Go Goo Ma — Restaurant in Palatine Township

Experience Edit

Decided to go to Go Goo Ma for a dinner with the other half. When I entered they had remodeled a bit to have their center area converted to booths instead of the round tables they had before.

When I ordered, I had to wait about 10 minutes for the gentleman to finish his previous order. No issues there but he did allow another Korean couple to cut in front of us. He took their order before us. Strike 1 for today. So after we takes out order we sit down and wait for him to finish the dol sot bibimbop.

While we are waiting another group comes in and places their order.

So some time has passed, the line cutting couple has their food and we still do not have our food. They were ahead of us. But then the group that came after us gets their food. Hmm that is strange. The groups that happen to be Korean get their food before us.

I go up to the counter and ask the lady the status of our food. She said it'll be ready in 5 minutes. I wait 5 minutes and go up again. The food is not ready and I see that only 2 woks have just started when I went up the 2nd time.

We've waited 1 hr at this point and still do not have our food. The line cutting Korean couple has finished their food and gotten an additional take out box and has left. The other Korean group has had their meal prepped and are eating while we are still waiting for our meal.

I ask for a refund at this points since its been over an hour at a fast casual restaurant and still do not have any food. The lady becomes very rude at this point and insists that the previous groups placed phone orders which I find highly suspicious since no phone has rung. If she had apologized and said there was a mix up, I could have forgiven that but she did not.

In the end, if you are not Korean or can not speak Korean do not come to this restaurant. I was treated as a second class citizen and I believe you will be as well. The Cantonese couple that also ordered their food after us was told to wait an additional 10-15 minutes for their food.

One other sanitary thing that you should be known. The soup that is served in their Styrofoam bowls is not ladled into the bowls. They use the bowls that they are served as the ladle.

--Original Review-- This little hole in the wall place looks like its run by an older couple. The gentlemen is the chef with a Inchon cooking certificate. Although the portions are a little small. We usually order 3 sets for 2 people. The quality of the food is there and we can taste the differing food flavors. If you are interested in a good Korean place that is just good food. This place is a good...

I went here to take-out on a lark. I actually was going somewhere else but couldn't find it. (Of course, I saw it as I was leaving with my food. Go Goo Ma is sparsely decorated. There are a number of tables in an open space. This was nice since the tables are not particularly close together.

You order at the counter. Most Americans are not very familiar with Korean food, so I assume the pictures of all of the dishes posted with their name and number on the wall helps. I decided to go with Beef Bi-Bim Bop. I like spicy, and the red sauce traditionally served with this dish can be like fire

There appeared to be only one person working there, and only one family at a table, so it was not busy. The gentleman behind the counter was very friendly. After placing my order, he quickly went into the kitchen to prepare it. It only took a few minutes until he came to me with a large styrofoam container with a smaller one in a bag. Considering what Korean Barbeques in the area charge, this was pretty reasonable.

When I got home and opened the box, I was surprised by how large the portion was. The food was quite good. The smaller container had radish Kim-Chi. It was crunchy and not particularly spicy. The red sauce on the Bi-Bim Bap was also tasty, but not quite as spicy as I'm used to.

I think they tailor their cuisine to match the people in the immediate area. So, they must tone down the spice. I will be back but will ask for the food spicy next time

This is a small. family owned place that needs more patronage. There are a number of restaurants of various kinds in the two strip malls that sit next to each other on Algonquin Road by Versailles Road so there is a lot of competition for diners. If you like or want to try Korean foods, this would be a great place...

DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY. This is not a typical Korean restaurant in its style, but more like a Chinese carryout. There is no wait staff, so you have to go up to the counter and order and pay for your food. When it is ready you get called up to pick up your own food. I ordered the simplest and easiest dish, Be Bim Bop. The dish was very good and authentic as any other Korean restaurants. That is where the similarities end. The side dishes were not at all what is expected, no kimchee, no fish cakes, no bean sprouts, etc. What is the same or higher is the price tag. With no waitstaff, serve yourself, even signs to return your dishes on the military steel tray, the pricing should be lower. I love Korean food and eat out once or twice a week, but I don’t think that I’ll be returning to this place. To top it off the guy from behind the counter, called me “hey” as he wanted me to clear my own table. I deliberately left my tray on the table to see what would happen and it did happen! Thank goodness I have one less restaurant to worry about. I had given them three stars, but changed down to one, since I can’t go to zero. I am glad there is over one thousand views, hopefully that many are not wasting their time there. If you found this helpful please click on: LIKE I As of November 2020 there are over 2096 views. Hopefully that many and more are not wasting their time. As of 12/06/2022 they have over 3900 views that won’t waste their money or time in this place. If you agree, please hit the thumbs...