Dong-ne: Korean cuisine

It's always great to have more Korean food choices in Lakeview. During my visit, I went for Galbi-Tang, Seafood Pajeon, and Vege Gimbap, and all the dishes were tasty. I particularly loved the Galbi-Tang for its hearty broth and flavorful beef. While I would have loved a broader range of options, what they do serve is done pretty well. The place is roomy with ample seating, and service was efficient during our visit.

This charming eatery serves up excellent Korean cuisine. Despite having just one waitress on duty during our visit, she expertly managed all the customers, ensuring timely service. It's the ideal spot for a delightful, light lunch. Definitely recommend!

Found this place while researching for Korean foods before traveling to Chicago. Glad we ended picking this place when we got here. Seafood pancake was nice. My favorite was the seafood soondubu (came with rice). It was so flavorful & had a lot of toppings. Would definitely come back if we have a chance. 😋 Our server was very nice. Bathroom was clean. Plenty of seatings and we went on a Saturday for lunch. They play K-pop in the background if that’s what you are into. 🌻Parking: street parking. No private parking on the premises 🌻Portion is really big. So keep this in mind when you order

Food is SO GOOD. Staff is amazing as well. Polite and informative. Bathrooms and entire dining room is immaculate. Definitely recommend. If you get the chance to have Shaw take care of you, you will have a great experience!

Been looking for a solidly authentic Korean spot and I've finally found it. They have classic larger dishes like Bibimbop, but what really makes Dong-ne stand out are the side dishes. The Tteokbokki is the same texture and flavor you'd fine in street markets in Korea (the red sauce pic) and the Scalion Pancake alongside the Gimbap transport your taste buds directly to Korea. If the healthy portions and amazing servings don't do it for you, maybe the flavored milk (banana is too good, trust me) will. Support small businesses!

Wonderful balance of flavors. Helpful service, fresh food, well kept interior. Shared a meal with my partner and the portions were generous, we both enjoyed our meal and would come back. Tried it on a whim and am pleased with the results! Definitely recommend— our favorites were the chili garlic edamame and gabli short rib.

I’m always looking for good Korean restaurants in Chicago and I would say this is one! It’s a simple clean restaurant, inviting you in with a very comforting vibe. The food was pretty good and the people were very polite. We got the seafood pancake, beef bulgogi and ramyun noodles which was very good and flavorful. Only thing I would wish they would have are all the assortment of sides that we usually get at Korean restaurants. But I’ll still recommend trying this out!

Great traditional Korean dishes! The staff are very friendly, attentive and more than happy to share fun info about the dishes and restaurant. I had the soondae, kimbap, and bibimbap. You can tell the ingredients used in the dishes are so fresh and side dishes were just made. We were also told the chef makes all of the sauces themself! I will be making frequent visits to this restaurant!

This is one of the best Korean restaurants within miles -- and it's in Lakeview! They have a good range of Korean food, beyond typical bebimbop, more than most. There's no reason to drive elsewhere when we have Dong-ne in the hood.

I was excited to try this new Korean restaurant. Overall I think the food is a bit expensive for the portion size, but the ingredients are fresh and cooked well. The service was good. We (2 people) shared the chicken bibimbop and the veggie pajeon. They were both tasty, but we left kind of hungry. Usually bibimbop is filling because of the rice, but there was just a smaller portion than I expected.

I always pass by this place and I've been meaning to try it. I tried their pork belly bibim-myun and their bulgogi kimchi fries and both were okay. I think it is pretty average and nothing that I am particularly impressed by. The pork belly was a bit tough and dry and the bibim-myun was a bit smaller than I expected. The bulgogi fries were flavorful but ended up being one flavor and one texture and was not as hot as I would have liked. The service was okay as well as we had to ask our waiter for water refills multiple times before getting a refill. The place is nice and clean and great for a hang out. Probably would not come back considering the prices and the food.

