This review is way overdue, especially seeing as how SoJu has kept us alive in these first four months of sheltering in place. My go-to meal is the tofu bowl. Try the kimchee dumplings - you can thank me later. The veggie tacos are also delicious. Have also heard rave reviews for the grilled (BBQ) chicken. They're very careful with letting people into the restaurant for pickup, and everyone working there is kind and fully masked / gloved. read more

Food wasn't good. Also there was a service charge that was not mentioned, and on top of that we tipped the waitress. It's too expensive, you can have better food in a much better place. The restaurant was dirty and cold, I won't recommend it. read more

Friendly staff and great food! We got the sampler with the bulgogi, pork belly, and kalbi. I was worried the portions might be small because it was such a great deal but I definitely left feeling full and had leftovers to take home. Every dish and side was seasoned perfectly. I recommend the kalbi for sure. The meat was super tender and served with daikon that paired well with the fatty, rich, drippings. I'll definitely be back! Wish I got a better picture but we dug right in lol read more

SoJu BBQ - The sampler - comes with 3 choices of protein, 3 sides, 2 sides of rice, and 2 drinks! - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

If you're in town for a concert at the United Center, I would recommend stopping in here! Super quick service, amazing food (try the chicken bowl!), and friendly staff. We stopped in before the Harry Styles concert and it wasn't too busy despite it being one of the closest restaurants. Definitely an underrated spot. read more

This is an awesome place for high-quality Korean bbq that's easy on the wallet and that you don't have to grill yourself! I came with a group of six so got to check out several dishes. Everything was great, and favorites were: -Bulgogi, the marinade tastes made from scratch and meat was perfectly tender without gristle -Galbi, unique as it's served as one giant piece, with a dipping sauce -Eggplant, also has a marinade with perfect balance of sweet, sour, savory and nutty flavors -Rice cake skewers. This is ddokbokki skewers with sausage on them. A nice twist on the usual bowl of rice cakes I see. Many dishes were under $10 and the bigger BBQ platters around $12. They're served as sets, with sides included, so are great also for anyone alone to have a variety of dishes in one order. I'll definitely come back for my Korean food cravings. read more

First things first, they serve HALAL chicken (Not wings) and brisket! This is the first review to mention that but I confirmed with owner. I took a friend visiting from out of town who is VERY picky and she loved this place! We chose to share the sampler which was plenty of food and enough for leftovers the next day. We chose the spicy chicken, brisket, and ribs (ribs aren't halal). My friend RAVED about the ribs and said they were amazing. I loved the chicken. It was flavorful and juicy. The brisket is not the typical brisket I've had and is more like very thinly sliced steak with little to no seasoning. It's what made me give this review 4 stars compared to 5. The sides were cucumber, eggplant, and kimchi. All were tasty additions. It's a simple people overall with layers of flavor that deliver. The owner was extremely kind and I appreciated supporting this small business. read more

SoJu BBQ - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We were in the area and looking for some Korean food. Came across this place via Yelp and decided to try it out. Small restaurant, good service and tasty food. We are use to Korean bbq Kalabi cut in smaller portions, but their method of preparation was very interesting modern twist and cooked just right. Although the box dinners look smaller, we were full after the meal. We would go again. read more

I love this place. Really high quality meat (I think they get their meat from a local farm) and really, really high quality Korean meat dishes available. Their kimchi is the best kimchi I have had in the US and the rib eye bulgogi is very flavorful. Their pork belly is juicy and so delicious. I also tried their brisket which is pretty good too! I always get cucumber kimchi and cabbage kimchi on the side. So much better tasting and more convenient than going to a bbq place. Highly highly recommend this place. read more

food ok! but saw some roaches !! never want to go back anymore, Need To Clean It Up.!!

I love this place. Really high quality meat (I think they get their meat from a local farm) and really, really high quality Korean meat dishes available. Their kimchi is the best kimchi I have had in the US and the rib eye bulgogi is very flavorful. Their pork belly is juicy and so delicious. I also tried their brisket which is pretty good too! I always get cucumber kimchi and cabbage kimchi on the side. So much better tasting and more convenient than going to a bbq place. Highly highly recommend this place. Staff is super friendly and service is very fast. read more

I decided to come to visit a friend and I ordered the spicy chicken, and let me just say- IT WAS SO GOOD! it was really marinated, juicy, and well-cooked. The bento box that it came in was really cute. I liked the aesthetic. I like how they also let you pick side dishes too :) I would definitely come back and recommend! read more

SoJu BBQ - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Didn't like the food, and when i tried to inform management, they got upset and loudly snapped at me, stating that everyone else loves the food. The rice seemed day-old and reheated in oil, and the taco tray was clearly unwashed. After my dine in experience, I requested to cancel an order i had made to take out, and was refused. So i requested to have the dine-in items removed from my bill. Instead I was accused of wanting to eat for free! In a circumstance where any decent restaurant owner would offer a discount, refund or at the very least an apology, i was loudly scolded by management who seemed ready and willing to create a scene with the customer. Will definitely not be visiting this establishment again. read more

The food here is great and the service is great too! Cindy is super busy serving all of the tables and was still very attentive and did a great job serving us. Would definitely come back here! :) read more

