What a gem to hide an authentic Korean restaurant in the heart of pilsen. Thank you for bringing diverse culture to a culture filled community! Love this. Visiting bobijoa was such a good pick - I ordered the Gogi burger and a bottle of rice wine. The burger darn near melted in your mouth. The textures from the slaw and sauce were perfection on its own. The fries were home cut and not store bought so I loved that. I do wish they'd put sea salt or a homemade seasoning on the fry to up it a bit. Otherwise no complaints. The prices are affordable and the atmosphere is calm and chill. You can go with a friend or bring a book to read. Either way you're in for a treat. read more

Bobijoa - 'Gogi Burger - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I LOVE BOBI JOA!!! Been coming for years. I love all their food. Service is kind. Ambiance is peaceful. It's self service (bussing and getting utensils) you pay at the counter. They have pictures on their menu which I also enjoy. I've had the chicken wings (sweet n spicy), their kimchi fries, their bibimbop, bulgogi bap (favorite!!!), burger, kimchi fried rice (fav), japchae noodles, Soondooboo (another big fav), and Yukejang (favorite soup in the winter time, the beef is so soft) their Seafood Pajeon is also delicious- recommend eating there though cause its crispy, along with the fries and chicken wings. And lastly the Hotteoks are a nice sweet n savory dessert. Favorite place in the neighborhood. read more

Bobijoa - 'Gogi Burger, not the best picture -- we were too hungry. But trust it's delicious. - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

I love this place so much. The service is super sweet. The food is done way right. I know Korean food and this is good stuff. You enter and order at the counter. They serve you the deliciousness. You bus your own table. The things we've consumed: Gogi Burger with Egg - my husband and son's favorite. Bobijoa Fries Seafood Pajeon - the BEST I've ever had. And I've had a ton. Korean Fried Chicken Tocojoa Tacos Yukejang Dukbokee - this is probably the only dish I feel like I can make better at home. It's not horrible. It's actually really good but I wouldn't order it again. All their dishes are yumminess in my tummy. I cannot wait to go back. Even all the way from Indiana. Bathrooms are clean. You have to pay for city street parking. But worth it. read more

See all

rlly good kfc. small shop but quality food, would recommend! japchae is ‍ preferred it over the jajangmyeon read more

See all

Friendly spot that has quick service and delicious food- COMFORT. And come for the wings- sweet and spicy are to DIE for. We love bobijoa!!!

Was craving jjajangmyeon and saw this place nearby that offered it. The space is cute, plenty of seating but not a lot of people. Cashier was pleasant and order was ready quickly. The jajangmyeon was unfortunately disappointing. The noodle texture was great, the best part of the dish. The jajang sauce was too liquidy and didn't cling to the noodles. It was mostly onion and green cabbage. I think the cabbage makes the sauce too wet. I had to add my own black bean sauce to thicken and flavor the noodles. read more

See all

Bland food. Instant jjajangmyeon has more flavor than what is being served here. Tteokbokki was overly fishy. Lack of balance. Only plus is the portion sizes are decent. read more

Came here on a whim for a quick lunch. It was quite a small quaint establishment that might get crowded on a busy day. The place was empty, so we expected the service to be pretty quick. However, the staff was very inattentive and slow paced. The food took around 20 minutes to come out, which was a bit longer than I expected for the kimchi fried rice I ordered. When it did come out, it looked great, but unfortunately, it lacked any of the flavor I'd come to love from kimchi dishes. It tasted more like plain fried rice, and it didn't have any of the spice it claimed to have from the korean spicy pepper paste (gochujang). The beef in the dish was also very dry, but it was seasoned pretty well. Once we were done, the staff was nowhere to be found, which was unfortunate since I wanted to get a box for the leftover food. Unfortunately, we probably won't return unless we want to try one of the other dishes. read more

Bobijoa - Kimchi Fried Rice - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I was excited to see a Korean restaurant and stopped by for lunch. It's very clean inside and wasn't busy considering it was lunch time. You order at the counter and then pick a table. The water and utensils are self-serve. They have a menu with various Korean dishes, consisting of items like KFC and jjajangmyeon. I ordered the bibimyeon, which is a spicy wheat noodle served cold. After ordering, it took about 35 minutes to get our food. My noodles were super bloated, as you can see in the photo. It was honestly really difficult to get past the bloated noodles, which ruined the dish. The bibim sauce was mostly sesame oil with barely any spice or flavor. Most of the flavor came from the bits of kimchi mixed within the noodles. My friend ordered the kimchi fried rice, which had also minimal flavors. It tasted like pan fried rice with bits of washed kimchi. Overall, the food was very disappointing. I would not recommend Bobijoa if you want good Korean food. read more

