Food & Dining Food Focus
Chicago's New Koreatown dining guide: 38 restaurants, stalls, bakeries plus must-try orders at each
Dishes from the Tribune's New Koreatown dining guide
By Louisa Chu, Nick Kindelsperger, Grace Wong

Some of the best Korean food in Chicago is found not in the city, but in and around suburban food courts, coming of age with the last generation in the towns that stretch northwest.

Immigrants created the first local Koreatown in the Wrigleyville neighborhood in the 1970s, says Kwang Dong Jo, 74, Korean-American journalist and former editor of The Korea Times in Chicago. By the 1990s, the community had migrated beyond northwestern city limits, says Jo.

As our Food & Dining team prepared to explore the current state of Korean food in Chicagoland as part of our "Craving" series, we discovered that little comprehensive information existed about dining in this area, informally called New Koreatown. So we set out to create one. Our New Koreatown dining guide includes 38 listings. It's the first exhaustive, critical, culinary exploration of this epicenter of the local Korean community.

We chose the three massive Korean markets in the northwestern towns central to the community as our destination anchors: Super H Mart and Assi Plaza in Niles and Joong Boo Market in Glenview. We visited every Korean restaurant, stall, bakery and more near the main Milwaukee Avenue strip in one week, some old favorites and others new to us.

You'll find under each market section the food court stalls first, then nearby restaurants. In each listing we included the name of a recommended item as it appears on the menu, plus a standardized spelling (when necessary) and the price. We created a glossary based on the most common spellings, which appears at the bottom of this article.

For more of the best Korean restaurants across Chicagoland, check out our "Craving: Korean" gallery. You won't find, however, Korean chain restaurants, such as Bonchon, as they are easily found in multiple locations.

Now, as you may have heard said in Korean television dramas before a meal, jal meokkesseumnida meaning "I will enjoy this food."

Trust us, you will.

—Louisa Chu
LEGEND:

Food court or mall

Single restuarant

Near Joong Boo Market

Assi Plaza

Super H Mart
Super H Mart, other notable restaurants to the east
Nick Kindelsperger/Chicago Tribune

Super H Mart opened in Niles back in 2006, which practically makes it the elder statesman of the Korean dining scene in the area. This national grocery chain opened a city outlet in 2018, but the Niles location still dwarfs that location in both size and food court options.

801 Civic Center Drive, Niles, 847-581-1212, hmart.com
Nick Kindelsperger/Chicago Tribune
What a Dumpling

As you'd guess by the name, it's all about dumplings at this stand. While the regular-sized dumplings are solid, I'd spring for the jumbo offerings ($9.99 for four). The large dumplings are so soft, you could probably use one as a stress ball if it didn't come out of the kitchen so steamy and hot. Each one is stuffed with a juicy mixture of minced pork, onion, radish, chive and cellophane noodles. Because they are made to order, you'll have to wait roughly 15 minutes, but that's perfectly acceptable for dumplings this good. —Nick Kindelsperger

Super H Mart, 801 Civic Center Drive, Niles, 847-581-1212, hmart.com
Nick Kindelsperger/Chicago Tribune
Durebak Korean Restaurant

Durebak commands the center of Super H Mart's food court, and it's here that you'll find the largest collection of classic Korean dishes, from bibimbap and bulgogi to galbi and kimchi jjigae. One very popular dish in Korea that doesn't get much attention, probably because it lacks a spicy profile, is doenjang jjigae ($8.99). Much like miso soup in Japan, doenjang jigae gets most of its flavor from a salty soybean paste. When done right, like it is here, each soothing sip offers a calming reassurance, especially in cold weather. —N.K.

Super H Mart, 801 Civic Center Drive, Niles, 847-581-1212, hmart.com
Nick Kindelsperger/Chicago Tribune
Manna

I don't think this enormous platter looks the least bit ugly, but Manna calls it ugly rice cake ($12.99), so I'm sticking to it. Basically, the dish is just tteokbokki or stir-fried rice cakes in a spicy red chile sauce, with extra vegetables, a hard-boiled egg and some tempura fried shrimp and squid tossed in. But what a difference those additions make. The egg is forgettable, but the tempura-coated seafood adds a pleasingly crunchy element to a dish that's mostly soft and spongy. —N.K.

