My wife and I got to Chicago Kalbi early on Friday, a few minutes after opening. I did not know you could make a reservation by phone, still, we got a seat shortly after arriving. The first thing I noticed was the countless pictures and autographed sports memorabilia proudly displayed throughout the restaurant. As a fan of the Bulls, it was captivating to see so much history and familiar names, such as Steve Kerr and Luc Longley. Cubs fans will appreciate it tenfold as there were even more Cubs players gracing their walls. I knew I was in for a treat. Our waitress, who I believe was also a co-owner, took our drink order first. I got a Japanese white peach cocktail and my wife ordered a sweet Japanese plum wine. The cocktail was refreshing and subtle, and the wine was sweet like candy but still tasted great. After the drinks, we ordered food and got the pajun as our appetizer (Korean seafood pancake). For our mains, we ordered the hone kalbi, bulkogi, and Japanese sausage. First was the pajun, a generous portion of food that could be shared among four people. It was light, fluffy, salty, and felt like it came straight off the heat with its freshness. On top of that, it had added texture from the squid, beef, and crunchy onions. The squid felt chewy, but everything else hit the mark. Once we finished the pajun, the staff prepared the grill at our table, and instead of a gas grill, we used a wood/charcoal grill to my delight! The banchan (Korean sides) shortly followed, and the meats. We were all set to start cooking and digging in! Both the hone kalbi and the bulkogi were unbelievably tender. The bulkogi dipped into the sauce provided for us was a perfect sweet and salty bite. Mixed into the side of rice only made each bite feel more heavenly! The hone kalbi tasted of high quality yet was chewier than the bulkogi. The flavor was as great as the bulkogi, but it did not have the melt-in-your-mouth characteristic of the bulkogi. For my money, I would have ordered another bulkogi rather than the hone kalbi. As for the Japanese sausage, they were basically cocktail wieners and tasted fine; nothing that blew our minds. Between bites of meat, I tried each side, and they were all delicious. My two favorites were the kimchi and potato salad, which tasted made-in-house. If we had enough room, we would have asked for the wagyu beef menu they have available, but we were close to exploding by the end to try their wagyu. We saved it for next time! Chicago Kalbi is a restaurant that's great and knows it. It does not need a flashy sign or marketing to flaunt itself and has trusted its food, service, and word-of-mouth to stay in business for decades. My wife and I were lucky enough to get a table at this packed hidden gem, and I join the fray of people that chant their greatness. This place is the real deal and offered us a delicious meal with friendly service.

Quality cuts. Prompt service with attentive staff at hand. Prices reflect the premium meats. Desert selection was a delightful surprise. The entrance is graced with baseball memorabilia, which is a bit unique.

Fun experience, fresh meat and veggies, can't go wrong with kalbi and bulkogi if you're a meat lover. Excellent service, probably a good idea to make reservations ahead of time

Read other (recent) one-star reviews. This places CHARGES extra for EVERYTHING and provides very small quantities (at least in the last year). They no longer have prices on their web site. We arrived and found prices considerably higher than those in the Google photos. Then the manager came over and told us not to order the bbq items we wanted as the 'quantity was very small' We changed our order and then found the bulgogi was about 3 ounces for $ 28. The banchan quantities were also tiny, so as it customary in a Korean restaurant, we order some more of a few banchan. The small bottle of soju was $ 18, when places like Yeowoosai, Daebak, and others charge $ 12 or $ 14. The photos from last year clearly show larger quantities than what we received and than other one-star/recent reviews show. When the bill arrived, we were CHARGED for some garlic and EVERY banchan item. Our bill was over $ 100 for 2 people, and we left hungry. They seemslike they are either in dire straits or very greedy. This is not the place to enjoy Korean barbeque. It was a complete rip-off!

Always the best Korean/Japanese barbecue in the city! Will be back for many more celebrations!

Although the name of the store on Google listed its name as Korean BBQ. However, there was not a single sign says "Korean". When we walked into the restaurant, you will noticed it is literally a restaurant equipped with a traditional old-school Yakiniku vibe and interior design. Walls were hung up with signatures from celebrities. The restaurant owners are Japanese. All the dishes are around $20-30, but the portion size was smaller than what you may expect. However, this is definitely the best meat quality that I have ever had in any BBQ restaurant in Chicago area. Be prepare, you are at least going to spend more than $50 if you want to be full. However, you won't be disappointed about their meat quality! I will recommend people eat a bit before you go there if you just sick of the low quality meat and miss the vibe you had before in authentic Japanese restaurant. Think of this as an Izakaya rather than a typical restaurant.

I've had Korean BBQ before, but this place was the best I've ever had. The meat was SO TENDER. We had a large group, and what looked like a mom & pop restaurant was able to handle the large group of rowdy adults without any issues. The food though, OMG it's mind blowing. The TASTIEST meats! Next time I'm in Chicago, I'm finding an Air BnB close to this place so I can eat here everyday. It's that good!!!

This place is a MUST for: Fans of barbecue Fans of baseball Fans of delicious food and hidden gems My partner and I are regulars here, and I tell people all the time how delicious it is. The prices reflect the flavor. I've been to other Asian barbecue places, but end up with an upset stomach and regret. Here, I leave feeling full, happy, and completely satisfied. The service is excellent. The owners are the sweetest people you'll ever meet and longtime members of the community. You'll see the husband come out of the kitchen from time to time, while the wife works in the front. Everything I've tried is top quality, something you won't get at most barbecue places. I used to frequent a chain that's very popular, but no longer go at all. It's worth spending a bit more to go here. I highly recommend the tet-chan. It's my absolute favorite!!! As for fans of baseball, this place is like a small museum full of pictures of the owners with various players, signed baseballs, and other sports memorabilia. If you're lucky, you may even visit while a famous player or players are there!

