Daebak is an amazing gem hidden inside of Chinatown. Tucked in the back corner you have to know what you're looking for to find their door, otherwise you will be downstairs with the chicken kebabs.. Very clean and well kept restaurant, with staff stopping by frequently to change out the grilling plates. The service is also great with the servers dropping off checklists for you to order. Be quick to decide as you only have 90min for the all you can eat special. Personal favorites were the marinated steak and pork as well as the soy pickle and pickled radish. The kimchi fried rice was also excellent. Overall, a truly great experience and definitely worth checking out if you're out on a date or out with a group. Oh, and BTS ate here if that gives any credibility to the flavor. .. 보라해 read more

I really enjoyed this Korean bbq place in middle of Chinatown. It's a trendy atmosphere, clean and welcoming. Servers were friendly and attentive. Quality of the meat was better than some other typical Korean bbq places for sure. Kimchi soup was amazingly similar to home cooked one. Great selection of alcohol too. read more

Daebak Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Big portions so you and the group can get full, but I feel there are other options if you want higher quality food. Jajangmyeon noodles are usually my favorite but I would say you can pass on it here. Kinda loose sauce and overcooked noodles. Jokbal still had bones in it. Tteokbokki was drenched in cheese--not necessarily bad but it felt like a cheese dish with rice cakes instead of rice cakes with cheese. Pretty watery sauce too. Bulgogi was alright. Best thing at the table was the fried chicken. We chose garlic sauce, and they stayed pretty crispy for a long time. read more

Daebak Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Quality of the meat is good for the 90 minutes you get for all you can eat. No taking food home ofc. So eat it all and order what you can handle. The menu is simple and not overwhelming and there is no stale buffet of sauces or snacks. I like the cleanliness of this place. And the veggie mandoo or dumplings were good as well as the japchae ... parking on the street. Park Chicago app. It's just $2.50 an hour nearby. read more

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Daebak KBBQ was such a great experience! The food was absolutely delicious -- everything was fresh, flavorful, and cooked perfectly. We loved getting to try so many different options, and every bite was amazing. The service was also fantastic; everyone was so friendly, attentive, and quick to help. My only small wish is that there were a bit more description on the menu or guidance about what each item was, especially for people who aren't as familiar with all the cuts or dishes. Once we figured everything out, though, it was great! Overall, highly recommend -- amazing food, great service, and a really fun experience. read more

Grew up going here with my family - it is such a fun place to go as a big group!! I really enjoy their food and the KBBQ experience, but I will say as a long time costumer, their prices have gone up significantly. The quality is still up there! read more

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A really amazing AYCE KBBQ spot!! It was my first time having Korean BBQ in Chicago and it was exceptional. The meat was fantastic as well as plentiful of side dishes to choose from. Service was fantastic our waitress was really nice and welcoming. As far as the restaurant goes, it has a rustic charm that feels homey. read more

What happened to this place? The entire vibe is just not it anymore. Service was lousy. The dumplings and tofu soup did come out fast, but they were room temp. Gross. The meat was tough and chewy. Where's the seafood pancake? Where's the menu for that matter? read more

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This Korean BBQ is the worst, most disgusting restaurant I have ever visited. First off, the quality of the meat was terrible--it was cut too thick, tough to chew, and clearly not fresh. Secondly, the lettuce wraps were wilted and yellowing. The servers didn't bother to check how our everthing doing or if our food is ok ? And the servers she didn't change the grill for me. Furthermore--regardless of the size of your party--they will changed 18% gratuity, because they know their service is so so bad and lousy. When I complaint to the the owner and the manager . They don't care. when I told them I would leave a negative review, they said, "ok sure go ahead." Don't come this place; they are nothing but shameless money-grabbers. read more

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The food was awful you can truly taste the two day old rice and the water logged meat and the frozen items come to your table frozen I got rinsed and touch for 110 dollars for a table of two with two cokes and the all you can eat never again will I fall for this non goyim Korean slop Don't come here this straight mid just stay home and and grill a 28 dollar steak in a pan read more

