Outstanding food and service pancake, rice cake and chicken soup were amazing, can't wait to come back! read more

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i really enjoyed.... very tasty food and clean reataurant... i like to try their chicken and ginseng one day. i will be back

Ssyal Sam Ginseng Houes is my favorit place. I took a few co-worker today on the way to O Hare airport. They loved Ginseng Chicken soup. I loved a Ginseng Chicken soup. I will take all my co-worker there in a few days to have them taste it. read more

food here is amazing cooked well the lighting in there is really cute and the restaurant is clean & cozy I recommend this place to everyone the bibimbap is the best read more

Ssyal - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

IF I COULD RATE ZERO STAR I SWEAR I WOULD. The lady with the red hair put me and my friends in the corner in the room and leave us there for 15'. When she came to take the order, she's rushing us "hurry hurry i have many people waiting". Then she left when we even not finished the order yet. We asked for extra rice and she forgot so we had to remind her about that, and she brought the rice when we nearly finished the meal. When we paid the bill, she said "leave me the tips okay". We gave her $2 tips and left, she called us back and ask for more tips! Like wtf? I gave her $5 extra but she's still disappointed. She said "your parents work too right, so you should understand and give more tips". Holly shit! PLEASE DO NOT WATSE YOUR MONEY FOR THIS TRASH PLACE!! read more

I wish I could give this place more stars as it is by far my favorite Korean restaurant. I always order the pork bul go kee. Whenever I feel depressed on cold winter day I go to this place and come out with a smile on my face :). read more

Ssyal - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Their Ginseng Chicken soup is no joke. It will cure all physical and emotional ailments, and exemplifies what this clean, heart warming dish is and should be. [x] Impossible to not like. Full Stop. read more

A few weeks ago I bought "spicy braised chicken" made from Ssyal in the Joongboo market. This is an a la carte dish of chicken, carrots, potatoes, peppers and other vegetables seasoned with a little spicy seasoning. This was very delicious.  But that is too much to eat alone. So I put in the freezer the leftovers. I took it out of the freezer today and  reheated in the pot. Then I was very surprised by the taste. The taste was still fresh and good just as when I bought it. I highly recommend this not only for family but also for people living alone who love spicy chicken. read more

About the worst take out I've had. Mushy meat - floppy dumplings. I cook Korean and this was plain bad.

Delicious soup. Always so friendly. The ginseng chicken is a must try during the winter. I would travel an hour for this

It was a windy January day when I first came back to take food out from here. Of course, had to order their famous Samgyetang. But since it was a cold day and I had to get food for two, I also got some soondubu for good measure. Everything was neatly packaged and the staff was very courteous when I came by to pick up the food. On top of that, it held warm for the hour it took me to get back home before actually digging in. Went first for a taste of the Samgyetang and my initial impression was...sort of bland. That's not to say it was a poorly made broth, in fact it was very evident how well-crafted it was from the color, the depth of chicken flavor, and the balance of water with chicken fat that coated the mouth and made it all the heartier. That said, while I did taste some of the hints of ginger, there weren't many other flavors beyond that. You're supposed to season with salt and pepper, which did help, but I guess I'm used to more colliding tastes in a signature soup dish. I did love everything that went into stuffing the chicken. The sticky rice was delicious as were the jujubes and garlic...I feel like if there were more of that to eat with the soup, I wouldn't have felt it otherwise bland. Soondubu was pretty standard, which is also not a bad thing, as even average soondubu is delicious. They packaged all the banchan very neatly, and while there weren't that many(5-6?) they were all pretty good. My favorite were the purple rice and seaweed looking thing; radishes were also well pickled and nicely cut the deeply savory flavor of the samgyetang stock. It's a bit of a trek for me to get here, and while I wouldn't mind coming back if I was in the area, I don't know that I'd warrant the 1hr of transit on a whim. 3.5/5 read more

delicious and the best sam gye tang place in town, definitiely recommend, infused with oriental medicinal herbs read more

Ssyal - cha o Cha-O-Reum Samgye Tang - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The Korean ginseng soup here is excellent - broth here is great and each bowl of the soup includes one whole small chicken, stuffed with sticky rice. Make sure to call ahead if you are coming towards closing time, as we almost missed being able to place a to-go order as it was nearing closing time and weather was not great. read more

