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Dancen

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

Dancen Photos

Business Info

DANCEN ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Divey
Casual
Moderate noise
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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I love this place! The food is amazing and the service is great. The staff is friendly and prompt and the cheesy fire chicken is the best.

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12 years ago

Went here second time today. The spicy rice cake and fire chicken are two of my favorites!

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Page 6 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.

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People searched for Korean 20,006 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

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PERILLA korean fare - smoked beet tartare with egg yolk jam, korean pear, and ssam

PERILLA korean fare

4.1(404 reviews)
6.4 miRiver West, West Loop, Near West Side, West Town
$$$
Locally owned & operated
Vegetarian friendly

We came to perilla as a group and we really enjoyed it! The meats were all high quality and…read moredelicious! Staff were super friendly, engaging, and helpful. Restaurant was clean, well designed, and you could tell management was actively engaged. Worth a visit if you're craving Korean BBQ!

Not much of the Korean fare. This place has a cute setting, clean, crisp and western atmosphere…read more Food is ok, but cannot say is amazing. The drinks were good. We had the Cloud 9 and Honey I strung the figs, both were quite unique and very good, surprisingly. What bugged me most was that the whole restaurant seemed to have only one waiter who takes orders. He was quite friendly and detailed in explaining.each and everything. But, that was exactly the problem. The waiter spent so much time on each table upfront. I got way impatient after a while waiting for him to come back to check on us. If we would have known better, we should have ordered and requested everything upfront. We did not expect him to have forgotten (or ignored) us for that long of time. In addition, I would have thought that the food, cooked and uncooked, would at least come out one after the other, at a steady pace. Well ok, they did come at a pace, but a very slow pace, very non-continuing. E.g the rice came out only when almost all meat was gone. So we never warmed up to the mood of having a satisfying meal as we have minimal on the table at any time to work on. Not quite satisfying as a dining meal experience. However, and however, If you want to come and take your time to chat and chat for the whole night, it might be the place. Have fun and enjoy your time with minimal interruption. No rush at all! I usually prefer good food first and then reasonably attentive service. So. I'd have to pass on this place. There are other better Korean fare for food out there.

Photos
PERILLA korean fare - Scallion Pancake with Soy Vinaigrette

Scallion Pancake with Soy Vinaigrette

PERILLA korean fare - USDA Prime Tasting Plate

USDA Prime Tasting Plate

PERILLA korean fare - Jjampong Mussels & Gulf Shrimp in our Spicy Broth

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Han Bat Restaurant

Han Bat Restaurant

4.3(221 reviews)
0.5 miLincoln Square, Ravenswood
$$

I love this place. Authentic seolleongtang in the city. They mostly only serve one dish,…read moreseolleongtang, but with different cuts of meat. Sister restaurant to the well-known Han Bat Sul Lung Tang in LA. Takes only cash but there's an ATM in the shop. The dining experience here is a vibe. There's only a few people running the shop, and every time I come here, somehow there's only a few people dining in. It's a fairly small space, but beautiful shop. Very peaceful. A good place to enjoy a nice, warm bowl of ox bone soup. It is a bit far from the city center, but it's well worth the trek. The food is delicious. Each meal comes with whole cabbage kimchi, which gets cut up in front of you, and diced radish kimchi. Both side dishes are absolutely delicious and fresh. When the soup comes out, you get to salt and pepper the soup to your own liking. Honestly some of the best Korean food in Chicago.

This is one of those truly authentic Korean soup spots that keeps things simple--they serve only…read moreone type of soup, and that alone tells you a lot. The service is just so-so, which honestly reinforces that this is not an Americanized Korean restaurant. The space itself is very small and feels quite old and worn down. Many items are kept outside the kitchen area, almost as if they belong inside, giving the place a cluttered, no-frills atmosphere. As for the food, the soup is decent but nothing particularly memorable. However, the radish and kimchi stand out--they taste genuinely house-made and are easily the best part of the meal. Overall, this place is more about authenticity than comfort or presentation. If you value traditional Korean flavors and don't mind a rough, utilitarian setting, it may be worth a visit.

Photos
Han Bat Restaurant
Han Bat Restaurant
Han Bat Restaurant

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Perilla korean steakhouse

Perilla korean steakhouse

4.2(191 reviews)
7.0 miThe Loop
$$$$
Locally owned & operated
Takes reservations

Had a wonderful business dinner here! The staff were extremely accommodating to our party of 6…read more Thank you to manager, Eric, for all his help. Great menu including cocktails and fun upscale KBBQ experience. A fun modern twist on a business "steak dinner".

Unfortunately, one of my worst dining experiences was in Chicago. Starting off, our food was…read moredelicious. I have nothing but praise for the kitchen team. For starters, we ordered the kimchi pork dumplings and grilled octopus, which both tasted great, but the kimchi flavoring did overpower everything. Our main course included the marinated short rib, wag rib eye, and a5 5 brisket which were all cooked to perfection by our server. However, my experience at Perilla Steakhouse was hands down frustrating. Upon arrival, things were off to a rough start when I could barely hear the server over the music. At times, I felt like our server was rushing us through our meal based on how much less attention he gave us versus the other tables. I'm not someone who needs my glass refilled every minute either to be clear, but things did feel off with how slow our meal was paced out and the general disinterest the server had in us. For reference, we arrived early to a nearly empty restaurant that hadn't started peak dining time yet. I recognize the steakhouse is an upscale, chic take on traditional Korean dishes and I admire the chef for sharing his culture with the city. I also understand restaurants are going to be more expensive, the closer you are located in relation to downtown. Even so, in comparison to other nearby high-end restaurants, the price to portion ratio for our meal felt off. For example, our $16 dumplings included 3 dumplings on a plate. Yes, there's an argument for inflation and the cost of quality ingredients, but I argue that at this price point we shouldn't have left hungry either.

