En Hakkore

I’m a bit of a traditionalist/​purist and don’t prefer most fusion cuisine. But this is a very good modern and fusionesque Korean bistro. Their menu is rather limited, but delicious. Try a the colorful, beautiful, flavorful and modernized Bibimbop. You won’t be disappointed.

This Bibimbap is cold which is not real bibimbap.
The dumpling is ok but it is just normal.
Don’t trust the review. It is just for those who never been to Korea.

As others have noted they have a very small menu but what they do have is done well.
Bibimbops are gigantic and come with a colorful display of vegetables. One slight negative is that they are not served in a stone pot… Which means the rice doesn’t get crispy/​charred which I personally like a lot. You can choose from vegetarian or two meat versions.
The tacos are also tasty but to be honest… I like the ones you get in Los Angeles (kogi) more because of the slaw which the ones here don’t have.
All in all a fine little eatery and if I wasn’t from SoCal this would be 4* easy.

If a restaurant is over the moon delicious or below the gutter horrific, the review is totally easy to write. When it falls somewhere in the middle, things get a bit tricky. I procrastinate in writing the review because there isn’t anything outstanding to write on either side of the spectrum. Oh hi, hello, En Hakkore.
What I like most about En Hakkore is it’s the most casual Korean food spot I’ve ever been to. I wouldn’t feel weird if I went alone or just dipped in casually to order some bibimbap or sashimibap. And in those solo situations, I could see myself coming again. All of the ingredients at En Hakkore are fresh, portions are small (compared to other K-​spots), prices are competitive (maybe even a buck or two cheaper), great service and very chill atmosphere.
Edumacation time — Bi Bim Bap is a traditional dish that is always a conglomerate of ingredients, mostly veggies, over rice. Bi Bim means ‘mixed’ in Korean and Bap means ‘rice’. You can get bi bim bap sans meat so it’s a great option for vegetarians, but normally there is meat (usually beef) and egg in it. It’s served in a beautiful display of all the ingredients neatly divided into colorful sections… but before eating it you mix it up into a hot mess of food elements and usually mix in a bit of hot sauce.
I’ve had the bulgoki bi bim bap at En Hakkore and liked the dish but sadly it wasn’t near the best Bi Bim Bap I’ve had. And sadly, the bulgoki marinate wasn’t mouth watering. Bulgoki is one of my favorite foods… I grew up eating it and am a strange gal that prefers it to kalbi. In my book, this bulgoki didn’t knock it out of the park. I did enjoy their interesting take on mandoo (steamed dumplings). These were by no means the traditional version of mandoo but the En Hakkore way is unique and tasty, I’d definitely get them again.
En Hakkore is near my ‘hood so I can definitely see myself popping in again when I need my Korean fix on the go!

Everything is amazing here! You’ll get blown away with huge bowl of bibimbap and the tacos are out of this world. Tacos are much bigger and heavier than you’d think.
Service and quality of the food is always been top notch.
Highly recommend anyone to go here if you’re in the wicker/​bucktown area.

The menu here is surprisingly tiny, but before even coming to the restaurant, I already knew a few things that I wanted to try. The sashimi bap was clean, fresh tasting. You can taste the sashimi in the bowl pretty well, but I wish there was a little more sashimi in comparison to all the veggies. Felt like I was eating more of a salad than sashimi with veggies over rice. It was good, but not the best that I’ve had. Great price for it though ($ 12). I’d say the only thing missing for me here was having a craving for meat after. Sashimi and fresh veggies didn’t totally hit the spot by itself. The bibimbap and sashimi bap here don’t come in stone bowls, just one part that I felt was missing.
The paratha tacos were great and I’d come back to eat this again. A friend described the taco skin to us as a Chinese green onion pancake texture that was a bit buttery. After taking a bite of the tacos (got a spicy pork and a beef one), I think he was spot on. The taco tortilla was very authentic. Never had tacos with this type of tortilla before. Definitely similar to the oily green onion fried pancake texture with a little added buttery taste to it. The tacos weren’t tiny, but maybe just two tacos isn’t completely filling for those who eat a lot.

Writing this review as a vegetarian (we eat eggs and dairy)
We loved this place. For $ 20 total we got the bibimbop, small jap chae (sweet potato noodles) and gingerbeer.
I loved the sweet potato noodles personally, but all three were really good. Will definitely be back!

