Seoul Corea

I was very disappointed by this place. I love Korean food and I have been to countless restaurants that serve much better food than this place. The food did not taste very authentic and all the meat dishes were so bland and poorly cooked. In addition, it was very pricey for small portions. If you are looking for Korean you are much better off going somewhere else.

Am really surprised to see the low-​ish Unilocal score for this place. My friends and I had a wonderful experience the other night.
Both the BBQ bulgogi and kalguksu were heartwarmingly delicious. Also tried a couple of their canned Korean drinks and am now on a mission to buy the same ones next time I’m at an Asian marketplace.
The service was quick and the atmosphere was nice.
Oh, and the ban chan (complimentary sides)! Completely delicious! There was one with potatoes that I’d never had before and want to learn how to make — so simple and tasty.

I hate to be mean to a mom and pop place but…
Man, this place is bleh. It pains me to know that this place is some people’s introduction to Korean food, since this is literally the only place in Chicago south of Chinatown that serves it.
If this was your first Korean food experience — it’s not that bad! Go to Chosunok. Or Ahjuma’s apron. This place — though run by a cute, elderly Korean couple — really has subpar food. Not to mention it’s expensive, to boot.
[Also want to note: Every single Korean I know in Hyde Park avoids this place. Every. Single. One. Except for the desperate ones. That should tell you something.]

There is a monopoly on Korean food in Hyde Park– so maybe this is why quality and quantity are poor. I paid $ 17 for a half-​cooked egg and some rice that barely covers one takeout box– this price is ridiculous and much too expensive! They are not organic etc to be charging this price! Do not go!

Great mom-​and-​pop simple no frills restaurant for a quick delicious yet different meal. I’ve been here a couple of times and will go again.

I eat here almost weekly (sometimes four or five days straight). It’s a great choice for those of us who are live in hyde park and need a spicy fix. I dislike the fact that the ban chan portions are small and are always: bean sprouts, spicy zucchini, soy sauce potato and kimchi. They’ve been those 4 for the past 3 years I have been coming. Occasionally they go a little wild and it is spicy cucumber instead of zucchini but that’s it for variety. On the flip side, I went to the korean restaurant in Chinatown recently and found their 5 – 6 ban chan to be underwhelming. 1 or 2 were good, but the rest were almost inedible (poorly seasoned — too sweet or too bland). So at least Seoul Corea is consistent but man I wish they would change things up a bit more.
The soondubu is always a safe (and delicious) choice. I also like the yukgaejang, kimchi fried rice and kalguksu. The bibimbap is just ok for me. The other, meat-​forward entrees I’m too cheap to try. :/

Wonderful authentic Korean restaurant. It’s a mom and pop shop. The owners are really nice. Food is excellent! I highly reccomend!

Hyde Park isn’t exactly a Mecca for good Asian food and Café Corea is the singular exception to a lot of boring, badly-​spiced options.
The restaurant itself is very simple. You walk in through two sets of doors that inexplicably open in opposite directions, meaning you can’t open one while the other is open. There are tables with no décor, just white. Part of the kitchen is visible. There isn’t a ton of seating room but you could bring a group here.
The banchan is very yummy and usually consists of one or two potato dishes, a zucchini dish or broccoli dish, and kimchi. The flavor is always excellent.
My favorite #1 item on the menu is the suntofu (soondubu) jiggae with tofu and veggies. It’s SO good — it comes out literally boiling with an egg cooking in the middle. The flavor is phenomenal and bursts in your mouth with every taste.
Other things that I have really enjoyed include the bulgogi and galbi. They’re so well-​spiced and cooked. They’re quite expensive so I don’t order them often but when I do, they taste delicious. However, I do not like the chicken bulgogi, which does not have a good or rich flavor to it and is kind of boring and bland.
The kimchi bokgumbap is creative and really delicious. The bacon in it adds a lot!
I love LOVE the haemool Jun. they are not stingy with their seafood at all and the pancakes are HUGE! I could get these as my entrée!
What has disappointed me was the bibimbap — the vegetables were boring, bland, and overcooked. I added a lot of red sauce to this to try to make it better but it just wasn’t special.
The service here isn’t great. It’s a family establishment with the husband working the service. He never refills water — I always have to go up and ask — and doesn’t really check on his tables. We once sat for twenty minutes before anyone took our order.
Regardless, the food is so great and this is my favorite place to eat in Hyde park and some of my favorite simple, classic Korean around.

The food here is so flavorful. The spot is small and cozy. I went for lunch on a saturday. My friend and I were the only people there. The owners were nice and helpful. The food was fresh and the service was relatively quick. I had the beef tofu jigae and it was awesome. My friend had the beef bibimbap and loved it. I only wish they gave more sides with everything. I would definitely recommend this place to people looking to try korean for the first time. Will be going back very soon.

