Ssyal

We came here for dinner and ordered:- dumplings: crispy and satisfying. Meats, vegetables and glass noodles.- yuk gae Jang: a spicy, hot beef soup with vegetables and clear noodle. It wasn't too spicy (I ordered spicy). It was a great, hearty soup. The meat was so tender. - sayal samgaetang: came with a ginseng on top and felt like healing in a bowl. A good soup to sweat out to in summer.- bulgogi jeongol: was a perfect balance of sweet and salty.Service was fast. Only wait time was for the soups. Very clean and pretty spacious!

I'm leaving this review because I really wanted Korean food and wanted to order here, but realized they were closed on Sundays and I got SO SAD. Honestly I'm happy the people here take Sundays off, because it's a well deserved day off. You can really taste the love in this food. If you're debating coming here do yourself a favor and just go. Absolutely wonderful quality and service.

This is possibly the best Korean restaurant I have ever been to. It's definitely better than any in my hometown, and if I lived in Chicago, this would be a regular on my list of eateries to visit. It was a Wednesday late morning when I realized my original plans to go to the Art Institute were dashed because it was in fact closed. I decided instead to explore some Chicago neighborhoods. It was also nearing lunch time, so I decided to seek out a Korean place, and the easiest one to get to was Ssyal. So I made my way by bus, the L, and a long walk through neighborhoods to work up an appetite.I found my destitation, and upon entering I was greeted warmly by the lady working. I went with my typical order for Korean places: Dukbokki (Spicy Rice Cake) and Dolsot Bibimbap. Although I was tempted to order the seasonal Naengmeyon (Cold noodle soup) that I became familiar with after watching K-dramas... but I stuck with my usual. And I went with a peach soju as well. I was the only one in the restaurant, and enjoyed the quiet calm meal. The lady was like close friend's eomma, and I felt like more than just a patron. It is truly one of the few places where I felt valued as a person enjoying some really good homecooking. The banchan were really tasty - there was some jalapenos, cucumbers, fish cake, and what I think was kkakdugi - cubed daikon kimchi - and it was SO good. The dukbokki was not to sweet, which was to my liking, and I savored the texture of the chewy rice cakes. I know that some don't like this, but it is one of my favorites if the sauce is done right. It was spicy, but not too spicy. I enjoyed these and my soju while I waited for the main dish. I was not disappointed when the lady rolled it out on a cart and it was sizzling like no other dolsot bibimbap I've ever had. I let it sit for probably 10 minutes to really let the rice crisp up and it was SO worth the wait. The dish was shallow and wide allowing for a thinner layer of rice that crisped up to perfection! I was pleasantly surprised that the beef was not fatty at all (that's the way I like it) and the egg was fried to perfection. I let it cook and get nice and hard. I was really in foodie heaven. What I love about Korean food is that it is healthy, and while I was indulging in a large lunch by myself, I didn't feel guilty for eating it all up. It was just so good. While I was eating, I noticed that my host was prepping strawberries, and I was so surprised when she brought my a small dish of strawberries. Perfect for a summer afternoon finisher. It paired well with my soju and I delighted in this simple gesture of generosity.I was so please with my experience here. I can't imagine a better dining experience. The atmosphere was homey and cozy and the service was amazing. Again if I lived here, I would undoubtedly be a regular. Please go and try it!!

I came here on a weekday lunch. We were seated immediately. The place is known for their ssamgyettang (korean chicken soup) but their other Korean food items are delicious as well. Definitely great Korean food! Ordered the pajeon (seafood pancake), ssamgyettang (Korean chicken soup) and yukgaejjang (spicy soup) and all were good.Parking: Free parallel parking around the store but they also have a free parking lot.Costs: The costs may be on the higher end or maybe average these days but the portions are big so you'll leave full and content. Worth the drive for Korean food or soup based menu items on a cold day.

