JB Snack Corner

A true hidden gem for comforting, home-style Korean food, tucked inside Joong Boo Market and reminiscent of a classic Korean food stall. It’s no-frills, just hearty dishes with great quality at an excellent value. We especially loved the codfish soup and tteokbokki. It’s always a treat to grab some groceries and enjoy a quick bite at the snack corner.

The food is tasty and very filling! The area to eat is very small and crowded, though. Tables are good for 4 people or less. The wait time was not bad. We waited for our food for about 20 minutes. A good place to eat nearby would be the NEIU El Centro campus. You do not need to be a student to enter and use their facilities! Also, please be kind to the workers they are literally old grandmas working hard ❤️

Food is ok, it's very affordable but the service just sucks sometimes and sometimes not worth the trouble. There's a sign above the register that says it's open til 7pm and another sign at the counter that says it's closed at 630pm, it's confusing. I've definitely have ordered there past 630pm. There's not much consistency to the service. The food I've gotten is good for the price, but it's not going out of your way for. I'll probably think twice before I go again.

This review is for the food stall out front, which I'm not sure goes by the same name as the food court / restaurant inside the grocery store. I'm posting a picture that includes their current hours and safety measures for the outside location. Pretty sure some of the items at the booth outside are prepped by the same folks who cook for the restaurant inside. I've never been disappointed by anything that I picked up, though I know some days they run out of popular items. The big steam buns are delicious, as are the smaller dumplings and the Kimbap "Korean Rolls". Their "sets" are a great deal if you want a variety of options. Tonight I was really happy to pick up some Korean fried chicken on my way home from work and happy that they take credit cards now too.

Such a great value! Cheap and good quality. I like the tofu soup $10 because it’s on sale this week (usually $12)

It should be 5 stars but I give you only 4, because the person in the kitchen is very rude. She never apologized. But the food is the best. Please see the image of the woman who should not be there because she treats people badly.

Food is nice but I didn’t find the place to sit down so I ate at the parking lot Fried chicken & dumpling good enough for homesick Asians (portion huge enough for 2 people)

Tasted just like the markets in Seoul! Comfort food to the max. Soo filling and affordable

Take a deep breath and dive in... You will first be greeted by fruits and veggies (both standard and Asian) as well as fish balls and fresh ramen noodles. As you travel onward you'll hit the restaurant inside. Amazing food, and it's easy to lose yourself in it for a day or two. In the back is fresh fish and shrimps and kimchi. In between, the aisles are stocked with ramens, seaweed, and any/all sauces and oils. Also, I rarely go in but they have a section with home furnishings. If I could live here I would.

Inside restaurant (in the back of grocery section): If you like Cracker Barrel, this place will make you uncomfortable. No one will serve you. You will need to clean after yourself and find your own seats. That said, delicious food for the price! Huge portions! Outside bao stall (window by entrance): unless you have an erotic passion for red beans, avoid the red bean baos. The bean to ratio is silly. The big pork buns are delicious though!

I have been shopping at Joong Boo Market for years. They have a large variety of produce and meat/seafood. However, I recently have been stopping by for the affordable prepped food and the kimchi selection. Their mandoos, onigiri, or Kimbap are perfect for a small lunch! There is also a snack corner in the store! When I'm lucky enough to find an open table, I love dining in for some authentic comforting Korean food. Their savory Yukgaejung, a savory beef stew, is my go-to. This entree also comes with several side dishes!

Cozy asian market with a small food court and offering those favorites without having to drive to the suburbs. Weekly specials but I highly recommend getting the sushi platter on wed and Friday as a whole party tray of sashimi is 30 bucks. Not perfect at one time I found bones in my salmon but still a good deal. Dumplings available outside and a good deal for the price

The way I would live and die for Joong Boo. Everything on the menu is incredible, you can't go wrong. The service is fine, it's cafeteria style, so you can't expect much but everyone is nice. There is very limited seating so be prepared to either take your food to go, or to wait for something to open up!