I came to Daebak in Chinatown fully expecting one of Chicago's best Korean BBQ experiences--after all, it's frequently hyped as a top spot. And sure, the meats and flavors were right in line with its reputation. But unfortunately, the evening ended in total disaster. Shortly after our meal, on the drive back from the city to Northwest Indiana, I was forced to stop every 20-30 minutes--serious stomach issues hit me hard. The next day? My gut was in turmoil. When I dug deeper, I realized the food was consistently cooked in heavy seed oils, not healthier fats. This exposure triggered all the symptoms, and my friend who dined with me suffered the same fate. I know seed oils are common in many kitchens, but at a restaurant like this, I expect better standards and more transparency. Instead, what should have been a memorable BBQ night turned into a gastrointestinal ordeal. In short: do not recommend. If your body reacts badly to seed oils, steer clear of Daebak. It's really disappointing--and frankly, a bit dangerous. read more

Daebak Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This is probably the worse kbbq I've ever had. Very surprised for being in Chicago and the Chinatown location. They automatically charge 18% for gratuity and are VERY STRICT about the meat policy. We had a few pieces of pork belly left and the owner(?) said that we would be charged $15/pp if we didn't finish it. We were willing to pay $15 but per person is unreasonable as it's only $30 to eat here... I wouldn't come back and def don't recommend anyone else coming here either. Very unwelcoming atmosphere and p empty but we did come earlier than dinner. read more

Daebak Korean BBQ - $30 charge for not finishing this - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The food quality definitely went down after they changed to AYCE. Seems like the ownership changed since majority of the items are different or way lower in quality. Additionally the service was horrible. I tried to keep a positive mindset since they're new at AYCE, but our server was constantly at another table taking soju shots with the table. He barely asked how we are doing and would always rush over to that table to sneak in a shot when he walked by them. The ambiance seems the same but you can definitely tell something seems off about the environment, food, and workers. read more

Genuinely the best KBBQ i've ever has, portions are extremely generous and I like how they cook it for you, staff are extremely attentive and helpful. Fun spot to go with friends if you guys are KPop fans as they have tvs playing music videos everywhere and a "Kpop shrine" bathroom LOL I love how they are really generous with the banchan. Meat is always perfectly grilled and marinated. Highly reccomend read more

Daebak Korean BBQ - pork belly - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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First time visiting with 2 toddlers and I'd have to say, we will definitely be back. Uhh when did it changed to AYCE?! $29.99 for adults and kids have to be measured upon entrance to determine price. Service was excellent! (probably since gratuity is automatically added to the bill) We got there around 5:30, and dinner service was starting to pick up already. Probably because it was a Friday night. Regardless, everything came out fairly quick which was very helpful when you have 2 hungry kids. Dumplings and fishcakes were a hit. Can't go wrong with beef brisket, but we also tried the soy marinated steak since it was noted as top seller. We would get it again. Kid approved too! FYI - one order of rice is huge so don't over order. The only thing is their egg casserole took forever to cook and they wouldn't give us foil to cover it so it would cook thoroughly. Even after an hour of cooking, the egg wasn't even cooked all the way so we couldn't risk giving it to the kids. All in all, family friendly spot. Adding this place to the rotation. read more

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Korean BBQ, a place where you can self-grill and sample various side dishes to compliment your protein you cooked and the best part, you don't need to wash the dishes. I occasionally stop here for a quick meal, where the menu has a beef or pork combo where you pick two marinated protein. I like the pork combo (avg $28 per protein) and comes with a small spicy tofu soup (spicy). The server will bring the hot grill and will place the protein for you and if they are not too busy will return to flip and cut into small pieces. Sometimes, they forget so be prepared to make sure you don't let it burn. Overall the food is tasty and you get to cook your own. Parking in lot is $2 for 3 hours and they validate. read more

There is a lot this restaurant could improve on, the food quality and service has gone downhill since the last time we ate here. The meat was very fatty and several pieces were really hard to digest. We had spent an hour and a half, and unfortunately our waitress had only checked up on us once throughout that time. We had ran out of water and sides with our grill completely burnt to a char. For a restaurant we once used to frequently visit, this was a very disappointing experience. read more

Daebak Korean BBQ - Brisket - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Si amas la comida Korea a tiene que venir aquí , la música es muy animada y va de acuerdo al lugar !! La comida de alta calidad !! El servicio rápido y eficiente , fue rápido y limpio , ellos te cocinan la carne al centro de la mesa eso no es común así que me encantó !! Muy bien sazonadas las carnes y el precio nada caro para 4 personas , te ofrecen 3 opciones según el paquete que elijas son las carnes y las combinaciones !!! Yo si lo recomiendo y volveré apenas regrese a Chicago !!!! Les pongo fotos para que se den una idea !!! read more