Bobijoa - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Tldr: KFC is delicious, would recommend giving this restaurant a try! This restaurant is 90% self-serve so I don't think you need to tip (or you don't need to tip a lot). The restaurant is very spacious, clean, lots of seats. It has a couple of seating to look out to the street which I like. Here are what I ordered: - Jjajangmyeon with a fried egg: good but it lacks the black bean flavor I was expecting. - Korean Fried Chicken (sweet and spicy): yummy! Great flavor and crispy!! It's not spicy though. read more

See all

I came to bobijoa on a beautiful Saturday night. The restaurant was not busy and I had to order to go. My food got to me quickly. I ordered Kimbap, Korean fried chicken, tteokboi, kimchi fries, and hotteok. I lived in South Korea for 4 years so I think my tastebuds know good Korean food. The Kimbap was good, I just wish there was more vegetable filling. The Korean fried chicken was the star of the show! I got it with the sweet spicy sauce. The tteokbokki was the biggest let down as it was neither sweet nor spicy. The kimchi fries were okay and best eaten fresh I think. The hotteok could've been sweeter. I also got the topo chico and pear juice to drink. The staff was very kind and the facility was clean. read more

Bobijoa - Tteokbokki Hotteok Bun Korean Fried Chicken Gimbap Roll Bobijoa Fries - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Bobijoa is a casual self-serve sit-down restaurant that is located in the heart of Pilsen. Considering that there are little to none Korean food options in the area, I'm thankful that this place exists. It's not mind-blowing Korean food, but it satisfies the craving. That along with portion size and price point is what'll keep me coming back. I especially liked the bibimbap and thoroughly enjoyed my meal. read more

See all

Came here last weekend and ordered a bunch of dishes with some friends. The portions were great for the price and they definitely have a great variety! Started with the Tteokbokki and the Fried Chicken with Sweet and Spicy Gochujang sauce. Tteokbokki had a great spicy flavor but table favorite was definetly the wings. They had an amazing texture! Also got the Kimchi Fried Rice, Yukejang, Jjajangmyeon, and Tofu Bibimbap. Enjoyed the Kimchi Fried Rice and the broth with the Yukejang was really yummy. I wish the Tofu Bibimbap had a bit more seasoning, and he black bean sauce in the Jjajangmyeon was good but overwhelming at times - more noodles would've been better. Overall, a great casual sport for some Korean food - will be back. read more

Bobijoa - Tteokbokki - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

The restaurant is cute and the woman who normally runs the counter is always so nice and will always explain the menu, normally get an order of the Korean fried chicken and tteokbokki, went today and it was amazing like always read more

Bobijoa - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

4.5 overall - I think I've tried almost everything from here. Gimbap - good but pricey for the amount they give you. Gogi burger - thicc patty, it's hella filling and very flavorful. Korean Fried Chicken - texture is great, but it was a bit too salty Bulgugi bap - Yes, flavored so well and so tender. Tteokbokki - Major kick esp if you're not used to eating spicy foods. Would have gone great with rice too Kimchi Fried Rice - basic, but you can't go wrong with it! It was good when I had it as leftovers the follow day after too! Jjajangmyeon - Noodles were made well, but the sauce was a bit overwhelming as in the ratio is a bit off. More noodles please! Bobijoa Fries - mouthwatering! Still good as leftovers too I guess you'd say I'm pretty happy that I found this place. The food is solid and the staff is kind! read more

Bobijoa - Gimbap (whoops ate a couple already) - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

I was craving Korean food and decided to give Bobijoa a shot after finding it online. I was very pleasantly surprised, as the food was all so delicious! We ordered the Korean fried chicken ($8 for 6 pcs.), tteokbokki ($8.50), bibimbap with beef ($12), and bulgogi bap ($12). We got the Korean fried chicken with the sweet and spicy gochujang sauce. It had good flavor, and it wasn't really spicy. If you're looking for more spice, the tteokbokki would be a better choice. It comes with fish cakes and an egg too! The bibimbap and bulgogi bap were also both pretty good too. If I had to choose, I liked the bibimbap a bit more because it had more variety in it. Definitely recommend stopping here for some fairly priced and delicious Korean food You can order online from their website (https://www.bobijoa.com) and they have pictures too!! Looking forward to coming back and trying other dishes like the bobijoa fries!! read more

