Nol-Bu Korean Restaurant

Really solid soups here! Been twice and tried the soel leong tang, dumpling soup and kimchi jiggae. The dumpling soup definitely stood out and was super tasty and was the best Korean comfort food ever! Their menu is all in English and they’re welcoming of non Korean speakers so don’t be afraid to come try this place out! They’re open to answering any questions and are happy to refill your empty banchans!

I think the tofu kimchi had pork in it, but I’m not vegetarian so I didn’t care. It blew my mind.

Location on Unilocal is off… It’s on the other side of what you see on the map (as of 11÷11÷15). I love their mixed grain rice and the bibimbap was decent.

I came here with my family late on a weekend afternoon, and the dishes were hit and miss.
The dolsot bibimbap (2 kinds: ojingeuh/​squid and regular) were fantastic: wonderfully flavorful and with just the right amount of nurungji (chewy crunchy rice stuck to the hot stone bowl).
The altang was delicious: The soup was tasty and not too spicy, and the pollack roe was cooked just right.
The kongguksu was good: The sauce/​broth was plentiful, cool, and refreshing, and the noodles were delightfully chewy.
The jjolmyeon was great: The noodles were also delightfully chewy, the sauce was tangy but not too spicy, and the fresh vegetables gave a nice textural contrast.
The yukgaejang was a little disappointing: The broth was spicy but otherwise a bit bland.
Some of the banchan (side dishes) tasted and looked like they were previously frozen; so that was a bit of a letdown.
Overall, not a bad choice if you’re in the mood for Korean, but pass on the yukgaejang. Do try their dolsot bibimbap, though.

The owner is really nice and all, but the food is very mediocre. Cold noodles was okay and kimchi tofu pork was too salty. The meat itself was a bit over cooked too.
Wasn’t too satisfied.

This is a clean and friendly Korean restaurant. The service is pretty good!!! And I like their sides and pork soup.

Delicious food. Fresh, and a nice variety of flavours. The owners are very nice and gave us a lot of advice about what was best.
The cinnamon tea was delicious as an extra treat.

The food was pretty good. I had the soondubu and naengmyun. The banchan was simple but still fresh. The service wasn’t so great though (even though it was quite empty during the time we were there) because my friend and I had to wait on the waitress to be available and try our best to get her attention more than once or twice. Other than that, it is a pretty good Korean restaurant out in Morton Grove.

Their beef stinks! Worst korean restaurant ever! Also really bad service, took them forever to get anything. I will never go again.

Nolll-​buuuu, you make my dayyyy-​ayyyy.
(Too bad you’re in the burbs… but I still go.)
Move over Jay-​Z + Beyonce…
Barrack + Michelle…
Brad + Angelina…
Kanye + Kim…
It’s time to introduce Nol-​bu + Dempster Fish.
They make the power couple that dominates the Dempster Road Kingdom.
But let’s talk about the side-​piece that is Nol-​bu.
Nol-​bu has such an extensive menu of Korean dishes that are all prepared with care. If MTV Cribs did a show on Korean food I’d hope they start with an episode on Nol-​bu.
I can see it now:
«This week on Cribs… Nol-​bu starts to conquer the asian noodle and soup game.»
The concept of Nol-​bu is really putting out Korean HOME-​MADE cuisine. There are a few Korean restaurants sprinkled across the Chicagoland area, but I’d say that Nol-​bu does this type of cuisine on a high-​level.
It would take a novel and a memoir to write about each of the dishes they offer and how good they are, but here are some of the highlights:
:Yuk Gae Jang:
Just like mom’s cookin’. Great spice, flavorful beef and nice firm noodles that hold up well in broth. Always hits the spot on a cold day or when you just cravin’ soup!
:Sul Leong Tang:
The creamy ox tail soup classic gives off a deep flavor that is distinct. Overall, the soup is mellow, but it really drives home that hearty bone flavor.
:Jjol Myun:
A cold spicy noodle dish. There is no broth, but it is refreshing in it’s own right. Nol-​bu has perfected the chewiness of the noodle with the tanginess/​spiciness of the sauce. It is a great dish to share as it may be a lot of noodles for one person to conquer.
:Kal Guk Su:
A hangover’s dream. Mild broth with thick knife-​cut noodles. The noodle texture is awesome since it is more doughy than a normal noodle. Just add your own spice by dipping kimchi in the broth and voila– Hangover cured. Or at least you won’t feel as queasy…
Of course, you can order any of the beef/​pork entrees and be delighted as well. There are also the classics of Pajeon, Bibimbap, and Soondubu that are all above average here too.
TIPS about the place:
1. Park in the back and walk through the back… this is an old tradition on Dempster Rd. Since there’s no street parking on it.
2. Ask for an English menu (like I do, since my Korean sucks)
3. Don’t be afraid to ask for refills on banchan… especially the ones that you like!
See you on the flipside Nol-​bu.

