Parachute is an acclaimed Korean American restaurant from James Beard Award winning chefs (and husband and wife duo) Beverly Kim and Johnny Clark. While initially opening with a Korean fusion menu, they have shifted towards traditional Korean cuisine. Parachute's food won over the hearts of local foodies and even delighted the fine folks of Michelin so much that they were awarded a star. It was recently announced that Parachute will be closing its doors on March 23. They plan on using the same space for a new concept that will hopefully be unveiled sooner than later. I had always wanted to dine here, but prior reservations I had at other hot spots made booking a reservation here infeasible. However, I was surprised with a 7:00PM reservation from a family member! I was ecstatic! The interior and overall ambiance of this place awesome. Sleek, modern, welcoming, and unpretentious. As you wait to be seated you can't help but notice the Michelin star signs, which amps up your anticipation and excitement. I also saw that Beverly Kim was there! Very cool! We ended up ordering the yuk hwe, Korean fried chicken, haemul pajeon, 30 day dry aged bulgogi, and the s'mores patbingsu. The yuk hwe was delicious, surprising and a fantastic way to start a meal. The wings were also pretty solid. They weren't as crunchy as other Korean wings I have had, but the sauce was great! Next up was one of my favorite Korean dishes, the haemul pajeon (seafood pancake). While it does appear to be large, it does have a light and airy feel to it. They definitely went easy on the batter and that is honestly OK with me, because this was the best haemul pajeon I have ever had. Our main course (the bulgogi) was delicious. As was the banchan that was served with it. Even though I am a fan of Korean cuisine, I haven't eaten a lot of bulgogi. But this was definitely the best I've had. Up next was dessert and it ended up being my favorite dish of the night. One of my favorite things about eating at restaurants of this caliber is the feeling of delight and surprise when you bite into something unfamiliar. And the smores patbingsu checked all those boxes. With each bite you uncover one delicious layer after another. You taste the chocolate shaved ice and marshmallow first, then the Swiss meringue, then the cinnamon honey ice cream, then the puffed barley, and then the candied red beans! And it all comes together to create a bite of delicious and epic proportions. It was one of the best things I've eaten this year and a hell of a way to end a meal! Great service, great ambiance, cool music, and delicious food. What more could you want from a restaurant? As I mentioned before, this place is closing down next weekend. Keep an eye out for newly available reservations because you never know when something might open up. That's how we got one. I'm sad this place is closing, but in the meantime I'll sample the cuisine from Beverly and Johnny's new restaurant down street, Anelya. After the meal I had here, I'm confident I'll leave that place satisfied.

late to the party, but i finally made the reservation after i heard that this spot was closing on march 23. transparently, i tend to avoid Korean/Korean fusion restaurants that consider themselves modern and elevated. i much prefer true, "no-frills" Korean food just because that's what i grew up eating and loving, both at home and in Korea. "modern and elevated" Korean spots are also often on the pricier side. all that said, i was pleasantly surprised by this spot! i loved the unique yet familiar flavors of each dish and really appreciated that they maintained authenticity. the downside was the plating LOL. also was extremely bummed that i didn't get to try the pork bossam (it was the #1 thing on my list of things to try) because it wasn't in season, but still loved everything i tried, though the golbaengi muchim isn't worth the $ in my opinion. so sad to see this spot go!! what we ordered: - yukgaejang - yuk hwe (Korean-style beef tartare) * my fav !! * - korean fried chicken - golbaengi muchim (whelks w/ noodles in gochujang dressing)

Wonderful dinner here! The space is lovely and our waiter was brilliant, knowledgeable, and a joy. The food was delicious, I'm so happy to have experienced it. I'm planning to go back to try more of the items.

I am typically skeptical of Asian fusion restaurants because of their lack of authenticity; however, parachute nailed it on the authentic flavors in this upscale modern version of korean cuisine. The dishes were not much different than traditional korean foods and added elevated flavors and quality. We ordered a variety of dishes to try - my only complaint is that because it was coursed out, our dining experience was very long, which would have been nice to know beforehand. We started with the golbangi muchim, which was a nice fresh and spicy start to the meal. Our next course was the japchae ddukbukki, which was basically ddukbukki cooked as if it was japchae. This was tasty and pretty authentic in flavor. Next was my favorite - the bossam, which was excellent for sharing. The oysters added a delicious flavor to the wraps, and the pork was such great quality tender meat. Next we had the dry aged bulgogi, which was good but tasted no different than a normal bulgogi dish. I liked the banchan and purple rice to add to the authenticity. Great for sharing as well. Finally, we got the s'mores patbingsu, which wasn't that great. I didn't like the freeze dried marshmallows. My decaf coffee that I got was also a whopping $5. Otherwise, the prices were not bad at all for an upscale restaurant considering the portions and quality. I didn't like the extra fee they tacked on the bill though (I think it was 4 or 7%???). Definitely glad I tried this place finally and would recommend to others for delicious korean food!