Ordered army soup. Probably the worst korean soup i have ever had. Tasteless. I added tofu but found some briskets in my dish. Wondering where do those come from. read more

SoJu BBQ - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Two stars based on the kind of service we got. We had reserved a table for 8 adults and 8 kids. When the first family arrived at the reserved time i.e. 815, without even greeting, the first thing that the server said was "can you make sure that the kids stay on the table and not run around" I mean what the hell, I understand the whole pandemic situation but come on. After a minute, the server come back and asks if the remaining guests are coming, we have not even sat down and are asked if other are coming, keep in mind, it wasn't like the restaurant was full, there were couple of tables empty. After everyone arrives within 5 minutes of our reserved time, we ordered food, which is great. We asked if we could split the checks, no bueno. I have no complains about the food. Since we had kids not everyone finished their food so we asked for boxes, we are given three, I went and asked for more, we are talking about a party of 16 people here, she hands me two boxes and tell me that there is a limit on boxes that they can give out and won't be giving us more. Pathetic!! Not kid friendly and lousy service. Two stars for food only, zero stars for service. Not going there again. read more

Great Korean food. We got pick up from here appx 5 times since the pandemic started. The smoked meats combo is worth the money. Their galbi jjim is very tasty too. 5/5 stars! Never disappointed read more

Nice staff and very tasty Korean BBQ. It's definitely on the pricey side, but it feels like they use higher quality ingredients, and don't need to use a ton of extra fat, salt and sugar to create flavor. I tried the bibimbap with bulgogi, was fresh and tasty, but was lacking the nurungji, crispy rice, crust at the bottom of the bowl. read more

Definitely not your traditional Korean BBQ spot (more of a fast food vibe than sit down restaurant) but the food was very delicious. You order at the counter, wait for your name to be called and then sit at the table. You also have to get up to refill water cups. Disappointed because I have tried to go back a few times but they have been "closed for lunch today due to **insert random reason here**" and they seem very annoyed if you show up around 8 (they close at 9). read more

Came to SoJu while visiting friends in the area. Every single dish was flavorful, piping hot, and satisfying. The place might not have the best decor but with food this good I could care less. The prices are also great and the owner even stopped by to see how we were enjoying everything. To top it off they even had delicious SoJu like the name implies. Every time I am in the Chicago area I am going to insist on going here. read more

Delicious and one of the best value restaurants in West Loop. Kalbi and dumplings are excellent. Ribeye can sometimes be a tad chewy rather than tender, but still very tasty. Soju has been towards the top of my carry out / delivery rotation ever since I discovered it. Super friendly staff too! read more

I tried Soju for the first time yesterday and the entire experience was wonderful. The staff was very friendly and helpful and the food is absolutely amazing!! Will definitely be coming back to this restaurant for the amazing wings and soju!!! read more

i came here with my family and friends welcoming was rude the lady was extremely rude as she quote and quote said "ABSOLUTELY NOT WE HAVE RESERVATIONS "After we had asked for an extra table. I completely understand but she could've said it in a nicer tone Food was pretty good only thing is they didn't have plates had to wait around 20 minutes to get more. read more

So right now is the month of Ramadan which means Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, and I was craving something new this particular night. After some searching, my husband and I found this place and based solely off of the pictures of the ribs, we decided to give a try. We were NOT disappointed! We both ordered the kalbi ribs which were even better than we thought. Super tender, flavorful, literally falling off the bone, it was amazing. If you know anything about cooking meats, you'll know that in order to get it that juicy and tender you have to be patient and cook it for a long time and you can tell that is exactly what was done. You get to choose a few sides to go with your dish so I got the pickled cucumbers and kimchi, really tasty and a good complement to the beef. We also ordered the Korean Pancake--make sure to get it with cheese! We went on a Saturday and it was not busy at all but this place is pretty new so I'm sure it will get busier as people start finding out about it. Parking is on the street as is everything else in that area, but not hard to find because it's not crazy busy at this particular location. The chef/owner? of the restaurant talked to us about fasting and even brought out a small appetizer for us to try when breaking our fast. Super nice and friendly guy. We will definitely be back soon! read more

Super solid food. I've been about 6-7 times now and have tried all the mains. Love the bulgogi, pork belly and brisket and it's hard for me to choose between them. The rib wasn't my favorite but still good. The spicy skewers are really nice. I'm not a big fan of the sweet potatoes. Price is fair and service is good. Pretty sure the owner is always there working the grill, register or both. A really nice addition to the neighborhood especially now that bellyQ is gone. read more

Food was delicious, Soju grilled chicken tacos and ribeye bulgogi was delicious and it's awesome that they have Halal options not any other halal Korean spots in Chicago read more