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Looking for street food? Enter the door to the left. Korean BBQ for dine-in? Head upstairs via the door to the right. We had a short wait on a late Saturday afternoon for our party of two. We chose the Beef combo with marinated short ribs and ribeye steak, and the non-spicy soup option. Unlike other Korean BBQ spots I've tried, here, they cook the meat for you with comfortable breaks in between. The combo comes with so many "sides"/accompaniments to try. First time, no problem! Simply ask for guidance. Our waiter demonstrated how he typically builds his lettuce wrap. He cut the lettuce with scissors, grabbed some ribeye he'd just prepared for us, dipped it in a delicious sauce, followed by some seasoned salad and told me to eat it in one bite. It was so good! You get to have fun here with the different combinations! There's are two, gendered-bathrooms so count on there always being a short wait for the bathroom. read more

Daebak Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Food great, drinks great, people great! Ambiance wonderfully lite! Would definitely come again

Terrible service for our party of 5 and the restaurant only had 2 other tables! I assume the older lady that seated us was the owner. She was super cold and y friendly from the start. The wait for the food was long and the general vibe since the first time we came all changed. The rudest part was when she cooked the beef for us and basically swatted us from the bbq grill. We will for sure never dine here again. There's far better KBBQ places that deserve our patronage. I can't imagine this place will stay open that long. read more

I wish I could review the food but I can only review the service since they didn't allow us to even order. I went with my sister, girlfriend, and cousin after a kpop concert because we heard the groups sometimes come here after. We walked in, got seated by the hostess who was very nice. Our waiter (who we all think was drunk and checking some of these other reviews it sounds like he most likely was) came over to take our order but we had just sat down so we had barely looked over the menu. While we were deciding on our actual dinner we asked for the tteokbokki. It was close to closing, about 45 minutes before close, so we didn't wanna order off the kbbq part of the menu since it's an hour and a half time limit and we'd only be there for 45 minutes at most plus my sister is vegetarian so cooking meats in front of her felt wrong. So the tteokbokki comes out and the waiter turns the burner on to start cooking it. He asks what we want to eat and we go through our order. He then tells us, slurring his words the whole time, that since we aren't eating kbbq from the meat side of the menu then we would have to move to a non kbbq table. I thought that was weird since it was pretty close to closing and the restaurant wasn't even close to being full but we didn't wanna make any issue for something small like that. It honestly seemed like more work for the waiter than us. So he goes to get another table ready and when he gets back he tells us that we actually can't eat anything if we aren't eating off the kbbq menu. I was speechless, I told him ok let us decide. He then TAKES THE FOOD WE ORDERED OFF THE TABLE AND PUTS HIS FINGERS IN THE CHEESE FOR THE TTEOKBOKKI. At that point I made my decision that I just wanted to go, so I got up and left. I wanted to talk to a manager or something but we still needed to actually eat dinner somewhere so I didn't wanna waste any more time in this place. I'm honestly glad we didn't eat here after reading these reviews. I especially wouldn't have felt right about a forced 20% tip with how drunk the waiter was and how terrible his service was. We went to Mother's Ruin instead, go to Mother's Ruin instead. read more

If I can rate this place a 0 I would The meat was borderline not edible because of how tough the meat was We kept having to ask them to change out the grill Veggie dumplings were soggy No galbi for all you can eat We ordered the marinated steak and I had to keep chewing , same with the bulgogi and brisket They charged us 15 dollars each person bc we had left over meat even though we told them we couldn't chew it Not coming again read more

Located in Chinatown Plaza on 2nd floor. It is not all you can eat, but they have decent price points for variety of meats. You get all the ban chans. You automatically get cheese corn, steamed egg, and onions on the grill. Someone will cook the meat for you so different from other Korean bbq places. Lots of open tables and service is quick. K pop playing in background. read more