I really admire this couple for successfulky offering such delicious authetic Korean food! The woman works so hard everyday, and her cooking is incredible! I’ve tried all the other Korean restaurants in Chicago, and this one has THE BEST kimchi soup, it reminds me of my mom’s home cooking (she’s Korean). I really love their sides too, the potatoe side is the BEST! So glad you’re in Hyde Park :-)

Good honest Family run Korean restaurant. The food is fabulous fairly priced. It a gem in Hyde Park area. It bring culture and diversity where it is needed. I liked their spicy pork bulgogi on a sizzle plate and their stone bowl bibmingbop.

As a first time visit, I had seafood soon-​du-​boo jjigae. It was beyond my expectation. Small dishes were great too. As a Korean who had many soon du boo jjigae at different places, I highly recommend this.

Café Corea is one of my favorite restaurants.
One time, I was here alone reading a book. I got my first-​ever hot stone rice bowl, and poked at it. The owner came over and said, «No no no. You have to do it like this.» He took my spoon and chopsticks out of my hands, and stirred the contents vigorously, so they would cook evenly and not stick to the sides. And I liked it. He’s also told me how much pepper sauce I should add to different dishes once or twice. He’s like the food-​savvy uncle we all wish we had.
Every menu item I’ve tried has been great, hot and cold. Also, they give these four small/​tantalizing pickle dishes as appetizers, and mochi ice cream is available for dessert.
This is a good place to bring yourself, your date, or your parents.

Place to go when craving Korean and everywhere else is too far away from Hyde Park. I’ve always gotten the seafood pancake and seafood soondubu here. The portion sizes are fine but the prices are a little high but not too bad. Service is fine but the place is really small so it can get very crowded. Definitely just a place to go to satisfy a Korean food craving.

Comfy, cozy, Corea.
Yes, I know Korea is spelled with a «K» and I’m sure the owners do to, but I just love going to this place. It’s a small place with a tiny kitchen and almost zero amenities (the bathroom is a tiny place up some stair by the restaurant’s office.
I love the fact that we almost always end up having a conversation with the table next to us and with floor to ceiling windows you get some great street watching. While I’m not of Korean descent, my wife is, and this place has met her approval on all but one dish she thinks they use to much pepper in.
In the over ten years we’ve been going here I’ve never had a bad meal. Don’t let the tininess scare you away. It’s a wonderful place to eat and one of the maybe two Korean places on the south side.

Seoul Corea is a lovely small Korean restaurant that is well worth a visit. The space houses 10 or so small tables in a friendly and pleasant atmosphere. The bibimbap is excellent, as is the dolsot bibimbap, and the ghalbi. The kitchen is eager and happy to oblige any dietary restrictions and happily has made several of my orders of bibimbap with tofu or even without a specific protein. The prices are also quite reasonable. In short, it’s an excellent neighborhood Korean restaurant and a good addition to Hyde Park’s restaurant scene.

Went later on a weeknight and it was pretty empty, so I got great service. Ordered the bibimbap with beef, a signature Korean dish. I didn’t particularly like the red/​chili pepper sauce they provided so the dish lacked true flavor since the beef wasn’t seasoned very much. But the plating was great with a nice, over-​easy egg on top. It also came with 4 sides, including kimchi, bean sprouts, a squash medley (I think), and some seasoned potato slices (delicious).
It’s a small hole-​in-​the-​wall operation run by 2 people, that produces some quality Korean food, which you can’t find anywhere else nearby. I’d give it 4 stars, but the prices are high even for Hyde Park standards. Also the first couple pages of the menu have the really expensive options so start from the back.

So I have never had Korean food before I went to Seoul Corea. Luckily, I accompanied my friend who spent the last 7 years living in Korea and recently moved back to the US. She speaks pretty good Korean and was able to tell me what to order and what people living in Korea actually eat.
After a bit of explaining she told me to get the Bibimbap that came in the cast iron type skillet. That way you food was still cooking when it came out. We also ordered a few dumplings to split between the two of us. While we were waiting for food, I tried kimchi for the first time along with a few other little appetizer type things which are supposed to compliment your meal according to my friend.
Not much later our food came out. My Bibimbap was sizzling. I enjoyed mixing the egg along with the vegetables and rice together with the red chili sauce. According to my friend the food was decent.
The prices were ok for Hyde Park. I am glad that my friend found a Korean place on the southside that she likes! Next stop Korean BBQ.

Seoul Corea has some of the best bibimbap I’ve had in the States since moving back from Korea several years ago; however, the prices just don’t make sense, and I imagine this keeps many of its potential Hyde Park patrons from becoming regulars.
Anyone who knows Korean cuisine knows that the featured ingredients are largely inexpensive, and this, in some way, should really be reflected in the pricing (especially since all the surrounding similar restaurants in our area are considerably less). Lower your prices significantly, Corea, and we’ll be there once a week… as will troves of hungry UC grad students, I’m betting.
All in all, delicious but not price-​worthy.

I’ve been here numerous times over the past few years and have never had a bad experience. Service can be slow at times, especially around dinner time, but it’s understandable considering the small staff they have working this place.
I always get the noodles in the soup with seafood. So good, especially on a cold winter’s day.
The squid/​octopus pancake is delicious and highly recommended as well.