Super H Mart, 801 Civic Center Drive, Niles, 847-581-1212, hmart.com
Nick Kindelsperger/Chicago Tribune
KyoDong Noodle

Order number 11 ($7.99) at this slick stand and you'll get an oddly shaped bowl with two separate noodle dishes, jajangmyeon and jjamppong, sitting side by side. The former is an acceptable version of the noodle and black bean sauce classic. But the jjamppong manages to exceed expectations, with an appealing seafood broth that is laced with a stinging chile heat. In the depths you'll find long noodles with real bite, along with some plump shrimp. —N.K.

Super H Mart, 801 Civic Center Drive, Niles, 847-581-1212, hmart.com
Nick Kindelsperger/Chicago Tribune
New 80 Million Rice Cake

Located along the hall in the front of the building, this storefront offers a number of rice cakes. I especially loved the ball-shaped ones ($4.99), which are stuffed with a sugar and sesame seed mixture. —N.K.

Super H Mart, 801 Civic Center Drive, Niles, 847-581-1212, hmart.com
Nick Kindelsperger/Chicago Tribune
Toreore

Unless you are seriously hungry, I wouldn't advise going to Toreore alone. Unlike other fried chicken chains where you can order a single serving, this place only offers one size, and it's enough to feed a family. Unlike chicken at the Korean chain Bonchon, the coating on the chicken here is light and delicately crispy. The basic option, labeled marinade fried chicken ($16.99) is extremely juicy, but on the mild side. I'd advise going with the garlic tasty chicken, which finds the pieces coated in a robust garlic sauce. Because all the chicken is breaded and fried to order, know that you'll have to wait 20 to 25 minutes after ordering. Fortunately, that's enough time to do some serious shopping in the grocery section, before swinging back to pick up the large box of fried chicken. —N.K.

Super H Mart, 801 Civic Center Drive, Niles, 847-581-1212, hmart.com
Nick Kindelsperger/Chicago Tribune
Korean Eatery

Don't look for this stand in the main food court. Instead, make your way through the grocery aisles and head to the right of the checkout lanes. There you'll find a small stand making a number of hand-held treats, including large and small fish cakes. (These are not, in case you're wondering, made with fish, but simply shaped like them.) My favorite is the Korean sweet pancake ($1.99). At first glance, it looks like a regular pancake, awkwardly folded in a cup. But it is slightly crispy around the edges and stuffed with a sugar mixture in the middle. Considering its price, this is almost a must order for every visit to Super H Mart. —N.K.

Super H Mart, 801 Civic Center Drive, Niles, 847-581-1212, hmart.com
Nick Kindelsperger/Chicago Tribune
Jeon Joo Korean

Don't look for the restaurant's name in English on the sign; it just says "Korean Restaurant" out front. Online, it's nearly as confusing, with the establishment sometimes being referred to as JeonJu. But I'm going with what it says on the menu, so Jeon Joo it is. Regardless, the restaurant's dol soht bee beem bob (dolsot bibimbap, $10.95) comes out of the kitchen in a stone bowl so screaming hot, the rice sounds like it's hissing at you. While undoubtedly a dramatic presentation, it also serves a purpose: The rice next to the stone continues to cook. When you finally mix everything up, tender grains of rice will be interspersed with crackly, crunchy bits. Of course, rice is only one component of this complex dish. The top of the dish is wrung in a half dozen vegetables, from spinach and daikon to bean sprouts and cucumber. —N.K.

5707B Dempster St., Morton Grove, 847-470-0066
Nick Kindelsperger/Chicago Tribune
Gangnam Ramen

Gangnam Ramen serves up Korean standards like bibimbap, bulgogi and japchae, but what's most intriguing are the playful bowls of ramen. As the restaurant readily admits, this is a very non-traditional, Korean-flavored version of the dish. The bulgogi ramen ($11) features tender slices of the meat in an aromatic broth bulked out with noodles, mushrooms, chiles and squash. Thanks to the marinade on the beef, the broth has a slight sweetness, while never tasting cloying. The shop is only a few weeks old, but it's already showing the confidence of an establishment that's been around far longer. —N.K.

952 Harlem Ave., Glenview, 847-724-1111
Nick Kindelsperger/Chicago Tribune
Hal Mae Bo Ssam

The restaurant gets its name from bossam, the interactive dish for which you wrap fat slices of pork belly in cabbage leaves and top it with a variety of accouterments. While it's a good version, I completely fell for the gamjatang ($9.95), the spicy soup bursting with sizable pieces of pork neck and creamy potatoes. The brick red broth is extra thick, with a heat that slowly builds. Though it looks like there is enough meat inside to feed your whole family, most of the pieces are 75 percent bone. Fortunately, the pork that is there is luscious and tender, falling off with the slightest nudge of your chopsticks. It's all topped with a hefty sprinkling of ground wild sesame seeds, which adds a nuttiness to each sip. —N.K.

