Ban Po Chung

My favorite under-​the-​radar Korean restaurant in Chicago! I often go here with my Korean friends or girlfriend and everyone always enjoys the food. They provide a good variety of banchan, all of which is delicious. The jjigaes (soups) are my go-​to and all of them are delicious delicious. Actually, pretty much everything on the menu is good. You really can’t go wrong. On top of that the owners are very friendly and often will even give you complimentary grilled fish!
Now while the food is delicious the value is what makes this restaurant shine. I don’t know a restaurant (Korean or not) with better value. For ~$ 10 you get delicious banchan which you can refill as much as you want, delicious entrees, complimentary grilled fish and you could even split an appetizer if you wanted (I recommend the pajeon). You simply cannot go wrong with ban po jung.
Oh and as a side note if you notice, if you notice pretty much every single bad review is from a non-​Korean. Now I can see how some people might be put off by the simplistic interior but that is part of the appeal. You shouldn’t be taking a first date here or trying to do anything fancy. You would find tons of these restaurants all over Seoul. Cheap and delicious.
Also, for better or for worse the service here is by Korean standards. What that means is when you want something you call for the waiter. You will see the owner and his wife sitting down at the table watching TV or eating food. They aren’t going to be waiting on you hand and foot. If you want something use your mouth and call for them. Don’t expect them to read your mind. It really isn’t that difficult. Also, when you are finished and want to pay GO UP TO THE COUNTER. The idea of the bill coming to your table is a very foreign concept in Korea. If you sit at your table waiting for someone to realize you are done and bring you the bill you are going to have a bad time. Once again, being a little proactive and actually asking for something that you want goes a long way.

A little small. Family own Korean restaurant that located by North Park.
The best thing about this place is the ban chan. They always serve pancakes and mackerel ban Chan as a complimentary dish. That is a plus already and it tastes. Really good.
The Pork belly dish is good and the soon du bu is so delicious. That is my fav hot soup!
We have been here multiple times during lunch and it is always so busy. The couple runs the dining area by themselves. And I think there is. Only one lady who cooks and makes everything in the back. Don’t Expect fast service here during lunch because you won’t. The owner always greet and say thank you at the end.

Don’t let the interior and exterior intimidate you. Great all around Korean food. My grandfather loves this place and frequents here. The service was fantastic. The owner is very chatty and friendly. They are known for their daegu jeongol (cod stew — serving size of at least 2). There was lots of fish and veggies. The broth was wonderfully spicy and full of flavor. Ban Po Chung also does not skimp on side dishes, unlike many contemporary Korean restaurants.

It’s so amazing. They give you so many banchan! Even you can have Korean style pancake and cooked fish. They are nice and foods are great. I had dolsot-​bibimbob and they gave me soy bean soup, too!

They are friedly and kind. Their service is quick. Food is fresh and delicious. In addition there are bonus and extras. Highly recommended!

The best Korean restaurant in town. Owners are very personable and have been going there for yrs. We are treated like family… and they are very goos to my children… missed the waitress whose been there almost 10 yrs… she moved with her son. I was sad to not see her there. Take it from a Korean who cooks very well… this is as close as it gets to authentic Korean food… clean and «homemade». Their Korean miso paste is a family recipe. We dobt go anywhere else… San Soo Gap san on Western once a yr if we are cracinf BBQ… other than that… this is our place! Yummmm;

One of my favorite Korean restaurants. The food comes out in no time, very fresh. I love all the side dishes that you get. The owners of this place are very nice and welcoming. Parking can get a little crazy on the weekends. Try everything on the menu, it is all delicious!

My husband and I dined at Ban Po Chung last week. Food was good and NOT salty. The meal came with six banchan (side dishes) and two small fried fish (possibly corvina).
The young female waitress was terrible. She sat down to eat her lunch, with her back toward the entire dining room, ignoring all the customers (4 tables). We were done eating, but the waitress was too busy eating and watching TV, and ignored us. Finally after 20 minutes, my husband went over and asked for the bill. For this one reason alone, I would never eat here again. When there is 1 waitress covering an entire dining room, you don’t sit with your back to the customers ignoring them.
Note: There are NO BBQ stations at this restaurant.

I actually give zero stars. The owner tried to cheat my grandmother out of $ 10 when giving back change for the bill. She paid $ 40 for a meal that was roughly about $ 26 and he returned $ 3 with some change. She did not think anything of it as she normally wouldn’t, because it’s not too often that owners attempt to blindly rob their customers. When she realized it after we had already left, we went back and asked why he only returned about $ 4 when he was given $ 40. We demanded to see the receipt (because he never even gave us a copy) and while turning bright red, he gave her $ 10 right away, without apology or even looking for the receipt. I know we were naïve and careless, but he undoubtedly tried to hustle us thinking he could scam 2 little Asian women.
Aside from the owner being an ass hole, the suleongtang was EXTREMELY poorly made. You can tell they do not take the time to boil the bones correctly as you should — 72hrs, and at the least, 48hrs. Seriously, fuck this place. Do not support. Go elsewhere like Da Rae Jung where owners actually care about their customers.

