50 Best Korean Restaurants near Wheeling

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

“Food is amazing. Great place to get a lot of protein.“

“We finally got a chance to try this place, this has been on my radar for awhile. After reading some recent reviews, I want to clarify that they speak English here, people. Smh. They do have a good amount of parking here. It’s not huge but you should be able to find a spot. The actual restaurant is big so finding a table is not a problem. We got seated almost immediately. They do have a button on the wall to call for service when you are ready.

We ordered king kalbi, pork jowl, pork galbi, and seafood pancake. They have vegetable soybean paste stew that comes automatically with your meal. For banchan they have about 10 dishes including lettuce and salad. Yes they are refillable, you just have to ask. Everything tasted good. The seafood pancake was fully cooked. Please see picture. The pork jowl was juicy and a little fatty. It went well with the mushroom and onion. The king kalbi and pork galbi were delicious, you can cook the bone too. There is still meat on there. Service was very attentive, they checked up on us often and got us everything that we needed. I like this one better than Jin Soo.“

“CM Chicken in Vernon Hills is an absolute gem. From the moment you walk in, the atmosphere and music set the perfect vibe, and the lovely gentleman who always serves me makes every visit feel welcoming and personal. I recently discovered this location and I’m already in love—this is my second visit just this week.

You must try the honey garlic chicken (it’s incredible), unless something else on their impressive 10-sauce menu catches your eye—honestly, you can’t go wrong. Everything I’ve had has been fresh, flavorful, and perfectly cooked.

I truly hope to enjoy this spot for a very long time. Do yourself a favor and stop by to support this fantastic Korean restaurant. Highly recommended!“

“Food is amazing. Great place to get a lot of protein.“

“Fanflippintastic this place is. Love Korean food so I was looking at places that'll serve solo customers. After reading reviews, I chose this spot. I was a little nervous going in because plenty of korean places only allow a party of 2 minimum and some that allow singles, treat those single customers much differently than parties. But not this place. They greeted me warmly and made sure to keep checking in on me from time to time. They gave me free food to try right when they brought my meat order to be grilled. Had a lovely conversation with one of the staff and gave a great tip. I paid in cash so they gave me a delicious ice cream. Ive got to say that is was also super fantastic along with everything I ordered. I even ordered Tteokbokki to go.“

“First time coming here for lunch, two adult two kids spent $188 LOL

The atmosphere is very modern and looks new!

Wife originally wanted the mother signature hanjeongalk which include braised short rib, garlic buttered abalone and grilled short rib for $119 but I was like why don’t don’t we pay $20 more get the mother queen set include wagyu ribeye, marinated short rib and wagyu beef brisket LOL

It was during lunch other on a Saturday, kinda slow for a weekend but the server was attentive and welcoming

the wagyu ribeye, short rib and wagyu beef did NOT disappoint!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are coming back for the mother KING set!!!!!!!!!!!!!“

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

“A small, korean BBQ restaurant in a strip mall on Mt Prospect. We were greeting right away and sat at your table. The tables are separated and private from others. The servers was attentive and took our order quickly. Bottled water is sevred with every meal. We ordered the meat and seafood combo ( steak, chicken, shrimp, and squid) which it comes with a lot of meat. You get a dumping soup that was very filling. The meat is very well seasoned and cooks nicely on the grill. The side dishs were very good. I didnwish they had korean potatoe salad as one of the sode doshes. At the end they also give you ice cream bars. The food and service were amazing. The only negative thing I can say is that it does get smokey inside the restaurant. I definitely recommend coming here and will visit again myself.“

“First snowy day in Chicago made me crave sseolangtang! Tang means soup in Korean. It was amazing. Not the best I have had but hit the spot. We also got kimchi jigae. And seafood pancake. My only slight criticism was their kimchi. Not spicy enough but I think they cater to Americans as well. It was worth the drive from west suburbs“

“Went for lunch special + had a delightful experience. Food is prepared to order with caring staff wanting everything correct. Food was ample, delicious + prepared/presented beautifully. For a casual spot, it was exquisite as well as the restaurant being incredibly clean. Will definitely be back very soon.“

“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 😉“

“The 2 ladies in the front desk are super friendly... super nice, make our party become memorable. They, so passionate to take orders from 18 person, taking care of us with smiles 😃... we love them. After eat, we moved to karaoke 🎤 room...“

“This is my second time coming to CM Chicken, and it never fails to disappoint! I’ve been to other locations, but this is the definitely the best. The staff members are very nice and accommodating, and the food tastes great! My personal favorites are the Soy Garlic Green Onion Chicken and Curry Tikku Chicken. The space is large and good for groups of any size. Came here for a New Years Party, and everyone had a great experience!“

“Such great food! Love the Cup Bap with clear noodles and spicy pork. Yum!!“

“It taste the best 🍱🍚🦐😋 recommended even if I have to drive 25 minutes 😁“

“It’s like you’re being served by your relatives—they were so kind and accommodating, checking on us constantly. We had Galbi and the beef tongue. The banchans, especially the fish cake, were amazing. The portions were perfect as I didn’t feel overly full/overwhelmed compared to other places. We hope to come back to try their lunch entrees :)“

“Went in and love that its pet friendly. Had a good variety of hot dogs that I havent seen in other places, sandwiches and burgers, and bowls. I had the lemongrass grilled chicken bowl over rice. So good and unique flavors. The fries were crispy and delicious. Definitely returning with the pup.“

“Great food- meats , sides dishes could’nt ask for more. Service excellent . We loved the decore.“

“As a Korean who lived in Chicago for over 20 years and later became a naturalized U.S. citizen, I can say this clearly: this place is the real deal.