This place is an awesome modern Korean fusion stop for a quick lunch or dinner. The menu is small and focuses on bap style bowls over rice and veggies plus some other fun options like paratha tacos, dumplings, etc.
I wouldn’t call this super authentic Korean but it’s definitely a nice blended vibe of Korean cuisine and a modern western influence. I went with the sashimi bap which was every bit as delicious as all the other Unilocalers have raved. A fresh sashimi medley on top of your choice of rice (I went with black rice) and tons of salad fresh veggies. My friend went with the bulgogi beef bap which was similar and also excellent. Both servings were huge and you will easily leave full or with leftovers (or both). They gave us a delicious kimchi base style spicy sauce to douse our bowls with. Service is quick and friendly. Prices are very good for the quality and quantity you’re getting. Location is right in the heart of Bucktown along the Damen strip. I will be back many times until I’ve tried everything on the menu.
My only complaint is that they serve a hard boiled egg with the bibimbap bowls. Half the fun of bibimbap is the runny yolk that you get to break and soak your rice in. I assume the hard boiled egg helps them keep costs down and service quick (you can make them ahead of time and they will keep for a few days) but come on. Give a girl some runny yolk!

Adorable little place on Damen. The décor had me as soon as I walked in. You order at a cashier and seat yourself at either a large community table or a few smaller tables for 2 – 4. No alcohol, but a large assortment of Korean beverages are available. We ordered the Bibim bap and the paratha tacos. Bibim bap was good– like the other reviews say, lots of fresh veggies, but no crispy rice. The paratha tacos were SO GOOD! Definitely recommend those if you’re going for the first time.
Overall– casual, quick spot for a delicious lunch or dinner. Reasonably priced and good food!

This is really good place. Everytime I visit in chicago, I always stop by here.
good tastes, huge portion and reasonable price.
Lady behind the counter is also very kind and informative.

«What do you want for dinner tonight?» I asked my boyfriend. He responded with just one request «vegetables.» After basically living off of eggs, bacon, and tortilla chips/​salsa for a week, he was finally realizing his body hated him. I knew exactly where we could get some vegetables, and not just one or two. As a matter of fact, 16 different kinds.
On the first snow of the season, we were determined to go to En Hakkore. Those paratha tacos and that bibimbap were so delicious and worth every minute we spent in the freezing rain/​snow. We each got a bibimbap and a paratha taco. Fortunately, we didn’t agree on which kind of meat we wanted in each of our items so we practically got to try each kind. We agreed that my combo won on both fronts (whoo hoo!) — the spicy pork paratha taco and the korean bbq beef bibimbap took the cake. However, his were also amazing.
The bibimbap comes with a shit ton of vegetables and a heap of meat in the middle. You’ll definitely be full off of it and if you pair it with a paratha taco you’ll definitely have leftovers. En Hakkore’s spicy sauce is really good and adds the perfect amount of heat too. Both the spicy pork and beef were really flavorful and moist. However, the paratha taco is definitely the showstopper! The paratha itself is so soft and flaky at the same time, the exact way that it’s served in authentic Indian restaurants (but thankfully less oily). The pork was so juicy and tasty and I probably would be so content with two of the paratha tacos as my meal. Next invention: the paratha burrito.

It’s pretty easy to order here. Just channel your inner Hanson.
Bibimbap ba duba dop
Ba Bibimbop, ba duba dop
Ba Bibimbop ba duba dop
Ba du, yeah
Ok…so those aren’t exactly the lyrics to the song, but MMMMMMbop could easily be the soundtrack to those rice bowls since both make people pretty happy. It’s a huge, relatively healthy meal for super cheap. They come with rice, veggies, a hard boiled egg, and your choice of KBBQ, pork, or sashimi. All super fresh, filling, and flexible on your checking account.
Small place with limited seating, but super nice people working behind the counter. Definitely worth a stop in. And play Hanson on the way out.

Came here based on a friend’s friend’s recommendation and was not disappointed!
Food:
— Korean BBQ Bimbimbap with black rice: This comes in a ginormous bowl with no shortage of meat, boiled egg, carrot, cabbage, bean sprouts, mushrooms, etc. The option for the black rice (the woman said it had antioxidants) was great for one more dollar. It was so yummy and the plethora of food for ~$ 10 was great.
They have tacos that looked really good, but I didn’t get to try it. If I’m ever back in the area again, I will definitely try it out.
Décor:
–The place is really cutely decorated with a chic chandelier and other such decorations.
Service:
–The woman at the cash register who I think is the owner was so sweet and gives great recommendations as well as brings the food out to you. Be sure to bus your own table!
–Lunchtime gets pretty busy actually with take out orders as well as people dining in.