Ssyal, what a treat it was! Let me get into it.It's been a while since I have been able to have Korean style chicken soup. It brought back memories of when I lived in South Korea and could get it anytime I wanted. The food was hands down as good as when I had it in Korea. Maybe not 100% identical. I do think the soup base was really good and the egg dish was amazing and the seafood pancake was good but, seemed like the batter they used was really fluffy and made the pancake really thick. The service was okay. The shorter waitress really seemed kind of rude to my friend and I. The taller waitress was very friendly and kind. I did like how they had eye catching things in the walls and the music was very nice to hear. Overall, I will say give Ssyal a try if you want home style Korean chicken soup. It will make you feel better instantly!

Best Korean specialty food, period We ordered Samkyetang and seafood pajun ( korean pancake). They were so yummy and the pajun was extra crunch.

5 stars all across the board! Didn't even matter that service was kind of slow because the food was as authentic as authentic Korean gets !Being a last minute decision driving by, we saw a couple people walking out and decided to try it since I had heard all good things. It was wonderful!The best rice cakes we have found in a while. Their bimbop hot stone pot was delicious with extra crunchy rice at the bottom. Flavors were on 10 and enjoyed every single delicious bite !

This where I go when I need comfort food. The food always tastes amazing and the customer service is excellent. The portion is huge and reasonable for the price! We come here atleast once a week! Give it a try if you have not been here!

Really delicious first meal in Chicago!We ordered the seafood pancake, tteokbokki, and ssyal ginseng soup.The seafood pancake was one of the better ones I've had, throughly cooked and not soggy in the middle. Lots of squid and shrimp inside. Crispy edges!The tteokbokki was sooo soft. It was just a bit too spicy for me.The chicken ginseng soup was delicious. Broth thick and flavorful, with very tender chicken.Banchan could improve with more variety. The service was also quite slow, they definitely need more than 1 staff member to manage all the tables and food deliveries.

Wow! I'm really impressed with this place! Came in on a Monday evening around 7pm and there were only a couple other parties. By the time we left closer to 8, the place was pretty much packed. Seems like a very small family operation, probably pretty thin on staff on weekdays since it was mostly one lady working all front of house things from taking orders, serving, bussing tables, etc. So definitely be a little patient as she gets through the tables, but she was definitely hustling and the food came out at a pretty decent clip.Also, the space itself is nice. They have a giant tube to show off the ginseng which was interesting, but also the restaurant itself is very clean and well maintained.Ok, onto the food!Ssyal Samgye Tang ($20.99, I think usually $22.99, but they had some summer promo going on): This definitely seems to be the most popular item on the menu and was also featured on an Eater episode. It was my first time trying this soup, but it was a super comforting dish. The Cornish hen falls off the bone and make sure to split it open so the rice and other good bits mix into the soup. The soup itself is hearty, but not seasoned with salt (how a lot of Korean dishes like these are), but comes with some green onions and flake salt to season to your liking. It was a great dish and definitely will be something I crave when I want something homey or feeling under the weather.Soon Tofu Stew ($14.99): I'd say this is your standard soondubu jjigae. Kinda hard to mess up as long as you get the paste that makes the stew flavor right. This one only had one shrimp which was a bit of a letdown, but quite a bit of squid in it (and obviously lots of silken tofu). Solid!Japchae ($13.99): I just love japchae in general and this one was well executed. The noodles well cooked, lots of veges, not overly salty, and good sesame oil aroma.Seafood Pancake ($16.99): Definitely more expensive than your standard pancake, but it was pretty big! They don't cut it up for you like some spots which my dad was being a bit of a baby about, but just break it up with your chopsticks.Banchan: There were only a few side dishes/banchan that came which was slightly disappointing, but what we did get was solid. Gamja jorim (braised potatoes) or gyeran mari (rolled omelette) would've been nice.Rice: I don't usually comment on the rice, but they do serve both white and mixed grain rice so keep that in mind. I thought both were kind of mushy, but maybe that's just preference.Overall, I really enjoyed this place! Would definitely come back here again to get the ssyal samgye tang again and try some of their other offerings. They serve most of the run of the mill Korean dishes, but they're all well executed. They also do takeout and are on Uber Eats/GrubHub/DoorDash if you didn't feel like leaving your doorstep. Give it a try!