and delicious menu, nice and friendly service. We definitely recommend BBQ GARDEN to all our family and friends.“

“After checking into a local hotel quite late (9:30 pm) after missing a connecting flight at O’Hare, we were looking for a place for dinner that we could walk to, was open and wasn’t fast food. Funbeerking was perfect and…fun! They are open until 1 am on weeknights. It’s apparently a traditional Korean gastro pub, maybe even a chain from Korea. The food was terrific - we had the K-spiced boneless chicken and the bulgogi pizza on pastry crust and both were super yummy. The service was also attentive and nice and they had K-pop videos playing on a big screen throughout. Very very fun and highly recommended!“

“This place is inside Hmart on the side by the checkout registers. The bacon cheese & egg toast was really good. It'd be easier to eat if the bacon was inside the sandwich instead of being right on top but not a big deal. They have corn dogs and tanghulu that alot of other people ordered but I didn't try those.“

“Unbelievably tasty! As a picky eater and someone who doesn’t clean chicken wings, I left nothing but bone! On top of that the service and packaging is beyond thoughtful :)“

“I recently had the pleasure of dining at JeonJu restaurant and it was an outstanding experience! The highlight of my meal was the Goat Meat Soup, which was incredibly flavorful and perfectly cooked. Providing excellent service throughout my visit. Additionally, the owner is incredibly humble and nice, making the overall atmosphere welcoming and pleasant. I highly recommend this restaurant.“

“Have had both regular and boneless. Forget Wing stop and Buffalo Wild Wings. DAK DAK is the real deal. Huge meaty wings. You have to try these and you won't go anywhere else. On top of all that, it's fun to say DAK DAK“

“Ate there for the first time tonight. I am vegan and my husband is an Omni. Chef Bill came out and waited on us personally, and gave us menu recommendations, all of which were delicious! The ambiance was so relaxing and peaceful; it was a nice respite from a busy day and I didn’t want to leave. Reasonably priced as well: shared appetizer, two teas, two entrees, and two desserts was $60. Will definitely be back for many more dinners!“

“The food is delicious and staff is very welcoming. Great vibe to relax and visit with your friends. I come here every time I'm in the area.“

“First, the food is DELICIOUS! They have a lot more flavors of chicken available than some other K.F.C. restaurants. The tteokbokki offers more flavors & add in’s as well. You can tell the company really cares about their food quality and customer satisfaction-eg they have steam vents built into the containers and the keep your to-go order propped slightly open until you pick up your order all so that your chicken remains crispy, rather than getting soggy waiting in a closed container! The staff are always very polite & conscientious. LOVE THIS PLACE!“

“Manooben is the cutest little hole-in-the-wall! It's cozy, homey, and owned by the sweetest Korean mama and papa. The kind of place that makes you feel at home. The name of the restaurant is an acronym for maki, noodle, and bento lol. So cute.

I tried the hand roll combo. Two massive hand rolls, packed with fresh ingredients, and a bowl of homemade udon that hit all the spot. The broth was simple but flavorful. It was clean and refreshingly light. The hand rolls were absolutely perfect. I'd go weekly for this combo if this place was near my workplace.

I also tried the spring train maki. The texture and flavors were solid, but those rolls are so fat and hearty, it will fill your whole mouth with every bite. You can really feel the love from the papa chef with those fat cuts.

Lastly, I tried the sashimi rice (Hwedupbap). The bowl was massive, and I wanted one at home so bad. This dish is also very simple, fresh sashimi over rice, drizzled with their homemade sauce. I love a good homemade sauce. I ended up squeezing that sauce onto every bite cause I love my food saucy.

Such a small place, full of love! I can't wait to go back.“