I am neither Korean, nor have ever been to Korea. So, I cannot really say I am your Korean food connoisseur, however I have tried Korean food across US. In general, I enjoy eating… and I have a serious interest in Korean food.
Having saying all that, we found this place on Unilocal… and it is relatively close to where we live… so, why not give it a shot, right?
Nothing fancy, you know… tables, chairs, a TV, panels between tables. Was not crowded when we got there. Husband had raw meat tartar and dumpling soup, I had hot bibimbop. Also, side dishes you get at Korean BBQ places.
Despite, my palette is not «refined» enough to appreciate the raw meat tartar, yet, all food I tasted was delicious. From side dishes kimche, (something that tasted and felt liked) fermented sweet potatoes, seaweed (??), pickled young cucumbers (???), and eggplant were delicious.
Despite we did not speak Korean and the wait staff did not have much control over English, they were extremely polite and patient with us. The lady who took our order also pointed out one bibimbop dish is cold and the other one is hot, raw meat tartar is really raw and hot sauce is hot. She even told my husband how meat tartar should be eaten. Don’t get me wrong, husband eats meat tartar at his ‘country of origin”, I know what hot sauce is, etc… but it is a nice touch that people concern about what you are ordering may not turn out to be «as expected».
The ladies also topped up our side dishes without us asking for them and packed my left over food… which is –additional– nice service points…
I am glad we gave a shot to this little, homey restaurant with nice service and food… We shall return ;)

The owners put a lot of care into their food service. Love the barley water and the creative panchan. You can’t go wrong with the mackerel, pancake, bulgogi, bibimbap, any of the soups … all are awesome.
After my meal I turned in a plate that was literally licked clean. I joked with the owner and said «…apparently I didn’t enjoy the meal.» Even with food that completely disappeared into my stomach the look of concern on his face and his «I am very sorry!» response showed how he cared for the reputation of his restaurant.
Best Korean restaurant in that stretch of Dempster, IMO.

Found this place late night for quick bite, turn out to be a gem!!!
Staff is extremely nice and polite, the food was exceptionally good!!! Although soon-​tofu soup were small portion but overall good taste nice service !!! I highly recommend it!!!
Oh one thing they have beer and soju selection but weren’t serving it at the time not sure is to why, the lady working at the time didn’t speak english well

*Come with a Korean friend if you don’t speak Korean because the menu is pretty much written in Korean.
*best for groups of 3 – 4 if you want to share the jungols (Korean version of hot pot)
*vegetarian/​pescetarian menu options
My friend and I decided to check this place out as we were driving along dempster. It was awkward coming into the back door, but the inside was really homey and clean. You feel like you entered a Korean home. The floors are tiled and the tables are wooden– the walls are simply decorated, and a TV broadcast is on the TV which is hung up in the corners.
The waitress got us a hot and soothing pot of tea (barley tea).
I was so surprised by the menu, because they offered many things from Appetizers, stews, fish entrees, chicken entrees, desserts, and soups.
The main entrees are relatively cheap, but stews are around 30 $ (2 people).
We ordered (budae stew), which is a stew made out of many meaty ingredients and vegetables including kimchi. We also ordered the haemul pajeon. Around 10 side dishes came out, and I thought the marinated potatoes and the sauteed zucchinis were spectacular. The side dishes tasted fresh and natural!
I thought the budae stew was good, but I think Junju Sikdang’s budae is better. (Junju Sikdang is down the street) The Haemul pajeon was fantastically thick and crispy. :) I am a fan!
service is a bit slow– but it kinda reminds you of Home. And what’s better than home cooked Korean food?
Koreans, come here if you miss Home cooked food :). And to everyone else, come if you wanna try something else other than bibimbap.