I was told this place is as good as it gets for great Korean in Chicago and lucky for me I was invited for restaurant week this past week. Reservations were full so we had to take a 9pm resy which is well past my time for eating, especially on a weeknight. Made it there a few mins before 9 and they had a full house. Restaurant isnt this biggest so there was limited waiting/standing space...some had to stand outside in the foggy wet cold. Seating didnt take too long, but once we got seated we were met with a very cool and knowledgeable server by the name of Holly K. She told us everything on the restaurant week menu was good so we could go either way on options. We started with the Yuk Hwe which is a beef tartare that is somewhat frozen with shallots and sesame dressing. Im not a beef tartare guy but this might have been the best thing I ate all night. Next we had the korean fried wings which were pretty good...very saucy. 3rd course included 30 day dry aged pulkogi which was very delicious as well. The dessert was quite a site! Its called S'mores Pat Bing Su which is chocolate shaved ice, cinnamon honey ice cream, candied adzuki beans, mochi and toasted meringue. Looked great and tasted great! I left this place full as hell! Washed this all down with a couple of tequila milk punches. Ambience is very intimate with mellow lighting...just right! Not too dim, not too bright. I love the old school speakers they have all around the walls...makes for a very cool look. The music was very chill and went right with the setting. This place is quite a hike for me but I would definitely come back again. Great date place!

This place was good, but not really worth the price outside of restaurant week. The golbaengi muchim and patbingsu were my favorites. The marinade on the muchim was spot on. The patbingsu definitely tasted like smores. The pajeon was also good, but different from normal pajeon. I gotta say, the bulgogi fell short for me. I'm used to a more complex flavor profile; this bulgogi barely had any flavor to it in my opinion. Also, the kimchi and other banchans weren't that great. However, the serving sizes are huge and the service was fantastic. Ambiance is chic yet cozy. I'm honestly not sure whether I would return though because I have had better Korean food at a much more reasonable price point.

Came here with some girlfriends for 2024 Chicago Restaurant Week and was greeted at the entrance with glasses of champagne due to our table not being ready. It was a sweet gesture that didn't go unnoticed. Food wise, we ordered the following options off the CRW menu: yuk hwe, haemul pajeon, bulgogi, and the s'mores patbingsoo. The food was familiar to the tastes that we grew up with but unfortunately felt a bit lackluster. We agreed that the yuk hwe and the dessert were the most complex flavor wise, with the latter providing some degree of familiarity with a twist of innovation. The pajeon and bulgogi were a 4/5 and a 3/5, respectively. Specifically with the bulgogi, the dish was overly salty and the marinade itself was a miss. It actually made me want my mom's bulgogi. I don't know if I'm intrigued enough to come back here, as the only dish that simultaneously left me satiated with its familiarity and desirous for more was the patbingsoo. Service was lovely, with the wait staff being super friendly and attentive. Overall, it was a fun experience checking out a place that offers Korean food in a setting where ambiance matters.

Cozy interior with minimalist decor. The menu is meant to be shared family-style and for a party if 4, the waiter recommended 5-6 dishes. This is what we ordered: Korean fried chicken (gochujang wings) Seafood pancake Bossam Mackerel Bulgogi S'mores bingsoo Strawberry pudding The main courses are served with a pot of rice and three banchan dishes. The seafood pancake was highly recommended by the waiter and rightfully so, because that ended up being the star of the night. Perfectly crisp and flavorful, I didn't even need the sauce. The bossam platter was good, although my partner said his oyster was extremely fishy. I didn't have an issue with my oyster, but the bulgogi dish was too salty in my opinion. Overall, food was good, but for those prices, I had slightly higher expectations.

I think about this dinner a lot. Parachute is so good at delivering authentic flavors in a way that's modern and approachable. Menu is focused so you won't see all the common Korean dishes but you'll get to experience a more complete palette. Highly recommend starting with the bossam !! If you don't know, this dish is popular in Korea during gimjang season (when you make kimchi) so you eat with the ingredients like nappa cabbage & radish. And bc oysters are also in season during winter, they are often served together. You get a glimpse of that here with the perfectly juicy pork cuts and seasoned condiments. With the main, there's complimentary stone pot rice and a round of banchan. Honestly this is the highlight. Perfectly cooked rice with perfectly fermented kimchi. YUM. We loved the mackerel, super moist and flavorful but the yukgaejang lacked depth so probs wouldn't order again. If you're looking for a taste of Korea this is it!! pork bossam $51* yukgaejang $35 godeungeo gui $33 extra banchan $3 patbingsu $19* 시카고 한식은 올드한 느낌이 강한데 여긴 세련되고 맛있어서 강력추천! 메뉴도 퓨전이 아니라 한국에서 먹는 스타일이라서 좋음. 육개장이 좀 밍밍했다는거 빼고 싹다 존맛이다. 기본으로 나오는 돌솥밥이랑 반찬이 어나더 레벨!! 윤기가 흐르는 꼬들꼬들한 밥알과 약간의 단맛!!! 미국에서 먹은 밥 중 최고다. 김치도 잘 익어서 신맛이감도는게 고등어랑 너무 잘어울림. 멀리 살아서 슬퍼