boudreaulicious wrote:And the beef (either the Galbi or the Bulgogi) is terrific, mostly due to the crunchy rice dish at the end.

Thanks for the advice everyone! I had an excellent dinner at Cho Sun Ok the other night.

One tip, even though we got Bulgogi, becuase it was a combo with octopus we could not get the fried rice, no matter how much we begged. Long story short, we were told that we must order #3 or #6 to get the fried rice. It may have been written in the menu, but I didn't pay attention, just made the mistake of assuming.

Everything we ordered was top-notch. The ban chan was great. Some of the best kimchi i’ve had. Our bulgogi/octopus was perfectly flavored, though seems that there could have been more octopus. The naengmyeon we ordered was up there with the best. However, the real winner, in my opinion, was the seafood pancake. It was really well crisped on the outside and the inside was soft and chewy without being gummy as some at other places have. Dispite the absence the fried rice at the end, and no live charcoals, it was still the best korean dinner i've had in a long time.

As for the service, sure, it’s terrible if you’re not korean or dining with someone who knows the language, but I can appreciate this kind of challenge. To me it's just part of the charm. One highlight, when it took me about 5 minutes of going back and fourth with our server until i was literally yelling “YES I’M SURE I WANT NUMBER 20! NO I DO NOT WANT 19 INSTEAD! I UNDERSTAND THERE IS KIMCHI IN IT, I LIKE KIMCHI”. I like a good challenge. Great place, great food! BYOB is nice. I’ll definitely be back, perhaps with some korean backup next time.

It might have been brought to my attention that despite having fallen in love with Cho Sun Ok about 10 years ago when I moved to Lincoln Square, I have never posted about it here. And yet it's my favorite Korean spot in Chicago. Last night, no exception.

Seafood pancake, HaeMul PaJeon, is my favorite version in town. It's a little looser in the middle than most, which I love, but there are nice crispy edges (feel free to crisp up more in the hot stone pan if you like).

Their buckwheat noodles are always a star attraction, and my personal favorite is the BiBim NaengMyeon, which includes the buckwheat noodles, beef, vegetables, and an egg in a slightly spicy sauce. Note that it's served cold, but it's fantastic.

ChaDol-Gui is the must order of the meats here, and you'll see it on every table. It's very thinly sliced brisket, not marinated but served with sesame oil dipping sauce and other condiments (like marinated onions and jalapeno) for flavor. You cook it yourself on the stone pan. There's also raw garlic which I personally love to char some and eat with the beef. Here's the beef:






I'm also a big fan of their kalbi. Although they cook it for you, it's my personal favorite version in Chicago (the menu says charcoal grilled, which I assume they're doing in the kitchen).

Their kimchi is also my favorite version in the city. Perhaps not as funky as some others, but packed with flavor and spicier than any other versions I've tried. Then there's the rice - you finish the meal with kimchi fried rice (ask for more kimchi) -- they put a bowl of rice with kimchi in the hot stone pan and cook it. Make sure to get a nice, crispy crust, and add whatever mix-ins you have left. Always a great finish to a great meal.

There are many board favorites for Korean food in Chicago, and some pretty damn good ones, but this is still my favorite after many years.

I can't tell, after reading this entire thread, whether this place has an actual kitchen in which food is cooked before being brought to your table. Does it? Or do you have to cook everything yourself at some sort of firepit embedded in the table?

Are there any Korean restaurants in Chicago where there is no option to cook your own food ? That would be great.

Roger Ramjet wrote:I can't tell, after reading this entire thread, whether this place has an actual kitchen in which food is cooked before being brought to your table. Does it? Or do you have to cook everything yourself at some sort of firepit embedded in the table?

Are there any Korean restaurants in Chicago where there is no option to cook your own food ? That would be great.

There are several items they cook in the kitchen, including the kalbi (I mentioned this in my post just above yours).

But let's be clear, at Cho Sun Ok, if they see you not actively cooking and filling your pan, they will come over and do it for you...get 'em in and move 'em out quickly is the Cho Sun Ok model . . . consider yourself warned and don't be offended if they try to push you out before you're ready to exit. You'll appreciate this when you're waiting in line for a table, and hell . . . sometimes I like being pushed around.

Today I learned that Cho Sun Ok is open during the quarantine and that it's inexplicably not a GNR. The BiBim NaengMyeon is as good as ever. Tough to see the charmingly surly servers so down. Going to have to go back for more very soon.