Savor Santa Clara’s Korean food scene.
El Camino Real is the go-to for the Bay Area’s best Korean cuisine
“When you talk about Korean food, you think of Santa Clara immediately. It’s where everyone goes.”
Rick Sung
Ask Rick Sung where to find the best Korean food in the Bay Area, and there are no ifs, ands or buts.
Without a doubt, it is the stretch of El Camino Real in Santa Clara that extends just into Sunnyvale, which is known unofficially as Koreatown.
“When you talk about Korean food, you think of Santa Clara immediately,” says Sung, board member of the Korean-American Chamber of Commerce of Silicon Valley and of Cupertino’s Silicon Valley Korean School, the largest Korean school in the world outside of South Korea. “It’s where everyone goes. That’s just the way it is.”
So much so that even when Sung decided to open a Korean restaurant in the 1990s after immigrating to Milpitas, he didn’t pick his adopted hometown but Santa Clara to do so. Even then, he recalls, that part of El Camino was considered so auspicious that Korean business people would offer more than the going rate for rent just to secure a location there.
Today, that main drag of El Camino and its adjacent streets host about 350 Korean American-owned businesses, according to the chamber, a fair number of which are restaurants. The area remains a destination for the approximately 28,000 Korean Americans in Santa Clara County, one of the largest Korean enclaves in the country. Here are some places not to miss.
1. Banchan galore
More than a quarter-century old, the stalwart Secret Garden is indeed tucked away at the back of a quiet strip mall. Its plain exterior belies the nicely kept interior of booths accented with carved Asian wood panels. The banchan (complimentary side dishes) is generous here — with 11 types that blanket the table and include everything from fish cake slivers to chunks of creamy eggplant to chewy cuttlefish to spicy daikon. All the better to go with a classic haemul pajeon (green onion seafood pancake; $14.99) and a mound of sweet-sour-spicy acorn noodles ($14.99). Service is gracious, especially with the complimentary cups of cold sikhye, a traditional sweet rice drink with soft grains at the bottom, served at the end of the meal. 3430 El Camino Real, Santa Clara; (408) 244-5020.
2. A soothing bowl
This is bone broth — Korean style. Kunjip Restaurant has a concise menu. You come for the restorative soups, which are made traditionally without added seasoning. That’s why there are containers of salt, vinegar, green onions and chile paste at the table for you to customize it as you like. Galbi tang ($14.95) is a steaming bowl of glass noodles with thin slices of beef short rib. Sul Rung Tang ($11.95) is a milky ox bone soup with skinny wheat noodles and slices of beef shank. Each comes with a bowl of rice and a small assortment of kimchi on the side to fortify the meal even more. 1066 Kiely Blvd., Santa Clara; (408) 246-0025. http://kunjipsc.com.
3. Korean-style Chinese food
You can find Chinese staples such as pot stickers and wonton soup at Tong Soon Garden, but also the unique mashup of Jajangmyeon (Korean Chinese cuisine). Korean-style sweet-and-sour pork ($12.95) is a heap of boneless, battered pork tenderloin that isn’t neon red like the Chinese American version. Instead, its golden sauce is fruity-sour with chunks of pineapple and cucumber in it. Black bean sauce noodles ($8.75) are Korean comfort food — a tangle of noodles with shrimp and beef coated in a dark, umami-rich sauce that’s less salty and pungent than Chinese fermented beans. Cabbage kimchi comes with the meal, too. 3240 El Camino Real, Santa Clara; (408) 615-9988. http://tong soongarden.com.
4. Barbecue and dumplings
Modern, with a more upscale vibe, Jang Su Jang in the Lawrence Square Shopping Center is always crowded — for good reason. In fact, it’s even been recommended by the Michelin Guide. This is a great place to put your grilling skills to work with marinated short ribs, brisket, pork belly or rib eye ($26.99-$41.99) to cook on a vented cooktop at your table. If you’re feeding lazy, opt for the kitchen to cook your barbecued meats instead. Don’t neglect the exceptional mandu (Korean dumplings; $ 11.99$ 13.99), tender, meaty boiled halfmoons filled with beef and pork to enjoy in soup or with a dipping sauce. 3561 El Camino Real Suite 10, Santa Clara. (408) 246-1212. http://jangsujang.com/santa-clara.
5. Fried chicken
Bon Chon may be a huge fast-food chain out of Asia, with franchises that have spread its crispy wings in the United States, but there’s no denying this place knows how to fry up a delectable bird. It’s cooked to order, so you will have to wait for it. Choose wings, drumettes, strips of breast meat or a combination ($7.39$19.99). Have it glazed with garlicky soy sauce or spicy sauce (which won’t singe many palates) or both. Traditional fermented white radish comes with every order. 572 E. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale. (408) 7208689. http://sunnyvaleca.bonchon.com.
6. Bring it home
With its expansive offerings, including separate kiosks that sell shoes, clothes and cosmetics, Hankook Market is your one-stop shop for all things Korean. Pick up everything from fresh ginkgo nuts and crunchy Korean melons to frozen Korean noodles of all types. At large help-yourself counters, box up as much cucumber kimchi, seaweed salad, seasoned fish cake, and even ready-to-cook marinated pork, chicken and beef ($5.99-$ 15.99 per pound), as you wish for a feast at home. 1092 E. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale; (408) 244-0871. www.hankooksupermarket.com