Ko Hyang San Chun

Love this place. Seemed like a hole in the wall place when we went, because there were so little people dining. LOVE their crab crab seafood stew with udon noodles!!! and their spicy rice cakes are better than most places. I am a spicy rice cake connoisseur. I mainly go to this place just for their soups, but everything else isn’t at all bad. The sweet potato side dish is yummy.

That place was good. It was New Year’s Eve when my family and I came here. There wasn’t many people here but it was ok. We got our food faster. I ordered the Hot Stone Bimbimbap and it was pretty good but for the price, I would have thought there would be more.
This place wasn’t bad but it wasn’t too delicious either. My family got the hot and sweet fried chicken, the clear noodles and the beef ribs. They were all ok but I think there should be a bit more flavor in the food because I’ve had these items from different restaurants and they tasted more flavorful.

After looking up a bunch of restaurants, Alan D. and I decided to go for broke, and eat out at somewhere completely at random. so when Unilocal suggested Korean food, my foot was already on the gas pedal.
…And we made it just in time for the lunch menu (11am — 2pm) with only 3 minutes to spare!
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[Atmosphere]
Inside and out, Ko Hyang San Chun isn’t one for looks. The first thing that I noticed, strangely, wasn’t at how old their tables and chairs were, nor at how hazy their lights looked, but at how something smelled a little off. Was it just me or was their table cloth used one too many times? Not to worry though, the smell gradually went away.
[Food]
After seeing how delicious the Gzoyas looked on Unilocal,we knew we had to order it; unfortunately it wasn’t on the lunch menu. It’s only sold in a set of 8 pieces for a price of $ 10. A little pricy but not bad! The outer layer wasn’t crispy like most Korean restaurants but surprisingly, it was quite good. Alan had the Soft Tofu soup (read his review), and I had the Beef Bibimbap. The Bibimbap sizzled all the way to our table, and then it sizzled some more, and then some more… After the clay pot cooled down and the food safely in my belly, my overall impression was that it wasn’t the best Bibimbap I ever had. The beef didn’t stand out, and the sauce needed a stronger kick, but it was definitely not the worst I ever had; especially given the cheap price.
Aside from that, our main courses also included the typical Korean side dishes, which for the most part tasted fine. The only let down was the Eomuk-​Japchae (Fried Fish Cakes). It was a bit chewy, and being that it’s one of my favorite Korean side, I was little disappointed.
[Staff]
Although our server’s explanation of the menu was a little confusing, he was quick and to the point with every plate. He also made sure we knew how much the Gyozas were before taking the order.
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Overall, Ko Hyand San Chun may not look appealing at first glance and maybe not even the next, but with its affordable lunch prices and for the most part, good menu, it wasn’t half bad. With a little more work, I can see it being a real game changer.

Not the best Korean food that I’ve had… but it’s cheap, and worth it if you’re just looking for a cheap Korean food luncheon! Their lunch special is from 11 — 2PM!
Here’s what I recommend.
Gyoza
Soft tofu soup
Bimbibap
It’s all cheap, except for the gyoza’s which are 10 bucks a pop… but they come in 8 pieces!
The tofu soup is pretty good, but it’s lacking a DEEP flavor that you would typically attribute to the top-​tier korean restaurants. And when it comes out, it very quickly cools down. So when you put the egg in the soup, you’ll notice that it doesn’t cook fully because it’s not that hot; disappointing.
Daniel had the bimbibap, which seemed really good, smelled good, so I won’t officially rate it… he will.
Other than that, there are way better options out there. But if you’re in the area, and are looking for a cheap but somewhat satisfying luncheon, head on here!

Is it the best Korean food I’ve had? No, that would be a two-​way tie between a few places in Koreatown Oakland and (believe it or not), a place called Hodori in Mesa, Arizona (of all places).
But their lunch specials are CHEAP, the banchan are tasty, and there’s no wait. I could eat their lunch specials every day and spend little money, leave very full and happy.
Four-​star food but an amazing lunch deal.

This place is solid. My favorite aspect? Open LATE!!! I can come here at 1:00 am and it will be poppin. Jack in the Box? Forget you and your newspaper tacos. I can come here and get real grub.
Ambiance: Once again, I came at 1am, so it was dark. The sign outside doesn’t work and so it’s a little hard to find but WORTH IT! It’s also dimly lit inside with some icicle lights on the ceiling for some EXTRA ambiance. There was also some K-​pop playing on the speakers where the only English words were «POP MOLLY» so yes, this place is the shit.
Service: The service is very good, it seems a little mom and pop and the waitress was very polite.
Grubz: I ordered the kalbi and it was solid. The sauce didn’t get a little caramelized on the edges like I like it when it’s grilled so I suspect they cook it on a sauté pan or something. My boyfriend got the bulgogi and he said it was a little dry. It was ~$ 14 for the kalbi and ~$ 12 for the bulgogi so the price was decent, albeit the quality is similar to that at the food court where it’s a little cheaper.
Overall, this place has the edge for being a real food joint that’s open late. During normal business hours, however, they have some serious competition in that area.

