Their hours could be better but other than that, their food is pretty tasty and reasonably priced considering the area and quality. The Korean Fried Chicken is sooo addicting. read more

Have only gotten take out but the food is delicious! Such great quality and quantity for the price. I've had the bibimbap, japchae, kalbi and dumplings. All were excellent. There could have been more variety of banchan, however. I look forward to visiting in person sometime. Andersonville is lucky to have Jin Ju. read more

The service was amazing. When coming in they were so humble and nice. They greeted us with a smile and sat us quickly. The cooks were brisk when it came to bringing out the food. We did not wait long to receive our food. But when the food came out I tasted AMAZING. It had so much flavor. My family usually doesn't like Korean food but we went for my birthday and they loved it so much they said they would love to come again. They especially liked the fact that the restaurant had cushions on the seats, the place looked comfortable and beautiful. If anyone asked what I would recommend I would say the bibimpa, dak gan jan, and the Kimbap read more

Jin Ju - Bi Bim Bap - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Kitae was our server and he was sensational. Such an air about him I thought he owned the place. First time there and I highly recommend the bacon flavored octopus. (It's pork belly and my refined palate thought it was octopus). First time having Kalbi beef since living in Hawaii, off the chain can't wait to go back. Tell Kitae Eric sent you to have the bacon octopus. read more

I came to this place after passing by many times. I always wanted to try it out. Got a reservation on the phone. The food was delicious, everything we tried was good! We got steamed dumplings, really good and they offered free pickles and kimchi. Our main dishes were Bibimbap with baby octopus and Kalbi. It was really fresh, crispy and delicious. The Kalbi was a lot of smoked grilled flavour. I really enjoyed the place, and might come back. It is silly to say one of my favorite things of all was a free potato salad. I totally recommend the place. read more

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This update is for take out. I was supposed to be going to a Yelp event at the Merchandise Mart (ChiBuys Winter Tasting: https://www.yelp.com/events/chicago-chibuys-winter-tasting) but got called into a last minute FDA Readiness meeting for work. Heard from my girl Maronda that the food was the bomb. Since I was salty as hell about missing the event, I felt the need to reward myself with some take out. Jin Jun came to mind as initially I was thinking Korean chicken wings and mandoo. My mama done told me before she passed on not to order take out when hangry. She was right. Called in an order for pick up...way to much to eat, but who cares. Same food as when you go to the restaurant, but they put a lot of care into the presentation when packing it. So it is not piping hot like you get in the restaurant, but it is still very good. But I am giving Jin Ju props for taking the time to pack my food so it looks pretty when I get home, even though I couldn't eat it all :-) read more

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Urge food was great as usual. I had the bulgogi which was tender and tasty. My friends had the chap che which was a noodle dish and the bibambap. All very good. The ambiance was nice and the drinks were good. Prices were reasonable for Andersonville. read more

Yesterday, went there for the first time. everything was amazing! We're already planning on going back to enjoy again!

Jin Ju offers an affordable and approachable take on a variety of Korean dishes. I like to think of it as a perfect gateway restaurant for Korean cuisine. I have eaten the beef bibimbap, beef chapchae, dumplings, and the pajeon (which was awesome) and they have all hit the spot. I am definitely going to be ordering delivery from here at least once a week. It's restaurants like this that make me grateful to be living in Andersonville. read more

My friends and I stumbled upon Jin Ju after going to a haunted house a few blocks down the street. When we walked in we were surprised at how nice the aesthetic of the restaurant is comparative to the relatively moderate cost of dinner. It is chic yet simple. We got 4 small plates and one large entree as follows: kimchi scallion pancake, wings, Brussels sprouts and pork belly, mandoo (dumplings) and a large seafood dol sot bibimbap to share. We all also got sojuntinis which were phenomenal. The food was perfectly cooked, came quickly, and all tasty. It's the best higher end Korean restaurant I've been to. Definitely surpassed Parachute by miles. Between all the food and four cocktails, we only spent about $30 each for the four of us which is better than most places. The service was also nice and attentive. I'll be back for sure. read more