9412 Waukegan Road, Morton Grove, 847-470-1914, chicagohalmae.com
Nick Kindelsperger/Chicago Tribune
To Soc Chon

Like seolleongtang, the thick beef soup served at places like Han Bat (2723 W. Lawrence Ave.), soon dae guk (sundae guk, $9.99) arrives at your table almost completely lacking in seasoning. Fortunately, you can do something about this. Instead of salt, you're given a small portion of salted shrimp. Each spoonful enlivens every sip, while simultaneously adding some funk to the extra thick broth. There's also some chile paste, which can quickly turn the mild soup into something far more ferocious. In the broth, you'll find thin slices of pork, along with thick chunks of blood sausage bulked out with cellophane noodles. —N.K.

6032 W. Dempster St., Morton Grove, 847-410-7650
Nick Kindelsperger/Chicago Tribune
Arirang BBQ

Order the marinated galbi ($29.99) at Arirang BBQ, and you'll set in motion what feels like a never-ending feast. First comes the banchan, a collection of nine to 10 small plates, featuring potently flavored vegetable dishes like chile-laced cucumber, soy sauce spiked potatoes, and, of course, kimchi. Then comes the raw meat, a thin slab of marbled short rib, which the waitress places on the grill in front of you. You'd think that would be it, but it's not even close. After the meat comes lettuce, which you can use to wrap up the meat, along with a salty scallion salad, and two sauces, ssamjang and saeu-jeot. Oh, and did I mention a bowl of purple-tinted rice? (Made by adding a little black rice to the white rice.) What about the bowl of doenjang jjigae that comes mid-meal without explanation? While the quantity of food is astonishing, I was more impressed by the quality of everything offered here, from the juicy meat to the soothing soup. —N.K.

741 Civic Center Drive, Niles, 847-966-7072
Assi Plaza
Grace Wong/Chicago Tribune

Assi Plaza, the Asian supermarket, specializing in Korean products and food stalls, has three locations nationwide but only one in the Chicago area.

8901 N. Milwaukee Ave., Niles, 847-470-9450, assiplaza.net/niles.php
Grace Wong/Chicago Tribune
Korean Beef Soup

There's no better balm to a cold morning than a piping hot bowl of soup and noodles. Korean Beef Soup in the Assi Plaza food court provides a number of options to warm you up, whether you're in the mood for light and brothy seol lung tang (seolleongtang, $8.99) or deep and peppery gam ja tang (gamjatang, $10.99). The seolleongtang is an ox bone soup with almost a milky quality and subtle taste. The noodles are soft and chewy and the tendons have a lovely buttery and gelatinous quality. Bright green onions add a pop of color and a little bite. The gamjatang throws subtlety out the window. Each bite is intensely deep and flavorful, with help from a scattering of perilla seeds on top that add a pepperiness that hits your nose as soon as the bowl is set down at the table. The broth has a rusty red color from the gochugaru and the beef barely clings to the bones before separating, dropping into the broth and sending droplets of soup onto the table. At the very bottom of the bowl lies a thick disk of soft potato that you can easily cut with a spoon. —Grace Wong

Assi Plaza, 8901 N. Milwaukee Ave., Niles, 847-583-0791, assiplaza.net/niles
Grace Wong/Chicago Tribune
Bob Sang Korean Kitchen

When my friend was studying in Korea, his host family started every morning with a pan-fried mackerel. At Bob Sang Korean Kitchen, you can taste this traditional dish which comes with lemon wedges, a side of odeng fish cake, kimchi and soup. The mackerel ($11.99) has a lovely charred exterior that gives way to silky skin and buttery meat. Squeeze some lemon on it for contrasting brightness to the otherwise savory and salty fish, or have some kimchi in between bites to break up the fattiness. If you're craving crispy rice, go for the dolsot bibimbap ($11.99), which comes with a fried egg, a number of blanched vegetables and gochujang. —G.W.

