Best Trendy Korean Restaurants in Chicago
24 hand-picked restaurants, critic-reviewed and ranked
Last Updated: February 2026
Our Top Pick
BiXi Beer
A Michelin-recognized brewpub where Asian-inspired plates actually stand up to the beers.
Notable Picks
#1
BiXi Beer
8.8
Vibes:
Brewery & Beer Garden Republic
Trendy Table Hotspots
Instagram Worthy Wonders
Group Dining Gatherings
BiXi Beer is a modern Logan Square brewpub where house beers pair with Korean-, Chinese-, and Vietnamese-inspired plates in a dramatic, multi-level space. Guests come as much for the atrium, rooftop patio, and dim sum brunch as for gochugaru-spiced snacks and bulgogi-accented dishes.
Must-Try Dishes:
Beef bao with bulgogi, Kimchi small plate, Beef fat fries with spicy mayo
What Makes it Special: A Michelin-recognized brewpub where Asian-inspired plates actually stand up to the beers.
#2
jeong
8.8
A Korean-inspired tasting-menu counterpoint to the neighborhood’s casual dining, built around precise technique and Korean flavor logic. The room is sleek and intimate, and the cooking shines when the menu leans into seafood courses and its Korean-accented takes on classics.
Must-Try Dishes:
Seasonal tasting menu, Seared scallop with beurre blanc and trout roe, Kkanpungi-style octopus (sweet & sour)
What Makes it Special: A Korean-inspired tasting menu that turns familiar flavors into fine-dining precision.
#3
PERILLA fare
8.8
Vibes:
Date Night Magic
Group Dining Gatherings
Trendy Table Hotspots
Birthday & Celebration Central
Perilla brings Korean barbecue and modern Korean-American plates to a polished, communal setting just west of River North. Diners build feasts around premium meats, banchan, and rice bowls that balance familiar comfort with chef-driven detail.
Must-Try Dishes:
Grilled LA galbi, Bibimbop, Fire chicken rice bowl
What Makes it Special: Communal Korean barbecue with chef-driven plates and strong review-backed consistency.
8.5
A modern, table-grill Korean BBQ room that leans into quality beef cuts and a structured, tasting-style experience rather than bargain AYCE chaos. The best meals here come from committing to their signature set pacing and letting the grill-driven courses do the work.
Must-Try Dishes:
Tasting-style beef set, Marinated galbi, Volcano fried rice
What Makes it Special: Tasting-style K-BBQ pacing with a quality-first beef focus.
8.5
From James Beard Award–winning chefs Beverly Kim and Johnny Clark, this Avondale listening bar pairs Korean-American bar food with cocktails and a vinyl-powered sound system. Dishes like tteokbokki pad Thai, kimchi fried rice, and Korean-fried chicken land in a dim, wood-paneled room built for lingering over drinks and music.
Must-Try Dishes:
Tteokbokki pad Thai with shrimp, Parachute cheeseburger with cheddar beer cheese, Kimchi fried rice bowl
What Makes it Special: A Korean-American listening bar where high-fidelity vinyl, cocktails, and creative bar food share equal billing.
8.5
Vibes:
Group Dining Gatherings
Birthday & Celebration Central
Girls Night Out Approved
Trendy Table Hotspots
RYUU is a Logan Square all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ and sushi house where tabletop grills, combo platters, and long maki menus keep groups busy for hours. The draw is value and variety more than delicacy, with steady crowds using it for birthdays, gatherings, and casual celebrations.
Must-Try Dishes:
Kalbi short ribs for the grill, Pork belly BBQ, Korean fried chicken wings
What Makes it Special: An AYCE Korean BBQ hub mixing grill-your-own meats with big sushi spreads.
#7
Urbanbelly
8.5
Urbanbelly’s Wicker Park location is Chef Bill Kim’s Korean-inspired noodle and dumpling shop, blending Korean flavors with pan-Asian influences in a fast-casual setting. Dumplings, rice bowls, and ramen-style soups come out quickly, making it a dependable option for everything from solo lunches to family dinners and happy hour snacks.
Must-Try Dishes:
Pork & cilantro dumplings, Coconut curry pho, Lemongrass chicken fried rice
What Makes it Special: Chef Bill Kim’s fast-casual dumpling and noodle shop with Korean roots and big flavors.
