Chicago's Best Korean Barbecue

A grill right in the center of your table. The aromas of the searing kalbi (short ribs) and bulgogi (marinated beef.) Wrapping your grilled delights in a leaf of lettuce, and enjoying it with some kimchi or pickled vegetables on the side. Aren't the descriptions alone enough to make you want to hit up the nearest Korean barbecue restaurant? Here are five suggestions.

Hae Woon Dae

6240 N. California Ave.
Chicago, IL 60659
(773) 764-8018
www.letseat.at/haewoondaebbq

Tucked away in a strip mall in the West Rogers Park neighborhood, the décor at this storefront restaurant is no-frills. But once they fire up your grill at the table, you won't even notice. Centerstage.com recommends the soy-garlic-infused kalbi, the sesame-marinated bulgogi, or if you want to skip the grill, the bi bim bop – a tasty pot of rice vegetables, sometimes meat, and a poached egg.

Korean BBQ Restaurant

3246 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.
Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 588-3112

The name might not give too much away, but this eatery near Bryn Mawr and Kedzie is a hands-down favorite for many Korean barbecue fans. Try the kalbi and bulgogi with Korean sake or OB beer. And Metromix.com points out that each table has its own exhaust fan to clear the smoke from the tabletop grills.

Kang Nam

4849 N. Kedzie Ave.
Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 539-2524

Find this restaurant in strip mall the heart of the Albany Park neighborhood. Reviewers on Yelp.com were excited to find spicy pork bulgogi on the menu, and also recommended the clay-pot bi bim bop. And your dinner comes with a Korean pancake (pajeon) and a side of soup (deng jang chigae)

San Soo Gab San

5247 N. Western Ave.
Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 334-1589

Near Foster and Western on the edge of the Lincoln Square neighborhood, you can enjoy your grilled delights 24 hours a day here. Yelp.com reviewers were particularly impressed with the array of side dishes, or banchan. Chicago Reader critic Mike Sula also recommends the hot-sweet stir-fried sam gyeop sal, or bacon, pan-fried with kimchi; the tofu stew; and several soups.

Chicago Kalbi

3752 W. Lawrence Ave.
Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 604-8183
www.chicago-kalbi.com

Look for Korean barbecue with a Japanese flare at this Albany Park favorite. The menu points out that can get specialty cuts such as Kobe beef for your table grill. The Reader's Mike Sula also cites appetizers such as oyster pajun – oysters cooked in egg batter – and "a lightly fried, almost tempura-style chicken."