Assi Plaza, 8901 N. Milwaukee Ave., Niles, 847-583-0791, assiplaza.net/niles
Grace Wong/Chicago Tribune
Chu Ga Dek Snacks

When you watch Korean dramas (aka K dramas, they are primetime TV soap operas) you're bound to see popular snacks -- food and eating are key elements of the shows. Chu Ga Dek Snacks is capitalizing on these tasty dishes. The kimbop (gimbap), spicy rice cake (tteokbokki) and soondae (sundae) combo ($12.99) gives you all three so you don't have to choose. The gimbap is salty with a punch of sweetness and acidity from pickled daikon, the sundae is peppery and heavy on rice noodles, and the tteokbokki is only slightly spicy with a sweeter flavor. —G.W.

Assi Plaza, 8901 N. Milwaukee Ave., Niles, 847-583-0791, assiplaza.net/niles
Grace Wong/Chicago Tribune
Lai Lai Chinese

If you order Chinese takeout in Korea, I have to imagine that they would serve food similar to what Lai Lai Chinese has on its menu. The Peking and Seafood Noodle ($9.99) comes in a bowl that is split down the middle. One side is the Peking noodle (jajangmyeon), with a rich and creamy black bean sauce that's made with caramelized onions. It tastes like French onion soup but made into a Korean noodle sauce, topped with crunchy cucumber that cuts through the richness of the dish. The other side is the seafood noodle (jjamppong), an orange-red spicy noodle soup with a rich seafood flavor. —G.W.

Assi Plaza, 8901 N. Milwaukee Ave., Niles, 847-583-0791, assiplaza.net/niles
Grace Wong/Chicago Tribune
DooRe HoDoo DooRe Chicken/Noori Chicken

When you order the boneless supreme chicken ($9.99/half), the lightly battered and fried pieces arrive to your table with a generous drizzle of sweet and spicy sauce, accompanied by pickled daikon radish, shredded cabbage and a creamy and peppery mayo. The chicken pieces are bite-size so you'll have to exercise some self-restraint if you don't want to immediately inhale the entire box. —G.W.

Assi Plaza, 8901 N. Milwaukee Ave., Niles, 847-583-0791, assiplaza.net/niles
Grace Wong/Chicago Tribune
MiRim Rice Cake

Whether you're in the mood for round or rectangular rice cakes, ones with or without filling, MiRim has it all. There's such a dizzying variety that you'll want to get at least three ($13.35). Be sure to venture beyond the food court because MiRim Rice Cake is in the prepared food section of the actual supermarket. If you're willing to venture north, there's a standalone cafe named Mirim Dduk Cafe Siru (3534 MIlwaukee Ave., Northbrook, 773-822-1021). —G.W.

Assi Plaza, 8901 N. Milwaukee Ave., Niles, 847-583-0791, assiplaza.net/niles
Louisa Chu/Chicago Tribune
Bakersville

Get to this bakery early if you can to grab any of the dozens of Korean sweet and savory buns and breads, possibly a red bean mochi doughnut (chapssal doughnut, $1.85), the filled golden orb still warm from the kitchen. Try a traditional drink, perhaps adlai tea (yulmucha, $3.75), a warm roasted grain and nut drink. But definitely get the bingsoo (patbingsu, $5.25) made manageable in a cup, the red bean shaved ice dessert usually served as an imposing icy mountain. —Louisa Chu

8357 W. Golf Road, Niles, 847-966-0404, bakersvillebakery.com
Nick Kindelsperger/Chicago Tribune
BDG Sports Gastropub

BDG serves bar food with a Korean twist, which helps explain a dish like the loaded tots with bulgogi meat ($8.75). A mound of freshly fried tots are drenched in cheese sauce and piled high with kimchi, pickled jalapenos, sliced scallions and a whole bunch of bulgogi meat. In other words, wildly untraditional and far from groundbreaking food, but are you going to be the one to dismiss a platter of crunchy, salty, spicy and pickled goodness? Of course not. You're going to do what I did and dig in like you haven't eaten anything all day. I have to imagine this tastes even better after a long night of sipping soju. —N.K.

2660 Golf Road, Glenview, 847-729-2600
Louisa Chu/Chicago Tribune
DMZ

New owners at this bar and restaurant have changed the menu and style to something K-pop-ish. There's no more lunch but lots of fruity soju including the Chamisul brand in grapefruit, as well as lemon, blueberry, pineapple or citron Chum Churum, plus banana or peach makgeolli, the milky, fizzy rice wine. The bar food cheese dduk-bokki (tteokbokki, $17.99) offers a big enough portion of the saucy stir-fried rice cakes to share, but not enough chunks of deep fried sundae blood sausage, If you like stuffed pizza you might like the mozzarella overkill. —L.C.