Stopped by in a Sunday night. We were only people in here besides 2 pick up orders. It's very low key, no alcohol, not the best maintained. Seems like a place you would find in Chinatown. We started with the onion pancakes, just ok for me, nothing special. The wings were next, and I liked them a lot. The sauce had almost a bit of ketchup flavoring, which I would normally not care for, but it was good. And they were fried very well and tender. Chicken and beefs bowls were good. The mean was pretty average, I liked the bibimbap sauce. The kimchi and cucumbers were pickled well. The highlight were the ribs. I would highly recommend them. They were super tender and very flavorful. They almost melted off the bone, so good. Last was the brisket, that was just ok as well, standard. Gentlemen behind the counter was super nice and grew in some complimentary dumplings that were really good, we should have probably ordered instead of the pancakes. Place got 4 stars because of the ribs, some of the best flavor I've had read more

SoJu BBQ - Korean SoJu Ribs Kalbi. Must get - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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SoJu BBQ is recommended by my friend and she say that it is a really great restaurant and so I decided to go there with my siblings. The place is located near the street and there were no available parking in front of it and luckily there is one just nearby. The place is cool and has a really nice vibe plus the music playing when we came inside. We easily find a available seat and the waiter was pretty nice. There is a bunch of dishes on their menu but we decided to have their popular dishes such as grilled pork belly, Korean style brisket, ribeye bulgogi and Korean fried chicken wings. Everything was so delicious, flavorful and has a perfect seasoning. The four dishes are perfect for the three of us. We also have their soju which is a Korean alcohol it was not my first time tasting it but it was so good, a great drink after eating those wonderful foods. I had a great experience except that they do not have a parking area but I think everyone can manage with it. Highly recommended. read more

Dabomb,com.. prime rib is the best, succulent and tasty.... can't wait to go back. Staff very courteous and accomodating.

My friend introduced me to this gem recently. I've been looking for good Korean spots on the west side. Everything on the menu is great. Definitely coming back again. read more

Amazing halal Korean bbq food. I actually enjoyed everything on the menu. Would recommend the loaded fries and the Korean chicken brisket. Honestly everything I tried was good. Can't wait to go back. You have to preorder the pizza if you want it because it takes 45 mins to make. read more

The fast casual setup may not be ideal for a large group or family with young kids, but we came here with a group of 8 with 3 kids, and we thoroughly enjoyed the food. All of the bbq and side dishes were exceptional. The kalbi came out as a block of short ribs and the meat fell right off the bones. The spicy chicken were well marinated and not too spicy. Glad to see really good Korean food this far south of Chicago. read more

Ok, so honestly I wish I could give this place more, I really do. We got three items, the scallion pancake, kalbi and the pork belly. Scallion pancake was good, perfectly seasoned, little limp in most parts. The kalbi was good, it really was, but JEEZ, y'all trying to feed babies!? The portion couldn't be more than 4oz at most!!! The pork belly, while very crisp and beautifully prepared texture-wise was over salted, and once again, MAYBE 4oz of protein. We ended up just over $40 and left hungry. While there was plenty of kimchi to go around, the lack of protein and rice was just highway robbery. Wish I could throw in an extra half star for taste of the kalbi alone, but here we are. read more

This place is brand new and a must go! It's sleek, clean and customer friendly. The food is delicious. I've been looking for a good rib/meat place and this is it! They have great vegetarian choices too. Really need to check out the savory fall off the bone short ribs and awesome side dishes too. Service is quick too! Hey read more

so yummy i love. will move to chicago strictly for the kimchi dumplings. also amazing vibes

Things are coming up Milhouse for the Near West Side now that we finally have Korean BBQ in the area. I was hoping for an original take on Korean BBQ and was not disappointed. The dinosaur like size of the kalbi short ribs allows the chef to get a solid char on the outside while keeping the savory sweetness of the BBq items and BYOSoju as of this writing. Definitely check this place out. read more

The flavors here are authentic! Everything I tried here is amazing - the perfectly crispy Korean fried chicken, the seasoned tofu miso soup, the pickled veggie laden bibimbop and of course the loaded fries. 10/10 would recommend read more

Went here right before a Bulls game. The food was quite tasteful. I like the decor, casual and very clean. No waiter comes to your table strictly self service but that was alright because the cafeteria style set-up does not give this place a bad reputation. Actually makes it cool! We had had the Korean Brisket, was told it was good by those that ate it. The pan fried sweet potatoes were my dish and it was something quite awesome on the pallet! The Kimchi was alright. The flavor on the sweet potatoes was so good I ordered it twice. read more

Tried the kalbi, pork belly, and the spicy chicken. It's a unique take on kalbi that I haven't seen before, but I enjoyed a lot. It is a good sized portion of tender meat with a very tasty marinade. Definitely try this. The pork belly are thin slices of pork belly that get grilled and have a nice smoky taste. The spicy chicken is also grilled and somehow retains a lot of juiciness. I'm definitely going back with a larger crew to order the feast. read more

Had good social distancing set up, and the food was quick and delicious. Servers were very attentive but not over the top. Appetizers were around 10 bucks each but were really worth it. They have a steak sandwich with a beer on special for 10 right now and it was really good. read more

As a Korean, I'm always skeptical of fusion restaurants. This exceeded my expectations! My favorite dish was the short rib - it was fall off the bone tender and juicy, but still had crispy parts on the outside. The flavor is what I knew and loved about kalbi, but also what I craved about American BBQ. Pairs perfect with a cold beer (BYOB)! read more