Wide variety of Korean goods here for reasonable prices. The salmon kimbap was about $4-$5 so it was a bit pricey. Offers meat and has a frozen section. It even has a little restaurant where you can order homemade korean meals. The tteokbokki was served in a huge serving. It was spicy, and surprisingly very sweet. It took abt 20 mins to cook one dish. The store is clean, but the space is small, so the aisles feel crowded.

I've been coming to this grocery store and snack corner for over 7 years and it's an institution for a reason! There are many locations and each are all excellent. This location still gives that mom and pop feel. The snack corner meals are a great deal with a good portion size - coming with rice and side dishes. The bulgogi, spicy squid, and seafood soondubu are my favorites. They always have specials going on, so be on the lookout for them!

Joong Boo is pretty great! I'm a bit obsessed with their snack corner, especially the spicy marinated pork--it's sweet and savory and saucy and lasted me two meals! I also recently tried the bibimbap and the sundubu jjigae, which was their discounted special ($10 instead of $12). The bibimbap came in a huge bowl and was fresh but the rice wasn't warm. It came with miso soup and kimchi on the side. My sundubu jjigae came bubbling in its bowl (v nice for a colder day!) and was full of flavor and lovely soft tofu. Surprising to me, though, was that it also included little seafood bits! I think they were mainly little pieces of squid and maybe clam. Pretty tasty and satisfying though. This market is a bit cramped but does have a lot of specials and fresh veggies and oh so many different types of ramen. There seem to be some discounts on some of the prepared food later in the evening, close to closing time. I'd definitely be a regular if I lived closer!

Is it small and crowded? Can it be hard to find parking? Yes and yes. But while it's not always super easy to shop here, I find that the prepared items are hard to beat. The kimbap is $4.99 and has a dozen pieces! Lunch, done for under $5! The spicy pork lunchbox (pork, rice & fish cake) is so huge that I split this into 2-3 meals and it's only 13.99. What a deal! So delicious and fresh, too. I also love getting the marinated bulgolgi steak to cook at home and serve over rice. Again, easy prepped foods make the sometimes frenzied shopping experience & the trip over here worth it!

This is a great market to buy all sort of Asian groceries. There are lots of options in this store ranging from fruits to noodles to household bowls etc. The staff here are not as friendly though. We usually stop by one of the Asian market on our way home from Chicago to bring back home.

Awesome selection of sake, rice, teriyaki and other sauces and open everyday. It's usually packed but they do have a parking lot.

Keep coming back here more and more often. All the staff is nice and I love the fast food section in the back- I always get the rib eye but my partner loves the octopus! I love walking down all the isles looking for new treats and am always surprised with a new find. Great place that is always busy and isn't going anywhere. A Chicago staple!

!!! CHEAPER THAN HMART !!! It's the same type of Korean food and decent quality, just cheaper. This place is a must for nearby residents. Their restaurant inside has great food with very generous portions. I recommend trying any of their menu items! I'll definitely be back for their bulk frozen dumplings, rice cakes, and vegan onigiri. - AT

Ah, my beloved Joong Boo, my favorite Korean grocery store in the city. Love that it is nearish to a blue line stop (Belmont, the one near Logan Square), and that it has the Snack Corner food court. They also carry tons of items like fresh produce and face masks and whatnot, so you really can't go wrong. My favorite grocery items to buy here: organic mushrooms (they have so many kinds!), tofu, sashimi, East Asian sauces, dried seaweed, various greens, fresh tteok (seems like they get theirs from Nakwon Tteok House). I will say that sometimes they randomly stop carrying brands (rip that miso with the little boy on it that I liked) and the aisles are very small, so try to avoid peak times. The Snack corner (hours: 10am-7pm) is also basically a must-visit every time because they have a lot of korean food options at super reasonable prices. The portions are also generous. My favorites: nakji bokkeum (no. 20), soon doobu (no. 4), kimari. The mandu shop right outside also has amazing, giant, fluffy red bean buns. The snack corner only has 5 tables, so definitely try to come at an off time (though I have yet to find out exactly when that is lol - probably right at 10 or weird afternoon times, or right near closing). Sometimes they run out of napkins, too, so be prepared. If you are a big group I would also recommend ordering all together at once since they seem pretty short staffed so the person taking orders sometimes leaves after taking one, with a big gap in between. Sure, the ambiance isn't great and I would say the food is solid but not amazing (definitely found the beef in some dishes to be dry and old), but for those prices and those portions it's pretty dang good.