Finally. I feel like I have found a place to call home :) This is the most authentic Korean restaurant that I have found in the city of Chicago. And the ambiance, service, and mood of the restaurant is just lovely. Best part - my kids and the hubs loved it as much as I did. Today was a hot summer day - perfect for naeng myun, bulgogi, dumplings and a seafood pancake! This place is now tops on our list! read more

This has become our go-to place for Korean food. We love dining in but the food is just as good for take out. Take out is always packaged so well. Very easy and safe ordering and pickup. We really enjoyed the food! read more

This place specializes in Sam Gye Tang, which is a special kind of Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup. However, it's not the only thing that is good here. They have a variety of other korean entrees including bibimbap and yukaejang (spicy beef soup) that is solid. Having been here before, upon our last visit we've noticed updated menus as well as new tables and chairs. This place is definitely putting in the effort. read more

Didn't find anything spectacular about this place. The highly touted chicken soup was just a small chicken in a bowl of broth. It tasted like a chicken in chicken broth. They give you salt and chopped green onions to put in it. Adding these gives the meal a sort of salty, oniony flavor. The bulgogi was just okay. The pork was tasty; I thought it had a very mild undertone of liver, which I liked. The meal came with eight serviceable ban chan sides. The ginseng milkshake tasted like it was just milk, ground ginseng and honey. Kinda nice, a bit earthy. In the plus column, the ginseng in the various dishes has me feeling strong, like bull. If anyone has anything they need smashed up with my bare fists, just PM me. read more

I can't complain about the place. It's definitely a spot u go with friends and family. I went alone cause I was craving soon doo boo and it was the nearest spot closest to me. I was the only customer but someone did come in to pick up an order and they ha prepared another order for someone on my way out. I would like to try it again with friends. Overall not the best tofu soup I had but definitively legit. I think it's a little pricey but again, they probably are going for an evening meal audience as appose to a guy alone at 4pm read more

Ssyal - Soon doo boo - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We ordered the Korean pancake and their specialty ginseng chicken soup. First I want to say how delicious the Korean pancake was! It was huge and the right amount to crispyness and so much flavor! Was tempted to come back the next day and order two orders of it! Next the soup. It is supposed to be a healthy soup which is why it's bland when they first bring it out but that is why they give you a small dish of salt and green onions since you're not supposed to eat too much sodium when you're sick. So if you're not, here's a whole thing of salt to dump in your soup! And they give the exact amount of salt you need for the soup in order for it to taste delicious! Super tender chicken and the rice stuff inside of it was delicious too. I loved the side dishes especially the fermented radishes! Everything we ate felt so clean. Plus the staff were super friendly and kind. will definitely come back again! read more

Ssyal - Korean pancake - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The inside was nicely decorated, and I appreciated the authentic stoneware bowls our bibimbap was served in. I made sure to burn myself and the bottom of my rice just like old times. The bibimbap itself was nothing to write home about, a little skimpy on the bulgolgi meat and heavy on the spinach. Luckily there was a dish of miscellaneous hot sauce beside my bowl with which I could at least make my food as painful as possible to eat. My boyfriend was not a fan of the ginseng cooler he ordered, but sometimes white folks don't know what they're getting into when they order quaint looking ethnic stuff off of menus. Seriously, try the ginseng cooler, it's awesome. The little side dishes were tasty and almost all pickled. I missed the sukemono dishes from Japan and this had me satisfied with the brine and spice intake levels. The watermelon slices at the end was a nice touch. In summary...sometimes, you just need to consume a whole pile of ginseng and veggies to feel right with the world again. And you need to do it out of an unwieldy stone bowl heated to 400 degrees, while using chopsticks to make it even more risky. Heck. Yeah. read more

"Ee yul, chee yul..." is a traditional Korean saying that promotes eating hot foods during summer and cold foods during winter to build endurance to overcome extreme weathers. So, during the hottest days of summer in Korea the most sought after dish is sam (ginseng) gyeh (chicken) tang (soup). Hence, my bf and my visit to Ssyal Ginseng House this past weekend in hopes to re-energize ourselves in the sweltering Chicago heat. I read multiple descriptive articles on this restaurant in magazines and on channel 7, ABC. Oh boy, were we disappointed. You think the Big Mac looks nothing like the ads? That's a more accurate representation than what was served to us. Sure, the soup was served in the traditional clay pot, still bubbling hot but where was the ginseng, jujube (red dates), garlic cloves, ssook (korean green herb) or scallions?????? The chicken looked awfully lonely in the broth. As for the taste...it tasted like chicken. read more

