Restaurant in Santa Clara, United States
Reliable Korean comfort, low effort to book.
Kunjip has anchored Santa Clara's Koreatown since 2009, with two standout dishes — restorative oxtail bone broth seolleongtang and fiery stone-pot galbijjim — that explain its longevity. Easy to book, late-night friendly, and priced accessibly for the Bay Area. A practical and satisfying choice for Korean comfort food without the reservation stress.
Getting a table at Kunjip is easy — and that accessibility is part of the point. This Santa Clara Korean staple has been operating since 2009, which in the Bay Area restaurant context means it has outlasted dozens of trendier competitors. If you are looking for late-night Korean in Silicon Valley or a no-fuss weeknight dinner that delivers genuine comfort, Kunjip is your answer. If you want a formal special occasion restaurant with a curated tasting menu, look elsewhere.
Kunjip sits on Kiely Boulevard in Santa Clara's Koreatown, in a no-frills dining room built for practicality over atmosphere. The layout is functional: expect standard table seating, a busy open floor plan, and the kind of spatial honesty that signals the kitchen is the priority. This is not a room designed for lingering over candles. It is, however, a room that handles groups and solo diners with equal efficiency. The seating arrangement makes it workable for two, comfortable for four, and manageable for larger parties without advance orchestration.
Two dishes define Kunjip's reputation. The seolleongtang — a noodle soup built on a cloudy oxtail bone broth , is the restorative choice, the dish that regulars return to when they want something that functions as much as it satisfies. The galbijjim arrives in a stone pot at a raging boil: short ribs, inch-thick rice cakes, and soft chunks of pumpkin in a sweet, fiery braising liquid. These are not the only options, but they are the ones that explain why the restaurant has held its position in this neighbourhood for over fifteen years. First-timers should commit to one of these two rather than ranging across an unfamiliar menu.
For the South Bay, Kunjip's value as a late-night option is real. Korean restaurants in this part of the Bay Area tend to offer extended hours compared to their American counterparts, and Kunjip's Koreatown location puts it in a corridor where the late crowd is expected rather than tolerated. If you are finishing work late in Santa Clara or heading somewhere after an event, this is a more reliable option than trying to slot into a downtown San Jose reservation at 9 PM. The menu holds up across service; the galbijjim does not diminish at the end of the night.
Kunjip can work for a celebration, but set expectations correctly. The room does not do ceremony , there are no theatrical presentations, no sommelier, no tasting menus. What it does offer is food that is genuinely good, familiar enough to please a mixed group, and priced so that a table of four can eat well without the bill becoming the story of the evening. For a birthday dinner where the guest of honour loves Korean food, this is a comfortable pick. For a business dinner requiring a polished environment, consider Chungdam instead.
Reservations: Walk-in friendly; booking difficulty is low, making this one of the easier calls in the Santa Clara dining scene. Budget: Price range not confirmed in our data, but the format and neighbourhood positioning suggest mid-range Korean pricing. Dress: Casual , there is no dress expectation here. Getting There: 1066 Kiely Blvd, Santa Clara, CA 95051, in the Koreatown corridor. Late Night: One of the stronger late-night options for cooked Korean food in the South Bay. Groups: The room handles groups well; no special arrangement typically required for parties of four to six.
See the comparison section below for how Kunjip sits against its peers in the Santa Clara and broader Bay Area dining scene. For other options in the city, our full Santa Clara restaurants guide covers the range. If ramen is an alternative you are weighing, Orenchi is worth considering for a different late-night register. You can also browse Santa Clara bars, Santa Clara hotels, Santa Clara wineries, and Santa Clara experiences to round out a visit.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kunjip | The patrons of Kunjip, a staple of Santa Clara’s Koreatown since 2009, generally fall into two diametrically opposed categories: those seeking nourishment and those there for indulgence. The former group goes for the seolleongtang, a rejuvenating noodle soup with a cloudy oxtail bone broth; the latter gravitates toward the galbijjim, a stone pot filled with short ribs, inch-thick rice cakes and soft chunks of pumpkin in a sweet, fiery braising liquid at raging boil. | — | |
| Le Bernardin | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | $$$$ | — |
| Lazy Bear | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | $$$$ | — |
| Atomix | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | $$$$ | — |
| Atelier Crenn | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | $$$$ | — |
| Benu | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | $$$$ | — |
What to weigh when choosing between Kunjip and alternatives.
Kunjip's dining room is built for practicality, not bar culture — the setup is table-focused with no documented bar seating. Walk-ins are easy here, so arriving solo and grabbing a table is a more reliable approach than expecting counter or bar service.
Yes. The seolleongtang — oxtail bone broth noodle soup — is a natural solo order: self-contained, restorative, and priced for everyday eating. Walk-ins are easy, the room is no-fuss, and you won't feel out of place dining alone at a table.
Kunjip has operated on Kiely Boulevard in Santa Clara's Koreatown since 2009, so it runs with the rhythm of a well-worn local staple, not a trendy destination. The room is functional, the booking difficulty is low, and the menu rewards decisive ordering — know what you want before you sit down.
Start with either the seolleongtang (oxtail bone broth noodle soup, the restorative choice) or the galbijjim (short ribs, thick rice cakes, and pumpkin in a sweet, fiery braising liquid served in a stone pot at a rolling boil). These two dishes define Kunjip's reputation — the seolleongtang if you want comfort, the galbijjim if you want heat and substance.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