Tried this place out. it’s charcoal korean and japanese bbq style. Great quality of meat and services. it has been opened for 30 years ish. love it. it comes with all the side, miso soup and rice when you order the meat plates.

I came here with a group of friends for dinner. This is definitely a place to dine together with folk, that way y'all can get several different things and share it around. Honestly, it might be impossible to make a wrong choice despite how large their menu is. My party had a few appetizers, then had several of the meats for the main course. We then had Japanese sundaes for desert. I particularly enjoyed the bacon and heart meats.

This was only my second time having Korean bbq, which we drove down from Milwaukee both times. This was my first time at this restaurant and it was a good experience with great food. They definitely hook you up with the sides and will show you how to cook the meat since some of them were pretty thinly sliced and harder to control. It’s priced per meat you order. Our favorite meats were the Bulkogi and the Kalbi. You will definitely get filled up especially with waiting for the meat to cook each round. It’s a great way to not over-eat! My recommendation is ordering the number of meats as there are people, and then go from there. We were seated in a cute little area that was partitioned, almost like a little room. It was cute and private which I preferred. Definitely recommend checking them out!

Good food. Definitely will be back later. Just a quick note that its better to make a reservation ahead of time, if you walk in, try early like 5pm. If walk in later, make sure you check to have a table available before paying the parking meter, because it could be over 30min wait time.

We ordered kalbi, beef loin and tongue. All of them were so tender and juicy. Price is reasonable for the quality. Service was great! A waiter often came to check our table.

What a wonderful spot! Not only was the food fresh and delicious, but the place is full of baseball memorabilia, signed baseballs, and tons of photos of Asian baseball players past and present. I can’t wait to go back and grill my own meats again.

Amazing Kobe and Wagyu meats. Delicious appetizers and ban chan, and friendly good service. No frills Korean BBQ at its best.

My first Korean BBQ and it was fun and delicious. This place is quaint and cozy. The service is great and you feel like you are sitting in your own dining room or kitchen. I loved it and so will you.

Great place for Korean BBQ. The food is good but a bit on the expensive side. Like many Korean restaurants, side dishes comes with your meal. Friendly service. Alcohol is served here. One complaint is that ventilation system. The restaurant is often smoky due to the indoor grill. Walking out, my clothes smell of smoke.

I can't say enough good things about this place. Went for the first time on Friday night. Very welcoming from the moment you walk in. The tables are semi private with walls and your own vent hood. Had a variety of apps. Beef tartare wad unreal good. Our server had us try it 3 different ways. She was very sweet and attentive. All the meats were well seasoned and fresh. Dessert sorbets were light and refreshing.

Drove from downtown after seeing the reviews for this restaurant and they are spot on. Such amazing food and service. Highly recommend going here vs the downtown chains. Hope to go back soon. Don't miss the jumuroku (sesame marinated steak), the banchan, or the Japanese sundae. Delicious!

Most items were great except the tongue and shimp. No seasoning at all. Just told to let it sit in some lime juice before grilling. Everything else was delicious though.

Servers were great, friendly and very attentive! Grilling our own food over the coals was both fun and delicious. We all had a great time, even though my friend misinformed me that it was a BYOB Korean BBQ place (it's neither, though to be fair it's similar, and they do serve soju) I'd recommend calling ahead for reservations for a private space.

I love this place dearly. They only take reservations over the phone, but it is so worth it. Great place to dine with family or just with your significant other. I love to come here for special occasions. No outside food allowed, so you cant bring a cake with you, but their ice cream is so tasty it’s really no issue. They will be going on vacation for several weeks which I fully support. It’s nice seeing businesses take a much needed and deserved break. The owners are so sweet and welcoming. A gem in such a large city. For food, I recommend the prime rib, jo-tongue, and kalbi beef. We got a side of veggies with some goyza and chicken wings. So yummy. For myself and my partner, we paid $135 plus tip. On the pricer side for dinner, but trust me, worth every cent. I also love that they are baseball fans!

Well I tried this place yesterday… moral of the story I was there again today! New favorite spot in town. Service is amazing, and the food is even better. Love this place and how sweet the owners are. If I could I’d leave 10 stars..

I’ve been here in 2016 then 2018 again for the trip from Ohio. Now I moved to TX and still missing this restaurant. Their bbq and taste and advice on the appropriate cooking time for different meat and kind of the best in whole United States. I’ve been to a lot of bbq places in New York, Texas, western states too but no one can compared to here currently. It always remind me the feeling at home. 😭

We went here yesterday for my daughters birthday. We discovered a gem ! The owners sang happy birthday to my daughter. The food was great , definitely will be coming back. Good food , good people, and great service. Thank you!

This restaurant was tasty. They don't give you the lettuce leaves, garlic, onion or red bean past so you can make a little wrap with your bbq. But that's okay the meat was very good and fresh. But I would go back, It was nice.

Fantastic service! Best Japanese Korean BBQ in Chicago by far! Wonderful meats and veggies. Uses charcoal for BBQ. Great sides (really good kimchi). Such nice staff, very kind and friendly. Will definitely come again!