It is not a par korean restaurant, but it keeps attracting customers. So I guess people like it. I wish food is more fresh and delicious. Rice was too wet. Kimchi was a bit cheap.

KO-​HYANG SAN-​CHUN
Located in a run-​down strip mall, we ordered the spicy pork… to say the least, it definitely wasn’t what we expected, as the pork was a light red color, unlike the normally deep red color of the spicy pork that is usually found elsewhere. It tasted decent but nothing spectacular. The appetizers were somewhat disappointing, though. This place really wasn’t my cup of tea, but it served its purpose in filling my stomach during the late afternoon.

A HIDDEN GEM!!!
My boyfriend and I came on a Saturday evening. It was really empty when we came in, and it never seemed to pick up, but things like that doesn’t bother me. We were greeted and seated right as we walked through the door. The owners (I’m assuming) were super sweet and cheerful.
We ordered the Korean seafood pancake and the galbee. Both dishes were sooo good! I’m drooling as I write this! You could smell the freshness of the seafood as soon as he brought out the pancake dish. It was complimented with a soysauce and pepper paste mixture. The galbee was also so delicious. It was very well marinated because even after it got cooked, it was still soo saucy! The onions weren’t super cooked but I didn’t mind.
The side dishes were all good except we’ve had better, I’m gonna assume that it’s a fish cake thing. It was just a little bland. My boyfriend wished they had sardines, but we enjoyed our meal anyways.
Definitely going to come back. Maybe one of our top 5 Korean restaurants to go to in San Jose.

So glad I randomly discovered this place on Unilocal.It is awesome! I love that it is an authentic Korean restaurant and it’s open until 1am! I brought my friend/​coworkers here because we got off work late (after 10pm). We ordered the gal-​bee, bulgogi, and jap-​chae. All delicious. The traditional sides are always good. We ordered some yogurt soju and some Hite Beer and it was very good. Our server was sweet and helpful. The environment is pleasant.
Definitely a new spot for me and my homies!

A hidden gem in Santa Clara.
Open late night.
For around $ 40, you can get a bottle of Soju, all the Bap and Banchan you want– plus excellent grade Galbi you cook yourself!
Throw in another $ 10 for that second bottle of Soju then BAM, perfect date!
On weekend nights, this place does kind of turn into a Korean-​American High School Gangster’s Paradise but they’re all talk so if they’re bothersome, just shush them and enjoy that Galbi!

I have an issue. I eat late… and on Sundays this quickly limits the options down to something like In and Out. That was before I found this place. I can’t believe I never noticed it before since it’s right next to Sumiya. The best part about this place for me is that it’s open late… all the time. Parking is easy since it shares the large parking lot with the rest of the shopping area.
So far I’ve only swung by for takeout, but the bulgogi and the spicy pork have both been solid choices. They pack up a small bundle of banchan for you to enjoy as well. Their togo menu seems to be more limited than eating in so I want to try eating there at some point. Seems like it’d be a cool place to hang out for some drinks as well. The lady that runs the front was friendly both times I came in. I’m more than satisfied with this spot!

4 stars for this hole in the wall. I bet this place gets overlooked since it is kind of hidden in the plaza. It’s also not that aesthetically nice — it’s just a simple place to eat food, mom-​and-​pop style.
I came here with a group of +10 and boy were we hungry. We did little group sharings and ordered a shit ton of food. My friend and I had the bulgogi and it was SOOO yums! Very flavorful and well marinated. Thumbs up!!! I typically am whatever about bulgogi but this one was hella bomb. We also shared their seafood tofu soup which was also good (not the best tofu soup though).
The side dishes, to me, were forgettable. My friend got the whole table seafood pancakes which were delicious! My favorite part of the meal was the FREE NOODLES!!! I don’t know if it was because we ordered so much stuff or if it was just their kind of style… but we appreciated their gesture. I mean, it was TWO plates of noodles. Yummy noodles too!
Would come here again! But god we had so much food here… I’m starting to remember the food comaaaaa.

Came here hungry one day at 4:30pm because it was the only one open during that time. So we had our early dinner and we were the only people at the restaurant. It seemed kind of eerie. We ordered:
— Samgyubsal
— Beef slices for the BBQ
— Seafood Pancake
All their dishes are A-​OK. The samgyubsal was tough and seafood pancake wasn’t crispy enough on the outside. The soup that was on the house is not too great — seafood and not spicy. Meh.
Probably wouldn’t come back here unless I’m going with a group of Koreans and that the goal of the night is to get pissed drunk.

