Rachel Kim
January 24, 2026
A Grandmother's Love in Every Bite
You could drive past Halmoni's Kitchen a hundred times and never notice it, wedged between a nail salon and a phone repair shop in an Albany Park strip mall. That would be a tragedy, because inside, a 72-year-old grandmother named Mrs. Park is making the best Korean home cooking in Chicago.
The soon dubu jjigae arrives in a stone pot, still bubbling violently, the soft tofu trembling in a fiery broth enriched with pork and seafood. You crack a raw egg into it and stir. It's primal, warming, and perfect.
The banchan spread — eight dishes on my last visit — includes kimchi fermented in clay pots behind the restaurant. It has that deep, funky, complex flavor that only time can create. Mrs. Park makes everything herself, including the japchae noodles that glisten with sesame oil.
This place has no website, no social media, no reservations. Cash only. Worth every inconvenience.
The soon dubu jjigae arrives in a stone pot, still bubbling violently, the soft tofu trembling in a fiery broth enriched with pork and seafood. You crack a raw egg into it and stir. It's primal, warming, and perfect.
The banchan spread — eight dishes on my last visit — includes kimchi fermented in clay pots behind the restaurant. It has that deep, funky, complex flavor that only time can create. Mrs. Park makes everything herself, including the japchae noodles that glisten with sesame oil.
This place has no website, no social media, no reservations. Cash only. Worth every inconvenience.