I’m moving here from Hawaii and met a nurse and her brother on Halloween. I asked them for a good Korean Restaurant and they said Ban Po Chung was the best, so I tried it. It rivals any Korean restaurant in Hawaii. This is a classic mom and pop restaurant with great food. 4 of us ordered Kalbi (marinated short ribs), Chopchae (vermicelli/​glass noodles with veggies and thinly chopped beef) and dol sot bim bam bop (a crunchy rice base, veggies, and thinly sliced/​chopped beef). The banchan (side dishes), veggie pancake, and fried fish were almost a meal in itself.
If you’ve never had Korean food before, read the Unilocal reviews… they will help you through the ordering process. Be patient when dining, it is a mom and pop that has food that seriously rivals any Korean restaurant in Hawaii.

TOTALLY LOVE.
Reminds me of small restaurants in Korea.
Simple and down to earth, all about good food.
We had blood soup, Seon-​Ji-​Hae-​Jang-​Guk (beef soup with ox blood & vegetables), pan cake and some really good side dishes.
Enjoyed them all.
I’ll be a regular.

Best authentic Korean food in Chicago! If you dine in, you have complimentary appetizers (fried fish and veggie pancake) and of course ban chan. The couple that runs the place are so sweet. I live half a mile away, and I get take out at least once a week! My favorites are yeuk ge jang and dwe ji bulgogi.
Is it fancy looking inside like Tozi or Jinju? Nope. But if you want solid food and friendly service, you should definitely check it out.

Amazing spot for authentic Korean food! They even had the TV on a Korean news channel the entire time! Good, quick service!
They provide complementary appetizers consisting of a crispy fried fish (one per person in your party) and one veggie pancake. The pancake was a little oily but still delicious. The fish was a good, medium sized for an appetizer, excellent. We got 8 varieties of unlimited banchan, all fresh and yummy. My favorite were the picked daikon cubes, fish cakes, and potato salad.
For main, we got the yuk gae jang (shredded beef with clear glass noodles), jae gu tang (cod soup with spicy veggies), soon dubu jjigae (traditional tofu soup), and galbi. Everything was absolutely delicious! I highly recommend the yuk gae jang and soon dubu jjigae. I’ve had better galbi before but no complaints about the ones here. The doing comes with perfectly cooked purple rice!
Very happy about the meal here, definitely food coma inducing.

Friendly mom and pop run and attentive to its guests, authentic Korean restaurant. No frills, just good food.
Can seat a large group if combining tables, but most comfortable at up to 6 guests per table. Fairly small interior. Very small private lot, shared with other retailers in strip of buildings. Street parking is also available.
Haemul Pajun (seafood pancake), Japchae (clear glass stir fried noodles with vegetables/​beef), MulNaengMyun (cold noodle soup with vegetables/​beef), and their Bulgogi (thinly sliced, marinated rib eye) are all good. Good variety of banchan (side dishes).
If you’re lucky enough to take advantage, their lunch specials are a value.
Best Seon-​ji-​Haejangguk soup.

Santi and I drove across town to come to this Korean restaurant after finding it on Unilocal.The aged interior was spacious, with tiled floors, tables, and posters of Korea arranged along the walls. The ambiance was casual and unassuming. It’s a regular spot for local Koreans.
The banchan items were delicious. It came with two sizable pieces grilled fish, Korean pancake, soup, sprouts, squash, spicy radish, kimchee, fish cake, potato salad, and spicy cucumber. All items were fresh, tasty, and addictive.
The Do Ga Ni Tang ($ 11.95), or ox knuckle bone soup, came with bulky ox knuckles simmered in a delicious broth with noticeable bone flavor. The knuckles were meaty, tender and chewy around the bones. It was hearty, and perfect with a bowl of rice.
The Dol Sot Bi Bim Bab ($ 9.95) came with mix veggies, egg, beef, and crispy rice. The rice was nicely charred at the bottom. The chewy, crispy, and firm textures nicely complemented with a scores of veggies, beef, and hot sauce. The addition of greens was oddly unexpected, but other it was delicious as well.
Service was absent, but responsive once we have the server’s attention. Overall, it was a pleasant discovery highlighted by fantastic selections of banchan and spot on homestyle entrees. I would be interested in returning to try their casseroles and veal soup.