Jin Ju - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I really enjoyed Jin Ju's ambiance and great food. The bi bim bap was delicious and filling. read more

Jin Ju - Vegetarian Bi Bim Bap - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Cozy vibe with great music. Thought I think the food fell a little flat the cocktails definitely made up for it. Awesome service as well! Definitely a gem in the Andersonville neighborhood. We made a reservation for 4 on a Saturday night only a few hours before- so it's an awesome last minute choice if you're scrambling. read more

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Came here twice for dinner with my boyfriend. The soju martinis were a little too strong for my taste the second time around but there's a wide variety of flavors to choose from-- might've just been the one i had (the lemon one i believe). I got the dak bulgogi both times because it was so good. We really enjoyed the ambiance too, we sat near the windows and they had opened them up for the summer. The service was also nice, they answered all our dietary restriction questions but didn't come by super often after we got our food. The place was also pretty packed so I don't blame them. read more

I've been to Jin Ju before and was back this week. The food was good (not great...but good) but the service was so underwhelming. I felt the wait staff were a bit condescending, it was a slow wait for drinks and service and the staff lacked connection with my table. I was taking friends out for a celebratory dinner which was a bummer. It would have been nice to have some energy from the staff. More explanation of the menu to newbies there. Etc. The energy from the staff was strange. Having a door dash table for take out pick ups by the front door certainly scales down the ambiance of the place too. read more

Had a great meal and a few drinks with my partner here. Highly recommend the food and cocktails! The service was great and felt very comfortable in the restaurant. Very cozy place to catch up with friends over food and drink. read more

Had the lychee sojutini, chap chae, mandoo and pajun. All delicious! Great service and atmosphere in Andersonville.

First things first if you want authentic Korean food this is not the place to go. You can think of the food here as Korean/American fusion with a bit more accent on the American part. The overall taste of the food was mediocre at best. The Chu Gu Mi Dol Sut Bi Bim Bap was suuuuper spicy so be warned. The overall feel and ambiance of the restaurant was pretty nice and cozy but it was a little too dark for my liking but everyone has their preferences. The main reason for the 2 star rating is because of the service here. At first our server seemed great but after our food came out he did not bother to check in on us at all. We had to flag down a different server and asked them to get our server just to order a coke...in which came about 10 mins after....for a coke. Then we asked for the check and we probably held the check with the credit card in our hands for about another 10 minutes all while our server was behind the bar just mindlessly cleaning menus. If the server was busy and could not attend to us, this would not be an issue but when the servers have free time to mindlessly clean and still are not checking in on you, thats just unacceptable. That being said will not be going here again. read more

Jin Ju - Kimchi Pajun, Mandoo - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Nice place. The food was really good. The server answered all our questions (we had several haha). I had the Mandoo, Bi Bim Bap (both dishes were really good) other people on the table ordered the Mandoo (fried) and was good as well. Had two different Korean beers, they were "ok" nothing special. The decoration and style of the restaurant is romantic and kind of intimate but it will work well for a group as well. Recommended place!. read more

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Enjoy my first experience with Korean BBQ with a stop to Jin Ju with friends last night. tl;dr I'll definitely be back. We were seated in the front dining section, in fact, I didn't know there was a lounge in the back until I made a stop at the washroom. (Yelp should ask us about Gender Neutral Washrooms after a review, not when we check in, because they do have Gender Neutral Washrooms). The tables are spaced decently apart so you don't feel like you're infringing on a neighboring table, but it can feel slightly crowded in there. The room was noisy but we were able to still have a conversation without yelling. We started the meal with the Pajun (scallion pancakes) and they were excellent. The Mandoo (dumplings) were excellent as well. There was plenty to share with our party of five. For my main course I had Chap Chae with beef. The dish was a wonderful blend of many flavors but none overpowered any other. Noodles were cooked to perfection, the beef was awesome. This was a very flavorful dish and I would highly recommend it for anyone to try. Others enjoyed their meals very much as well and everyone in our party was without complaint. The server (tall clean shaven guy, don't remember his name) was attentive but not intrusive. Food was delivered quickly but not rushed. Everyone seemed friendly. Oh, and my cocktail with the word "Aviator" in it was awesome. An excellent experience all together and I look forward to our next visit! Highly recommended and definitely worth five stars. read more

