There are a lot of Korean foods. As a Korean, it's kinda true Korean food. I might not say it's so authentic, but it tastes like a real Korean food. I tried a Korean pancake, bul-go-gi, and some soups. And they also served Korean beers. But I don't really recommend that. But if you want to know that, not that bad.
(4)
Nicole Y.
This resturant was excellent from the food to the service. This resturant is hidden in the back of a small plaza. We were seated immediately in a booth. We ordered 4 dishes and got an abundant amount of the small side dishes to share amongst us. The food came out promptly and was delicious. My favorite was a noodle seafood soup with a savory broth. To end the meal we got a pumpkin soup dessert that was delicious and light to end our meal. Overall I would recommend this place due to the great food that leaves one satisfied but not overly full.
(4)
Hee-Kyeong J.
Meat: 4/5 Banchan(side dishes): 3/5 Service: 5/5 My friend and I ordered one serving of marinated kalbi and one serving of pork belly. He wanted to use the grill (you must order two servings of meat to use the it) but I wanted some soup. The manager saw we were having a hard time making a decision and offered a bowl of on the house! Neither of us were good at grilling meat, but we had a great time because the staff was very attentive and made sure we didn't burn our meat. It was a lot of food!! It would have comfortably fed 3-4 people! My friend and I were very full and content afterwards. They had 20 kinds of banchan, and they were alright. For me it would have been more impressive if they had served fewer kinds of higher quality banchan... and some perilla leaves (they only had romaine lettuce.) Overall the experience was very good, and I would come here again! Next time I want to order some saeng-kalbi.
(5)
Brandon C.
This place has REALLY gone down hill since my last review. Since this is only an update review, I will keep it short. One of the tell tale signs that MSG is used in a dish, is that you get a headache afterwards. After dining here for lunch recently, I had left with a massive pounding headache, so much, that even maximum strength aspirin could not alleviate the pain I was in. What did I eat you may ask? Dol Sot-Bi Bim Bop Gal bi (bbq beef short ribs) (Total rip off! Don't order this) Tofu soup with beef Service has also gone down hill. They no longer ask if we wanted refills on our drinks or for anything else for that matter. They only hurried over for the money. Even though that took a while as well. Honestly, my respect is lost for this place. I for one don't want to obtain cancer, caused by all the MSG. But on top of that, service is my top priority in a restaurant. I could get better if I went to McDonalds.
(2)
Andrew C.
tl;DR - great Samgyupsal (grilled pork belly) need to explore more of the menu --------------- I remember bookmarking this place a while back and then my memory was jogged by a co-worker saying this was one of his favorites in Santa Clara. Pretty high praise so I stopped by on my way home (SJ to Oakland). There was a Samgyupsal (grilled pork belly) special on a chalkboard by the door which I tried to order, but was told it was a larger multi-person thing for something like $60. With pork belly on the brain, I went with the regular Samgyupsal BBQ which was something like $19 (?) Of course, dining solo, they confirmed I was OK having this grilled in the kitchen. While I sipped my soju, 15 banchan were brought to the table ( yelp.com/biz_photos/kore… ) with the usual suspects (several kimchis, sprouts, fishcake, japchae) along with a few not so common items like a marinaded baby crab and another type of pickled raw seafood ( yelp.com/biz_photos/kore… ) and some cooked pork with jalapeño ( yelp.com/biz_photos/kore… ). Small portions of each, but they will provide refills. Samgyupsal goodies came out with some romaine lettuce, pickled mountain garlic leaves, jullienned green onions ( yelp.com/biz_photos/kore… ) and some sesame oil with salt and pepper for dipping ( yelp.com/biz_photos/kore… ) Too often, when having Samgyupsal cooked for you (dining solo doesn't allow for a lot of table top grilling) it comes out crisp like bacon vs the juicy cut of pork belly that it is (photo from my Tobang experience yelp.com/biz_photos/to-b… ). This is compounded by how thin some places slice their Samgyupsal. Neither of these were the case at Korean Secret Garden. I was surprised by what looked like a pretty paltry dinner portion of 6 slices ( yelp.com/biz_photos/kore… ) but it soon became evident, when the waitress cut these into bite sized pieces with tongs & scissors, that these were thick cuts of pork belly cooked properly in the kitchen. The slices were about 1/3" thick and the 6 chunks turned into about 16 decent sized pieces of juicy, fatty meat. The pickled mountain garlic leaves provided a nice contrast to cut the fattiness I'll be back soon to see how the rest of their food stacks up.
(4)
Bonnie P.
I've tried just about every Korean restaurant in Santa Clara, and I've concluded that my favorite one is Secret Garden ( Bi-Won in Korean). We used to frequent this restaurant 4-5 years ago, when there was a different owner. Food was decent, but not amazing, and it wasn't very memorable so we eventually stopped going. Recently, we decided to give them another chance, as I heard there was a new owner. Man that was the best decision! Obviously nothing beats Korean restaurants in LA or Korea, but Secret Garden was up there in the list. They gave us around 16 banchans (side dishes), including a little plate of japchae! And they all tasted good and fresh. Food is on the pricier side, but most Korean food is costing easily over $12 in this area anyway, so it wasn't shocking. Plus you get all these side dishes on top of your meal (and they'll refill if you ask). I've tried their bibimbap, ohjinguh bokum (squid stir fry) and soups, and they were all very good. A lot of older Korean people frequent this place, which is also a good sign! The best part? the ladies who work there are very attentive and friendly. Service was awesome, and I never had to ask for water refill. This will definitely be our go-to restaurant when we crave Korean food! p.s. I noticed that few reviewers below were complaining about high price and small portion sizes, and I'm confused. I thought the portions were HUGE. If you were complaining about the side dish portions, don't forget that they're refillable. I think it's actually smart to provide small amounts in the beginning, so it doesn't go to waste in case you don't like them. And price is very competitive considering it's South Bay. Did you try other Korean restaurants in the area? Prices are all the same... I'm all for supporting small businesses, and I'm sure the rent is ridiculous on El Camino, so how can you blame them?
(4)
Jessica T.
Why so expensive for mediocre food???? Banchan wasn't even that great. Aside from the nice server, the only thing good was the dessert drink. Sik hye I think is the name. Place was empty even though it was an hour to closing on a Sat night.....umm ok? Spicy squid stir fry didn't have that bright red gochujang, but a dark red sauce that was all at the bottom. Bibim nangmyeon the brothless one was just ok. $15 for wasn't that spicy squid stir fry $14 for summer noodles Total $33 Just forget it. Just a no.
(2)
Dennis C.
Stumbled upon this place because I wanted to try Korean bbq and I was wandering aimlessly. I eat a lot of Asian food but not many Korean places in my part of Texas. I eat a lot of Vietnamese, Japanese, and my favorite...Thai. I tell you this because I went in as a Korean food neophyte, but not ignorant to Asian food. First, the service was amazing. Liz took the time to explain everything to me and to make recommendations based on my knowledge. She understood that I was not looking for an Americanized version! I had the bbq pork belly and a tofu soup with seafood. With nothing to compare it to in terms of other Korean restaurants, I have to say from a general quality perspective it was very good and I would not hesitate to bring coworkers or Asian customers here!
(4)
Jasmine Y.
Came here for Mother's Day (important to note!) with my family (party of 4). We were the first people! Here's the breakdown: Food: 4.5 stars We got pork belly as well as spicy squid and bulgolgi tofu hot pot. Pork belly was delicious but a little bland. However when we brought it up, they graciously brought us a yummy dipping sauce that went great with the pork belly. As for the hot pot, it was delicious and spicy. It had a generous serving of squid and bulgolgi but my favorite was the spicy soup. It was also huge and more than enough for the 4 of us. They also brought out complimentary dessert rice drink and some crispy rice. Service: 5 stars If I could, I would give them more than 5 stars in this department. Our servers were attentive and kept refilling out side dishes. The stand out service though was how the host/manger warmly treated us. Our table had ordered a bottle of soju and near the end of the meal she walked by and asked my grandma if she liked the drink. My grandma said yes and the host walked away and came back with a new glass and some rice wine. She explained the drink to us and poured my grandma a complimentary glass and wished her a happy Mother's Day. On the way out, as we thanked her, she also gave my grandma a big hug. I was so touched by this and will definitely be back for the food as well as phenomenal service.
(5)
Elmer M.
My new favorite Korean restautant!! Everything was just smooth to perfection - atmosphere, service, and of course the quality of the food and banchan. Definitely will bring more business to this wonderful establishment :)
(5)
Hideki K.
It seems new management changed direction, obviously it is going to be higher price and less food while teste doesn't change. The service wasn't great as before, inefficient work flow stuck everything, we had to wait food is delivered and forgotten some we asked. wasn't good experience i never got this place before.
(2)
Russ T.
5 Stars = As good as it gets (at least without going to Korea, or your Korean Grandma's house). Hadn't been here in a while, but had dinner with 6 friends on 7/7/15. Great food, great service. Bulgogi, Daeji bulgogi (spicy pork), chicken bulgogi, soondubu (spicy tofu soup), jap jae (noodles) and seafood pancake all excellent. The very small panchan dishes seem strange at first, but service is great and they're happy to bring more kimchi or any of the panchans you want. I had paid and walked out, when one of the ladies ran after me in the parking lot. They had included the tip for our group in our bill. I hadn't noticed and added tip on top of that. She pointed it out and I made an adjustment. Very nice and honest of her to do so. I've been up and down El Camino for years, and this is now my go to spot for Korean food. Can't wait to go back.
(5)
Tee K.
Been awhile since I've been back here. A lot of things have changed. Owners changed and so did the food. This place is actually very authentic n good. banchan house made, very good, soup, meat and everything else good. They have a lot of dishes you don't see in other Korean restaurant . Recommend.
We tried this restaurant because it was ranked as a top 5 Korean in the Bay Area in an article we came across on a blog. The article said it had a lot of Ban Chan. Our visit to the restaurant was pleasant. The place is clean and the servers were friendly. The Dolsot Bimbimbap was very tasty and included ingredients typically not included in run-of-the-mill restaurants. On the flip side, the restaurant is located in a plaza that looks old and sad. Food was more expensive than I expected. The seafood tofu soup was okay - it was a little watery and did not include too many ingredients. The whole point we went to the restaurant was because of the Banchan. We were served over 16 different types, but we enjoyed eating about 4 of them. We are likely not going to this place again.
(3)
Doug C.
In read of shopping plaza hard to find from street. Soon dubu or tofu soup better than tofu house. Better panchan and they serve beer or cocktails much higher food quality than the typical chinese rest. Owner on site pretty
(5)
Susan N.
I've eaten at a ton of Korean restaurants, both in OC and the Bay Area, and I've concluded that many of them can't deliver good to even mediocre customer service. This restaurant makes me want to boycott all of them. I'm appalled at the small attempt to be respectful to me and my boyfriend last night. Too bad since one of my favorite cuisines is Korean. We entered when there was a very tiny crowd, not surprising because there's a surplus of these restaurants in the area. We both opted for soups; he ordered galbi soup, and I ordered the spicy cod roe stew. I wanted to stray away from my usual order of tofu soup. We got our 15 options of ban chan, which added a huge smile to my face. I love ban chan more than anything, sometimes even more than the actual entree itself, and if I could get away with it, I would just dine here for them. My favorites were the clear glass noodles, Kim chi, fried egg cucumbers, pickled cucumbers, and others. There's an abundance of them- there's my positive note with this restaurant. Everything went downhill after we got our soups. The soup was spicy and flavorful, but the fish pieces were a bit dry. All in all, I didn't hate the dish nor did I love it. I should've ordered my beloved soondubu. The servers overlooked us many times that night to the point where I lost count. They never checked up on us, except for one occasion where our teas were refilled. They never directed their attention to us, even when I waved my hand to try to catch it. The entire night was awkward and encourages me to learn to cook Korean dishes so that I wouldn't have to face this anymore. Many glances towards us were empty, almost their way of asking us to leave. However, I noticed that even though we were alienated, the waitresses were very attentive with other diners at other tables. The intentional bad service makes me speechless and almost offended because they are selective with whom they deliver their respects to: the service is generally a miss for me when I dine at Korean restaurants. How do you say goodbye in Korean? (Insert here)
(1)
David A.
Went back for dinner to give it another go since recent reviews say it's under new management. And the food was even better! I ordered the fish roe stew ($13.99), and it came in a gigantic pot filled to the brim. They used cod roe, which comes in bigger pouches and is tastier than pollack roe. Also, to my delight there was not a hint of freezer-burn like I've seen at some other restaurants (fish roe is susceptible to it...probably because not that many people order it.) It was cooked to perfection, with most eggs being the right amount of chewy and rolled onto my tongue with every bite. The broth was rich and multi-dimensional and tasted like it was made with shrimp shells and beef. Finally, the vegetables were put in at just the right time; the chrysanthemum leaves at the very end, and the radish at the point which made them pleasantly al-dente. They brought out 11 side dishes (including some unusual ones, like bellflower root and egg-battered zucchini) and were happy to bring out extras! They even offered to bring out thirds, but I was too full. Regarding the service, I do see where some of the negative reviews were coming from, but I found it to be fine. I notice that this place has buzzers (which are often found at Korean restaurants) that you can press when you want to call the waitstaff. Otherwise, they let you eat in peace. Aside, most dishes on the lunch menu have been bumped up to $8.99.
(5)
Hendrick L.
** Summary ** Take your hard earned money and somewhere else, service is atrocious, even when we went at an early dinner time with the restaurant 80% empty. Food is okay, but not out of this world (especially with so many great Korean options nearby). ** Positives ** * Food isn't bad, but it's certainly not out of this world. There are plenty of other great Korean food / restaurant options nearby. (caveat, we didn't try the galbi, it was nearly $40 for an order and didn't want to risk spending this much when we knew we could go to another place and spend the same money for something we know we like) * Lots of ban chan, and it's all quite tasty * My bim bim bap was pretty good, though a bit on the small side ** Negatives ** * Let me start with the service. We went for an early 5:30pm dinner, and the restaurant was nearly empty. It took at least 20 minutes to get our ban chan, which I was willing to overlook. However, when we wanted a refill on four dishes (they actually offered to refill them), we asked three times and never got a refill. The owner (I think it was the owner) came by when we paid and didn't even apologize, adding insult to injury. She kept saying how busy it was - an apology would have gone a long way vs. excuses. The food also took a long time to come out, much longer than I've experienced at any other Korean restaurant. BTW, in case you're wondering, we weren't shady people trying to fill up on ban chan. We ordered dishes for everyone, including our two kids... PLENTY of money was being spent. * The food came out at random times, it made it awkward to determine when to eat. My father-in-law's dish came out 15 min. after we ordered, and min came up 5 min. after his. By the time everyone else's dish came out, we had both already finished eating ours. * Oyster pancake tasted pretty well (skimpy on the dipping sauce), but it was incredibly greasy - I know it's pan fried, but it's much more greasy then any other's we've tried * My wife's tofu soup was burned, and there were burned bits floating around all over it (and yes, it tasted burned)
(1)
Ernst W.
Live out of area now but had been there years ago. The food was still very good even though they changed the menu and prices were a bit higher. The barbequed chicken was excellent. Their Chop Che (if I spell it right) was very good. Excellent spicy squid! We were digging since we had the opportunity as we passed the area so we also had Vegetable Pancake which was excellent. Additionally we ordered a spicy tofu soup and it was very good just as it used to be. They must have done some remodeling as it looked a bit different but retained the atmosphere. You sure feel you are in a Korean restaurant. It was Saturday evening and they were very busy. We had to wait some time but the service was very friendly and the waiting time was acceptable considering Saturday is probably the busiest day.
(4)
starrynight c.
Good spot if you don't want to wait in the more crowded spots in the Santa Clara k-town stretch. The rice cakes were yummy, the kalbi actually pretty good (but for 32 a plate, it best be). The side dishes were just ok. The bibimbap and cold noodles pretty good. But the service was kinda lacking and although decent food, not memorable. I could see how this might be a regular spot for people that live near by.
(3)
Tamiko B.
Went here on my husband's friend's recommendation. Excellent food. Service was above and beyond. Checking on us to make sure all was OK. It's in a little outdated shopping mall. Blink and you'll miss it. It's a place that people commute to get to so feel really fortunate to just drop in like we did. I love the little appetizer plates called banchan. My absolute fave. Before the banchan comes out, they give ya sort of a pre-appetizer plate with glass noodles and three potato-like patties. Along with this, they give you miso soup with big, big pieces of seaweed and small pieces of meat. Yummers. Had an OB beer and Bi Bim Bop. For those who aren't familiar, it's a stone pot that's hotter than Satan's sauna and it's lined with rice, which gets super crispola on the bottom and then all sorts of veggies that are julienned, beef and the creme de la creme is a fried egg on top. I could eat that sh*t forever and be happy as a clam at high tide. Hubby had Kal Bi (roasted marinated ribs). He enjoyed it but if you're not all about meat, it's a sharing dish for sure. I tried some and it was absolutely delish. It looks like one can do a little cookin' at the side tables b/c there's burners. Interior is nice, natural wood structure that looks traditional. They give you Yakults at the end of dinner -I like Yakult but saved them for later. I just didn't want them (nor need them) at that moment. Thought it a lovely gesture. Would go again. Dinner for us both was $50 before tip FYI.
(5)
Terry C.
Haven't been here in a while, boy was I surprised. Prices went up, banchan got worse. But the worst thing was their kalbi. Their kalbi is what really made me a loyal fan of this place. Kalbi wasn't as juicy and tender like before, plus it didn't have that fantastic flavor I remembered from many past visits. To tell you the truth, it tastes more like the kalbi you can get across the street from bbq town (food court). Do yourself a favor and skip this place.
(1)
Soo Y.
Owner changed food so bad taste now I am not going there anymore! Place not clean . Very old fashion. I heard many people stop go there .
(1)
Celeste J.
I remember this place being really good, It's been a while since I been here but my parents always had parties here? Hmm I remember everything we ordered being good!
(4)
G A.
Delicious authentic Korean foods, reasonable price, clean and friendly service. Will go back again.
(4)
Ramona K.
Don't get faked out by the rundown-looking area where this gem of a restaurant is located. We were delighted with the friendly and highly attentive service ~ thank you Jane! Loved the wooden decor, felt cozy and calming. Ordered the marinated and tender bbq chicken (comes on a sizzling skillet), tofu stew with a fresh egg, and Japchae (my newest craving). We are happy to have found our favorite Korean restaurant off the El Camino!
(5)
Kim H.
Korean BBQ was not tender at all. I don't recommend any meat dishes. I won't come back.
(2)
Kevin T.
I like the settings, the food, the quiet environment in this restaurant. It's great to have meal alone or few friends. For a group of more than 4 I would go to a Chinese restaurant
(4)
Yvonne B.
This is one of my favorite Korean restaurants in the area and the taste of their foods reminds me of my mom's cooking. We have always received good service here. They are usually attentive but if you want you can push the call button and someone comes to help you right away. The restaurant has a little of everything such as BBQ, stir-frys, large stew dishes (they have budae stew aka army stew here which I still have to try but it usually requires a 2 person minimum), fish dishes, soups, etc. They have a great selection of side dishes which changes from time to time but I just love the variety. And you can get your favorite ones refilled. I have tried different dishes here like kimchi stew, dolsot bibimbap (rice with meat and veggies in a stone pot), BBQ meat (bulgogi was ok), pork and kimchi stir-fry, ricecake soup. We came here once a few days after New Year's to eat some traditional foods. We got an order of braised pork ribs and OMG it was absolutely delicious! Meat was tender and fell off the bones and it was the right amount of spice. I have never tried this before since the usual fare is braised beef ribs. Definitely coming back here again and again.
(5)
Mona W.
Korean food lovers should be no stranger to the Secret Garden. It is one of the older restaurants on this mini Korean town strip of El Camino. It might not be the best Korean restaurant in town but don't just write it off because of that. They have one of the most extensive menu around, serving anything from tabletop BBQ, bibimbap, tofu soup to various casserole and cold buckwheat noodles. So if you are craving harder to find dishes like Yuk Hwe Bi Bim Bop (Mixed Raw Beef & Vegetables) or Yangnyeom Gejang (Spicy Raw Crab), you are looking at the right place. Secret Garden is what I consider jack of all trades but master of none kind of places. Most dishes are decent but nothing totally mind blowing. You can easily find better BBQ, better Gomtang, better tofu soup or better bibimbop elsewhere. I would come here if I feel like getting some Korean homestyle food and also want some varieties. Secret Garden is no an upscale place by any means but if you are looking for cheap eat there are much better choices in the area (try Korea House). Price is reasonable for the quality. Servers are not all fluent in English so some might find the service lacking.
(3)
Sheri G.
The food is decent but expect to be waiting for it. Not waiting to be seated but waiting after you ordered. We ordered off of the BBQ menu, which comes raw uncooked (so you bbq it at the table) and it still took 45 minutes! Oh and don't ring the bell at the table for service, it doesn't do any good.
(3)
Katie Y.
This is by far the best Korean restaurant I've ever been to, no hyperbole. The food is incredible, the dishes are fresh and full of flavor, and the menu offers anything you are in the mood for from comforting stew to sizzling bibimbop (my personal favorite) and bbq. The people who work there are fantastic, they are so warm and friendly and provide speedy service. The restaurant itself is beautiful, the interior design is very relaxing and serene, the perfect place for getting together with friends or family, or to go on a romantic date.
(5)
Paul K.
Great side dishes and very accommodating for vegetarians. The pancakes is very good.
(4)
Michael C.
The last time we came, we noticed different menus, waitresses, and the food tasted different too. Something definitely changed, and let's just say I haven't gone back since. It's a bummer because I always looked forward to dining here.
(2)
Lan N.
Ever been to Omogari and like their "meat jun"? Well, secret garden has it too and I think it's better. It's bulgogi dipped in their egg batter. Super tender and delicious. Went here is a party of 8 and we order like 8 dishes. Everything was good. The kalbi has a great flavor. We also got the spicy pork, chicken and bulgogi. Their galbijjim, which is their braised beef ribs is great. It's bold and the meat is so soft from the slow cooking that it falls right off the bone. We also got the dol sot bi bim bap, jap chae, the braised pork ribs, and a spicy tofu dish. Hite beer complemented the meal. They also have some good deals on lunch specials in their menu, but I'm a bit far to run here for lunch. Will be back for dinner and will probably try their haemul pajeon too.
(4)
Lily C.
It seemed like Asian cuisine took over my entire SF trip, but I'm not to complain. I love Asian food. Just the week before, I was craving for Korean BBQ and finally, Korean BBQ! Since we were a large party, all the BBQ items were cooked in the kitchen. Definitely didn't mind that because we left without smelling like the grill. Everything was so, so, so good! The kalbi was cooked perfectly and the flavor of the marinade was on point. Pork belly was delish and juicy! Jap chae was part of the ban chan so we didn't have to order that separately. All the ban chan was so delish that I couldn't stop munching on it. Also ordered the seafood pancake, cold noodles, kimchi jigae, and the grilled mackerel. Needless to say, we were beyond full. Service was great. The waitress came by a few times to check up on us. When she saw we were done, the plates were immediately cleared and we were presented by individual sized yakult. It was the perfect way to end the meal.
(5)
Nancy Z.
First time visiting Secret Garden with my boyfriend today and the food and service was amazing! We came on a Sunday night and the restaurant was pretty empty -- no wait! We ordered a seafood pancake, yukgaejang, and seafood bibimbap, and all of them were delicious! Best yukgaejang I've had in a while! They also had so many starter plates and was generous with food portions. I was worried about some reviews saying it takes long to get the food, but our food came incredibly fast -- within 5 minutes! All the staff were attentive and polite and they checked in on us and refilled our water pretty frequently. Overall, amazing experience and would definitely come again!
(5)
Jen J.
I've come here twice as I believe in second chances. Fool me once, shame on you but fool me twice and shame on me. The service has been okay but if you have questions about the menu, don't expect a very helpful response. You'll find the usual favorites and honestly, their seafood pancake is one of the best I've ever tasted but some of the other things I've eaten really have fallen flat on flavor. The kimchee sometimes tastes and smells like nothing at all. I find it odd that pickled items would have no scent. The last time I was here, I ordered the beef bibimbap and it had absolutely no flavor. The server even instructed me to "use a lot of the red sauce on it." Even drowning the entire bowl in this mysterious red sauce didn't help. It looked pretty, it was piping hot and looked delicious but literally tasted like nothing. Other than that, they are nice enough and the dining area is clean and well kept. They are quite generous with the kimchee offerings as well but as previously mentioned there usually isn't much flavor. This spot is located towards the back of a group of Korean-centered businesses in a run-down looking strip mall type deal. Once you get inside you sort of forget about the dismal surroundings outdoors. Parking is pretty plentiful since it's shared with other business. In the end, it's not a total miss but not exactly a hit either. Just one of those places that's kinda there and thought of from time to time.
(3)
Emily F.
I have to say this is the best Korean restaurant since I've been in Bay Area . I love their bibimbap! It is really authentic ! And the portion of the side dishes are fairly large ! Highly recommend ! Will definitely come back !
(5)
Reyz A.
Bulgogi - grilled marinated beef, chicken or pork. We had them all. I'd have to say that the chicken and the pork tasted fairly good here. We also had a side of pan fried pancake w/ chap chae. No re-fills for that dish. There was FREE ice water in small cups, and a bowl of white rice with our meal. I thought that the lunch meal wasn't bad, but it would have been efficient if we could have had the dinner offering so we could taste the other dishes. The down side? No dessert. Oh well, there's always Paris (Korean, bakery that is near Lawrence). So we hopped in my car and Gangnam styled our way down the street for some pastries.
(3)
Burrito M.
This place is 0 for 2. The service is SLOW. Came in a group of 8 and again (against my better judgement) in a group of 6. Each time waited about an hour for our food, and the dishes came out one at a time. They seemed disorganized today. Seems like servers didn't know what table got what food, or what food they even had in their hands. I waited so long for my food today I ate too much kimchee. Ugh. At least the side dishes tasted good. To be fair, all the food was tasty. But I don't have 1.5 hours to sit in the restaurant. Plus one star, when they waived the tax. We were not planning on leaving a tip, so we just payed what the tax would have been. At least they must realize they were off today and had the integrity and pride to admit they can do better. But should I give them another chance? hmmm.
(2)
Raymond F.
I very rarely eat Korean food so this may be a bit biased. Either way it was pretty yummy and surely a plethora of different dishes that I have not experienced in the past. Nevertheless the soup with the meat inside of it and the side small dishes were great as well.
(3)
Nancy N.
I really struggled with whether this was a 2 or 3 star. But at the end of the day, this place isn't even "average" enough for me to want to come back. Here are some reasons why you should eat here: - accepts reservations for large groups (the space is pretty big and clean) - the menu is extensive (lots of items including soups, soon tofu, noodles, and prepared meats as well as table-top options) - accepts credit cards (and multiple CC's for large groups) But that's pretty much it. Now onto the reasons why you should choose to eat at one of the many other Korean restaurants on El Camino: - service was subpar (waitress was curt, got orders wrong, and did not have the typical friendly/welcoming hospitality you experience at most other Korean restaurants) - food was a big M-E-H....meh! (Soon tofu was bland even at medium spicy, and the egg comes already cracked and mixed in. Prepared pork bulgogi was tender but it didn't come out hot and was not very memorable. And the sides are sparse, but refillable if you ask.) - The prices seem average on the menu. But the portions (especially meat dishes) are VERY small for the price. This place is great if you need a dinner venue for bigger groups. But if you're looking for yummy Korean food for just you and your beau, keep driving down El Camino and look elsewhere.
(2)
Jo H.
We had a little extra time for lunch so we decided take a little field trip out of the Menlo Park/Palo Alto area. My supervisor wanted to take us to a Korean restaurant he liked. I had the mixed seafood, vegetable casserole with bean paste (Seafood Deng Jang Chi Ghe). Two of our co-workers are vegetarian. So my supervisor took the lead (a native speaker) and consulted our server they worked out which dishes were veg head safe. My soup came in a sizzling stone bowl filled with soup. The soup consisted of pieces of fish, clams, tofu and veggies in a nice spicy seafood based broth. The broth stayed hot for a long time, it took awhile to cool down each bite. So I took my time and slurped my way to the bottom of the bowl. Cold weather food at it's best. I was full, toasty, and headed for a massive food coma attack when we got back to the office.
(4)
Music K.
Mediocre food and service. Offer a lot of banchan. Restaurant was half empty. Won't be coming back.
(3)
Julie T.
i used to like them but with the change in menu... this place isn't worth going to anymore. no longer do they serve sam gye tang =__= other items on the menu are just ok nothing to rave about service is fucking slow... 45 minutes later..... dude where my food.
(2)
batvanio i.
This place used to be great, until it went "under new management" This is how the new management affected the place: - MUCH slower service (probably they cut personnel) - MUCH worse food (probably they hired new, cheaper and less experienced cooks) - More expensive Bottom line is, this used to be one of my favorite places before, but I will probably never go back again.
(1)
Tammy N.
Heard about this place for a while now and since the wait at Jang Su Jang was so long, my boyfriend and I decided to come here to try something new. Ehhhhh... I should've gone to Choi's instead. We got the kalbi and an order of beef tofu soup. Since we didn't want to smell too much, we opted for the broiled kalbi that comes in the skillet. The meat was marinated well but I don't think we got that much for the amount we paid (~$25). Beef tofu soup was just okay and it came with a lot of vegetables in it. I'm used to the soft tofu with the egg cracked in it. Didn't really care for it. The side dishes were a disappointment and we didn't touch most of them. Two types of bean sprouts, 2 pieces of fried pan cake, kimchee, sardines and a few other things. Was't impressed and I don't think there were any refills for the side dishes either. Overall, the service wasn't completely terrible but wasn't good either. The lady walked away right when we were able to tell her our order. I was dying for a refill on my water but couldn't seem to flag her down. We're usually pretty understanding when it comes to the service at asian restaurants and know not to expect anything but this wasn't cutting it for us.
(2)
mengzi w.
This is our designated Korean restaurant. Bulgugi is of course the must order dish, they make it the best, marinated well and cuts are of good quality. Other favorites like Tofu soup, oyster pancake, etc are all very good, though their stone cooked rice is not the best.
(4)
Jasper L.
Came at 2pm on a Sunday and it was empty, had 3 other tables seated. Ordered the seafood pancake which tasted more floury and oilier than usual but the sesame/chive/spicy dipping sauce was great. Also ordered the cold bibibam and the seafood tofu pot which were good but nothing out of the ordinary. Didnt order the japchae this time but it's delicious. Overall, my favorites were the small Korean dishes that's included - you can ask for more. Would come back but there must be a better Korean place.
(4)
Loon E.
Have been coming to this place for years. My father said he used to come all the time when he worked in Santa Clara and introduced me to it. Glad he did! Have liked almost every single dish I've had here with the exception of one mackeral dish I remember leaving me less than satisfied. The meat plates are always full of flavor and juicy! Portions are also very well sized. Always end up getting the stone pot bibimbap here, love it! The jap chae is a little too greasy here, but it's filled with wonderfully fresh ingredients and plenty of meat as well. When you ask for spicy, they'll make it with good spice! We usually do that for the squid dish we get. Banchan is consistently refilled. Quality service, albeit a little quiet and muted. Definitely will be back, can't see a reason not to!
(4)
Lynn C.
Honestly, the food is a bit expensive here but so tasty!! We got the grilled kalbi ($24), grilled chicken ($?), onion pancake ($?), and kimchi casserole ($10) and all were delicious! There were a large number of side dishes that were served with it too, my favourite one being the chap chae (glass noodles). One of the best Korean restaurants I've ever been to.
(4)
Esther L.
Everything from the side dishes to the main dishes were absolutely wonderful! We ordered about 10 different dishes (we had a large party) and our favorite was the high quality raw meat dish. They are under new management and our experience was pleasant. They have unique side dishes that you won't find at other Korean restaurants. I can't wait to take my husband here! I'll be sure to take pictures next time!
(5)
ej g.
Really a secret garden! Love the food, the ambiance, the nice servers who are so motherly! Will definitely come back.. :)
(5)
Charlie N.
In the mood for Korean food so I picked the Secret Garden. At the back of a depressing strip mall inside it's very nice and even elegant. The food was superb and the prices very low for what you get
(5)
Michael S.
Under new management. People are younger and with more spunk. Cost a bit more, but well worth it.
(5)
Schelly Y.
Service here can either be very friendly or absent. Food is decent, nothing special or fancy but they provide the traditional Korean fare. On occasion they provide plates of free food like fried fish or other misc items. The exterior and interior of the building could be updated but it is not run-down and everything is fairly clean.
(3)
Julia P.
Nothing special but the food was good for hungry stomachs. My uncle loves this place so when our family gathered together for a huge meeting, we came here - 10 or so cousins and 10 or so adults. Ordered a bunch of meat which we didn't cook ourself (this ain't a BBQ place) and had all the yummy side dishes to go with it. Nothing crazy special but a decent place for lunch. I don't know about the value because I didn't pay for it...that's the beauty of family gatherings!
(3)
Lyn Y.
One of the better korean bbq restaurants around - we had the kalbi that we cooked ourselves, which is better than if they cook it in the kitchen for you - it's very tender and slightly sweet. Their raw beef dish was also very good, it kind of reminded me of tuna tartar - it was soft and tasted pretty fresh. Their panjun is on the good side as well, it would have been better if it was crispier, but the flavors were good. The only mild disappointment would be their soon doobu - it was ok, but there's better tofu down the street at the tofu house (which makes sense!). The service was good, despite a slight mixup in what we'd ordered, and I totally blame that on language skills, which is not a big deal - the waitresses were very nice, just may need a little effort to communicate with them in English - you'll be fine if you can speak Korean. It's my top korean bbq place at the moment.
(4)
Sara Z.
We really like this very quiet place. The food and the service are very good. Less people, easy parking. There are plenty of side dishes, if you like, always can ask add more. The tofo soup is just right, the beef is perfact cooked.
(5)
jadine l.
yum.
(4)
Hayne P.
Pretty average place. I've been coming here regularly on and off with my family since... huh I don't remember, but usually for lunch. Their lunch, from what I remember, is usually yummy. But it has been too long, so I don't really have much to say about it. I just came here with one of my friends for dinner. I got the kimchi soondoobu, which is my go-to meal because my mom usually doesn't make that dish at home. I ordered it spicy, and it was spicy. But in a good way. I thought it was yummy... I ate most of it. Although, now I think about it... aren't soondoobu dishes supposed to come with a raw egg? Huh. Banchan is good. I enjoyed it immensely. Service could've been better. It took us forever to get the bill. Also, I have the feeling that this place is usually frequented by foreigners. I'm used to having workers address me in Korean, even if I have a non-Korean/Asian with me, but they spoke to me in broken English. I'm not sure if it's because that's how they normally are, or because I had my Indian friend with me (who actually speaks very good Korean...). I actually feel that I get better service when I'm with my family than if I went there on my own. Oh well. Food was good.
(3)
Tommy B.
Korean Camino is littered with these places, the places where they don't do anything particularly good, rather they just push you through the turnstiles checking you in and out as quick as possible. I used to frequent this place for lunch, only when we had non asian coworkers joining for lunch because this place seemed to be a favorite of all the non asian people at my office. I've had different things such as the kimcheejigae (kimchee stew), dolsot bibimbap (stone pot rice with veggies), nakji-bokum (spicy octopus), and bibimnangmyeun (spicy cold noodles no broth) and have found them all lacking something... can't quite put my finger on it... all their dishes are average at best, some not even that much. I can't find anything that they do particularly well here, like a specialty of some sort which is also very disappointing. If all your dishes are below average or average, at least have one dish that you specialize in and do well.. something to keep me coming back, ya know?
(2)
Brandon N.
This place use to satisfy my family and I so much that we would love to come here once a month. All of a sudden today, they changed their food and it is not all that great. A perfect example would be the sliced beef because they changed the tofu and the meat taste a little different now. What's up with that? They even took out my favorite side dish (potatoes). Overall, the food was good but it was so much better previously.
(3)
Naruto G.
we used to like to go here until they changed owner recently. The place and services are more organized, however, the food quality and quantity went down. I can't say much, because we were very disappointed. They changed the menu but there are still old stuff. not sure if we would like to go to this place.
(3)
Sandra N.
I got the Dinner A which came with bulgogi and fried shrimp. It cost around $20 and included complimentary side dishes and rice. Side dishes included kimchee, brocolli, some egg thing, fish cakes, bean sprouts, and one or two more things. They also gave us a small plate of jap chae and 6 pieces of something similar to a pancake to split between 6 people. The bulgogi tasted good and the fried shrimp was okay too.. but for the cost, I expected more food. The amount of meat was the same or even less than what I usually get at other places for half the price. I'm also used to getting the side dishes refilled but they didn't do that here :( Probably not coming back since there's plenty of better Korean places to choose from in the area.
(3)
Jennie C.
Overpriced, and service isn't so great. Love the small dishes, but during the busy weekend dinner-time, the ladies are really rude and don't really take your orders. Seafood pancake is pretty good, as is the galbi. However, I've had better and the prices here just don't add up to the quality and portion sizes.
(3)
Daniel G.
