TAK Korean Bistro & Karaoke
Chicago
Reviews
Best galbitang in the entire Chicagoland, including suburbs, don't @ me. Don't be fooled by the fact they're open late and have karaoke. Their Korean food is serious. Even their jajangmyun was great, which is rare for a non-korean Chinese cuisine restaurant. If I had to nitpick, price is on higher end and food takes a bit long sometimes, but all is forgiven when quality meets price and the wait.
Unfortunately I was very disappointed with my experience at this restaurant. I was super excited to try this place after seeing all the hype but it didn’t live up to its reputation for my friends and I. I was visiting Chicago for a few days last week for a birthday trip and I made a reservation to grab dinner here on my birthday. I saw from other reviews that this restaurant gives you a complimentary soju bomb for birthdays. Despite listing my birthday as an event on the reservation and wearing a birthday hat + pin I did not receive a soju bomb and it was not acknowledged by my server that it was my birthday which I was a little sad about. For reference, they were not busy and there were only three other tables the entire time we were there which had already been served their food before we sat down. There was no music playing and the large screen did not have any music videos playing like others stated. I assume this is listed somewhere and I just didn’t catch it, but this restaurant does not serve banchan, so that just surprised me a lot and was also disappointing. The alcohol was good although much more expensive than at other restaurants for the same exact same brand ($19 for a $7 bottle of soju as an example). The price might’ve been worth it for the atmosphere or food or service, but that was not the case for me. We also got the peach slush drink for the table and it was very good, we were all happy with it. The portion sizes were also smaller than what I was expecting, especially for the price. I ordered the crab ramyeon which was served with a few small in-shell crab claws. I was not given a cracker or anything to open the claws with so I assumed I just used my hands which I did, but I only had one napkin to wipe my hands off for the entire dinner so that wasn’t great. I ended up having to go to the restroom to wash my hands a few times because the napkin got used up and my table was not given any extras. The men’s restroom was covered in flies, so that was pretty off-putting and kind of gross. My friends said that they did not notice any in the women’s restroom. My friend ordered the rose ttekbokki and we all agreed that it was the best dish out of everything. If I had to go back I would definitely get that instead. Also, be advised that this restaurant does not offer different spice levels. This was not a problem for most of us but one of my friends has a low spice tolerance and had a hard time finishing his meal, although he did still enjoy the taste. We were not offered a dessert menu so I’m not sure if they have desserts or not. My takeaway is that this is probably more of a karaoke-forward experience as we just got dinner and it was lackluster, but maybe it might be more worth it if we had rented a karaoke room. I walked away pretty bummed out for my birthday dinner, especially with the price tag that came with it. I think I expected this establishment to be a lot more upbeat than what it was, and the prices did not reflect the quality of the experience that I received. I don’t expect to pay almost $30 for a small portion of food and $19 for a bottle of soju and then encounter a family of flies in the restroom. The lack of music and video was very jarring for what I expected this place to be based off of advertisements and other reviews. It sounds like we may have just gone on an off-day for this establishment as most of the reviews are very good, it just sucks that this happened on a day that I was trying to make special for myself. Go try it out for yourself and see what you think, like I said we may have just visited on a bad day.
Had the chicken and the rice cakes. A bit more on the pricier edge and wasn't super amazing per se. The cocktail drinks are good though. I liked the mango specialty cocktail. The alcohol taste wasn't super strong there, so if you like mango, some ice cream, and less of an alcohol taste I would recommend this one. The specialty cocktails are all $15+ They played more chill kpop songs on screen but to do karaoke, you would have to go and rent a room out.
This place can get quite loud, so I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re hoping to have a deep conversation with your date. But if you’re here for great food and even better drinks, you’re in the right spot. I’ve been twice now, and while some dishes shine more than others, everything has been solid overall. Appetizers - Egg Rolls: Pretty good—soft, a little creamy. - Rice Cake Skewers: Flavorful. If you’re choosing between the two, go for the skewers. The egg rolls will give you protein, but the skewers will give you joy. Drinks I’ve tried the Foam Cloud and the Soju Ice Cream. - The Foam Cloud is the clear winner—basically a dessert cosmopolitan in the best way. You can tell it's from quality soju. - The liquor is dangerously smooth, so pace yourself unless you want to float away after two. Entrées - Kimchi Udon: Had this on my first visit—super flavorful and comforting. - Seafood Ramen: Tried it on my second visit—the spice level drowned out the other flavors for me. - Bibimbap: My husband ordered it once and refused to try anything else because he loved it that much. Dessert We had the trio. It was okay—not bad, but not something I’d reorder.
I visited this restaurant when it wasn’t too busy. I ordered a hot pot and a few bottles of soju, but it took almost an hour for my food to be served. Meanwhile, other tables that arrived after me had already finished eating while I was still waiting. I understand that this was not the server’s fault. She had already set everything up for us about 45 minutes earlier, and I really appreciate her effort. The food itself was tasty, and I enjoyed the Korean vibe, the decor is lovely and the atmosphere is cozy. However, the long wait was disappointing and made the experience less enjoyable than I had hoped.