Not knowing what to expect Jin Ju surely didn't disappoint. Service was professional, friendly and quick. The Sojutini was fresh and a nice touch to this contemporary Korean restaurant. Bibimbap remained hot the entire meal. The seafood was cooked perfect and was full of flavor. Recommend the bibimbap or bulgogi bowl. Overall a fantastic experience. read more

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Delicious well done korean food in a nice laid back atmosphere...My advice is just stick with the small plates aka appetizers and avoid the entree's which are lacking when compared to other Korean spots around the city. read more

"Treat yo self" is what I said one rainy Saturday night when I discovered this neighborhood gem. Since the boyfriend was too busy researching his fantasy football draft picks to pay attention to yours truly, I decided to go on a solo date. Jin Ju offers an intimate setting for those who are willing to venture by themselves for phenomenal Korean food. There's a sleek bar area that offers a comfortable environment for solo diners. For everyone else, they have plenty of four tops for your choosing. Regardless of whether or not you're alone or with a group, everyone will be excited to see that they serve soju-tinis. Yes, you read that right. Soju is difficult enough to find outside of Binnys, so discovering a soju cocktail was something completely unexpected. The menu is extensive and it offers all of your Korean favorites. After a few tense moments of indecisiveness, Dick, the bartender, recommended the Chu Gu Mi Dol Sut Bibimbap. It's a seafood variant of the traditional dish that features octopus, scallops, fish eggs and variety of other deliciousness. It's a restaurant favorite, and I could easily understand why. The dish is served in a hot stone pot, and the heat cooks the raw egg into the rest of the dish while the rice crisps up around the edges. May I recommend pairing this with the cucumber sojutini? It offered a refreshing respite from the bibimbap spice that warms you throughout. After finishing (most) of my bowl, Dick recommended an orange sojutini as a sweet finish to my savory adventure. If you like orange Julius, you must try the coconut milk orange sojutini. At any rate, I promised him that I'll return with friends next time. I hope you'll bring your own circle as well. read more

We ordered pick up and it was all ready within 10 mins! The food was fresh and stayed hot even during our chilly walk home through the snow. Everything was beautifully balanced and tasty! Strongly recommend the chap chae (I would go beef over tofu--the tofu is pretty bland) and the wings and Brussels sprouts. We will be back soon! read more

Delicious food. I'd recommend going there to get it. Nothing arrived warm, but it was beautifully packaged.

Tried Jin Ju for dinner- decent food all around and good service. I recommend ordering the Korean chicken wings and the kimchi pancakes. My husband had the hot bibimbop which he thought was pretty average. The food also tastes healthy! For example, the chicken had a nice fried texture, however, they weren't oily one bit, same with the pancakes, crunchy but not oily. The food came out a little slow considering there weren't many people in the restaurant (Tuesday evening) but was good overall. read more

Jin Ju - Korean chicken wings - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I've only had the chicken bulgogi but every time I order it is delicious and so worth the price and value! So much chicken and an array of ingredients makes this place #1 Korean in north Chicago!! read more

I've been here multiple times - the food tastes great, the atmosphere is nice, and the service is excellent. The reason for this review is that two items on the menu that are listed as "able to be made vegetarian" cannot be as the kimchi they use is made with fish (as told by a waiter). I want to give a heads up to fellow vegetarians/vegans to avoid these kimchi dishes despite how the menu has them listed. I really wish they would print updated menus or even update their items online to avoid confusion. read more

Two stars for the cold beer and good music for ambiance. Atrocious quality Korean food, particularly for the high price point. Obviously serve frozen dumpling grade appetizers and the meats, particularly the Kalbi was mucho grisly where it should melt in your mouth. There's a Korean grandmother of the owner who is likely feeling shame. This owner has no shame. read more

Food is always excellent. The staff is also great. I keep going back because they always deliver consistency.