Sounds like management changed recently but not bad for my first non-bbq korean visit.
(4)
Elaine N.
The minute I walked into this restaurant, I was surprise how big this place is. I like how we were seated at the booth with a lot of room to move around while we eat. I like their varieties of side dishes and their tofu soup is so delicious. I love how they marinated their meat and the right amount of spiciness. As for the service, they were a little unfriendly and slow. Took forever to refill our water and don't come back to check up on us once in awhile. Overall, I still would come back here because the food makes up for everything else.
(4)
Ann L.
Went to Korean Secret Garden Restaurant after doing a quick search on Yelp. Got there around 6pm and it wasn't very busy on Wed night. FREE side of panfried pancake w/ chap chae. Pancake was cold & not good eats. Chap chae was a a little bit warm, we liked that better. No re-fills for that dish. FREE ice water in small cups. 2 bowls of white rice with our meal. I picked pork tofu pot medium spicy. It was pretty bland. Panchans - there were 8. I only liked the potato & broccoli, others could do without. We got an extra broccoli - about 2 small spears. B. got Broiled Mackerel. It looked like a lot, but just 2 pieces & lots of daiko covered up in red sauce he got spicy. It was a little bit spicy to our taste. FREE yogurt drink w/ your bill. Our bill was $24.79 before tip. Nothing special about this place. Credit cards allowed.
(3)
Joanne C.
I just have to agree with everyone and say: The food is good!.. but the service is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo BADDDDDD!!!.. I would definitely make this place a regular if it wasn't for the SHIT service.... yes guys, it is THAT bad. Be prepared to be ignored and scolded when you need something.. and expect no response when you ask for something. And expect a lot of confusion too.. OH.. and something that was really awkward... we came here for my parents' anniversary and my brother arrived first and gave his credit card to the server to make sure that no one fights for the check after.. so the server comes to our table at towards the end of the dinner and mumbles something totally not understandable and what she was trying to say was "Different card, no go through, no work" in front of all the guests.. and she had to repeat herself several times because we couldn't understand her.. it was a pretty awkward moment to end the night. The tofu soup thing was really good and so was the meat (I forgot which one it was.. it was the most expensive one.. it was the korean bbq) OH! And the other thing... this shit is expensivvveee.. (which I wouldn't mind paying if the ambiance and service was better cuz it's kinda worth it :) OH! I also didn't like the side dishes.. they didn't have those clear noodles.. or broccoli or bean sprouts.. they had this yucky egg thing, typical kimchi.. idk! I've just had better..
(2)
Jae C.
I love their spicy marinated squid and their spicy korean bbq pork! and their stews! I'm not too sure about their other dishes but I know that what I listed are for sure delicious! They have a vast variety of side dishes ranging from kimchi to seasoned potatoes. I always go back to this restaurant for their delicious food!
(5)
Mark M.
Many friends of mine had talked about this place, and it just happened that one of my buddies' GF decided to throw a surprise party for him there. Pros: The staff here is very friendly, and they are very generous with their appetizers (pan chan), and constantly refill them for you like other well-mannered Korean restaurants. They are also very quick at spotting your needs and trying to make sure you are content and snug with all of your Korean food. I did not order some of the combinations, but they also seemed pretty good deals if you are into variety (e.g., combo of short ribs with cold noodles). The portions are also fair. Cons: I think they can do a bit better with their BBQs here. For example, their bul go gi features very very thinly sliced beef, which makes the portions look a bit petty. Add on top of that they try to grill it (I don't know why because the pieces aren't that large), you end up with some charred pieces of sad looking meat that does not look very appetizing other than the fact that it is on one of those cool plates with a hot griddle built in. Really...this can be done much better with just some modification. Nonetheless, overall, I would probably come back to this place in the Korean area of Sunnyvale/Santa Clara. Note: Just keep in mind I've only been here once. I just had a lot of Korean food in my life, and these are all first impressions.
(3)
Joo K.
Horrible service. My friend and I stopped for a quick lunch, but the server forgot to put order to the kitchen. I ended up waiting more than 30 mins for my food. Not only that my spicy cold noodle tasted awful. I didn't get any apology even though I complained. I will never be back.
(1)
Kathy D.
Secret Garden... the korean drama? noo!!! The korean restaurant!! :) We made reservations for my family birthday dinner here for a party of 20. They were more than accommodating and we were able to get a sectioned room in the back of the restaurant. The waitresses were very friendly and smiley even though they managed to get around with the lack of English they spoke. They were quick and efficient and brought everything that we needed without any troubles. The Kalbi like everyone mentioned was indeed delicious. I never thought I would say this but way more delicious than the spicy BBQ pork we also ordered. Usually, spicy BBQ pork never EVER fails me but theirs wasn't as tender and flavorful as compared to other restaurants in the area. So if you ask me, get the Kalbi. This was the winner. My family ordered so many dishes,which I got to taste here and there. Another thing I can say is that I have had better seafood pancake elsewhere. It wasn't bad with the sauce provided but it did it. The soondubu was delicious even though no egg was provided to crack it into :( . I also enjoyed the fried mackerel :) Skin may be a bit saltier but just eat it with rice! Side dishes were more than plentiful! Alot of varieties compared to other restaurants. If you want yogurt soju here, they don't have it! But they did give you the yogurt desserts that basically is used for the yogurt soju for you to mix it into your shot glasses of soju! Score! Thank you Secret Garden for a wonderful meal. You WERE really a secret to me until my aunt told me about this place since you are hidden so far deep in a plaza!
(4)
Jenny H.
I used to love this place, but I think they've gone downhill over the last few years. My last visit over the weekend was pretty bad, so I feel I need to write a review for it. First, their side dishes just weren't very good. Their kimchi was very sour and not spicy, the potatoes were overly sweet and drenched in honey, the green bean jelly didn't have enough sauce on it, and the list goes on. The service wasn't that great too. When I first sat down, I saw a black speck in my cup, so I asked for it to be changed. The lady picked it up, and stared at it for a while at the table, and was probably deciding whether or not she wanted to change it. Most places would just change it without asking. I also dropped my soup spoon on the floor, and the same server seemed annoyed that she had to change it As for the food: SPICY SEA BASS SOUP ($20): This used to be my favorite dish to get here. It's a bit pricey for what you get, but I love sea bass and spicy soup. It tasted pretty good still, but they served it in a stone pot this time, instead of putting it on the portable stove heater that they used to. BIBIMBAP ($11): My friend ordered this, and said he didn't really like it because it was a little bland. I didn't try it, so I can't vouch for it, but he's Korean, so I'd trust his judgement of Korean food. BIBIMNAMYEUNG ($10) : Pretty standard, but I'm used to the sauce being more on the dry side. This one had much more watered down sauce, which makes it harder to coat the noodles. It seemed like they didn't drain the noodles well before putting in the spicy sauce. The bill came with the small yakult yogurt drinks, which I think is a new thing for them. I noticed it had a ring of dried sediment at the top, so I was a little hesitant about drinking it, and asked my friend how it is. She said it tastes a little funny and maybe was a little old. There's usually some sediment at the bottom that goes away after you shake it, but this one didn't. With so many other good Korean places in the area, I don't think I'll be stopping by Secret Garden for a while. .
(3)
Jay Y.
Food here was always okay, I visited here several times and mostly I tried family style table with friends to taste many dishes, but I don't have any poor memory here. One thing, Min-Uh (the fish) was not my taste. I don't think service here is poor. I believe service complaints here are mostly from culture & language issues. Sometimes they offer doenjang jjige if they think it's good to have with the other dishes. Pricey? I don't think so. It's worth that price. Then, the cheaper one would be Ginseng BBQ in mountain view. I like both places.
(4)
Ronny D.
Out of all the korean places on el camino, this place is one of 10 Korean restaurants that has a 4+ star on Yelp. Definitely well deserving. My 3 friends and I were a little buzzed from singlebarrelling most of the afternoon and decided to try this place out. It was in a sketchy little strip mall on el camino, but hey, aren't all the good restaurants next to a dentist office? Got the kalbi and bulgogi for the BBQ. Both were marinated nicely and the portions were decent. Grill worked great. Sides were all pretty good, had better kimchi in other places though. The Meat and rice dish in the hot stone pot was very good as well. Great experience, will definitely come back again.
(4)
Coco L.
Food still 4 star good, Service 0 star The waitress didn't write down what we order. When the wrong order came, we didn't want complain. Then the waitress came to tell us oh we gave you the wrong order, so we gave back the incorrect one. Shortly, the waitress came back again and said that's not what we order. They took away what we want, and gave us something that we don't want. The worest is that they tell us what we order when 3 of us know that wasn't so....
(2)
Misty C.
I agree with Brian, the service used to be absolutely awful. One time, I had to wait for waitress about 15 minutes to get my water refilled. It is Korean restaurant that serves almost every Korean dishes. Their cold noodles are good and tasty. I like their hot pot dish too, it's called bulgogi jun-gol. Their side dishes are good too, their kimchi is yummy. :) Recommended for people who would like to try out Korean food for the first time, the restaurant would give you a wide array of selection.
(3)
Danny Q.
So the last time I said that we never got sat and had to wait a long time. Girl wanted some korean (insert Joke there), no problem. Came here on a sunday night, were not busy at all, 1/2 full. Food was fast as the service. I love the meat jun (have no idea hows spelled), but delicious! Just enough spiciness. Will be back.
(4)
Ed r.
Good lunch value. My friend K. Is notiously value minded and loves this place. Most chicken, beef, pork BBQ plates are about $7.50. I think the food here is a bit spicer than most, the ambiance lacking a KTV broadcast to divert your attention from your less than favorite co-worker, and no watermelon gum to cleanse your palate afterwards. Still, it is pretty good.
(4)
Jenny K.
The food here is great. I've been to this place only twice. My co-workers recommended this place to me and says everything is delicious here. I totally agreed. This place is next to a karaoke place and is located at the back of a big plaza.
(5)
lightheir l.
Maybe I'm spoiled from LA, but this place, while ok, doesn't hold a candle pricewise or tastewise to the $15 AYCE offerings that abound in Los Angeles. Dinner was $20 for 2 small pieces of kalbi, which weren't that impressive. The side dishes and tempura (?) were good. Not a bad meal, but pales in comparison to LA. Perhaps the prices were raised lately, as this definitely no longer qualifies as a "great deal" type of place. I've been to at least 6 different Korean BBQs in LA, both AYCE and non-AYCE, and all of them have been better than this place for Korean BBQ. It's possible that the non-bbq dishes here are better - I didn't sample any of them, but they did seem to have an excellent, Korean-ethnic selection wider than what I've seen before, so that's a plus.
(3)
Rob C.
4.5 what's nice about this place is the variety of dishes served. many variety of tang. we had to go with the kalbi (cooked in the kitchen), since saw it at another table, and they use the type unrolled from the bone -- i like it cut that way. marinade very strong and tasty. panchan were not only good and fresh but plated very carefully. little japchae and pajun too -- but not so good since cold. also had soondubu and they don't skimp on any ingredients. large tasty shrimp, good clams and calamari. good overall. have come back multiple times for kalbi since the marinade is good (prepared) also tried yukejang, samegyetang, dolsot bibimbap, and what's pretty good here is the bibim naeng myun (cold noodle) prices been going up a lot for kalbi. sometimes the bibimbap not crispy enough. still giving some pajeon and japchae with banchan still one of my favorites for kitchen prepared kalbi, also less expensive than jang su jang, so it's an alternate.
(5)
Alvin T.
A bit hard to find, but when you find this place you will be rewarded. I've eaten here a couple times. The food is goood and the servers are really nice. Last time I went it was for a birthday party and I decided to be a penny pincher and get the regular BEE-BIM-BAHP instead of the DOL-SOHT BEE-BIM-BAHP (in hot stone bowl). Wow, that was a bad choice! The regular one is fine and all, but the ingredients were sooo cold. Get the other one! I constantly kept looking in the direction of the people who ordered the dol-soht version because their dish looked really good. Anyway, if you're craving for some Korean food, then this is a good place to go.
(4)
CAScuba Y.
Continue our pursue of Korean food fancy from last week's after visiting Jang Su Jang, this week we went to Secret Garden. This place must have been here forever. Some how all these years living around this area never yield to visit this place, always ended up @ Sigoljip instead. Any how, the place looks aged but we got friendly services & fine food. We arrived at 7pm Sat and we were able to sat right the way, most of the first round patrons left leaving about 1/3 of the tables empty but with dishes on it. We were seated in the front room then reseated to the back room because we want the table top self grilling. Even as slim as us, the backroom booth by the windows with table grill (only 3 of them) were so tight, I would not recommend anyone who weight more then 165lbs with a circumference of more then 34 inches seat in those booth. We order marinated ribs (Kal Bi $43 2 servings) and the usual test soup - Clam Soon soup at maxium heat. How do they taste ? Good, the marinated ribs were nicely marinated with generous portion, 6 bones were found. The soup was also hot (spicy hot). So why only 3 stars ? Well, it was just not as good as Jang Su Jang in taste and environment and services. Also JSJ has charcoal grill and I didn't have to lift a finger to grill our beef. If you don't care for table top grill, Sigoljip still better in my book.
(3)
Cathy T.
I grew up going here and am bummed yet happy for the owners that our secret restaurant is not so secret. Bi bim bop is our favorite - the kids gobble it up. Nothing beats my mom's cooking though, so 4.5 stars.
(4)
Ta G.
I love this place!!! All the little side dishes are yummy. My favorite is the kimchi made with romaine lettuce. Fried Man Doo (dumplings) Any of the BBQ meat is good, especially if you make it yourself. Bim Bim Bap is good here. Sometimes they give you complimentary tofu soup depending on what you order. Good stuff. They also have a vast selection of Chinese food on their menu. I miss this place. I need to go back soon.
(4)
Vicky L.
One of my favorite Korean hole in the wall places when I'm back in the Bay Area. Its located in a nondescript corner of the usual rundown strip mall along El Camino near Lawrence Expressway where the neighborhood is trying self designate itself as the "Koreatown" of the Bay Area. I love their korean seafood pancake, jambong (spicy noodle soup), and bibimbap (stone pot rice.) Their bbq is also very well done, especially when you get the bbq you cook yourself. The food comes with a good variety of side dishes, I really love the cucumber kimchee. The seafood pancake has a variety of squid and shrimp with a generous helping of scallions. The jambong soup is complex and intense with flavor, its called "chow ma mien" on the menu. Its available spicy (which I love, but make sure you have plenty of ice water), and non spicy. Even the non spicy version has a complex favorful broth as a base. Do be aware for those with shrimp allergies, the base of the broth is made with seafood including shrimp so for those who are allergic, stay way from this because even asking for it "without shrimp" on top, there is still plenty of "shrimp by products" in the flavoring of the soup - enough to cause some reactions in the sensitive. The noodles are very delicious here, they're handpulled in the back everyday by a noodle chef. If you come in on Tuesdays, they don't offer their noodles items; its the noodle chef's day off. The stone pot rice comes in a hot stone bowl with plenty of toppings and a red hot sauce for you to mix in. I love the crunch edge the rice develops against the hot stone. Careful in not burning yourself, the bowl stays hot even until the end of the meal. Service here is a hit or a miss. There seems to be two regular servers here, one on the skinnier side that's more sweet and the other one whose chubby and tends to have a scowl on her face. Don't take offense if they seem offish and rude. The food is good enough for you to become a regular and once they're used to seeing your face in there, if you're lucky, they'll grace you with a smile. Recommend: Chow ma mien, Ja jiang mien, seafood pancake, do it yourself bbq, bibimbap Stay away: wanna be chinese dishes such as the "sweet and sour chicken," and the mandoo (rice cakes), they tend to be on the mushy side.
(4)
Edward C.
Co-worker took me to this place. Good assortment of banchan. Tasty tofu soup. Subdued interior decor, a lot of wood. Good service.
(4)
Hen A.
quite the secret...hidden deep back inside strip mall...unable to spot from el camino stretch...aged korean restaurant serving korean bbq, table simmering stews and traditional....single gas burner for stew or grill pan...busy friday before memorial....finding affordable set dinner pre-sets...perfect for two...roughly $twenty-two for kalbi, seng-sun jun and shrimp tempura to start...basic sides of kimchi, fluffy egg, sweet seaweed, radish, etc...large tempura basket...traditional japanese style...vegetables and shrimp...panko battered and fried...crisp, light and good....dip in light tempura sauce quite perfect....bowl of rice and sizzling platter of kalbi filleted and side of perfect egg battered and pan fried fish...flakey white fish circles...traditional in taste...kalbi not the best fillet, but homestyle in heavier marinade...spoon of seaweed soup, scoop of rice and piece of kalbi....feeling at home at secret garden...spending $twenty-nine total for two...coming back for more...
(4)
Glenn O.
When I want to go for Korean food for lunch form work, I usually pick this place. They have lunch boxes similar in fashion to the bento box. I like the bulgoki (Is that how it's spelled?) which is pretty much beef teriaki as well as their Bi Bim Bap - vegies, a little beef and an sunny side up egg on top. Spread their 'bbq' sauce on it and mix it up before eating. Yum... They have a decent selection of Kim chi that they serve you before receiving your lunch. If you like one of them, request more and they will bring it. (Sweet potatoes are good) I have tried a few of their other plates for dinner once or twice and have not been disapointed. It's all good here... Busy after 12 at lunchtime... They have quite a few seats, so the wait is not too long... You won't leave here hungry.
(4)
BeBe C.
Secret Garden must have gone through some renovation recently. Not only did they repaint the exterior, they also changed the menu (and raised the prices quite substantially). The popular Ja Jiang Noodle (not 100% sure of spelling) in the old menu is no longer offered. The taste of the food was quite good, but the portions varied from dish to dish. One dish I ordered was the short ribs in special sauce--it was tasty but the portion was skimpy. 5 pieces of meat (big, bony pieces) for $16.95? Regardless of how it tasted, it's just too expensive. The service (or shall I say non-service?) was decent, IF I could get the waitresses' attention at all. I even saw an impatient customer screaming at the waitress to flag her. I guess Secret Garden is ok if you don't have to pay for the food. Otherwise, it just does not offer the value for money that most Asian restaurants stand for.
(3)
Chi L.
MEAT JUN. although they dont call it that. it's the only place i know that serves it! they have a standard korean menu and most of the ones we've tried are yummy! they even give you extra dishes if you have a large party - we got a free dish dish one time. great family style dining with friends/family, nice cozy atmosphere, efficient and really polite waitstaff (eventhough their english is limited - but that just makes the place so much more authentic), easy parking - i like it!
(4)
Richard T.
Your average korean restaurant with average service and average food. The panchan isn't too bad, the dishes in hot pots are really not too bad. I'd give this place 3.5 stars if I could. It's around a bunch of other restaurants so I can't say that it's the best korean food I've had. Nothing in particular stood out as awesome or foul. It was a middling type of place that I probably wouldn't recommend or say is bad. So my review probably didn't help at all, but it is what it is lol.
(3)
Clayton N.
Tucked in the back corner of a strip mall, in the heart of NorCal's K-Town, there are probably several dozen other Korean restaurants you'd visit before Secret Garden. But if you found this hole in the wall, and you've enjoyed the food before, chances are that you'll go back. I did, and I went back again and again and again. The place isn't exactly glamorous. And the service isn't exactly spectacular. But the food is absolutely delicious. The banchan is always appetizing. They make several variations of Jun (pancake) and they're all good. But the fish one is the best. Meatlovers will savor the Kalbi. Make sure to ask for lettuce and bean paste. Just two small suggestions...1) don't cook it yourself...2) if you're unsure about a dish...ask.
(4)
Taun T.
This review might be a bit skewed because according to the other members of the party I ate with, the meat was remarkably tender the time we went there. I'm not even sure what we ordered, it was the meat you cook at the table and you wrap it with all the side dishes and vegetables. The noodles we ordered were much better than what you receive at the majority of other Korean restaurants in the area. Still, the whole time I was eating I was just thinking, "Great, now I have to go back to UCSD and I won't be able to eat the crap food there anymore."
(5)
Ken V.
The girlfriend and I were trying to find another restaurant along the Korean strip of El Camino, but after a long day for both of us, and boyfriend not printing directions, we ended up here. GF ordered the beef bulgogi, i ordered the pork bulgogi. The pork had a sweeter sauce covering it, while the beef was spiced, but not to GF's liking. The kimchee appetizers ranged from very good to very weird. Spicy cukes and cabbage? Yes! Some kind of fruit in a spicy sauce? Hmmm.....OK, I think. Gelatinous cubes with hardly any taste whatsoever? Umm, no thanks. I thought the service could've been a bit more attentive, GF thought it was fine. It certainly wasn't as bad as some other places at which I've eaten, but very impersonal and brusque nonetheless. Still, I did leave with a box full of pickled veggie goodness, and the remainder of GF's bulgogi, so I'd have to say you get a lot of food for your dollar. Overall, a decent dining experience, but nothing really sets it apart from the numerous other Korean places on El Camino.
(3)
Gigi A.
Greasy, kind of boring taste. Nothing special in taste. It's maybe like if you tried to make it yourself but greasier. It is typical Korean dishes, but not made in a caring way
(2)
Mike Y.
Bahn-chan winner so far up in norcal. Brought me a plate with jap-chae and veggie pancake, and then the rest of the bahn-chan came out, and just about all of it was good. Their kimchi was pretty good, kkak-du-gee was good, but the yuk-gae-jang was just ok. Didn't have the real spicy kick that I like, the soup almost felt under-flavored. But goo dmix of veggies and meat in it. Plus yogurt at the end of the meal. I'll be back to try other dishes here.
(4)
David T.
Unlike one of my other friend's who left a good for review for this place, I love food too much to lie about it. I do understand that some people rate a place by their food and then their service. However, if the food is good but the service is bad, it tends leave you with a bad taste in your mouth. I'll be nice and start off with a critique of the food. It was pedestrian, at best. I ordered the BBQ pork lunch special. The pork itself had a very dry texture on the outside and it almost had some tenderness when you cut half way threw the piece of obviously old meat. The "special sauce" that they stewed it in was just chicken broth and a hint of suracha. My friend told me that the noodles were good and I should try it. So I did and I was not impressed. I could have gone across the street and gotten something better from the supermarket. At this point, I would have given this place a three star because the price of the food was pretty good for a lunch special; however, the service just started a cascade of total disgust for this place. I realize that when it is busy, you tend to get a slower service. This is understandable, but when you don't get any service for thirty-minutes is horrible. We didn't even get our glasses our water until after we ordered. The only time I heard someone that worked there speak to us was when we walked in. Maybe it was because we were not Korean, because everyone else around us was getting the five star treatment, or maybe it was because we were dressed in our gyms cloths, for obvious reasons (can't expect to stay healthy eating all this good food w/o working out a bit). We finally had to flag down someone so we could order. The waitress had this look of repulsion toward us the whole time. I really wanted to ask her, what the hell was her problem, but I'm not a rude person. Our food came out before the tiny plates of random food that you usually get at a Korean restaurant, and then our waters came out. After we were done eating, my friend had to ask for a refill on our water. I forgot to mention one thing, normally when do you get your bill? At the end of the f*ing meal! We got our bill after we got our waters. It was a hint to get the hell out I guess. My friend was paying for the meal on her credit card and tipping them in cash. The bill was like thirty something, but that is not the point of this tidbit of information, it was the way the waitress reacted. My friend wrote zero in on the tip area of the credit card print out, right away the waitress felt the need to walk up and point this out to us. I had to step in and tell the "B" word waitress that we are tipping in cash. She nodded at me and walked away. I apologize for a very long review, but when I hate something, I must let it all out. Anything less would be just an injustice to the yelp community.
(1)
Katherine L.
I came in at 2:35 and the menu said lunch til 2:30. I asked for the kalbi, and if I could get the lunch, since I can't eat large portions. When I got my kalbi, it was literally the size of those index cards you use to study from in high school or college. It was beef, and then three small bones that had fat. The meat was not attached to the bones. The waitress cheated me and gave me the lunch portion because the portion was so small, I ate the whole thing, then went to McDonald's afterwards for a Big Mac and medium fries. For $20 I could have gotten a good quality bbq buffet. I had to hunt the lady down for my bill. She was nowhere to be seen during my whole meal.
(2)
Catherine L.
this was my go-to place for jajangmyeon (black bean sauce noodles) and gan pung gi (sweet and spicy chicken wings) loved the banchan (especially the spicy pickled radish) they were always nice to me and gave good service, but i always went with my token korean friend i haven't been back since they stopped making my jajangmyeon........ =( we need to start picketing them to bring back their jajangmyeon!!!!!
(5)
Stuart D.
Changed their menu! This was my favorite South Bay Korean restaurant until they changed the menu up. Their Kimchee's and Kalbi were the best. Their Chow Ma Mein was one of the best noodle dishes ever. Their Soon Tofu Jige was one of the best soups ever too. But they took these off of the menu. I hate when a place you like all of a sudden decides to change it up. I won't go back, because their service was always bad, now that they changed the menu I can't deal with waiting 20 minutes to get a drink or place my order.
(1)
Tracy M.
I've eaten lunch here countless times but this is my first time writing a Yelp review about their food and service. I don't think there has been a time when I've eaten here and have been disappointed. The food is authentic, tasty and very reasonably priced. I usually order the BBQ chicken lunch special ($7.95 I believe), which comes with steamed rice, BBQ chicken, and soup among other items. You definitely get what you pay for. This time however, I ordered the Dohl Soht Bi Bim Bahp (basically Korean paella) , served in a searing hot stone bowl. In the bowl is rice, beef, onion, spinach, fried egg, and other veggies . Once you get to the bottom of the bowl you can scrape off and eat the perfectly burnt, crunchy rice. You can also add your own chili paste to the rice bowl if you'd like. All that for a mere $11.95. They also make it wiithout being served in the hot stone bowl, for $9.95, but I've heard the ingredients are served to you cold (no thanks). The waitresses are also very friendly. My mom ordered a stirfried spicy rice cake dish (I think it's called Ddeokbokki) with cuttle fish, onions, bell peppers, etc. However, my mom mentioned to the waitress (Mee Kang was her name, love her) that the dish hardly contained any Ddeokbokki and was 95% cuttlefish. Mee Kang kindly took our dish back to the kitchen and had the chef remake our dish, adding in a ton of Ddeokbokki. Now that's customer service at it's best. Needlesstosay we left her a nice little tip. Each table is also served complimentary tiny side dishes to go along with the meal (5 or 6 tiny dishes!), and they are happy to give you free refills. I always look forward to them, they include : beansprouts, tofu, spicy cucumber, kimchee, seaweed, etc). My only tiny criticism is that they could make their English description of their menu items more clear. For example, the English description for the Ddeokbokki dish mentioned that the dish contained spicy cuttlefish, vegetables, but no mention of the rice cake. For a non-Korean person who understands no Korean, reading the English descriptions really helps me figure out what I want (or don't want) to order. Updating the English portion of their menu would help a lot! Other than that I would recommend this place, I give them 2 thumbs up!
(4)
Dee K.
One aspect I don't like about Korean restaurants is that some Koreans seem to be xenophobic. For the past 10 years, sometimes this place personified that attitude. So we usually went someplace else where they were friendlier. But I'd have to say it's gotten better lately. From what I've heard, this is the place that Koreans go for Korean food because it's the most authentic. You don't get as many banchan side dishes as Korea House down the street but what is provided is more flavorful and aged (as in, not made that morning). Most Korean restaurants will refill the dishes at no extra charge if you ask. I like the food here better than most. The soups and stews (jampong, duk mandoo guk, chigaes, etc.) are generous and delicious.
(3)
Chase T.
When it comes down to Korean food, this would be the first place that would come to my mind. I've been going here for 6 years or longer and I still have not been disappointed. Service might not be top notch since the business is slow. I would seat myself because they're always hiding in the back, and I also have to yell to catch their attention. The food isn't incredibly amazing but it satisfies my taste buds for a good price. If you feel like having a Korean BBQ this would be a great place. Though I'm generally the noodles or dolsot kimchi bokumbap type of person. The restaurant itself looks pretty rundown, but nonetheless still good.
(3)
D L.
Very delicious Korean restaurant serving what I'm told by my Korean friends, is authentic Korean food. I love the small side dishes that are served and the kimchi is delicious. The service here is great and pretty fast. I've been to this restaurant multiple times and everything I've tried has been delicious.
(4)
Katya A.
I love their kimchi and the waitresses are very sweet. The best place to find good dinner on Christmas day. If you are new to Korean Food try their combo dinners, that are not too spicy. One of the most authentic Korean Places in the area, almost as good as restaurants in Seoul.
(4)
Michael K.
Aju Masiiseoyo! The food is very sumptuous. Service is very quick and tentative. They know when to refill more kimchi or any ban chan. I had the bibimbap in clay pot. I absolutely love it. It's easy to find parking here. There were a few times they tried to speak korean to me. Do I look korean?? I thought so. LOL
(4)
Jauder H.
I know the name sounds funny but do not let that fool you. This is one of the best Korean places around. They are one of the few places that serve jambong (super spicy noodle soup) which you would be hard pressed to find in most Korean places. I first developed a taste for jambong in college and use the availability of it as an informal gauge of how much I like the place. The kalbi is pretty good too and has managed to convince a friend of mine to open his horizons (he's from Kansas and an avowed meat and potatoes guy) to different kinds of food. He's always up for going out for Korean food now. Definitely one of the places I would back repeatedly.
(4)
Michael L.
Been comming here since I was in preschool. Great place good service. I always order the Korean bbq "kal-bi" Cant go wrong with this place if your looking for a filling meal.
(5)
Tiffany L.
This place is honestly not all that great. The family and I went here, I ordered the beef soon tofu, spicy...my mistake...it was bland, not spicy and had a hair in it. Service was non-existent which is expected at a Korean restaurant, its basically three ladies working the area. The restaurant itself is pretty clean and spacious but the food really didn't make me all that happy. The kalbi as overpriced..they apparently increased the prices, $42 for kalbi and cook it yourself....so much!!! 6 ribs and meat...I was quite depressed even though it was flavorful. Just not worth the price. The chicken and ginseng soup has no flavor, maybe other items are good just not the soon tofu or the soup. The pries are honestly too expensive for what they are offering. I highly doubt I am going here again.
(2)
Albert C.
Solid Korean food in a cozy restaurant. My favorite is the dol sot bi bim bap, though the chap chae and kalbi aren't bad. It can be hard to convince myself to come here when Tofu House is so close...
(3)
Senior F.
Grrh! This place was once great. I think that's the secret. Cause right now, it's not all that great. They also took away 2 of my favorite dishes from the memu (ja jang myun and jang pong). Anyhow, I had to write this review cause we waiting 45 minutes for our food during lunch and it wasn't that crowded. Plus there were 2 other customers before us that somehow got their food first. Also, if you go on the weekend expect to pay more cause there's no lunch pricing. so everything's over $11. So POO, I'll go elsewhere for Korean food.
(3)
Kent D.
This is a great little spot to come for lunch. The favorite lunch special among my coworkers is the BBQ pork. Although the servers are always overworked and sometimes not very available (for water refills, etc), the food is good and the price is reasonable for Korean. With tax and tip we usually walk out for $9-$9.50 each.
(4)
Sushi Y.
There was 12 of us tonight - was pretty impressed at how quickly we were seated. Selection of pickles was good, nothing too memorable. Food was decent. We ordered various BBQ meat (OK), fried oysters (beware of the dip- HOT!) the mackerel (big portion) and tofu stew .... want to head back and try the bibimap or seafood pancake to see if this place can make a better impression.... service was good considering our large group, but we were only left with two jugs of water all evening!!! still feeling thirsty!
(2)
ngo h.
This is one of the better korean restaurant ive been too. The korean pancake and all the side dishes you can eat is the best PARTT. Good place to eat if you want to try korean food.
(4)
Bamboo G.
i liked it! the menu offers a lot of grilled dishes, good place for business dinner, too.
(4)
Brian U.
Bi Bim Bap is love.
(4)
Cindy Z.
The food pretty pricey here compared to other places, but service is good and the decor is nice. I can't give it more than three stars though because I've had better Korean food for less. When eating at a Korean place, you can't skip the BBQ. This place's BBQ wasn't better than other places I've tried, but it wasn't worse either. It was, however, more expensive. The side dishes didn't meet my expectations either, since they were a bit bland.
(3)
Noodle S.
The food is pretty good and variety is different than the other Korean restaurant that I have visited. I agree with Brian and think the service is non-existent. When it is busy, I feel the waitress are too busy and often time ignore the customers. However, when the place is less busy, the service is decent. The King Crab Hot Spicy soup is packed with a good bunch of spice. I liked the clay pot (stone rice bowl). I also agree with Brian and recommend the chow mein noodle from this place (especially, the black sauce noodle). The BBQ meat is in par with the other Korean places. Unfortunately, I couldn't try the ginseng chicken tofu soup. It was sold-out on my visit. I suspect this is very good. The seafood egg pancake is good and is a must for every visitor. Lastly, the place is not too expensive and the food is pretty generous. A good place to entice your Korean taste buds.
(3)
Daniel K.
Go for the Crab soup! Gae Jigae!
(5)
Tina L.
I went back for dinner last week and the food was much better than I remembered! There was a wide assortment of side dishes and they were yummy. We got the oyster pancakes and (while oily) were very tasty. I had the wonton rice cake soup, and there was so much food that I actually just kept it for lunch the next day and it was still good!
(4)
Andria M.
The food is good, service ok. I like their Yu Ge Jang. Like their side dishes. Don't really like their Cal Bi, I think I don't like the way they marinate their meat. Tastes different from the other restaurants. But overall good.
(4)
jhon k.
3.5 out of 5. Okay, it's hard cause this is not Ktown in LA. But up here, I'd come here for overall Korean food. The place may look a bit older than other Korean Restaurants in the South Bay, but the food is good. Side dishes are relatively plentiful and they do the following well: Bul go gi (probably the best around), bbq pork, pa jun, and bi bim bap (the bul go gi makes it taste good). Service is somewhat better than other Korean Restuarants around. There are lots of Koreans eating here too cause they know their Korean food.
(4)
Richard K.
My family all love spicy food. Every few weeks, I'll go down to the south bay to pay a visit to the folks and we'd make the trek to Secret Garden for their Jombong and Blukoki. The portions for the noodles are HUGE and always leave you extremely satisfied. We've made it a family tradition to come here for lunch on the weekends for a good 3-4 years now and the food has always been tasty and consistent. The service is awesome and this place has a great rustic family atmosphere. Only downside is this place is kind of hidden in the corner of a strip mall.... which makes is kind of a secret I suppose.
(4)
Brian r.
Service used to be horrid in the past but it seems to be better now... The best thing about Secret Garden? Jaum Zza. Jaum Zza is half za zang myun (black bean sauce noodle) and half jaum pong (spicy noodle soup). I haven't tried much on their menu but their food is pretty decent.
(3)
Charmayne O.
I barely ever eat Korean food, so don't make fun of my lack of knowledge on the names of the dishes! I came with with a party of 5 on a Saturday night and were seated immediately. It appears to be a small place on the exterior, but once you get inside there's 3 different rooms with an abundance of seating! As the night went on, the place was pretty packed. We ordered the BBQ chicken, 3 different kinds of assorted meat bulgogi, chop chae, the rice dish that you mix yourself that comes in a sizzling bowl, and the green onion fried pancake. We also received all those assorted small dishes of vegetables.We each received metal bowls of rice that would keep it warm for the duration of the meal. Everything came out SO FAST! The only exception is that we had to order tea from 3 different waitresses and had to remind the same one twice. Someone finally came out and told us it would be 10 minutes for the tea and we didn't receive it until the end of the meal. They even gave us a free dish of some kind of fish! The waitresses were actually very friendly and smiley, something you don't come by too often at Asian restaurants. On a level of 1-10 everyone was about a 9 in satisfaction!
(4)
Edmund C.
I have been going here for years. The food is very consistent and good. For Korean food, it is cheap and big portion. My fav is the glazed sweet potato, fried oysters, and the BBQ meat. They used to have the half ja jiang mein and half spicy seafood noodle soup, BRING IT BACK!!! Just went this week and got the stone bi bim bap, got perfectly burnt rice without the sole throat afterward. Had better bi bim bap sauce though.
(4)
Katherine C.
This place is my favorite Korean restaurant. If I come in for lunch, I'd probably get the grilled chicken lunch special, while my mom always gets the grilled mackerel. -banchan: very nice variety, the kimchee can be really salty and makes me feel like my blood pressure is going up; the muk is my favorite; I think they recently added japchae to the set -(cold) bi bim bap: I think you get more vegetables in the cold version, and the rice heats up the veggies pretty well. Oftentimes the meat is really oily, so I have to wipe off the oil with my napkin before mixing everything (never tried beef, pork is reaallyyyy oily, chicken is better/my favorite). Just ask them if you want a different meat, they are very accommodating. -Fried oysters: little gems with a crispy eggy crust, served with the pepper-sesame-soy-sauce for dipping (salty, not spicy). It also comes with shredded daikon. I normally strongly loathe and dislike oysters and think they are horrible, but I like these. :)
(4)
Toshinobu K.