9353 N. Milwaukee Ave., Niles, 847-663-1920
Nick Kindelsperger/Chicago Tribune
Hae Wa Dall

While you can find bulgogi and galbi at most Korean restaurants, bossam is slightly more elusive. The version at Hae Wa Dall ($32.99) features a massive platter of boiled and sliced pork belly with two sauces, an intensely seasoned saeujeot made with salted shrimp) and a spicy, savory ssamjang (which combines doenjang and gochujang, along with other aromatics). That's not to mention the other potent toppings, including a radish kimchi, raw garlic and jalapeno slices. In case that's still not enough, you can plop a raw oyster or two on top. The latter addition is particularly exciting, adding a fresh brininess to balance the fatty pork. —N.K.

9626 N. Milwaukee Ave., Niles, 847-581-0524
Louisa Chu/Chicago Tribune
San Soo Kab San

Best known for tabletop barbecue, this restaurant is the suburban sister to San Soo Gab San in the city, winner of our 2019 Readers' Choice Dining Award for Best Korean. The grills burn gas instead of charcoal, but the sleek space is bigger, faster, stronger with a fire suppression system overhead that looks built by SpaceX. A glass meat case highlights the main event, but surf your turf with hae mool pah jun (haemul pajeon, $12.99), the seafood scallion pancake studded here with octopus, squid, oysters, mussels and shrimp. —L.C.

7901 Golf Road, Morton Grove, 847-972-1252, ssgsbbq.com
Grace Wong/Chicago Tribune
Woori Village

It's important to fuel up on all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue before you dive into a wild night of noraebang, or Korean-style karaoke. Private rooms allow you to scream out lyrics or dance to the newest BTS song under disco lights while your friends bang on a tambourine or shake the heck out of some maracas. But it all starts with a totally balanced meal of unlimited meats, Hite beer, banchan and judgmental looks from servers. At Woori Village, you get all of this under one roof. Please noraebang responsibly. —G.W.

8526 W. Golf Road, Niles, 847-966-8990
Joong Boo Market
Louisa Chu/Chicago Tribune
Louisa Chu/Chicago Tribune
Joong Boo Market

Your friendly Avondale neighborhood Korean grocery found fancy new digs. There's room now for sample ladies to lure you with teeny tastes. Instead of calling ahead for your sashimi (saengseon hoe, $35 or $25 special on Wednesdays and Fridays) the fishmongers slice all day long to stock the cooler. Take your party tray to go or head next door and upstairs to the food court, close enough to come back for extra house-made gochujang dipping sauce. —L.C.

670 Milwaukee Ave., Glenview, 847-789-5010, joongboomarket.com
Louisa Chu/Chicago Tribune
Joong Boo Wang Mandoo

What started as a small single item stand outside the Avondale store has moved inside the food court as a full-blown stall. You can still get the original jumbo mandoo (mandu, $2.50) jammed with kimchi, pork or red bean. Assorted snacks fill the menu and counters too. The kimchi small dumplings ($5 for six pieces) are now available at the city location, but here you can sit down in the huge space and help yourself to free barley tea or filtered water, hot and cold. —L.C.

Joon Boo Market, 670 Milwaukee Ave., Glenview, 847-789-5010, joongboomarket.com
Louisa Chu/Chicago Tribune
Cafe Joong Boo

Snack Corner on steroids, you might think, too, when you see that the menu from the back corner cafe in the city store is now a star in a suburban food court. There are only two stalls, but with an expansive menu of rice bowls, noodles and soups, you have nearly 30 choices. Try the daegootang (daegu maeuntang, $11), a seriously spicy codfish stew served on a classic steel tray with banchan topped with a little whole fried fish. —L.C.

Joon Boo Market, 670 Milwaukee Ave., Glenview, 847-789-5010, joongboomarket.com
Nick Kindelsperger/Chicago Tribune
Agit Bar & Grill

Better known as buldak or fire chicken, spicy chicken with cheese ($14.95) features wickedly spicy meat mixed up with chewy rice cakes, and then blanketed in a mound of gooey, melted cheese. In other words, this is purpose-built drunk food, the kind of greasy treat that tastes especially good with cold beer. As you'd guess by the name, Agit Bar & Grill is an ideal place to partake in both. Plus, if you're feeling especially festive, there are karaoke rooms available. —N.K.

