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312 Eats
Des Plaines · Korean · $$

New Seoul Korean charcoal bbq

4.5651 reviews ·Opentil 10 tonight
The place is not big and it is a local restaurant where you just stop by and don't worry if your appearance is not the best
Marina B.Marina B. · 249 Google reviews
Read the reviews on Google →

New Seoul Korean charcoal bbq — trusted korean in Des Plaines. Order the Galbi. The kind of place your parents probably knew about too, and family-run. "Every bite was tender, juicy, and perfectly caramelized" — Todor Krecu [$$]

What 651 diners keep saying

Neighborhood institutionFamily runCozyOld schoolFamily friendlyQuick bite
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638 W Algonquin Rd, Des Plaines, IL 60016
Des Plaines
Today11AM-10PM
Sun12-10PM
Mon–Tue11AM-10PM
WedClosed
Thu–Fri11AM-10PM
Sat12-11PM
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What 651 diners keep saying

verbatim, from Google
Review photo by Jimmy T
Jun 2026

Fantastic family owned restaurant that has excellent authentic Korean food. We had the Galbi (charcoal grilled- so yummy) along with the spicy stir fried squid. Nice selection of pan jun also. Wonderful service and highly recommend!

Jimmy T

Jimmy T

166 reviews on Google

Review photo by ChildishMango
Jun 2026

So good. Everything is super fresh and delicious. All the side dish probably the best in chicago area. Also they are charcoal gril so have a lot flavor. Must try and will revisit!

ChildishMango

ChildishMango

5 reviews on Google

Review photo by Kayla Cologna
May 2026

Hands down the BEST kbbq I’ve ever been too. Amazing service from wonderful people. The grandpa was spectacular and took such wonderful care of me and my family. 10/10 you have to go here.

Kayla Cologna

Kayla Cologna

2 reviews on Google

Review photo by Nicholas P
May 2026

Lately, I’ve been moving away from the ayce kbbq and trying the ones that are a la carte. This one uses oak wood charcoal vs gas-powered/electric grill that most of the Illinois Korean restaurants use. The verdict is that the meat comes out really tasty. When you come in, you might have to reserve a table especially on the weekend. We didn’t reserve, but we were lucky to get a table for 3 on a Saturday night at 7 pm. The restaurant is small so seating can be limited. Parking is sufficient since it’s a shared lot. The service was very attentive and friendly. This is a family owned and run establishment. We ordered the combination platter (bulgogi, kalbi fingers, and pork belly), mo dum jun (combination platter for appetizers, ggo ri gom tang (oxtail soup). This was more than enough food for 3 people. Banchan is refillable. I would say this is one of the best kbbq restaurants in the Chicagoland area and I wouldn’t mind coming back. -combination platter 5 - this is good for 2-3 people as long as you have other dishes. Meat cooked fast. -mo dum jun 5 - fried squash, shrimp, oysters, and stuffed peppers. The stuffed peppers were my personal favorite. Make sure you dip them in the sauce provided. -oxtail soup 5 - light broth not too robust. Oxtail meat was tender, not chewy. It’s big and shareable.

Nicholas P

Nicholas P

1305 reviews on Google

Review photo by Jasmine Lin
May 2026

Came here for Mother’s Day and we had such a great time!! Owner was so friendly and attentive to us! Portions are great and side dishes are refillable! We ordered galbi, bulgogi, mini squid, and snail. Everything was so delectable and savory :))) Amazing small business will definitely be coming back. Thank you for making our dinner amazing!

Jasmine Lin

Jasmine Lin

11 reviews on Google

Review photo by Brian Lim
Apr 2026

This is not your date night spot to take lots of pretty pictures. This is a place you go to eat real authentic korean bbq over charcoal. Mind you probably one the last few places with this special permit allowing you to cook this way. When walk in the vibe is a hole in the wall that looks like has not been remodeled in ages but the food spoke truly for itself. All the side dishes were clearly made with love. I can tell the family running this place has genuine respect for ingredients and is NOT like the 90 percent of korean bbq right now. The standard for good quality restaurant falls by the year these days. This place I pray stays open for a long time. And for those who has gone to a AYCE or an "american" kbbq like (iron age or mr.kimchi) You must see the level of flavor difference here. Yes your going to spend a little more but in all honesty opinion I over ordered because I haven't been back here in a while and I craved that charcoal grill flavor.. I wish I took more photos but I was too busy eating in my opinion one of the top korean bbq spot in the suburbs. (again I said suburbs)

Brian Lim

Brian Lim

100 reviews on Google

Review photo by Todor Krecu
Feb 2026

New Seoul Korean Charcoal BBQ is hands down one of the BEST dining experiences in the Chicago suburbs. The oak wood charcoal makes a huge difference — you can actually taste the authentic smoky flavor that you just can’t get from gas grills. The meats are incredibly fresh and high quality. Every bite was tender, juicy, and perfectly caramelized. If you want real Korean BBQ done right, this is the place!