A very solid, well-stocked, and reasonably priced grocery store for Korean and miscellaneous Asian staples. It also has 2 "snack corners" inside and outside the building (inside one is for traditional Korean dishes; outside one is for dumplings and giant mandoos). The dumpling/mandoo stand stopped selling dumplings by the time I got there around 6:30pm, so I'll try to get there earlier in the future to try those. Instead, I got the kimchi mandoo, which is huge and contained pork and kimchi pieces. The mandoo exterior was soft and plushy, and the interior was spicy from the kimchi but otherwise pretty bland in flavor and texture. From the inside snack corner, I got a takeout order of Bulgogi, which came with rice and small side dishes of kimchi and japchae. This was pretty good-- the bulgogi was a little overcooked but overall flavorful and delicious. The japchae had good flavor and texture as well, and paired well with everything. -- Price (relative to peers): 4.5/5 Food: 4.5/5 Ambience: N/A Service: N/A Overall Value: 4.5/5

Love, love the snack corner for meals! I often order the spicy beef soup, soondubu and the spicy octopus stir fry dish for my meal and take home the leftovers. Generally, the flavors are deliciously vibrant - but skip the sashimi bowl. The food is also very good value. It is unfortunate the seating is limited and wait is long during peak times. The mandoo shop/stall right outside the entrance is very good too. I especially enjoy the spicy kimchi and pork wang mandoo and the shrimp dumplings. Groceries are also fresh and reasonable and all the Korean staples are available. The only thing I didn't like is the sashimi platter which includes salmon, tuna, tilapia and escolar (not edible and banned in Japan). All of the fishes were lacking in flavor and but difficult to chew through the tendonous parts of each slice. Also I don't think the fish is supposed to impart red or pink color into the daikon bedding. I got a little nauseous and stomach pain from consuming the sashimi. This location doesn't have any other type of sushi grade fish.

Wonderful Asian food market to get those special ingredients needed when cooking Asian. Their market is also full of wonderful gadgets and gizmos. Reasonably priced lunch meals. I was underwhelmed by their Ox bone soup. It lacked flavor, which surprised me. The portion provided was good but the soup was missing something and soy sauce did not help the flavor. It tasted very diluted and bland. However there was adequate meat and other ingredients, which upped my star rating but even the meat lacked flavor. Very bland soup. The accompaniments, kimchee and salad were good. Disappointed that the soup did not deliver the wow I was expecting after seeing all the other wonderful items in the store.

Small, busy market. I love the lunch counter in the back because if I go there hungry, well you know what happens. They have a steamed bun booth in the front if you only want a little snack. It's not as fancy as the big chain, but they have everything. My favorite is the little deli container of bibimpap garnishes. Just right for 1-2 people. 다 너무 맛있어요.!!!

I didn't know my mandoo was the size of a globe lol filled w meat and veggies. A little on the dry side so next time I'll add some sauce to it.

This is for the Joong Boo Dumpling stall in front of the market. Oh, my -- do I wish this to be in Los Angeles! I've been to Myung In, the same place Anthony Bourdian visited, and Joong Boo rivals and might be better! Just for $3.50, you got dinner or lunch! They ran out of the pork dumplings but I got a kimchi pork dumpling. SO MUCH filling. Usually, buns are just dough and not much filling but not here. The bun is thin layer enveloping a large helping of deilcious combination of kimchi, pork, noodles, and veggies! As for the sweet black bean bun, it's again packed with red bean but in this case, it's too much of a good thing. While I like red bean, it was too much! When I am in the area, I will definitely visit again!

