I was really excited to finally try Gopchang Story and was very excited when I found out it was coming to the suburbs. Unfortunately, it was a huge disappointment. Food: My family got the set for 4 which included a variety of intestines to grill, bulgogi, Korean beef tartare, and corn mac and cheese. The beef tartare had bad flavor and bad texture where it was in between frozen and non-frozen. It was too sweet and grainy and just overall bad 4/10. Corn cheese was way too sweet and the corn tasted like it came straight from a can. It's very hard to mess up corn cheese. 3/10. Bulgogi had way too much soy sauce and was also oddly sweet and so greasy that there was a layer of hardened grease after it cooled down 5/10. The intestines were overall not too bad but I could tell it wasn't good quality and super super greasy 6.5/10. Ambiance: We were really early so we were 1 of 2 parties so the service was quick. However, the music was so unfitting. There was loud, profane music playing while there were Korean parents and families and it killed any ambiance. You could just tell an employee was playing what they wanted to hear and didn't care about the customers 5/10. Price: It was about $120 for the set. It wouldn't be bad if it the food was good but it was bad so the price was also bad 5/10. I know Gopchang Story has locations everywhere but seeing as how this one was, I would not go again.
Jin Lee
The reason for this 1 star is not because of the food because the food is great but unfortunately it looks our server or manager/owner decided to enter in a little extra tip on January 17th when I went to dine there. I was there during lunch time so by no means was I or my friend drunk or anything like that. I clearly remembered writing down a 20% tip and when looking back at my statement I see that there’s a few extra dollars on my charge. It’s not about the few extra dollars but the fact that they thought they wouldn’t get caught for it. This is exactly why I keep all my receipts to balance with my statements each month. Everyone please look back at your statements/receipts and see if they’ve done this to you. This is bad shady business and I’m disappointed that I won’t get to have their food anymore. However after this experience I will NEVER be setting foot in this place again.
Vic Lee
I love this place+ the moment I heard Galbijjim was on the menu! You know how hard and rare it is to find this delicious dish? Everyone needs to try it at least one..level 2 spice was perfect! The beef intestine was really fine taste! Very clean and satisfying! I will be back to try the other items on the menu!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Krzysztof Rojek
Food is good, but terribly overpriced.
Shyrie Everett
This is a very cute and classy but family oriented place. It’s beautiful and also have amazing food. The service was amazing and so sweet. I will definitely come back. Felt like I was living out my k-drama dream. So if you’re a k-drama enthusiast and want to feel like you’re at a after work dinner with your coworkers and boss come here lol
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Eric F.
Located on the 2nd floor of a suburban strip-mall, Gopchang Story Korean BBQ offers a large, clean, modern, and intimately dark double-dining-room, with maybe the Best Aroma of any Korean BBQ that has ever wafted over me in my life: a Delicious smell. The staff was friendly and attentive, although only one woman spoke enough English to actually answer my questions about the place. The others just knew enough English to take our order and to be polite. However, we were there at an off hour, so they may have been in-between shifts. Still, there were two other couples and a group of twenty-something's, all Korean, in the place. Then the menu came, and I saw why their customers were all Korean. Let's just say, it took "Guts" to offer a menu like that to the hungry folk of Chicago's northern suburbs. This is because Gopchang Story offers an extremely specialized form of traditional Korean BBQ called "gopchang-gui", translated as "grilled intestines". Of course, Gopchang Story offers regular Korean BBQ as well, like Galbi, Bulgogi, and other American favorites. But Gopchang Story is a high-end Korean BBQ restaurant that is best known for it's Beef Offal & Beef Intestines 'grilled at your table'. Even the prix-fix meals reflect this, with nearly every "Set Menu" including at least one intestine plate. In a normal Cow the total length of the intestines is 33-63 meters, of which 27-49 meters is the small intestines with rest being the large intestines. And that's the main crux of this place: a traditional Korean menu consisting of primarily Beef-Innards. However, I found it truly surprising how many different kinds of gut-cuts, with numerous different tastes & textures these sometimes starving Koreans have figured out how to concoct, transforming that 33 meters of guts into dishes that are crispy, hunger-sating grilled yummy bits of tube-meat. And the sheer number of tasty preparations they've invented is truly impressive. I've never wanted to gobble down a Grilled Bovine Digestive Tract