What is tabletop Korean BBQ, and what counts as one?

Tabletop Korean barbecue means the grill is part of the dining table: a gas, charcoal or smokeless unit set into the tabletop, over which the diner cooks raw meat that arrives uncooked. Four rooms in Niles and Glenview work that way. A kitchen that grills the meat and carries it out is a different thing, and so are the Korean rooms nearby that serve soondubu, soups and stews, or fried chicken, none of which put a grill in front of the diner. The distinction is mechanical rather than a matter of taste: either the table has a grill in it or it does not.

Where are they, and how are they grouped?

Two corridors. West Golf Road in Niles carries two, 336 Korean Wet Aging BBQ House at 8357 and BBQ Garden at 9020. West Dempster Street, a mile south in the same village, carries Jin Soo Korean BBQ at 8788. North-west of both, over the Glenview village line, Iron Age Korean Steakhouse stands alone at 4513 West Lake Avenue.

Which of them are all-you-can-eat, and what does it cost?

One. BBQ Garden, 9020 West Golf Road, Niles, publishes two tiers, $29.99 and $38.95, with the higher tier adding short ribs and beef tongue, plus a self-serve banchan bar and bell-call service. The remaining three publish neither an all-you-can-eat format nor a per-head figure.

Which ones close on a weekday, and how late do the rest serve?

BBQ Garden closes on Wednesday; the other three trade every day of the week. 336 Korean Wet Aging BBQ House publishes a midnight close on Friday and Saturday and 10:30pm the rest of the week. Jin Soo Korean BBQ publishes a 9:30pm close every day. The Glenview Iron Age publishes no hours, so none are given here.

Which house wet-ages its beef?

336 Korean Wet Aging BBQ House, 8357 West Golf Road, Niles, names wet aging in its own trade name and works wet-aged cuts alongside marinated short ribs and pork belly, with the staff assisting the grilling at the table. For beef of another kind, BBQ Garden's deluxe tier at 9020 West Golf Road adds short ribs and beef tongue, and Iron Age Korean Steakhouse in Glenview leaves the cooking wholly to the guest.

Are Niles and Glenview part of Chicago?

No. Both are separate incorporated municipalities in Cook County, Illinois, with their own village governments, and neither lies inside the City of Chicago. The boundary is a municipal line rather than an editorial one, which is why Iron Age Korean Steakhouse's room at 4513 West Lake Avenue in Glenview and its room at 1265 North Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago's Wicker Park sit in different jurisdictions. Morton Grove, Northbrook, Mount Prospect, Park Ridge, Chicago Ridge and North Riverside are separate municipalities again, and none of the four rooms here is in one of them.

Korean BBQ in Chicago's North Suburbs: Niles and Glenview

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Two incorporated municipalities north-west of Chicago — Niles and Glenview — hold four Korean barbecue rooms where the meat is cooked at the table on a built-in grill. Three of the four are in Niles: two on West Golf Road, at the 8357 and 9020 blocks, and one on West Dempster Street. The fourth is on West Lake Avenue in Glenview. The cuts run from wet-aged beef and marinated short ribs to pork belly and beef tongue. BBQ Garden publishes all-you-can-eat tiers at $29.99 and $38.95, and 336 Korean Wet Aging BBQ House publishes a midnight close on Friday and Saturday. Village lines are load-bearing here: both are separate municipalities from the City of Chicago and from each other.

Jin Soo Korean BBQ

food

8788 West Dempster Street, Niles, where the meat is cooked at the table on the grill and the staff coach each cut; 11:30am-2:30pm and 4:30pm-9:30pm Monday to Saturday.
336 Korean Wet Aging BBQ House

food

8357 West Golf Road, Niles: wet-aged beef, marinated short ribs and pork belly, with the staff assisting the grilling at the table. Midnight close on Friday and Saturday.
BBQ Garden

food

9020 West Golf Road, Niles: diners grill their own meat at the table across tiers at $29.99 and $38.95, the higher adding short ribs and beef tongue. Closed Wednesday.
Iron Age Korean Steakhouse

food

4513 West Lake Avenue, Glenview: a do-it-yourself Korean barbecue where guests take control of the cooking at the table grill. One of two Illinois rooms the chain lists.

West Golf Road and Dempster Street: Niles

Three of the four sit in Niles, on two east–west roads that cross the village. West Golf Road carries two, at the 8357 and 9020 blocks; West Dempster Street carries the third.