Been going here for a million years. I think it was Chicago Food Company way back. Anyhow, just a great place to shop. By far the best raw shrimp you can buy, shrimp that actually tastes like shrimp. And at 5.99 a lb! Also great for rare fresh herbs. Kaffir Leaves and Thai Basil. Also, Thai Red Chilis. Soft Shell Crabs a great buy too.

Great selection of items, and great cafe for chop shea and chicken wings. Cafe inexplicably doesn't accepts Apple Pay, and seems scammy so just use cash.

International market with lots to offer. This is the best item!! It's a sushi roll with crunchy topping

This place will forever hold a special and endearing spot in my heart. I took a few close Korean friends here for food and we all loved it. The price is amazing for the value you get. I ordered a bibimbap and was very happy with the taste and portion size. It symbolized this place -- no frill, simple, honest, hearty food that leaves you satiated without breaking the bank. The place doesn't have much seating so be mindful of others waiting in line to get a seat. Customer service was also really fast.

Great selection, typical Korean market. Free parking on site, handicap accessible, located in a nice shopping center

This market / dumpling place came very highly recommended. I was super excited to try the dumplings since I have limited experience with various Asian dumplings. We ordered 4 different kinds of dumplings and ate in the parking lot. I liked all of them but my favorite was a tie between the savory pork or the spicy kimchi. The red bean was also super interesting too! It's a bit of a hole in the wall but I highly recommend!

I've become a bit of a lunchtime regular at the little cafe tucked into the back of this market, so my review will mostly be focused on that. The market itself is pretty amazing, with lots of produce and an impressive seafood selection. I've made a hobby of browsing aisles in markets such as this, and I'm often amazed at the variety of, well, everything! The homemade fresh noodles in the case near the entrance had me entranced on my most recent visit. The restaurant specializes in Korean soups, noodles and rice dishes. I most often get the yook-gae-jang, a spicy beef soup that tastes to me like a mash up of my grandmother's pot roast mixed with a grows-hair-on-your-chest spicy kimchi beef broth. I branched out on my most recent visit and tried the tuck-gook, a rice cake soup whose flavors were intriguing and much more subtle than my go to soup. It was delicious...but that spicy beef soup has my whole heart. I've yet to order from the dumpling stand, located outside the actual market, but have decided to give them a try on my next trip. Dumplings followed by a bubbling bowl of kimchi-jjigae? Count me in. This is casual, no frills dining; order at the counter, pay, and grab one of those quickly disappearing tables. I even like the service, which is not unfriendly in its indifference. These ladies are busy and working hard to make such incredible food. I'll most definitely be back...again and again.

One of the best foods to bring to the beach in Chicago for a quick and tasty meal! My personal favorite is the kimchi wang dumpling as it's super flavorful and has a bit of a spicy kick perfect for my tolerance, but for some may be on the hotter end. The pork is a great savory alternative. Both are very super filled compared to the actual bao bun outside which is a good ratio for me. They hold up quite nicely and doesn't break. I love the noodles inside for the perfect texture. I especially like that tax is included and so it's always super easy to pay in cash. The kimbap is a good standard I always grab and you can definitely taste the sesame oil. The side pickled radish is great palate cleanser. Plus the good quality never changes so it's nice to always know there's a default korean food place in Chicago to go back to

Supermarket review: fair prices, around the same as Hmart, but larger. If this were closer to me, it may replace Hmart, but I wouldn't travel the extra distance just to come here. Wanted to take a look though. Outside "dumpling" shop review: their buns were pretty large and inexpensive but I don't know if I would say it's worth the hype. YouTube creators tend to overrate certain cuisines sometimes. It's not bad at all, just a standard, decent bun. Not worth a trip though.