Favorite date night spot. Everything we have tried on the menu is incredible. Sojutinis pack a punch. Service can be a little slow but nothing to complain about :) read more

Food - 5 star!!! Did takeout here through yelp, by the time I got there it was ready to go. Packaging was good, know to cut holes in the styrofoam to keep the Pajong crispy, and food was warm and good even by the time I got home. Only thing is, nothing came with rice. I am Korean, and I love Korean food, but surprised nothing came with rice. Didn't even see an option to add white rice on the side. Still give it 5 stars because it was great food, but wish it came with rice or said it didn't. read more

I've been searching for great Korean food in the city, and have definitely found it here. We went as a party of four on a busy Saturday night; this place is no secret. We decided on cocktails and small plates with an additional order of bi him bop to share. Their cocktail menu is fun, with a list of drinks made with soju. These cocktails are delicious, a little lighter and more refreshing than those made with, say, vodka. For dinner we shared the kimchi pajun (a Korean pancake made with Kim chi,) the mandoo dumplings, the duk boki (rice cakes in a spicy/sweet chili sauce with shrimp, scallions and peanuts), the bi bim bop and kim chee chigae, that bubbling broth loaded with kimchi, pork and tofu, always a favorite with me. That was plenty of food for the four of us, and everything was excellent. The spice level here is tamed down a bit from what I'm accustomed to at Korean restaurants, and I did find I missed that extra heat, especially with the kim chee chigae. Still, there's lots of flavor in the food here, and the menu is interesting enough to return and try other items. I'll be doing that soon. read more

Delicious Korean fare in an upscale yet approachable setting. Jin Ju is a beautiful space with friendly and quick staff. The music playlist is as sumptuous as the food- we really enjoyed the modern mix of jazz, electronic, and house in the background. This would make a great date spot. We ordered the bulgolgi roll which is sushi-style Korean bulgolgi beef and a variety of fresh veggies served with pre-mixed wasabi and soy sauce. This might make a purist cringe but like many Americans I enjoy the combination of salty and spicy so this was really convenient. It was also served with a garnish of pickled radish which complimented the savory maki well. I ordered the kimchi soup as an entrée which was served with a side of pickled and fermented veggies. The soup itself was perfectly spicy; enough to linger on the tongue but not make you gasp for milk. The pork was ample and the broth was perfect for a cool spring evening. It is served with steamed white rice and brown rice is available for $1 extra. My friend ordered the bibimbap which was served with fresh veggies and an instagram-worthy garnish of sprouts wrapped with seaweed and a delicious red bean paste on the side. We mixed the savory paste in right away. My friend also ordered a lychee martini which is made with sweet potato alcohol and comes with a whole lychee. It was delicious and reasonably priced at $9. We will definitely check this location out again when we are in the area! read more

My boyfriend and I decided to be adventurous this weekend and try Korean food for the first time. Not having any idea of where was the best place to go for first timers I turned to my fellow yelpers for help. We ended up deciding on Jin Ju and a big thanks to all those who suggested it because it was a wonderful evening! I really liked the cool, dark atmosphere of Jin Ju. We were shown to our table immediately and greeted by a very helpful waiter. I started with a Pear Martini, which seems to be a popular choice among yelpers, and I can see why...delicious! My boyfriend thought it tasted like pure sugar, but personally I don't see anything wrong with that! With the help of our fabulous waiter (Shane) we chose 2 appetizers to start, as well as 2 entrees. I'm going to try hard to remember the names of everything we ordered, but it may be difficult because I had a few too many Pear martini (I really loved that martini). Appetizer #1 was Kim Chee Mandoo, steamed dumplings, which were just OK. It tasted like your normal potsticker. However, the 2nd appetizer (Kim Bap) tasted and looked like a fried sushi roll and it was absolutely delicious! They accidentally gave our 2nd appetizer to the wrong table so it came out a little late, but they were so nice and apologetic about it that we didn't care. For our entrees we had a spicy chicken dish (Bok Bulgogi). This was my boyfriend's favorite part of the meal.. I was busy devouring a special on the menu (can't remember the name....darn martinis) which was Bi Bam Bap, but it had pieces of raw tuna, snapper, other fish, seaweed, etc in it. I loved it and will definitely be going back for more...apparently they have this special on the menu every weekend. A few hours and $80 (before tip) later we left the restaurant smelling like Korean food. We really enjoyed our first Korean food experience and plan on going back again soon. I loved Jin Ju, but I want to try Solga and San Su Gab San at some point too! read more