The food is exceptionally clean and well-balanced, made with high-quality ingredients and thoughtful seasoning. Nothing feels rushed or overly processed the flavors are subtle, honest, and comforting.

What impressed me most was that my in-laws, who recently came from Korea, said this place was better than many well-known restaurants back home. During their few weeks in the U.S., they liked it so much that we came back multiple times.

If you prefer bold, heavy, or highly seasoned flavors, this might feel a bit mild especially for younger diners who enjoy stronger tastes. But if you appreciate carefully prepared, wholesome food made with sincerity, this is absolutely a place worth visiting.

Highly recommended for anyone who values quality, balance, and genuinely good cooking.“

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

“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.“

“Always amazing food and super nice owners“

“By far my favorite Korean restuarant, I swung by twice a week for a period of time, though I settled into once every week or two

Prices are quite cheap for Korean BBQ and flavor doesn't suffer for it either. The store-front is run by a family & they maintain professionality while being friendly

I always got the tteokbokki (rice cakes in spicy broth) and alternated between the bulgogi (beef dish) & bibimbap (assorted veg, beef, + egg over rice) and occasional splurged with the ojinguh bokkum (calamari dish) or the chapchae (cellophane noodles which are clear & chewy). The tteokbokki + one dinner dish typically ran me about $31.30 and fed me for close to 2 meals, side dishes were free

[Food pictures to be added when maps isn't bugging out]“

“I genuinely have nothing bad to say about this place. Both times I’ve gone, I’ve had amazing experiences. I highly recommend the yangji seolleongtang! :) I prefer it to the galbi tang. It’s a much milder broth and is still very filling.“

“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.“

“This is a Korean Soup counter at the food court of the Park N Shop in Niles, IL. They have some of the best Korean Soups in the Chicago area. The Galbi Tang (Beef soup) is especially good. Also very goog beef and pork Bulgogi. All meals served with rice, excellent kimchi and soup (if ordering Bulgogi). We have been dining here or getting takeout here for 10 years and never had a bad meal.“

“I’m so happy for that they’re bringing back their original taste, quality and also upgraded menu. New recipes are so yum. Really good. Our whole family loves this place. Also the owner lady’s service is lovely ☺️
If you craving something like sweet and spicy, I highly recommend this one. I love their Tteokbokki, original wings, my kids love their bibimbap, original chicken burger, fries and of course their boba drinks. I can promise their whole menu is so yum 😋.“

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

“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!! 💕“

“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❤️❤️“

“Fabulous and authentic! The staff were kind and helpful with recommendations and explaining the menu. I settled on a noodle dish. It was a large portion, very fresh and delicious. I also enjoyed the fresh packaged to-go items and took some snacks for later. Friendly and casual atmosphere. Easy parking.“

“This location is inside an HMart so it’s counter service. Very nice couple took our order- the hot stone bibimbop and the Beef short rib (LA Galbi). Oh and some fried dumplings. Everything was amazing. Will def be back and plan for some grocery shopping too!“

“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“

“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!“

“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.“

“The Jopok Army Rice Cake was excellent. Tons of fat, fresh ddeokbokki and lots of thick cuts of spam and hot dog. The flavor was authentic, sweet and spicy- a lot of the ddeokbokki I’ve had state side is pretty bland.

The owner did not seem to be in a good mood. Don’t expect a lot of explanation of menu items. But if you know what you’re ordering, it’s pretty good!“

“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 :)“

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

“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.“

“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!“

“Great place for simple, home-cooked Korean food. Feels like Im eating in my grandmother’s kitchen. Not cheap but give generous portions. Friendly and attentive service. Also has prepared side dishes for sale. Bought a bag of their frozen dumplings“

“First time having Korean BBQ. I could not have a gone to a better place! Everything was so good! The severs are very attentive and were very nice! Enjoyed my meal!“

“Authentic Korean food with generous portion and reasonable price. Small intestine pot was really delicious. The pig feet is def more spicy than we thought so just be prepared for that. But once u got a hang of the spicy, immediately fell in love with it. Parking is easy.“

“I was wanting to try Korean style fried chicken. I was not disappointed. The chicken is crispy, moist and just the right amount of spice. The menu looks so good, I had difficulty deciding what to get. I will definitely come back.“

“10/10 will come back next year.“

“One of the best sushi spots in the suburbs 😍“

“Highly recommend. I had the most flavorful Miso soup I have ever had. Its a nice quiet cozy atmosphere and the lady serving us was extremely kind. I will be going back soon. Everything we ate was delicious. I recommend the Spring Train sushi roll.“

“The best coffee shop in Highland Park/Deerfield area! Best customer service and perfect atmosphere for work meeting, reading a book or grabbing coffee with a friend!“