I recently visited Daebak for the first time, and while it was bustling due to the weekend crowd, our reservation ensured we were seated promptly. We opted for the all-beef barbecue along with kimchi pork soup. The barbecue was impressive--juicy and crispy, complemented by an excellent variety of sides and sauces. I was not a fan of the kimchi soup tho. And, we did experience a delay of about 10 minutes before the hostess took our order. I would recommend visiting during the day or on weekdays for a smoother experience. Once our order was in, the hostess was attentive and frequently checked in to assist with the barbecue, which enhanced our overall dining experience. Ambience was like any other Korean bbq place. read more

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I am so late writing my review after my vacation in the area so I forgot exactly what we ordered. However it is your typical Korean bbq spread of multiple sides, pork belly and a couple other meats. It can be pricey and very filling ($70+ for big meal here) we had so much just for two so come hungry, you get what you pay for as it was worth it! I guess the only inconvenience was there tend to be a wait for the bathroom as only one stall and the staff weren't very friendly otherwise loved it, convenient in Chinatown. read more

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Marinated Beef Short Ribs 4 medium tender Marinated Pork Belly 3 thin slice Beef Short Ribs Soup 4 huge full ribs, tender, juicy read more

If you are new to Korean BBQ this is a great place to start The menu is easy to follow and they cook the food for you. If you are a K-Drama watcher, many of the drinks you see in shows are served here so you can further experience the culture. The spicy chicken stew is a fave. And I recommend ordering the kimchi pancake. Be mindful that you have to pay for extra lettuce. read more

My cousin came from out of town and she had seen the reviews online and wanted to try it so we brought her and we loved it everything about it. read more

Had a reservation for Friday night for date night. We've been here before and loved it! We ordered the prime short rib and thinly sliced brisket for our meat and we got jap chae and seafood pancake on the side. Everything was delicious. They bring out the little sides first, so like different kimchis, bean sprouts, lettuce leafs, sauces, etc. then they bring the meat out and cook it for you. I really enjoyed the short rib and my absolute favorite was the seafood pancake. We ended up taking half of the pancake and the jap chae home. Everything else left in our tummy's lol. I would definitely come here again. read more

If you're going - plan on staying for two days bc that's how long it takes to chew the meat. Meat had all fat and cartilage. Service was great but the food is soooo bad. Like the worst Korean bbq I've ever had. If you want food Korean food go to ajhumma kitchen down the street. Way better read more

Our group visited on a Friday evening. It was bustling but luckily only took about 20 minutes to get a table. We ordered the beef BBQ special and I felt that the meat was a bit bland overall, although the portion was generous. I appreciated that the beef was grilled for us, but felt that it was generally over cooked. I really enjoyed the spicy cold noodles and the kimchi jjigae. The banchan were tasty overall but small portions for a large party, and we were told that they would not be refilled. I was excited for the corn and egg banchan but personally found them to be a bit bland as well. I would return for the noodles or another entree. Overall, it's nice to see another option for k-bbq and worth a visit if you're in the area. read more

Daebak Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My boyfriend and I have heard a lot about Daebak over the years and finally decided to try it today. Being super honest, everything was pretty average. We started with the seafood pancake (the smaller/ regular one). It was crispy, but kind of dry. It was pretty bland too, but there was a sesame soy sauce dip that came with it. Overall, meh. Moving on, we got a beef combo with pork belly add on. The meats were just okay, not too much flavor in them and they were thin. Also, our server did not let us cook the meats. She specifically said that they must do the cooking. We were fine with that, but she legit only cooked the pork belly for like a minute on each side and was ready to serve it to us. We kindly asked that she left them on the side of the grill and we let them cook a bit more before eating lol. My favorite thing about the whole experience was probably the banchans. There were so many varieties and every one tasted sooo good! That piece of kabocha squash?!? IMMACULATE! Lool. We are probably not going to visit again, but I will definitely try to recreate the kabocha. I would say if you live near Chinatown and are desperately craving kbbq but don't want to drive far, Daebak will satisfy you. However, my boyfriend and I both agree there are much better kbbq spots (and less expensive too). TIP: The combos come with a side of egg and corn cheese (if that's your deciding factor, it's a pass for me cus the corn has a strong can taste and the egg is not a game changer). read more