Good restaurant with good food to match. The service is not as friendly as other Korean restaurants, but the food is what pulls me in. I like to order their "Yukke" (pronounced "You-Kay") which is minced raw beef mixed with an egg and apple slices. It sounds weird, but it is absolutely delicious. The raw beef part may turn many people away, but they also have a good BBQ selection of chicken, pork, beef, and my personal favorite, Kalbi. The price is a little high for this restaurant to be my personal dining room, but when I want to splurge, this is the place.
(5)
Alisu C.
This is one of my favorite Korean restaurants. If you like spicy soup you have to get the maeun(spicy) kalbi tang. It's the best! Every friend we have taken here has loved it. Also, their shrimp tempura and fried mandu is delicious! Note: I wouldn't order their chinese food selections.
(4)
Dee J.
You want wonderful Korean food??? This is the place to go! I love their clear noodle stir fry and their Kim Chi..is to die for. Wonderful BBQ, and tofu pot! I introduced my family to this place and when we are all craving for some good Korean food, we meet up at this place. There are many Korean restaurants on El Camino but this is the place to be! Price is reasonable. Highly recommend to anyone!
(5)
Novi O.
the most horrendous service ever. although they were not busy the waitresses almost completely ignored us the whole time except when we wanted to order more main dishes and check. and food was just ok.
(1)
Dan W.
We came here a few weeks ago and ordered the kalbi, spicy pork and spicy beef soup. The portions were plentiful as well. We will definitely come back again.
(4)
Simon M.
They used to have the best jambong (seafood noodle soup)in the bay area. Now that they removed that from the menu, I may not go back again. There are other korean restaurants in town that serve better Kabi or tang dishes. I am really really dissappointed for them to not keeping their most popular dishes on menu. Anybody knows other good jambong places in the area?
(2)
Dickie K.
I tell everyone I know to avoid this place. The food is decent, but the service is just awful. Maybe they just cater to 1st generation koreans, but I've never been to a place that was just so rude to it's customers. This was one of the few korean restaurants back in the day so choices were limited in the 80s so I went often even thought he service was lacking. But with all the korean restaurants nowadays there's no reason to come here.
(2)
milky m.
I came here the first time for a friend's gathering party and we ordered 10 dishes to share. Jae Chae, bul go gi and Kalbi are above average. Typically I enjoyed korean appetizers such as sweet potato, seaweeds and various pickles, but I found the the pickles are too spicy and salty. I was expected to see jambong, but did not see it on the menu. The restaurant seemed not very clean but it's one of the better one around k-town.
(3)
Toto T.
One of my favorite korean restaurants in the bay area. Though a little on the expensive side I think. But this is the only place (I think) that serves Gae Jang (Seasoned raw crab)! The Kalbi is not bad. They could do better with the Pa Jang (egg+oysters+scallion+squid pancake). Their small dishes is plentiful and tasty. Kalbi Jim is awesome tooooooo. Yook Hwe (seasoned raw beef) is good too.
(4)
Jim C.
a "secret" find for those who love korean food. bulgogi (korean style beef) is mouthwatering here and you can never go wrong with the hot stone pot bi bim bap (rice bowl with vegetables, meats, etc). the tofu jige soup (spicy tofu with vegetables) is spicy hot and good if you like it hot. don't expect great service as they are often short staffed but expect consistently good korean food.
(4)
Ling A.
Food is 4 stars. I love their steam pork rib and spicy cold noodle. Service is 5 stars. All waitresses are nice that makes me and my hubby feel very confortable. Price is 31/2 star. It is a little pricey relatively to the ambiance and the food quality.
(4)
G J.
I suspect the chef is different since the renovation. The BBQ pork taste not as good as it did. The source has been changed as well. The side dishes tasted much sweeter than before. The grilled mackerel is gone and the current pan-fry one is not very attractive. I am a old customer and quite disappointed.
(2)
cynthia l.
must try their Pork rib steamed in special sauce & three sea chow ma mein (seafood noodle soup)
(4)
Wayne H.
This is my first time to this restaurant recommended by friend. The food wasn't good. Both BBQ chicken and seafood pancake we ordered were overlooked and burn. Neither was the service, the waitress wasn't helpful at all and just wearing a long face. I didn't feel I should pay any tips for such bad service. Although I'm just on my biz trip here, this is the one I'll never visit again!
(1)
L.L. M.
One of the better Korean restaurants in town. The ban chan dishes were generous. Kalbi is on the fatty and chewy side. A bit pricey compared to other Korean restaurants: Kalbi dish is $19.99 for weekend lunch.
(4)
Bebe F.
I've tried many Korean restaurants in the area but always compare the others to Secret Garden. My favorite dish is the Kimchi Dol Sot Bap (kimchi, veggies, egg in hot pot), Mandu Guk (dumpling soup) & their chicken lunch special. Oh, can't forget all the side dishes you get that are endless. Keep those spicy cucumbers coming! One tip though...for great service, avoid the lunch hour unless you're sitting in the front of the restaurant where the servers can see you. If you're sitting in the back, the service is very slow...good luck! Your lunch hour can turn into 2 hours, no joke. I've refilled my own water on several occasions, stood near the bar by the kitchen just to get their attention to get my check & get the hell outta there. Though a bit slow at times, the servers are very sweet. Delicious! Gotta go back ASAP!
(5)
Phuong Q.
i come here sometimes for lunch. It has pretty good korean bbq food here and the side dishes are good too. My favorite is the chicken bbq and my bf likes the seafood pancake. My favorite side is the jelly thing w/ the sauce on it....yumm. Price is reasonable as well, for the lunch plates its about $7 or $8. Service can be a bit slow sometimes depending on where you sit. if you sit in the tables in the front section, its good, but if you are sitting in the back room, sometimes they might forget you. So be aware and try not to sit back there unless you have a big party.
(4)
Kevin L.
I have been coming here for YEARS with my family (at least 20 years). For me, this is what Korean food is supposed to taste like. I have tried most of their items but usually stick to my select few. Everything is fresh and arrives quickly. The service is OK and I guess that's the norm at Korean restaurants. They drop off the food and won't return until after your meal unless you flag them down. So for that I'm knocking off a star. But strictly commenting on the food: A+
(4)
anthony m.
I love this place. I have been coming here for 3 years now and I like the spicy pork and tofu soup. The sides are good and the beer is only 5 bucks for a tall boy. That always spells awesome when I am in the mood for Korean. I recommend the beef short rib, I think it is one of their best dishes.
(5)
MJ C.
The manduguk was excellent (the dumpling were perfectly cooked and there were really flavorful slices of beef) and the pre-cooked kalbi was moist (a rare occurrence) and tasty albeit a touch sweet. The kimchi was esp delish and the daikon kimchi was yummy. The cucumber kimchi had a vinegar bite that made up for not having muchae on the table.
(4)
John P.
Got a ton of Ban Chan dishes, hot tea, and a medium bowl of tofu / vegetable soup for about 10 bucks for lunch. All the Ban Chan Dishes tasted fresh and were generous. I got free refills when I finished them all as well. The tea I had needed to be steeped for like 20 minutes but even after all that time it was still pretty bland. The soup was hot but managed to be a bit bland as well. The bowl was medium sized and there was a ton of tofu. Service was good and I left full so I was happy. Would like to try dinner here sometime.
(3)
Phoodie G.
Don't be scared off by the odd assortment of stores in this plaza. Between the dance studio and the pizzeria, there's the Korean Secret Garden. I always come here for my korean fix. It's home-cooking at its best with top -notch quality ingredients. The food is also priced well--we'll order 3 main dishes, and feast like kings for well under $40. My only nitpicks about this place: When it gets busy, it's hard to wave down a waitress. The water glasses are also too small--leave me a pitcher of water so there's one less reason to flag down a waitress.. Some of my fave dishes are: Bahn-chahn (complimentary appies): Think kim-chee, a myriad of seasoned vegetable dishes,, and more. The quality ingredients and flavor set this place apart. Bee-bihn-bahp (korean paella): Have it at room-temp or in a searing-hot stone bowl (dohl-soht bee-bihm bahp). It's got rice, beef, spinach, a fried egg, and more. Add the chili paste, some muscle, and mix it all up. Delish. Kahl-bee (marinated short ribs): Soooo good. You can grill your own, but I prefer having it cooked in the back so my clothes don't get stinky. Chop-chae (sauteed clear noodles): It's a korean pasta party in your mouth. Think noodles, marinated beef, sauteed onions, carrots, and mushrooms. Pahh-juhn (green onion pancake): It's crunchy on the outside and soft inside. Make sure to ask for very little green onion. The dipping sauce rocks.
(5)
Devin A.
Some may think one star is a little harsh. For a restaurant in a place gaining fame as "Little Seoul," though, I believe I am fully justified in comparing it to restaurants in Chicago's Koreatown, and using this as a basis I have no reservations in saying that the Secret Garden was terrible. There are a few things you desire out of a good Korean BBQ place. First, part of the experience is cooking the meat yourself at your table. Although the menu made it sound like this is what I was ordering, they brought the meat out fully cooked. Second, for a meal this expensive, there had better be tons of side dishes. The selection of sides was just not that impressive. I mean, that was expensive meat. Where the heck are my banchans? Kudos to Chicago's Koreatown for getting it right. Little Seoul, you've got a long ways to go.
(1)
Yu-Hua W.
Just went here again this weekend. Ok to be honest, I was here for dinner on Sunday and also again on Monday night. That's how much I love this place. Their food compared to other Korean restaurants around here has so much flavor, particularly the meats. My favorites are the kalbi (beef short ribs), teji bulgogi (spicy pork), and the regular bulgogi. I found out the other day the the bulgogi is made from Rib Eye meat. No wonder it's so flavorful! The little side dishes are always plentiful. You can always ask for more. Typically we're served japchae (Korean noodles), cucumbers, marinated radishes, marinated soybeans, kimchi, broccoli, sweet honey potatoes (these are sooooooo bomb)... there's other dishes but I can't think right now. If you're having a hard time deciding on what to order, here's a list of other dishes we usually get: -- Kalbi Jiim (short rib, braised slowly with carrots, chestnuts, and other veggies in a sweet broth) -- Gom Tang (Ive had this with just the regular way with a few beef slices, and also with the Ox tail. Both are delicious.) Put a few sprinkles of the sea salt (they bring a little container of it when you order this) and it is BEEFY goodness! -- Kalbi Tang - I have had this regular and spicy. Spicy is GOOOD but that's cuz I love spicy. --Mandoo Gook - they make their own dumplings in house. --Dubu Jigae (Tofu stew) - firm pieces of tofu that don't break apart like soondubu. Heartier than soondubu --Soondubu The other night since I wasn't feeling well I asked if they make Sam Gye Tang (Chicken soup with ginseng, dates, chestnut and sweet sticky rice). They do! It took a little longer to prepare but it comes out in a huge bowl with a cornish game hen. The hen is stuffed with the glutinous rice, ginseng pieces, garlic dates and chestnuts. Not too medicinal tasting but very soothing. Nothing beats some good old chicken soup - this is just made Korean style. Again to stress, I'm not even Korean... I'm lucky my bf has taught me how to order dishes. This seriously is by far the best in the area. Reasonably priced but freakin' delicious food!
(5)
Helen N.
Either my standards have gone up or they changed owners... I haven't seen the usual faces who usually greet us, food is just okay now.
(3)
Donna Y.
Since I am on a soup kick cuz I am sick I thought why not Tofu Soup today. We were heading to go check out a new place when we missed it and found Secret Garden Restaurant. Lazy to make a U turn we decided to check it out. It is hidden for sure, but it is very cute inside. It looks more of a Japanese restaurant than Korean. I decided to order the Tofu Soup with Pork but it came in a seafood broth which threw me off. I thought meat is suppose to taste like meat. Instead I got a mix of Seafood and Pork, interesting. Overall all the Tofu soup was not bad and tasty but a bit to salty for me. The side dishes was alright, nothing to memorable. My co-worker ordered the pan-fried Mackerel which looked pretty good. Lunch overall is not bad and they had alot people for lunch which was surprising. There is always parking and located in the quiet plaza. I would come back for lunch again.
(3)
Julie L.
I haven't been here for a while now and just went back with Nagisa the other weekend. Maybe I just craved Korean food or I just haven't had it for a loooong time, but daaaayyyuuuum.. it was so delicious. We ordered the beef kalbi, a tofu seafood dish - it was so tasty and the tofu was so fresh and silky. The six mini side dishes were again, fresh and tasty. The service this time was not bad at all, given that we arrived at opening time and there was only one other table.
(5)
Michele K.
Went to Secret Garden for the first time. A little hard to find but the Bim Bop and the Garbie are amazing. Very good service, excellent prices compared to others in the area and large portions. My children even loved the chicken.....I would recommend it
(4)
Dave K.
I have to say I was a bit disappointed in this place. I was excited to have a "real charcoal" Korean BBQ, but the service wasn't that great. The 5 of us ordered and were told it wasn't enough. We stuck with our order and it turned out to be just about right. OK yes we had two women with us, but they ate a good deal of food too. The banchan was good and plentiful and they kept bringing it, but like all Korean places, they responded more favorably to Korean speakers. One thing about the charcoal grills, they burn really hot and you have to watch and flip a little different than the regular gas grills. I think overall the meat quality is above average, but the overall experience puts it slightly lower than other Korean BBQ places. With so many to choose from in the Santa Clara area, the charcoal grilliness doesn't cut it by itself.
(3)
teena y.
Secret Garden was a place we used to go to get good Korean food in the south bay, but it's changed over the past years. The service is terrible during lunch and sometimes it's just easier to go to the Korean food court across the street in the shopping mall when you're in a hurry. I typically get the bi bim bop dolsot which is pretty good or the kalbi lunch plate which has a lot of food (chop chae, rice, and etc.) I like the little side plates they bring before your meal - I like the broccoli and potatoes. Overall, it's a good place for a sit down meal, but don't wear your good clothes because your clothes will smell like food for hours!
(3)
Jen C.
I've been here twice. Both times after golf. Tonight had to be a record amount of food. There were four bowls of mon do kook, four plates of kal bi, two orders of tofu with seafood I think, and a couple other items. This place is pretty good for the kal bi. I've had it at another place in Concord and it's up there. The mon do kook is pretty good, but really I can't finish one whole one. The chap chee is good. Love it. If I had a picture of the amount of food, you'd be shocked to find out it was for six people. Great service if you know Korean for sure.
(4)
Frances B.
My friends and I stopped by here on a whim. It is off the el camino, in the korean strip part of that street and it's in the back part of a parking lot. So for ambiance, I'd give this place one star. For food, I would give it 2 1/2 stars. The food is just okay, it's good, but it tastes like other typical korean restaurants, so nothing spectacularly different about the food here. We ordered the bulgogi, bib n bop and soup. While the food is okay, it is definitely overpriced considering the ambiance, the quality of the food and the service. Would I come back? Maybe. But, there are plenty of other Korean places that taste the same with better service and way better ambiance.
(2)
I. O.
Secret Garden is a phenomenal lunch deal (quality + price) and currently my work team's favourite lunch spot. Why? Well, for ~$6.50, you can get a BBQ Pork lunch special, which includes a heaping plateful of daegi-bulgogi, 2 blocks of spicy tofu, rice, jap chae & soup ..... AND *UNLIMITED* kim chee for the table .... including kim chee, broccoli, salad noodle, spicy cucumber, sweet honey potato and loads of other small dishes .... As we demolish each plate, the nice Korean Aunties refill them! Unlimited!!! All this is included in the $6.50!! 5 unequivocal stars!!
(5)
Hanoch R.
OK restaurant since food is find and the atmosphere is good. we had a big party there of about 25 people and we ate many items on the menu. The BBQ dishes are sizable for 1-1/2 person and came in fresh. the Cassarols and the soups are fine but not to my taste.
(3)
Chris L.
This is the best place for dohl-soht bi-bim bap - HANDS DOWN. It's kind of expensive, but it's worth it. They don't do any of their signature Chinese dishes anymore, which I'm sad about. But they have a lot of side dishes and the service is good. The waitresses are always, literally, running when it's busy. The oxtail soup is also good here. The mackerel is not so great. Plenty of parking and quick seating. There are more non-Koreans coming here, which is nice to see.
(4)
Holly V.
i can NEVER explain how good this place is. this is the ONLY korean restaurant i go to that when i leave i am always satisfied. always friendly staff. i love the manager. yesterday we wanted to try the skate sashimi when she came out making sure we wanted what we order because she said it was extra spicy. so she scared me and i changed my order right away.. but she kindly took some out and let us try it. and no doubt it was soo good. i love their kalbi with all the little dishes that comes with it. i am in love with this place.
(5)
C K.
Food is great but service is slow. I have been to other Korean restaurants in the area as well as the food court plaza, but I think Secret Garden still makes the best BBQ chicken and galbi. Their chicken, especially, is much better than other places. Though more expensive, the BBQ is very tasty and tender. Their kimchi and seafood tofu soup is good and their bibimbab is pretty good too. I usually come here if I'm craving Korean food and the food never disappoints. You'll just have to be patient with the staff.
(4)
Ken F.
Overall, a good value for the price, freshness, and flavor. I ordered a grilled mackeral bento, which came with rice noodles, rice, and a variety of side dishes. The mackeral was fresh, which is the main reason for the good rating...a little on the salty side, but fine with rice. All of the side dishes were fresh and tasty...maybe not as much variety as some other Korean restaurants, but all of the basics were there. Service is attentive. A bento lunch with side dishes will cost you under $10.
(4)
P Q.
Service? I mean, when was the last time any Asian person goes into an Asian restaurant and expect service? So, when I go in with 0 expectations, and actually get some attention, their service becomes outstanding. Actually, I have only been during dinner time and they have always been super nice to me. So, I can't complain about their services. What I want to talk about is THE FOOD! Have you tried their green onion pancake with seafood (Haemul Pajeon) dip in their special sauce? Their spicy tofu soup (Shun Dubu) is tasty. The Korean glass noodle (Jap Chae) is not bad either. Their BBQ items are very flavorful too. And ALL the little side dishes (Banchan) they give you are enough to make a meal by itself. Hm... Either I am not at all a picky eater or that I really like this joint. Try it out and you decide.
(4)
omar b.
this place reminded me of muguboka and han il kwan of SF cause of the three times i came here in one week (and that says a lot being there is a 20:1 ratio of korean eat joints to starbucks within 10 blocks of El Camino), there was always a tour bus with tons of koreans gettin on or off to come here. the quality of eats and decent service were also similar traits I found here, but a HUGE difference was you don't need a translator here to decipher what to order! yelp.com/biz_photos/Zo9a… during this cold spell it was a must to order soups each time we came through...sol lung tang was okay but.. kalbi tang was scrumptious! yelp.com/biz_photos/Zo9a… banchan was on-point ^_^ especially the onegi and tamago dishes- yelp.com/biz_photos/Zo9a… pajun was soo YUMM!!! crispy and pre-sliced for ease of gorging..the so go gi jun was where it was at tho!!! supposedly this dish is hard to find at most spots. yelp.com/biz_photos/Zo9a… special private room in the back looks like an eventual eatout event yelp.com/biz_photos/Zo9a… didn't try the meats but now have something to compare to since hitting ibunjee with a bunch of famous korean yelpers last week! how can this place have less than 40 revs??!! especially with a musicbox conveniently next door???!!!
(5)
Amy G.
The second best Korean place around. Here your food is cooked for you which is kind of nice when you are lazy. The sea bass soup here is delicious. Aside from the side dishes they give you clear noodles and pancakes as appetizers. The services is nice and the food tastes very authentic. Be aware though you will smell like the restaurant when you leave, I guess its not that bad since it smells good.
(4)
James J.
By far my FAVORITE Korean restaurant in the the South Bay. Honestly, I didn't want to post my positive review of this restaurant because as the name implies this place is a real secret gem (Selfishly, I don't ever want this place to get too popular and crowded). I take my family there 1-2 times per month. You never need reservations and they are incredibly accommodating. I've never had to stand in line or signup on a waiting list to get fast and incredible Korean food. All of their dishes and soups are tasty (even my Korean parents and Korean in-laws vouch for the quality of the food). But what truly separates this Korean restaurant from other Korean restaurants is SERVICE! Korean restaurants notoriously provide marginal service but this place is in a category of their own. The waitresses are always attentive to your needs. Case in point: a few years ago, we forgot to bring my child's milk bottle from home. I was getting ready to leave my family and drive to the nearby Walgreens to get milk...but before I could get up to leave, one of the waitresses brings us a glass of milk to our table. What is the most shocking part of this story is that, we didn't even ask them for milk!!!! That was clearly serving above and beyond....since then, this restaurant has been dear to our heart. 5 years later this restaurant has yet to cease in their impeccable service. Love this place!!!!
(5)
Annette C.
Much better than most Northern California Korean food. A little extra salty but still MUCH better than Jang su jang or whatever. Service is not great... but food and ban chan is much better than most Korean I've had in this area.
(3)
Richard P.
Richard Pro here with another review. My dad has been a regular for 30 years, and I've been coming for 20 years. We always go for the korean bbq and get the Kal Bi. It's always very flavorful, and you get a plethora of tasty side dishes. Free refills on side dishes, and you will definitely refill at least once. Rice is hot and sticky, and you get a free bowl of piping hot tofu soup. The marinade here is excellent. Service here varies. Over 20 years I've seen a lot of different waitresses (now that I think about it I've never seen a waiter here before). Having come for 45 years, my dad knows the owner, and the waitresses insist that its been the same owner all these years. They're not very good at English so if you know Korean you probably get excellent service. Otherwise, during the same meal we get some crabby waitresses and some who actually smile when we thank them. Decor has updated slightly in the last five years or so. The restaurant looks nice and by no means cheap. Prices have definitely skyrocketed; every time we come it goes up like 5 bucks.
(4)
Southbay N.
One of my family's favorite places to go for Korean food. They are super friendly and the food is very consistent. Side dishes are good and plentiful. We generally get kalbi, sindubu, and chop chae. Really good portions, tasty, and good variety. I would recommend this place for sure.
(4)
Jeremy K.
Food was ok...the LA calbi was not the best I've ever had...a bit chewy but good flavors. We had a party of 20 so the service was a bit slow. The deep fired oysters were the BOMB!!!! A must try if u love oysters. Everything else was regular tasty good korean food as expected.
(3)
Jenny L.
This place is truly a hidden gem! The bulgogi lunch special is absolutely mouthwateringly delicious and the marinade, texture, and beef quality is perfection! The portions are great - definitely on the big side so you may be able to take home leftover bulgogi. The ban chan is awesome as well. Everything is fresh, they even give you miyuk gook with your lunch special, along with chapchae, marinated tofu, and other various ban chan dishes. I highly recommend this place!
(5)
Floria C.
Great service with all-around selection of Korean dishes. The staff was really friendly, and checked on us often to refill the complimentary side dishes that are served at Korean restaurants. I thought that was notable and generous of them. I'm no expert on Korean food, but my family comes here a lot and I've brought a Korean friend here before. This is a good place to go for a variety of Korean foods. They have Korean bbq table-side, noodles (jap che, soup noodles), rice cakes, rice dishes (bibimbop), soon tofu, bulgogi, etc. My Korean friend was not too impressed with their soon tofu, but she said it was decent. She had the kimchi tofu. I ordered the pork tofu. If you don't like it too spicy, REMEMBER to tell them in advance (because they won't ask you). I learned that the hard way and had to swallow down some tea and ice water diluted soon tofu. Not pretty. The bulgogi has always been good whenever we ordered it. They servce it on a iron plate to keep it hot. They've got lunch specials on the weekdays. It's really clean (the bathroom is lacking a little though) and quiet. Good for a family, for two, or for a meal with a few friends.
(4)
Casey F.
We got take out last week and oh boy was that the best kalbi I have ever had in my life! I love it when the marinade is all caramelized on the outside and it looks overcooked, but when you bite into it, it is tender, juicy, melt in your mouth heaven. And we ate it 1 hour after, I can't even imagine how it would have tasted if we had dined in. I've eaten here many, many times in the past, and although the kalbi has always been good, something about it was extra delicious last Thursday, perhaps the meat was extremely fresh. We also got sogogijun, and we were very happy and satisfied. I am still thinking about that kalbi, maybe I can make another stop there tomorrow.
(5)
Hai P.
I would give this place more stars if the service was better. I asked if I could substitute beef for pork in a combo dish and they refused. I offered to pay the difference. All I wanted was the fish that came with the beef combo and they suggested I order an entire fish dish which was $13. I don't mind so much but it was unprofessional so minus a star. The food is good and the side dishes are plentiful, but again, the service stinks. Despite this, my girlfriend and I always go back because of the food. So if you don't mind the service, give it a shot.
(3)
S O.
yummy! really liked the combo seafood casserole meat was delicious, especially the steamed beef they have this yummy shrimp pancake good tea friendly service awesome asian yogurt drink at the end of the meal better than korea house
(4)
T L.
I only eat here during lunch and they have good food and reasonable rates. I like the side dishes that come with a lunch special. Good portion and I'm always full afterward.
(4)
gloria x.
Came here for a weekday lunch and tried seafood casserole. Pretty tasty. They also served small assorted dishes at lunch and they were typical for a Korean restaurant. My friend got soft tofu seafood casserole and she liked it too. Both of us loved the decoration and the seating environment. It's pretty spacious so you can actually have conversation :) Next time I plan to try other dishes like the meat cooked on BBQ table. The service was very polite and attentive too. Minus 1 star for not having a raw egg in the casserole, haha. We are pretty pick about Korean food.
(4)
Kevin C.
Secret Garden and me go way back, we're talkin power rangers era. You can bbq your own meat or have them do it for you. In the beginning, my family would always bbq, there's something about cooking your own food in a restaurant that makes the food taste better. Yeah. However nowindays, we just order the kalbi grilled for us, some days they're generous, some days you wonder if the waitresses got hungry on the way to your table. Either way, it's good, soft, and I love love love gnawing on the bone, I am kind of iffy on reincarnation but if I was ever anything else in a possible alter life, I put my money on canines. Now what else is good? Sea bass soup!! Mmmm, Koreans are damn talented at 3 things, 1. making beef delicious 2. Making me sweat while I eat and lastly 3. drinking me under the table... my taiwanese blood just brings the alcohol to my brain so quick it's like I got suckered punch. Hmm...what else, seafood pancake, tripe sauteed in red oily spicy sauce, anything sauteed in red oily spicy sauce, and I really like their seaweed, it's one of those complimentary appetizers, sometimes they don't offer it and you gotta ask for it...never really knew why though... -1 star because their consistent good has been falling out lately, not sure if its because everyone who has been working there has been there for a LONG time, it's the same waitresses when I was young lad! same chef and everything. Hopefully they kick it back up to old school standards, this is a comforting old favorite
(4)
Julia C.
Good lunch special. I tried the barbeque pork and also the spicy kimchee soup. Ban chan is pretty good, there is a lot of it. Not too pricey.
(4)
lea c.
Love their variety of sides - especially the potatoes and cucumber kimchi. Secret Garden's menu has a great selection as well. It's an excellent price for the proportions given and the quality of food. I'm a frequent customer and our order always comes out just right and in a timely manner. Service has never been a problem. Not a disappointment I guarantee. Highly recommend :)
(5)
Alyson C.
Dammit, I guess the secret is out. This place was great. $100 for 5 people got us full with left over to spare. I was impressed at the tender meats that they served us and the Green Onion pancake! And of course it's authentic Korean when the Bibimbop is in the cast iron pot that makes your rice crunchy. Then they gave us some nasty Fish dish that was on the house. whatever. The tea was great. Just weird that it took 10 minutes to prepare. whatevs.. All in all, great experience.
(4)
Nick T.
I've been her many times for lunch and this will be my last time. Got the bbq pork lunch special. Food was not that great and was cold. I keep eating and find a STAPLE in my food. A STAPLE! I told one of the waitresses after about 5 minutes because you can never get a waitress here. All i got was sorry and she picks up the staple with her bare hands on my plate.... Bad service, bad food, a staple, and someones bare hand in your food. I'm done with this place. There are places that are way better.
(1)
Jasmine S.
i can only speak for their lunch meals, but i was very impressed with the quality of food! BBQ chicken: very well seasoned! Would order again!!
(5)
Tim L.
You just never know what your gonna get. Some of the dishes are excellent, and some are just gross. The service is horrible every single time we go there during lunch. it's not that the waitress are not nice, they just aren't attentive and never come to your table. When in large groups, it is never a priority to get all the food out within reasonable time frames. The meats here are pretty good. The dol sot was pretty weak, some of the pan chan is ok but some are just gross. My coworker asked if they had the kimchi with the fresh oysters. The answer was yes, but unfortunately they were rank as shizzle and it was nasty. Can't remember much else. Bottom Line - Decent meat, everything else didn't seem too great. You might be in a 1.5 hour lunch special. If you are on the EL Camino Korean journey, try it out. If you are making a special drive, go somewhere else.
(3)
J K.
Delicious food - definitely recommended and will be back for sure. The bibimbap and meats were excellent.
(4)
qirk z.
Good Food! Great service! The pork was good and spicy, the kal bi was best. Many side dishes. Spicy isn't very spicy here. Plenty of parking, you'll find it on the same side as Walgreens but in the next complex down.
(3)
jerry h.
5 stars for the lunch specials.. Cheap lunches. Less than $8 gets you a plethora of pickled sides and a box of goodies.. Go for the BBQ dishes, since they have that hint charcoal taste to them... -- Service is quick.... Dinner is good as well...but expect to pay double the prices of lunch..
(5)
Wilson C.
I came here once with a friend from Korea for dinner and thought it was pretty good. To me, it's more of an authentic Korean restaurant when you get the side dishes and here they give you a lot of side dishes. It was just the two of us and we ordered two items, I can't remember the names. One was a squid and vegetable stir fry dish and a soup with dumplings and stuff. I didn't order, since I figured it's better that the person who speaks Korean order the food. I liked the squid, and the soup was okay. The side dishes were pretty good and the overall experience I thought was good. The service I thought was pretty good also. The lady who helped us was very friendly and I would go back here again so I give it four stars.
(4)
Mitchell O.
This place makes me glad to be Korean! Some of the BEST Korean food in the Bay Area. The varity of kimchee is excellent, and the portions are enormous. I can't tell you how much the dishes are at this place; another perk of being Korean is having a Korean Mom that always pays for dinner when we go! The Kalbi and Bulgoki are top-tier; the service can be a little more efficient, especially when it comes to keeping you hydrated. But overall, a quality dining experience and some great, authentic Korean fare!
(4)
will c.
One of the better korean restaurants I've been to. It's located in a strip mall just a bit further down el camino from the tofu house. Look for the piano stores. Their banchans are spectacular. I really like their marinated potatoes and their scrambled egg pancake. I got their tofu soup with beef. Word of caution, they don't go by korean spice levels- medium is not spicy. The beef was a bit tough but still edible. Ask them for the egg to put into the tofu soup when you order or else they'll skimp on it. A few friends had the dolsot bibimbap and really liked the sweeter flavored beef. The sauce that goes along with it is tasty as well.
(4)
Mavis G.
This is a good authentic Korean restaurant that won't embarrass your friends or family from Asia. It's not a restaurant with only a few good dishes so you can safely experiment dishes you have never tried or heard. We come here often with friends, coworkers or families both during weekdays and weeknights mostly for dinner and always get seated pretty quickly (occasionally even before people who were there first). And similarly, we feel a bit neglected in terms of service when we are only a party of 2.
(4)
Steve J.
This is the first time I have been to this restaraunt; from all of the positive reviews I expected more. The location was good, parking no problem, nice clean place. But the portions were small. The food was good, but then again on the appetizers they bring out (Kimchi, etc.) the portions were very small. We had a large group and they reluctantly brought us more when we asked. Had to ask for more tea, waitress following-up to see if we needed anything more was spotty and really not up to par. So I'm not sure if I will be back. There are many more Korean BBQ restaraunts out there; seems like if you drive along the El Camino Real you'll hit one about every 5 miles. So this more of a neutral review, or slightly positive. It's worth a try to see if you like it more. I may or may not go back. Maybe when I have done all the other nearby KBBQs I'll give it another try.
(3)
Chihee K.
The service is great - very attentive and almost motherly staff (one told my boyfriend that if the red pepper sauce was too spicy for his dol sot bab to use soy sauce). However, the food was below average for me. Some of the banchan dishes tasted sour (almost to the point of spoil) and my yuk hwe jang was somewhat flavorless.
(2)
Vy R.
First time I heard of their name, I thought it was some sort of XXX strip joint. Friends brought me here, and I'm glad they did!!!! We usually go to Korea House or Bluestones in SC when we crave korean food. Now we have a new joint. Great sides, yummy bbq and no wait! This restaurant's very spacious, so you don't have to wait long. Just don't get seated in the back, or they'll forget all about you.
(4)
Cat K.
This is my favorite Korean Restaurant that I've found so far on the Peninsula. They are a bit difficult to find and are located by some defunct looking businesses - I think there is a Karaoke Store, an Indian Dance studio, and a Piano store in the same complex. There is always an abundance of parking too. They serve nice portions of food and give great side veggie dishes. My favs are the bbq chicken, oyster pancakes, meat jun, and spare ribs.
(4)
Eunjoo P.
This restaurant has hands down, the best kalbi ever!! I would choose this place for kalbi over the all you can eat korean bbq at Palace buffet down the street, any day! :D Quality OVER quantity. :) Life is too short! Best marinade ever & they cook it perfectly. I brought 5 orders of their kalbi to my boyfriend's surprise birthday pool party/bbq thing I was throwing for him over the summer & omg all the kalbi was gone in a heartbeat but I was lucky enough to catch the last strip of kalbi for my boyfriend. lol Those who did get to try it, all asked where I got it & if I could get more but we were all the way in Fremont. :/ Recently I brought $150 worth (about 7 orders) of their kalbi to a potluck in one of those huge silver pan things they give you when u get food catered...again the kalbi was gone before some people even got to try it. lol I also like that this restaurant always asks me how many orders of rice I'd like with my orders & they always give me more than enough...think there was a lot of rice left over at the potluck. :D
(5)
Janet H.
Korean Secret Garden Restaurant shouldn't be a secret because it's so good! More on the pricy side, but worth it! Try coming here M-F for their lunch specials and you can get a good deal. I really like their banchan! Our waitress happily refilled the potatoes in this sweet sauce that I devoured after every refill. All their side dishes were really good, except for the kimchi. It was really sour... The stonepot bi bim bap was amazing!!! TONS of veggies and goodies inside. Good amount of meat, too. The sauce could be better, but I'm not complaining. Comes in a huge portion, so I doggy-bagged it and still tasted just as good the next day. I tried the spicy pork, not bad either. I love the charcoaled taste to it. Also a huge portion and can feed two people for $14. I haven't tried the bbq yet, but I hope to do so in the future. But for now, Korean Secret Garden is probably my favorite place to get bi bim bap!
(4)
Hagana K.
Definitely one of the best Korean spots in the area, and you know there are a LOT of Korean spots in this area. Not as many banchan as I like to see, but not every place can be Norbu. Still, the banchan that were served were excellent, especially the soybean/mungbean sprout combo. I also liked the pa-jeon/japchae appetizer you get. The sullungtang was every bit as good as Kunjip's, and my fiancee loved her bibimbap. Can't wait to come back and try their yukgaejang as well.
(5)
Paul L.
I waited 20 mins for them to take my order before I just got up and left with my gf. If you plan on going here plan to go with a big group because it seems like they only like you if you are in a big group. There were people in big groups that came in after us but got served before we did. Also there was some kko choo ga roo (red pepper) on my glass of water. I don't think I am ever going back to this place.
(1)
A V.
I would have given this place three stars for the okay food, but it's getting two stars because of the mediocre food in conjunction with poor service. I ordered the bibimbap and liked it, but everything else was just okay. There wasn't anything memorable about the seafood pancake (too doughy and not enough seafood) or the bulgogi (tasted similar to every other restaurant I've been to). The ban chan was limited and they were tiny portions, which is okay because they weren't that great and my friend and I didn't finish any of them. I'm not picky about service, but this place basically had none after they took your order and brought me my food. They never came by to refill our drinks or ban chan. My friend called out a couple times when the servers passed us, but it took a couple tries to flag someone down just to get them to refill our water. There are so many other Korean restaurants in the area that serve the same thing with better service, so I probably won't be coming back here.
(2)
Marilyn T.
Don't be turned off the un-updated and abandoned looking parking lot - it just adds to the authenticity. When you walk in, it looks pretty traditional in terms of lay out, and you can't tell from the outside, but it's actually clean and pretty well lit inside. We started with the traditional banchan (kimchee, radish, fish cake, seaweed, bean sprouts, romaine) but also some miso soup and a plate with chapchae (well flavored, not too oily) and a fish cake. We came here mostly for the mae un tang, which is hard to find. Their fish soup is done with sea bass, which comes at a premium price of $23 per bowl, but it's high quality and is worth it. The sea bass was very tender, but it doesn't have as much flavor on its own without the soup. Soup stays warm and is very flavorful without being too salty (probably due to all the onion, scallions, herbs, and mushrooms). You can't find mae un tang everywhere around here, so I'm glad I was able to get a good one. They also had lots of other stews that were tempting (fish egg, kimchee, tofu, seafood, mushroom, etc). The cold buckwheat noodles were pretty standard - lots of red sauce, so lots of flavor. The noodles could have been a little more chewy. Every other table had bibimbap, so I'm thinking I should have gotten that instead. You definitely need lots of refills on water here to wash down the food. They do have beers on tap and also some liquor, including Johnny Walker on the shelf. Canned sodas are $1 each. Like many other Korean places do, they give you complimentary yogurt drinks with the check. The ladies working here are all in pink uniforms and are smiling and friendly. It's nice to have a Korean restaurant that does more than just bbq and tofu.
