SoJu BBQ

Every single piece of food served was excellent! The seasoning was great and well balanced. Perfect portions, in my opinion. The staff is welcoming and attentive. Though the space is not huge, it's cozy. I think this will be my favorite spot for Korean food in the city.

The food is excellent quality for a non table grill style K-BBQ place.

Tables are well kept, the menu is far from generic, YES you can order traditional items but you would be doing yourself a disservice if you did.

However, as the name would suggest, the other half of the BBQ is the Soju!

Traditional beer bottled and wine bottle format are available. Just don't ask me the proper way to say any of their names!

It has 3 table formats (group, bar, and duo seating), so they try to cater to the solo acts and the bored groups looking for grub.

Cons:

That bathroom, I wish it wasn't worth a full deduction, but when your trach can foot lid is facing the wall, the pain is chipping off in corners of it and the light is uncessarily dim to the poiny me at 1st believing the bulb was nearing its end.

The toilet seat is misaligned, meaning it's due for a tightening, and there's little to no annual checking on how clean it is throughout the workday.

Korean music is not something I take issue with. But 9-5 K-pop on a loop with english subtitles is painful and uncessary, I have been in many resteraunts with seeking an "up-beat" aesthetic. Non-stop k-pop has never accomplished this. It attracts a non-existent K-pop obsessed customer, the kind that never go to a downtown corner of building resteraunt in Chicago.

In Summary:

This place has the distinguished title of being 1 of Chicago's unexpectedly High Quality corner resteraunts.

The food seasoning or ingredient quality is flavorful. Yes, there will be sodium, we ALL know what we signed up for, and the Drinks are good place to start on your journey into Soju.

I recommend the pork belly items.

However their attempt at a K-popesque atmosphere are unnecessary and at worst annoying. And that bathroom scares me.

On paper they can easily fit 26 realistically your group should cap at 15.

Nice place. Simple tasteful Korean BBQ. THE WINGS ARE DELICIOUS. Crispy and tasty. I'd go here just for that. Tried the Korean Liquor in Peach. Also tasty but not cheap. I just like to try something new. Bigolgi was ok. Great flavors but I prefer it with an egg. I would recommend a try. There is a 15% Service Fee which is fine as long as it goes to the employees.

3.5 stars. The food we got was half good half meh. The spicy fried chicken was pretty good and the tteokbokki was delicious (just a lil salty); I’d go back for just that. We wanted the beef bulgogi but they said they were out of it (5pm on a Monday) so we got the LA galbi at the waiters suggestion. It was meh for us, possibly because we both aren’t fans of fatty/chewy meat and the flavor wasn’t really there. The kimchi was also missing something flavor wise but I couldn’t tell you what exactly.

The service was good and the atmosphere was nice so all that was a plus. They have kpop music videos playing on a TV in the restaurant. The restaurant was a bit smaller than I expected but that was fine as it wasn’t busy. Decent place.

Three of us went for an early dinner and enjoyed delicious dumplings, and I had the bulgogi. My favorite thing about Korean food is all the banchan you get with your meal– it came with yummy cucumbers, radish, and kimchi. The standout for me was the pitcher of soju/yogurt drink that we got. It was sweet and refreshing after a long day of walking. Definitely recommend.

We came here from out of state for a Palaye Royale concert at the Cobra Lounge on 4/7/24 later that evening. We decided to come into town early to eat before the show. My wife has desperately wanted to try a Korean restaurant for quite some time now, so she looked online, and this place was right in the neighborhood near the Cobra Lounge and the Bottom Lounge.

We parked at a nearby garage and walked there there which was easy to find. Nice atmosphere. Friendly staff who were very helpful considering it was our first time there. I had the ribeye sandwich without the fried onions along with fries and a coke. My wife had the beef bulgogi bowl with a soju drink I pictured, which I tried as well. We also had a complimentary platter they serve, which is the last food picture on here. Then we had ice cream for dessert.

I'm a picky eater, and I really enjoyed the ribeye sandwich. With the egg, cheese, and house sauce, it gave it a unique flavor that I loved. My wife loved her beef bulgogi bowl as well and can't wait to try other dishes next time. We both had homemade Korean ice cream for dessert, which was the perfect sweet treat to top off a tasty meal. The meal began with a complimentary platter, which I pictured in the review. My wife loved that as well.

For Chicago dining, this is great food and a surprisingly good price. We both left full and very happy with our food and service. It was an all-around great experience. I don't have a bad thing to say about it. The hostess was amazing and attentive. The cooks cooked everything spot on. The service was quick. Drinks, appetizers, and meals served in great order without long wait times in between.

We highly recommend this place for lovers of Korean food as well as first-timers to it like us. There are even things on the menu that kids would like, such as chicken nuggets and fries. For the adults, take a chance and try something new. I'm glad I did, and we're looking forward to coming back. Our total bill, including gratuity, came to just under $80 for two and would have been even cheaper had my wife not ordered Korean imported alcohol, lol, but it was worth it. They also have more expensive and extravagant meals such as top shelf steaks. Keep this place on your radar as it seems to be a hidden gem in the area that we hope is there for years to come.

Excellent location for a handout with friends or a family supper. The interior design and table arrangements were gorgeous. The staff was incredibly nice and accommodating. Our offer is $35 for everything you can eat in one hour and thirty minutes. The food was delicious; I especially enjoyed the beef ribeye and tacos. Will be coming back!