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    Dancen

    3.9 (222 reviews)
    ModerateKorean, Bars
    Closed 5:00 pm - 12:00 am (Next day)

    Dancen Photos

    Business Info

    DANCEN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Divey
    Casual
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Dancen

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    Reviews With Photos

    Fire chicken with cheese
    Amy L.

    Amazing Korean bar food! The space is pretty small so there may be a wait but it's usually not super long. Even though it's small the vibe is great and the food is even better! Their pancake is crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside - the perfect texture. My FAVORITE thing there is the pork skin - it was delicious and such a surprise! I saw a lot of people getting it so decided to try it and what a good move it's my favorite thing here now! Another highlight is the fire chicken with cheese it is so Smokey and delicious. 10/10 would recommend this place

    Fire chicken with cheese
    Tina L.

    Solid spot for Korean bar food. The ambiance is chill n laid back. This place is great for a casual night with friends. There's K-pop music vids playing on a big screen. I believe it's open late on the weekends! The tuna and kimchi soup was super tasty and comes out piping hot in a stone bowl (IYKYK). The fire chicken with cheese had tons of flavor (the marinade is awesome), but there were lots of cartilage pieces we had to eat around. Unfortunately, the seafood pancake was kinda mid. The batter wasn't crispy at all. However, the flavor was good and there was a good amount of seafood.

    Pork skin

    This was actually really bad. When you first get there the place looks broken down like it is closed. The food was super bad! I wanted it to be good and we tried to power through. But the meat actually tasted like saw dust. The vibe inside was super weird too.

    Helen H.

    Small but cozy. We got there around 7:30pm. The place was pretty much full the whole time until we left. Very few tables for seating. We ordered the fire chicken with cheese. I highly recommend the fire chicken. The cheese is not necessary but get it if you like it. I was surprised by how delicious the chicken was. It was marinated just right. Spicy but tasty. I would order a bowl of rice or two to eat with it. It was enough for two people. Most of the menu prices felt a little bit pricey. I would definitely come back to get fire chicken though.

    Fire chicken with cheese
    Gowtham Chakkravarthy N.

    Dancen is always a must try Korean restaurant in Chicago. One might be fooled by their exterior but it's very cozy inside. The food and the service is always excellent! The fire chicken with cheese is definitely worth the trip from the downtown and a hit about my friends.

    Seafood pancake
    Christina H.

    I'm always on the hunt for the best Korean food in town, so when I saw the booming reviews for Dancen, I knew I had to check them out. The interior reminds me of a pub/bar and it's quite small but it didn't feel suffocating. Service was standard. The star of the meal was the seafood pancake- the best I've had in Chicago. The texture was super chewy and it was cooked well. Also got the spicy pork which had a spicy kick at the end. Noting super special in my opinion- I've had better pork elsewhere. I wish this place offered bonchons (at least ones for free) since it would've added more flavor to the meal. Total for 2 dishes and a side of rice was about $50.

    Pam C.

    Have been meaning to come check out Dancen for a while! Came by on a Saturday early evening, and the place was fairly busy. We were able to nab the last table before there started to be a wait. By the time we left around 9pm there was a fairly long wait of people outside. Interior is very small and divey, with fun light decor and a very large open kitchen with the grill. The menu has a lot of grill top favorites as well as a long list of stews. They have soju and makgeolli cocktails as well as bottles of soju for sale. Service was pretty hit or miss but they look a bit understaffed with just one waiter/host and a grill chef. We got the budae jigae which came in a huge serving filled with hot dog and spam. The broth was rich and spicy, and served over a burner. Very tasty to share. The fire chicken was a bit of a miss for us but definitely very popular. The chicken wasn't as spicy as we expected and the portion was a bit small for the price. Overall definitely worth a try. Dancen is a pretty low key vibe with good food!

    Seafood pancake
    Kimberly L.

    Divey neighborhood spot we discovered on YouTube! Came for the fire chicken with cheese and also did the pork skins and seafood pancake. To start, the seafood pancake lived up to all of the reviews. It was huge and not shy on filling. Huge bites of seafood and green onion. Probably the best I've had. Next up was the pork skins. We regret not doing FIRE as we think the seasoning would have moistening them up a bit? They were good but just plain I'd say way too salty.. Fire chick with cheese - delish! Make sure you order a side of rice (even kimchi) to go with it. The cheese is melty and the chicken was savory. I Iike spice but can't tolerate extreme heat and this was just perfect. One thing is I wish I asked for some slaw or dressing to balance out the savoryness of the meal.

    Sweet Chicken
    Stevan T.

    Interesting divy like place but great unique food that is very filling. It's small on the inside with orange walls and playing K Pop. It's a fun different vibe but just know going in it's nothing fancy at all on the inside. Food seems pricey but every dish can feed two and I think is best shared. It's pretty fast service as well. I would go back

    Michelle C.

    Dancen has a great ambiance! If you are looking for a laid-back spot to hang out with a small group of friends, then this is the perfect place for you. All the dishes we ordered were super delicious! I strongly recommend their seafood pancake as it is probably the best I've had. I will go going back when I crave for some authentic Korean food again!