I'm not really sure if writing a review about Korean restaurants is a good thing for me. Since I'm originally from Los Angeles, I think my opinion can be little BIASED. But here we go. Decent decor, with nice ginseng flower pictures, jars and etc. Side dishes, nothing out of the ordinary. Just like your average Korean restaurant side dishes, except fewer choices. First thing I tasted was kimchi and I was not impressed at all. For the main dish, I ordered Cod Fish Spicy Soup... thinking that since the picture had a fish intestines in it, it will be included in the soup also. But no, it just came with the fish. Soup was average, not spicy as i hoped. And it wasn't that tasty to be honest. I would probably try this place again to eat their cornish hen soup when it gets colder but I don't really think i will be impressed with that either. We shall see. read more

I'm not the biggest fan of Sam gye tang, but I do occasionally eat it and this is the place for it. Sam gye tang is a chicken soup made with ginseng and is usually eaten during the summer. You get a whole small hen stuffed with rice. My parents love it but for me it's just whatever. I do love their spicy chicken soup (dakdoritang), and side dishes. The owners are super nice and welcome non Korean speakers. By the end of my meal I was taking shots of raspberry wine with the owner! read more

This place wasn't as great as I thought it would be. The portions were a bit small for the high prices, and yes the food was good but it was the same as any other Korean restaurant. The one thing that was nice about this place was the excellent service. The waitress was a sweetheart. I ordered the Bulgogi and my Mom ordered the Chicken soup which both were ok, but were just so small of portions that we had to split an extra BiBimBap, and all the prices were high. Im sorry to say I would not want to go back! read more

Wonderful place to come and have a late night dinner. The decor is cute and modern. most importantLu the food is delicious. I will be coming back again. read more

I love this place. My top 5 for Korean. Everything here is perfect. I've tried like 10 different dishes and have never been disappointed!

I stopped in here for lunch on my way to Noodles Party because of their large posters of delicious looking food plus a Tribune article from 1997...there are not a whole lot of options on the menu which made it easier to narrow down what to get. I got the Bulgoki ($12) and Ginseng Milkshake ($3.50). The Bulgoki was okay; it was served room temperature and I felt that the portion size was small for the price. There was a side of clear broth with sprouts that was probably the best part of my meal. The Ginseng Milkshake was more of an ice milk consistency. I tasted honey in it. It was good but nothing exceptional. The service was good, the space was clean and bright. Great for casual dining. I personally would not come back as there are better Korean restaurants all over Chicagoland. Well, actually, I would probably come back if I ever got sick to see if the much hyped Chicken Soup would do anything for me. Lack of a Lunch Special menu is disappointing. Street parking is available. read more

Yum! Had a family dinner here when we were in town. I had to try what they are known for and I absolutely loved the samgaetang. The broth was excellent, banchan yummy and service was top notch. Parking is a bit tricky. From what I can tell, they have a small lot in the back or out front street parking. read more

I went with the intention of trying the eponymous chicken ginseng soup, but I balked at the idea of wrestling with a whole Cornish hen in a giant bowl of broth. That was more of a challenge than I needed. The atmosphere inside is more serene than the flashy signage implies, and it feels surprisingly classy given its underdeveloped location on Lawrence. The musak is kept at an unobtrusive level, and could be considered bearable. The menu is full of Korean favorites, with a few rare additions. There are pictures of everything. That's kind of fun. I was excited about the metal chopsticks until it came time to use them. They were so slippery! They made me feel like an amateur. I chose a dish described as "handmade noodles in a spicy vegetable broth." I ordered it extra spicy, as I am apt to do. The noodles were roundish and flat, like misshapen silver-dollar pancakes. I've never seen anything like them. They were okay. There were precisely three tiny unexpected clams in my broth. I am the opposite of allergic to shellfish, but that's just flat-out dangerous. The menu should mention the mollusks. It was medium spicy, in my opinion. I'm beginning to think my opinion is skewed, and that the spiciness I seek is impossible to find. I should roll with pockets full of habaneros. I watched someone eat the chicken soup -- they gave him a separate dish for the bones, which he picked clean with his fingers. So THAT'S how they do it. The owner, who spoke very little English, didn't let that stop her from visiting my table to make sure everything was satisfactory. That's exactly what it was, but no more. I'm glad I gave the place a shot, but I'm unlikely to go back due to the wealth of other, more convenient Korean spots around. Note: If you need to get your ginseng on, look no further. They sell it bottled, pickled, powdered, candied, juiced, jellied, and dried. I bet they'd shoot you up with it for a price! read more

