Cho Sun Ok Fortaleza

This place is AMAZING — the atmosphere transports you to Korea and is definitely bustling, the food is delicious you can’t go wrong with anything, and the staff took such good care of us. The stoneware for cooking was a nice touch for the Bibimbap, which got the perfect level of crispy rice on the bottom. The Bulgogi was so well seasoned and the Chadol-gui was great for a plainer focus on good cuts of meat. All the food came immediately! We were tentative with the grilling so it was very helpful when they came by to put all the meat in at once and stir a couple of times. When the first round was ready, they came and helped place it on our plates with the right method of dipping and pairing with some side dishes to show us the ropes. Any reviews speaking poorly of the staff are just silly; they probably expected American service and misinterpreted anything different as rude. Don’t pay that any mind and please tip everyone well! You’ve got to move quickly there for grilling; the staff are attentive and move at a fast clip so no one overcooks their food and to keep things moving as it is a cramped space. Also, plan to get there early. There was a line out the door by the time we left!

Authentic Korean BBQ exceeded all expectations! If you haven't been to a kbbq place before, the speed might be overwhelming, but it was amazing. Not super busy on a Tuesday evening, and we were able to get a table for with no wait. They brought out water, but otherwise it's BYOB, and they brought us separate glasses for our drinks. We started off with dumplings (gun mandu) and pangeon, which were delicious! We got 2 tabletop meats, chadol-gui and bulgogi. They brought out one at a time, and then you finish off the meal with rice and kimchi. Definitely recommend you come in a group so you can try more things!

Have the right expectations before coming, and you'll have a great time. It's going to feel like busy aunties running around preparing for a big family dinner no time for niceties and that's what's so great about this experience. Don't wait for them to ask you what you need, it's a fast paced operation they have going! The food was amazing, and our server was excellent! She prepared and served our meats for us, minding our dietary preferences, and made the experience feel like home.

Among top Korean restaurants in Chicago, and probably the best KBBQ experience I 've ever had I 'll definitely be back! We came early at 5pm on Sunday and there wasn 't much of a wait, but by the time we got out 6:30pm there was a long line forming outside (so come early! The inside is small, cramped, and quite hot from all the tabletop grilling. But the slight physical discomfort is 1000% worth it the meat is fantastic quality and their large spread of side dishes are unique, delicious, and pair nicely with the meat. Our group of 5 ordered 3 'tabletop cooking ' meat platters, which ended up being a lot of food but we still demolished it all. For a group of 5, I would order between 2 3 depending how hungry everyone is. We got the Chadol Gui and Bulgogi, which are definitely two must try platters. Both are thinly sliced, intensely flavorful and aromatic cuts of beef, but the Chadol Gui is beef brisket that 's unmarinated since it 's marbled and thus naturally fattier juicier than bulgogi. We also got the Pork Belly which I was less a fan of it was too thick which made it harder to cook without getting too tough and chewy. Nonetheless, the flavors were still robust and delicious. Make sure to also save some room for the kimchi fried rice, which the servers make for you as the final course. I loved the sourness of the kimchi paired with the savoriness of the fried rice, though overall I felt it was a bit lacking in flavor (but maybe only compared to the rich flavors of the meat . The service is attentive, fast paced, and efficient, which I personally appreciated, but if you 're someone who prioritizes a chill, slow dining experience with over the top friendly service, you won 't find that here. When first looking at the menu, the prices seemed pretty high, but for the sheer amount and quality of food we consumed, the value is excellent and it 's more than worth it. The total for us ended up being $33 pp. Price (relative to peers : 4.3 5 Food: 4.8 5 Ambience: 4 5 Service: 4.5 5 Overall Value: 4.5 5

Joints like Cho Sun Ok in Korea is a dime for dozen. Nothing special, but in the US especially in Chicago，this type of traditional Korean stove top cooking joint is a hard find. Your know you are in the right place when you first entered and the waiting staff are all season veterans with attitudes and you are required to wash yourself head to toe after the meal, ventilation is non-existent. Perfect comfort food, the speed of service was lightning fast, all of the food came out within 10 mins of order. The chap chae was one of the best that I have ever had, not too sticky. The pancake had the right amount of dough vs. food and fried to perfection. The Bulgogi was also seasoned perfectly, so whether you want the meat to be more tender or more crispy will be entirely up to you. Next time we will try the famous No. 1. Just remember, BYOB.