as desperately. NOTE: The Gopchang Story 'chain', (which has more than 200 restaurants in South Korea and dozens more in the USA and internationally) claims to be 'budget friendly', but it really isn't, at least not by American standards. A "Single" plate of raw marinated meat slices as a serving for two costs between $25 & $40 depending on the size & quality. So the "Set Meals" are a bit more economical than à la carte. And, like a Japanese 'Omakase', the Chef selects a variety of meat cuts and complimentary dishes in order to offer you a balanced and satisfying "Set" culinary experience. However, these Sets are usually designed for 4 to 6 people, and they can easily cost from $99 to $249 per set - plus they may not offer exactly what you want. The reason for this high price is simple. Gopchang Story bases it's menu model on how people eat in Korea, not in America. Seoul South Korea has MORE RESTAURANTS PER CAPITA THAN ANY OTHER CITY IN THE WORLD. People there eat out all of the time, in big groups. So ordering 3 or 4 Sets for a party of 12 to 16, and adding a few extra appetizers, offers more than enough food and variety for everyone, at less than $40 each. MY RECOMMENDATIONS: Come here in a group (3 or 4 at least), not just a couple. This is a special, ultra-authentic restaurant, and you will want to share dishes that some others may not want to even try. So make sure that you and the most adventurous gourmands order the following two dishes: Get the "Steak Tartar" Appetizer, (not the Tartar Sushi which just adds rice for an increase of $$). Then make sure to order the variety set of beef intestines & beef offal FOR ONE (which has been reduced in price from $36.95 to a mere $19.95, just to make sure that Western customers TRY IT). This inexpensive Set gives you a big plate of small intestines, large intestines, heart, beef offal, and marinated tripe. That's
S S.
Extremely delicious food, it's been a while since I was super impressed by the flavors of food in a restaurant. The tripe fried rice with egg was phenomenal, and the seafood pancake was huge! The service was fast and the waitresses were really nice and accommodating. They play kpop on tv so the vibes are really fun.
Mike L.
Gopchang = Intestines Since we got that out of the way, if you like organ meats, this spot gets it. Flavor, texture is spot on. We got the combo for 4 people and was more than enough. We also ordered intestine stew, which is pretty spicy but again good flavor. Beef tartar - get it. It's delicious! Ambiance inside is a typical kbbq spot. Casual and plenty of space for families. We got there early with a reservation and service started out ok, but like many said... service is very lacking. To get refills or order more items, it did take a bit to hail our waitress down. Food 5-stars. Service 2-stars But I feel you don't go to kbbq for service lol. It is what it is.
Steph Gore
Nicely decorated inside and very modern. They don’t have all you can eat Korean bbq but still offer a la carte Korean bbq. We ordered three different kinds of meats which ranged from $25-$45 per meat and our bill with tip was close to $200 for two people and a child. Price is quite higher than most Korean bbq restaurants. Be aware of the higher prices. However, staff was nice and helpful.
Hyun Kang
The food used to be good, but when I went back a few months later, it wasn't as good as it used to be, and the servers are not very good at their jobs.
Went there a few nights ago since IronAge was packed. Overall, prices were crazy considering that we're used to a flat fee. We figured portion sizes would be bigger considering the fee, and it wasn't. I had a nut allergy and I asked if anything had nuts, and the server told me to google it because they didn't know! We felt neglected by the staff as well since they forgot a few items, and anytime we tried to "call the server" to order more, they never came. It took about 20 minutes to have food brought out. Overall we left unsatisfied and hungry.
David Kim
Pricy, smaller portion,Phone not working. Servers clueless.No manager or Korean speaking person in
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 2
Dongsul Kim
So tasty! I liked the combo menu. Will try other menus next time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nicole C.
We're familiar with the area but never noticed this new Korean bbq place! My boyfriend and I decided to stop by on a Saturday night, it was a bit busy but they got us seated pretty quick! I can't exactly remember the names of the dishes we had but everything was super yummy. The fried rice was my boyfriend's favorite, he even took an extra home! The meat was very tender and fresh, we did wish some things were maybe marinated though. All the sides were tasty as well. The place was very clean and well organized. I did see some reviews stating negative things about the staff/service but I honestly can't say a single bad thing about our experience here. The staff was super friendly and helpful. They paid lots of attention to us and explained everything very well. We came here not knowing how any of this works and they made us feel very welcome.