Good place to get some of that hip Korean cuisine. If you like the food and can tolerate the over the top graphics and music, check it out. Dong Ne sounds like it hurts below the belt, but it's more likely your ears will be hurting from the loud K-pop that's being blasted. Besides that, the only other bad thing is the price of most items. The food isn't exactly authentic, but it has nice takes for American types of tastes. Came at lunch and it wasn't busy. It seems like the kind of place that would be busy late. This is made for attracting the late night Korean patty crowds, with the sensory overload. For sure the owners love Korea. It says that all over the walls. Also of course they play K-pop. Plays it loud. About the food. That's why we came, and it's not bad in spite of some of the prices. It's about $14 for the cheapest entrees. The Japchae is one of the few for vegetarians. It's glass noodles and slightly sweet without being hot. There's a good variety of vegetables, including wood ear mushrooms, those rubbery ones that are good stuff. Has good things about it, such as flavors. It's kind of too small of portions for the prices. There's bulgogi as well as things for vegetarians.

Iman's smile when you walk in is enough to turn you into a believer. She is sincere and happy to serve you. Do you know what I like about Korean food? Is the side veggie dishes are really quite tasty and they don't taste the same. You get all of that in the beef bibimbap. I can eat without feeling guilty. Service was obviously superb!

The bulgogi japchae is very flavorful and the sweet potato noodles have a good chew without it being too much. Dishes here are on the pricier side, but the portion sizes are large, so I guess it evens out in the end. The employee was very nice. Chill casual vibes, good for a friend outing or a lowkey date or just for takeout. Closer to 4 stars than 5 stars (mainly because it seems a bit overpriced), but there's not a lot of options for Korean food nearby (that I'm aware of).

Nice to see more Korean places open up in the Lakeview area! Unfortunately the convenience of this location is not enough to prevent me from going to a better Korean restaurant outside of the mainstream Chicago neighborhoods. This restaurant tries to play up a fast casual type experience with unjustified premium prices. For the prices you're paying here you could get double the amount of food at a more traditional Korean restaurant--it just doesn't seem to have great value. They also only really give you pickled cucumbers for side dishes which is lowkey sort of preposterous considering how one of the most integral parts of Korean cuisine are the side dishes. Food: Tteokbokki: not bad, pretty flavorful and matched what you would expect from your typical Korean restaurant, very small portion though Seafood pajeon: kind of lacked flavor, we dipped this into our tteokbokki sauce to really enjoy it Spicy Chicken Bulgogi: not bad, just very overpriced and they don't give you enough of it Pork Belly: the meat quality was subpar and we had to dip it in our tteokbokki sauce to get some semblance of flavor Seafood Japchae: was pretty decent and met my expectations, gets dinged for the price point

First things first, the food was pretty good and tasted almost authentic. We got the a soondubu jigae which didn't taste as soondubu but more like a different korean soup. We also got the bibimmyun (you can make this at home for cheaper) which was decent, and the bulgogi plate which was the only thing that tasted pretty good. Service was nice, they were attentive and made sure everything was good. Price was expensive for a korean snack place. I get that it's in the city, but overcharging for something you can make at home is a lot. The bulgogi plate was around $21 which is a lot more than expected. Main point is, if your craving for Korean and you don't want to drive anywhere, this is the place to go. But if you want something more authentic and cheaper, go to an actual Korean restaurant who will give you your moneys worth and give you an authentic experience.