8.4
Vibes:
Group Dining Gatherings
Birthday & Celebration Central
Trendy Table Hotspots
Date Night Magic
Daebak Korean BBQ in Wicker Park is a full-service, grill-at-the-table spot where charcoal-fired bulgogi, pork belly, and marinated short ribs anchor long, shared meals. It draws both neighborhood regulars and destination diners who want a lively, smoke-scented Korean BBQ experience without leaving the city core.
Must-Try Dishes:
Wicker Park Combo BBQ platter, LA galbi marinated short ribs, Spicy short rib soup
What Makes it Special: Charcoal-fired Korean BBQ built for big tables and sizzling platters.
8.4
Vibes:
Group Dining Gatherings
Comfort Food Classics
Trendy Table Hotspots
Family Friendly Favorites
A big, high-traffic Korean BBQ and comfort-food anchor where the order should stay focused: one grill meat, one stew, and a bowl of noodles to reset your palate. The banchan rotation keeps the table moving, and the kitchen holds up under volume better than most in the area.
Must-Try Dishes:
Samgyeopsal (pork belly), Galbi (marinated short rib), Naengmyeon (cold noodles)
What Makes it Special: High-volume Korean BBQ that stays reliable with strong banchan and classic grills.
#10
Seoul Taco
8.4
Vibes:
Cheap Eats Budget Brilliance
Quick Bites Champions
Group Dining Gatherings
Trendy Table Hotspots
Seoul Taco runs a high-volume Korean-Mexican counter where bulgogi, spicy pork, and tofu show up in tacos, burritos, bowls, and quesadillas. Street-art walls, fast lines, and thousands of reviews make it a reliable casual stop in River North.
Must-Try Dishes:
Gogi Bowl, Korean Fried Chicken Taco, Korean Cheesy Corn Elote Quesadilla
What Makes it Special: Fast-casual Korean-Mex burrito and taco shop with heavy, long-running demand.
#11
SoJu BBQ
8.4
SoJu BBQ is a halal-friendly Korean BBQ spot on Ashland where marinated short rib, spicy pork belly, and kimchi fried rice anchor a compact, lively dining room. Diners lean on it before United Center events for reliably seasoned meats, generous portions, and a casual, upbeat atmosphere.
Must-Try Dishes:
Kimchi fried rice, Beef bulgogi bowl, Korean fried chicken (spicy)
What Makes it Special: Halal-focused Korean BBQ with well-marinated meats near the United Center.
#12
Palilgu
8.3
Palilgu is a Korean pub and kitchen in Logan Square where modern bar snacks meet classics like seafood pancake and kimchi fried rice. Diners lean on it for soju, cocktails, and shareable plates that feel more like a night out than a quick noodle stop.
Must-Try Dishes:
Seafood pancake, Kimchi fried rice, Half fried chicken
What Makes it Special: A cocktail-driven Korean pub where shareable plates skew bolder and spicier.
#13
Jin Ju
8.2
A sleek Andersonville Korean dining room that balances comfort classics with a cocktail-friendly, modern-night-out feel. The kitchen lands best when you build a shared-table order around one sizzling protein, one stew, and one noodle/rice anchor, then stop before it turns into chaos.
Must-Try Dishes:
Galbi jjim, Kimchi jjigae, Mandu
What Makes it Special: Cocktail-ready Korean classics in a polished Andersonville room.
8.2
Kim's Korean Cuisine and Sushi is a compact Broadway restaurant pairing tteokbokki, kimchi jeon, and bulgogi plates with a full sushi roll menu. Locals treat it as a weeknight standby for balanced Korean-Japanese dinners and low-key dates at the counter.
Must-Try Dishes:
Kimchi Jeon, Tteokbokki, Pajeon
What Makes it Special: Cozy Broadway spot where Korean bar plates share space with a full sushi menu.
8.2
Vibes:
Quick Bites Champions
Cheap Eats Budget Brilliance
Solo Dining Sanctuaries
Trendy Table Hotspots
A downtown Korean corn dog counter that’s most useful for a fast, salty-sweet snack between meetings or as a pre-theater bite. Go for one stuffed dog plus one sauce/dust lane so the crunch stays crisp and the sweetness doesn’t overwhelm.
Must-Try Dishes:
Mozzarella Korean corn dog, Sweet Chili Doritos dog, Potato crust corn dog
What Makes it Special: Korean corn dogs done downtown-fast with craveable crunch and bold coatings.