I was really excited to finally try Gopchang Story and was very excited when I found out it was coming to the suburbs. Unfortunately, it was a huge disappointment. Food: My family got the set for 4 which included a variety of intestines to grill, bulgogi, Korean beef tartare, and corn mac and cheese. The beef tartare had bad flavor and bad texture where it was in between frozen and non-frozen. It was too sweet and grainy and just overall bad 4/10. Corn cheese was way too sweet and the corn tasted like it came straight from a can. It's very hard to mess up corn cheese. 3/10. Bulgogi had way too much soy sauce and was also oddly sweet and so greasy that there was a layer of hardened grease after it cooled down 5/10. The intestines were overall not too bad but I could tell it wasn't good quality and super super greasy 6.5/10. Ambiance: We were really early so we were 1 of 2 parties so the service was quick. However, the music was so unfitting. There was loud, profane music playing while there were Korean parents and families and it killed any ambiance. You could just tell an employee was playing what they wanted to hear and didn't care about the customers 5/10. Price: It was about $120 for the set. It wouldn't be bad if it the food was good but it was bad so the price was also bad 5/10. I know Gopchang Story has locations everywhere but seeing as how this one was, I would not go again.
The reason for this 1 star is not because of the food because the food is great but unfortunately it looks our server or manager/owner decided to enter in a little extra tip on January 17th when I went to dine there. I was there during lunch time so by no means was I or my friend drunk or anything like that. I clearly remembered writing down a 20% tip and when looking back at my statement I see that there’s a few extra dollars on my charge. It’s not about the few extra dollars but the fact that they thought they wouldn’t get caught for it. This is exactly why I keep all my receipts to balance with my statements each month. Everyone please look back at your statements/receipts and see if they’ve done this to you. This is bad shady business and I’m disappointed that I won’t get to have their food anymore. However after this experience I will NEVER be setting foot in this place again.
I love this place+ the moment I heard Galbijjim was on the menu! You know how hard and rare it is to find this delicious dish? Everyone needs to try it at least one..level 2 spice was perfect! The beef intestine was really fine taste! Very clean and satisfying! I will be back to try the other items on the menu!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food is good, but terribly overpriced.
This is a very cute and classy but family oriented place. It’s beautiful and also have amazing food. The service was amazing and so sweet. I will definitely come back. Felt like I was living out my k-drama dream. So if you’re a k-drama enthusiast and want to feel like you’re at a after work dinner with your coworkers and boss come here lol
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Located on the 2nd floor of a suburban strip-mall, Gopchang Story Korean BBQ offers a large, clean, modern, and intimately dark double-dining-room, with maybe the Best Aroma of any Korean BBQ that has ever wafted over me in my life: a Delicious smell. The staff was friendly and attentive, although only one woman spoke enough English to actually answer my questions about the place. The others just knew enough English to take our order and to be polite. However, we were there at an off hour, so they may have been in-between shifts. Still, there were two other couples and a group of twenty-something's, all Korean, in the place. Then the menu came, and I saw why their customers were all Korean. Let's just say, it took "Guts" to offer a menu like that to the hungry folk of Chicago's northern suburbs. This is because Gopchang Story offers an extremely specialized form of traditional Korean BBQ called "gopchang-gui", translated as "grilled intestines". Of course, Gopchang Story offers regular Korean BBQ as well, like Galbi, Bulgogi, and other American favorites. But Gopchang Story is a high-end Korean BBQ restaurant that is best known for it's Beef Offal & Beef Intestines 'grilled at your table'. Even the prix-fix meals reflect this, with nearly every "Set Menu" including at least one intestine plate. In a normal Cow the total length of the intestines is 33-63 meters, of which 27-49 meters is the small intestines with rest being the large intestines. And that's the main crux of this place: a traditional Korean menu consisting of primarily Beef-Innards. However, I found it truly surprising how many different kinds of gut-cuts, with numerous different tastes & textures these sometimes starving Koreans have figured out how to concoct, transforming that 33 meters of guts into dishes that are crispy, hunger-sating grilled yummy bits of tube-meat. And the sheer number of tasty preparations they've invented is truly impressive. I've never wanted to gobble down a Grilled Bovine Digestive Tract as desperately. NOTE: The Gopchang Story 'chain', (which has