Keyword: SNACK bar. The sauce and flavor was all there, but I think the actual number of rice cakes in my dish was on the shallow side. I got hungry pretty soon after. I suggest going with a group of friends and trying multiple dishes together! Overall, it was tasty with a friendly neighborhood ambience! Our server was kind and attentive. The Korean music was a bop and I can see this place being a fun place to hang out. -AT

My friend walked here from the lake for dinner after a warm April day wanting to try something new. This place just opened up recently so I was excited to come here. We decided on the bulgogi plate and the "spicy" Tteok-Bokki and added fried dumplings to that. Honestly, for the price point, I find this place to be pretty overpriced for a "Korean snack" place. The bulgogi tasted pretty good, but the portions were tiny! I think for $20, it could've been maybe another 30-40% larger. The onions and everything were good with it though. The Tteok-Bokki was good. It wasn't amazing or anything, and the sauce tasted good that it was in, however it really wasn't that spicy. In my mind, you're basically paying Lakeview prices here but in reality I'd rather go to a more authentic Korean place and spend a little less and get slightly larger portions. Service was nice however, but I don't think I'll return just because we ordered two plates for my friend and I and were still hungry afterwards.

So happy I stumbled upon this place unexpectedly. I've been craving Korean food and this place did not disappoint at all. It is a little overpriced for its small serving but other than that, taste and flavor-wise it was really good. Our server was also really nice. I will definitely be coming back!

We ordered seafood tofu soup and spicy pork. The tofu soup had good flavor and spicy pork had good seasoning but had too much oil and grease. Service was good.

After I saw that our favorite brunch spot mortar and pestle had closed and their website redirected to a Korean restaurant I knew I had to get delivery on doordash from there that night... Overall the food was good. The seafood pancake was a bit disappointing (barely any seafood) but the rice cakes with fish cake were delicious. I ordered the Bulgogi japchae and unfortunately they gave me fries instead of japchae but they were still yummy. A solid Korean spot that I would order from / go to again.

I really hope the koreaboos start to swarm this place! It seems to cater to that crowd, the restaurant is playing k-pop, offers Korean snack food, and it has lots of "I love Korea!" signs. You know what, me too!!! I love Korea! So who am I to complain? The menu is like bar food/snack food. Mostly simple and not particularly spectacular but it does get the job done and it is a good intro to Korean food if you got some food shy people in your party. I got the soon dubu jjigae which was simple but hit the spot for me tbh, and got a side of sliced radish kimchi which was sweet and yummy. The noodle dishes are a tad overpriced (so I would choose other things on the menu) but the location is so prime I can guess costs are high. When I see a Korean couple working hard on their business I tend to stop caring about price so take that how you will. Eh authenticity is such a nebulous concept, is dong nae like, a real traditional Korean food spot? Not really. Is it a decent Korean snack food place in a prime location? Ya absolutely Next time I'll try to kimbap, which seems a bit overpriced too but tbh I'm so lazy I would rather buy it anyways LMAOOO

Delicious Korean street food and not afraid of being really hot. Kim chi fries were amazing and the Bolgogi chicken was bursting with flavor and did I mention it was pretty spicy hot but don't let this scare you away. Can't wait to try other dishes on the menu.