#16
Mister Tiger
8.2
Vibes:
Date Night Magic
Girls Night Out Approved
Trendy Table Hotspots
Birthday & Celebration Central
A polished, West Town dining room serving comfort-forward Korean dishes with a bar-and-cocktail sensibility. The kitchen’s strengths show up in shareable mains and rice dishes that balance richness with pickles and heat.
Must-Try Dishes:
Woodae galbi, Galbi fried rice, Uni rice (sizzling rice bowl)
What Makes it Special: Homestyle Korean cooking presented in a modern, cocktail-ready room.
Worthy Picks
#17
AraOn
7.9
A Loop dining room that blends Korean and Japanese lanes with a lounge-y bar energy that plays well for after-work dinners. The kitchen lands best when you commit to a composed signature plate plus one sushi or small-plates lane instead of scattering across the menu.
Must-Try Dishes:
AraOn Chef Special, AraOn Tower, Chili Garlic Shrimp
What Makes it Special: Korean-Japanese fusion in a Loop lounge setting built for drinks-plus-dinner pacing.
7.9
A Korean pub that doubles as a karaoke night out, where the move is to treat food as the supporting cast for drinks and rooms. Come for fried chicken and shareables that hold up under a long hang, then settle in for a full evening with friends.
Must-Try Dishes:
Korean Fried Chicken, Tteokbokki, Kimchi Fried Rice
What Makes it Special: Korean pub fare plus karaoke rooms designed for long, social nights.
7.9
Vibes:
Group Dining Gatherings
Trendy Table Hotspots
Comfort Food Classics
Family Friendly Favorites
An all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ format that’s best treated as a disciplined “few favorites, repeated” experience rather than an endless sampler. Order in a tight loop—one pork lane, one beef lane, one side—so the table stays hot and the flavors don’t blur.
Must-Try Dishes:
Garlic pork belly, Galbi, Corn cheese
What Makes it Special: AYCE K-BBQ that rewards disciplined repeat-order strategy.
#20
Noori Chicken
7.9
Noori Chicken brings a Korean fried chicken chain’s first Chicago outpost to Clark Street, serving crisp bone-in and boneless wings, kimbap, and kimchi fried rice in a colorful fast-casual room. It’s quickly building a following for sauced wings, cheese-dusted “magic” chicken, and shareable combos before or after Lakeview nights.
Must-Try Dishes:
Noori Signature Combo 1, Bulgogi Kimbap, Rosé Tteokbokki
What Makes it Special: Colorful Korean fried chicken shop with kimbap, rice dishes, and oversized wing combos.
#21
Bigsuda
7.8
Bigsuda is a dimly lit Wicker Park Korean restaurant where dumplings and noodle soups take center stage in a more polished setting. Xiao long bao, kimchi mandoo, and dombe guksu anchor meals that feel suited to date nights and small-group dinners rather than quick takeout runs.
Must-Try Dishes:
Xiao long bao soup dumplings, Kimchi and pork mandoo, Dombe guksu with housemade noodles
What Makes it Special: Korean dumpling and noodle house where xiao long bao and mandoo share the table with dombe guksu.
#22
Dancen
7.8
A late-running Korean bar-restaurant built for spicy, shareable plates and a lively pace. It’s strongest when you order into their crowd favorites—one fire dish, one crunchy pork option, and a stew to anchor the table.
Must-Try Dishes:
Fire chicken, Crispy pork skin, Budae jjigae (army stew)
What Makes it Special: A Korean bar-night menu that leans spicy, crunchy, and shareable.
#23
Kitchen Karaoke
7.7
Kitchen Karaoke is a late-night takeout window on Hubbard serving Korean-inspired street snacks alongside sidewalk karaoke. Guests grab spam musubi, bulgogi fried rice, dumplings, and hot broths to fuel bar-hopping and singing until the early morning.
Must-Try Dishes:
Korean Meltdown bulgogi grilled cheese, Eddie’s fried rice, Kimchi street dumplings
What Makes it Special: Street-facing Korean-inspired snacks paired with open-air karaoke on Hubbard.
7.6
Bill Kim Asian Comfort Food is a counter inside Time Out Market where chef Bill Kim channels his Korean background into ramen and noodle bowls. It’s a practical choice when you want a quick, flavorful bowl while exploring the Fulton Market food hall.
Must-Try Dishes:
Veggie ramen, Chilled peanut noodles with tofu, Signature ramen bowls
What Makes it Special: Korean-influenced ramen and noodle bowls from chef Bill Kim served inside a busy food hall.