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KOW — Des Plaines japanese that sets the standard. The room fills up fast and stays lively. Staff that genuinely cares how your meal goes. "The kimchi was bold and tangy, pairing perfectly with the rich meats" — Anna Amelina Paraiso
Danny Ng
153 reviews
No recurring complaints found across reviews.
1518 Market St, Des Plaines, IL 60016
“Walking into KOW Korean BBQ is like stepping into meat lover heaven where the grills never rest and the side dishes just keep marching to your table like delicious little soldiers”
“One of the better Korean BBQ places in the north subs.”
One of the better Korean BBQ places in the north subs. The ramen station was cool. Overall the feeling was fun and relaxed. Service was excellent with Cy taking care of us. Try the assorted pickles.
joe b
Jan 2026
“10/10 Korean BBQ spot.”
10/10 Korean BBQ spot! Our server, Cy, was super attentive and helpful and gave us suggestions as to what to order, flat iron steak, beef bulgogi, and pork belly were really good and of great quality. Solid Kbbq spot and in a good location as well for only being open for around 7-8 months. With the addition of the Ramen Bar included with the AYCE meat it was worth the price and very unique!
Alexis Arellano
Dec 2025
“Loved the vibe in this restaurant.”
Loved the vibe in this restaurant! The robots bring out your food was fun! Self serve ramen had lots of options! & Our waiter was great helping us pick out meat options, but we do order on a kiosk at the table! We'll definitely be back!
Jolene Barry
Dec 2025
“First impression is that it's a club with laser lights, projectors, neon, even a Banksy.”
First impression is that it's a club with laser lights, projectors, neon, even a Banksy! There's even a robot delivering food to your table. Definitely high concept atmosphere. But the vibe is smooth, chill and relaxed. The waitress was superb. We opted for lunch and she explained all the choices and how it works. We went to the ramen bar and immediately screwed up, but she helped us politely and fixed everything. She started cooking our food for us to get help us with the process since it was our first time there. She chatted with us for a while. The food was great. The chicken has to be cooked separately so she cleaned the grill for that. It's all you can eat so she was generous in offering is additional things. Overall, it's like eating in a futurisric restaurant, but a future you can believe in. Great food. Amazing. Great atmosphere. So cool. And great experience with very nice waitress/partner. We will come again for my upcoming birthday. Looking forward to it. This is now my favorite Korean place.
Jon Hillenbrand
Dec 2025
“Good service, atmosphere, and meat quality.”
Good service, atmosphere, and meat quality. We came for lunch (around 1:30 PM) on a Saturday. Plenty of seats available. Music is at a reasonable level (can be loud for some sensitive group of people based other comments. (I wasn’t expecting too much before coming and thought their meat quality would be as bad as the Galaxy hotpot place next to them. We just wanted to come here to try the ramen machine 😆)
Wade Wen
Nov 2025
“THIS IS DEFINITELY THEEEEE SPOT !”
THIS IS DEFINITELY THEEEEE SPOT !! And our server CY literally outdid himself!!! Great customer service from all the staff. And the music they play EVEN BETTER. Definitely a great vibe there (:
Jazmin Perez
Nov 2025
“Wow, fresh meat and side menu!”
Wow, fresh meat and side menu!! Also very kind server, Cy!! Thank you!! Helped out BBQ and checked out my table so often!!
JungHee Kim
Oct 2025
“Great service and food.”
Great service and food. atmosphere decent and clean. server Audrey was very wonderful, polite, knowledgeable with all of our choices and suggestions that she made. Wonderfully cooked all of the meat selections at the table perfectly & Robot servers brought our food to the table.
Paul Rutkowski
Sep 2025
“Food was great and I had an amazing server.”
Food was great and I had an amazing server! Christina was super nice and helpful, this was my first time trying kbbq and she explained everything very thoroughly and had great recommendations for food. Cannot go wrong with the beef bulgogi!
Victoria Plaza
Sep 2025
“The food was amazing.”
The food was amazing! Loved the different options they give you, definitely a must try !!! Also Audrey our server was so sweet and helpful. Will be coming back again
Sameera Shukri
Sep 2025
“I didn’t even take pictures because the food was so delicious that I finished everything right away.”
I didn’t even take pictures because the food was so delicious that I finished everything right away. Our server Ethan was really friendly, and the beef was incredibly tender. My favorites were definitely the beef belly and the flat iron steak. Honestly, I can’t believe the quality you get here for just $33. This place feels like it could dominate the whole Chicago dining scene. Truly amazing—I’ll definitely be back!
Lily Park
Sep 2025
“Happy this opened up in our neighborhood.”
Happy this opened up in our neighborhood! A gem of a find for kbbq. The meats are delicious, sides are well seasoned, and atmosphere is fun. There’s a ramen wall included too. The service is also great; Audrey is charming, knowledgeable, and so helpful! We enjoyed our lunch here and will def be back!
Hana Sahac
Sep 2025
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