Todor Krecu

Todor Krecu

177 reviews on Google

Review photo by Merris Habas
Jan 2026

Good ice cream and food🥰 Great service

Merris Habas

Merris Habas

2 reviews on Google

Review photo by Eunjin Kim
Dec 2025

사장님 너무 친절하시고 고기도 부드럽고 맛있었어요! 저희는 생갈비, 양념갈비, 해물파전 먹었습니다☺️ 숯불에 구워먹으니 진짜 맛있었어요…!! 나중에 숯 추가도 해주시고 이것저것 너무 많이 신경써주셔서 정말 감사했습니다! 반찬도 많이 주셔서 남기고 온기 아쉽네요ㅠㅠ 아, 그리고 맥주 시키니 꽝꽝 얼은 잔에 주셔서 너무 시원하게 마셨어요… 최고 마지막에 숯에 마시멜로우 구워먹으라고 주셨는데 진짜 감동 그자체…!!!! 사장님 너무너무 친절하셔서 팁 많이 드리려 했는데 제가 나갈 때 정신없이 팁을 적게 잘못 적고 온 걸 나와서 알게 되었어요.. 죄송합니다ㅠㅠ 다음에 또 방문할게요! 감사합니다😄

Eunjin Kim

Eunjin Kim

12 reviews on Google

Review photo by Ren B.
Oct 2025

It’s like you’re being served by your relatives—they were so kind and accommodating, checking on us constantly. We had Galbi and the beef tongue. The banchans, especially the fish cake, were amazing. The portions were perfect as I didn’t feel overly full/overwhelmed compared to other places. We hope to come back to try their lunch entrees :)

Ren B.

Ren B.

9 reviews on Google

Review photo by Helen Davros
Sep 2025

WE LOVE THIS PLACE ‼️ wallet friendly korean bbq for $28-40 you get one meat and unlimited sides which is enough food to feed two people (price depends on what meat u get) my boyfriend and i discovered this beautiful little gem by accident and it’s our go-to spot. we came here for our 6 month anniversary today and we were sad to see it wasn’t busy but we don’t understand why because the food is SOOO delicious and the atmosphere is great (the first time we came here the owner greeted us and was very welcoming) we ordered the bbq brisket and octopus. brisket was thin sliced and cooked beautifully. the octopus was well marinated and seasoned. the sides are very delicious. the BEST part was the dipping sauce for the meat. the darker sauce is well balanced DELICIOUS umami and not too sweet. they do not skimp on the meat or the sides. the salad that comes out with the bbq is very well seasoned as well. delicious and fresh crunchy salad. the tea they serve at the beginning is very good as well, it has a corn flavor that tastes like tortilla that i enjoyed very much. one thing i really enjoy about the atmosphere is that it feels like im welcomed into someone’s home this place has a nostalgic feel to it that’s really nice. i would recommend anyone looking for a delicious and not super expensive dinner to come here. one order of meat can feed two people easily but we were feeling gluttonous which is why we ordered 2 meats instead of one. unfortunately we live far away so we can’t come as often as we would like. new seoul bbq is our go to spot when we want to go out for a special dinner when we’re not trying to spend too much and i think more people should visit here. the images below are one dipping sauce that is very delicious i highly recommend. the other image is potato in a sweet sauce but it wasn’t candy sweet you know not too sweet. the other side in that image is vegetables and potatoes that are coated in this white sauce that is sweet and creamy. the last picture is my man holding a marinated octopus that we shared. i wish i took more pictures to show on here but i highly recommend this place if you live far from here the drive is so worth it

Helen Davros

Helen Davros

3 reviews on Google

Review photo by Nina Unabia
Aug 2025

Me and my friend ordered the japchae as an appetizer, and for kbbq we ordered the marinated galbi. For the amount of food we received including side dishes, we got a good amount for the price we paid. (Bill total was $77 without tip) the galbi was really good not too rich, and the japchae was perfect. The service was really good and they explained the dishes, and constantly checked on us during kbbq to see if we were cooking the meat right. They also gave us free yakult. Would definitely recommend

Nina Unabia

Nina Unabia

2 reviews on Google

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