See all

Nice cozy interior as we walked in when they just opened for the day. The menu is straight forward as you walk up the counter and make your selection, pay and find a seat. I ordered the burger (medium-rare) but it came with the meat cold in the middle. I guess the meat was so thin it was hard to get it cooked without it overly over cooked. I did suggest to have them do a quick zap in the microwave but it came back like it was never reheated. Overall, the food was tasty not perfect but I enjoyed the atmosphere and location. The prices to me felt a little high for the quantity. read more

AMAZING the bibimbap is to die for go to place to eat as a uic student great service cute place! read more

nice little counter service restaurant, not too busy during dinner time on a Friday, as they mostly take take-out orders (while we were dining there, we saw a delivery person come in every 5 minutes) The seafood pancake is pretty good, a bit on the oily side, seems almost a bit like deep fried the Jjajangmyeon is a bit salty The bulgogi bap is great! but there's no veggie in it (in hindsight we should have ordered the bimbibap with beef instead) The KFC's skin is pretty good, tasty and crispy, but the meat inside is flavorless We also got the dessert, Hotteok, it's a pancake with brown sugar filling, it is quite sweet with the brown sugar, but kids like them :) read more

See all

Definitely it's a hidden gem! The quality of food is superb with a very reasonable price! Great value!

Great service and I'm eager to come back to try it again. I thought the jjajamyeon was just ok but liked yukejang. The hotteok bun was a little thin for my taste (which is a major sweet tooth so take this with a grain of salt!). read more

Bobijoa - Hotteok Bun - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

This place is barely a three star. Barely. We got the bibimbap, jjajangmyun, and hotteok. The bibimbap was decent. It's hard to mess that one up. The jjajangmyun smelled good, but was very muted in flavor, to the point it barely tasted like anything. The hotteok was big, mostly dough, and bland. This place is pretty close to being Bobiahnjoa (food is not good). It could certainly do better. read more

It's hard to find a good Korean spot and I love that it's in Pilsen! We will be going back for the KFC & Japchae :)

A great spot for some Korean food in Pilsen. High quality food and great taste - some of my favorite dishes below: Japchae (4/5): Solid execution of a traditional japchae with no surprises. Jjampong (4/5): One of my favorite offerings. This is a bit of a Chinese-Korean seafood stew that a dwindling amount of Korean restaurants offer. Don't get thrown off by the bright red color - it's not too spicy but very flavorful. A perfect winter soupy dish. Tteokbokki (4/5): The rice cakes have a unique texture vs. other places and is crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside - I really like it. The fish cakes is a nice bit of added flavor. Korean Fried Chicken (4/5): Great chicken - decent sized wings & I prefer the gochujang sauce. Bulgogi Bap (4/5): Marinated bulgogi & mushrooms on rice - the mushrooms are a very nice touch and soak up the juices when cooking & taste fantastic. Highly recommend this dish! read more

i was craving jjajangmyun a few days ago and came across this place on doordash. i ended up getting that and vegan soondooboo (same as non-vegan, just w/o egg) for my fiancé. the jjajangmyun was just okay. it fulfilled my cravings but probably won't order again. tasted too salty (most likely too much of the black bean paste sauce compared to the ingredients). also there were not enough noodles for the amount of sauce provided. wish they provided some pickled radish or onions too, which are very common for korean restaurants to provide with this noodle dish. the soondooboo on the other hand was delicious according to my fiancé. he said it was comparable to other good soondooboos he has had in the past. the spicy level was mild. jjajangmyun ($11.50) soondooboo ($11.50) read more

Bobijoa - bottom - Soondooboo top - Jjajangmyeon - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

This place is finally open!! I'm so thrilled that a Korean restaurant is open in Pilsen! The menu is short and sweet and has a lot of staple Korean comfort food, like kimchi fried rice, Korean fried chicken, and soondooboo. They also have some out of the box items like Korean tacos and Korean burgers! I tried the kimbap and sooondooboo, and was extremely happy by how authentic both tasted! The soondooboo had a full bodied flavor to it and it tasted freshly made and so flavorful. The kimbap was elevated a bit more than your normal street kimbap. The pieces were huge and so delicious. Comfort food at its best! My partner had the tacos and loved how unique and fresh they tasted. He especially loved the slaw and that they used flour tortilla! We also had the fried chicken with spicy sauce and it was SO delicious. I'm definitely getting that again when I go back! The wings were perfectly crispy and the sauce was tangy and spicy. The interior is nice, simple, and clean. I hope to be able to dine in there soon!! I want to try all of the items on the menu :) Th read more