more than 200 restaurants in South Korea and dozens more in the USA and internationally) claims to be 'budget friendly', but it really isn't, at least not by American standards. A "Single" plate of raw marinated meat slices as a serving for two costs between $25 & $40 depending on the size & quality. So the "Set Meals" are a bit more economical than à la carte. And, like a Japanese 'Omakase', the Chef selects a variety of meat cuts and complimentary dishes in order to offer you a balanced and satisfying "Set" culinary experience. However, these Sets are usually designed for 4 to 6 people, and they can easily cost from $99 to $249 per set - plus they may not offer exactly what you want. The reason for this high price is simple. Gopchang Story bases it's menu model on how people eat in Korea, not in America. Seoul South Korea has MORE RESTAURANTS PER CAPITA THAN ANY OTHER CITY IN THE WORLD. People there eat out all of the time, in big groups. So ordering 3 or 4 Sets for a party of 12 to 16, and adding a few extra appetizers, offers more than enough food and variety for everyone, at less than $40 each. MY RECOMMENDATIONS: Come here in a group (3 or 4 at least), not just a couple. This is a special, ultra-authentic restaurant, and you will want to share dishes that some others may not want to even try. So make sure that you and the most adventurous gourmands order the following two dishes: Get the "Steak Tartar" Appetizer, (not the Tartar Sushi which just adds rice for an increase of $$). Then make sure to order the variety set of beef intestines & beef offal FOR ONE (which has been reduced in price from $36.95 to a mere $19.95, just to make sure that Western customers TRY IT). This inexpensive Set gives you a big plate of small intestines, large intestines, heart, beef offal, and marinated tripe. That's
Extremely delicious food, it's been a while since I was super impressed by the flavors of food in a restaurant. The tripe fried rice with egg was phenomenal, and the seafood pancake was huge! The service was fast and the waitresses were really nice and accommodating. They play kpop on tv so the vibes are really fun.
Gopchang = Intestines Since we got that out of the way, if you like organ meats, this spot gets it. Flavor, texture is spot on. We got the combo for 4 people and was more than enough. We also ordered intestine stew, which is pretty spicy but again good flavor. Beef tartar - get it. It's delicious! Ambiance inside is a typical kbbq spot. Casual and plenty of space for families. We got there early with a reservation and service started out ok, but like many said... service is very lacking. To get refills or order more items, it did take a bit to hail our waitress down. Food 5-stars. Service 2-stars But I feel you don't go to kbbq for service lol. It is what it is.
Nicely decorated inside and very modern. They don’t have all you can eat Korean bbq but still offer a la carte Korean bbq. We ordered three different kinds of meats which ranged from $25-$45 per meat and our bill with tip was close to $200 for two people and a child. Price is quite higher than most Korean bbq restaurants. Be aware of the higher prices. However, staff was nice and helpful.
The food used to be good, but when I went back a few months later, it wasn't as good as it used to be, and the servers are not very good at their jobs.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
They are so bad with Gopchang
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Went there a few nights ago since IronAge was packed. Overall, prices were crazy considering that we're used to a flat fee. We figured portion sizes would be bigger considering the fee, and it wasn't. I had a nut allergy and I asked if anything had nuts, and the server told me to google it because they didn't know! We felt neglected by the staff as well since they forgot a few items, and anytime we tried to "call the server" to order more, they never came. It took about 20 minutes to have food brought out. Overall we left unsatisfied and hungry.
Pricy, smaller portion,Phone not working. Servers clueless.No manager or Korean speaking person in
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 2
So tasty! I liked the combo menu. Will try other menus next time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We're familiar with the area but never noticed this new Korean bbq place! My boyfriend and I decided to stop by on a Saturday night, it was a bit busy but they got us seated pretty quick! I can't exactly remember the names of the dishes we had but everything was super yummy. The fried rice was my boyfriend's favorite, he even took an extra home! The meat was very tender and fresh, we did wish some things were maybe marinated though. All the sides were tasty as well. The place was very clean and well organized. I did see some reviews stating negative things about the staff/service but I honestly can't say a single bad thing about our experience here. The staff was super friendly and helpful. They paid lots of attention to us and explained everything very well. We came here not knowing how any of this works and they made us feel very welcome.