Ahjoomah's Apron Korean Restaurant — Restaurant in Chicago

Today I returned to Chinatown,  not for Chinese food but Korean! This place is 2 doors down from the Firehouse. Easy to find. I stopped here and was delighted with what I found. Great honest kind service. Food served fast with a smile. Recommendations that are honest and insightful. I started with the sweet & spicy chicken wings. Crisp and coated with this super sticky tasty sauce. Absolutely delicious.  The sauce doesn't make the wings coating all soggy. Be warned the sauce is super sticky. You will need to wash your hands before touching anything else or starting the next course but believe me it is worth it for the little bit of trouble. I moved on to Beef Bulgogi with a side of white rice. Yum yum yum! Tender meat and a plethora of sides.  Potatoes and carrots, spicy kimchi,  cucumber is sweet sauce, bean sprouts on sesame oil,  seaweed,  broccoli and fishcake. I am not a fan of fishcake but I always try it so I'm not missing out on anything.  The spicy kimchee got me twice. It was so good, so spicy, so crisp and amazingly delicious,  I am didn't mind my nose running. This is a small gem starring you right on the face. After all that food I asked for a beer recommendation.  Not one Korean working here recommended the Korean beer. They liked the Sapporo, of which I am very familiar. So Sapporo it is! I certainly want to come back, bring a friend or family to turn them on to this place. I want to come try a chicken dish next. I thoroughly enjoyed this outing which was on a whim because I needed to get out the house. I am so glad I came. Looking forward to coming again in the future. I am sorry I missed this place for such a long time. I hope never to make that mistake again. I am so stuffed.  No shortage of food here to eat so stuff yourself with healthy sides. They...

For a place serving this quality of food, it should be considered a staple of Chicago.

There are Four things that set this place apart: The super friendly staff who will help first timers understand the menu. The cozy home like feel in the middle of a bustling Chinatown street. The amount of Vegetarian/ Vegan options. Most importantly the Banchan aka The Side dishes.

The portion sizes are massive. So come in with the intention to share, and occasionally stare at what the other tables are having.

The Vegetarian Dumplings, though sounds lame, is so darn good, you will not be able to resist yourself. I snarffed the entire plate while my vegetarian wife was half way through her first dumpling. Honestly anything you order is awesome. However, for Beginners, I would highly recommend the Dolsot Bibimbap. Fun mix or rice and veggies and meat sizzling away in the hot stone bowl. We've tried something new everytime we have been there and honestly never once had a bad experience. the Ramyun, Kimchi pancakes, and Jajangmyeon are all phenomenal.

Its. great meal. And like coming home from your own Ahjoomah's home, you will leave a lat fuller and happier than when you walked in.

I would highly recommend this spot, especially for the vegetarian/ vegan crowd whose main gripe is a lack of options. Here, your main gripe would be telling your friends to stay away from your food!!!

On a scale of 1-5, I would rate it an uber and 4 n a...

If you've ever had half-decent Korean food in your life, this is not a place for you. We ordered Gimmari, Kim-chi pancakes, Jjajangmyeon, spicy pork, stir-fried kimchi-pork, and dol-sot bi-bim-bap. Bi-bim-bap came with rock-hard tofu that was cooked days before and/or sitting in refrigerator too long. One tofu piece was so hard, I could not even squeeze it with my fingers. Seasoned vegetables on top were not good at all. My wife stopped eating after few bites. All the side dishes were bland and non-distinguishable from one to the other by taste. My daughter who loves kim-chi pancakes refused to eat it after a bite. Undercooked and flavor-less. Noodle inside gimmari was overly puffy and soaked in oil. Jjajangmyeon was ok but taste was not remotely even close to anything you would find at a Korean-Chinese restaurant. Spicy pork and stir-fried kim-chi/pork dishes were passable but I would want to come back to eat them. I feel like this place should trim down menu and focus on few really well made items. I can't recommend this place at all. Also, please consider replacing unappetizing severely scratched up white ( not-so-white ) sharing dishes you provided with appetizers. I lost my appetite as soon I saw those dishes come with gimmari and...