Bowl & Barbecue

4.75÷5
I always go for their GamJa Tang, and booooy do they deliver. Every time I go, each table has at least one person eating it: now that itself should tell you how good it is. I’ve brought so many friends to eat here because I voucher that their GamJa Tang is the best in Chicago and haven’t heard any rebuttals yet. Trust me, I’ve tried so many in discontent that I always come back.
Instead of dining in, I picked up food after a great workout and knew this is the only thing to cure my meat cravings. The restaurant feels very homey, but doesn’t give off that «cozy vibe» people use to describe a small or old looking restaurant; no this is like eating at someone’s house. The banchan (side dishes) taste just like how mama Joe makes them and can tell it’s truly homemade. It’s guaranteed that I order more banchan when I dine in (banchan=FREE FOOD). The servers are very friendly and check up on you, which is not so normal for a Korean restaurant.
GamJa Tang is literally translated to potato soup, but is quite far from just a potato soup. I’ve been told there is a part of a pig that is called gamja («potato») that’s used in the soup. Beats me, all I know is the soup is a MOUNTAIN of meat. So much that the meat is always peaking out like an iceberg. I’ve yet to see the bottom of the bowl because I can’t stress enough how much meat you get. It’s meattastic.
*Side note– the soup gets gelatinous if you put it in the fridge over night. Sure tell sign that they cook that sucker for hours!
The soup does take some work to eat because the meat is still on the bone, but man, that’s honestly the best part. The meat glides off the bone and melts in your mouth. Oh god, meat cravings are coming back… It’s a bit spicy, but you can ask them to tone it down for all you non-​spicy eaters who still loves to eat half a pig. I recommend going at lunch, because the GamJa tang is 25% cheaper than the dinner price. I strongly believe they make food for the people instead of for profit at those prices.
Now you ask, how come you knocked off a quarter point on the ratings if it’s that great? Well, only because I’m in a coma every time I eat there. I cooould eat half the meal, but come on, how else does one satisfy their meat cravings: by demolishing it!

It is hard to find an authentic Korean restaurant in Chicagoland. But here is one. While many «Americanized» Korean restaurants cut the number of Banchan (side dishes) they serve, you get plenty of all kinds of Bamchan here. From Kimchi to stir-​fried fish cakes, I got 5 to 7 Banchans whenever you eat here. Lunch price is reasonable (lunch is around $ 10 tax and tip included). And you are not getting some fastfood in here, either. I highly recommend this place to anyone who would like to venture out to Korean cuisine and want to try the authentic kind.

The 4 stars is mainly because I am not a huge fan of Korean food. I went here with a group for lunch. There was definitely a language barrier but the service was very warm and friendly. The food came out VERY quickly but after it arrived we were left to our own devices for a long, long while. Eventually we did have to flag someone down to get the check, but once they knew we were ready to leave the service was quick once again.
They give you plenty of food for the price, and the lunch menu is very extensive, so there is ample selection. Everyone I ate with commented that they enjoyed their meals. The interior is a lot roomier than it appears from the outside. If you are a fan of Korean food you will probably like this place a lot.

Absolutely delicious, authentic Korean food. The staff was helpful and friendly. I have been there twice, the first time with a large group and the second time just my son and myself. The second time we were there the waitress was super helpful and kind to both of us, specifically attentive to my son, and making sure he didn’t eat anything with fish content (since he is allergic.) Even though it was close to closing, they did not rush us and didn’t make us feel like we were inconveniencing them. My son had the bone marrow soup, and I had the kimchi fried rice and the seafood pancake. As I write this I am salivating… in fact, let me check and see if they are open so we can go right NOW! :-)

This place has some really good Korean staples like bulgogi and galbi but also has great soups and good seafood. They have really good Suwon Wangjokbal (glazed pig feet) and Agwi Jjim (steamed anglerfish). It’s great for sharing with groups of 4 or more.
As far as little lunch menu, they have an abundance of selections to choose from… you can go here everyday and not get sick of the selections on the menu.
I would definitely recommend this place if you’re in the area!

So I’ve been here a few times, and the only thing I come in here to get is the Jokbal! So so so delicious!!! You guys should try it! And fun to eat with friends. I’m sure all the other items on the menu are great, which I will come back to try more of. The service and banchan were good too. It’s clean and has a homey-​feel to this place as well.

Went with my dad, he liked the sul long tang… I got the kam cha tang. I’ve been craving the pork neck soup since I had it in Korea a few years back.
Was just ok, ban chan was all good.
Three stars is I would eat again, not my fav

Excellent food. Lots of great choices. Been going there for about a year. Keep coming back!

I don’t know why I have not tried this place sooner… I only live like 2 blocks away! I think the main issue was that I never really heard much about this place from my fellow Korean friends, so I just never stopped by. Went there twice in the last two weeks, and I can say the food is the best out of all Korean restaurants in Chicagoland. I moved back to the states from Korea 5 years ago, and have been very VERY disappointed with the quality of Korean food here. Although this place isn’t «OMG so good I’m going to cry», but it sure beats all the other places around here! I have tried the Jokbal (pig hocks), Bossam, Dolsot Bibimbop, Seafood Pajun, and Gamjatang (pork and potato stew) and all of it has been outstanding to say the least. The dolsot bibimbop is hands down the best i’ve had in the states, period. It seems like an easy dish, but many places disregard how the veggies would taste mixed up, and it comes out sub par. Bowl and BBQ’s dolsot is exquisite. Their side dishes were also yummy as well. I think the owner has a case of the Resting Bitch Face, but she is in fact really nice. Will definitely be going there more often!