9098 W. Golf Road, Niles, 224-353-9510
Grace Wong/Chicago Tribune
BBQ Garden

All you can eat Korean barbecue is an indulgent competition between the diner and way-too-many dishes of meat that you chose while you were still hungry. At BBQ Garden, you can not only load up on bulgogi, miso pork belly and beef tongue, but there's also a banchan buffet. Choose from potato salad, pickled vegetables, bean sprouts and more. Truly, eating Korean barbecue at BBQ Garden is an exercise in self control. —G.W.

9020 W. Golf Road, Niles, 847-813-6523, facebook.com/bbqgardenniles
Louisa Chu/Chicago Tribune
Korean Spoon

An absolute gem. Hidden in a tiny strip mall, this serene storefront is open very limited hours, Tuesdays through Fridays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Simple, classic comfort foods are available to dine in or already packaged to grab and go. The 12-item menu includes one lunch set with kimbop, dduk bok yi and soon dae (gimbap, tteokbokki and sundae; $10.99). The impeccably fresh seaweed rice rolls, chewy rice cakes and snappy blood sausage also come with hot barley tea, soup and banchan. I'd eat here every day if I could. —L.C.

214 Greenwood Ave., Glenview, 847-637-7573
Louisa Chu/Chicago Tribune
Jang Choong Dong

One of the older barbecue and karaoke restaurants in the area shows its age but runs like a well-oiled machine possibly from all the pork fat on the pig-shaped griddles. The all-you-can-eat meat includes beef too ($24.99 adults, $11.99 kids 5 to 9, $5.99 kids 3 to 4, free for kids 3 and under), but it's dine-in only. If you like leftovers, order a la carte. Get the sam gyup sal (samgyeopsal, sliced thin $9.99 or thick $12.99). The pork belly streaked with fat needs nothing but a nice sear. —L.C.

9078 W. Golf Road, Niles, 847-699-1899
Louisa Chu/Chicago Tribune
Kickin Burgers and Wings

Skip the big fast food menu over the counter, though the bulgogi with rice or in a sandwich sounds tempting. Ask for a Korean menu kept behind the bar instead. There you'll find yangnyeom chicken ($17.95), a whole seasoned bird broken down into 20 pieces then batter-dipped, deep-fried and tossed in a sticky, sweet but not too spicy sauce. Tender and juicy, served with crisp cubes of pickled daikon radish, this is perfect drinking food. After kitchen hours the space transforms into an unlikely karaoke bar. —L.C.

9196 W. Golf Road, Niles, 847-699-1899
Louisa Chu/Chicago Tribune
Jurang

The pool tables are gone in this clubby karaoke restaurant, replaced by a full service bar and dark wood booths. You can rent one of the private noraebang song rooms by the hour, but I strongly suggest giving the kimchi Spam fried rice (kimchi bokkeumbap, $17) your full attention. A sizzling, smoking stone pan will land on the table. Under a shimmering black cloud of shredded roasted seaweed, you'll find a runny yolk and melting mozzarella too. Dig down to find the deeply caramelized crunchy rice crust. Then go sing its praises. —L.C.

611 Milwaukee Ave., Glenview, 847-657-7200, jurangrestaurant.com
Louisa Chu/Chicago Tribune
Nangman Pocha

The last restaurant on the strip that shows up on maps with only a Korean name. The owners changed about a year ago, adding one dish that should have you beating down the door: fried whole chicken (yennal tongdak, $17.99). Translated as "old-time whole chicken," this is the original Korean fried chicken. Your server will present a small golden bird at the table, before furiously parting it with gloved hands. This OG KFC is neither spicy nor saucy, but a succulent cross between Broasted and Harold's. All you might want is the pepper salt dip, and definitely the tender whole fried garlic cloves served alongside. —L.C.

773 N. Milwaukee Ave., Glenview, 847-486-8048
Louisa Chu/Chicago Tribune
SoGongDong Dubu

A worthy exception to our no-chains rule, this restaurant named for tofu offers barbecue and other dishes too. Three locations in the city and suburbs specialize in so-called healthier food, including the signature spicy silken tofu stew. Get the bibimbap in the hot stone bowl instead ($12.99 lunch, $13.99 dinner). A julienned palette of seasoned, sauteed vegetables over steamed rice crackles at the table. You can add meat or seafood, but the tofu lashed with spicy sauce is a virtuous beauty. Bide your time with the lovely banchan while a golden rice crust forms from the sizzling stone's heat. —L.C.