We walked in at 7:15 on Friday night with no reservation. The hostess put us in the front table in the window. This will happen when you are the best-looking couple in the restaurant. They want us to help to advertise the place, so we become part of the decor. I dig. What followed was one of the best meals in recent memory. I have to assume that they would have given the same outstanding food and service to every table, and that they weren't just taking extra-special good care of their little erstwhile marketing props. In any case, I was in heaven. Our waiter Shane was outstanding. I greatly appreciate a server who genuinely seems to enjoy his job; in fact, it is almost priceless. We started with the kim chee mandoo dumplings, which were pretty good. The delirious portion of my meal was the entree, one of the evening's specials. This was basically a beef short rib marinated for two days in a frigate-load of wonderful ingredients, then braised with some carrots and a few other vegetables, plus vermicelli noodles made from sweet-potato flour. Shane summarized it as "Korean pot roast," and I didn't realize until it came to the table how literally apt that description was. The name that showed up on the bill was "kolbi chim" which I believe is Korean for "send you to the moon in a short-rib boat." Neither my Korean nor my English is proficient enough to describe how delicious that pot roast was. In a way, I'm glad that it was a special, which gives it more of a "lightning in a bottle" mystique. If it were on the menu, I would love to eat it more regularly, but that would detract from the magical memories. I left a generous tip and did something that I've never done at any restaurant, ever. I wrote on the receipt, "Thank you for a great dinner!" read more

As a farewell to a friend moving to the West Coast, a group of us headed to JinJu for some celebratory eats and one last hurrah. We'd made reservations for 7pm on a Thursday and arrived to find the restaurant completely empty, save the staff. Our table was right in the front -- probably for the sake of showing off the only clientèle of the eve. The decor was beautiful with exposed brick, intimate tables, and low lighting. We ordered Pajun (scallion pancake) to start, which was pretty good but hardly memorable. I had the Bi Bim Bap, which was good but not great. The brown rice I requested had evidently been forgotten, and the egg was a little overcooked. The kim chee was super spicy, just the way I like it! By the time we'd finished our meal, there were a few other diners who had straggled in. Unfortunately, JinJu failed to leave any real impression on me. Not bad, not great. read more

Jin Ju - Pajun (photo by Cecile S) - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I wasn't quite sure how to rate this, so I decided to just give it a middle rating. I found this place after breakfast at Ann Sather next door, and decided to give it a try; I'd never had Korean food, and thought I should try something new (instead of just saying I don't like it, which I do often enough). I realize they may not be traditional Korean, but I think I'm just not a Korean food sort of person. I went with a friend and he loved it, and would like to go back, but it just wasn't a cuisine I think I'm a fan of. I will say that what they do they do quite well. It was a bit expensive, in my opinion. One side note - we were in there at kind of twilight hours, and it was extremely dark. I don't know if they turned up the lights after we left or not, but even where we were sitting - which was one table away from the large front windows - it was a bit dim; I can't believe those in the back of the restaurant could see past their nose. read more

I will never go there again. They were rude to me when I ordered the food for pick-up. The man who worked behind the bar gave me some rude comments when I picked up my food for not having a mask. I was outside at the window area and was nowhere near him or anyone. He did not even thanked me for the order as I was trying to do my part in helping out local restaurants. Absolutely stupidity that they treat customers that way in this day and age where restaurants are on the brink of going out of business! read more

I've been going here for at least 18 years and perhaps longer. More often in the early years, because it's a hike, but the service has always been excellent, and the food consistently delicious. I love the banchan, kim chee pajun, the mandoo, bibimbap and the kim chee jigae. Great brother-sister team. very pleasant. read more

Chicken wings, kimbap, and scallion pancake were sooooo good! Fast service, and tasty food. Added to my regular rotation of take out places!