Mister Tiger: A Taste of Korean Home Cooking in Chicago

Mister Tiger is a Korean restaurant in West Town that opened its doors in May 2025, inspired by a grandmother’s home cooking. Min Lee, a former structural engineer, owns the establishment with her brother Charlie Park and her husband, Brian Lee. Park, a product manager, manages the bar and front of the house, while Brian, an attorney, handles operations.

Min Lee’s culinary journey stems from her time with her grandmother, Bong Kim, who cooked for the family after emigrating from Busan, South Korea. Lee wanted to bring her grandmother’s home-cooked flavors to Chicago, balancing traditional and contemporary Korean dishes.

We bring traditional food, Min Lee stated, emphasizing her aim to showcase trendy Korean cuisine as well.

The restaurant’s signature dish, a meaty dino rib, demonstrates this blend. The dish begins with deboning rib meat, marinating it overnight, then cooking sous vide before grilling. Each slice features a soy sweetness and tender center, served with wasabi onion relish and roasted vegetables. Lee highlights the importance of quality ingredients, reflecting home cooking values.

Mister Tiger also offers lacy jeon, a savory pancake inspired by Lee’s grandmother, revealing abundant use of ingredients like kimchi or chives. Lee creatively reinterprets various dishes, such as a kimchi jeon with house-fermented vegetables, offering a unique take compared to other versions found in New Koreatown areas.’

Among other notable dishes, uni rice combines Korean Japanese tobiko roe rice with buttery sea urchin roe, while the dolsot bibimbap presents vegetables and tofu under a sunny egg. Desserts connect Mister Tiger with neighboring flavors. The yuja tiramisu swaps espresso for yuzu marmalade tea, resulting in a refreshing and balanced sweetness.

The sweet corn ice cream, pairing soybean paste custard with caramel corn kernels, blends traditional Korean flavors with Chicago’s culinary landscape. A nod to Korean classics, the dessert is a cooperative creation with chef Esteban Nunez.

Beverages include a nonalcoholic Home Remedy drink mixing citrus-forward Seedlip with yuja, and the Faithful Sue cocktail, offering a pisco-infused twist reminiscent of the Korean fruit salad, hwachae.

The menu features dishes like Korean fried chicken nuggets, baby back ribs, and spontaneous additions, maintaining a sense of community dining. Complimentary ssam platters, white rice, and banchan are offered upon request, exemplifying Korean dining values.

Mister Tiger’s ambiance is rooted in Korean culture, though its neon tiger emblem has both cultural and modern charm. The minimalist interior, crafted with deliberate care, resonates with the personal stories and aims to simply captivate visitors.

Location: Mister Tiger, 1132 W. Grand Ave., Chicago. Phone: 312-219-5211. More information is available at mistertigerchicago.com. Operating hours are Tuesday to Friday from 5 p.m., Saturday from 4:30 p.m., closing daily at 9 p.m. The restaurant is closed on Sundays and Mondays.

Menu highlights include $32 for uni rice, $15 for kimchi jeon, $16 for cold bibim noodles, and $13 for banana chocolate cannoli. The review rates Mister Tiger as very good to excellent, with a two and a half stars rating.