1615 Milwaukee Ave., Glenview, 847-257-7394, sgdrestaurant.com
Louisa Chu/Chicago Tribune
Paik's Noodle

A curious exception to our no-chains rule, this is the only local location of the noodle restaurants by the Korean celebrity chef Baek Jong-won. Huge sacks of flour piled on pallets are transformed into house-made noodles as seen through the open airy kitchen. The small menu highlights the thick irregular strands in inexpensive dishes. The most indulgent is the jaengban jjajang ($16.95) for two. Stir-fried with so much squid, shrimp, pork and vegetables, you might want an extra order of the gloriously chewy noodles alone. —L.C.

1615 Milwaukee Ave., Glenview, 224-257-4942
Louisa Chu/Chicago Tribune
Manna Northbrook

Not far from the Sybaris love hotel, hidden behind a Chinese restaurant, you'll find a heart-shaped neon sign. Step inside to find a surprisingly homey cafe. I hate interrupting staff lunch, but luckily the ladies that day were having den jang jji gae (doenjang jjigae, $7.99 lunch or $8.99 dinner). The soybean paste stew fragrant with seafood, served bubbling with vegetables and tofu, contains a type of seafood called sea squirt. They look like shucked oysters or mussels, but be forewarned: They're more texture than anything. The delicacy deserves its name. —L.C.

3582 Milwaukee Ave., Northbrook, 847-824-0177
Louisa Chu/Chicago Tribune
Pro Samgyubsal

The northernmost restaurant in our New Koreatown guide, this new generation KBBQ streamlines the tabletop grilling experience. A single plastic protected sheet shows food on one side and booze on the other. Meats include just beef and the namesake thinly sliced pork belly (samgyeopsal, $12) with a total of six cuts of pig. Try the sliced natural pork with skin (gyeopsal, $16) and sliced natural pork jowls (hangjeongsal, $18) for an exploration of texture. Your server will helpfully offer to cook then cut the cooked pieces with scissors. Season if so desired before bundling into lettuce leaves, possibly with a tangle of sharp scallion threads or any of the house-made banchan. After all, it's a new generation. —L.C.

3420 Milwaukee Ave., Northbrook, 847-715-9073
Korean Food Glossary

    banchan: small side dishes
    bibimbap: rice bowl topped with ingredients, then mixed
    bossam: pork belly slices served with side dishes
    buldak: fiery, spicy chicken chunks
    bulgogi: thin slices of marinated, grilled beef
    bungeo ppang: sweet fish-shaped pastry
    chapssal doughnut: sticky rice doughnut balls
    daegu maeuntang: spicy codfish stew
    doenjang: fermented soybean paste
    doenjang jjigae: soybean paste stew
    dolsot bibimbap: hot stone pot rice dish
    galbi: grilled beef short ribs
    gamjatang: spicy pork bone stew
    gimbap: seaweed rice rolls
    gochugaru: chile powder
    gochujang: fermented red chile paste condiment
    gyeopsal: skin-on pork belly
    haemul pajeon: seafood scallion pancake
    hangjeongsal: pork jowl
    hotteok: sweet filled pancake
    jaengban jjajang: stir-fried fermented black bean sauce noodles
    jajangmyeon: fermented black bean sauce topped noodles
    japchae: stir-fried, clear sweet potato starch noodles
    jjamppong: spicy red seafood noodle
    kimchi: salted, fermented vegetables
    kimchi bokkeumbap: kimchi fried rice
    kimchi jjigae: kimchi stew
    makgeolli: cloudy, sparkling rice wine
    mandu: dumplings
    odeng: fish cake
    patbingsu: sweet red bean topped shaved ice
    saengseon hoe: raw fish slices served with spicy dipping sauce
    saeujeot: salted, fermented shrimp condiment
    samgyeopsal: grilled pork belly
    seolleongtang: beef bone soup
    soju: clear distilled alchoholic drink
    ssamjang: sweet and spicy chile condiment paste
    sundae: stuffed blood sausage
    sundae guk: blood sausage soup
    tteokbokki: stir-fried rice cakes
    yangnyeom: spicy fried chicken
    yennal tongdak: whole fried chicken
    yulmucha: warm, roasted grain and nut drink

lchu@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @louisachu

nkindelsperger@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @nickdk

gwong@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @gracewong630

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