Really homey mom and pops Korean restaurant. My family and I tried an assortment of dishes and most of them were really tasty. We got the Galbi, squid dish, bulgogi and one of the clear broth pork soups. The banchans were all very tasty and the food came out fresh and hot. The clear pork soup was probably the only downside to the meal since it wasn’t very flavorful even after adding salt — it’d be a good soup to have if I was sick or had a sore throat. Galbi was super tender and bulgogi was nice though a bit sweet. Squid dish was surprisingly super flavorful and the most surprising dish of the night! The prices are all very reasonable and the owners are super nice. Can’t wait to come here again to try more delicious food!
++ They have a parking lot :) Woohoo!

Simple and homely food. I never rate a place for its ambience but it’s the food that gets me to dedicate time to write a review.
Ambience — ⁴⁄₅. Compared to a lot of run down places who don’t care about cleanliness.
Food– ⁵⁄₅. Just love the simple home made Koran food.
Staff — mom & pop feel
It’s close to where to I live and is open at the odd hours I have my lunch.
I have a huge addiction to the seafood pancake and have tried almost all places in California but this place here in Illinois is quiet something.

One of my fave part korean spots (aside from Song Do). I love the kimchi jiggae (spicy kimchi soup with pork belly)!
Huge portions even for the lunch specials
Some days they serve plain white rice, other days red bean.
Lots of side dishes, and you get spicy miso soup if you order a non-​soup entrée.
The korean woman who serves us is so sweet and always asks if we would like more sides.
–1 star because the korean man (who I think is the owner?) is sometimes super grumpy. and we always have to wait for a refill on our waters. But all in all, I love this place!

i am no kimchi chigae connoisseur, but always love hot soup on a cold Chicago winter night.
Bf and his brother thought this is one of the best chigae places in town.
I enjoyed the chigae, and found it not as salty as other Korean places. Tried their soo-​ju-​boo, the flavour is different from other places. Not as spicy, and more garlic-​ky :D
Love this homey little joint in the neighbourhood.

Their radish kimchi is really good because it’s well-​fermented. It doesn’t taste like rotten eggs or anything even though it’s fermented. It tastes good.
I like how they serve multigrain rice instead of white rice. The server was really kind as one of my guests wasn’t eating the multigrain rice so she offered white rice instead.
We went there on New Year’s Day (a Thursday) around 2−3pm and they served us dinner portions… which was a lot of food (we didn’t finish it all).
The dinner portions must have come with grilled sardines (?) on the side. They also gave us free kimchi pancake as an appetizer. They gave us so much food. The broiled mackerel tastes really good with squeezed lemon juice on top. The bulgogi and kimchi jigae are on point, too.
They let customers take their time, as they didn’t give us our check until we asked for it. We were a table of 4 and we were talking after we finished eating. I like how they respect us taking our time that way. If you are in a rush, ask for your check directly instead of waiting for the servers to bring it to you.
The restaurant is part of a small plaza with at most 10 parking spaces so find a good parking spot if you drive there.

I used to pass this little gem because my dad once stayed at the Swedish Covenant Hospital on Foster and California. It, however, has been over a year that I didn’t even step to the front door. As a Korean food lover, I had no excuse for any further delay. I knew tonight was the night.
Hubby and I walked north to Foster. It’s located in proximity to the Northeastern Illinois University Foster campus. That area is considered as North Park, but it’s in the junction between Albany and North Park neighborhoods. The location is super nondescript. How about the interior? It appeared to be cozy but the décor was simple. It was a Friday night at 1930 hour, and almost all tables were full. There were many Korean patrons, but there are non-​Korean patrons who seemed to have a great time. I was looking forward to this.
The service was friendly. We were quickly seated and given a menu. The menu was helpful for non-​Koreans because there were pictures to assist your decisions. Hubby picked out a octopus dish with soybean paste, and I ordered the Kimchi jigae (soup).
After a few sips of the barley tea, the complimentary veggie pancakes and banchan were brought out to us, along with our entrees. The pancakes were very delicious. I had a bite of the octopus from my hubby’s entrée and it wasn’t salty at all, unlike what other Korean restaurants would do due to an excessive amount of soy paste. My kimchi jigae was soothing. Since the temperature has been dropping recently, ordering the jigae was a good call. Out of the banchan assortment we had, I was specially fond of the marinated zucchini and tofu skin.
Half way through our meal, one lady attempted to bring out some mackerel fish, yet we kindly declined it since we were pretty full. I’m assuming it was part of banchan.
The reason why the full score couldn’t been given was that hubby would like some more barley tea, but they appeared to be busy and didn’t re-​fill our tea. Nevertheless, hubby should have been more pro-​active in asking for it but he was never that way (I know him well). I don’t think they provided you the check; you had to pay at the counter. The total was about $ 25 after tax and before tip. I thought it was fair. An average of price per entrée per person is less than $ 10, but the seafood entrees naturally will cost more.
Overall, we had a pretty awesome dining experience. The owners were very kind even though this was a busy evening for them. Since this location is very convenient for us, less than 20-​minute walking distance, we will be back for sure.