(4)
Ken A.
grilled mackerel bento. nice staff. no wait. dank food. authentic. dank appetizers. unlimited. unlike japanese. chill place man. food is good.
(4)
John H.
This traditional Korean standby hits the right marks every time for me. Ask any lover of Korean food in the South Bay and they'll know this old joint. They are consistently good and the side dishes are tasty and plentiful. A great place to eat with the co-workers and family with plenty of parking... always.
(4)
Rachel L.
My favorite korean restaurant! The service is always quick and other than the banchan they give a mini appetizer of vegetable pancake and japchae. They have more plates of banchan than most of the other places I've been to. Their kimchi is the kind I prefer because it's not too sour. I also like the broccoli and soft white jelly in chili sauce. I love the bbq chicken- it's super tender, perfectly flavored, and comes out on a huge hot platter. The spicy buckwheat noodles are also very yummy, the texture is chewy and although I finished the whole bowl I didn't feel sick. The normal buckwheat noodles has ice so it's great for a hot day. They give cucumbers, radish, an egg with 2 yolks, beef (too tough), and so much noodle. It tastes very light though so I recommend to take out the ice before the soup becomes too watery. Their bibimbap is a generous portion and my mom said it's very good. I heard their weekday lunch combos are a great deal- cheap and they give a variety of food.
(5)
Jennifer N.
I can live off of Korean food for the rest of my life indeed, but this restaurant was just OKAY. I came here with the intention of eating like a heffer after carefully reading and examining the reviews on Yelp. I ordered the dumpling soup which was good, but not great. You get 8 pieces of dumplings which are pretty huge but was pretty flavorless. I thought, well... eh, it's okay. It's probably just mine. My friend ordered the Spicy beef soup, and it was just as flavorless as mine. The side dishes were also not of great quality. The marinated cucumbers shouldn't look soggy at all. I guess it was overly soaked in vinegar that it started wilting. Ew, wilting cucumbers = no no. It wasn't a memorable experience but it was okay. I will probably give this place another try some other time. The highlight of the evening was the probiotic drinks that looked like Yakult. It was a nice and refreshing way to end a bland dinner.
(3)
Marrisa R.
The food looks old like a left over and taste is mediocre. The service isn't great either. We came mid afternoon for early dinner, the place is empty and now I know why.
(1)
Jeffrey L.
Came here for lunch with a couple of friends. Decor is nice and the place feels pretty relaxed and clean. Service was prompt and efficient, nothing too special. Banchan was very standard fare, and nicely tasty. They give you ~5 or so dishes (bean sprouts, pickled broccoli, marinated potatoes, kimchi, etc). It wasn't particularly amazing, but it was solid and good enough to satisfy a banchan-lover's craving for banchan. Lunch specials run for about $8, with kalbi commanding something like $14. The food was nice, but nothing special. Very standard, pretty decent food (I had the spicy pork). The portions, IMHO, were just average and weren't super filling. You can't go wrong with Secret Garden, but it won't be super memorable either. This is Koreatown, so there are tons of other good choices in the area. Secret Garden is just one among dozens.
(3)
Ted W.
Okay, having been here twice for lunch now, I can say that the food at this place definitely deserves its 4-star rating. The service is a little sporadic at times, but oh well. Lunch is an exceptional value...specials go for $6.50. However, my friend and I also wanted the Korean pan cake, so we got it -- the haemul pa juhn. Ironic that it cost $11.95 because that's like 2 lunch specials. I have to say, though, it was worth every penny...SO GOOD! It was pure pan fried goodness (it has green onion, vegetable, and some seafood in it). The kim chee chi ghe lunch special I got was good, too. My only complaint is that they serve the hot soup with a metal spoon, and I had to ask for a plastic one so I didn't burn my tongue off (in retrospect I should have asked for a glass one, but I didn't think they had it). Apparently all Koreans have tongues of stone, because I don't understand how else you can have such a hot soup with a metal spoon. In any case, they brought me a not-so-great disposable plastic spoon, so I am totally bringing my own spoon next time. Last comment about the lack of service at this place...it's near impossible to flag someone down because they're all walking so fast. Still, though, this place is an excellent value for lunch, and I would come here again.
(4)
Diana M.
ehh, it's aright. We ordered spicy pork, seafood pancake, cuttlefish, and kimchee tofu. Food was cool but nothing overly impressive. The seafood pancake was a bit too cakey for my taste. And the banchan was surprisingly limiting? Nonetheless, were were in good company and good conversation.
(3)
Alea G.
I've been here so many times that it's probably about time that I reviewed it. This is my family's go-to Korean restaurant. I highly recommend Secret Garden. Very good and authentic Korean food with a lot of menu options to choose. The ban chan here is amazing! They have great, great oi kimchi (cucumber kimchi). They also give you a lot of ban chan and will refill it for you. Trust me, my brother and I go through like four things of the oi kimchi each time we're there. Secret Garden is also my favorite place to go for dolsot bibimbap (it's the bibimbap in the large stone pot). I love it. They've also got fantastic dokbokki. Try it. The sauce. Oh I love the sauce they use. The kalbi is pretty good, albeit a bit on the expensive side. I also like the daeji bulgogi (spicy bbq pork), but no one makes it the way my grandma does. She sets a pretty high bar in terms of daeji bulgogi. Their nengmyuns (cold noodles) are pretty standard. The bibimnengmyun is pretty spicy, though. I wish they did one of those kalbi/nengmyun combos, but whatever. I also tried the ramen there once. It was very heavy on the seafood, but I liked it. Service is pretty good on the whole. Might be a little less so when it get super crowded, but it's pretty good on the whole.
(5)
Diana C.
Secret Garden has a large variety of solid Korean food. When I went for dinner, they gave us a lot of different types of banchan, including japchae and pancake. I've heard that during lunch they don't give you quite as many types? They have a lot of different types of food on their menu. On that day I was craving sul lung tang. My mom ordered soondubu, and my dad ordered gom tang. All our food was pretty yummy. I want to go back and try their hwedupbap and their BBQ meat. The only thing keeping this place from getting 5 stars is their service. They are understaffed so instead of clearing the tables they would seat people further and further back. We didn't bother asking for refills on anything because they already had so many tables to serve. They really should hire some more waitresses!
(4)
Annie D.
I've been here twice now, with several different friends, and the service is always friendly, the food is already great! They have good classic korean food, nothing super fancy like at Jang Su Jang. I love their little plates, and their raw beef with the raw egg is delicious. I've been with Korean friends, and they like the mellow atmosphere. If you are looking for something fancy and to impress a girl, try Jang Su Jang. But if you want something down-to-earth, and good food, go here.
(5)
Alex K.
Secret Garden is a great spot in a very unassuming strip mall. We came with a large group for lunch, and crawled away stuffed. The banchan was very good to average. The kimchi was good, but the cucumbers were sweet and delish (despite the amount of red soup it was sitting in). For the main course, we had bulgolgi, kalbi, chicken and a BBQ pork rib. The food was prepared in the back, no table service. All cuts were well seasoned, but sometimes came out a little burnt. The interesting dish was the BBQ pork rib "stew", which came out in a pot, cooked in a sweet bbq pepper sauce. Not a typical tasting dish from most Korean restaurant I've patronized. Service was very good, and we were well attended to. I can't wait to come back to try the seafood.
(4)
Lance C.
Recommended by a Korean friend. I became a fan. The price is a bit higher than other Korean place in Santa Clara K-town, but the food is also slightly better. I really liked the oyster pancake because it has one oyster per small pancake with great taste.
(4)
Joanna R.
Hum, a solid three stars. Arriving there not too long before closing time didn't make much of a difference in their service (or maybe it did, since I hadn't been there since they changed owners). Anyway, I can't say their dishwashing is so successful but I guess I can overlook that cause it wasn't terribly dirty or anything. I ordered the kimchi dolsot bibimbap and it was surprisingly pretty good. It had a good mix of vegetables and the kimchi really was the best part about it. I suggest getting a regular bibimbap if you don't like too hot stuff. Tastes pretty much the same. The three stars are for their service, quality of food, and general environment.
(3)
Dave K.
The place was pretty average. I ordered the Hwae-Do-Bap. It is the rice with salad and raw fish. It was decent. They did give me a lot of fish which I liked. The side dishes were alright but I thought it could have been little better. They didn't really provide many of them so there really wasn't a lot to eat from. Looking at their menu, the price isn't so bad. But the meat menu looked fairly expensive for a Korean restaurant. I actually thought the place was just a bar at first because as soon as I walked in, it was the bar lounge. Overall, it was decent. I can't really complain all that much since I was pretty full after the meal and it was good. I would probably come again to try one of their soups on the menu. It looks pretty good from the picture, so maybe I shall try it next time when I'm in the area.
(3)
Kim N.
We were going to hit En just in the next shopping center over and found out the hard way they weren't open for lunch then. Doh. So we head over here looking blindly for a place to eat and we ended up here. First impression: everyone here is Korean and older, this place has to be legit. Two, they didn't frown upon a large group of non Koreans taking over a huge table. In fact it was akin to the UN stepping into Korea as my group covered Australia to Arkansas, so we were a varied team. Ordered pork belly, spicy pork, spicy tripe, dumplings, seafood pancakes, the works. It was nice to see a place cover all the different Korean style cooking styles. Grilled, tofu soup, bi bam bap, whatever, they had it. Everything was pretty tasty and the staff were all super friendly. Definitely coming back to try more items on their vast menu.
(4)
Suaan Y.
The food here is classic old-school Korean food. They have a good range of different types of Korean food like Nang myun, soon dubu, and BBQ. I love the many side dishes they offer and they will give free refills if you ask. Their decor isn't as trendy as some other places are, but it's alright. I always go here if the wait at Jang su Jang is way too long.
(4)
Patrick H.
How do you pick which Korean place to eat at when there are hundreds, if not billions, along El Camino? You go by recommendations from a Korean. Or when you can't find one, fill-in with a Chinese friend. Close enough, lah! The food here was not overly salty like most Korean food can be, so I didn't get the swollen fat finger syndrome afterwards, just the "itis" (sleepy-cuz-I-ate-too-much syndrome). Between two of us, we got the kim chee che gai (kim chee soup), dol sot bibimbop, and the Dinner D special - kalbi, fried shrimp tempura, and fried fish. I'd recommend everything except for the fried items, because they were fairly oily and had that old oil flavor to them. The banchan were good and the waitresses were fairly attentive too, so I'll be back another time.
(4)
Callie S.
Mind-blowing bibimbap. I'm serious, it has stolen my heart. They brought us a mini-appetizer of japchae and vegetable pajun. Japchae was packed with vegetables and delicious-I hate it when places overload on noodles and are stingy with vegetables. Panchan were authentic and fresh, and they had great kimchee. I ordered kimchee dolsot bimbimbap, my fiance had sullungtang. They served the bibimbap in an oversized stone bowl, which allowed for optimal surface area for the crunchy, slightly burned rice at the bottom (best part). I had this bibimbap seven hours ago, and I haven't stopped thinking about it. I may go back tonight. It is more expensive than other places on El Camino ($10.95-12.95) but definitely worth it!
(5)
Ede S.
THE BEST KALBI EVER!!! I've had my share of kalbi and they always taste the same to me, but this my friend, was different. The flavor was immense and just simply amazing! We also tried the dol sot bi bim bap which was good. The rice stuck on the sides were crisp to a perfection. There was also a great selection of ban chan (we didn't ask for refills, so there was that much that they offered). I'm a fan of the watery egg ban chan, which I don't see often at most places anymore. So the only weird thing was that the waitress gave us two bowls of rice with a cover on it. I opened my cover and was about to put a piece of kalbi on it when she suddenly decided to take it away. umm, weird?! First of all, are you going to serve it someone else, cause that's a tad bit unsanitary. And seriously, you already gave us the rice, just let it be. It's wasted goods anyway since I opened the top. Yeah, we just thought that was odd and a bit rude. Besides the rice malfunction, the food was great! I can't wait for more kalbi here (it sure beats Jang Su Jang, which I personally don't think is all that!),
(4)
Phil D.
I've been to this place fairly often, but always end up ordering one of two dishes: Hwe Dup Bop (Raw fish and greens with rice) or Yuk Hwe Bi Bim Bap (Raw beef and vegetables with rice). Both are rather risky, because of the raw seafood and beef. However, the taste just can't be beat. If I lived closer, I'd be tempted to eat there every day. I've never had an issue, so the ingredients must be fresh. The variety of side dishes is great. I think around 10 dishes. In the early evening, you often get a free 'appetizer' before the side dishes, such as a small dish of Jap Jae, which I really like, or some sort of omelet, with I could do without. This is a great place to go if you want to talk during dinner. There are several tables that are somewhat hidden away, where it's very quiet. My only complaint about this restaurant is that it's often hard to get somebody's attention if you want to order or ask for the check. I guess that's the downside of getting a table that's hidden away in a corner. Staff is very friendly, though. They always apologize profusely for forgetting you, :-)
(4)
Christina L.
Cool interior! Totally old school Korean restaurant and the inside won't let you forget! This place has been around for a looooong time and I can see why. Good ol' Korean food in a old school Korean restaurant setting. The service wasn't the best service ever but better than most Korean restaurants. Food = good but again not the best. Go for the unique old school look, assortment of side dishes, and dumpling & rice cake soup. YUM.
(4)
Vera T.
The dol sot bibimbap there is a solid 4 star rating. Everything else there is 3.5 stars. I usually come here for lunch, and they have a lunch menu that's pretty good for the price. You get a box lunch with the BBQ meat of your choice. My preference is the spicy pork or the bbq chicken. I normal like bbq beef from korean places, but theirs always have some weird fat trimming on it that I don't really like to deal with. When I feel like indulging, then I order the dol sot bibimbap for lunch. A big serving of bibimbap over a steaming stone bowl, YUM. This bibimbap is much more tasty than other places for some reason, it may be because they have the meat/veggies/rice proportion correct. Whatever it is, I end up stuffing my face with the mixed rice goodness.
(4)
Nain M.
I hate writing long reviews so will keep it short. Pros 1) Popular dish - Bim Bop with meat. I luv it in stoneware. 2) Pre-meal appetizer variety is pretty nice. 3) Lots of menu choices. Priced well for lunch and dinner. Cons 1) Service becomes really slow during weekday lunch rush hour even for water refills.
(4)
Shelly C.
I usually come here for lunch and order the spicy pork lunch special. It consist of spicy pork, japchae (the clear noodles) 2 pieces of tofu, rice and sometimes some sort of fruit. And of course, side dishes. The price of the meal is very inexpensive (less than $10) considerate I am able to finish it. I would say the side dishes are plentiful, except customer service here is very, very poor. It takes about 5-10 minutes to get the check, and for some reason, although they do not appear to be short staff, they are always so slow. My friends and I have a cheat system where once we get the food, we will ask for the check. If we're lucky, sometime they speed things up. But again, it can take a while just to get the check back. Overall, I would give it 3 stars. (the food is just so good) but service...well that's another story.
(3)
Sammy L.
Maybe I am biased because I am Korean...but this place is cheap and the food is fresh and tasty! My bf and I go here for lunch probably once a week and we leave spending $14.00 every single time. Also the girls are always super nice and my bf is Caucasian and they keep giving him extra honey potatoes! He asked for extra honey potatoes once and they remember all the time now. I thought it was funny!! I usually get the Mackerel lunch special and my bf gets the chicken or the BBQ special. Totally delicious!
(5)
Jacqueline N.
My sister took our family to this place years ago, and I took my friends there after. I love this place! I've only tried a few other Korean places in the area, and this is the best I've seen for the quality and price. The Jap-Chae is a must have. It's the glass noodles with meat and veggies. If you like your meat a little spicy try to pork bul-go-gi. It definitely has a kick to it. I find myself eating more of the yummy side dishes than the actual food. Love this place and would come back again and again.
(4)
Addi M.
At first glance, this place always looks closed because they have such tinted/mirrored windows, but just look a little harder and you'll see they're open for business! I ordered a tofu bowl to warm my bones, while my boyfriend ordered kalbi. The amount of kalbi he got was pretty impressive, and already fully sliced off of the bone! And my tofu bowl came out a-bubblin', a very good sign. We got several different appetizer dishes to go with, including a really tasty plate of glass noodles! Overall, I was really pleased with my food and the service. We were the only non-Korean patrons at the time, and I didn't feel like we were being gossiped about or treated any differently than others (which happens often at other Korean establishments). I'm eager to take advantage of their lunch deals, which look like a great price for great food!
(4)
Cookie Monster Z.
Ate here last Sunday. I ordered the dolsot bibimbap and it is 5-STAR QUALITY! Even better than the famed Omogari restaurant! haha! That's right, folks, you heard me: better than the wimpy "dolsot" bibimbap at Omogari. Korean Secret Garden's dolsot bibimbap is CRISPITY, CRUNCHITY delicious! I had the meat taken out and the egg well-done. The dolsot bowl is very hot and throughout my meal, the rice at the bottom kept on cooking. =) The food was piping hot, too! Perfect for a chilly day or cold night. They also didn't have cheap bibimbap fillers (like lettuce). There were a variety of different veges in the bibimbap. I was glad to see that my bibimbap did not mainly consist of the banchan (it had just a little bit of kongnamul/beansprouts, which is my favorite!). I hate places where bibimbap looks like the banchan being served! OH! and a soup came with this dish, but I didn't eat it because the broth was probably made from anchovies. They had a lot of banchan! I ate their chive pancake (looked vegetarian to me), vegetarian japchae (OH SO YUMMY!), seaweed & cucumber kimchi, a spicy-sweet cucumber kimchi (I'm going to start making this at home!), soybean sprouts & mung bean sprouts, soy bean, and I ate a little bit of the turnip kimchi. I can't wait to get my money because I want to eat here again.
(4)
Hansen L.
The food is great here. Service and location not so much, but that's generally how it is with Korean restaurants in K-town, right? We've never had to wait it be seated here, regardless what time during the evening we come. I think this is due to the fact that there are relatively good number of tables. It might be a little hard to find for first timers as it's setback in the plaza that it's in. We generally have dinner here and order the bimimbap and bulgogi. The bibimbap is perfect with just the right flavors and ingredients. The bulgogi is so good. Moist and full of flavor, by far one of the better bulgogi I've had. I also love all the side dishes they serve, especially the glass noodles (Chap Chae). The service could use a lot of work. The waitresses are always running around, but don't seem to give you the time of day. It always takes far too long to get one of them to take your order. They need to either hire more waitresses or specialize in certain tasks. Like other reviews mentioned, Secret Garden is a little more expensive then other Korean restaurants around, but it won't break the bank by any means.
(4)
Audrey K.
PROTIP: If you're in a big group, get a separate check or remember how much your stuff was. The check is written in Korean, with a separate receipt that just has numbers. Food - 4 Extensive menu with some items you won't find at other Korean restaurants in the area. The food was really tasty - my ttukgook was rich and hot on a cold night. My friends got the Dinner C (lots of food with a reasonable price), the hot stone bibimbap (the egg was perfect and the bibimbap was filling, or so I'm told!), and the pan fried king fish was fantastic. (I had to steal some.) The portion sizes are reasonable and worth the price, and the food quality is tasty. I am docking a star because the bulgogi looked different from bulgogi I've gotten anywhere else. I think it was how thin the beef slices were. Otherwise, it tasted the same. Service - 4 I'd made a reservation earlier in the day, so maybe that helped. We were a big group, and were served promptly. The service was just fine. I do want to note that this restaurant was packed full of Korean customers, so when my (white) friend showed up late the hostess smiled and told him the group he was looking for was in the back. I just found this pretty funny. Atmosphere - ??? Why would you go to a Korean restaurant for atmosphere? Go for the delicious food! TL;DR - Would come back again, and often!!! :)
(4)
James K.
Have been going to this restaurant for years (even changed ownership once, and even changed servers).. Kimchee is great, with free refills.. Usually order Seafood Tofu
(5)
SuperMeowie Y.
Summary: Average/slightly above food, but poor service. I won't go again. Eating out should be an experience. Why support a biz when the service is poor. There are plenty of restaurants. Decor/Location = It is within a stripe mall. Dark and dim inside. Service = We were greeted by some sad faced waitresses. She took our order without writing it down, then messed up our order and insisted she was right. Come on!!! (due to the language barrier, we decided not to waste our time). She also gave us other table's order by accident and took it away after 2 mins. Food/Drinks = -Kal Bi (BBQ Ribs) - My sis raved about their ribs. it is alright to me. -Braised ribs - tasty and tender -Beef soup - average. We have better from other places. Value = Kal Bi lunch $13.99. Other lunch is around 7.5 Kid Friendly = average.. they have the space and highchair. That's about it.
(1)
S J.
This place is pretty good. It also has Meat-Jun which not a lot of Korean places have.
(4)
Suany W.
Unspectacular but decent for lunch, especially with the super awesome lunch menu prices that make a stingy Asian very happy. I always order the B.B.Q. Chicken Special, a bento box with chicken pieces, rice, chap chae and marinated tofu accompanied by a bowl of seaweed soup (I think...I've never actually tasted it). The banchans are okay - the sweet glazed potato one is my favorite. I'm not exactly a fan of Korean seafood pancake so I can't say much about their rendition except the huge green onion pieces are distracting. It's hard to look shekshi while eating when there's long ass green things hanging out of your mouth!
(3)
Elaine T.
I have been meaning to write a review for this place since I come here so often, so now I have the chance! My first visit here was wonderful and every visit is exactly the same. We always order the dinner combinations--consists of "party" sized plates of beef short ribs, chicken, or pork marinated Korean style. The dinner here also comes with TONS of sides (kim chi). We also order the spicy seafood soup (I forgot what its called), noodles (sorry I forgot what they're called! but there's bean sprouts and other stuff in there) and the oyster cakes. We love all our choices. Their signature Korean BBQ meat is always so tender and flavorful. You'll love every bite! --4 stars for the food! Service is great! Except when they're busy (and they're busy a lot!) because you hardly get any attention and refills on your kim chi when you can't wave the waitresses down. The waitresses are really friendly and cute! They're good about refilling your kim chi or tea for you when you ask... if you can get their attention. I took away a point for the price. Yea, I know, for what it is, it should be worth the money we spend, but I'm cheap okay? For a party of 5 we usually spend about $80 (not including tip and tax) since we usually order two dinner combos, a soup, a noodle dish and the oyster cakes. No drinks, just tea. Look to be a little spendy here, but you'll be satisfied. Can't go wrong with Korean BBQ!
(3)
Jen D.
Really decent korean bbq... Good amount of banchan... Ju mul luk was very tender and flavorful. Cha dol bae gi isn't as thin as I would like, but still good. Yukaejang was ok, but not great. The only thing I don't like about this place is that they bring out a portable burner instead of having the tables with burners built into them.
(4)
Lynn P.
Came here because Tofu House was closed. We were given the menu and it had the lunch specials. When we were ready to order, we were told the lunch menus were only for weekdays. Would have been nice to show that o the calendar or been told that in advance. I ordered the SPICY kimchi seafood mushroom tofu. My food came out, there was no kimchi. I showed them the menu said kimchi and I was told it was a misprint. They brought me a side of kimchi. The soup was not spicy and needed a lot lot lot of salt. I guess she saw or heard me saying it was not spicy so she brought out a side of the fermented chili paste. Then brought out the portable gas burner and heated up my soup at our table. She added water, more chili paste and chopped jalapenos. Great effort but still bland and a little spice. The seafood pancake was ok. All the sides were bland. First Korean place that I didn't like the kimchi. Will not be coming back here.
(1)
Siobhan F.
Pretty yummy stuff. Whenever my parents want Korean we come here. Order the usual bulgogi etc. It come with all these pickles so you really don't have to order much and can still leave pretty full
(4)
Jeff H.
Food is great! 4 stars for the food. 0 stars for their attitude. I don't live in the area so the GF and I can only go on weekends. However on weekends they don't do the lunch specials so everything is pretty much over $20. For $20 you do get a lot of food so we just get one and share. That's usually when the server gives us the stink eye. But seriously, if we get 2 orders it would be way too much food for us. And compared to other Korean places, they don't give you enough of the side dishes. Only when we specifically ask for more of something do they very reluctantly bring it out. The GF and I had one of our first meals here when we started dating so Secret Garden does have some sentimental value for me. But I don't want to put up with their crabby attitude for much longer. As soon as I find a better Korean bbq in the area, this place is getting yanked from my list of regulars.
(2)
Jessica D.
Very good! The service was great as soon as I walked in the door. They served me this amazing corn tea, which I was instantly obsessed with. (if anyone knows where I can get some, please let me know.) I ordered the dolsot bi bam bop. It was freaking delicious. I loved the crispy rice and how it kept everything super hot! YUM. The banchan was also pretty good. Me being white I usually don't know what things are but I am down to try anything. I ate 4/6 of them which is pretty good for me. :) The soup was good too. I came around 3-4pm and it wasn't very busy, but as I was leaving a bunch of people started coming in. I find myself craving this place. I need to go back soon. The exterior does not do it justice at all, so don't be scared. They need to update that, lol. And it is in the back of a little shopping plaza, just in case you can't find it.
(4)
Shayna H.
Despite the 3.5 stars, I still decided to give this place a try - purely because of its kalbi tang (short ribs soup). And I wasn't disappointed at all.... I was actually extremely happy with the food I ordered. After trying kalbi tang in Ktown in LA for the first time, I've determined to find something similar up in the bay area. After trying similar yet not so satisfying dishes at Choi's Kitchen and Seoul Gom Tang, I finally got my craving fulfilled here. First of all, the banchan (side dishes) were not bad. To be fair, no single restaurant makes all dishes great. Most side dishes are a little on the sour side, but are acceptable. They gave chapchae as one of the side dishes, which already won my heart over!!! It was very good, not too oily like some places, so yay~~~~ And it was the oyster pancake thing, which is more like an oyster omelet to me. It was a little oily, and I didn't find it fascinating. For about $13, it's something I can pass next time I go there. Not saying it's terrible tho. Finally, the star of the day -- kalbi tang.The portion was good, the soup was flavorful, and the meat was awesome. Just like what I have been searching for. I was feeling super satisfied and excited while enjoying the soup.... AWESOME!!!! The waitresses here do speak conversational English with some accent, but definitely able to take your order & communicate. The decor was alright, but it wouldn't look right if it has fabulous interior design. When you're more than happy to dine somewhere without thinking about how the restaurant looks like, you know they serve good food. Did I mention they give Yakult like drinks (some Korean brand, not the real Yakult) as "dessert"? That's also a nice plus!!!
(4)
J L.
Being of Korean descent, I have been to many Korean restaurants. I would say that Korean Secret Garden has consistently been good. Their delicious kalbi is very flavorful and tender, although not a large amount (go to Palace BBQ Buffet down the street west on El Camino Real). I really like their yu ke jang (stringy beef with glass noodles in spicy soup), and would highly recommend it. You can't go wrong with their bibambop. They have a good assortment of vegetables, egg, and a decent amount of bulgogi. Their banchan is not bad, although we haven't had great luck with it when ordering take-out. They don't provide nearly as much as if you dine in. I will conclude that if we are in the mood for Korean food, this is our default restaurant.
(4)
Alissa B.
Went here for lunch with a group of friends and was quite impressed. We pretty much had the whole place to ourselves during the Sunday lunch hour. In addition to booths, there are large circular tables so it would be a good place to go with a larger group. The food & service were quite good. We got some tasty little appetizers for free, and of course enjoyed the pickled sides & kimchi. We ordered tofu soup, "low calorie noodles" (yes, that's what they're called on the menu!), and bul go gi (tender BBQ beef). It was all quite delicious and well priced.
(5)
John-Michael C.
You never forget your first time... I would have written about Seoul but Yelp isn't quite there yet on the international scene yet so I'll talk about this lil secret. Before I met the SBC and learned about almost all that is korean, i used to go here all the time. Now, I just dont have the time to check out all the new places and go here.. especially when i'm less than sober. It's not safe kiddies. Either which way, I love the amount of banchan they would give and all the meat. Wait, stop right here... I have to take a moment to say that I love the (i'm strictly guessing what it is) honey potatoes. *DROOL Back to what I was saying, though I have a tendency to want to cook my own food due to an obsession with open flames, I have to admit that when i'm lazy that they grill it... dare i say, better than I do. And then there's the mackrel, the gogi's and kalbi's all of which are great. Someday I will be back to eat all of you again. if only you had loud music, cuter clientele and open really really late then i'd be here all the time ;D
(4)
Sophia Y.
minus 3 stars for sucky service? during our meal, they had a leak in the roof that started dripping down on us and our food. Did they apologize? No. Did they comp us anything no? shocking! we asked for a high chair, they said it would come. 10-15 minutes later. No high chair. we asked for ice water. never came. our other table asked for ice water, never came the only time the ice water came was when we asked for it and they were presenting the bill (perhaps b/c they wanted a tip?) the kalbit was delicious. the seafood stew ok. the ginseng chicken, was nice and tender. but the place seemed a little run down and the service sucked! perhaps it was good years ago, but now the service sucks. there are LOTS of Korean restaurants in the area. Perhaps time to go elsewhere.
(2)
Wei H.
Secret Garden came highly recommended by my buddy Ken C, a San Jose local Connoisseur, it wasn't long before we drove all the way down from Seattle, cough, I mean San Mateo, (although it felt like similar driving distance), to try this out anxiously! Tofu Soup and Beef Kalbi just about summed up this delightful experience. They were both amazing and needed not going into further detail because well, you'll just have to try them! Usually it is recommended to avoid ordering kitchen cooked ready Kalbi at a Korean BBQ place because they are almost always overcooked. Not here, not at Secret Garden. Any tofu soup here will also be sublime with medium spicy. If you are in anyway a fan of Korean BBQ, and afraid to get dirty, smelly cooking yourself, but desired tender beef quality, you won't be disappointed here in the slightest.
(5)
Nicholas R.
Okay Korean restaurant. Food wasn't anything special, but still very enjoyable. Seemed a bit on the pricier end, although there were free refills on the banchan and a very friendly wait staff. Adequate parking and decent location right off El Camino, so you can hop on over to Honeyberry or such afterwards.
(3)
Elizabeth C.
I was complaining to one of my former clients that I miss living in Koreatown only because of the food I was able to get just a block away from our rental apartment...Literally..I just have to roll out of my place, and find Calbi Tang - one of my fav. dishes. It helps when your husband is Korean because he knows what to order! I used to have Calbi Tang once a week, but since moving to the bay area, I went almost 8 months without it...EIGHT MONTHS. until... my client said: "Secret Garden is pretty good" so I looked it up, and brought my husband along the first chance I got! ;) I preface this by saying...This is the Bay Area, not Koreatown, so I am happy to have found Secret Garden. The Calbi Jin (excuse my spelling, I am not korean~ sorry...) , however, pales in comparison to my friend Jeanhee's version which she was kind enough to make me one time! You can also get BBQ if when you crave it (And I DO!!!!) I bring my friends here to try out as well.
(5)
B B.
I am Chinese. Some of the waitresses here are incredibly dismissive if you are not Korean (though there is one very nice lady), and last time I was here, one waitress was outright rude. I asked for one refill of the broccoli, and before I even finished asking, she walked away, saying "NO MORE." (Keep in mind, I hadn't had any refills). Plus, my kimchi jigae was burned. I was the only customer there, so there was no excuse for the bad service (no water refill, waitress ignored me and put silverware on other empty tables rather than bringing my bill), and there was definitely no reason for burnt food. If you must come here, the fried oyster is quite good, and the kimchi jigae usually is. The seafood pancake is horrible (very doughy and little seafood). As far as I am concerned, there are too many good Korean restaurants on the same street to put up with terrible service. I will return NO MORE.
(1)
Vera W.
I've only been here twice -didn't remember what we had the first time, it was a few months ago. It wasn't memorable but since there wasn't any problem we decided to give it another try. This time was a Friday night, we had to wait for a table for about 20 minutes. I expected a good variety of banchans by looking at tables of other seated customers. The staff were busy picking up the plates and giving out "yakult" probiotic drinks to at least 3 different tables. So finally we were seated -When the banchan came - we were dissapointed that we didn't get the japchae (glass noodles). I was quite sure that I saw it on the next next booth. We should have asked but we didn't. We decided to get the Kalbi + fried fish combination for $21.99? We were disappointed to find that the Kalbi only came in 2 pieces (2 rolls of long kalbi) -- for that price which were already more expensive than other places. For a few dollar more we could go to an all you can eat place :). We also ordered a combination soondubu and it was alright - the tofu was already smashed when it came to our table, thought it was weird. But anyways overall the food was pretty good so again, we're grumbling a little but was OK. Then when it's time to pay - we waited for the little probiotic drinks, but they never came. What's going on? They're being so inconsistent with their service within the same hour. Is it because we're not Korean??
(3)
Walter W.
With so many Korean restaurants to choose from in the Santa Clara area, we find that we end up at Secret Garden more often than not. I would rate the food as comfortable, where you are guaranteed to have authentic, perhaps above average Korean food with some interesting unique options like the Mushroom pancake (we call it mushroom pajun though that's probably wrong). Other options that are done well include the spicy pork bbq (teji bulgogi) and soondubu jigae (tofu stew). I've also had their black bean noodles (jia jang mun i think) which was also pretty good.
(3)
Boycotting R.
Went here for the first time do to a mix-up meeting a friend. She thought we were supposed to meet here and I thought SGD Tofu House. We ordered combo tofu soup for $9.95. The contents seemed plentiful, but I didn't like the soup base at all. It was very watery. No purple rice either, just white rice with some peas in it. Ban chan choices were good and they did give two pieces of seafood cake. So that was good. Service seemed fine too. They do need to remodel or do a decent cleaning. The dining room was looking suspect once you started really looking at things. Verdict: Keep this one secret...
(3)
Linh N.
2.5 - 3 Stars: I came for a late dinner and had the Kal Bi (marinated beef) and rice with beef, egg, and vegetables on a hot stoneware. The Kal Bi didn't have a lot of pieces of meat. There were three big pieces of bone that took up half of the plate. The portion was small. The stone rice didn't have a crispy layer. I waited awhile for the rice to harden up but it never did. I prefer the food at Korea House on El Camino Real over this place. The seafood stone rice at Korea House is good. It has a crispy layer with soft rice in the middle. I also had a seaweed soup and wasn't too fond of it. It was ok. The great aspect about Secret Garden is that they continually refill your kim chi. I like the cucumber kim chi and ate two portions by myself.
(3)
Brian K.
I'm very surprised with the other ratings here. compared to other ratings, my experience wasn't that great.. this incident made me stop going here.. this happened like few years ago. i went to Secret Garden with my Chinese friends and his mom. My friend's mom was treating us dinner, and since i was the only Korean there even though I pretended not to be one, i had to order and explain what type of food it is for my friend. So when my friend asked me what "yook gae jang" is, i had tough time answering it, so i called one of the waitress and asked for explanation. Guess what was the answer. "it's a soup" WTF?? i know it's a soup. Then we order like over 6 items, hoping it tastes good. The food was good, the service was? really bad. when the waitress was bringing the yook gae jang, she almost spilled it, b/c she threw the plate onto the table. the soup got on my dress shirt which i had to get it dry-cleaned. the waitress didn't even apologize for what has happened. that's not it, It gets worse. While we were eating, obviously, we were talking in English, and the waitress comes around saying stuff about us in Korean, thinking i don't understand them. At the end, i was pissed, and left "a dollar" as a tip because i thought that's what she deserved. When i was in my car, starting my car, that waitress comes out yelling at me saying that i left no tips for her. So.... i told her that if she wants her tip, she will have to pay for my dry-cleaning. and then she flicked me off. what a great customer service...
(1)
Ram G.
This place is good, but no as good as some people here say. There are tons of better Korean restaurants. Good service, and satisfies my cravings for Kimchi. I like it.
(3)
Mike S.
I went here once with a couple of friends -- it was one of the first times I've ever experienced cooking my own meal at the table. The server was very nice, although also a bit hard to get a hold of. The meat was well marinated, and we received some complimentary ToFu soup because we ordered so much food. My major complaint is how expensive the food was... I'd go back here, but only if I were driving around hungry in Santa Clara, and right in front of this place (and in the mood for Korean)
(3)
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Address :3430 El Camino Real
Santa Clara, CA, 95051
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Donghee C.
There are a lot of Korean foods. As a Korean, it's kinda true Korean food. I might not say it's so authentic, but it tastes like a real Korean food. I tried a Korean pancake, bul-go-gi, and some soups. And they also served Korean beers. But I don't really recommend that. But if you want to know that, not that bad.
(4)Nicole Y.