Looked on Yelp and Google Maps for an authentic Korean restaurant around/near Lincoln Park to no avail. It is a bit unfortunate, but at best, many of the restaurants around the Gold Coast area offer fusion fare at exorbitant prices. Looking 2 miles out, Dong-Ne comes to the rescue as a new Korean restaurant in the Lakeview East area. Offering a selection of food items reminiscent of the numerous bars and restaurants I visited late at night in Busan, Korea, I can wholeheartedly recommend this place for authentic Korean food. According to the wait staff, the restaurant has been in business for only 4 months! Service: I walked into Dong-Ne at about 3pm and was greeted by the wait staff after about 5 minutes of sitting down. They seemed slightly understaffed as I was a bit confused as to why no one was at the counter. Nevertheless, after the waitress had arrived, she provided prompt, friendly assistance and even asked if I wanted extra plates, utensils, and bowls for sharing! Later on the waitstaff changed and we were served by someone else for the remainder of the service. He was extraordinarily attentive and even provided free Banchan (courtesy of the chef). Quality: The Tteokbokki (떡볶이) was delicious. Not too sweet and not too spicy. The flavor profile was very similar to the Tteokbokki sold by street vendors in Korea. Green onions and the halves of the boiled egg provided freshness, relief, and great balance throughout the dish. The Kimchi & Pork Soondubu Jjigae (김치순두부찌개) came out hot and spicy. This dish is best eaten with the side of rice you receive when ordering. Do yourself a solid and take a spoonful of rice to combine it with the broth full of kimchi, pork, green onions, and enoki mushrooms. Technique: The chef, who I know is Korean now after talking to the waitstaff, definitely cares about their dishes, customers, and Korean culture/heritage. The Tteokbokki was chewy and springy: much care was taken into ensuring it wasn't overly fried like some other places do. The sauce was a bit more on the sweeter end but this I cannot fault given how the sauce was more syrupy than congealed. I cannot put into words how well the The Kimchi & Pork Soondubu Jjigae was executed. The tofu had a silken texture with the broth having just the right amount of heat. It was neither incredibly rich or light, just perfectly simmered. The preparation of this dish was exemplary and was the definitely the highlight of my experience at this restaurant. Value: With a lot of the Korean restaurants raising prices and skimping out on quality ingredients, you get what you pay for here! Earlier reviews strike me odd with some claiming that the dishes are not authentic or that they are too expensive. The chef is Korean. Being situated in Lakeview East and close to Lincoln Park, the price is considerably fair when comparing other Korean places that I have recently visited. Some of these Korean places have even gone so far to raise their prices nearly double, triple of what they originally were post-pandemic. Portions are generously large with 1 order of stew with 2 bowls of rice being enough for a party of 2. Come hungry.

The food was delicious and the portions are large enough. I wasn't a fan of the add in dumplings and seaweed rolls because I just didn't know it was glass noodles inside. The place is spacious and they play kpop. There weren't a lot of customers when we came. But I wouldn't wear anything you're afraid of getting dirty since sauce splashes everywhere. The tables are a little sticky because I'm guessing the top layer of the sealant seems to have been rubbed off during cleaning.

Coming from LA where there is a lot of Korean food, Dong Ne was a bit disappointing. I ordered the grilled samgyeopsal and deokbokki. There is no free banchan when we got seated, we got only one side dish that came with the grilled pork meat. The pork wasn't good quality and was not a lot for what we paid for; it was sitting on a bed of onions. The spicy rice cakes was ok, but again a bit pricey for what it is. There's definitely a lack of Korean food in Chicago. Hopefully this place can be better in the future.

I went to the restaurant last week for lunch on a Friday and had the Beef Jjapagetti which is basically Ramen with Beef and some sauce, while tasty, as reported in other reviews the portion was rather small. The raw food probably costs no more than $3 to make but yet they charged $16 bucks! I know their rent must be pretty high, but if they lowered their prices/increased the portions maybe they would have more customers and foot traffic. They also do not have menus - you need to scan a QR code - so make sure you bring your cell phone. On the plus side, the waitress was very nice and friendly at noon there was only two tables out of about twenty occupied.

Food was ok. I ordered the kalbi but it was so hard to eat. Like it was frozen when they cooked it. Not the best quality. We also got the duk bo ki and that was good but the fish cake in it was way too fishy. The server was nice but I feel like he did not know much about the food. The restaurant was nice and clean. You don't get kimchi as a side banchan which is crazy because it's a staple in Korean food. We ordered a side of it and it was good.

Very rustic and urban cute barebones little restaurant. The food was average at best. We had the vegetarian pancake, seafood soup and bim bim bop. The bim bim bop was luke warm and flavorless. The pancake was sort of flavorless as well. Nothing was terrible but nothing was more than ok. Adding a star as the service was friendly, helpful and quick. Pricing was reasonable but you can find much better Korean food elsewhere in this city at the same price point

So delighted to have found this place while we were visiting Chicago! We both ordered the tofu soup and it was so tasty. Perfect for a cold windy night. :)

We tried the kimchi fried rice, tteokbokki, and brisket jjapaghetti and they did not disappoint! The portions felt like it was more of a meal, rather than a snack, but we're not complaining -- it's worth the price The workers are very friendly & they give you a mix of snacks along with your bill. The ambiance is perfect for a group hang out. I can't wait to go back and try other things in the menu!

