Chungkiwa Restaurant — Restaurant in Elk Grove Township

TL;DR the fantastic food, stellar service, and astute attention to detail will be a memorable experience for anyone. 5 Stars is the only rating I see fit.

Full Review:

I don't think I've ever given a restaurant a full 5 stars but I think I can safely say that this was truly a culinary experience. My family and I had just gotten back from a long day in Downtown Chicago; needless to say, we were starving and in critical desire for a source of quality food. We stumbled upon this unassuming restaurant thinking it was merely going to be another place for sustenance like the food we'd eaten so far and decided to try it. The second we walked in, we could immediately tell something was different.

The variety of interior decoration and lighting made me feel almost entirely ease upon walking through the door, and in combination with the opera playing softly over the speaker (the Marriage of Figaro), I knew I was in for a good time. I'm not as familiar with the variety of Korean dishes and meals but they were all absolutely delicious. We chose to have our food cooked in the back (as opposed to the option of being able to cook the food for ourselves in front of us). Our waiter was responsive, very quick, and catered to our every need with a comforting smile on his face. At the end of the meal (at which point we were totally stuffed), we received a surprise of ice cream for our dessert on the house. Finally, upon leaving, the front manager gave myself and my younger sisters stuffed animals as souvenirs to send us on our way. I was very impressed and knew I would remember this experience for years to come when I recalled this segment of my time here...

Stopped here on a whim because of all the positive reviews. Had such a great dinner and experience combo here I am leaving one myself. Had to admit I was intimidated by the whole cook your own Korean BBQ at the table considering I've never even really eaten Korean food before. But once we got there our server took the time to walk us through every part. Not only the cooking but what went together and how traditional Koreans would eat it. We brought our two younger boys (4,6) and they thought it was the greatest time ever. They absolutely loved the cooking and all of the food. Plus the server and owner went out of their way to make them feel included and taken care of. This usually doesn't happen at many places as they are usually ignored as far as service goes. We ordered the BBQ for two, since I wasn't sure if the kids would eat much since they can be picky at new places. Let me tell you all four us left completely stuffed and with a large leftover container. I think the combination of the large portion of food coupled with the time of cooking it made for us be extremely full. One last note, I would leave extra time to eat here. The food comes out fast and service is great, but you are cooking some food yourself if you choose that option. So make it one of those nights where you don't have anywhere to rush off and just want to hang with the family. Will definitely be stopping back.

P.s. don't be fooled by the shopping center look on the outside. The inside is really inviting and...

I’ll preference with stating that this review is a little dated, nevertheless I don’t quite understand the high ratings. On a late Sunday afternoon/early evening we tried this KBBQ restaurant for the first time. We had to wait to be seated as there was only one staff member attending the guests. The interior was on the dimmer size (maybe just the time of day) and their tables/booths were slightly sticky—nothing out of the ordinary for many restaurants. What really was strange was the seat cushions/pillows/stuffed animals. Why would you have those at the dinning area (especially with smoke and grease) is beyond me. I suppose it adds to the appeal along with the complementary after meal ice cream, but it seems unnecessary for adults.

Unfortunately, they were out of kalbi for the day—this was disappointing as our reason for eating out was for have short rib. They could have mentioned this to us while waiting. We ended up ordering pork belly. Based on the price for the portion, I personally was surprised that the slices still contained the bone and distinctive layers of fat and lean meat were lacking. The seafood pancake was very average and the fact that the soup served was not the expected soybean paste dish was unexpected.

As someone familiar with Korean BBQ and other Korean restaurants in the NW suburbs, this one seemed off. Perhaps it is suited better for a different clientele or maybe it was once a good option based on others in the...