A few months back, when Joe and I were in Chicago visiting family, my mother-in-law kept talking about how we needed to check out her friend’s son’s restaurant while we were there. She didn’t know much information about it except that it was doing well, and the menu featured interesting Korean influenced cuisine in the form of burgers, sandwiches, and rice dishes. We didn’t know what to expect, but decided to eat there one night with the family anyhow.
Upon entering the doors of bopNgrill, located at 6604 N. Sheridan Rd. Chicago, IL, I first took notice at all the awards and press clippings hanging on the walls. Then I glanced at the menu and saw that they were nominated as cheap eatery of the year. This peaked my interest, because I have great admiration for those who can cook well and serve tasty food on a budget.
Next, we were welcomed by the owner Will Song’s parents first, who immediately started ordering a whole bunch of stuff for all of us to try. Then Will came walking out from the back office with a big smile, and warmly greeted us, even though he didn’t know who the heck we were. After introductions, it only took a few minutes for us all to become chatty Cathies… ok maybe it was just me. I found out that Will is a fellow trained chef who also graduated from culinary school. We had tons of stories to share after that.
It was interesting to hear Will talk about how when most people graduate from culinary school, their dream is not to open a “fast food joint.” They usually want to go off and work for a fancy restaurant.
And that’s what he did at first too. He began his culinary career by working at different restaurants, but eventually started bopNgrill with not much more than a hope and a prayer. I paused to ask about the decor of his place and he said that it was based off of the cheapest paint that was on sale at the time! He continued by saying that the vision for his humble “cheap eatery,” was just to produce tasty and affordable cuisine that still has a level of sophistication and high quality. He wanted it to be a different kind of fast food place.
kimchi fries
One bite of his kimchi fries, and I knew he wasn’t playing around. I could tell he took pride in his food. I turned to him and asked, “is there truffle oil on the fries?” He looked surprised and said, “how did you know? …well I guess YOU would know.” It’s those little details and finishing touches to the food that I appreciate.
kimchi burger
We moved onto the kimchi and umami burgers. They were juicy, well seasoned, and satisfying. I even recommended the umami burger to a customer who walked by and asked me what he should get.
bibimbap
And for the parents’ palates, we had some classic Asian fare such as bibimbap (Korean style mixed rice with meats and vegetables and spicy sauce), marinated chicken, and katsu plates. In case you were wondering, “bop” means “rice” in Korean, hence the appropriately named bopNgrill.
chicken plate
The seasoning, presentation, and portions of everything was so on point. They’re not stingy with the fresh vegetables and marinated meats. I couldn’t believe that all of the “fast food” I was eating was $6-$10 each. I had a few bites of everything that was ordered for us, but I’m sad to say that I didn’t get to try EVERYTHING off the menu…
pork for the saam dinner, photo courtesy of bopNgrill
Will told us that one of his popular sellers is the saam dinner which loyal customers rave about and order often. It’s a slow roasted bone-in pork shoulder that comes with traditional Korean dinner fixings. You have to call ahead to order this bad boy days in advance, but it’s something I’m sure Guy Fieri got to taste. Yep, that’s right… Guy Fieri from Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.
photo courtesy of bopNgrill
Apparently, the timing of our visit was pretty cool. Will told us that he was closing his restaurant the next day to prepare and set up for the camera crew from Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives to come and film! I didn’t post this blog entry sooner, because it was supposed to be on the down low. But now we know that the episode is supposed to air either in June or July, so the cat’s officially out of the bag.
photo courtesy of bopNgrill
Will told us that when he received the unexpected phone call from The Food Network, he thought someone was playing a joke on him. But I can honestly say that this huge recognition to be featured on TV is well-deserved! So if you’re in Chicago and want to hit up bopNgrill before the episode airs and it gets insanely busy and crowded in there, go NOW! There are two locations, but we were at the Chicago one, the same one where they did the filming.
photo courtesy of bopNgrill
Say hello and stay connected on bopNgrill’s facebook fan page for up-to-date information on when the episode will air on The Food Network.
I am an avid Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives watcher, so I left Will with one tip. I told him to show his personality, be funny, and joke around with Guy. He said, “I’ll try my best.” I even made him practice with me. I pretended to be Guy and started saying some of his catch phrases such as, “mmm…that’s money! That’s like buying a one way ticket to flavor town!” I guess I’ll have to wait to watch the episode to see if he took my advice!
photo credits: some of the pictures from this article are courtesy of bopNgrill.