I have driven past this place probably hundreds of times. Finally stopped in here for the first time because Dempster Fish Market is closed on Tuesdays. Pleasantly surprised to see it ¾ full at 1 pm. Wonderful, reasonably priced lunch specials. We ordered the bi-​bim-​bap with all the side dishes. Soup and tea were complimentary. Delicious, inexpensive, and even had leftovers! The staff is super friendly and sweet. Glad we accidentally came across this place. Will definitely come here on purpose again soon! (Just not on a Monday, they are closed.)

Great food! They give you just the right amount. Reasonable price as well. The owners are very friendly. They gave us Korean punch to try after the meal. Overall just a homely atmosphere.

I had the seafood soon doo boo and all the side dishes were delicious!
I went by myself and they still gave me like six side dishes

Last week, Cho Jung in Glenview was unexpectedly closed so some family members and I decided to try Nol Bu for the first time. The menu here is fairly large which I didn’t expect for such a small place. The interior seems fairly unchanged from when Ttowa used to be here. Now, if it’s on the menu, I usually order soon dubu chigae whenever trying a Korean place for the first time. On this visit, I wasn’t in the mood for anything spicy so I went with comfort food, dduk mandoo gook (dumpling/​rice cake soup). I don’t know what they use in their broth but this one was one of the best versions I’ve ever had. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it but it was so satisfying! My uncle got the kong gooksoo (cold noodles in soybean broth) and he was slurping like a maniac. He insisted everyone have a taste because he thought it was so good. My aunt actually ordered the soon dubu chigae and she said it was fine. My dad had the mool naengmyun and I think he liked it fine. I thought the banchan was fresh and flavorful. The kitchen sent out a bin dae dduk (mungbean pancake) for the table and it was excellent! The outside was crisp, the inside fluffy and the perfect thickness (ie wasn’t too thin). They also sprinkled a little salt after cooking which is key to anything fried. Next time I visit, I’ll have make sure to order one as an appetizer. Service was slow even though it wasn’t busy and the dishes came out slowly. If they can afford to add one more person to help wait on tables, I think it would help tremendously with the service issues. Regardless, the dduk mandoo gook and bin dae dduk will have me coming back soon!

5 Stars for not using MSG.
This place is a simple, clean, cheap and authentic korean restaurant. If you dont care for the atmosphere and décor– this is a great place. Two korean ladies run this restaurant and they are very friendly. They dont use any MSG (according to them) so sometimes it could taste a little more plain but– still tastes very good. I highly recommend.

If you’re on a budget but don’t care about quality of food, come here for the lunch special ($ 6.95/person). I ordered the bibimbap but requested it to be vegetarian by having the waitress replace the beef with a fried egg. The dish turned out bland, so I supplemented with copious amounts of hot sauce and panchan. I’ve definitely had better bimbimbap at Jin Ju. I’d have preferred my vegetarian pancake to be less soggy, so the chef could perhaps dry out the vegetables more before placing them inside the pancake.
It was awkward entering through the back side of the restaurant, which faces the parking lot. They might increase their business if their main entrance and sign face Dempster St. Note that this is at the location previously known as Bap and Grill.
To be fair, their restaurant is very tidy and clean. Hospitality is their forte – our waitress refilled our complimentary panchan (side dishes) without being asked. She also happily helped me take pictures of me and my girl friends. Even though she assumed I was Korean at first, I’ll forgive her for that. ;)
Overall, excellent service and clean ambience but mediocre Korean food.