Ttowa Korean Bistro
| Address: | 161 W Wing St, Arlington Heights, IL 60005, USA |
| Phone: | +1 847-749-4493 |
| Site: | ttowakoreanbistro.com |
| Rating: | 4.6 |
| Working: | 11:30AM–9:30PM 11:30AM–9:30PM 11:30AM–9:30PM 11:30AM–9:30PM 11:30AM–10:30PM 11:30AM–10:30PM Closed |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 11
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Lauren H
Holy hot pot my lunch was fabulous! I just happened to be in the area and I didnt know I had a taste for Korean, but Yelp knows what the heart wants. They offer some lunch specials with Korean favorites and I opted for tofu soup. I also full pigged out and ordered vegetable mandoo and maybe a mid day beer. First, the beer was Catchpenny, a rye session, and great complement to my meal. In fact, they have a handful of craft beers available. If you want to stay in the same continent, you have your choice of some Korean beers. Mandoo was awesome and I could have made that a meal with all the sides Ttowa serves with your meal. The sides were really generous but still a reasonable size for one. Im officially obsessed with the sweet fried eggplant. Zach, the server, kindly refilled my plate. The soup was still bubbling when it came to my table! It was so hot I was tortured into eating more mandoo before digging in. It was worth the wait. The photo makes it look spicy, but it really wasnt. It was filling and rich with silken tofu and pork. To my surprise, they had dropped a whole egg in it and a tasty yolk purse sat on the bottom of my bowl. Oh, I never made it all the way through. They dont have donuts anymore, but I used my Yelp check in offer and got green tea and red bean ice cream to round out my belly. It was just icing on the cake to a perfect Friday lunch.
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mxwp derfman
This is a decent bistro markets itself as Korean fusion. So dont go in expecting authentic Korean food, because this is not the place for that. I actually enjoyed their unique take on traditional Korean dishes. The broiled beef spare ribs were especially good, on a bed of excellent nutty porridge. Something I have never seen with traditional "kalbee jhim" dish. The dumplings were excellent, which makes sense since it is the same owner as the now closed Ttowa Dumplings that was on Dempster. Even though it is not on the menu, you can ask for and order the steamed bun "wang mandu" that used to be the staple at the old Ttowa. (I love steamed bun, so was sad when the old Ttowa closed... happy to see they still make it, though its not part of their new menu. Plus it is not more expensive the the steamed buns at the food court in H-Mart.) Go for their new fusion dishes or Korean rolls, but be sure and order some dumplings too.
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Jonathan Zielke
Tried this place for the first time based on reviews and friend recommendations. The service was above and beyond friendly. My wife and I got the chicken and short rib buns apps. We liked the short rib ones better than the chicken (chicken ones were good too). Our entrees were the bibimbap and black bean noodles. Both of which were good as well. The stone bowl the bibimbap came in could have been hotter but that is a minor thing. The portions were more than enough and we both took home leftovers. We will definitely be coming back. If it continues to be good, I will change my review to 5 stars. Edit 6/6/16: Been here a few times now and each time it has been great. I ordered the short ribs the last time I was here and they was excellent! Probably my favorite thing on the menu. I feel safe giving it 5 stars now as they have been consistently good.
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Yanja Batbaatar
Came here for a girls dinner and this place was amazing. Service was great, really cute ambiance. So we kinda pigged out, hey it was girls night! So we got pork tacos- recommended by the Chef- it was perfect, they had vegetarian dumplings which also was great along with complimentary rice balls- this was one of my favorites! It was spicy and full of flavor with a great texture. The host talked be out of my bulogogi to a Chicken BBQ, he promised it would not disappoint and he was right! My friend who is a regular there got a BimBoBop with tofu, she enjoyed it without surprise. I love this place, such a great fix for Korean food, highly recommended and will be back! FYI if you check in you get a free dessert!
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Steve Brennan
We have been going to TTOWA since they were originally on Dempster. Hands down, best place for dumplings in Chicago and chicago land area. We regularly drive from downtown up to TTOWA for their Wang Mandu (Giant / King dumpling), Gogi Mandu (pan fried meat dumplings) and Gaesung Mandu (beef and pork dumpling). We just had their Dak Bun (chicken bun) and it was amazing. We have been to all the great places in China Town but TTOWA still reigns supreme for dumplings. Their services has always been warm, friendly and accommodating. Also, their prices are extremely fair , especially considering the quality and size of the dumplings.
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Matthew Balconi
The banchan portions were criminally skimpy for our party of three, and they give you an ice cream scoop worth of rice with your order. Main dish portions were good size and tasty. Stick to the menu... The waiter suggested we get 6 pork buns so we could each have 2- and somehow that was $16 when a regular order of 10 was $20. I tried wooil last time I was in town and had a better experience overall. I dont know the area very well but ttowa is definitely in a more upscale neighborhood.
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Alex A
Arrived for our reservation on time. We had reserved the private table for a party of 6. The table was occupied, so we were seated at a cramped tiny table with wall on one side and the bar on the other. We ordered 6 appetizers and 6 main courses. The kitchen was slow. 5 minutes after the main course arrived and just as we were taking our first bites, the owner informed us that we had to vacate the table as he had other parties waiting! Bad deal!
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Jessica Chin
Overall experience, ok, but I will find my korean fix somewhere else. The base of the soups we got were good, but the meat and seafood in them were very overcooked. My poached egg was so hard that I had a difficult time cutting it with a spoon and didnt know what it was till I got it in my mouth. I noticed great service for a bigger, younger group of people, but a lot was lost on us. So, good for them, not so much us.
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Christine Magnuson
Ttowa is airways our first choice for local dining in the Arlington Heights area. Fresh, unique food and the best service. Terry and Zack are always amazing. Dduk bokki is maybe my favorite food ever. The dak buns and mandoo (dumplings) are craveable. And bibimbop in the stone bowl with crispy rice... Omg, to die for. Love this place. Give it a try!
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Ray Padilla
Hidden gem of a Korean spot in downtown Arlington Heights. The banchan is delicious and plentiful. Everything tastes delicious, but its on the pricier side for a Korean restaurant. NOT a KBBQ, but rather a sit-down place that serves you fairly traditional Korean fare. Good amount of combination specials that can be shared.
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E G
This place is highly overrated. The service is extremely slow and customer service is poor. We waited for 25 minutes just for one appetizer and the waiter never came over to let us know the status of our food...plus he forgot to take our entrée order. Food was OK at best. If you want good Korean food, go elsewhere.