We were the only customers. Service was good at first but he never came back to check up on us after delivering the food. I wanted to ask for more side dishes. But he was distracted watching korean drama. It was a pretty funny movie i have to say, i enjoyed it more than the food.
They have pretty good side dishes, one was really interesting i haven’t seen anywhere else, It was glass pickled noddles?
My Order: Soft Tofu Soup with beef (medium)
Pros: Tofu was soft and the soup was really good, medium wasn’t too spicy it was just right. Really enjoyable
Con: No egg! the picture showed an egg. Also when i asked for beef, i didn’t think it’ll be small little pebbles of beef

I have a real love for shady korean bars and make no mistake, this is one of them. It’s awesomely a normal restaurant storefront with no real decoration to speak of but had all the things you need to sit around and get shwasted while having some mackerel, seafood pancakes and popcorn.
Oh and to have lots of beer and soju because that’s really the whole point.

I ended up taking my lunch break later than scheduled so by the time I had clock out it was after 9PM. L&L Hawaiian BBQ across the street was closed!
I’ve dined here in the past and is very satisfied with their service. But I was shocked to find out that my bill was $ 10 more than what it would’ve been at L&L Hawaiian BBQ!
But! My meal included the short ribs, rice, every side dish that would’ve been provided if I had eaten at the restaurant, and miso soup! Awesome!
I removed 1 star only because it was so expensive! But the waiters/​workers are VERY FRIENDLY! The place is decently clean. Since my meal was take-​out they cut the short ribs up for me so they were easy to eat!

More like 3.5 stars.
We came here to eat for dinner and the place was practically empty. A couple more patrons arrived as then night went on. This place is easy to find as it’s within a large plaza located next to Stan’s Donuts.
We were craving fried chicken and did not want to make the trek to 99 Chicken, as the service seems to have gone down hill recently. Prices here were quiet high but portion size justified the high price. We ordered the fried chicken, the beef ribs, and order of flavored soju.
The chicken came out lightly battered in some type of egg and flour batter. It was light but crispy on the outside. It seemed like an entire chicken was fried as the plate seemed to contain various pieces, not just the legs, wings, and breast. We went with the non sauced version and asked for a side of sauce later on as the chicken didn’t have much seasoning on it’s own. I prefer the fried chicken at 99 Chicken.
The beef ribs were tasty but standard so nothing to write about. There was plenty of free side dishes and the service was good even though only two people were running the front.
I was a bit put off by the high price of the flavored soju as it was practically the price of a meal. The flavored soju was good but it was served with many bits of pieces of ice, almost like a slushy. Without the ice, it would probably have been half the size of the flask it was served in.
Price is about $ 20 per person with tax and tip without the alcohol and closer to $ 25 or more with drinks.

Service was excellent. Server dude came back a few times to ask how the food was, refill our tea and provide us with extra napkins.
We ordered the stone pot bibimbap — I was very pleased that the stone pot was actually hot enough to get most of the rice nice and crispy — just the way I like it. Other than the fact that there was more crispy parts than usual, it was a pretty straightforward bibimbap. Nothing extraordinary about it (but that’s just how bibimbap is :-P).
We ordered the sweet sour (I may have the name wrong here but you’ll see a pic of it on the menu) fried chicken — GREAT choice. Portions were HUGE so it’s worth it for the price (about 12 – 14 dollars if I remember correctly). It was delicious. The chicken was cooked perfectly — very tender. The outside was fried nice and crispy, which made it even more enjoyable. It was just sticky, crunchy, tender, sweet and sour chicken.
The small dishes were really good, especially the spicy tofu. They had a good selection and had everything I like most (cucumber kimchi, fishcakes, brocolli etc) — take a look at the picture I’ve uploaded to see exactly what I ordered.
Definitely coming back here again!

For those of you who can’t read Korean (me), just look for the sign «Korean Restaurant» outside. There’s only one Korean restaurant in this strip mall, so you won’t miss it.
FOOD: Our last orders included barbeque chicken, beef tofu soup, seafood tofu soup and pot stickers — accompanied by ten plates of basic banchans. BBQ chicken is tasty. They seem to cook MEAT, like bulgogi, really well here. The soondubu (tofu soup) is decent… or good enough considering the place doesn’t specialize in tofu. We have it either hot or ‘extra’ hot, but to really taste the broth, I’d go with ‘medium’ hot. Some of the banchans tasted old last time, but not bad…
SERVICE: Excellent. You’ll get more attention than you need when the place isn’t crowded. The wait can get long, but there’s a huge TV in the front that could keep you occupied.
Prices are standard (comparable to the restaurants on El Camino), but the portions are quite big. Plenty of parking.
SUM: 3.5 stars in light of the excellent service.