Jiang Niu BBQ House - Chicago
Jiang Niu BBQ House offers Korean grilled meat and other traditional dishes to those who already know and love the food as well as those who may never have had it before. It’s accessible, but still appealing to those seeking authenticity or perhaps just a little something out of the ordinary.
At Chinatown’s new Jiang Niu BBQ House, guests have a chance to grill delicious Korean meats at their table, ensuring that every bite is as warm and delicious as the first. Group grilling is also a great ice-breaker and a fun way to interact with others as you enjoy dinner, both the preparation and the eating.
In addition to Jiang Niu BBQ House’s grill-your own meat option, there are many classic Korean dishes, expertly prepared, some comforting and familiar, others more adventurous.
For starters, there is nothing more warming than miso soup on a chilly morning any time of year. This traditional soup is an excellent way to begin a meal. For the more adventurous, there’s spiced baby octopus, a tangy and low-cal way to kick off all the eating,
For the mains, there are familiar dishes like Korean bibimbap, or “mixed rice,” a colorful collection of vegetables and meat, accompanied by plum or other sauce, ready to be “mixed” by you before eating. If you’d like to make it a little more special, you can order your bibimbap in a sizzling stone bowl. For those who enjoy a more adventurous bite, there’s Korean spicy chicken feet, a tasty dinner once you get past the appearance of a plate full of spiny claws (hint: eat them as you would artichoke leaves: put in your mouth, gently close teeth, pull out chicken foot, scraping off the delicious meat with your teeth).
If you’d care to supplement your starter or main course with one of Jiang Niu BBQ House’s sides, there’s kimchee fried rice and several “pancakes” of sweet potato and seafood. These are not, however, the standard American-style pancakes you might have for breakfast; Korean pancakes are vegetables, meat and/or fish, coated in egg and flour and pan fried into a crisp and savory flat cake.
To drink, Jiang Niu BBQ House does not yet offer beer or wine, but there’s hot tea or, for the more adventurous, sour plum soup.