    Rice balls

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    9 months ago

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    6 months ago

    The fire chicken is the bomb. Crazy cool vibe with Kpop on the tvs . Fun hang out and the fire grill is pretty cool.

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    2 years ago

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    9 months ago

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    1 year ago

    Really love the fire chicken and seafood pancake, specifically. Service is fast. Ambiance is cozy

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Great place to have nice food with small group of people, their pork and ramen were best.

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Cheesey fire chicken is awesome but you can't go wrong with anything here all the food is great

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    5 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Food selection limited, overpriced for below average quality korean food. Small boring atmosphere.

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    Page 1 of 6

    Ask the Community - Dancen

    Are they staying open for takeout orders? I've tried calling several times with no answer. Was not sure if it was temporary closure or just too busy to pick up.

    Call them after 5 PM to see if they pick up the phone...

    Is Dancen BYOB?

    No, they have soju, rice wine, and beer.

    View All 3 Questions

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    Nobody's Darling - Wine Down Wednesday! $20 Bottles of Wine & $7 Glasses of Wine

    Nobody's Darling

    (92 reviews)

    $$

    Andersonville, Edgewater

    In honor of Women's History Month I would like to update my review of Nobody's Darling to state…read morethat the lovely owners of this fine establishment are still doing their thing. Nobody's Darling is not just to have a chat and cocktail, they offer quite a few events for folks to attend. Below are a few examples of the swinging times you can have there. In 2026 I am so happy that they are still in business and thriving. The vibe is still cool, the menu for the cocktails is still exciting and the crowd is eclectic. Wine Down Wednesday Unwind midweek with Happy Hour 5-7pm $7 glasses of wine $20 bottles Thursday: Pitch Your Peeps Help your friend find love (or vibes). Pitch them to the room - all relationship styles welcome. Feel Good Fridayz w/ DJ All The Way Kay Start the weekend right! Happy Hour 5-7pm DJ Kay live 8-11pm Sunday Karaoke All Day Happy Hour starting at 2pm Karaoke 5pm-8pm Sip.Sing. Repeat. Empanadas by De Luna Empanada 7pm-10pm DJ Gloria on the decks Cocktails flowing all night Friday, March 20 DJ Set 8-11PM

    Great drinks and no douchy "bro" energy to be found anywhere. I love this bar. The staff is so…read morefriendly and the vibe of the entire experience was very appealing. It's thought of as a gay bar and clearly that's a lot of the clientele, but all are welcome. Cocktails are delicious and run about $15 each. Pretty standard pricing. They have a good selection of n/a drinks and a menu for lower alcohol cocktails as well. Great neighborhood bar

    Platform 47 - Jalisco Burger

    Platform 47

    (38 reviews)

    $$

    Ravenswood, Lincoln Square

    This place is right off the Damen brown line stop. Down the block from Lawrence Ave. It used to be…read morea different restaurant a couple of years ago and it shut down, but a couple bought it and revamped the spot. It was three of us meeting for dinner and some drinks. My friend had white wine, hubby had an Espressotini, and I the watermelon-cucumber marg. We ordered the cauliflower ceviche, the Cauliflower wings, and the Brussels sprouts as appetizer. Then as an entree, my friend had the Jalisco Burger, hubby had the Salmon, and I a Salmon Caesar Salad. I personally loved the salad and the appetizers were great. Everyone else ate ALL their food, so I assume they also enjoyed it. The location was actually having an 80s night and there was a Dj and space for dancing. There were some people there dress for the themed night and it was just a great vibe. Talking with our friend and eating made us lose track of time and then it was time to leave but before we did, we met one of the owners who actually recommended I come by and visit. (Shoutout to Marcos ) He is the most warm and sunny person, and he was so grateful we actually came by. We had a shot and honestly I'd come back because of him. He told us a little bit about him, his family and about the restaurant backstory. I truly recommend you coming here, you will have a great time. Oh, and almost forgot, they have outside sitting, so you know it will be a great time when you just want to have an outside patio vibe with friends and some drinks. P.s. As you can tell, there are only two pictures. I was so, involved in the moment with my friend's stories and then the appetizers came and nothing else mattered. We all lost track of time and just enjoyed the vibe, the beautiful night, and time with friends, drinks, and food. Oh and 80s music.

    I stopped by Monday since they were donating 15% of tabs to The Friendship Center food pantry. I'd…read morebeen meaning to come by since they so generously donated mac and cheese to them for the Thanksgiving meals for the hungry in our community. It's a nice place. Kind of a sports bar but seems a little nicer than your average storeys bar. Service was friendly and helpful. I got the vegetarian ceviche, and it was delicious! It was served with aioli and a healing serving of chips. I've never eaten seafood and been vegetarian for over 30 years, but my boyfriend had a taste and also thought it was good and said they got the right flavor profile. He got the burger and tots and said both were very good. I'll definitely be back!

    Dancen - korean - Updated May 2026

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