This resturant was excellent from the food to the service. This resturant is hidden in the back of a small plaza. We were seated immediately in a booth. We ordered 4 dishes and got an abundant amount of the small side dishes to share amongst us. The food came out promptly and was delicious. My favorite was a noodle seafood soup with a savory broth. To end the meal we got a pumpkin soup dessert that was delicious and light to end our meal. Overall I would recommend this place due to the great food that leaves one satisfied but not overly full.
(4)Hee-Kyeong J.
Meat: 4/5 Banchan(side dishes): 3/5 Service: 5/5 My friend and I ordered one serving of marinated kalbi and one serving of pork belly. He wanted to use the grill (you must order two servings of meat to use the it) but I wanted some soup. The manager saw we were having a hard time making a decision and offered a bowl of on the house! Neither of us were good at grilling meat, but we had a great time because the staff was very attentive and made sure we didn't burn our meat. It was a lot of food!! It would have comfortably fed 3-4 people! My friend and I were very full and content afterwards. They had 20 kinds of banchan, and they were alright. For me it would have been more impressive if they had served fewer kinds of higher quality banchan... and some perilla leaves (they only had romaine lettuce.) Overall the experience was very good, and I would come here again! Next time I want to order some saeng-kalbi.
(5)Brandon C.
This place has REALLY gone down hill since my last review. Since this is only an update review, I will keep it short. One of the tell tale signs that MSG is used in a dish, is that you get a headache afterwards. After dining here for lunch recently, I had left with a massive pounding headache, so much, that even maximum strength aspirin could not alleviate the pain I was in. What did I eat you may ask? Dol Sot-Bi Bim Bop Gal bi (bbq beef short ribs) (Total rip off! Don't order this) Tofu soup with beef Service has also gone down hill. They no longer ask if we wanted refills on our drinks or for anything else for that matter. They only hurried over for the money. Even though that took a while as well. Honestly, my respect is lost for this place. I for one don't want to obtain cancer, caused by all the MSG. But on top of that, service is my top priority in a restaurant. I could get better if I went to McDonalds.
(2)Andrew C.
tl;DR - great Samgyupsal (grilled pork belly) need to explore more of the menu --------------- I remember bookmarking this place a while back and then my memory was jogged by a co-worker saying this was one of his favorites in Santa Clara. Pretty high praise so I stopped by on my way home (SJ to Oakland). There was a Samgyupsal (grilled pork belly) special on a chalkboard by the door which I tried to order, but was told it was a larger multi-person thing for something like $60. With pork belly on the brain, I went with the regular Samgyupsal BBQ which was something like $19 (?) Of course, dining solo, they confirmed I was OK having this grilled in the kitchen. While I sipped my soju, 15 banchan were brought to the table ( yelp.com/biz_photos/kore… ) with the usual suspects (several kimchis, sprouts, fishcake, japchae) along with a few not so common items like a marinaded baby crab and another type of pickled raw seafood ( yelp.com/biz_photos/kore… ) and some cooked pork with jalapeño ( yelp.com/biz_photos/kore… ). Small portions of each, but they will provide refills. Samgyupsal goodies came out with some romaine lettuce, pickled mountain garlic leaves, jullienned green onions ( yelp.com/biz_photos/kore… ) and some sesame oil with salt and pepper for dipping ( yelp.com/biz_photos/kore… ) Too often, when having Samgyupsal cooked for you (dining solo doesn't allow for a lot of table top grilling) it comes out crisp like bacon vs the juicy cut of pork belly that it is (photo from my Tobang experience yelp.com/biz_photos/to-b… ). This is compounded by how thin some places slice their Samgyupsal. Neither of these were the case at Korean Secret Garden. I was surprised by what looked like a pretty paltry dinner portion of 6 slices ( yelp.com/biz_photos/kore… ) but it soon became evident, when the waitress cut these into bite sized pieces with tongs & scissors, that these were thick cuts of pork belly cooked properly in the kitchen. The slices were about 1/3" thick and the 6 chunks turned into about 16 decent sized pieces of juicy, fatty meat. The pickled mountain garlic leaves provided a nice contrast to cut the fattiness I'll be back soon to see how the rest of their food stacks up.
(4)Bonnie P.
I've tried just about every Korean restaurant in Santa Clara, and I've concluded that my favorite one is Secret Garden ( Bi-Won in Korean). We used to frequent this restaurant 4-5 years ago, when there was a different owner. Food was decent, but not amazing, and it wasn't very memorable so we eventually stopped going. Recently, we decided to give them another chance, as I heard there was a new owner. Man that was the best decision! Obviously nothing beats Korean restaurants in LA or Korea, but Secret Garden was up there in the list. They gave us around 16 banchans (side dishes), including a little plate of japchae! And they all tasted good and fresh. Food is on the pricier side, but most Korean food is costing easily over $12 in this area anyway, so it wasn't shocking. Plus you get all these side dishes on top of your meal (and they'll refill if you ask). I've tried their bibimbap, ohjinguh bokum (squid stir fry) and soups, and they were all very good. A lot of older Korean people frequent this place, which is also a good sign! The best part? the ladies who work there are very attentive and friendly. Service was awesome, and I never had to ask for water refill. This will definitely be our go-to restaurant when we crave Korean food! p.s. I noticed that few reviewers below were complaining about high price and small portion sizes, and I'm confused. I thought the portions were HUGE. If you were complaining about the side dish portions, don't forget that they're refillable. I think it's actually smart to provide small amounts in the beginning, so it doesn't go to waste in case you don't like them. And price is very competitive considering it's South Bay. Did you try other Korean restaurants in the area? Prices are all the same... I'm all for supporting small businesses, and I'm sure the rent is ridiculous on El Camino, so how can you blame them?
(4)Jessica T.
Why so expensive for mediocre food???? Banchan wasn't even that great. Aside from the nice server, the only thing good was the dessert drink. Sik hye I think is the name. Place was empty even though it was an hour to closing on a Sat night.....umm ok? Spicy squid stir fry didn't have that bright red gochujang, but a dark red sauce that was all at the bottom. Bibim nangmyeon the brothless one was just ok. $15 for wasn't that spicy squid stir fry $14 for summer noodles Total $33 Just forget it. Just a no.
(2)Dennis C.
Stumbled upon this place because I wanted to try Korean bbq and I was wandering aimlessly. I eat a lot of Asian food but not many Korean places in my part of Texas. I eat a lot of Vietnamese, Japanese, and my favorite...Thai. I tell you this because I went in as a Korean food neophyte, but not ignorant to Asian food. First, the service was amazing. Liz took the time to explain everything to me and to make recommendations based on my knowledge. She understood that I was not looking for an Americanized version! I had the bbq pork belly and a tofu soup with seafood. With nothing to compare it to in terms of other Korean restaurants, I have to say from a general quality perspective it was very good and I would not hesitate to bring coworkers or Asian customers here!
(4)Jasmine Y.
Came here for Mother's Day (important to note!) with my family (party of 4). We were the first people! Here's the breakdown: Food: 4.5 stars We got pork belly as well as spicy squid and bulgolgi tofu hot pot. Pork belly was delicious but a little bland. However when we brought it up, they graciously brought us a yummy dipping sauce that went great with the pork belly. As for the hot pot, it was delicious and spicy. It had a generous serving of squid and bulgolgi but my favorite was the spicy soup. It was also huge and more than enough for the 4 of us. They also brought out complimentary dessert rice drink and some crispy rice. Service: 5 stars If I could, I would give them more than 5 stars in this department. Our servers were attentive and kept refilling out side dishes. The stand out service though was how the host/manger warmly treated us. Our table had ordered a bottle of soju and near the end of the meal she walked by and asked my grandma if she liked the drink. My grandma said yes and the host walked away and came back with a new glass and some rice wine. She explained the drink to us and poured my grandma a complimentary glass and wished her a happy Mother's Day. On the way out, as we thanked her, she also gave my grandma a big hug. I was so touched by this and will definitely be back for the food as well as phenomenal service.
(5)Elmer M.
My new favorite Korean restautant!! Everything was just smooth to perfection - atmosphere, service, and of course the quality of the food and banchan. Definitely will bring more business to this wonderful establishment :)
(5)Hideki K.
It seems new management changed direction, obviously it is going to be higher price and less food while teste doesn't change. The service wasn't great as before, inefficient work flow stuck everything, we had to wait food is delivered and forgotten some we asked. wasn't good experience i never got this place before.
(2)Russ T.
5 Stars = As good as it gets (at least without going to Korea, or your Korean Grandma's house). Hadn't been here in a while, but had dinner with 6 friends on 7/7/15. Great food, great service. Bulgogi, Daeji bulgogi (spicy pork), chicken bulgogi, soondubu (spicy tofu soup), jap jae (noodles) and seafood pancake all excellent. The very small panchan dishes seem strange at first, but service is great and they're happy to bring more kimchi or any of the panchans you want. I had paid and walked out, when one of the ladies ran after me in the parking lot. They had included the tip for our group in our bill. I hadn't noticed and added tip on top of that. She pointed it out and I made an adjustment. Very nice and honest of her to do so. I've been up and down El Camino for years, and this is now my go to spot for Korean food. Can't wait to go back.
(5)Tee K.
Been awhile since I've been back here. A lot of things have changed. Owners changed and so did the food. This place is actually very authentic n good. banchan house made, very good, soup, meat and everything else good. They have a lot of dishes you don't see in other Korean restaurant . Recommend.
(5)Ken K.
OK I get it now During my recent first visit to Korean Secret Garden Restaurant on a weekend lunch, the majority of clientele were Korean with some Mandarin speaking Taiwanese. As far as the Taiwanese appeal....I don't know maybe it is the name. There are also some Taiwanese TV dramas that contain the word "Garden"....one of them featuring pretty boy bands (hey, singers gotta eat too and branch out their branding). Can't remember if the series was called Meteor Garden or Secret Garden (or both, or did I confuse some Korean TV Garden with a Taiwanese one?). But add that to the trend that is everything pop culture Korean in the last 8+ years, KBBQ being the center of culinary attention is now a thing of the past. Luckily there are no butterfaced plastic surgery enhanced pretty boy singers doubling as actors in here. Just decent food. High points: - plentiful banchan that will make most A$Ns plagued with getting most bang for their buck happy. Not as large of a spread as Korea House, but not bad at all for what you get - Polite and adequate service - Pretty decent food! Kimchi jjigae is nice and hearty, thick and on par with Juju Bee café. Better than Cheon Joo Young Yang Dolsot's. Kalbi Tang quite acceptable. Doesn't seem to be their specialty, but when they don't screw it up (it's fundamental) the rest of the menu can't be shabby. - Reasonable price point with a good variety on the menu beyond the tried and true Low points: - a bit dated of a restaurant - you will set yourself up for disappointment if you try to compare this place with Southern California Korean: OC and LA K-town. Venture away from your comfort zone on the menu, and you may find fairly delightful things. 3.5 to 3.75, rounding up. (Just waiting for a "My Secret Beer Garden / Biergarten" to open up.)
(4)Anand D.
We tried this restaurant because it was ranked as a top 5 Korean in the Bay Area in an article we came across on a blog. The article said it had a lot of Ban Chan. Our visit to the restaurant was pleasant. The place is clean and the servers were friendly. The Dolsot Bimbimbap was very tasty and included ingredients typically not included in run-of-the-mill restaurants. On the flip side, the restaurant is located in a plaza that looks old and sad. Food was more expensive than I expected. The seafood tofu soup was okay - it was a little watery and did not include too many ingredients. The whole point we went to the restaurant was because of the Banchan. We were served over 16 different types, but we enjoyed eating about 4 of them. We are likely not going to this place again.
(3)Doug C.
In read of shopping plaza hard to find from street. Soon dubu or tofu soup better than tofu house. Better panchan and they serve beer or cocktails much higher food quality than the typical chinese rest. Owner on site pretty
(5)Susan N.
I've eaten at a ton of Korean restaurants, both in OC and the Bay Area, and I've concluded that many of them can't deliver good to even mediocre customer service. This restaurant makes me want to boycott all of them. I'm appalled at the small attempt to be respectful to me and my boyfriend last night. Too bad since one of my favorite cuisines is Korean. We entered when there was a very tiny crowd, not surprising because there's a surplus of these restaurants in the area. We both opted for soups; he ordered galbi soup, and I ordered the spicy cod roe stew. I wanted to stray away from my usual order of tofu soup. We got our 15 options of ban chan, which added a huge smile to my face. I love ban chan more than anything, sometimes even more than the actual entree itself, and if I could get away with it, I would just dine here for them. My favorites were the clear glass noodles, Kim chi, fried egg cucumbers, pickled cucumbers, and others. There's an abundance of them- there's my positive note with this restaurant. Everything went downhill after we got our soups. The soup was spicy and flavorful, but the fish pieces were a bit dry. All in all, I didn't hate the dish nor did I love it. I should've ordered my beloved soondubu. The servers overlooked us many times that night to the point where I lost count. They never checked up on us, except for one occasion where our teas were refilled. They never directed their attention to us, even when I waved my hand to try to catch it. The entire night was awkward and encourages me to learn to cook Korean dishes so that I wouldn't have to face this anymore. Many glances towards us were empty, almost their way of asking us to leave. However, I noticed that even though we were alienated, the waitresses were very attentive with other diners at other tables. The intentional bad service makes me speechless and almost offended because they are selective with whom they deliver their respects to: the service is generally a miss for me when I dine at Korean restaurants. How do you say goodbye in Korean? (Insert here)
(1)David A.
Went back for dinner to give it another go since recent reviews say it's under new management. And the food was even better! I ordered the fish roe stew ($13.99), and it came in a gigantic pot filled to the brim. They used cod roe, which comes in bigger pouches and is tastier than pollack roe. Also, to my delight there was not a hint of freezer-burn like I've seen at some other restaurants (fish roe is susceptible to it...probably because not that many people order it.) It was cooked to perfection, with most eggs being the right amount of chewy and rolled onto my tongue with every bite. The broth was rich and multi-dimensional and tasted like it was made with shrimp shells and beef. Finally, the vegetables were put in at just the right time; the chrysanthemum leaves at the very end, and the radish at the point which made them pleasantly al-dente. They brought out 11 side dishes (including some unusual ones, like bellflower root and egg-battered zucchini) and were happy to bring out extras! They even offered to bring out thirds, but I was too full. Regarding the service, I do see where some of the negative reviews were coming from, but I found it to be fine. I notice that this place has buzzers (which are often found at Korean restaurants) that you can press when you want to call the waitstaff. Otherwise, they let you eat in peace. Aside, most dishes on the lunch menu have been bumped up to $8.99.
(5)Hendrick L.
** Summary ** Take your hard earned money and somewhere else, service is atrocious, even when we went at an early dinner time with the restaurant 80% empty. Food is okay, but not out of this world (especially with so many great Korean options nearby). ** Positives ** * Food isn't bad, but it's certainly not out of this world. There are plenty of other great Korean food / restaurant options nearby. (caveat, we didn't try the galbi, it was nearly $40 for an order and didn't want to risk spending this much when we knew we could go to another place and spend the same money for something we know we like) * Lots of ban chan, and it's all quite tasty * My bim bim bap was pretty good, though a bit on the small side ** Negatives ** * Let me start with the service. We went for an early 5:30pm dinner, and the restaurant was nearly empty. It took at least 20 minutes to get our ban chan, which I was willing to overlook. However, when we wanted a refill on four dishes (they actually offered to refill them), we asked three times and never got a refill. The owner (I think it was the owner) came by when we paid and didn't even apologize, adding insult to injury. She kept saying how busy it was - an apology would have gone a long way vs. excuses. The food also took a long time to come out, much longer than I've experienced at any other Korean restaurant. BTW, in case you're wondering, we weren't shady people trying to fill up on ban chan. We ordered dishes for everyone, including our two kids... PLENTY of money was being spent. * The food came out at random times, it made it awkward to determine when to eat. My father-in-law's dish came out 15 min. after we ordered, and min came up 5 min. after his. By the time everyone else's dish came out, we had both already finished eating ours. * Oyster pancake tasted pretty well (skimpy on the dipping sauce), but it was incredibly greasy - I know it's pan fried, but it's much more greasy then any other's we've tried * My wife's tofu soup was burned, and there were burned bits floating around all over it (and yes, it tasted burned)
(1)Ernst W.
Live out of area now but had been there years ago. The food was still very good even though they changed the menu and prices were a bit higher. The barbequed chicken was excellent. Their Chop Che (if I spell it right) was very good. Excellent spicy squid! We were digging since we had the opportunity as we passed the area so we also had Vegetable Pancake which was excellent. Additionally we ordered a spicy tofu soup and it was very good just as it used to be. They must have done some remodeling as it looked a bit different but retained the atmosphere. You sure feel you are in a Korean restaurant. It was Saturday evening and they were very busy. We had to wait some time but the service was very friendly and the waiting time was acceptable considering Saturday is probably the busiest day.
(4)starrynight c.
Good spot if you don't want to wait in the more crowded spots in the Santa Clara k-town stretch. The rice cakes were yummy, the kalbi actually pretty good (but for 32 a plate, it best be). The side dishes were just ok. The bibimbap and cold noodles pretty good. But the service was kinda lacking and although decent food, not memorable. I could see how this might be a regular spot for people that live near by.
(3)Tamiko B.
Went here on my husband's friend's recommendation. Excellent food. Service was above and beyond. Checking on us to make sure all was OK. It's in a little outdated shopping mall. Blink and you'll miss it. It's a place that people commute to get to so feel really fortunate to just drop in like we did. I love the little appetizer plates called banchan. My absolute fave. Before the banchan comes out, they give ya sort of a pre-appetizer plate with glass noodles and three potato-like patties. Along with this, they give you miso soup with big, big pieces of seaweed and small pieces of meat. Yummers. Had an OB beer and Bi Bim Bop. For those who aren't familiar, it's a stone pot that's hotter than Satan's sauna and it's lined with rice, which gets super crispola on the bottom and then all sorts of veggies that are julienned, beef and the creme de la creme is a fried egg on top. I could eat that sh*t forever and be happy as a clam at high tide. Hubby had Kal Bi (roasted marinated ribs). He enjoyed it but if you're not all about meat, it's a sharing dish for sure. I tried some and it was absolutely delish. It looks like one can do a little cookin' at the side tables b/c there's burners. Interior is nice, natural wood structure that looks traditional. They give you Yakults at the end of dinner -I like Yakult but saved them for later. I just didn't want them (nor need them) at that moment. Thought it a lovely gesture. Would go again. Dinner for us both was $50 before tip FYI.
(5)Terry C.
Haven't been here in a while, boy was I surprised. Prices went up, banchan got worse. But the worst thing was their kalbi. Their kalbi is what really made me a loyal fan of this place. Kalbi wasn't as juicy and tender like before, plus it didn't have that fantastic flavor I remembered from many past visits. To tell you the truth, it tastes more like the kalbi you can get across the street from bbq town (food court). Do yourself a favor and skip this place.
(1)Soo Y.
Owner changed food so bad taste now I am not going there anymore! Place not clean . Very old fashion. I heard many people stop go there .
(1)Celeste J.
I remember this place being really good, It's been a while since I been here but my parents always had parties here? Hmm I remember everything we ordered being good!
(4)G A.
Delicious authentic Korean foods, reasonable price, clean and friendly service. Will go back again.
(4)Ramona K.
Don't get faked out by the rundown-looking area where this gem of a restaurant is located. We were delighted with the friendly and highly attentive service ~ thank you Jane! Loved the wooden decor, felt cozy and calming. Ordered the marinated and tender bbq chicken (comes on a sizzling skillet), tofu stew with a fresh egg, and Japchae (my newest craving). We are happy to have found our favorite Korean restaurant off the El Camino!
(5)Kim H.
Korean BBQ was not tender at all. I don't recommend any meat dishes. I won't come back.
(2)Kevin T.
I like the settings, the food, the quiet environment in this restaurant. It's great to have meal alone or few friends. For a group of more than 4 I would go to a Chinese restaurant
(4)Yvonne B.
This is one of my favorite Korean restaurants in the area and the taste of their foods reminds me of my mom's cooking. We have always received good service here. They are usually attentive but if you want you can push the call button and someone comes to help you right away. The restaurant has a little of everything such as BBQ, stir-frys, large stew dishes (they have budae stew aka army stew here which I still have to try but it usually requires a 2 person minimum), fish dishes, soups, etc. They have a great selection of side dishes which changes from time to time but I just love the variety. And you can get your favorite ones refilled. I have tried different dishes here like kimchi stew, dolsot bibimbap (rice with meat and veggies in a stone pot), BBQ meat (bulgogi was ok), pork and kimchi stir-fry, ricecake soup. We came here once a few days after New Year's to eat some traditional foods. We got an order of braised pork ribs and OMG it was absolutely delicious! Meat was tender and fell off the bones and it was the right amount of spice. I have never tried this before since the usual fare is braised beef ribs. Definitely coming back here again and again.
(5)Mona W.
Korean food lovers should be no stranger to the Secret Garden. It is one of the older restaurants on this mini Korean town strip of El Camino. It might not be the best Korean restaurant in town but don't just write it off because of that. They have one of the most extensive menu around, serving anything from tabletop BBQ, bibimbap, tofu soup to various casserole and cold buckwheat noodles. So if you are craving harder to find dishes like Yuk Hwe Bi Bim Bop (Mixed Raw Beef & Vegetables) or Yangnyeom Gejang (Spicy Raw Crab), you are looking at the right place. Secret Garden is what I consider jack of all trades but master of none kind of places. Most dishes are decent but nothing totally mind blowing. You can easily find better BBQ, better Gomtang, better tofu soup or better bibimbop elsewhere. I would come here if I feel like getting some Korean homestyle food and also want some varieties. Secret Garden is no an upscale place by any means but if you are looking for cheap eat there are much better choices in the area (try Korea House). Price is reasonable for the quality. Servers are not all fluent in English so some might find the service lacking.
(3)Sheri G.
The food is decent but expect to be waiting for it. Not waiting to be seated but waiting after you ordered. We ordered off of the BBQ menu, which comes raw uncooked (so you bbq it at the table) and it still took 45 minutes! Oh and don't ring the bell at the table for service, it doesn't do any good.
(3)Katie Y.
This is by far the best Korean restaurant I've ever been to, no hyperbole. The food is incredible, the dishes are fresh and full of flavor, and the menu offers anything you are in the mood for from comforting stew to sizzling bibimbop (my personal favorite) and bbq. The people who work there are fantastic, they are so warm and friendly and provide speedy service. The restaurant itself is beautiful, the interior design is very relaxing and serene, the perfect place for getting together with friends or family, or to go on a romantic date.
(5)Paul K.
Great side dishes and very accommodating for vegetarians. The pancakes is very good.
(4)Michael C.
The last time we came, we noticed different menus, waitresses, and the food tasted different too. Something definitely changed, and let's just say I haven't gone back since. It's a bummer because I always looked forward to dining here.
(2)Lan N.
Ever been to Omogari and like their "meat jun"? Well, secret garden has it too and I think it's better. It's bulgogi dipped in their egg batter. Super tender and delicious. Went here is a party of 8 and we order like 8 dishes. Everything was good. The kalbi has a great flavor. We also got the spicy pork, chicken and bulgogi. Their galbijjim, which is their braised beef ribs is great. It's bold and the meat is so soft from the slow cooking that it falls right off the bone. We also got the dol sot bi bim bap, jap chae, the braised pork ribs, and a spicy tofu dish. Hite beer complemented the meal. They also have some good deals on lunch specials in their menu, but I'm a bit far to run here for lunch. Will be back for dinner and will probably try their haemul pajeon too.
(4)Lily C.
It seemed like Asian cuisine took over my entire SF trip, but I'm not to complain. I love Asian food. Just the week before, I was craving for Korean BBQ and finally, Korean BBQ! Since we were a large party, all the BBQ items were cooked in the kitchen. Definitely didn't mind that because we left without smelling like the grill. Everything was so, so, so good! The kalbi was cooked perfectly and the flavor of the marinade was on point. Pork belly was delish and juicy! Jap chae was part of the ban chan so we didn't have to order that separately. All the ban chan was so delish that I couldn't stop munching on it. Also ordered the seafood pancake, cold noodles, kimchi jigae, and the grilled mackerel. Needless to say, we were beyond full. Service was great. The waitress came by a few times to check up on us. When she saw we were done, the plates were immediately cleared and we were presented by individual sized yakult. It was the perfect way to end the meal.
(5)Nancy Z.
First time visiting Secret Garden with my boyfriend today and the food and service was amazing! We came on a Sunday night and the restaurant was pretty empty -- no wait! We ordered a seafood pancake, yukgaejang, and seafood bibimbap, and all of them were delicious! Best yukgaejang I've had in a while! They also had so many starter plates and was generous with food portions. I was worried about some reviews saying it takes long to get the food, but our food came incredibly fast -- within 5 minutes! All the staff were attentive and polite and they checked in on us and refilled our water pretty frequently. Overall, amazing experience and would definitely come again!
(5)Jen J.
I've come here twice as I believe in second chances. Fool me once, shame on you but fool me twice and shame on me. The service has been okay but if you have questions about the menu, don't expect a very helpful response. You'll find the usual favorites and honestly, their seafood pancake is one of the best I've ever tasted but some of the other things I've eaten really have fallen flat on flavor. The kimchee sometimes tastes and smells like nothing at all. I find it odd that pickled items would have no scent. The last time I was here, I ordered the beef bibimbap and it had absolutely no flavor. The server even instructed me to "use a lot of the red sauce on it." Even drowning the entire bowl in this mysterious red sauce didn't help. It looked pretty, it was piping hot and looked delicious but literally tasted like nothing. Other than that, they are nice enough and the dining area is clean and well kept. They are quite generous with the kimchee offerings as well but as previously mentioned there usually isn't much flavor. This spot is located towards the back of a group of Korean-centered businesses in a run-down looking strip mall type deal. Once you get inside you sort of forget about the dismal surroundings outdoors. Parking is pretty plentiful since it's shared with other business. In the end, it's not a total miss but not exactly a hit either. Just one of those places that's kinda there and thought of from time to time.
(3)Emily F.
I have to say this is the best Korean restaurant since I've been in Bay Area . I love their bibimbap! It is really authentic ! And the portion of the side dishes are fairly large ! Highly recommend ! Will definitely come back !
(5)Reyz A.
Bulgogi - grilled marinated beef, chicken or pork. We had them all. I'd have to say that the chicken and the pork tasted fairly good here. We also had a side of pan fried pancake w/ chap chae. No re-fills for that dish. There was FREE ice water in small cups, and a bowl of white rice with our meal. I thought that the lunch meal wasn't bad, but it would have been efficient if we could have had the dinner offering so we could taste the other dishes. The down side? No dessert. Oh well, there's always Paris (Korean, bakery that is near Lawrence). So we hopped in my car and Gangnam styled our way down the street for some pastries.
(3)Burrito M.
This place is 0 for 2. The service is SLOW. Came in a group of 8 and again (against my better judgement) in a group of 6. Each time waited about an hour for our food, and the dishes came out one at a time. They seemed disorganized today. Seems like servers didn't know what table got what food, or what food they even had in their hands. I waited so long for my food today I ate too much kimchee. Ugh. At least the side dishes tasted good. To be fair, all the food was tasty. But I don't have 1.5 hours to sit in the restaurant. Plus one star, when they waived the tax. We were not planning on leaving a tip, so we just payed what the tax would have been. At least they must realize they were off today and had the integrity and pride to admit they can do better. But should I give them another chance? hmmm.
(2)Raymond F.
I very rarely eat Korean food so this may be a bit biased. Either way it was pretty yummy and surely a plethora of different dishes that I have not experienced in the past. Nevertheless the soup with the meat inside of it and the side small dishes were great as well.
(3)Nancy N.
I really struggled with whether this was a 2 or 3 star. But at the end of the day, this place isn't even "average" enough for me to want to come back. Here are some reasons why you should eat here: - accepts reservations for large groups (the space is pretty big and clean) - the menu is extensive (lots of items including soups, soon tofu, noodles, and prepared meats as well as table-top options) - accepts credit cards (and multiple CC's for large groups) But that's pretty much it. Now onto the reasons why you should choose to eat at one of the many other Korean restaurants on El Camino: - service was subpar (waitress was curt, got orders wrong, and did not have the typical friendly/welcoming hospitality you experience at most other Korean restaurants) - food was a big M-E-H....meh! (Soon tofu was bland even at medium spicy, and the egg comes already cracked and mixed in. Prepared pork bulgogi was tender but it didn't come out hot and was not very memorable. And the sides are sparse, but refillable if you ask.) - The prices seem average on the menu. But the portions (especially meat dishes) are VERY small for the price. This place is great if you need a dinner venue for bigger groups. But if you're looking for yummy Korean food for just you and your beau, keep driving down El Camino and look elsewhere.
(2)Jo H.
We had a little extra time for lunch so we decided take a little field trip out of the Menlo Park/Palo Alto area. My supervisor wanted to take us to a Korean restaurant he liked. I had the mixed seafood, vegetable casserole with bean paste (Seafood Deng Jang Chi Ghe). Two of our co-workers are vegetarian. So my supervisor took the lead (a native speaker) and consulted our server they worked out which dishes were veg head safe. My soup came in a sizzling stone bowl filled with soup. The soup consisted of pieces of fish, clams, tofu and veggies in a nice spicy seafood based broth. The broth stayed hot for a long time, it took awhile to cool down each bite. So I took my time and slurped my way to the bottom of the bowl. Cold weather food at it's best. I was full, toasty, and headed for a massive food coma attack when we got back to the office.
(4)Music K.
Mediocre food and service. Offer a lot of banchan. Restaurant was half empty. Won't be coming back.
(3)Julie T.
i used to like them but with the change in menu... this place isn't worth going to anymore. no longer do they serve sam gye tang =__= other items on the menu are just ok nothing to rave about service is fucking slow... 45 minutes later..... dude where my food.
(2)batvanio i.
This place used to be great, until it went "under new management" This is how the new management affected the place: - MUCH slower service (probably they cut personnel) - MUCH worse food (probably they hired new, cheaper and less experienced cooks) - More expensive Bottom line is, this used to be one of my favorite places before, but I will probably never go back again.
(1)Tammy N.
Heard about this place for a while now and since the wait at Jang Su Jang was so long, my boyfriend and I decided to come here to try something new. Ehhhhh... I should've gone to Choi's instead. We got the kalbi and an order of beef tofu soup. Since we didn't want to smell too much, we opted for the broiled kalbi that comes in the skillet. The meat was marinated well but I don't think we got that much for the amount we paid (~$25). Beef tofu soup was just okay and it came with a lot of vegetables in it. I'm used to the soft tofu with the egg cracked in it. Didn't really care for it. The side dishes were a disappointment and we didn't touch most of them. Two types of bean sprouts, 2 pieces of fried pan cake, kimchee, sardines and a few other things. Was't impressed and I don't think there were any refills for the side dishes either. Overall, the service wasn't completely terrible but wasn't good either. The lady walked away right when we were able to tell her our order. I was dying for a refill on my water but couldn't seem to flag her down. We're usually pretty understanding when it comes to the service at asian restaurants and know not to expect anything but this wasn't cutting it for us.
(2)mengzi w.
This is our designated Korean restaurant. Bulgugi is of course the must order dish, they make it the best, marinated well and cuts are of good quality. Other favorites like Tofu soup, oyster pancake, etc are all very good, though their stone cooked rice is not the best.
(4)Jasper L.
Came at 2pm on a Sunday and it was empty, had 3 other tables seated. Ordered the seafood pancake which tasted more floury and oilier than usual but the sesame/chive/spicy dipping sauce was great. Also ordered the cold bibibam and the seafood tofu pot which were good but nothing out of the ordinary. Didnt order the japchae this time but it's delicious. Overall, my favorites were the small Korean dishes that's included - you can ask for more. Would come back but there must be a better Korean place.
(4)Loon E.
Have been coming to this place for years. My father said he used to come all the time when he worked in Santa Clara and introduced me to it. Glad he did! Have liked almost every single dish I've had here with the exception of one mackeral dish I remember leaving me less than satisfied. The meat plates are always full of flavor and juicy! Portions are also very well sized. Always end up getting the stone pot bibimbap here, love it! The jap chae is a little too greasy here, but it's filled with wonderfully fresh ingredients and plenty of meat as well. When you ask for spicy, they'll make it with good spice! We usually do that for the squid dish we get. Banchan is consistently refilled. Quality service, albeit a little quiet and muted. Definitely will be back, can't see a reason not to!
(4)Lynn C.
Honestly, the food is a bit expensive here but so tasty!! We got the grilled kalbi ($24), grilled chicken ($?), onion pancake ($?), and kimchi casserole ($10) and all were delicious! There were a large number of side dishes that were served with it too, my favourite one being the chap chae (glass noodles). One of the best Korean restaurants I've ever been to.
(4)Esther L.
Everything from the side dishes to the main dishes were absolutely wonderful! We ordered about 10 different dishes (we had a large party) and our favorite was the high quality raw meat dish. They are under new management and our experience was pleasant. They have unique side dishes that you won't find at other Korean restaurants. I can't wait to take my husband here! I'll be sure to take pictures next time!
(5)ej g.
Really a secret garden! Love the food, the ambiance, the nice servers who are so motherly! Will definitely come back.. :)
(5)Charlie N.
In the mood for Korean food so I picked the Secret Garden. At the back of a depressing strip mall inside it's very nice and even elegant. The food was superb and the prices very low for what you get
(5)Michael S.
Under new management. People are younger and with more spunk. Cost a bit more, but well worth it.
(5)Schelly Y.
Service here can either be very friendly or absent. Food is decent, nothing special or fancy but they provide the traditional Korean fare. On occasion they provide plates of free food like fried fish or other misc items. The exterior and interior of the building could be updated but it is not run-down and everything is fairly clean.
(3)Julia P.
Nothing special but the food was good for hungry stomachs. My uncle loves this place so when our family gathered together for a huge meeting, we came here - 10 or so cousins and 10 or so adults. Ordered a bunch of meat which we didn't cook ourself (this ain't a BBQ place) and had all the yummy side dishes to go with it. Nothing crazy special but a decent place for lunch. I don't know about the value because I didn't pay for it...that's the beauty of family gatherings!
(3)Lyn Y.
One of the better korean bbq restaurants around - we had the kalbi that we cooked ourselves, which is better than if they cook it in the kitchen for you - it's very tender and slightly sweet. Their raw beef dish was also very good, it kind of reminded me of tuna tartar - it was soft and tasted pretty fresh. Their panjun is on the good side as well, it would have been better if it was crispier, but the flavors were good. The only mild disappointment would be their soon doobu - it was ok, but there's better tofu down the street at the tofu house (which makes sense!). The service was good, despite a slight mixup in what we'd ordered, and I totally blame that on language skills, which is not a big deal - the waitresses were very nice, just may need a little effort to communicate with them in English - you'll be fine if you can speak Korean. It's my top korean bbq place at the moment.
(4)Sara Z.
We really like this very quiet place. The food and the service are very good. Less people, easy parking. There are plenty of side dishes, if you like, always can ask add more. The tofo soup is just right, the beef is perfact cooked.
(5)jadine l.
yum.
(4)Hayne P.
Pretty average place. I've been coming here regularly on and off with my family since... huh I don't remember, but usually for lunch. Their lunch, from what I remember, is usually yummy. But it has been too long, so I don't really have much to say about it. I just came here with one of my friends for dinner. I got the kimchi soondoobu, which is my go-to meal because my mom usually doesn't make that dish at home. I ordered it spicy, and it was spicy. But in a good way. I thought it was yummy... I ate most of it. Although, now I think about it... aren't soondoobu dishes supposed to come with a raw egg? Huh. Banchan is good. I enjoyed it immensely. Service could've been better. It took us forever to get the bill. Also, I have the feeling that this place is usually frequented by foreigners. I'm used to having workers address me in Korean, even if I have a non-Korean/Asian with me, but they spoke to me in broken English. I'm not sure if it's because that's how they normally are, or because I had my Indian friend with me (who actually speaks very good Korean...). I actually feel that I get better service when I'm with my family than if I went there on my own. Oh well. Food was good.
(3)Tommy B.
Korean Camino is littered with these places, the places where they don't do anything particularly good, rather they just push you through the turnstiles checking you in and out as quick as possible. I used to frequent this place for lunch, only when we had non asian coworkers joining for lunch because this place seemed to be a favorite of all the non asian people at my office. I've had different things such as the kimcheejigae (kimchee stew), dolsot bibimbap (stone pot rice with veggies), nakji-bokum (spicy octopus), and bibimnangmyeun (spicy cold noodles no broth) and have found them all lacking something... can't quite put my finger on it... all their dishes are average at best, some not even that much. I can't find anything that they do particularly well here, like a specialty of some sort which is also very disappointing. If all your dishes are below average or average, at least have one dish that you specialize in and do well.. something to keep me coming back, ya know?
(2)Brandon N.
This place use to satisfy my family and I so much that we would love to come here once a month. All of a sudden today, they changed their food and it is not all that great. A perfect example would be the sliced beef because they changed the tofu and the meat taste a little different now. What's up with that? They even took out my favorite side dish (potatoes). Overall, the food was good but it was so much better previously.
(3)Naruto G.
we used to like to go here until they changed owner recently. The place and services are more organized, however, the food quality and quantity went down. I can't say much, because we were very disappointed. They changed the menu but there are still old stuff. not sure if we would like to go to this place.