En Hakkore is in a quiet spot on Damen right off the 606 Trail, and this may just be what you need after a nice run or bike ride. There’s not much to the menu besides bibimbap, tacos, and some appetizers and a special or two, but what is available is done extremely well.
Presentation, taste, quantity, quality of ingredients, interior décor, price, etc. all come together in a very simple, straightforward Korean fusion restaurant that crosses Korean fare with Japanese, Mexican, and Indian. I’m not a big fan of fusion, but when it’s done right with proper thought and attention is paid to taste, this can be a great crossing of paths.
I highly suggest trying the sashimi bibimbap. It’s a nice cross between a traditional Korean bibimbap and a Japanese chirashi bowl. It still has rice, but instead of beef, you get freshly cut sashimi (NOT FISHY) as the «meat.» The veggies are also finely cut and adds a nice mix of texture across all the ingredients in the bowl. The rice wasn’t quite as sticky and cooked to what I eat all the time in my household, but it’s not a big deal. Just a little quibble on an otherwise fantastic dish.
You must absolutely try the paratha tacos. At first I thought these were like the tacos at Del Seoul, but there’s a little twist in using paratha bread (i.e., Indian flatbread) to hold all the toppings. Cool beans! Both the pork and beef options are tasty and do well with the paratha bread. $ 7 is a tad high for two tacos, but again, just a minor quibble on what was a rather fantastic meal.
En Hakkore is a must for anyone that can appreciate Korean fusion, but don’t go expecting an endless menu of items to pick from. They do a few things here, but they do it right.

Quite the meal! Counter service was very friendly and thorough in explaining the different sauces and meat options in the Bibimbap and Paratha Tacos. Delicious flavors and unique taco textures!

This is a more Americanized Korean place, but I don’t care — it’s the shit.
Small menu — basically bibimbap and tacos. I think maybe a sandwich or two as well.
+ Really amazing beef, we didn’t try other meat options
+ Loved the mild sauce, just perfect
+ Awesome assortment of veggies — they claim 16, I didn’t count.
+ Massive serving
+ Great assortment of bottled/​canned cold bev — Asian and American
Only downsides — isn’t served in a blazing hot stone bowl, so the rice isn’t crispy and they are closed Sundays. Since this is not super traditional I won’t ding them for the former and since I would want a day off, I won’t blame them for being closed on a Sunday.
One of my new favorite lunch spots.

My absolute favorite healthy eating out spot of all time.
I usually get the sashimi bibimbap with the mild sauce. The quantity and quality of the food here is up to standard. Ingredients are very fresh and delicious. A bibimbap is essentially a salad with rice and a choice of meat. I love eating this and I don’t feel guilty after eating a huge bulk.
I also recommend getting the Kailbi parathas. It’s simply Korean marinated meat on a paratha with their special sauce. No veggies or anything, but it taste amazing! I love the simplicity of the flavorings.
I tend to ordered both when I come here. Try it yourself!

No idea why I was craving something like this on a 90 degree day but OMG am I glad I found this place! Unilocaled «Korean» food nearby and came here for lunch today. You order at the counter and they serve you. Really cute décor inside, very friendly and adorable Korean lady working behind the cashier. Anyways I had the bibimbap bowel with Korean bbq beef and brown rice. If you like it hot– ask for their hot sauce! As you can see from my picture, the bowel is huge! Can easily be shared by 2 people but only 1 extremely hungry Stefanie. Seemed pretty healthy too, loaded with lots of veggies, protein and hard boiled eggs. 5 hours later and I’m still full. Def will be back!

Came here to get a quick lunch on the 4^th of July so there wasn’t a crowd and the food came out quick. The food was very fresh and «healthy.» I got the paratha spicy pork «tacos» and it had a very spicy kick to it, which I enjoyed a lot. The paratha is awesome and way better than just corn tortillas as it was much thicker and buttery somehow-​really enjoyed the combination of meat and the paratha!
They also have a variety of bibimbaps which is a mix of rice, meat, and veggies. We got the Sashimi Bibimbap which was $ 12 (great value). It had a mix of raw fish and a large variety of veggies! It was light and refreshing which was good for our drive back. I would recommend getting both again!

So the options here are few, but what they do have they do incredibly well. I have tried the bibimbop with spicy pork as well as the paratha taco with bulgogi beef and both came with fresh ingredients and bursting with flavor.
The bibimbop is served in a huge bowl and is quite a big portion, was enough for 2 meals. The paratha tacos are also quite big as well, 2 tacos per order and worth every penny. The flavors really mesh well and it’s not your typical Korean food.
With only a few tabletops I can imagine it can get busy sometimes, however both times I’ve been here it has been fairly quiet. It’s fairly self serve, grab your own utensils and water, and the bathroom is in the back but let them know first!
Good, quick food at a decent price, a solid update to traditional Korean food.