I came here for dinner during the week with a friend. It was delicious. We ordered a seafood pancake and yuk gae jang, which is spicy beef soup. It came with a lot of banchan (side dishes). The yuk gae jang had just the right amount of flavor and spice.
The waitress was friendly. It was actually kind of unusual because most Korean places seem like they are in a rush to get customers in and out but this place let us take our time. We actually felt kind of awkward asking for the check because it seemed like they were enjoying their conversation at a different table, eating dinner.
Overall, a great place for Korean food.

Compared to NY and LA there are no Korean restaurants that stand out but if I had to pick one it would be this place. I’ve been to almost every Korean restaurant I don’t understand where the low ratings are coming from.

Now this is one Korean place that I will frequent a lot! The price is just right with the amount of serving they have. Sides? A LOT!!! You just got to do you’re research on some korean terms/​food because it can be quite a challenge in explaining or asking the server anything about your order :) it wasn’t much of an issue for me though. Bibimpap? YUMMEEE!!! The soup? Just the right spiciness. The bbq? Perfect marinade. Oh, and by the way, even if you have the table with the grill, THEY are the ones to cook it and serve. Another plus is the location, not much is there a good korean place in the suburbs, but this definitely is the place to go!

Mix it up!

this place serves authentic korean food, especially their soon dae guk (korean sauage, other pig meats + vegetables soup) is especially good. most non-​koreans won’t have stomach to have soon dae guk, so i don’t recommend getting this unless you know what you are getting lol. nontheless, they serve other delicious food as well, ive only been here once for carry out omw to home, and i am planning on stopping more often to get dinner carry out whenever possible.
ive only tried bulgogi and soon dae guk, and both were off the hook delicious.
i can’t speak for other menus but i am assuming they are pretty good as well.
price range:$ 10~25 per person
recommended!

I was looking for something different for lunch with my mom a few weeks ago and we stumbled upon Bowl and Barbeque. Great find! Excellent food and service! Try the stone dolsat bibimbop. This place is a hidden gem in Des Plaines. The Servers were very nice and helpful even though they didn’t speak English very well. I would recommend this place to anyone who is a fan of good korean! The presentations were awesome!!! Go Check this place out for sure!

Nice and efficient service, prices are reasonable, and food is great. Had the kimchi soup and the bulgogi. You don’t get to cook it yourself which is a bummer but still good.

Me and my husband like a lot this place there is soups and BBQ are great, delicious. But I’m giving 2 star for the service, I mean that short hair korean old lady (waitress) likes young men BOO!!!
I was extremely disappointed in the service, We will not return
She was acting like meeting guys at NIGHT club.
I just wanna tell her show some respect for her female customers along whit their husband.

Really nice staff. The waitress could tell my confusion looking at the menu and she was really helpful. Spoke Chinese which caught me by surprise.
I am not a Korean food expert… but for a lunch spot in the area… this is legit. For less than $ 10, you get a good meal. The banchan was very good compared to some places I’ve had and the soups are flavorful and loaded with veggies.
Fast and friendly, I’ll be adding this to my lunch time staples in the area.

reading people’s reviews are hilarious about taking home kimchee. i thought people were exaggerating, but when my friend wanted to take some home (that was already sitting on the table uneaten) they almost flipped and didn’t give her a container for her japchae. so what do they do with kimchee that has been put out? do they give it to new customers? that’s kind of gross …
ANYWAY, besides the whole kimchee fiasco, they have really good food here. Most korean places do it right, but there are a few that do it wrong and totally miss the mark. happily this place hits it right on the mark with prices and taste/​quality of the food.
came with a party of 9 adults and 6 kids and they were able to handle our needs. we were in one of the semi private rooms on the right, which was ample room. they could have come around more towards the end to refill on the tea/​water though. it’s always better to come with at least one korean speaking friend that can talk to the waitresses, you always seem to get a little service. :)
we ordered the usual, japchae, bulgogi, kalbi, chicken and they were all cooked perfectly. (none of us cooked the food ourselves)! their soups look fantastic too, can’t wait to try some when we return … which i will!

It’s not often that you find a Korean restaurant that caters to non-​Koreans in the Chicagoland area. It’s an unspoken truth and if you ventured to Korean restaurants as a non-​Korean, then you’ll know what I’m talking about. Fortunately, Bowl and BBQ is one of the few where I have received the best service and I’m not Korean.
This is a Korean BBQ restaurant that offers kalbi (Korean marinated beef short ribs) and other traditional Korean dishes. Although not all-​you-​can-​eat, the quality of the meat is noticeably different. I brought my sister here for her birthday recently and we got two full orders of kalbi. After dining at kalbi buffets, I was amazed at how better the meat tasted here at Bowl and Barbeque. We enjoyed a plentiful amount of red leaf lettuce, miso soup, and pan chan (side dishes) that accompanied the meal. I couldn’t help but devour the myulchi (small anchioves) and toenjang (spicy miso paste).
For the area, this is my kalbi restaurant of choice. I would recommend this place if you are craving Korean BBQ and kalbi (even if you are not Korean).