336 Korean Wet Aging BBQ House is at 8357 West Golf Road, Niles, IL 60714, where the staff assist with grilling the meats at the table. Published hours are 4pm to 10:30pm Monday to Thursday, 4pm to midnight on Friday, 11:30am to midnight on Saturday and 11:30am to 10:30pm on Sunday.

BBQ Garden closes the run at 9020 West Golf Road. Diners grill their own meat at the table across two all-you-can-eat tiers, $29.99 and $38.95, the higher tier adding short ribs and beef tongue; there is a self-serve banchan bar and bell-call service. Published hours are 11:30am to 10pm Sunday to Tuesday and on Thursday, and 11:30am to 11pm on Friday and Saturday; it closes on Wednesday.

Jin Soo Korean BBQ is at 8788 West Dempster Street, where the meat is cooked at the table on the grill and the staff explain how to handle each cut, sometimes taking the tongs over during quieter hours. Published hours are 11:30am to 2:30pm and 4:30pm to 9:30pm Monday to Saturday, and 3pm to 9:30pm on Sunday.

West Lake Avenue: Glenview

The fourth room stands north-west of the Golf Road corridor, over the village line on West Lake Avenue in Glenview.

Iron Age Korean Steakhouse is at 4513 West Lake Avenue. The operator describes a full do-it-yourself Korean barbecue in which guests take control of the cooking at the table grill rather than the servers, and its locations page lists two Illinois rooms, this one on telephone 847-813-6029 and one at 1265 North Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago's Wicker Park. No source states the Glenview room's opening hours, so none are given here.

Frequently asked questions

What is tabletop Korean BBQ, and what counts as one?: Tabletop Korean barbecue means the grill is part of the dining table: a gas, charcoal or smokeless unit set into the tabletop, over which the diner cooks raw meat that arrives uncooked. Four rooms in Niles and Glenview work that way. A kitchen that grills the meat and carries it out is a different thing, and so are the Korean rooms nearby that serve soondubu, soups and stews, or fried chicken, none of which put a grill in front of the diner. The distinction is mechanical rather than a matter of taste: either the table has a grill in it or it does not.
Where are they, and how are they grouped?: Two corridors. West Golf Road in Niles carries two, 336 Korean Wet Aging BBQ House at 8357 and BBQ Garden at 9020. West Dempster Street, a mile south in the same village, carries Jin Soo Korean BBQ at 8788. North-west of both, over the Glenview village line, Iron Age Korean Steakhouse stands alone at 4513 West Lake Avenue.
Which of them are all-you-can-eat, and what does it cost?: One. BBQ Garden, 9020 West Golf Road, Niles, publishes two tiers, $29.99 and $38.95, with the higher tier adding short ribs and beef tongue, plus a self-serve banchan bar and bell-call service. The remaining three publish neither an all-you-can-eat format nor a per-head figure.
Which ones close on a weekday, and how late do the rest serve?: BBQ Garden closes on Wednesday; the other three trade every day of the week. 336 Korean Wet Aging BBQ House publishes a midnight close on Friday and Saturday and 10:30pm the rest of the week. Jin Soo Korean BBQ publishes a 9:30pm close every day. The Glenview Iron Age publishes no hours, so none are given here.
Which house wet-ages its beef?: 336 Korean Wet Aging BBQ House, 8357 West Golf Road, Niles, names wet aging in its own trade name and works wet-aged cuts alongside marinated short ribs and pork belly, with the staff assisting the grilling at the table. For beef of another kind, BBQ Garden's deluxe tier at 9020 West Golf Road adds short ribs and beef tongue, and Iron Age Korean Steakhouse in Glenview leaves the cooking wholly to the guest.
Are Niles and Glenview part of Chicago?: No. Both are separate incorporated municipalities in Cook County, Illinois, with their own village governments, and neither lies inside the City of Chicago. The boundary is a municipal line rather than an editorial one, which is why Iron Age Korean Steakhouse's room at 4513 West Lake Avenue in Glenview and its room at 1265 North Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago's Wicker Park sit in different jurisdictions. Morton Grove, Northbrook, Mount Prospect, Park Ridge, Chicago Ridge and North Riverside are separate municipalities again, and none of the four rooms here is in one of them.

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Iron Age Korean Steakhouse runs the Glenview room and one at 1265 N Milwaukee Avenue in Wicker Park.