Today I found this authentic, hearty, and super affordable Korean restaurant hidden in Joong Boo Market around Logan Square neighborhood. All of their dishes are freshly prepared and the soup is served sizzling hot! The dishes are simple but taste homemade and so delicious. Their marinated pork rice has a huge portion and comes with a soup and 3 sides of Kimchi, Japchae, and salad, all for 12 dollars! Another must try is their spicy soup ramen for just $7. I will definitely come back for more dishes and also do my grocery shopping there

Finding good Asian food outside of California feels like such a difficulty feat, but it was accomplished here! Not a korean person in sight but I got the BiBimBap and it was on point! I was missing some good Asian food while my stop in Chicago and it did not disappoint. The only thing I hoped that I could dine in next time but the space is tiny.

It was legit. There was not a single Korean person cooking the food but the flavor was on so I guess that's a good sign. My baby loved it so much and the price was perfect. What a good little find here on our vacation. We came from St. Louis and they have minimally decent Korean food so this was a treat. I say this because I'm Korean and I expect certain flavors. The snack bar came through.

I have been going here for years but I don't think I will be returning. The lady who rang me up was very rude and just seemed angry. I picked up to go food and when I brought the food home, it was rancid. I ordered the beef and honeycomb soup and I almost vomited when after smelling it. Just wasted $15 and got attitude about it. Felt like they knew it was rancid and wanted to give it to me anyway.

I'm giving the Market a low rating because there was a price for fry powder at $1.95. At the check out the register came out with 2.99. I questioned the cashier and she said that the sale was over. I told her the sign was still up but she said the date until was posted. At this point I would have expected her to inform the manager to remove the sign and give me the lower price. To me this is consumer fraud. If someone was not watching they would pick up the product and be cheated out of the 30% discount. Other than that I would rate this store a little lower than a 4. There is a good selection but the store is very small. Whereas Super H mart carry's a lot of brands of fry powder in various sizes Joong Boo only had 2 brands and one small size. In the positive side the store has more non food items. A big selection of clay pots. A variety of burners for woks. The single restaurant is fun and the steamed dumplings out side are a treat. Found three Asian fruits at a lower price than h mart. Lychee, Rambutan and longan. Negatives are the small parking lot and narrow aisles.

I would definitely recommend this market with a restaurant inside. The food is super tasty and reasonably priced.

Great place to shop for you Korean cooking needs! great selection, they aren't doing the Kroger 'we don't sell that no more' routine,

I think it's safe to say when you go to a place where parking is hard, it's the place to shop and be at! It's somewhat hidden and if you've never been then definitely go! It's one of the best Asian stores in the city! I love when supermarkets have a restaurant so that you can taste the fresh meats and veggies that they have in store! Need to clear up your sinuses?? Then a spicy Korean soup is a MUST!

I love this market. We're so lucky in the Chicago area to have this opportunity to shop this selection of Asian product, fresh produce and seafood. We go for the prepared food. In the back right corner of this market is a great Korean food stall. Don't go because it's really busy and I still want to be able to get a table for lunch. You can get it to go so do that instead! I'm stuck on the spicy beef soup but will branch out next time. The chicken wings are pre-prepared and ready to take out from the warmer and look amazing. Maybe I'll pick up some dumplings outside the front door, take them in and order some kimchi chigae next time. So many delicious options. This is some of the best of this cuisine I've found in the area.

There used to be a wonderful hole in the wall Korean snack shop in this store. The food is very good, so good you see Korean speaking of all ages eating here. It is good & relatively inexpensive Korean food

I love this market but its a little out of the way. Def cheaper than hmart. The market is very tight but has lots of good sales. Just a bit covid scare in there hahaha. SASHIMI PLATTERS ARE ONLY $30 W & F. Otherwise its $50. But they have a nice selection of regular smaller size sashimi and the poke cuts was super fresh. Just be warned that the salmon sashimi slices are smoked!! Tamago was perfectly sweetened too though a bit frozen. Meats usually super cheap there too! And they have a giant housewares section My love goes out to the food court!!! 5 stars, the snack bar is hidden behind the grocery place with a little wall. There's only like 5 seats though haha. Vaccination required but the lady there is so sweet. They also have cups for water and still offer metal utensils. The menu has everything EVERYTHING of korean cuisine and she jam packs your lil lunch tray with rice. We shared a sullungtang and it was a very natural taste, with lots of side dishes. The kimchi is milder than I prefer but good for the westernised palate. I wish I could go back lmao, but def make the trip out here if you're local or new here and need some Korean essentials! ( the busses are far and a bit out of the way though, since it's not a popularised area the sidewalks to can get icy).