See all

Good sized portions for the price! The kimchi fried rice with mozzarella was great and it was only $13. The Gogi Burger was also good and came with fries for $12. Overall, good meal! read more

Bobijoa - Kimchi Fried Rice & Gogi Burger - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Everything is made from scratch, and the quality comes through in the flavors. I had the bulgogi bap. The meat was so tender and flavorful. Really loved the mushrooms in the dish as well - held the sauce well. read more

Bobijoa - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Good food, amazing prices, great service! This is my go to takeout spot for Korean food!!

Great authentic Korean food with a cozy atmosphere and quick service! Will come back for more!

I got a little bit suspicious when I saw reviews on here from people who have no other reviews on their accounts but decided to try it anyway due to elite saying this was great-- it wasn't. I tried both types of wings and the bibimbop. Here are my thoughts: 1. This is a highly Americanized version of Korean food. The Bibimpop was greasy AF. I tried the beef, and although the flavor of the veggies was decent, the beef tasted unseasoned. Oddly enough: the beef wasn't oily but the veggies and rice were. The egg was cooked pretty well. 2. About those wings: holy hormones! I'm not sure that I have seen chicken wings that big; I was pretty freaked out. The breading on them was also really thick and the flavor just wasn't delicious--they were both equally not delicious. I would avoid these. I am giving 2 stars because I think it's hard to be a restaurant in a pandemic but this was the worst "Korean food" I've had in my entire life and I will not be back. I will also not be recommending it at all. read more

Very disappointing to say the least, was expecting a lot of flavor especially with how much is on your plate but it just tasted bland I couldn't even taste one ingredient, the dumplings were nothing special not even worthy of going into detail with how much it sucked, the sauce didn't have any flavor and another thing how do you BUY a soy sauce with NO FLAVOR ? on the gogi burger the bread was soaked, the flavor AGAIN not existent, if you have to put ketchup on a burger to redeem it you know it isn't worth it, with all the positive reviews I expected to walk out satisfied but the only thing worthy of my meal was the Diet Coke and Ketchup. If you like bland meals than THIS IS THE SPOT TO GO . read more

I've been wanting to try this place when I first saw the sign they were building it. It's a great indoor space with super nice decor. It's more of a fast casual set up that you order at the cashier and bring it to your table. The food was excellent and very reasonably priced given the portions. They had a lot of great choices so really excited to hopefully come back and try more items read more

Bobijoa - Tacojoa Taco - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Thanks for your service and support in the community and for your Ambiance and dedication to good food

Stumbled on this spot and we enjoyed everything we ordered. Not too familiar with Korean cuisine but the staff was really helpful and offered some excellent suggestions. The Bulgogi bap was super flavorful, the meat was lean and good quality and the dish was a nice sized portion. The Gogi burger with a sunny side up egg was really good, fries were crispy and not at all greasy. My favorite dish was the KFC though. The wings were by no means tiny and came out hot, super crispy and coated with a perfect balance of sweet and spicy sauce. Those wings will definitely have me coming back soon but also looking forward to trying a noodle and soup dish. Excellent food and service! read more

This place is amazing. I was hesitant as a Korean american to try korean food in pilsen but it didnt disappoint. We are bibimbap and soondooboo. Soo good! And good prices. read more

Bobijoa - Bibimbap - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It was alright. I got the burger and it wasn't anything special. I was expecting more Korean influence. They could definitely bring on that aspect a little stronger with the burger. The prices are great though! Totally reasonable for what you're getting. The server was very nice. The music was alright. Very casual setting. read more

I came here today to dine in. The place was neat, clean and the service as wonderful and friendly. We ordered two of the noodle dishes. We ordered the Bibimmyeon as well as the glass noodles, andboth were large in portion, flavorful and I would order them again! I can't wait to try more items on their menu! read more

This is my new favorite place. Obsessed. I love everything I've had here - Especially the slaw on the tacos. Wish I could buy it by the gallon. read more

I ordered the Bibimbop with beef, tofu soup, and fried chicken wings (sweet and spicy). The food quality was great. I really enjoyed the fried chicken wings! They did not have enough chicken to make me another order with the garlic sauce. I will definitely try that next time. read more