(3)Sandra N.
I got the Dinner A which came with bulgogi and fried shrimp. It cost around $20 and included complimentary side dishes and rice. Side dishes included kimchee, brocolli, some egg thing, fish cakes, bean sprouts, and one or two more things. They also gave us a small plate of jap chae and 6 pieces of something similar to a pancake to split between 6 people. The bulgogi tasted good and the fried shrimp was okay too.. but for the cost, I expected more food. The amount of meat was the same or even less than what I usually get at other places for half the price. I'm also used to getting the side dishes refilled but they didn't do that here :( Probably not coming back since there's plenty of better Korean places to choose from in the area.
(3)Jennie C.
Overpriced, and service isn't so great. Love the small dishes, but during the busy weekend dinner-time, the ladies are really rude and don't really take your orders. Seafood pancake is pretty good, as is the galbi. However, I've had better and the prices here just don't add up to the quality and portion sizes.
(3)Daniel G.
Sounds like management changed recently but not bad for my first non-bbq korean visit.
(4)Elaine N.
The minute I walked into this restaurant, I was surprise how big this place is. I like how we were seated at the booth with a lot of room to move around while we eat. I like their varieties of side dishes and their tofu soup is so delicious. I love how they marinated their meat and the right amount of spiciness. As for the service, they were a little unfriendly and slow. Took forever to refill our water and don't come back to check up on us once in awhile. Overall, I still would come back here because the food makes up for everything else.
(4)Ann L.
Went to Korean Secret Garden Restaurant after doing a quick search on Yelp. Got there around 6pm and it wasn't very busy on Wed night. FREE side of panfried pancake w/ chap chae. Pancake was cold & not good eats. Chap chae was a a little bit warm, we liked that better. No re-fills for that dish. FREE ice water in small cups. 2 bowls of white rice with our meal. I picked pork tofu pot medium spicy. It was pretty bland. Panchans - there were 8. I only liked the potato & broccoli, others could do without. We got an extra broccoli - about 2 small spears. B. got Broiled Mackerel. It looked like a lot, but just 2 pieces & lots of daiko covered up in red sauce he got spicy. It was a little bit spicy to our taste. FREE yogurt drink w/ your bill. Our bill was $24.79 before tip. Nothing special about this place. Credit cards allowed.
(3)Joanne C.
I just have to agree with everyone and say: The food is good!.. but the service is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo BADDDDDD!!!.. I would definitely make this place a regular if it wasn't for the SHIT service.... yes guys, it is THAT bad. Be prepared to be ignored and scolded when you need something.. and expect no response when you ask for something. And expect a lot of confusion too.. OH.. and something that was really awkward... we came here for my parents' anniversary and my brother arrived first and gave his credit card to the server to make sure that no one fights for the check after.. so the server comes to our table at towards the end of the dinner and mumbles something totally not understandable and what she was trying to say was "Different card, no go through, no work" in front of all the guests.. and she had to repeat herself several times because we couldn't understand her.. it was a pretty awkward moment to end the night. The tofu soup thing was really good and so was the meat (I forgot which one it was.. it was the most expensive one.. it was the korean bbq) OH! And the other thing... this shit is expensivvveee.. (which I wouldn't mind paying if the ambiance and service was better cuz it's kinda worth it :) OH! I also didn't like the side dishes.. they didn't have those clear noodles.. or broccoli or bean sprouts.. they had this yucky egg thing, typical kimchi.. idk! I've just had better..
(2)Jae C.
I love their spicy marinated squid and their spicy korean bbq pork! and their stews! I'm not too sure about their other dishes but I know that what I listed are for sure delicious! They have a vast variety of side dishes ranging from kimchi to seasoned potatoes. I always go back to this restaurant for their delicious food!
(5)Mark M.
Many friends of mine had talked about this place, and it just happened that one of my buddies' GF decided to throw a surprise party for him there. Pros: The staff here is very friendly, and they are very generous with their appetizers (pan chan), and constantly refill them for you like other well-mannered Korean restaurants. They are also very quick at spotting your needs and trying to make sure you are content and snug with all of your Korean food. I did not order some of the combinations, but they also seemed pretty good deals if you are into variety (e.g., combo of short ribs with cold noodles). The portions are also fair. Cons: I think they can do a bit better with their BBQs here. For example, their bul go gi features very very thinly sliced beef, which makes the portions look a bit petty. Add on top of that they try to grill it (I don't know why because the pieces aren't that large), you end up with some charred pieces of sad looking meat that does not look very appetizing other than the fact that it is on one of those cool plates with a hot griddle built in. Really...this can be done much better with just some modification. Nonetheless, overall, I would probably come back to this place in the Korean area of Sunnyvale/Santa Clara. Note: Just keep in mind I've only been here once. I just had a lot of Korean food in my life, and these are all first impressions.
(3)Joo K.
Horrible service. My friend and I stopped for a quick lunch, but the server forgot to put order to the kitchen. I ended up waiting more than 30 mins for my food. Not only that my spicy cold noodle tasted awful. I didn't get any apology even though I complained. I will never be back.
(1)Kathy D.
Secret Garden... the korean drama? noo!!! The korean restaurant!! :) We made reservations for my family birthday dinner here for a party of 20. They were more than accommodating and we were able to get a sectioned room in the back of the restaurant. The waitresses were very friendly and smiley even though they managed to get around with the lack of English they spoke. They were quick and efficient and brought everything that we needed without any troubles. The Kalbi like everyone mentioned was indeed delicious. I never thought I would say this but way more delicious than the spicy BBQ pork we also ordered. Usually, spicy BBQ pork never EVER fails me but theirs wasn't as tender and flavorful as compared to other restaurants in the area. So if you ask me, get the Kalbi. This was the winner. My family ordered so many dishes,which I got to taste here and there. Another thing I can say is that I have had better seafood pancake elsewhere. It wasn't bad with the sauce provided but it did it. The soondubu was delicious even though no egg was provided to crack it into :( . I also enjoyed the fried mackerel :) Skin may be a bit saltier but just eat it with rice! Side dishes were more than plentiful! Alot of varieties compared to other restaurants. If you want yogurt soju here, they don't have it! But they did give you the yogurt desserts that basically is used for the yogurt soju for you to mix it into your shot glasses of soju! Score! Thank you Secret Garden for a wonderful meal. You WERE really a secret to me until my aunt told me about this place since you are hidden so far deep in a plaza!
(4)Jenny H.
I used to love this place, but I think they've gone downhill over the last few years. My last visit over the weekend was pretty bad, so I feel I need to write a review for it. First, their side dishes just weren't very good. Their kimchi was very sour and not spicy, the potatoes were overly sweet and drenched in honey, the green bean jelly didn't have enough sauce on it, and the list goes on. The service wasn't that great too. When I first sat down, I saw a black speck in my cup, so I asked for it to be changed. The lady picked it up, and stared at it for a while at the table, and was probably deciding whether or not she wanted to change it. Most places would just change it without asking. I also dropped my soup spoon on the floor, and the same server seemed annoyed that she had to change it As for the food: SPICY SEA BASS SOUP ($20): This used to be my favorite dish to get here. It's a bit pricey for what you get, but I love sea bass and spicy soup. It tasted pretty good still, but they served it in a stone pot this time, instead of putting it on the portable stove heater that they used to. BIBIMBAP ($11): My friend ordered this, and said he didn't really like it because it was a little bland. I didn't try it, so I can't vouch for it, but he's Korean, so I'd trust his judgement of Korean food. BIBIMNAMYEUNG ($10) : Pretty standard, but I'm used to the sauce being more on the dry side. This one had much more watered down sauce, which makes it harder to coat the noodles. It seemed like they didn't drain the noodles well before putting in the spicy sauce. The bill came with the small yakult yogurt drinks, which I think is a new thing for them. I noticed it had a ring of dried sediment at the top, so I was a little hesitant about drinking it, and asked my friend how it is. She said it tastes a little funny and maybe was a little old. There's usually some sediment at the bottom that goes away after you shake it, but this one didn't. With so many other good Korean places in the area, I don't think I'll be stopping by Secret Garden for a while. .
(3)Jay Y.
Food here was always okay, I visited here several times and mostly I tried family style table with friends to taste many dishes, but I don't have any poor memory here. One thing, Min-Uh (the fish) was not my taste. I don't think service here is poor. I believe service complaints here are mostly from culture & language issues. Sometimes they offer doenjang jjige if they think it's good to have with the other dishes. Pricey? I don't think so. It's worth that price. Then, the cheaper one would be Ginseng BBQ in mountain view. I like both places.
(4)Ronny D.
Out of all the korean places on el camino, this place is one of 10 Korean restaurants that has a 4+ star on Yelp. Definitely well deserving. My 3 friends and I were a little buzzed from singlebarrelling most of the afternoon and decided to try this place out. It was in a sketchy little strip mall on el camino, but hey, aren't all the good restaurants next to a dentist office? Got the kalbi and bulgogi for the BBQ. Both were marinated nicely and the portions were decent. Grill worked great. Sides were all pretty good, had better kimchi in other places though. The Meat and rice dish in the hot stone pot was very good as well. Great experience, will definitely come back again.
(4)Coco L.
Food still 4 star good, Service 0 star The waitress didn't write down what we order. When the wrong order came, we didn't want complain. Then the waitress came to tell us oh we gave you the wrong order, so we gave back the incorrect one. Shortly, the waitress came back again and said that's not what we order. They took away what we want, and gave us something that we don't want. The worest is that they tell us what we order when 3 of us know that wasn't so....
(2)Misty C.
I agree with Brian, the service used to be absolutely awful. One time, I had to wait for waitress about 15 minutes to get my water refilled. It is Korean restaurant that serves almost every Korean dishes. Their cold noodles are good and tasty. I like their hot pot dish too, it's called bulgogi jun-gol. Their side dishes are good too, their kimchi is yummy. :) Recommended for people who would like to try out Korean food for the first time, the restaurant would give you a wide array of selection.
(3)Danny Q.
So the last time I said that we never got sat and had to wait a long time. Girl wanted some korean (insert Joke there), no problem. Came here on a sunday night, were not busy at all, 1/2 full. Food was fast as the service. I love the meat jun (have no idea hows spelled), but delicious! Just enough spiciness. Will be back.
(4)Ed r.
Good lunch value. My friend K. Is notiously value minded and loves this place. Most chicken, beef, pork BBQ plates are about $7.50. I think the food here is a bit spicer than most, the ambiance lacking a KTV broadcast to divert your attention from your less than favorite co-worker, and no watermelon gum to cleanse your palate afterwards. Still, it is pretty good.
(4)Jenny K.
The food here is great. I've been to this place only twice. My co-workers recommended this place to me and says everything is delicious here. I totally agreed. This place is next to a karaoke place and is located at the back of a big plaza.
(5)lightheir l.
Maybe I'm spoiled from LA, but this place, while ok, doesn't hold a candle pricewise or tastewise to the $15 AYCE offerings that abound in Los Angeles. Dinner was $20 for 2 small pieces of kalbi, which weren't that impressive. The side dishes and tempura (?) were good. Not a bad meal, but pales in comparison to LA. Perhaps the prices were raised lately, as this definitely no longer qualifies as a "great deal" type of place. I've been to at least 6 different Korean BBQs in LA, both AYCE and non-AYCE, and all of them have been better than this place for Korean BBQ. It's possible that the non-bbq dishes here are better - I didn't sample any of them, but they did seem to have an excellent, Korean-ethnic selection wider than what I've seen before, so that's a plus.
(3)Rob C.
4.5 what's nice about this place is the variety of dishes served. many variety of tang. we had to go with the kalbi (cooked in the kitchen), since saw it at another table, and they use the type unrolled from the bone -- i like it cut that way. marinade very strong and tasty. panchan were not only good and fresh but plated very carefully. little japchae and pajun too -- but not so good since cold. also had soondubu and they don't skimp on any ingredients. large tasty shrimp, good clams and calamari. good overall. have come back multiple times for kalbi since the marinade is good (prepared) also tried yukejang, samegyetang, dolsot bibimbap, and what's pretty good here is the bibim naeng myun (cold noodle) prices been going up a lot for kalbi. sometimes the bibimbap not crispy enough. still giving some pajeon and japchae with banchan still one of my favorites for kitchen prepared kalbi, also less expensive than jang su jang, so it's an alternate.
(5)Alvin T.
A bit hard to find, but when you find this place you will be rewarded. I've eaten here a couple times. The food is goood and the servers are really nice. Last time I went it was for a birthday party and I decided to be a penny pincher and get the regular BEE-BIM-BAHP instead of the DOL-SOHT BEE-BIM-BAHP (in hot stone bowl). Wow, that was a bad choice! The regular one is fine and all, but the ingredients were sooo cold. Get the other one! I constantly kept looking in the direction of the people who ordered the dol-soht version because their dish looked really good. Anyway, if you're craving for some Korean food, then this is a good place to go.
(4)CAScuba Y.
Continue our pursue of Korean food fancy from last week's after visiting Jang Su Jang, this week we went to Secret Garden. This place must have been here forever. Some how all these years living around this area never yield to visit this place, always ended up @ Sigoljip instead. Any how, the place looks aged but we got friendly services & fine food. We arrived at 7pm Sat and we were able to sat right the way, most of the first round patrons left leaving about 1/3 of the tables empty but with dishes on it. We were seated in the front room then reseated to the back room because we want the table top self grilling. Even as slim as us, the backroom booth by the windows with table grill (only 3 of them) were so tight, I would not recommend anyone who weight more then 165lbs with a circumference of more then 34 inches seat in those booth. We order marinated ribs (Kal Bi $43 2 servings) and the usual test soup - Clam Soon soup at maxium heat. How do they taste ? Good, the marinated ribs were nicely marinated with generous portion, 6 bones were found. The soup was also hot (spicy hot). So why only 3 stars ? Well, it was just not as good as Jang Su Jang in taste and environment and services. Also JSJ has charcoal grill and I didn't have to lift a finger to grill our beef. If you don't care for table top grill, Sigoljip still better in my book.
(3)Cathy T.
I grew up going here and am bummed yet happy for the owners that our secret restaurant is not so secret. Bi bim bop is our favorite - the kids gobble it up. Nothing beats my mom's cooking though, so 4.5 stars.
(4)Ta G.
I love this place!!! All the little side dishes are yummy. My favorite is the kimchi made with romaine lettuce. Fried Man Doo (dumplings) Any of the BBQ meat is good, especially if you make it yourself. Bim Bim Bap is good here. Sometimes they give you complimentary tofu soup depending on what you order. Good stuff. They also have a vast selection of Chinese food on their menu. I miss this place. I need to go back soon.
(4)Vicky L.
One of my favorite Korean hole in the wall places when I'm back in the Bay Area. Its located in a nondescript corner of the usual rundown strip mall along El Camino near Lawrence Expressway where the neighborhood is trying self designate itself as the "Koreatown" of the Bay Area. I love their korean seafood pancake, jambong (spicy noodle soup), and bibimbap (stone pot rice.) Their bbq is also very well done, especially when you get the bbq you cook yourself. The food comes with a good variety of side dishes, I really love the cucumber kimchee. The seafood pancake has a variety of squid and shrimp with a generous helping of scallions. The jambong soup is complex and intense with flavor, its called "chow ma mien" on the menu. Its available spicy (which I love, but make sure you have plenty of ice water), and non spicy. Even the non spicy version has a complex favorful broth as a base. Do be aware for those with shrimp allergies, the base of the broth is made with seafood including shrimp so for those who are allergic, stay way from this because even asking for it "without shrimp" on top, there is still plenty of "shrimp by products" in the flavoring of the soup - enough to cause some reactions in the sensitive. The noodles are very delicious here, they're handpulled in the back everyday by a noodle chef. If you come in on Tuesdays, they don't offer their noodles items; its the noodle chef's day off. The stone pot rice comes in a hot stone bowl with plenty of toppings and a red hot sauce for you to mix in. I love the crunch edge the rice develops against the hot stone. Careful in not burning yourself, the bowl stays hot even until the end of the meal. Service here is a hit or a miss. There seems to be two regular servers here, one on the skinnier side that's more sweet and the other one whose chubby and tends to have a scowl on her face. Don't take offense if they seem offish and rude. The food is good enough for you to become a regular and once they're used to seeing your face in there, if you're lucky, they'll grace you with a smile. Recommend: Chow ma mien, Ja jiang mien, seafood pancake, do it yourself bbq, bibimbap Stay away: wanna be chinese dishes such as the "sweet and sour chicken," and the mandoo (rice cakes), they tend to be on the mushy side.
(4)Edward C.
Co-worker took me to this place. Good assortment of banchan. Tasty tofu soup. Subdued interior decor, a lot of wood. Good service.
(4)Hen A.
quite the secret...hidden deep back inside strip mall...unable to spot from el camino stretch...aged korean restaurant serving korean bbq, table simmering stews and traditional....single gas burner for stew or grill pan...busy friday before memorial....finding affordable set dinner pre-sets...perfect for two...roughly $twenty-two for kalbi, seng-sun jun and shrimp tempura to start...basic sides of kimchi, fluffy egg, sweet seaweed, radish, etc...large tempura basket...traditional japanese style...vegetables and shrimp...panko battered and fried...crisp, light and good....dip in light tempura sauce quite perfect....bowl of rice and sizzling platter of kalbi filleted and side of perfect egg battered and pan fried fish...flakey white fish circles...traditional in taste...kalbi not the best fillet, but homestyle in heavier marinade...spoon of seaweed soup, scoop of rice and piece of kalbi....feeling at home at secret garden...spending $twenty-nine total for two...coming back for more...
(4)Glenn O.
When I want to go for Korean food for lunch form work, I usually pick this place. They have lunch boxes similar in fashion to the bento box. I like the bulgoki (Is that how it's spelled?) which is pretty much beef teriaki as well as their Bi Bim Bap - vegies, a little beef and an sunny side up egg on top. Spread their 'bbq' sauce on it and mix it up before eating. Yum... They have a decent selection of Kim chi that they serve you before receiving your lunch. If you like one of them, request more and they will bring it. (Sweet potatoes are good) I have tried a few of their other plates for dinner once or twice and have not been disapointed. It's all good here... Busy after 12 at lunchtime... They have quite a few seats, so the wait is not too long... You won't leave here hungry.
(4)BeBe C.
Secret Garden must have gone through some renovation recently. Not only did they repaint the exterior, they also changed the menu (and raised the prices quite substantially). The popular Ja Jiang Noodle (not 100% sure of spelling) in the old menu is no longer offered. The taste of the food was quite good, but the portions varied from dish to dish. One dish I ordered was the short ribs in special sauce--it was tasty but the portion was skimpy. 5 pieces of meat (big, bony pieces) for $16.95? Regardless of how it tasted, it's just too expensive. The service (or shall I say non-service?) was decent, IF I could get the waitresses' attention at all. I even saw an impatient customer screaming at the waitress to flag her. I guess Secret Garden is ok if you don't have to pay for the food. Otherwise, it just does not offer the value for money that most Asian restaurants stand for.
(3)Chi L.
MEAT JUN. although they dont call it that. it's the only place i know that serves it! they have a standard korean menu and most of the ones we've tried are yummy! they even give you extra dishes if you have a large party - we got a free dish dish one time. great family style dining with friends/family, nice cozy atmosphere, efficient and really polite waitstaff (eventhough their english is limited - but that just makes the place so much more authentic), easy parking - i like it!
(4)Richard T.
Your average korean restaurant with average service and average food. The panchan isn't too bad, the dishes in hot pots are really not too bad. I'd give this place 3.5 stars if I could. It's around a bunch of other restaurants so I can't say that it's the best korean food I've had. Nothing in particular stood out as awesome or foul. It was a middling type of place that I probably wouldn't recommend or say is bad. So my review probably didn't help at all, but it is what it is lol.
(3)Clayton N.
Tucked in the back corner of a strip mall, in the heart of NorCal's K-Town, there are probably several dozen other Korean restaurants you'd visit before Secret Garden. But if you found this hole in the wall, and you've enjoyed the food before, chances are that you'll go back. I did, and I went back again and again and again. The place isn't exactly glamorous. And the service isn't exactly spectacular. But the food is absolutely delicious. The banchan is always appetizing. They make several variations of Jun (pancake) and they're all good. But the fish one is the best. Meatlovers will savor the Kalbi. Make sure to ask for lettuce and bean paste. Just two small suggestions...1) don't cook it yourself...2) if you're unsure about a dish...ask.
(4)Taun T.
This review might be a bit skewed because according to the other members of the party I ate with, the meat was remarkably tender the time we went there. I'm not even sure what we ordered, it was the meat you cook at the table and you wrap it with all the side dishes and vegetables. The noodles we ordered were much better than what you receive at the majority of other Korean restaurants in the area. Still, the whole time I was eating I was just thinking, "Great, now I have to go back to UCSD and I won't be able to eat the crap food there anymore."
(5)Ken V.
The girlfriend and I were trying to find another restaurant along the Korean strip of El Camino, but after a long day for both of us, and boyfriend not printing directions, we ended up here. GF ordered the beef bulgogi, i ordered the pork bulgogi. The pork had a sweeter sauce covering it, while the beef was spiced, but not to GF's liking. The kimchee appetizers ranged from very good to very weird. Spicy cukes and cabbage? Yes! Some kind of fruit in a spicy sauce? Hmmm.....OK, I think. Gelatinous cubes with hardly any taste whatsoever? Umm, no thanks. I thought the service could've been a bit more attentive, GF thought it was fine. It certainly wasn't as bad as some other places at which I've eaten, but very impersonal and brusque nonetheless. Still, I did leave with a box full of pickled veggie goodness, and the remainder of GF's bulgogi, so I'd have to say you get a lot of food for your dollar. Overall, a decent dining experience, but nothing really sets it apart from the numerous other Korean places on El Camino.
(3)Gigi A.
Greasy, kind of boring taste. Nothing special in taste. It's maybe like if you tried to make it yourself but greasier. It is typical Korean dishes, but not made in a caring way
(2)Mike Y.
Bahn-chan winner so far up in norcal. Brought me a plate with jap-chae and veggie pancake, and then the rest of the bahn-chan came out, and just about all of it was good. Their kimchi was pretty good, kkak-du-gee was good, but the yuk-gae-jang was just ok. Didn't have the real spicy kick that I like, the soup almost felt under-flavored. But goo dmix of veggies and meat in it. Plus yogurt at the end of the meal. I'll be back to try other dishes here.
(4)David T.
Unlike one of my other friend's who left a good for review for this place, I love food too much to lie about it. I do understand that some people rate a place by their food and then their service. However, if the food is good but the service is bad, it tends leave you with a bad taste in your mouth. I'll be nice and start off with a critique of the food. It was pedestrian, at best. I ordered the BBQ pork lunch special. The pork itself had a very dry texture on the outside and it almost had some tenderness when you cut half way threw the piece of obviously old meat. The "special sauce" that they stewed it in was just chicken broth and a hint of suracha. My friend told me that the noodles were good and I should try it. So I did and I was not impressed. I could have gone across the street and gotten something better from the supermarket. At this point, I would have given this place a three star because the price of the food was pretty good for a lunch special; however, the service just started a cascade of total disgust for this place. I realize that when it is busy, you tend to get a slower service. This is understandable, but when you don't get any service for thirty-minutes is horrible. We didn't even get our glasses our water until after we ordered. The only time I heard someone that worked there speak to us was when we walked in. Maybe it was because we were not Korean, because everyone else around us was getting the five star treatment, or maybe it was because we were dressed in our gyms cloths, for obvious reasons (can't expect to stay healthy eating all this good food w/o working out a bit). We finally had to flag down someone so we could order. The waitress had this look of repulsion toward us the whole time. I really wanted to ask her, what the hell was her problem, but I'm not a rude person. Our food came out before the tiny plates of random food that you usually get at a Korean restaurant, and then our waters came out. After we were done eating, my friend had to ask for a refill on our water. I forgot to mention one thing, normally when do you get your bill? At the end of the f*ing meal! We got our bill after we got our waters. It was a hint to get the hell out I guess. My friend was paying for the meal on her credit card and tipping them in cash. The bill was like thirty something, but that is not the point of this tidbit of information, it was the way the waitress reacted. My friend wrote zero in on the tip area of the credit card print out, right away the waitress felt the need to walk up and point this out to us. I had to step in and tell the "B" word waitress that we are tipping in cash. She nodded at me and walked away. I apologize for a very long review, but when I hate something, I must let it all out. Anything less would be just an injustice to the yelp community.
(1)Katherine L.
I came in at 2:35 and the menu said lunch til 2:30. I asked for the kalbi, and if I could get the lunch, since I can't eat large portions. When I got my kalbi, it was literally the size of those index cards you use to study from in high school or college. It was beef, and then three small bones that had fat. The meat was not attached to the bones. The waitress cheated me and gave me the lunch portion because the portion was so small, I ate the whole thing, then went to McDonald's afterwards for a Big Mac and medium fries. For $20 I could have gotten a good quality bbq buffet. I had to hunt the lady down for my bill. She was nowhere to be seen during my whole meal.
(2)Catherine L.
this was my go-to place for jajangmyeon (black bean sauce noodles) and gan pung gi (sweet and spicy chicken wings) loved the banchan (especially the spicy pickled radish) they were always nice to me and gave good service, but i always went with my token korean friend i haven't been back since they stopped making my jajangmyeon........ =( we need to start picketing them to bring back their jajangmyeon!!!!!
(5)Stuart D.
Changed their menu! This was my favorite South Bay Korean restaurant until they changed the menu up. Their Kimchee's and Kalbi were the best. Their Chow Ma Mein was one of the best noodle dishes ever. Their Soon Tofu Jige was one of the best soups ever too. But they took these off of the menu. I hate when a place you like all of a sudden decides to change it up. I won't go back, because their service was always bad, now that they changed the menu I can't deal with waiting 20 minutes to get a drink or place my order.
(1)Tracy M.
I've eaten lunch here countless times but this is my first time writing a Yelp review about their food and service. I don't think there has been a time when I've eaten here and have been disappointed. The food is authentic, tasty and very reasonably priced. I usually order the BBQ chicken lunch special ($7.95 I believe), which comes with steamed rice, BBQ chicken, and soup among other items. You definitely get what you pay for. This time however, I ordered the Dohl Soht Bi Bim Bahp (basically Korean paella) , served in a searing hot stone bowl. In the bowl is rice, beef, onion, spinach, fried egg, and other veggies . Once you get to the bottom of the bowl you can scrape off and eat the perfectly burnt, crunchy rice. You can also add your own chili paste to the rice bowl if you'd like. All that for a mere $11.95. They also make it wiithout being served in the hot stone bowl, for $9.95, but I've heard the ingredients are served to you cold (no thanks). The waitresses are also very friendly. My mom ordered a stirfried spicy rice cake dish (I think it's called Ddeokbokki) with cuttle fish, onions, bell peppers, etc. However, my mom mentioned to the waitress (Mee Kang was her name, love her) that the dish hardly contained any Ddeokbokki and was 95% cuttlefish. Mee Kang kindly took our dish back to the kitchen and had the chef remake our dish, adding in a ton of Ddeokbokki. Now that's customer service at it's best. Needlesstosay we left her a nice little tip. Each table is also served complimentary tiny side dishes to go along with the meal (5 or 6 tiny dishes!), and they are happy to give you free refills. I always look forward to them, they include : beansprouts, tofu, spicy cucumber, kimchee, seaweed, etc). My only tiny criticism is that they could make their English description of their menu items more clear. For example, the English description for the Ddeokbokki dish mentioned that the dish contained spicy cuttlefish, vegetables, but no mention of the rice cake. For a non-Korean person who understands no Korean, reading the English descriptions really helps me figure out what I want (or don't want) to order. Updating the English portion of their menu would help a lot! Other than that I would recommend this place, I give them 2 thumbs up!
(4)Dee K.
One aspect I don't like about Korean restaurants is that some Koreans seem to be xenophobic. For the past 10 years, sometimes this place personified that attitude. So we usually went someplace else where they were friendlier. But I'd have to say it's gotten better lately. From what I've heard, this is the place that Koreans go for Korean food because it's the most authentic. You don't get as many banchan side dishes as Korea House down the street but what is provided is more flavorful and aged (as in, not made that morning). Most Korean restaurants will refill the dishes at no extra charge if you ask. I like the food here better than most. The soups and stews (jampong, duk mandoo guk, chigaes, etc.) are generous and delicious.
(3)Chase T.
When it comes down to Korean food, this would be the first place that would come to my mind. I've been going here for 6 years or longer and I still have not been disappointed. Service might not be top notch since the business is slow. I would seat myself because they're always hiding in the back, and I also have to yell to catch their attention. The food isn't incredibly amazing but it satisfies my taste buds for a good price. If you feel like having a Korean BBQ this would be a great place. Though I'm generally the noodles or dolsot kimchi bokumbap type of person. The restaurant itself looks pretty rundown, but nonetheless still good.
(3)D L.
Very delicious Korean restaurant serving what I'm told by my Korean friends, is authentic Korean food. I love the small side dishes that are served and the kimchi is delicious. The service here is great and pretty fast. I've been to this restaurant multiple times and everything I've tried has been delicious.
(4)Katya A.
I love their kimchi and the waitresses are very sweet. The best place to find good dinner on Christmas day. If you are new to Korean Food try their combo dinners, that are not too spicy. One of the most authentic Korean Places in the area, almost as good as restaurants in Seoul.
(4)Michael K.
Aju Masiiseoyo! The food is very sumptuous. Service is very quick and tentative. They know when to refill more kimchi or any ban chan. I had the bibimbap in clay pot. I absolutely love it. It's easy to find parking here. There were a few times they tried to speak korean to me. Do I look korean?? I thought so. LOL
(4)Jauder H.
I know the name sounds funny but do not let that fool you. This is one of the best Korean places around. They are one of the few places that serve jambong (super spicy noodle soup) which you would be hard pressed to find in most Korean places. I first developed a taste for jambong in college and use the availability of it as an informal gauge of how much I like the place. The kalbi is pretty good too and has managed to convince a friend of mine to open his horizons (he's from Kansas and an avowed meat and potatoes guy) to different kinds of food. He's always up for going out for Korean food now. Definitely one of the places I would back repeatedly.
(4)Michael L.
Been comming here since I was in preschool. Great place good service. I always order the Korean bbq "kal-bi" Cant go wrong with this place if your looking for a filling meal.
(5)Tiffany L.
This place is honestly not all that great. The family and I went here, I ordered the beef soon tofu, spicy...my mistake...it was bland, not spicy and had a hair in it. Service was non-existent which is expected at a Korean restaurant, its basically three ladies working the area. The restaurant itself is pretty clean and spacious but the food really didn't make me all that happy. The kalbi as overpriced..they apparently increased the prices, $42 for kalbi and cook it yourself....so much!!! 6 ribs and meat...I was quite depressed even though it was flavorful. Just not worth the price. The chicken and ginseng soup has no flavor, maybe other items are good just not the soon tofu or the soup. The pries are honestly too expensive for what they are offering. I highly doubt I am going here again.
(2)Albert C.
Solid Korean food in a cozy restaurant. My favorite is the dol sot bi bim bap, though the chap chae and kalbi aren't bad. It can be hard to convince myself to come here when Tofu House is so close...
(3)Senior F.
Grrh! This place was once great. I think that's the secret. Cause right now, it's not all that great. They also took away 2 of my favorite dishes from the memu (ja jang myun and jang pong). Anyhow, I had to write this review cause we waiting 45 minutes for our food during lunch and it wasn't that crowded. Plus there were 2 other customers before us that somehow got their food first. Also, if you go on the weekend expect to pay more cause there's no lunch pricing. so everything's over $11. So POO, I'll go elsewhere for Korean food.
(3)Kent D.
This is a great little spot to come for lunch. The favorite lunch special among my coworkers is the BBQ pork. Although the servers are always overworked and sometimes not very available (for water refills, etc), the food is good and the price is reasonable for Korean. With tax and tip we usually walk out for $9-$9.50 each.
(4)Sushi Y.
There was 12 of us tonight - was pretty impressed at how quickly we were seated. Selection of pickles was good, nothing too memorable. Food was decent. We ordered various BBQ meat (OK), fried oysters (beware of the dip- HOT!) the mackerel (big portion) and tofu stew .... want to head back and try the bibimap or seafood pancake to see if this place can make a better impression.... service was good considering our large group, but we were only left with two jugs of water all evening!!! still feeling thirsty!
(2)ngo h.
This is one of the better korean restaurant ive been too. The korean pancake and all the side dishes you can eat is the best PARTT. Good place to eat if you want to try korean food.
(4)Bamboo G.
i liked it! the menu offers a lot of grilled dishes, good place for business dinner, too.
(4)Brian U.
Bi Bim Bap is love.
(4)Cindy Z.
The food pretty pricey here compared to other places, but service is good and the decor is nice. I can't give it more than three stars though because I've had better Korean food for less. When eating at a Korean place, you can't skip the BBQ. This place's BBQ wasn't better than other places I've tried, but it wasn't worse either. It was, however, more expensive. The side dishes didn't meet my expectations either, since they were a bit bland.
(3)Noodle S.
The food is pretty good and variety is different than the other Korean restaurant that I have visited. I agree with Brian and think the service is non-existent. When it is busy, I feel the waitress are too busy and often time ignore the customers. However, when the place is less busy, the service is decent. The King Crab Hot Spicy soup is packed with a good bunch of spice. I liked the clay pot (stone rice bowl). I also agree with Brian and recommend the chow mein noodle from this place (especially, the black sauce noodle). The BBQ meat is in par with the other Korean places. Unfortunately, I couldn't try the ginseng chicken tofu soup. It was sold-out on my visit. I suspect this is very good. The seafood egg pancake is good and is a must for every visitor. Lastly, the place is not too expensive and the food is pretty generous. A good place to entice your Korean taste buds.
(3)Daniel K.
Go for the Crab soup! Gae Jigae!
(5)Tina L.
I went back for dinner last week and the food was much better than I remembered! There was a wide assortment of side dishes and they were yummy. We got the oyster pancakes and (while oily) were very tasty. I had the wonton rice cake soup, and there was so much food that I actually just kept it for lunch the next day and it was still good!
(4)Andria M.
The food is good, service ok. I like their Yu Ge Jang. Like their side dishes. Don't really like their Cal Bi, I think I don't like the way they marinate their meat. Tastes different from the other restaurants. But overall good.
(4)jhon k.
3.5 out of 5. Okay, it's hard cause this is not Ktown in LA. But up here, I'd come here for overall Korean food. The place may look a bit older than other Korean Restaurants in the South Bay, but the food is good. Side dishes are relatively plentiful and they do the following well: Bul go gi (probably the best around), bbq pork, pa jun, and bi bim bap (the bul go gi makes it taste good). Service is somewhat better than other Korean Restuarants around. There are lots of Koreans eating here too cause they know their Korean food.
(4)Richard K.
My family all love spicy food. Every few weeks, I'll go down to the south bay to pay a visit to the folks and we'd make the trek to Secret Garden for their Jombong and Blukoki. The portions for the noodles are HUGE and always leave you extremely satisfied. We've made it a family tradition to come here for lunch on the weekends for a good 3-4 years now and the food has always been tasty and consistent. The service is awesome and this place has a great rustic family atmosphere. Only downside is this place is kind of hidden in the corner of a strip mall.... which makes is kind of a secret I suppose.
(4)Brian r.
Service used to be horrid in the past but it seems to be better now... The best thing about Secret Garden? Jaum Zza. Jaum Zza is half za zang myun (black bean sauce noodle) and half jaum pong (spicy noodle soup). I haven't tried much on their menu but their food is pretty decent.
(3)Charmayne O.
I barely ever eat Korean food, so don't make fun of my lack of knowledge on the names of the dishes! I came with with a party of 5 on a Saturday night and were seated immediately. It appears to be a small place on the exterior, but once you get inside there's 3 different rooms with an abundance of seating! As the night went on, the place was pretty packed. We ordered the BBQ chicken, 3 different kinds of assorted meat bulgogi, chop chae, the rice dish that you mix yourself that comes in a sizzling bowl, and the green onion fried pancake. We also received all those assorted small dishes of vegetables.We each received metal bowls of rice that would keep it warm for the duration of the meal. Everything came out SO FAST! The only exception is that we had to order tea from 3 different waitresses and had to remind the same one twice. Someone finally came out and told us it would be 10 minutes for the tea and we didn't receive it until the end of the meal. They even gave us a free dish of some kind of fish! The waitresses were actually very friendly and smiley, something you don't come by too often at Asian restaurants. On a level of 1-10 everyone was about a 9 in satisfaction!
(4)Edmund C.
I have been going here for years. The food is very consistent and good. For Korean food, it is cheap and big portion. My fav is the glazed sweet potato, fried oysters, and the BBQ meat. They used to have the half ja jiang mein and half spicy seafood noodle soup, BRING IT BACK!!! Just went this week and got the stone bi bim bap, got perfectly burnt rice without the sole throat afterward. Had better bi bim bap sauce though.
(4)Katherine C.