Smaller than many Asian market's that I have gone to in the past but has the basic needs.

Extremely rude service at the restaurant inside the market. Came at 6:25 and was informed by the lady at the register that we could not sit and eat our food even though stated hours were till 7pm. My entire family was forced to leave.

I'm fortunate this market exists because there's not a whole lot of options as big as this for asian markets in Chicago city proper. You can find almost all Korean products here as well as other asian products. The parking lot is a bit small considering the store and nearly always packed which is a good thing for business. They have alcohol here such as Soju, rice wine, etc, but it's not refrigerated which is kind of a bummer. The big Pocari bottles are $6.99 which I find to be a bit pricey considering you can get them for like $4.99 at Mitsuwa. Besides all of that, this place is is great, and I'm glad that besides the grocery store side for food/drinks, they also have the home goods section. This is a great store for the area, and I'll continue to return here as much as I can. I wish they had one a bit closer to the city though, but beggars can't be choosers!

What to Get: - Sashimi ($25 only Wednesday/Friday) - Bulgogi meats - maple corn chips - Seasonal Fruits - Frozen Dumblings ($6.50 per bag) Pandemic Dining Options: offer pick up. No indoor dining. *In my yelpions: It is #supermarketsaturday. For this week, I recommend a grocery store by the north side. And as a sushi lover, it is a steal with $25 for a whole sashimi tray. Kill it with two people but also would be perfect for three serving . Keep in mind, sashimi special are only available on Wednesday and Friday with pre-order only. Everything were absolutely fresh and in thick slice. Highly recommend. Also, if you are interested in korean barbecue beef, the super market has a variety of RAW bulgogi to choose. Last but not least, my absolute guilty pleasure was the maple corn, imagine coco puff but with Canadian maple flavor(soooo good ).

Love me some Kong Boo market clean well stocked. They have cooking supplies fry goods . Fish market small section of hot foods. Decent produce section and the clerks are somewhat pleasant , which isn't always the case if you don't speak the mother tongue. I always wish I had a translator so I don't so stab blindly in the dark and cook.

Tasty. Love these kimchi dumplings, I get two for lunch and dinner one is enough to fill your tummy.

All time favorite store with lunch too! Favorite Kimchi in the city.. Nice selection of hot prepared meals as well and special price on sashimi tray on Wednesday and Friday. Run don't walk to JBM!

Don't sleep on Joong Boo! I've never NOT been able to find anything I'm looking for here. The produce and fish are fresh, but the real treat is the hot food stand. When my friends are craving bao or dumplings, I always bring them here over hitting an overpriced restaurant. The parking lot is a nightmare, but it's a part of the experience. Scoring a spot after waiting with your car sticking out in the middle of ongoing traffic is a right of passage and thrill some people search their whole lives for. There's not a single time I've been where the parking lot isn't a zoo, but it's a true testament to the products and store itself.

Prices are definitely reasonable and offer a lot of Korean and Asian items my family and I eat/consume/use often. Much cheaper than trying to buy on amazon too! I found boba to make at home for $3 compared to the $10-$20 on amazon. Stocks of items were good, too. Their dumpling shop in front has some very stuffed dumplings which is great. $3 for one is worth it! They adjusted to quarantine procedures too. You are given gloves before you walk into the market. People are aware and try not to crowd aisles too. There are stickers on the floor to mark 6 ft too. I would give this market 5 stars if the aisles weren't so narrow. Parking lot can be filled up super fast, too.