SGD DUBU SO GONG DONG TOFU & KOREAN BBQ - WICKER PARK — Restaurant in West Chicago Township

Confused by the overwhelmingly positive reviews. No part of my experience was 5 star.

The menu is quite limited - bentos, a few meats, a few soups, a few apps. Had beef bulgogi and haemul pajeon (seafood pancake). Good portion, but not very well seasoned or browned outside of the layer on the hot plate. Bulgogi comes with only 2 banchan - kind of a bummer relative to other spots that give you a bunch of variety. Pajeon was thin (I actually liked the crispiness) but expensive for how skimpy it was on the seafood (at least 1 piece had no seafood in it at all) and veg.

Environment feels takeout focused. Limited decor, harsh lighting, etc. There was an ad for LA galbi on the table but it had no price, wasn't on the menu, and our server didn't mention it.

Tea wasn't on the menu or offered by the server but I noticed there was a hot water dispenser, cups (only plastic cafeteria cups unfortunately), and teabags at a station in the dining area, so assumed it was self service. The server interrupted to ask if I wanted tea in a way that indicated it wasn't self service and that it might cost money. I didn't end up getting charged - if the tea is complimentary, tell your customers that.

Service was ok otherwise.

Another review said this place isn't BYOB but they told me it was on the phone. Didn't test...

The food was solid - pretty much what you’d expect from any SGD. Service was fine, but the atmosphere left a lot to be desired. The space was small with poor acoustics and lighting, making it feel more like a take-away spot than a dine-in experience. Also, note that they don’t serve alcohol, and it’s not BYOB.

The main reason I am leaving a 2-star review is because one of my biggest dining pet peeves is when guests food is brought out at completely different times. My meal arrived a full 10 minutes before anyone else’s, and since we weren’t sharing, it left me with the choice of eating awkwardly or letting my food go cold. In addition, the small plates we ordered came out AFTER the last entrée.

In my opinion, food timing is a crucial part of the dining experience. They did the same thing to a table next to us so I know it wasn't a one-time thing. Unfortunately, this alone is enough for me not to return.

If you have an itch for Korean food this could scratch it but I'd stick to...

Important to preface that I am actually a big fan of the Schaumburg location, the expansive space, big menu, and copious amounts of bonchon.

I live a 10 min walk away and was excited to give this a try. Unfortunately it was a completely different experience. Space was tight, and the only attractive corner table far away from the cold winter breeze at the front door had K-pop blasting from the soundbar into my ear. One of the lights and tvs were also flickering on and off, like janky strobe light effects to go with the K-pop lol.

Sad that there were only two sides here, kimchi and radish. Kimchi was too salty and not yet fermented enough. Radish there were less than 5 slices in the dish so we asked for a refill 3 times.

Seafood pancake was good, but pork belly was fried, hard, tough. Onions were burnt. No sauce in the bottom of the dish, just burnt oil. Do not recommend. 3 stars to respect their predecessors, I’ll go to...