MISTER TIGER — Restaurant in West Chicago Township

Let me tell you about Mister Tiger—I absolutely LOVE this restaurant. This is my FAVORITE Korean restaurant in Chicago. It’s perfect in every way: the incredibly flavorful food, creative and delicious cocktails, the warm and stylish atmosphere, and the kind, attentive service.

I’ve been here for both a big family celebration and a more casual dinner with just a few friends—and they can accommodate everything. Whether it’s a large group or an intimate gathering, the experience is always smooth, comfortable, and impressive.

Let’s start with the interior. It’s clean, modern, and thoughtfully designed, with beautiful traditional Korean touches that feel elevated and polished. It’s the kind of place I can confidently bring anyone—friends, coworkers, my boss, even my grandparents—and I know they’ll be impressed.

Now, the food. I grew up with amazing Korean home cooking from my mom and grandma, so I’m not easily impressed—but Mister Tiger blew me away. Every dish was rich, deeply flavorful, and cooked to perfection. The uni rice was a standout—the texture of the tobiko popping in my mouth was so satisfying. The Woodae Galbi, Galbi Jjim, and glazed baby back ribs were all melt-in-your-mouth tender. The grilled branzino was perfection—crispy on the outside, soft and flaky on the inside. Honestly, I only regret that I couldn’t eat 10 dishes at once!

And then, the cocktails. Each one was unique, surprising, and so delicious. I didn’t get to try them all (yet!), but favorites included Secret Stash, Uprooted, More Rice Please, Jet Lag, and Simple Gesture. I’m a big espresso martini fan, and Jet Lag was the perfect twist. More Rice Please and Simple Gesture were so smooth and easy to love—I could drink them every day. Uprooted was especially memorable, the use of perilla (a beloved Korean herb) in a cocktail was so unexpected and creative, and they executed it perfectly.

And don’t get me started on dessert—the yuja tiramisu was unforgettable. Bright, creamy, and just the right balance of flavors. I am obsessed!!

Finally, the service was just as impressive as the food. Every server we encountered was professional, polite, friendly, and attentive—checking in at just the right times, answering all our questions, and making us feel genuinely welcome.

The only downside is that I don’t live closer to Mister Tiger!!! Otherwise, I’d probably be there every week or maybe everyday. If you're looking for a restaurant that delivers on every level, look no further. This place is a gem! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

GO! MISTER...

Mister Tiger is a taste of exactly what Chicago has been needing - a place that offers homey/delicious food that still pays homage to our Korean moms' cooking yet has a very cool and modern flare. I was very excited to take my non-Asian friends here because it was a clean and hip space that wasn't like the old, slimy, hole in the wall Korean restaurants. We were greeted by a warm and friendly staff. My server explained the dishes well to my friends who had never tried Korean food; I really appreciated the friendly, attentive, and knowledgable service.

We ordered the chive pancakes, korean fried chicken, dumplings, spicy stir fried pork, galbijjim (braised short ribs), spicy baby back ribs, kimchi stew, and every single dish was so delicious! The spicy cabbage that comes out with the dumplings on top of the dumplings plus the spicy soy sauce was the the perfect bite! The spicy pork was just the right amount of spiciness for my friends and we loved the of subtle sweetness combined with spicy and salty! The braised short ribs deserve a round of applause because it truly reminded me of my mom's galbijjim!! The meat was soooo tender and the dish was really fun finding the pieces of potatoes, mushrooms, carrots all swimming in such a rich and delicious broth. The spicy baby ribs just fell off the bone and was great balance of well seasoned and spiciness.

With our dishes, I ordered the Grandma's tiger balm. Was very impressed with how the cocktail menu was curated to play off common childhood memories like grandma's tiger balm and made it super refreshing and tasty! Would definitely recommend!

Overall, my friends and I had an awesome time and would definitely recommend for a date night or group dinner. Really looking forward to...

We had dinner at Mr. Tiger last Monday, and oh my goodness, it was amazing! Best Korean food I’ve had in a long time. I’m from NJ where there are many Korean restaurants, but nothing quite like this place! The food, the plating and presentation, the ambiance.. it’s perfect.

We tried the korean friend chicken (kids’ favorite!), glazed baby back ribs (sweet, tangy, tender meat), and uni rice (my favorite). Uni rice is the colorful dish in my picture— this was almost too pretty to eat! For the main dish, we ordered woodae galbi (amazing, especially together with their special dipping sauce), galbi jjim (perfectly seasoned), sweet and spicy fried tofu (great vegetarian dish, not too spicy), and the branzino (soft inside, crispy outside, ugh so good). We also tried all of their dessert.. because we couldn’t pick one, they all sounded delicious! And they were! Yuja tiramisu (cool that they spelled it the Korean way and not ‘yuzu’) was creamy and full of yuja flavor. I also loved their take on the bingsoo— using milk ice cream instead of shaved ice, adding dried strawberries for a nice crunch, really well done.

Also, don’t skip out on their unique cocktails! I don’t prefer strong liquor taste, so More Rice Please (nutty, sweet, touch of cinnamon) and Simple Gesture (sweet and refreshing) were perfect for me.

All of the dishes were fresh and without any artificial flavoring or MSG. It’s something I pay close attention to, especially when I’m eating out with my kids. This is how a real home-cooked meal should be—fresh, healthy, and packed with natural flavors. Okay, one last comment. My kids loved the neon Tiger sign on the wall! They said this is the Kpop Demon Hunter’s tiger and wanted a...