Dancen — Restaurant in Jefferson Township

Underground & off the main road dining experience. If this restaurant was a movie it would be a cult classic. I’ve walked and driven by so many times and finally came here at the recommendation of a chef friend of ours. We ordered the fire chicken with cheese and it hurt so good. We ate every bite with happy watery eyes. It was incredibly flavorful, and quite spicy but you couldn’t stop eating it. Spice level in my opinion was a 6-7 out of 10. The cheese really helps mitigate some of that lava burn. We also ordered the grilled kabob combo plate which included ginkgo nut, quail, pork, beef, mushrooms and garlic. We ordered a "pitcher" of Korean beer which was a 1.6 liter plastic bottle of Cass which was delightful and crisp and perfect for our meal. When you walk up the windows are blacked out & it seems closed but check the door. It’s dark on the outside because inside they have a projection screen to showcase KPop artist music videos. The walls are bright Orange and there are about 6 or so tables. If a table is empty and clean feel free to sit down, otherwise write your name on the list. There were two people working as far as we could tell and they were doing everything. It was impressive! Waiting on tables, bussing, cooking, tending bar etc. It was really fun to see what other tables were ordering and we can’t wait to go back and try new things! If you’re an adventurous foodie who doesn’t need their a** kissed at every dining establishment then this place is for you. The food rules and it’s like a secret handshake dining...

Dancen is a nice, small Korean restaurant with a great atmosphere. The food was wonderful, though I don't have any way to guage its authenticity. We started out with their sujo and scallion pancakes. The pancakes were tender with scallions, shrimp, and calamari, delicious on its own or with the accompanying ssamjang (dipping sauce). Then came out the pork skins. They were intensely flavored with the right amount of succulent fat on them. The only problem with them was the skin was more tough than crispy. The best and last part of the meal was their fire chicken. It was dark meat, well-charred, and spicy. Not for the weak-tongued in terms of spice, it was flavorful with a pleasant burn.

My main concern was the service. Our waiter gave us good recommendations, but completely ignored us after he brought out the food. I didn't mind much that he didn't check to see how the food was, since everything was delicious. But after the meal we were waiting too long for him to return to us. It was at least 20 minutes, which normally wouldn't be so bad. But since it was a small place, and he was serving tables right next to us, it was frustrating that I couldn't even wave him over. I had to get up and walk over to him just to get his attention. Granted, it's a holiday weekend and the 8 tables in the place were filled. We'll give Dancen another chance since the food was so good. Hopefully the service...

I'm giving it a 4.5 stars. Google can you please make the 1/2 star easier to submit! This place was great. Quaint, hip and just outside of Lincoln Square it was an easy place to get to on a Friday night. Got front door parking! Now for the food--it was excellent but with a few misses.

I loved the kimchi pancakes. Really flavorful and thick. Wasn't also very oily. The Fish and Egg soup was also a win. Again just hit the right spot with spice and seasoning. Then we ordered 4 skewers. The Beef and Garlic were awesome. You could smell the woody charcoal on the stick and it really amplified the taste. But the chicken and especially the shrimp were pretty bland with the latter being rather impossible to take off cleanly. Apparently the shrimp was cooked on the skewer with the shell on--that's not gonna work very well especially if you're trying to peel it off to get to the meat.

Overall, a good experience. The food came out quick which was great considering there were only two people working and the place was packed. Will...