Everything about this place is just the way we like it: excellent food, prompt and polite service, good prices, and fun atmosphere. And Korean food is so healthy! It's BYOB for now, but you can get soju (Korean sake) at Broadway Food & Liquor just two blocks north on the same side of the street.

The best Korean restaurant in Chicago downtown. The serving size is sufficient, and the food tastes excellent. I adore the welcoming atmosphere there, and the service is excellent. I absolutely suggest this place to anyone who loves Korean food.

This charming eatery serves up excellent Korean cuisine. Despite having just one waitress on duty during our visit, she expertly managed all the customers, ensuring timely service. It's the ideal spot for a delightful, light lunch. Definitely recommend!

Stopped by two weeks ago, just had a chance to recall wonderful memories and share now! I had the Bulgogi Gimbop. It was delicious art. The person who took care of me was charming! I stopped by in the early afternoon between lunch and dinner. It's a great place for dining solo, but it is probably even more enjoyable with a group of gals and pals. It has a funky little vibe, while also very fresh and clean. The gesture of providing a little taste of the popcorn was so welcoming! The care of helping me organize the portion that I took home was genuinely kind. I wanted to finish everything there, as something like this should be eaten on site. The portion I took home was perfect the next day. I might have had to go to Bulgogi Gimbop rehab, as it could have become an addiction if I lived nearby. I will definitely be visiting again, maybe this week. Would like to try other items, but honestly, I would be very happy and not mind having a repeat of the Bulgogi Gimbop. You need to go there!

Stopped by to try their beef bibimap. The service was quick and kind. I was given a glass of water while I waited for my order to be prepared. The food was delicious. I recommend for anyone looking to try Korean cuisine. The location is also very clean and cute.

I was happy to find this new Korean restaurant in the neighborhood! The seating inside was cool and comfortable, and they were playing (what else?) Korean pop music. I started out with the signature Tteok Boki. While the sauce was too on the sweet side for my palate, I did enjoy the variety of ingredients like tofu skin, rice cakes, fish cakes and vegetables. I wonder if this dish could be made less sweet on request. Next up I had the seafood jjigae, basically a spicy Korean stew. This dish I really enjoyed, it was very flavorful with a nice level of spice. There wasn't actually a huge amount of seafood (all I saw was a few small oysters) but it tasted so good I didn't think about it too much. I think I'd pick one of the different meat or veggie options next time. The service here was great with a very friendly and attentive waiter. Look forward to trying more on the menu next time! Hi

Food was delicious. We ordered a lot and ate all of it! BYOB spicy dishes were just right heat level. Give them a try! We will be back!!

One of my favorite spots in Chicago! They have an extensive list of vegetarian options and they are all SO good. I highly recommend the sweet potato glass noodles and, if you eat fish, the seafood ramyun. It's also (in my opinion) very affordable. It has "snack" in the name, but I'm always full after ordering and eating a single entree. The fried rice especially comes in a large portion. And the staff is the best. They just installed a lovely outdoor seating area too!! Highly, highly recommend.

The food is good I like many sides that come along with the dish. The seafood soup is good with many seafood inside I think the small shrimp suit the soup well.

TL;DR: cozy, neighborhood spot with accessible, tasty Korean comfort food First, I must shout-out the amazing service here! All the workers go out of their way to create a welcoming environment without being overbearing. You can tell they're all passionate about the restaurant and your experience--that alone is worth giving this place a shot! We tried the spicy seafood ramyun, the seafood soondobu, and kimchi + beef fried rice. The soondobu was our favorite; it was very flavorful and had a mild level of spice, which makes it more inclusive to different tolerances in my opinion. The fried rice had tangy pieces of kimchi in nearly every bite. The ramen flavor was similar to the soondubu, so if you want more variety in flavors when ordering, you could probably go with just one of the seafood dishes and opt to try something else! Overall, very glad I was able to try this place out.

