TAK Korean Bistro & Karaoke

"Located in the basement of a six-floor office building, buzzing to be let into Tak feels like visiting an accountant. But in fact, this place has five private karaoke rooms and great Korean food. Their menu has a wide range of dishes, like comforting budae jeongol, crispy seafood pancakes, and sweet and savory galbi-jjim with short ribs. Plus, they also have a bar with a variety of soju and makgeolli if you just want to come here for drinks. It's ideal for a casual night out or birthday where you can troubleshoot your American Idol audition." - veda kilaru, adrian kane, john ringor

"When you press the buzzer to enter Tak’s hidden basement location in an office building, it feels like walking into a legal meeting. But this South Loop pocha is actually an ideal party spot, full of tasty food, tons of drinks, and karaoke. The space is dark, mainly relying on table lamps and Kpop music video projections for lighting, with plenty of tables for groups, plus five private karaoke rooms if your dinner morphs into a Mariah Carey marathon after a couple of somek towers full of beer and soju. Their menu has a wide range of dishes, like comforting and spicy budae jeongol, crispy seafood pancake, and fatty bossam, whether or not you want them to absorb some booze." - john ringor, adrian kane

"Starts at: $60/hour Mon-Thurs, $75/hour Fri-Sun with a two-hour minimum for up to eight people Tak’s private rooms have good sound systems and an up-to-date song list, which means everyone can show off what they’ve been practicing in their car while being stuck during rush hour. But the true highlight is the great Korean food—this basement South Loop spot is more of a restaurant that happens to have good karaoke rooms. Which means that even if you’re not in the mood to attempt Mariah Carey’s whistle tones, you can still have a fun time eating tender bossam or comforting budaejjigae, nursing a beer tower, and shaking a light-up tambourine. And though the song-selection device is in Korean, there’s a helpful translation sheet plus a tutorial from the staff." - john ringor, nick allen

"Korean food and karaoke—in the basement of an office building. The location is unconventional (buzzing to be let in feels like meeting an accountant to discuss taxes), but Tak in South Loop is a one-stop-shop for eating seafood pajeon, drinking soju, and singing your ass off. And with plenty of space for groups and five karaoke rooms (one can fit 18 people), this is the party spot that dreams are made of. " - john ringor

"Located in the basement of a six-floor office building in the South Loop, buzzing to be let into Tak feels like visiting an accountant. But it turns out this place has great Korean food and karaoke. The modern interior is dimly lit with plenty of tables for groups, and five private karaoke rooms (one of them fits 18 people). It's ideal for a casual night out or birthday where you can troubleshoot your American Idol audition song. Their menu has a wide range of Korean dishes, like comforting and spicy budae jeongol, crispy seafood pancake, and sweet and savory galbjjim with short ribs—all of which taste great with a beer tower. Plus, they also have a bar with a wide variety of soju and makgeolli if you just want to come here for drinks. photo credit: Kim Kovacik photo credit: Kim Kovacik photo credit: Kim Kovacik photo credit: Kim Kovacik" - John Ringor