I am not always a big fan of Korean food, but my hubby loves it so we tried this place out for lunch. First thing that struck me as a good sign was that there were several tables there and we were the only non-Koreans in the place. If the natives love it, that is always a very good sign! I got the Beef Kalbi bebimbop(sp?) and it was delicious, I love being able to customize the heat and flavor. Hubby had the Kimchi one with pork, that was amazing, I am not a huge fan of Kimchi but somehow the way they cook it in this dish is magnificient. Loved the many side dishes they offer with your meal, the garlicky bean sprouts were among my favorite. I was disappointed that they did not have the sweet/sour pickled radish that you can normally find in Korean restaurants but all in all we had a great experience and will definitely be back! They badly need a facelift to the décor though, the white walls and dingy carpet do not really atteact you to the place but fortunately the food makes you overlook their astethic challenges!
Debbie F.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Chicago, IL
Chicago Kalbi was closed, so I asked a nearby shopkeeper for another good place to eat. She recommended San Chae restaurant. I really liked the comfortable, homey atmosphere. There were plants all over the place and a TV in one corner. Korean celebrity channel, of course. The menu didn’t have pictures but did provide English descriptions of every dish. I ordered bulgogi dolsot bimbimbap and it was delicious. Fresh vegetables and beef, crispy rice… egg was missing! I figured it came with another bimbimbap version, or maybe it was something added on request. All the side dishes were tasty and they served a ‘soup of the day’ too. Note: Credit/Debit card payments must have a minimum purchase of $ 20. Which can be difficult when not in a group — average dish was $ 6 – 15. The shopkeeper was really nice though and said«first time, okay» but second time I have to have cash. 5 stars for fantastic service!
Dean S.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Lincolnwood, IL
My cousins, brother, and I were looking for a place to eat after a long afternoon of driving and spending the day at ComicCon Chicago in Rosemont. My brother proposed the idea of checking out the Chicago Korean Festival on Bryn Mawr but somehow we ended up deciding to go to a restaurant instead. Naturally, we checked Unilocal and went to the highest rated restaurant in Korea town. Unluckily for us, that restaurant was super busy and had a long wait, so we decided to go to the next best and closest Unilocal listing: San Chae Sol Dot. When we got in, we were seated right away. The place looks dinky on the outside, being located in a strip mall, but walking inside, the smell reminded me of my korean friends’ parents’ homes(ie: delicious!) and the décor was nice and simple. We took our time do decide our meal, and we also had to wait a little bit for the waitress to come back and take our orders. Other than that, service was friendly and my drink was consistently filled. Our food came out in a relatively timely manner. The bahn chan is fresh and there are a large variety of dishes included. We ordered the haemul pajeon(seafood pancake) as an appetizer and it was light and reminded me of the pajeon my friends’ moms make. For my main course, I ordered the San Chae Sol Dot bibimbap. I always seem to burn myself on the hot stone pot whenever I eat from those bowls, so I was especially careful when cooking my egg, mixing all the ingredients and sauce, and eating. The rice was tasty, veggies fresh and crunchy, and seafood well cooked and not too rubbery. The soup that came on the side was hearty and tasty. Overall it was pretty good. I love bibimbap! I tried my brother’s bulgogi and it was pretty good, too. Honestly, this wasn’t the best Korean food I’ve ever had, but it was good for the price. I’d probably give it a 3.5 because of the wait, but since Unilocal doesn’t do ½’s and I was satisfied with my meal… I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt.
Bernice R.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Bartlett, IL
Thank you Unilocal!On a whim, my party decided to go to Korean Town to get dinner. Not knowing or having a specific restaurant in mind, we Unilocaled places K-Town on a smart phone. Of course, we found a great restaurant and here I am now Unilocaling back! First and last«negative» comment: Skip the seafood pancake… it was a bit bland(even with the sauce) and ingredients were not evenly dispersed. But besides the appetizer, the entrees were great. I split the bulgogi platter and kimchi fried rice. No to-go boxes needed here! We ate it all up. The complimentary side dishes were also plentiful and tasty. Simple place, good value, okay service, and delicious food. I’d come back again.
Jennie T.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Chicago, IL
This is my favorite Korean restaurant in Chicago. The owners are nice and they serve the most amazing food — everything I’ve had here is good! As my fellow Unilocalers have observed, it almost never seem busy but the food is great. Don’t come here if you’re in a rush though. This is a sit-down restaurant, and they do take their time to prepare everything for you.
Jess M.
Waukesha, WI
I’m only giving 4 stars because it’s my first time eating Korean food, but I LOVED it! I have a class project on the Korean culture and decided to visit Koreatown for dinner. I had a hard time finding Koreatown, and by the time I did, most places were closed. Luckily, this place wasn’t. I ordered the beef tongue stew, when my food came, the waitress started pouring salt & pepper & some red sauce from one of the side dishes into my food. I was with 2 Filipino friends, so I’m thinking that my not looking Asian is what made her want to prep my food for me and leave them completely alone… Meh. It was kind of weird, but I didn’t think much of it, since I figured she would know best how to make it taste good. Thanks, lady! It was delish! Oop. I forgot what my friends got… Point is, everything was good. I live on the south side, so it was far for me, but if I’m ever specifically craving Korean food, I’ll definitely make the trip.