Love the seafood soon du boo! 5 stars let's go! Definitely need to hit this place, finally a bit of authenticity in Lakeview. Thank god they got bulgogee!

Definitely catered towards first time Korean food triers. The plates are small compared to their price and the lack of side dishes is astonishing. (They serve one pickled cucumber dish lol). Appreciate seeing more Korean food pop up in the city but it's still worth the drive up to Yeowoosai, Cho sun ok, or dancen. This place is not great.

Wow! This was my first time at Dong Ne, and I loved it! I spent a month in Seoul when I was younger, and their Kimchi and Pork Soondou Jjigae (a spicy red stew with soft tofu, pork, enoki mushrooms, chili oil and egg) is as good as anything I had in Seoul -- a spicy symphony of flavors. There's nothing better than a Korean soondou stew in cold weather, and I'm looking forward to trying their other dishes as autumn approaches. Very friendly service, too. One marketing tip -- stop calling yourself a "Snack Shop," which gives people the wrong idea. This is serious Korean cooking!

Ttekbokki here is my favorite! And the black bean noodles. I'm so glad there is a Korean restaurant in Lakeview. Can't wait to explore more menu items!

Very overpriced for the amount of food/quality of the food you get. I ordered budae jjigae ramen, the noodles are soggy and low quality, not the authentic Korean noodles. Not a lot of ingredients inside either. Tteokbokki is small/sized as well. Would not come back.

Perfect Korean snack! We stop here at this cute place every week & everything is delicious!! The staff is so welcoming & friendly. I love the spicy seafood ramyun, tteok-bokki, & soondubu jjigae!!

love this place!! the food is delicious, staff is friendly, and they have BANANA milk which was a huge find for me ever since coming back from korea :) will for sure be back!

Love this new lakeview spot. The service was super friendly and fast and the vibes were positive. The food was yummy and they had a lot of my fave korean dishes. I hope that as they grow they can expand their menu more!! On the pricier side but definitely will be back!

Really good food and our waitress was so sweet. We talked to her a little and she told us they recently opened, definitely go check it out.

We ordered the kimchi fries and budae jjigae ramyun. Kimchi fries were OK. The bulgogi was a nice touch, but honestly wasn't anything special. The budae jjigae ramyun is instant shin ramen they added budae jjigae ingredients to. So you're pretty much paying $15 for slightly upgraded instant ramen. Service was good. Waitress was nice, friendly, and attentive. Too bad about the food honestly. Won't be coming back.

The food was really yummy. The service was good and quick. The restaurant itself was very cute.

The food is hella good. The only slight negative is the food is a little bit overpriced. But the service is amazing and makes the prices worth it! Ask for Iman!!! She was super polite and gave us fantastic menu recommendations, will come again.

I can't wait to get back to Chicago and go to Dong Ne again! Fresh, beautiful, flavorful food prepared and served with enthusiasm.

Would definitely recommend. We ordered several items: the spicy pork bibimbap, Beef Bulgogi, and Dong-Ne Gimbal. All were fantastic. The service was great as well. All of this and they are BYOB! We will definitely return. Can't wait to try other menu items. What a great addition to the neighborhood!

Food I ordered was not great. Both the "spicy" pork bibimbop and kimchi & beef fried rice lacked flavor, there was no salt or seasoning on the beef at all. Everything tasted muted. Service was fine, no complaints there. Maybe will come back to try the stews.

I've been wanting to try this place for awhile and I can say i was pleasantly surprised at how good the food was. Not too spicy and very flavorful. We tried three dishes for three people and it was plenty of food - definitely big portions!