Sorry someone writing good review here. I believed what they said and tried to visit this place. I hate and not back again. There are a couple of another place like this or buying ingredient from Korean grocery for cooking it. I'm totally Korean and Ginseng chicken is my favorite Korean. Taste good,but their attitude was horrible. We asked more a certain side dish (it's normal and usual in Korean restaurants). They said we didn't make it today. What's that mean? People coming with me lie? They made that a couple of days before? We're dumpster to throw away their old food? Anyway, I hate this place. If you like this place, I don't care. However, I can't give more than 1 star. 1 star came from taste. read more

The ginseng chicken soup is really good. We came here in a cold day (4 degree). The hot soup really hit the spot. Flavor is very tasty. If you are first timer you have to try it out. We also order the stir fried spicy squid, if you really like seafood you can try it out but I don't think it's worth it. It is tasty but not a lot of squid in there. My aunt also order the spicy cod soup which is good. Overall, service was very great and the food are very nice. They have gift card sale going on right now so if you wanna save some money for holiday, it is the best time to come. read more

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If you want to try Korean authentic food other than Bibimbob, GO HERE. If you like chicken but the Korean fried chicken thing sounds too heavy for you, GO HERE. If you want a hot night with your partner after dinner, GO HERE and get some Mother Father Ginseng Chicken! read more

We have been coming to this restaurant for more than 20 years. We absolutely love this restaurant. Friendly service and nice staff. Awesome place to have meals. The food is so delicious. It's the best Korean restaurant in Chicago. read more

This retaurant surronds you with peaceful mood, it has good customer service, the lady is really nice and most importantly foods treats us right! Overall Ssyal is a great restaurant to go on a daily basis! Recommending it for sure!! :) read more

Ssyal - Dumplings - Korean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I stumbled upon this place after an event nearby. It was an arctic day in Chicago and it was perfect. We ordered the mandu, custard for apps and did the bulgogi soup and the spicy beef soup. It was a lot of food! This place is definitely authentic and perfect for some home cooking. The owner is super nice and service is great. There were many Koreans inside so a great sign! Would definitely return again! Wish it was close for me in River North. read more

Love this place. Ginseng soup here is superb great quality and Made with love. So are all other dishes. I tried most of them. Very nice place. Please go support this place. They used to have many many jars of ginseng wine or some sort displayed but I think they r gone now. I really wanted to purchase one of them before but now it's too late. I love supporting local businesses. Genuine. Courteous. Authentic. 10 stars out of 5. ;) read more

So everyone usually drops a review about the samgyetang, but let me just throw a concept at you: those pork ribs! Holy cow! They're deliciously spicy and sweet, and paired with bites of gyeran jjim, it's just perfect. Every time I've been here or ordered from here has been a great experience. read more

I ordered the sam-gye-tang (ginseng chicken soup) as I was feeling under the weather and I was happy with my decision. The soup was cooked well and I was able to eat this dish over two meals. My hubby on the other hand, was not too pleased with what he ordered (dae gu tang--cod fish soup). It had a slightly weird after taste and there was less fish than he expected. read more

Great yukgaejang soup, small dish is amazing, they gave me delicious dumpling, very reasonable price. Must go Korean restaurant

Usually I go to Joong Boo Market to get my Korean fix but the menu is quite small and I was feeling something different. It was a cold day out, snow still on the ground. We were craving something soupy to warm us up. I had this place bookmarked for quite a while but never found myself in the neighborhood. Luckily that day, we were! I think this place is a hidden gym! We were the only two people in the restaurant when we arrived at around 4:30, go figure. Immediately we were waited on with two cups of nice hot barley tea and menus. If you know Korean food, you know that Sam Gye Tang is a classic dish. It is basically a whole chicken that is stuffed with sweet rice and boiled with ginseng into a delicious and flavorful broth that will cure any winter chill. In addition to the soup, we ordered the spicy pork, and the stone beef bibimbap. All equally delicious and authentic tasting. They also provide you with an array of banchan aka Korean side dishes. Anyone who goes to Joong boo for Korean food should come here for a nice change for some new but familiar Korean dishes! read more