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Our party of 5 recently ate at Daebak Korean BBQ, stationed along the western edge of Chinatown Square. They apparently have 2 levels, with the upper level serving old school Korean BBQ. We ate in the lower level, where the menu features Korean "street food" but at higher than street food prices. It seems that fans of K-Pop would enjoy dining here based on the casual furniture and decor, along with the piped in music and videos. You order at the counter and pick up your food at the counter. Our group tried a variety of food items. Anything that looked very red was probably spicy (such as spicy beef short rib soup), so my love and I passed on those items. The wings were saucy and zingy and messy and tasty, while the dumplings were just OK. The beef bulgogi is served in essentially plastic bento boxes, with side items also in plastic containers. The beef and the rice are pretty good, though not quite to the level of deliciousness as the bulgogi served at Del Seoul. read more

Daebak was on my Chicago to-do list for obvious reasons...TXT dined here during lollapalooza duuuhh. Lol We dined on Saturday afternoon and I have a mixed review. The space itself is pretty small and the tables can be a bit congested. Especially if you have a group larger than 4, so keep that in mind. The service was okay, not very friendly but they cooked our food properly I guess. Lol The food was really good though and absolutely authentic so I can see why the kpop groups dine here while in town. We went with the large beef combo, added an order of pork belly and seafood tofu soup. For five of us, the meal was just enough to keep us full without having to unbutton our pants. Lol The beef was all tasty. I couldn't tell you what cuts we got because the menu was a bit confusing but I know the brisket was tasty. The pork belly was extra crispy and delicious! We got the spicy marinated pork belly and it sure was spicy. Banchon was all good too. I really enjoyed the salad - also spicy. The kimchi was all really good, especially the radish kimchi. The two stews we ordered were also tasty. Soy bean was the perfect balance between salty and savory. The seafood jjiage was my cousin's favorite. She went as far to say, it was the best seafood jjiage she's had. I can imagine they get busyyyyyy, so make a reservation! I played it safe and made a reservation at 3pm and the space was over half full. read more

Daebak Korean BBQ - a bottle of beer and shot glasses - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The food here was delicious! I'm Korean, so I'm very picky. I felt like I was in a restaurant in Korea. We had kalbi, pork belly, and kimchi jigae. All were 10/10. It was a fun vibe and everyone I was with loved the food. The service was very good and the soju selection was great. Great for families, date night, special occasions, etc. read more

It's overpriced for the quality. The meat was hard to chew and had a lot of fat and tasted like low quality. I recommend other places, it's basically 40$ a person after mandatory high tips and their low quality food. Too expensive for what we got. read more

Came here with my wife, and kids ages 17 and 14. It was my daughters 14th birthday. The space itself is basically one large room with hibachi type set-ups at each table. There is K-Pop videos playing on the two TV's. We were there for lunch on the early side, so it was not packed. Our server asked us for our order and we chose the combo for 4, which costs around $130. In the combo we got a soup (Miso or Kimchi), and then three types of steak. The steak is cooked right in front of you along with onions. Mushrooms, corn with cheese, and eggs. There are also several sides that are put out, such as pickled radish, potato salad, bean sprouts, fish tofu, and zucchini. There is also a Miso sauce and a Sesame Sauce. Eaters are encouraged to try different combinations of flavors and textures. The food itself is ok, probably a 3.5, but the fun of the meal is a 4.5. Overall, fun place and good food. Go read more

Daebak Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I've been wanting to try kbbq forever now and am so happy with this place. Their food is amazing and our waiter was so kind!! There wasn't that long of a wait to be seated and for the food to be ready. I will definitely go again! read more

Daebak Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Don't waste your money on this place. We had a party of 4 and did AYCE and it was not worth it. They give you 90 minutes and they mean it. We spent majority of the time waiting for our meat to cook and when we asked for them to turn up the heat they insisted that we just needed to change our grill even though we had only used it to cook 1 round of meat. The meat itself wasn't good either and the portions were very small. When we were roughly at the hour mark, our server started to rush us and get more antsy as time went on. Our server came over closer to the 75ish minute mark and we wanted to ask for 1 more portion of meat, but reached over to turn off the grill and fan and then walked away fast. When we received the bill, we noticed that they had given themselves a 18% tip. We were definitely not satisfied with this place and are super disappointed. Im editing this to add in that everyone in my group got food poisoning from this place. Please do not waste your time here. read more