This place is my favorite Korean restaurant. If I come in for lunch, I'd probably get the grilled chicken lunch special, while my mom always gets the grilled mackerel. -banchan: very nice variety, the kimchee can be really salty and makes me feel like my blood pressure is going up; the muk is my favorite; I think they recently added japchae to the set -(cold) bi bim bap: I think you get more vegetables in the cold version, and the rice heats up the veggies pretty well. Oftentimes the meat is really oily, so I have to wipe off the oil with my napkin before mixing everything (never tried beef, pork is reaallyyyy oily, chicken is better/my favorite). Just ask them if you want a different meat, they are very accommodating. -Fried oysters: little gems with a crispy eggy crust, served with the pepper-sesame-soy-sauce for dipping (salty, not spicy). It also comes with shredded daikon. I normally strongly loathe and dislike oysters and think they are horrible, but I like these. :)
(4)Toshinobu K.
Good restaurant with good food to match. The service is not as friendly as other Korean restaurants, but the food is what pulls me in. I like to order their "Yukke" (pronounced "You-Kay") which is minced raw beef mixed with an egg and apple slices. It sounds weird, but it is absolutely delicious. The raw beef part may turn many people away, but they also have a good BBQ selection of chicken, pork, beef, and my personal favorite, Kalbi. The price is a little high for this restaurant to be my personal dining room, but when I want to splurge, this is the place.
(5)Alisu C.
This is one of my favorite Korean restaurants. If you like spicy soup you have to get the maeun(spicy) kalbi tang. It's the best! Every friend we have taken here has loved it. Also, their shrimp tempura and fried mandu is delicious! Note: I wouldn't order their chinese food selections.
(4)Dee J.
You want wonderful Korean food??? This is the place to go! I love their clear noodle stir fry and their Kim Chi..is to die for. Wonderful BBQ, and tofu pot! I introduced my family to this place and when we are all craving for some good Korean food, we meet up at this place. There are many Korean restaurants on El Camino but this is the place to be! Price is reasonable. Highly recommend to anyone!
(5)Novi O.
the most horrendous service ever. although they were not busy the waitresses almost completely ignored us the whole time except when we wanted to order more main dishes and check. and food was just ok.
(1)Dan W.
We came here a few weeks ago and ordered the kalbi, spicy pork and spicy beef soup. The portions were plentiful as well. We will definitely come back again.
(4)Simon M.
They used to have the best jambong (seafood noodle soup)in the bay area. Now that they removed that from the menu, I may not go back again. There are other korean restaurants in town that serve better Kabi or tang dishes. I am really really dissappointed for them to not keeping their most popular dishes on menu. Anybody knows other good jambong places in the area?
(2)Dickie K.
I tell everyone I know to avoid this place. The food is decent, but the service is just awful. Maybe they just cater to 1st generation koreans, but I've never been to a place that was just so rude to it's customers. This was one of the few korean restaurants back in the day so choices were limited in the 80s so I went often even thought he service was lacking. But with all the korean restaurants nowadays there's no reason to come here.
(2)milky m.
I came here the first time for a friend's gathering party and we ordered 10 dishes to share. Jae Chae, bul go gi and Kalbi are above average. Typically I enjoyed korean appetizers such as sweet potato, seaweeds and various pickles, but I found the the pickles are too spicy and salty. I was expected to see jambong, but did not see it on the menu. The restaurant seemed not very clean but it's one of the better one around k-town.
(3)Toto T.
One of my favorite korean restaurants in the bay area. Though a little on the expensive side I think. But this is the only place (I think) that serves Gae Jang (Seasoned raw crab)! The Kalbi is not bad. They could do better with the Pa Jang (egg+oysters+scallion+squid pancake). Their small dishes is plentiful and tasty. Kalbi Jim is awesome tooooooo. Yook Hwe (seasoned raw beef) is good too.
(4)Jim C.
a "secret" find for those who love korean food. bulgogi (korean style beef) is mouthwatering here and you can never go wrong with the hot stone pot bi bim bap (rice bowl with vegetables, meats, etc). the tofu jige soup (spicy tofu with vegetables) is spicy hot and good if you like it hot. don't expect great service as they are often short staffed but expect consistently good korean food.
(4)Ling A.
Food is 4 stars. I love their steam pork rib and spicy cold noodle. Service is 5 stars. All waitresses are nice that makes me and my hubby feel very confortable. Price is 31/2 star. It is a little pricey relatively to the ambiance and the food quality.
(4)G J.
I suspect the chef is different since the renovation. The BBQ pork taste not as good as it did. The source has been changed as well. The side dishes tasted much sweeter than before. The grilled mackerel is gone and the current pan-fry one is not very attractive. I am a old customer and quite disappointed.
(2)cynthia l.
must try their Pork rib steamed in special sauce & three sea chow ma mein (seafood noodle soup)
(4)Wayne H.
This is my first time to this restaurant recommended by friend. The food wasn't good. Both BBQ chicken and seafood pancake we ordered were overlooked and burn. Neither was the service, the waitress wasn't helpful at all and just wearing a long face. I didn't feel I should pay any tips for such bad service. Although I'm just on my biz trip here, this is the one I'll never visit again!
(1)L.L. M.
One of the better Korean restaurants in town. The ban chan dishes were generous. Kalbi is on the fatty and chewy side. A bit pricey compared to other Korean restaurants: Kalbi dish is $19.99 for weekend lunch.
(4)Bebe F.
I've tried many Korean restaurants in the area but always compare the others to Secret Garden. My favorite dish is the Kimchi Dol Sot Bap (kimchi, veggies, egg in hot pot), Mandu Guk (dumpling soup) & their chicken lunch special. Oh, can't forget all the side dishes you get that are endless. Keep those spicy cucumbers coming! One tip though...for great service, avoid the lunch hour unless you're sitting in the front of the restaurant where the servers can see you. If you're sitting in the back, the service is very slow...good luck! Your lunch hour can turn into 2 hours, no joke. I've refilled my own water on several occasions, stood near the bar by the kitchen just to get their attention to get my check & get the hell outta there. Though a bit slow at times, the servers are very sweet. Delicious! Gotta go back ASAP!
(5)Phuong Q.
i come here sometimes for lunch. It has pretty good korean bbq food here and the side dishes are good too. My favorite is the chicken bbq and my bf likes the seafood pancake. My favorite side is the jelly thing w/ the sauce on it....yumm. Price is reasonable as well, for the lunch plates its about $7 or $8. Service can be a bit slow sometimes depending on where you sit. if you sit in the tables in the front section, its good, but if you are sitting in the back room, sometimes they might forget you. So be aware and try not to sit back there unless you have a big party.
(4)Kevin L.
I have been coming here for YEARS with my family (at least 20 years). For me, this is what Korean food is supposed to taste like. I have tried most of their items but usually stick to my select few. Everything is fresh and arrives quickly. The service is OK and I guess that's the norm at Korean restaurants. They drop off the food and won't return until after your meal unless you flag them down. So for that I'm knocking off a star. But strictly commenting on the food: A+
(4)anthony m.
I love this place. I have been coming here for 3 years now and I like the spicy pork and tofu soup. The sides are good and the beer is only 5 bucks for a tall boy. That always spells awesome when I am in the mood for Korean. I recommend the beef short rib, I think it is one of their best dishes.
(5)MJ C.
The manduguk was excellent (the dumpling were perfectly cooked and there were really flavorful slices of beef) and the pre-cooked kalbi was moist (a rare occurrence) and tasty albeit a touch sweet. The kimchi was esp delish and the daikon kimchi was yummy. The cucumber kimchi had a vinegar bite that made up for not having muchae on the table.
(4)John P.
Got a ton of Ban Chan dishes, hot tea, and a medium bowl of tofu / vegetable soup for about 10 bucks for lunch. All the Ban Chan Dishes tasted fresh and were generous. I got free refills when I finished them all as well. The tea I had needed to be steeped for like 20 minutes but even after all that time it was still pretty bland. The soup was hot but managed to be a bit bland as well. The bowl was medium sized and there was a ton of tofu. Service was good and I left full so I was happy. Would like to try dinner here sometime.
(3)Phoodie G.
Don't be scared off by the odd assortment of stores in this plaza. Between the dance studio and the pizzeria, there's the Korean Secret Garden. I always come here for my korean fix. It's home-cooking at its best with top -notch quality ingredients. The food is also priced well--we'll order 3 main dishes, and feast like kings for well under $40. My only nitpicks about this place: When it gets busy, it's hard to wave down a waitress. The water glasses are also too small--leave me a pitcher of water so there's one less reason to flag down a waitress.. Some of my fave dishes are: Bahn-chahn (complimentary appies): Think kim-chee, a myriad of seasoned vegetable dishes,, and more. The quality ingredients and flavor set this place apart. Bee-bihn-bahp (korean paella): Have it at room-temp or in a searing-hot stone bowl (dohl-soht bee-bihm bahp). It's got rice, beef, spinach, a fried egg, and more. Add the chili paste, some muscle, and mix it all up. Delish. Kahl-bee (marinated short ribs): Soooo good. You can grill your own, but I prefer having it cooked in the back so my clothes don't get stinky. Chop-chae (sauteed clear noodles): It's a korean pasta party in your mouth. Think noodles, marinated beef, sauteed onions, carrots, and mushrooms. Pahh-juhn (green onion pancake): It's crunchy on the outside and soft inside. Make sure to ask for very little green onion. The dipping sauce rocks.
(5)Devin A.
Some may think one star is a little harsh. For a restaurant in a place gaining fame as "Little Seoul," though, I believe I am fully justified in comparing it to restaurants in Chicago's Koreatown, and using this as a basis I have no reservations in saying that the Secret Garden was terrible. There are a few things you desire out of a good Korean BBQ place. First, part of the experience is cooking the meat yourself at your table. Although the menu made it sound like this is what I was ordering, they brought the meat out fully cooked. Second, for a meal this expensive, there had better be tons of side dishes. The selection of sides was just not that impressive. I mean, that was expensive meat. Where the heck are my banchans? Kudos to Chicago's Koreatown for getting it right. Little Seoul, you've got a long ways to go.
(1)Yu-Hua W.
Just went here again this weekend. Ok to be honest, I was here for dinner on Sunday and also again on Monday night. That's how much I love this place. Their food compared to other Korean restaurants around here has so much flavor, particularly the meats. My favorites are the kalbi (beef short ribs), teji bulgogi (spicy pork), and the regular bulgogi. I found out the other day the the bulgogi is made from Rib Eye meat. No wonder it's so flavorful! The little side dishes are always plentiful. You can always ask for more. Typically we're served japchae (Korean noodles), cucumbers, marinated radishes, marinated soybeans, kimchi, broccoli, sweet honey potatoes (these are sooooooo bomb)... there's other dishes but I can't think right now. If you're having a hard time deciding on what to order, here's a list of other dishes we usually get: -- Kalbi Jiim (short rib, braised slowly with carrots, chestnuts, and other veggies in a sweet broth) -- Gom Tang (Ive had this with just the regular way with a few beef slices, and also with the Ox tail. Both are delicious.) Put a few sprinkles of the sea salt (they bring a little container of it when you order this) and it is BEEFY goodness! -- Kalbi Tang - I have had this regular and spicy. Spicy is GOOOD but that's cuz I love spicy. --Mandoo Gook - they make their own dumplings in house. --Dubu Jigae (Tofu stew) - firm pieces of tofu that don't break apart like soondubu. Heartier than soondubu --Soondubu The other night since I wasn't feeling well I asked if they make Sam Gye Tang (Chicken soup with ginseng, dates, chestnut and sweet sticky rice). They do! It took a little longer to prepare but it comes out in a huge bowl with a cornish game hen. The hen is stuffed with the glutinous rice, ginseng pieces, garlic dates and chestnuts. Not too medicinal tasting but very soothing. Nothing beats some good old chicken soup - this is just made Korean style. Again to stress, I'm not even Korean... I'm lucky my bf has taught me how to order dishes. This seriously is by far the best in the area. Reasonably priced but freakin' delicious food!
(5)Helen N.
Either my standards have gone up or they changed owners... I haven't seen the usual faces who usually greet us, food is just okay now.
(3)Donna Y.
Since I am on a soup kick cuz I am sick I thought why not Tofu Soup today. We were heading to go check out a new place when we missed it and found Secret Garden Restaurant. Lazy to make a U turn we decided to check it out. It is hidden for sure, but it is very cute inside. It looks more of a Japanese restaurant than Korean. I decided to order the Tofu Soup with Pork but it came in a seafood broth which threw me off. I thought meat is suppose to taste like meat. Instead I got a mix of Seafood and Pork, interesting. Overall all the Tofu soup was not bad and tasty but a bit to salty for me. The side dishes was alright, nothing to memorable. My co-worker ordered the pan-fried Mackerel which looked pretty good. Lunch overall is not bad and they had alot people for lunch which was surprising. There is always parking and located in the quiet plaza. I would come back for lunch again.
(3)Julie L.
I haven't been here for a while now and just went back with Nagisa the other weekend. Maybe I just craved Korean food or I just haven't had it for a loooong time, but daaaayyyuuuum.. it was so delicious. We ordered the beef kalbi, a tofu seafood dish - it was so tasty and the tofu was so fresh and silky. The six mini side dishes were again, fresh and tasty. The service this time was not bad at all, given that we arrived at opening time and there was only one other table.
(5)Michele K.
Went to Secret Garden for the first time. A little hard to find but the Bim Bop and the Garbie are amazing. Very good service, excellent prices compared to others in the area and large portions. My children even loved the chicken.....I would recommend it
(4)Dave K.
I have to say I was a bit disappointed in this place. I was excited to have a "real charcoal" Korean BBQ, but the service wasn't that great. The 5 of us ordered and were told it wasn't enough. We stuck with our order and it turned out to be just about right. OK yes we had two women with us, but they ate a good deal of food too. The banchan was good and plentiful and they kept bringing it, but like all Korean places, they responded more favorably to Korean speakers. One thing about the charcoal grills, they burn really hot and you have to watch and flip a little different than the regular gas grills. I think overall the meat quality is above average, but the overall experience puts it slightly lower than other Korean BBQ places. With so many to choose from in the Santa Clara area, the charcoal grilliness doesn't cut it by itself.
(3)teena y.
Secret Garden was a place we used to go to get good Korean food in the south bay, but it's changed over the past years. The service is terrible during lunch and sometimes it's just easier to go to the Korean food court across the street in the shopping mall when you're in a hurry. I typically get the bi bim bop dolsot which is pretty good or the kalbi lunch plate which has a lot of food (chop chae, rice, and etc.) I like the little side plates they bring before your meal - I like the broccoli and potatoes. Overall, it's a good place for a sit down meal, but don't wear your good clothes because your clothes will smell like food for hours!
(3)Jen C.
I've been here twice. Both times after golf. Tonight had to be a record amount of food. There were four bowls of mon do kook, four plates of kal bi, two orders of tofu with seafood I think, and a couple other items. This place is pretty good for the kal bi. I've had it at another place in Concord and it's up there. The mon do kook is pretty good, but really I can't finish one whole one. The chap chee is good. Love it. If I had a picture of the amount of food, you'd be shocked to find out it was for six people. Great service if you know Korean for sure.
(4)Frances B.
My friends and I stopped by here on a whim. It is off the el camino, in the korean strip part of that street and it's in the back part of a parking lot. So for ambiance, I'd give this place one star. For food, I would give it 2 1/2 stars. The food is just okay, it's good, but it tastes like other typical korean restaurants, so nothing spectacularly different about the food here. We ordered the bulgogi, bib n bop and soup. While the food is okay, it is definitely overpriced considering the ambiance, the quality of the food and the service. Would I come back? Maybe. But, there are plenty of other Korean places that taste the same with better service and way better ambiance.
(2)I. O.
Secret Garden is a phenomenal lunch deal (quality + price) and currently my work team's favourite lunch spot. Why? Well, for ~$6.50, you can get a BBQ Pork lunch special, which includes a heaping plateful of daegi-bulgogi, 2 blocks of spicy tofu, rice, jap chae & soup ..... AND *UNLIMITED* kim chee for the table .... including kim chee, broccoli, salad noodle, spicy cucumber, sweet honey potato and loads of other small dishes .... As we demolish each plate, the nice Korean Aunties refill them! Unlimited!!! All this is included in the $6.50!! 5 unequivocal stars!!
(5)Hanoch R.
OK restaurant since food is find and the atmosphere is good. we had a big party there of about 25 people and we ate many items on the menu. The BBQ dishes are sizable for 1-1/2 person and came in fresh. the Cassarols and the soups are fine but not to my taste.
(3)Chris L.
This is the best place for dohl-soht bi-bim bap - HANDS DOWN. It's kind of expensive, but it's worth it. They don't do any of their signature Chinese dishes anymore, which I'm sad about. But they have a lot of side dishes and the service is good. The waitresses are always, literally, running when it's busy. The oxtail soup is also good here. The mackerel is not so great. Plenty of parking and quick seating. There are more non-Koreans coming here, which is nice to see.
(4)Holly V.
i can NEVER explain how good this place is. this is the ONLY korean restaurant i go to that when i leave i am always satisfied. always friendly staff. i love the manager. yesterday we wanted to try the skate sashimi when she came out making sure we wanted what we order because she said it was extra spicy. so she scared me and i changed my order right away.. but she kindly took some out and let us try it. and no doubt it was soo good. i love their kalbi with all the little dishes that comes with it. i am in love with this place.
(5)C K.
Food is great but service is slow. I have been to other Korean restaurants in the area as well as the food court plaza, but I think Secret Garden still makes the best BBQ chicken and galbi. Their chicken, especially, is much better than other places. Though more expensive, the BBQ is very tasty and tender. Their kimchi and seafood tofu soup is good and their bibimbab is pretty good too. I usually come here if I'm craving Korean food and the food never disappoints. You'll just have to be patient with the staff.
(4)Ken F.
Overall, a good value for the price, freshness, and flavor. I ordered a grilled mackeral bento, which came with rice noodles, rice, and a variety of side dishes. The mackeral was fresh, which is the main reason for the good rating...a little on the salty side, but fine with rice. All of the side dishes were fresh and tasty...maybe not as much variety as some other Korean restaurants, but all of the basics were there. Service is attentive. A bento lunch with side dishes will cost you under $10.
(4)P Q.
Service? I mean, when was the last time any Asian person goes into an Asian restaurant and expect service? So, when I go in with 0 expectations, and actually get some attention, their service becomes outstanding. Actually, I have only been during dinner time and they have always been super nice to me. So, I can't complain about their services. What I want to talk about is THE FOOD! Have you tried their green onion pancake with seafood (Haemul Pajeon) dip in their special sauce? Their spicy tofu soup (Shun Dubu) is tasty. The Korean glass noodle (Jap Chae) is not bad either. Their BBQ items are very flavorful too. And ALL the little side dishes (Banchan) they give you are enough to make a meal by itself. Hm... Either I am not at all a picky eater or that I really like this joint. Try it out and you decide.
(4)omar b.
this place reminded me of muguboka and han il kwan of SF cause of the three times i came here in one week (and that says a lot being there is a 20:1 ratio of korean eat joints to starbucks within 10 blocks of El Camino), there was always a tour bus with tons of koreans gettin on or off to come here. the quality of eats and decent service were also similar traits I found here, but a HUGE difference was you don't need a translator here to decipher what to order! yelp.com/biz_photos/Zo9a… during this cold spell it was a must to order soups each time we came through...sol lung tang was okay but.. kalbi tang was scrumptious! yelp.com/biz_photos/Zo9a… banchan was on-point ^_^ especially the onegi and tamago dishes- yelp.com/biz_photos/Zo9a… pajun was soo YUMM!!! crispy and pre-sliced for ease of gorging..the so go gi jun was where it was at tho!!! supposedly this dish is hard to find at most spots. yelp.com/biz_photos/Zo9a… special private room in the back looks like an eventual eatout event yelp.com/biz_photos/Zo9a… didn't try the meats but now have something to compare to since hitting ibunjee with a bunch of famous korean yelpers last week! how can this place have less than 40 revs??!! especially with a musicbox conveniently next door???!!!
(5)Amy G.
The second best Korean place around. Here your food is cooked for you which is kind of nice when you are lazy. The sea bass soup here is delicious. Aside from the side dishes they give you clear noodles and pancakes as appetizers. The services is nice and the food tastes very authentic. Be aware though you will smell like the restaurant when you leave, I guess its not that bad since it smells good.
(4)James J.
By far my FAVORITE Korean restaurant in the the South Bay. Honestly, I didn't want to post my positive review of this restaurant because as the name implies this place is a real secret gem (Selfishly, I don't ever want this place to get too popular and crowded). I take my family there 1-2 times per month. You never need reservations and they are incredibly accommodating. I've never had to stand in line or signup on a waiting list to get fast and incredible Korean food. All of their dishes and soups are tasty (even my Korean parents and Korean in-laws vouch for the quality of the food). But what truly separates this Korean restaurant from other Korean restaurants is SERVICE! Korean restaurants notoriously provide marginal service but this place is in a category of their own. The waitresses are always attentive to your needs. Case in point: a few years ago, we forgot to bring my child's milk bottle from home. I was getting ready to leave my family and drive to the nearby Walgreens to get milk...but before I could get up to leave, one of the waitresses brings us a glass of milk to our table. What is the most shocking part of this story is that, we didn't even ask them for milk!!!! That was clearly serving above and beyond....since then, this restaurant has been dear to our heart. 5 years later this restaurant has yet to cease in their impeccable service. Love this place!!!!
(5)Annette C.
Much better than most Northern California Korean food. A little extra salty but still MUCH better than Jang su jang or whatever. Service is not great... but food and ban chan is much better than most Korean I've had in this area.
(3)Richard P.
Richard Pro here with another review. My dad has been a regular for 30 years, and I've been coming for 20 years. We always go for the korean bbq and get the Kal Bi. It's always very flavorful, and you get a plethora of tasty side dishes. Free refills on side dishes, and you will definitely refill at least once. Rice is hot and sticky, and you get a free bowl of piping hot tofu soup. The marinade here is excellent. Service here varies. Over 20 years I've seen a lot of different waitresses (now that I think about it I've never seen a waiter here before). Having come for 45 years, my dad knows the owner, and the waitresses insist that its been the same owner all these years. They're not very good at English so if you know Korean you probably get excellent service. Otherwise, during the same meal we get some crabby waitresses and some who actually smile when we thank them. Decor has updated slightly in the last five years or so. The restaurant looks nice and by no means cheap. Prices have definitely skyrocketed; every time we come it goes up like 5 bucks.
(4)Southbay N.
One of my family's favorite places to go for Korean food. They are super friendly and the food is very consistent. Side dishes are good and plentiful. We generally get kalbi, sindubu, and chop chae. Really good portions, tasty, and good variety. I would recommend this place for sure.
(4)Jeremy K.
Food was ok...the LA calbi was not the best I've ever had...a bit chewy but good flavors. We had a party of 20 so the service was a bit slow. The deep fired oysters were the BOMB!!!! A must try if u love oysters. Everything else was regular tasty good korean food as expected.
(3)Jenny L.
This place is truly a hidden gem! The bulgogi lunch special is absolutely mouthwateringly delicious and the marinade, texture, and beef quality is perfection! The portions are great - definitely on the big side so you may be able to take home leftover bulgogi. The ban chan is awesome as well. Everything is fresh, they even give you miyuk gook with your lunch special, along with chapchae, marinated tofu, and other various ban chan dishes. I highly recommend this place!
(5)Floria C.
Great service with all-around selection of Korean dishes. The staff was really friendly, and checked on us often to refill the complimentary side dishes that are served at Korean restaurants. I thought that was notable and generous of them. I'm no expert on Korean food, but my family comes here a lot and I've brought a Korean friend here before. This is a good place to go for a variety of Korean foods. They have Korean bbq table-side, noodles (jap che, soup noodles), rice cakes, rice dishes (bibimbop), soon tofu, bulgogi, etc. My Korean friend was not too impressed with their soon tofu, but she said it was decent. She had the kimchi tofu. I ordered the pork tofu. If you don't like it too spicy, REMEMBER to tell them in advance (because they won't ask you). I learned that the hard way and had to swallow down some tea and ice water diluted soon tofu. Not pretty. The bulgogi has always been good whenever we ordered it. They servce it on a iron plate to keep it hot. They've got lunch specials on the weekdays. It's really clean (the bathroom is lacking a little though) and quiet. Good for a family, for two, or for a meal with a few friends.
(4)Casey F.
We got take out last week and oh boy was that the best kalbi I have ever had in my life! I love it when the marinade is all caramelized on the outside and it looks overcooked, but when you bite into it, it is tender, juicy, melt in your mouth heaven. And we ate it 1 hour after, I can't even imagine how it would have tasted if we had dined in. I've eaten here many, many times in the past, and although the kalbi has always been good, something about it was extra delicious last Thursday, perhaps the meat was extremely fresh. We also got sogogijun, and we were very happy and satisfied. I am still thinking about that kalbi, maybe I can make another stop there tomorrow.
(5)Hai P.
I would give this place more stars if the service was better. I asked if I could substitute beef for pork in a combo dish and they refused. I offered to pay the difference. All I wanted was the fish that came with the beef combo and they suggested I order an entire fish dish which was $13. I don't mind so much but it was unprofessional so minus a star. The food is good and the side dishes are plentiful, but again, the service stinks. Despite this, my girlfriend and I always go back because of the food. So if you don't mind the service, give it a shot.
(3)S O.
yummy! really liked the combo seafood casserole meat was delicious, especially the steamed beef they have this yummy shrimp pancake good tea friendly service awesome asian yogurt drink at the end of the meal better than korea house
(4)T L.
I only eat here during lunch and they have good food and reasonable rates. I like the side dishes that come with a lunch special. Good portion and I'm always full afterward.
(4)gloria x.
Came here for a weekday lunch and tried seafood casserole. Pretty tasty. They also served small assorted dishes at lunch and they were typical for a Korean restaurant. My friend got soft tofu seafood casserole and she liked it too. Both of us loved the decoration and the seating environment. It's pretty spacious so you can actually have conversation :) Next time I plan to try other dishes like the meat cooked on BBQ table. The service was very polite and attentive too. Minus 1 star for not having a raw egg in the casserole, haha. We are pretty pick about Korean food.
(4)Kevin C.
Secret Garden and me go way back, we're talkin power rangers era. You can bbq your own meat or have them do it for you. In the beginning, my family would always bbq, there's something about cooking your own food in a restaurant that makes the food taste better. Yeah. However nowindays, we just order the kalbi grilled for us, some days they're generous, some days you wonder if the waitresses got hungry on the way to your table. Either way, it's good, soft, and I love love love gnawing on the bone, I am kind of iffy on reincarnation but if I was ever anything else in a possible alter life, I put my money on canines. Now what else is good? Sea bass soup!! Mmmm, Koreans are damn talented at 3 things, 1. making beef delicious 2. Making me sweat while I eat and lastly 3. drinking me under the table... my taiwanese blood just brings the alcohol to my brain so quick it's like I got suckered punch. Hmm...what else, seafood pancake, tripe sauteed in red oily spicy sauce, anything sauteed in red oily spicy sauce, and I really like their seaweed, it's one of those complimentary appetizers, sometimes they don't offer it and you gotta ask for it...never really knew why though... -1 star because their consistent good has been falling out lately, not sure if its because everyone who has been working there has been there for a LONG time, it's the same waitresses when I was young lad! same chef and everything. Hopefully they kick it back up to old school standards, this is a comforting old favorite
(4)Julia C.
Good lunch special. I tried the barbeque pork and also the spicy kimchee soup. Ban chan is pretty good, there is a lot of it. Not too pricey.
(4)lea c.
Love their variety of sides - especially the potatoes and cucumber kimchi. Secret Garden's menu has a great selection as well. It's an excellent price for the proportions given and the quality of food. I'm a frequent customer and our order always comes out just right and in a timely manner. Service has never been a problem. Not a disappointment I guarantee. Highly recommend :)
(5)Alyson C.
Dammit, I guess the secret is out. This place was great. $100 for 5 people got us full with left over to spare. I was impressed at the tender meats that they served us and the Green Onion pancake! And of course it's authentic Korean when the Bibimbop is in the cast iron pot that makes your rice crunchy. Then they gave us some nasty Fish dish that was on the house. whatever. The tea was great. Just weird that it took 10 minutes to prepare. whatevs.. All in all, great experience.
(4)Nick T.
I've been her many times for lunch and this will be my last time. Got the bbq pork lunch special. Food was not that great and was cold. I keep eating and find a STAPLE in my food. A STAPLE! I told one of the waitresses after about 5 minutes because you can never get a waitress here. All i got was sorry and she picks up the staple with her bare hands on my plate.... Bad service, bad food, a staple, and someones bare hand in your food. I'm done with this place. There are places that are way better.
(1)Jasmine S.
i can only speak for their lunch meals, but i was very impressed with the quality of food! BBQ chicken: very well seasoned! Would order again!!
(5)Tim L.
You just never know what your gonna get. Some of the dishes are excellent, and some are just gross. The service is horrible every single time we go there during lunch. it's not that the waitress are not nice, they just aren't attentive and never come to your table. When in large groups, it is never a priority to get all the food out within reasonable time frames. The meats here are pretty good. The dol sot was pretty weak, some of the pan chan is ok but some are just gross. My coworker asked if they had the kimchi with the fresh oysters. The answer was yes, but unfortunately they were rank as shizzle and it was nasty. Can't remember much else. Bottom Line - Decent meat, everything else didn't seem too great. You might be in a 1.5 hour lunch special. If you are on the EL Camino Korean journey, try it out. If you are making a special drive, go somewhere else.
(3)J K.
Delicious food - definitely recommended and will be back for sure. The bibimbap and meats were excellent.
(4)qirk z.
Good Food! Great service! The pork was good and spicy, the kal bi was best. Many side dishes. Spicy isn't very spicy here. Plenty of parking, you'll find it on the same side as Walgreens but in the next complex down.
(3)jerry h.
5 stars for the lunch specials.. Cheap lunches. Less than $8 gets you a plethora of pickled sides and a box of goodies.. Go for the BBQ dishes, since they have that hint charcoal taste to them... -- Service is quick.... Dinner is good as well...but expect to pay double the prices of lunch..
(5)Wilson C.
I came here once with a friend from Korea for dinner and thought it was pretty good. To me, it's more of an authentic Korean restaurant when you get the side dishes and here they give you a lot of side dishes. It was just the two of us and we ordered two items, I can't remember the names. One was a squid and vegetable stir fry dish and a soup with dumplings and stuff. I didn't order, since I figured it's better that the person who speaks Korean order the food. I liked the squid, and the soup was okay. The side dishes were pretty good and the overall experience I thought was good. The service I thought was pretty good also. The lady who helped us was very friendly and I would go back here again so I give it four stars.
(4)Mitchell O.
This place makes me glad to be Korean! Some of the BEST Korean food in the Bay Area. The varity of kimchee is excellent, and the portions are enormous. I can't tell you how much the dishes are at this place; another perk of being Korean is having a Korean Mom that always pays for dinner when we go! The Kalbi and Bulgoki are top-tier; the service can be a little more efficient, especially when it comes to keeping you hydrated. But overall, a quality dining experience and some great, authentic Korean fare!
(4)will c.
One of the better korean restaurants I've been to. It's located in a strip mall just a bit further down el camino from the tofu house. Look for the piano stores. Their banchans are spectacular. I really like their marinated potatoes and their scrambled egg pancake. I got their tofu soup with beef. Word of caution, they don't go by korean spice levels- medium is not spicy. The beef was a bit tough but still edible. Ask them for the egg to put into the tofu soup when you order or else they'll skimp on it. A few friends had the dolsot bibimbap and really liked the sweeter flavored beef. The sauce that goes along with it is tasty as well.
(4)Mavis G.
This is a good authentic Korean restaurant that won't embarrass your friends or family from Asia. It's not a restaurant with only a few good dishes so you can safely experiment dishes you have never tried or heard. We come here often with friends, coworkers or families both during weekdays and weeknights mostly for dinner and always get seated pretty quickly (occasionally even before people who were there first). And similarly, we feel a bit neglected in terms of service when we are only a party of 2.
(4)Steve J.
This is the first time I have been to this restaraunt; from all of the positive reviews I expected more. The location was good, parking no problem, nice clean place. But the portions were small. The food was good, but then again on the appetizers they bring out (Kimchi, etc.) the portions were very small. We had a large group and they reluctantly brought us more when we asked. Had to ask for more tea, waitress following-up to see if we needed anything more was spotty and really not up to par. So I'm not sure if I will be back. There are many more Korean BBQ restaraunts out there; seems like if you drive along the El Camino Real you'll hit one about every 5 miles. So this more of a neutral review, or slightly positive. It's worth a try to see if you like it more. I may or may not go back. Maybe when I have done all the other nearby KBBQs I'll give it another try.
(3)Chihee K.
The service is great - very attentive and almost motherly staff (one told my boyfriend that if the red pepper sauce was too spicy for his dol sot bab to use soy sauce). However, the food was below average for me. Some of the banchan dishes tasted sour (almost to the point of spoil) and my yuk hwe jang was somewhat flavorless.
(2)Vy R.
First time I heard of their name, I thought it was some sort of XXX strip joint. Friends brought me here, and I'm glad they did!!!! We usually go to Korea House or Bluestones in SC when we crave korean food. Now we have a new joint. Great sides, yummy bbq and no wait! This restaurant's very spacious, so you don't have to wait long. Just don't get seated in the back, or they'll forget all about you.
(4)Cat K.
This is my favorite Korean Restaurant that I've found so far on the Peninsula. They are a bit difficult to find and are located by some defunct looking businesses - I think there is a Karaoke Store, an Indian Dance studio, and a Piano store in the same complex. There is always an abundance of parking too. They serve nice portions of food and give great side veggie dishes. My favs are the bbq chicken, oyster pancakes, meat jun, and spare ribs.
(4)Eunjoo P.
This restaurant has hands down, the best kalbi ever!! I would choose this place for kalbi over the all you can eat korean bbq at Palace buffet down the street, any day! :D Quality OVER quantity. :) Life is too short! Best marinade ever & they cook it perfectly. I brought 5 orders of their kalbi to my boyfriend's surprise birthday pool party/bbq thing I was throwing for him over the summer & omg all the kalbi was gone in a heartbeat but I was lucky enough to catch the last strip of kalbi for my boyfriend. lol Those who did get to try it, all asked where I got it & if I could get more but we were all the way in Fremont. :/ Recently I brought $150 worth (about 7 orders) of their kalbi to a potluck in one of those huge silver pan things they give you when u get food catered...again the kalbi was gone before some people even got to try it. lol I also like that this restaurant always asks me how many orders of rice I'd like with my orders & they always give me more than enough...think there was a lot of rice left over at the potluck. :D
(5)Janet H.
Korean Secret Garden Restaurant shouldn't be a secret because it's so good! More on the pricy side, but worth it! Try coming here M-F for their lunch specials and you can get a good deal. I really like their banchan! Our waitress happily refilled the potatoes in this sweet sauce that I devoured after every refill. All their side dishes were really good, except for the kimchi. It was really sour... The stonepot bi bim bap was amazing!!! TONS of veggies and goodies inside. Good amount of meat, too. The sauce could be better, but I'm not complaining. Comes in a huge portion, so I doggy-bagged it and still tasted just as good the next day. I tried the spicy pork, not bad either. I love the charcoaled taste to it. Also a huge portion and can feed two people for $14. I haven't tried the bbq yet, but I hope to do so in the future. But for now, Korean Secret Garden is probably my favorite place to get bi bim bap!
(4)Hagana K.
Definitely one of the best Korean spots in the area, and you know there are a LOT of Korean spots in this area. Not as many banchan as I like to see, but not every place can be Norbu. Still, the banchan that were served were excellent, especially the soybean/mungbean sprout combo. I also liked the pa-jeon/japchae appetizer you get. The sullungtang was every bit as good as Kunjip's, and my fiancee loved her bibimbap. Can't wait to come back and try their yukgaejang as well.
(5)Paul L.
I waited 20 mins for them to take my order before I just got up and left with my gf. If you plan on going here plan to go with a big group because it seems like they only like you if you are in a big group. There were people in big groups that came in after us but got served before we did. Also there was some kko choo ga roo (red pepper) on my glass of water. I don't think I am ever going back to this place.
(1)A V.
I would have given this place three stars for the okay food, but it's getting two stars because of the mediocre food in conjunction with poor service. I ordered the bibimbap and liked it, but everything else was just okay. There wasn't anything memorable about the seafood pancake (too doughy and not enough seafood) or the bulgogi (tasted similar to every other restaurant I've been to). The ban chan was limited and they were tiny portions, which is okay because they weren't that great and my friend and I didn't finish any of them. I'm not picky about service, but this place basically had none after they took your order and brought me my food. They never came by to refill our drinks or ban chan. My friend called out a couple times when the servers passed us, but it took a couple tries to flag someone down just to get them to refill our water. There are so many other Korean restaurants in the area that serve the same thing with better service, so I probably won't be coming back here.
(2)Marilyn T.