Photos
Perilla korean steakhouse - Custom built-in table side grilling

Custom built-in table side grilling

Perilla korean steakhouse - Whipped Bone Marrow Set

Whipped Bone Marrow Set

Perilla korean steakhouse

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Parachute Hi Fi - Fried chicken Sando

Parachute Hi Fi

4.4(41 reviews)
2.2 miAvondale

Run to Parachute HiFi! Chef Beverly Kim's recent appearance on America's Culinary Cup made me want…read moreto try her latest rendition of Parachute, Parachute HiFi. It's a more relaxed concept than the OG, serving Korean inspired bar food and inventive cocktails. While I liked the original Parachute, I am obsessed with Parachute HiFi. You must order the bing bread. It's what they are known for, and for good reason. It reminded me of a large doughy pizza roll, in the best way. I was also in love with the tapioca fritters with pepper jelly. The texture of the tapioca fritter was so unique and fun, and the pepper jelly was seriously out of this world. Bottle that stuff up and sell it! Whoever said the ttebokki pad Thai didn't taste like pad thai was wrong - it does and was a satisfying dish that I'd order again! I love twists on a classic and it was so smart to use rice cakes instead of the traditional noodles. The cocktails all sounded amazing, especially having names like pineapple upside down cake and black sesame. They got me intrigued for sure. Both cocktails were well balanced and enjoyable. Can't wait to return to try more from the menu (like that burger!)

My Chicago son (#3 of 4) and his fiancee were talking very complimentarily about this restaurant…read morecalled Parachute Hi Fi over in the Irving Park area of Chicago. They said it's basically a Korean restaurant with not much Korean food on the menu, but is really good. That immediately sparked my curiosity. I said let's go, it sounds interesting. We all met at 8:00 at Parachute that sorta, kinda sometimes takes reservations; and we did not have one. Not to fear, as the greeter-seater got us three stools at the bar, which by the way, were the best seats in the house. Parachutes menu was all over the place but my son particularly pointed out their hamburger, and I (then) knew why: Living in Los Angeles for a k-billion years, my favorite hamburger was at a restaurant called My Father's Office, owned by Sang Yoon, a Korean chef. His off-beat burgers were sensational! The burger here at Parachute were equally off-beat, so I immediately ordered it. Damn, was it delicious! There were so many things going on here that my head was buzzing, trying to put all these flavors together? And yes, their burger rivaled Chef Yoons burger in L.A.! The burger came cut in two with each side resting in mayo and BBQ sauce. Wow, was it bizarre, offbeat, unique, atypical and the adjectives keep on going; but the adverb used on the burger was - MESSY, and I loved it. I didn't need napkins to stay clean, I needed a beach towel. The fries I ordered were fantastic along with their banana based ketchup which again was strangely weird but excellent. My OB Korean beer paired perfectly with my "Perfect Storm" hamburger. My son and his fiancee went with a salad and Pad Thai Noodles with shrimp which was equally as delicious as my meal. Parachute Hi Fi was definitely an anomaly that I enjoyed very (very) much. And, yes, I'll be back!

Photos
Parachute Hi Fi - Vibes

Vibes

Parachute Hi Fi - Brazilian tapioca and cheese bite

Brazilian tapioca and cheese bite

Parachute Hi Fi - Black Sesame Cookie cocktail

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Black Sesame Cookie cocktail

Del Seoul - Fish and shrimp taco

Del Seoul

4.3(2.5k reviews)
4.0 miLincoln Park
$$

food was SO good. we got the wings, the shrimp banh mi, the steamed dumplings, and some of the…read moretacos. I would reccomend everything. Will definitely be back.

4.5 stars in reality…read more Tried the vegan/vegetarian mushroom japchae. The portion size was gigantic, but the japchae itself consisted mostly of vegetables (carrots, onions, bokchoy, and of course mushrooms) so it was easy enough to finish the portion in one sitting. Despite its size, the dish was extremely light and flavourful and I had enough room for cheesecake at a neighbouring establishment. My friend ordered the pork bento box, and though I don't eat meat, the arrangement and plating of the food was a beautiful visual spectacle. We shared the spiced fries that came with a creamy aioli dip - the fries were perfectly spiced but perhaps not unique to this restaurant in terms of quality and flavour. There were many dishes on the menu that looked like they were veganizable, so I will definitely try them when I return. The ambience was unremarkable, though the restaurant was very clean. You need to order at the counter and the food is brought to your table. The servers were very polite. The food is on the pricier end in the context of a somewhat characterless ambience and the fact that you need to order at the counter. My friend and I travelled for nearly an hour to get to this restaurant, and were quite pleased on the whole. We will definitely be back, and I look forward to trying more vegan/vegetarian options!

Photos
Del Seoul - Inside

Inside

Del Seoul - Hot Stone Bibimbap

Hot Stone Bibimbap

Del Seoul - Bibimbap Regular

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Bibimbap Regular

Dancen - korean - Updated May 2026

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