Don't be turned off the un-updated and abandoned looking parking lot - it just adds to the authenticity. When you walk in, it looks pretty traditional in terms of lay out, and you can't tell from the outside, but it's actually clean and pretty well lit inside. We started with the traditional banchan (kimchee, radish, fish cake, seaweed, bean sprouts, romaine) but also some miso soup and a plate with chapchae (well flavored, not too oily) and a fish cake. We came here mostly for the mae un tang, which is hard to find. Their fish soup is done with sea bass, which comes at a premium price of $23 per bowl, but it's high quality and is worth it. The sea bass was very tender, but it doesn't have as much flavor on its own without the soup. Soup stays warm and is very flavorful without being too salty (probably due to all the onion, scallions, herbs, and mushrooms). You can't find mae un tang everywhere around here, so I'm glad I was able to get a good one. They also had lots of other stews that were tempting (fish egg, kimchee, tofu, seafood, mushroom, etc). The cold buckwheat noodles were pretty standard - lots of red sauce, so lots of flavor. The noodles could have been a little more chewy. Every other table had bibimbap, so I'm thinking I should have gotten that instead. You definitely need lots of refills on water here to wash down the food. They do have beers on tap and also some liquor, including Johnny Walker on the shelf. Canned sodas are $1 each. Like many other Korean places do, they give you complimentary yogurt drinks with the check. The ladies working here are all in pink uniforms and are smiling and friendly. It's nice to have a Korean restaurant that does more than just bbq and tofu.
(4)Ken A.
grilled mackerel bento. nice staff. no wait. dank food. authentic. dank appetizers. unlimited. unlike japanese. chill place man. food is good.
(4)John H.
This traditional Korean standby hits the right marks every time for me. Ask any lover of Korean food in the South Bay and they'll know this old joint. They are consistently good and the side dishes are tasty and plentiful. A great place to eat with the co-workers and family with plenty of parking... always.
(4)Rachel L.
My favorite korean restaurant! The service is always quick and other than the banchan they give a mini appetizer of vegetable pancake and japchae. They have more plates of banchan than most of the other places I've been to. Their kimchi is the kind I prefer because it's not too sour. I also like the broccoli and soft white jelly in chili sauce. I love the bbq chicken- it's super tender, perfectly flavored, and comes out on a huge hot platter. The spicy buckwheat noodles are also very yummy, the texture is chewy and although I finished the whole bowl I didn't feel sick. The normal buckwheat noodles has ice so it's great for a hot day. They give cucumbers, radish, an egg with 2 yolks, beef (too tough), and so much noodle. It tastes very light though so I recommend to take out the ice before the soup becomes too watery. Their bibimbap is a generous portion and my mom said it's very good. I heard their weekday lunch combos are a great deal- cheap and they give a variety of food.
(5)Jennifer N.
I can live off of Korean food for the rest of my life indeed, but this restaurant was just OKAY. I came here with the intention of eating like a heffer after carefully reading and examining the reviews on Yelp. I ordered the dumpling soup which was good, but not great. You get 8 pieces of dumplings which are pretty huge but was pretty flavorless. I thought, well... eh, it's okay. It's probably just mine. My friend ordered the Spicy beef soup, and it was just as flavorless as mine. The side dishes were also not of great quality. The marinated cucumbers shouldn't look soggy at all. I guess it was overly soaked in vinegar that it started wilting. Ew, wilting cucumbers = no no. It wasn't a memorable experience but it was okay. I will probably give this place another try some other time. The highlight of the evening was the probiotic drinks that looked like Yakult. It was a nice and refreshing way to end a bland dinner.
(3)Marrisa R.
The food looks old like a left over and taste is mediocre. The service isn't great either. We came mid afternoon for early dinner, the place is empty and now I know why.
(1)Jeffrey L.
Came here for lunch with a couple of friends. Decor is nice and the place feels pretty relaxed and clean. Service was prompt and efficient, nothing too special. Banchan was very standard fare, and nicely tasty. They give you ~5 or so dishes (bean sprouts, pickled broccoli, marinated potatoes, kimchi, etc). It wasn't particularly amazing, but it was solid and good enough to satisfy a banchan-lover's craving for banchan. Lunch specials run for about $8, with kalbi commanding something like $14. The food was nice, but nothing special. Very standard, pretty decent food (I had the spicy pork). The portions, IMHO, were just average and weren't super filling. You can't go wrong with Secret Garden, but it won't be super memorable either. This is Koreatown, so there are tons of other good choices in the area. Secret Garden is just one among dozens.
(3)Ted W.
Okay, having been here twice for lunch now, I can say that the food at this place definitely deserves its 4-star rating. The service is a little sporadic at times, but oh well. Lunch is an exceptional value...specials go for $6.50. However, my friend and I also wanted the Korean pan cake, so we got it -- the haemul pa juhn. Ironic that it cost $11.95 because that's like 2 lunch specials. I have to say, though, it was worth every penny...SO GOOD! It was pure pan fried goodness (it has green onion, vegetable, and some seafood in it). The kim chee chi ghe lunch special I got was good, too. My only complaint is that they serve the hot soup with a metal spoon, and I had to ask for a plastic one so I didn't burn my tongue off (in retrospect I should have asked for a glass one, but I didn't think they had it). Apparently all Koreans have tongues of stone, because I don't understand how else you can have such a hot soup with a metal spoon. In any case, they brought me a not-so-great disposable plastic spoon, so I am totally bringing my own spoon next time. Last comment about the lack of service at this place...it's near impossible to flag someone down because they're all walking so fast. Still, though, this place is an excellent value for lunch, and I would come here again.
(4)Diana M.
ehh, it's aright. We ordered spicy pork, seafood pancake, cuttlefish, and kimchee tofu. Food was cool but nothing overly impressive. The seafood pancake was a bit too cakey for my taste. And the banchan was surprisingly limiting? Nonetheless, were were in good company and good conversation.
(3)Alea G.
I've been here so many times that it's probably about time that I reviewed it. This is my family's go-to Korean restaurant. I highly recommend Secret Garden. Very good and authentic Korean food with a lot of menu options to choose. The ban chan here is amazing! They have great, great oi kimchi (cucumber kimchi). They also give you a lot of ban chan and will refill it for you. Trust me, my brother and I go through like four things of the oi kimchi each time we're there. Secret Garden is also my favorite place to go for dolsot bibimbap (it's the bibimbap in the large stone pot). I love it. They've also got fantastic dokbokki. Try it. The sauce. Oh I love the sauce they use. The kalbi is pretty good, albeit a bit on the expensive side. I also like the daeji bulgogi (spicy bbq pork), but no one makes it the way my grandma does. She sets a pretty high bar in terms of daeji bulgogi. Their nengmyuns (cold noodles) are pretty standard. The bibimnengmyun is pretty spicy, though. I wish they did one of those kalbi/nengmyun combos, but whatever. I also tried the ramen there once. It was very heavy on the seafood, but I liked it. Service is pretty good on the whole. Might be a little less so when it get super crowded, but it's pretty good on the whole.
(5)Diana C.
Secret Garden has a large variety of solid Korean food. When I went for dinner, they gave us a lot of different types of banchan, including japchae and pancake. I've heard that during lunch they don't give you quite as many types? They have a lot of different types of food on their menu. On that day I was craving sul lung tang. My mom ordered soondubu, and my dad ordered gom tang. All our food was pretty yummy. I want to go back and try their hwedupbap and their BBQ meat. The only thing keeping this place from getting 5 stars is their service. They are understaffed so instead of clearing the tables they would seat people further and further back. We didn't bother asking for refills on anything because they already had so many tables to serve. They really should hire some more waitresses!
(4)Annie D.
I've been here twice now, with several different friends, and the service is always friendly, the food is already great! They have good classic korean food, nothing super fancy like at Jang Su Jang. I love their little plates, and their raw beef with the raw egg is delicious. I've been with Korean friends, and they like the mellow atmosphere. If you are looking for something fancy and to impress a girl, try Jang Su Jang. But if you want something down-to-earth, and good food, go here.
(5)Alex K.
Secret Garden is a great spot in a very unassuming strip mall. We came with a large group for lunch, and crawled away stuffed. The banchan was very good to average. The kimchi was good, but the cucumbers were sweet and delish (despite the amount of red soup it was sitting in). For the main course, we had bulgolgi, kalbi, chicken and a BBQ pork rib. The food was prepared in the back, no table service. All cuts were well seasoned, but sometimes came out a little burnt. The interesting dish was the BBQ pork rib "stew", which came out in a pot, cooked in a sweet bbq pepper sauce. Not a typical tasting dish from most Korean restaurant I've patronized. Service was very good, and we were well attended to. I can't wait to come back to try the seafood.
(4)Lance C.
Recommended by a Korean friend. I became a fan. The price is a bit higher than other Korean place in Santa Clara K-town, but the food is also slightly better. I really liked the oyster pancake because it has one oyster per small pancake with great taste.
(4)Joanna R.
Hum, a solid three stars. Arriving there not too long before closing time didn't make much of a difference in their service (or maybe it did, since I hadn't been there since they changed owners). Anyway, I can't say their dishwashing is so successful but I guess I can overlook that cause it wasn't terribly dirty or anything. I ordered the kimchi dolsot bibimbap and it was surprisingly pretty good. It had a good mix of vegetables and the kimchi really was the best part about it. I suggest getting a regular bibimbap if you don't like too hot stuff. Tastes pretty much the same. The three stars are for their service, quality of food, and general environment.
(3)Dave K.
The place was pretty average. I ordered the Hwae-Do-Bap. It is the rice with salad and raw fish. It was decent. They did give me a lot of fish which I liked. The side dishes were alright but I thought it could have been little better. They didn't really provide many of them so there really wasn't a lot to eat from. Looking at their menu, the price isn't so bad. But the meat menu looked fairly expensive for a Korean restaurant. I actually thought the place was just a bar at first because as soon as I walked in, it was the bar lounge. Overall, it was decent. I can't really complain all that much since I was pretty full after the meal and it was good. I would probably come again to try one of their soups on the menu. It looks pretty good from the picture, so maybe I shall try it next time when I'm in the area.
(3)Kim N.
We were going to hit En just in the next shopping center over and found out the hard way they weren't open for lunch then. Doh. So we head over here looking blindly for a place to eat and we ended up here. First impression: everyone here is Korean and older, this place has to be legit. Two, they didn't frown upon a large group of non Koreans taking over a huge table. In fact it was akin to the UN stepping into Korea as my group covered Australia to Arkansas, so we were a varied team. Ordered pork belly, spicy pork, spicy tripe, dumplings, seafood pancakes, the works. It was nice to see a place cover all the different Korean style cooking styles. Grilled, tofu soup, bi bam bap, whatever, they had it. Everything was pretty tasty and the staff were all super friendly. Definitely coming back to try more items on their vast menu.
(4)Suaan Y.
The food here is classic old-school Korean food. They have a good range of different types of Korean food like Nang myun, soon dubu, and BBQ. I love the many side dishes they offer and they will give free refills if you ask. Their decor isn't as trendy as some other places are, but it's alright. I always go here if the wait at Jang su Jang is way too long.
(4)Patrick H.
How do you pick which Korean place to eat at when there are hundreds, if not billions, along El Camino? You go by recommendations from a Korean. Or when you can't find one, fill-in with a Chinese friend. Close enough, lah! The food here was not overly salty like most Korean food can be, so I didn't get the swollen fat finger syndrome afterwards, just the "itis" (sleepy-cuz-I-ate-too-much syndrome). Between two of us, we got the kim chee che gai (kim chee soup), dol sot bibimbop, and the Dinner D special - kalbi, fried shrimp tempura, and fried fish. I'd recommend everything except for the fried items, because they were fairly oily and had that old oil flavor to them. The banchan were good and the waitresses were fairly attentive too, so I'll be back another time.
(4)Callie S.
Mind-blowing bibimbap. I'm serious, it has stolen my heart. They brought us a mini-appetizer of japchae and vegetable pajun. Japchae was packed with vegetables and delicious-I hate it when places overload on noodles and are stingy with vegetables. Panchan were authentic and fresh, and they had great kimchee. I ordered kimchee dolsot bimbimbap, my fiance had sullungtang. They served the bibimbap in an oversized stone bowl, which allowed for optimal surface area for the crunchy, slightly burned rice at the bottom (best part). I had this bibimbap seven hours ago, and I haven't stopped thinking about it. I may go back tonight. It is more expensive than other places on El Camino ($10.95-12.95) but definitely worth it!
(5)Ede S.
THE BEST KALBI EVER!!! I've had my share of kalbi and they always taste the same to me, but this my friend, was different. The flavor was immense and just simply amazing! We also tried the dol sot bi bim bap which was good. The rice stuck on the sides were crisp to a perfection. There was also a great selection of ban chan (we didn't ask for refills, so there was that much that they offered). I'm a fan of the watery egg ban chan, which I don't see often at most places anymore. So the only weird thing was that the waitress gave us two bowls of rice with a cover on it. I opened my cover and was about to put a piece of kalbi on it when she suddenly decided to take it away. umm, weird?! First of all, are you going to serve it someone else, cause that's a tad bit unsanitary. And seriously, you already gave us the rice, just let it be. It's wasted goods anyway since I opened the top. Yeah, we just thought that was odd and a bit rude. Besides the rice malfunction, the food was great! I can't wait for more kalbi here (it sure beats Jang Su Jang, which I personally don't think is all that!),
(4)Phil D.
I've been to this place fairly often, but always end up ordering one of two dishes: Hwe Dup Bop (Raw fish and greens with rice) or Yuk Hwe Bi Bim Bap (Raw beef and vegetables with rice). Both are rather risky, because of the raw seafood and beef. However, the taste just can't be beat. If I lived closer, I'd be tempted to eat there every day. I've never had an issue, so the ingredients must be fresh. The variety of side dishes is great. I think around 10 dishes. In the early evening, you often get a free 'appetizer' before the side dishes, such as a small dish of Jap Jae, which I really like, or some sort of omelet, with I could do without. This is a great place to go if you want to talk during dinner. There are several tables that are somewhat hidden away, where it's very quiet. My only complaint about this restaurant is that it's often hard to get somebody's attention if you want to order or ask for the check. I guess that's the downside of getting a table that's hidden away in a corner. Staff is very friendly, though. They always apologize profusely for forgetting you, :-)
(4)Christina L.
Cool interior! Totally old school Korean restaurant and the inside won't let you forget! This place has been around for a looooong time and I can see why. Good ol' Korean food in a old school Korean restaurant setting. The service wasn't the best service ever but better than most Korean restaurants. Food = good but again not the best. Go for the unique old school look, assortment of side dishes, and dumpling & rice cake soup. YUM.
(4)Vera T.
The dol sot bibimbap there is a solid 4 star rating. Everything else there is 3.5 stars. I usually come here for lunch, and they have a lunch menu that's pretty good for the price. You get a box lunch with the BBQ meat of your choice. My preference is the spicy pork or the bbq chicken. I normal like bbq beef from korean places, but theirs always have some weird fat trimming on it that I don't really like to deal with. When I feel like indulging, then I order the dol sot bibimbap for lunch. A big serving of bibimbap over a steaming stone bowl, YUM. This bibimbap is much more tasty than other places for some reason, it may be because they have the meat/veggies/rice proportion correct. Whatever it is, I end up stuffing my face with the mixed rice goodness.
(4)Nain M.
I hate writing long reviews so will keep it short. Pros 1) Popular dish - Bim Bop with meat. I luv it in stoneware. 2) Pre-meal appetizer variety is pretty nice. 3) Lots of menu choices. Priced well for lunch and dinner. Cons 1) Service becomes really slow during weekday lunch rush hour even for water refills.
(4)Shelly C.
I usually come here for lunch and order the spicy pork lunch special. It consist of spicy pork, japchae (the clear noodles) 2 pieces of tofu, rice and sometimes some sort of fruit. And of course, side dishes. The price of the meal is very inexpensive (less than $10) considerate I am able to finish it. I would say the side dishes are plentiful, except customer service here is very, very poor. It takes about 5-10 minutes to get the check, and for some reason, although they do not appear to be short staff, they are always so slow. My friends and I have a cheat system where once we get the food, we will ask for the check. If we're lucky, sometime they speed things up. But again, it can take a while just to get the check back. Overall, I would give it 3 stars. (the food is just so good) but service...well that's another story.
(3)Sammy L.
Maybe I am biased because I am Korean...but this place is cheap and the food is fresh and tasty! My bf and I go here for lunch probably once a week and we leave spending $14.00 every single time. Also the girls are always super nice and my bf is Caucasian and they keep giving him extra honey potatoes! He asked for extra honey potatoes once and they remember all the time now. I thought it was funny!! I usually get the Mackerel lunch special and my bf gets the chicken or the BBQ special. Totally delicious!
(5)Jacqueline N.
My sister took our family to this place years ago, and I took my friends there after. I love this place! I've only tried a few other Korean places in the area, and this is the best I've seen for the quality and price. The Jap-Chae is a must have. It's the glass noodles with meat and veggies. If you like your meat a little spicy try to pork bul-go-gi. It definitely has a kick to it. I find myself eating more of the yummy side dishes than the actual food. Love this place and would come back again and again.
(4)Addi M.
At first glance, this place always looks closed because they have such tinted/mirrored windows, but just look a little harder and you'll see they're open for business! I ordered a tofu bowl to warm my bones, while my boyfriend ordered kalbi. The amount of kalbi he got was pretty impressive, and already fully sliced off of the bone! And my tofu bowl came out a-bubblin', a very good sign. We got several different appetizer dishes to go with, including a really tasty plate of glass noodles! Overall, I was really pleased with my food and the service. We were the only non-Korean patrons at the time, and I didn't feel like we were being gossiped about or treated any differently than others (which happens often at other Korean establishments). I'm eager to take advantage of their lunch deals, which look like a great price for great food!
(4)Cookie Monster Z.
Ate here last Sunday. I ordered the dolsot bibimbap and it is 5-STAR QUALITY! Even better than the famed Omogari restaurant! haha! That's right, folks, you heard me: better than the wimpy "dolsot" bibimbap at Omogari. Korean Secret Garden's dolsot bibimbap is CRISPITY, CRUNCHITY delicious! I had the meat taken out and the egg well-done. The dolsot bowl is very hot and throughout my meal, the rice at the bottom kept on cooking. =) The food was piping hot, too! Perfect for a chilly day or cold night. They also didn't have cheap bibimbap fillers (like lettuce). There were a variety of different veges in the bibimbap. I was glad to see that my bibimbap did not mainly consist of the banchan (it had just a little bit of kongnamul/beansprouts, which is my favorite!). I hate places where bibimbap looks like the banchan being served! OH! and a soup came with this dish, but I didn't eat it because the broth was probably made from anchovies. They had a lot of banchan! I ate their chive pancake (looked vegetarian to me), vegetarian japchae (OH SO YUMMY!), seaweed & cucumber kimchi, a spicy-sweet cucumber kimchi (I'm going to start making this at home!), soybean sprouts & mung bean sprouts, soy bean, and I ate a little bit of the turnip kimchi. I can't wait to get my money because I want to eat here again.
(4)Hansen L.
The food is great here. Service and location not so much, but that's generally how it is with Korean restaurants in K-town, right? We've never had to wait it be seated here, regardless what time during the evening we come. I think this is due to the fact that there are relatively good number of tables. It might be a little hard to find for first timers as it's setback in the plaza that it's in. We generally have dinner here and order the bimimbap and bulgogi. The bibimbap is perfect with just the right flavors and ingredients. The bulgogi is so good. Moist and full of flavor, by far one of the better bulgogi I've had. I also love all the side dishes they serve, especially the glass noodles (Chap Chae). The service could use a lot of work. The waitresses are always running around, but don't seem to give you the time of day. It always takes far too long to get one of them to take your order. They need to either hire more waitresses or specialize in certain tasks. Like other reviews mentioned, Secret Garden is a little more expensive then other Korean restaurants around, but it won't break the bank by any means.
(4)Audrey K.
PROTIP: If you're in a big group, get a separate check or remember how much your stuff was. The check is written in Korean, with a separate receipt that just has numbers. Food - 4 Extensive menu with some items you won't find at other Korean restaurants in the area. The food was really tasty - my ttukgook was rich and hot on a cold night. My friends got the Dinner C (lots of food with a reasonable price), the hot stone bibimbap (the egg was perfect and the bibimbap was filling, or so I'm told!), and the pan fried king fish was fantastic. (I had to steal some.) The portion sizes are reasonable and worth the price, and the food quality is tasty. I am docking a star because the bulgogi looked different from bulgogi I've gotten anywhere else. I think it was how thin the beef slices were. Otherwise, it tasted the same. Service - 4 I'd made a reservation earlier in the day, so maybe that helped. We were a big group, and were served promptly. The service was just fine. I do want to note that this restaurant was packed full of Korean customers, so when my (white) friend showed up late the hostess smiled and told him the group he was looking for was in the back. I just found this pretty funny. Atmosphere - ??? Why would you go to a Korean restaurant for atmosphere? Go for the delicious food! TL;DR - Would come back again, and often!!! :)
(4)James K.
Have been going to this restaurant for years (even changed ownership once, and even changed servers).. Kimchee is great, with free refills.. Usually order Seafood Tofu
(5)SuperMeowie Y.
Summary: Average/slightly above food, but poor service. I won't go again. Eating out should be an experience. Why support a biz when the service is poor. There are plenty of restaurants. Decor/Location = It is within a stripe mall. Dark and dim inside. Service = We were greeted by some sad faced waitresses. She took our order without writing it down, then messed up our order and insisted she was right. Come on!!! (due to the language barrier, we decided not to waste our time). She also gave us other table's order by accident and took it away after 2 mins. Food/Drinks = -Kal Bi (BBQ Ribs) - My sis raved about their ribs. it is alright to me. -Braised ribs - tasty and tender -Beef soup - average. We have better from other places. Value = Kal Bi lunch $13.99. Other lunch is around 7.5 Kid Friendly = average.. they have the space and highchair. That's about it.
(1)S J.
This place is pretty good. It also has Meat-Jun which not a lot of Korean places have.
(4)Suany W.
Unspectacular but decent for lunch, especially with the super awesome lunch menu prices that make a stingy Asian very happy. I always order the B.B.Q. Chicken Special, a bento box with chicken pieces, rice, chap chae and marinated tofu accompanied by a bowl of seaweed soup (I think...I've never actually tasted it). The banchans are okay - the sweet glazed potato one is my favorite. I'm not exactly a fan of Korean seafood pancake so I can't say much about their rendition except the huge green onion pieces are distracting. It's hard to look shekshi while eating when there's long ass green things hanging out of your mouth!
(3)Elaine T.
I have been meaning to write a review for this place since I come here so often, so now I have the chance! My first visit here was wonderful and every visit is exactly the same. We always order the dinner combinations--consists of "party" sized plates of beef short ribs, chicken, or pork marinated Korean style. The dinner here also comes with TONS of sides (kim chi). We also order the spicy seafood soup (I forgot what its called), noodles (sorry I forgot what they're called! but there's bean sprouts and other stuff in there) and the oyster cakes. We love all our choices. Their signature Korean BBQ meat is always so tender and flavorful. You'll love every bite! --4 stars for the food! Service is great! Except when they're busy (and they're busy a lot!) because you hardly get any attention and refills on your kim chi when you can't wave the waitresses down. The waitresses are really friendly and cute! They're good about refilling your kim chi or tea for you when you ask... if you can get their attention. I took away a point for the price. Yea, I know, for what it is, it should be worth the money we spend, but I'm cheap okay? For a party of 5 we usually spend about $80 (not including tip and tax) since we usually order two dinner combos, a soup, a noodle dish and the oyster cakes. No drinks, just tea. Look to be a little spendy here, but you'll be satisfied. Can't go wrong with Korean BBQ!
(3)Jen D.
Really decent korean bbq... Good amount of banchan... Ju mul luk was very tender and flavorful. Cha dol bae gi isn't as thin as I would like, but still good. Yukaejang was ok, but not great. The only thing I don't like about this place is that they bring out a portable burner instead of having the tables with burners built into them.
(4)Lynn P.
Came here because Tofu House was closed. We were given the menu and it had the lunch specials. When we were ready to order, we were told the lunch menus were only for weekdays. Would have been nice to show that o the calendar or been told that in advance. I ordered the SPICY kimchi seafood mushroom tofu. My food came out, there was no kimchi. I showed them the menu said kimchi and I was told it was a misprint. They brought me a side of kimchi. The soup was not spicy and needed a lot lot lot of salt. I guess she saw or heard me saying it was not spicy so she brought out a side of the fermented chili paste. Then brought out the portable gas burner and heated up my soup at our table. She added water, more chili paste and chopped jalapenos. Great effort but still bland and a little spice. The seafood pancake was ok. All the sides were bland. First Korean place that I didn't like the kimchi. Will not be coming back here.
(1)Siobhan F.
Pretty yummy stuff. Whenever my parents want Korean we come here. Order the usual bulgogi etc. It come with all these pickles so you really don't have to order much and can still leave pretty full
(4)Jeff H.
Food is great! 4 stars for the food. 0 stars for their attitude. I don't live in the area so the GF and I can only go on weekends. However on weekends they don't do the lunch specials so everything is pretty much over $20. For $20 you do get a lot of food so we just get one and share. That's usually when the server gives us the stink eye. But seriously, if we get 2 orders it would be way too much food for us. And compared to other Korean places, they don't give you enough of the side dishes. Only when we specifically ask for more of something do they very reluctantly bring it out. The GF and I had one of our first meals here when we started dating so Secret Garden does have some sentimental value for me. But I don't want to put up with their crabby attitude for much longer. As soon as I find a better Korean bbq in the area, this place is getting yanked from my list of regulars.
(2)Jessica D.
Very good! The service was great as soon as I walked in the door. They served me this amazing corn tea, which I was instantly obsessed with. (if anyone knows where I can get some, please let me know.) I ordered the dolsot bi bam bop. It was freaking delicious. I loved the crispy rice and how it kept everything super hot! YUM. The banchan was also pretty good. Me being white I usually don't know what things are but I am down to try anything. I ate 4/6 of them which is pretty good for me. :) The soup was good too. I came around 3-4pm and it wasn't very busy, but as I was leaving a bunch of people started coming in. I find myself craving this place. I need to go back soon. The exterior does not do it justice at all, so don't be scared. They need to update that, lol. And it is in the back of a little shopping plaza, just in case you can't find it.
(4)Shayna H.
Despite the 3.5 stars, I still decided to give this place a try - purely because of its kalbi tang (short ribs soup). And I wasn't disappointed at all.... I was actually extremely happy with the food I ordered. After trying kalbi tang in Ktown in LA for the first time, I've determined to find something similar up in the bay area. After trying similar yet not so satisfying dishes at Choi's Kitchen and Seoul Gom Tang, I finally got my craving fulfilled here. First of all, the banchan (side dishes) were not bad. To be fair, no single restaurant makes all dishes great. Most side dishes are a little on the sour side, but are acceptable. They gave chapchae as one of the side dishes, which already won my heart over!!! It was very good, not too oily like some places, so yay~~~~ And it was the oyster pancake thing, which is more like an oyster omelet to me. It was a little oily, and I didn't find it fascinating. For about $13, it's something I can pass next time I go there. Not saying it's terrible tho. Finally, the star of the day -- kalbi tang.The portion was good, the soup was flavorful, and the meat was awesome. Just like what I have been searching for. I was feeling super satisfied and excited while enjoying the soup.... AWESOME!!!! The waitresses here do speak conversational English with some accent, but definitely able to take your order & communicate. The decor was alright, but it wouldn't look right if it has fabulous interior design. When you're more than happy to dine somewhere without thinking about how the restaurant looks like, you know they serve good food. Did I mention they give Yakult like drinks (some Korean brand, not the real Yakult) as "dessert"? That's also a nice plus!!!
(4)J L.
Being of Korean descent, I have been to many Korean restaurants. I would say that Korean Secret Garden has consistently been good. Their delicious kalbi is very flavorful and tender, although not a large amount (go to Palace BBQ Buffet down the street west on El Camino Real). I really like their yu ke jang (stringy beef with glass noodles in spicy soup), and would highly recommend it. You can't go wrong with their bibambop. They have a good assortment of vegetables, egg, and a decent amount of bulgogi. Their banchan is not bad, although we haven't had great luck with it when ordering take-out. They don't provide nearly as much as if you dine in. I will conclude that if we are in the mood for Korean food, this is our default restaurant.
(4)Alissa B.
Went here for lunch with a group of friends and was quite impressed. We pretty much had the whole place to ourselves during the Sunday lunch hour. In addition to booths, there are large circular tables so it would be a good place to go with a larger group. The food & service were quite good. We got some tasty little appetizers for free, and of course enjoyed the pickled sides & kimchi. We ordered tofu soup, "low calorie noodles" (yes, that's what they're called on the menu!), and bul go gi (tender BBQ beef). It was all quite delicious and well priced.
(5)John-Michael C.
You never forget your first time... I would have written about Seoul but Yelp isn't quite there yet on the international scene yet so I'll talk about this lil secret. Before I met the SBC and learned about almost all that is korean, i used to go here all the time. Now, I just dont have the time to check out all the new places and go here.. especially when i'm less than sober. It's not safe kiddies. Either which way, I love the amount of banchan they would give and all the meat. Wait, stop right here... I have to take a moment to say that I love the (i'm strictly guessing what it is) honey potatoes. *DROOL Back to what I was saying, though I have a tendency to want to cook my own food due to an obsession with open flames, I have to admit that when i'm lazy that they grill it... dare i say, better than I do. And then there's the mackrel, the gogi's and kalbi's all of which are great. Someday I will be back to eat all of you again. if only you had loud music, cuter clientele and open really really late then i'd be here all the time ;D
(4)Sophia Y.
minus 3 stars for sucky service? during our meal, they had a leak in the roof that started dripping down on us and our food. Did they apologize? No. Did they comp us anything no? shocking! we asked for a high chair, they said it would come. 10-15 minutes later. No high chair. we asked for ice water. never came. our other table asked for ice water, never came the only time the ice water came was when we asked for it and they were presenting the bill (perhaps b/c they wanted a tip?) the kalbit was delicious. the seafood stew ok. the ginseng chicken, was nice and tender. but the place seemed a little run down and the service sucked! perhaps it was good years ago, but now the service sucks. there are LOTS of Korean restaurants in the area. Perhaps time to go elsewhere.
(2)Wei H.
Secret Garden came highly recommended by my buddy Ken C, a San Jose local Connoisseur, it wasn't long before we drove all the way down from Seattle, cough, I mean San Mateo, (although it felt like similar driving distance), to try this out anxiously! Tofu Soup and Beef Kalbi just about summed up this delightful experience. They were both amazing and needed not going into further detail because well, you'll just have to try them! Usually it is recommended to avoid ordering kitchen cooked ready Kalbi at a Korean BBQ place because they are almost always overcooked. Not here, not at Secret Garden. Any tofu soup here will also be sublime with medium spicy. If you are in anyway a fan of Korean BBQ, and afraid to get dirty, smelly cooking yourself, but desired tender beef quality, you won't be disappointed here in the slightest.
(5)Nicholas R.
Okay Korean restaurant. Food wasn't anything special, but still very enjoyable. Seemed a bit on the pricier end, although there were free refills on the banchan and a very friendly wait staff. Adequate parking and decent location right off El Camino, so you can hop on over to Honeyberry or such afterwards.
(3)Elizabeth C.
I was complaining to one of my former clients that I miss living in Koreatown only because of the food I was able to get just a block away from our rental apartment...Literally..I just have to roll out of my place, and find Calbi Tang - one of my fav. dishes. It helps when your husband is Korean because he knows what to order! I used to have Calbi Tang once a week, but since moving to the bay area, I went almost 8 months without it...EIGHT MONTHS. until... my client said: "Secret Garden is pretty good" so I looked it up, and brought my husband along the first chance I got! ;) I preface this by saying...This is the Bay Area, not Koreatown, so I am happy to have found Secret Garden. The Calbi Jin (excuse my spelling, I am not korean~ sorry...) , however, pales in comparison to my friend Jeanhee's version which she was kind enough to make me one time! You can also get BBQ if when you crave it (And I DO!!!!) I bring my friends here to try out as well.
(5)B B.
I am Chinese. Some of the waitresses here are incredibly dismissive if you are not Korean (though there is one very nice lady), and last time I was here, one waitress was outright rude. I asked for one refill of the broccoli, and before I even finished asking, she walked away, saying "NO MORE." (Keep in mind, I hadn't had any refills). Plus, my kimchi jigae was burned. I was the only customer there, so there was no excuse for the bad service (no water refill, waitress ignored me and put silverware on other empty tables rather than bringing my bill), and there was definitely no reason for burnt food. If you must come here, the fried oyster is quite good, and the kimchi jigae usually is. The seafood pancake is horrible (very doughy and little seafood). As far as I am concerned, there are too many good Korean restaurants on the same street to put up with terrible service. I will return NO MORE.
(1)Vera W.
I've only been here twice -didn't remember what we had the first time, it was a few months ago. It wasn't memorable but since there wasn't any problem we decided to give it another try. This time was a Friday night, we had to wait for a table for about 20 minutes. I expected a good variety of banchans by looking at tables of other seated customers. The staff were busy picking up the plates and giving out "yakult" probiotic drinks to at least 3 different tables. So finally we were seated -When the banchan came - we were dissapointed that we didn't get the japchae (glass noodles). I was quite sure that I saw it on the next next booth. We should have asked but we didn't. We decided to get the Kalbi + fried fish combination for $21.99? We were disappointed to find that the Kalbi only came in 2 pieces (2 rolls of long kalbi) -- for that price which were already more expensive than other places. For a few dollar more we could go to an all you can eat place :). We also ordered a combination soondubu and it was alright - the tofu was already smashed when it came to our table, thought it was weird. But anyways overall the food was pretty good so again, we're grumbling a little but was OK. Then when it's time to pay - we waited for the little probiotic drinks, but they never came. What's going on? They're being so inconsistent with their service within the same hour. Is it because we're not Korean??
(3)Walter W.
With so many Korean restaurants to choose from in the Santa Clara area, we find that we end up at Secret Garden more often than not. I would rate the food as comfortable, where you are guaranteed to have authentic, perhaps above average Korean food with some interesting unique options like the Mushroom pancake (we call it mushroom pajun though that's probably wrong). Other options that are done well include the spicy pork bbq (teji bulgogi) and soondubu jigae (tofu stew). I've also had their black bean noodles (jia jang mun i think) which was also pretty good.
(3)Boycotting R.
Went here for the first time do to a mix-up meeting a friend. She thought we were supposed to meet here and I thought SGD Tofu House. We ordered combo tofu soup for $9.95. The contents seemed plentiful, but I didn't like the soup base at all. It was very watery. No purple rice either, just white rice with some peas in it. Ban chan choices were good and they did give two pieces of seafood cake. So that was good. Service seemed fine too. They do need to remodel or do a decent cleaning. The dining room was looking suspect once you started really looking at things. Verdict: Keep this one secret...
(3)Linh N.
2.5 - 3 Stars: I came for a late dinner and had the Kal Bi (marinated beef) and rice with beef, egg, and vegetables on a hot stoneware. The Kal Bi didn't have a lot of pieces of meat. There were three big pieces of bone that took up half of the plate. The portion was small. The stone rice didn't have a crispy layer. I waited awhile for the rice to harden up but it never did. I prefer the food at Korea House on El Camino Real over this place. The seafood stone rice at Korea House is good. It has a crispy layer with soft rice in the middle. I also had a seaweed soup and wasn't too fond of it. It was ok. The great aspect about Secret Garden is that they continually refill your kim chi. I like the cucumber kim chi and ate two portions by myself.
(3)Brian K.
I'm very surprised with the other ratings here. compared to other ratings, my experience wasn't that great.. this incident made me stop going here.. this happened like few years ago. i went to Secret Garden with my Chinese friends and his mom. My friend's mom was treating us dinner, and since i was the only Korean there even though I pretended not to be one, i had to order and explain what type of food it is for my friend. So when my friend asked me what "yook gae jang" is, i had tough time answering it, so i called one of the waitress and asked for explanation. Guess what was the answer. "it's a soup" WTF?? i know it's a soup. Then we order like over 6 items, hoping it tastes good. The food was good, the service was? really bad. when the waitress was bringing the yook gae jang, she almost spilled it, b/c she threw the plate onto the table. the soup got on my dress shirt which i had to get it dry-cleaned. the waitress didn't even apologize for what has happened. that's not it, It gets worse. While we were eating, obviously, we were talking in English, and the waitress comes around saying stuff about us in Korean, thinking i don't understand them. At the end, i was pissed, and left "a dollar" as a tip because i thought that's what she deserved. When i was in my car, starting my car, that waitress comes out yelling at me saying that i left no tips for her. So.... i told her that if she wants her tip, she will have to pay for my dry-cleaning. and then she flicked me off. what a great customer service...
(1)Ram G.
This place is good, but no as good as some people here say. There are tons of better Korean restaurants. Good service, and satisfies my cravings for Kimchi. I like it.
(3)Mike S.
I went here once with a couple of friends -- it was one of the first times I've ever experienced cooking my own meal at the table. The server was very nice, although also a bit hard to get a hold of. The meat was well marinated, and we received some complimentary ToFu soup because we ordered so much food. My major complaint is how expensive the food was... I'd go back here, but only if I were driving around hungry in Santa Clara, and right in front of this place (and in the mood for Korean)
(3)