*This review is for a visit back in 2021* Food: everything was so flavorful. We ordered Korean fried chickens, seafood pancake, corn cheese ttokepokki. The portion is huge, great for sharing or family style Atmosphere: seems like a sport bar with many high tables and stools Services: great. Food came out almost all at once read more

ChiMek - Seafood Pancake, Corn Cheese, Crispy Fried Chicken Wings - Korean Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Had a very late dinner on a Saturday night back in Feb. We arrived about 1hr 45 min before they closed. We ordered combo #2. I told them that we would be sharing but they gave each of us a combo order. This was good for two people to share. Since we couldn't eat it all, we saved the rest for later. We got this with both fries and onion rings with the garlic parmesan flavor. It tasted better on the onion rings rather than the fries. The flavor we chose for the wings is the garlic soy. The wings were nice and crisp and seasoned well. Overall, delicious late night meal. Service was quick, nice and friendly. read more

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Solid 2 stars because the quality has gone downhill over the last few years. This used to be a fun and delicious restaurant but it's definitely changed. The wings were pretty dry and the sauces were okay (soy garlic and "medium" which was basically buffalo sauce). We had the corn cheese which was hard to mess up. Overall this place doesn't really give the Korean fried chicken feel as much as it used too. Service was great considering we were the literal only table dining in on a Saturday evening. read more

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One of the hidden gems to get together with your colleagues after hours. Parking is fantastic. They have a self serve kimchi and sides bar. Fried chicken: just okay, can't say it's the best but it's decent and a bit expensive. Star of the show has to be the dry rub fries, because I'd seriously come back for this Everytime if I could. The fries were crispy yet flakey and they don't cheap out on the seasoning. Service was amazing, and there were LOTs of seating inside, bring your entire team and geonbae! read more

ChiMek - Korean Near Me - Santa Clara, California

My SO and I heard good things from friends about this place regarding their chicken wings. We decided a Saturday lunch at ChiMek was the way to try it. SERVICE We arrived around 1:45 PM for a late lunch while running errands. Upon entering, there was only one waiter/host/cashier. She greeted us and sat us down. No other patrons were in sight. Great customer service. Very attentive and thorough in explaining the menu, knowing it was our first time at ChiMek. We were checked on throughout our meal. AMBIANCE There is plenty of seating, and very spacious inside. It's a sports bar serving Korean street food, wings, beer, and soju. FOOD -Salad bar: very nice to see a salad bar with a good selection of side items to snack on. Items include slaw, pineapple, Korean pickled radish, and Kimchi, to name a few. -Dry Rubbed Fries: we ordered the garlic Parmesan rub. It was very subtle. It was a rub, so the seasoning added a savory flavor to the fries. The fries were crispy. -Garlic Soy Wings: we ordered a small portion, approximately eight to twelve pieces. This is all based on shipment and sizing of the chicken per the server. It's enough to feed two people. Unfortunately, we looked forward to the wings, and it didn't hit the spot. When I think of chicken wings, I think of crispy yet tender. The chicken wings' skin was chewy and soggy in some areas and not evenly fried. Luckily, the soy garlic flavor was good, which helped us finish the meal, or we would've just left it. Overall, it was a decent lunch. It was not the standard of what my SO and I would like for wings. read more

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I was skeptical when I first walked into the restaurant, as it wasn't busy, and the vibe was just a little quiet. There are 11 flavors of wings to choose, and tho the wings looked dry, they were surprisingly good. My favorites were the sweet & spicy, honey butter, and sour cream w/ cheedar cheese. Not only do they offer wings, they also have other Korean dishes. Bulgogi special ($21.99) - came on a sizzling plate, the beef was tender and flavorful, on the sweet side, topped with onions and peppers. Kimchi fried rice ($10.99) - your usual kimchi fried rice, topped with sunny side up egg. Army soup ($30.99) - this is a good one to share! Filled with ham and sausages, the soup was slightly on the saltier side, not too spicy. Corn cheese ($10.99) - sweet corn topped with melted cheese! They have a happy hour deal - Mon to Thurs 5-7PM with deal Buy 1 Get 1 free soju, $2 off appetizers and wings, $2 off pint and pitchers! Open until 11pm/12am, a great spot for late night hangout! read more

ChiMek - Korean Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Can't speak on ambiance as we ordered takeout. The chicken was okay with the rice and the fries could have been crunchier. My friend tried the ramen and she said it was okay. Might have to try it there when it's freshly made. read more

Chimek is a classic late night vibes korean fried chicken joint. With deals related to alcohol (such as pitchers and or soju) Definitely gotta go to the salad bar for all your kimchi, salad, and daikon . Food wise would recommend fries with garlic parmesan or honey butter. Chicken wings wise would recommend, the cheese corn, the sweet and spicy, the soy garlic chicken, and the green onion chicken. Plenty of parking but be sure to not leave valuables in the car as there are reported car break-ins in the area read more

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Pricey, sides bar wasnt that good, most things are bland. What wasnt bland was the chicken. ChiMek is mixing beer with Korean fried Chicken, and yes, ChiMek has great crispy chicken and they have beer. But for a Saturday night, it was slow, yet it took a while to get our order, the spicy squid wasnt spicy at all and had 0 flavor, the sides made my stomach hurt... AND it was expensive for what this was.. BTW the sizes of plates of chicken, they count the pieces they give you. its very exact and thus not worth the heavy price tag Its not that its overly priced, its just the portions are small. I came here ta eat, not snack.. Cheese corn was good, but was very basic, the fries were something i can just get at Vons... I don't recommend this place. If you just go for some chicken and Beer, great! If you are exploring menus or are hungry, perhaps go elsewhere read more

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There are multiple TVs inside and a bar as well. I like how they have a salad bar where you can get as much Kim chi and radish as you would like. I enjoyed both the Kim chi and radish. There's plenty of seating especially if you have a bigger group. Staff was friendly. I love how there's multiple flavor options for the chicken. I got the army soup and the soy garlic fried chicken. I loved the sauce of the soy garlic and the chicken tasted good. Army soup tasted okay and wasn't that special. read more

ChiMek - Soy Garlic Fried Chicken - Korean Near Me - Santa Clara, California

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I am not sure what has happened(potentially ownership change?) but I was very disappointed when I went to order my usual honey butter wings. It came out pretty quickly. However, I was shocked to see only 4 pieces for the small size. Typically, the small was around 12 pieces. The price did reflect the amount when I paid, but I had no idea the portions had been changed. The interior is still the same, but I was just super confused after my recent visit. Unfortunately, the food didn't hit the way it used to, but hopefully it will again in the future. read more

ChiMek - Honey Butter wings and Sour Cream with Cheddar Cheese Dry Rub Fries - Korean Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Came in at about midnight, still plenty of people and pretty busy with togo orders. Got the original chicken, normal. Waitstaff was nice and patient, they earned one star there. Chicken, are next day after air frying. Pretty greasy. Not gross but noticeable. Flavor was just ok. Quality of chicken was nice. Just not a wow experience. Maybe if I ate the chicken right away my mind would have been changed? Maybe. Will I come back? Maybe if in a pinch for some late night food. I would suggest people to give it a try. As this place survived Covid, must be pretty decent. read more

ChiMek - Bar- counter- salad bar on left, popcorn in middle (not late night), some beers on tap - Korean Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Jeeez! They charged for a rice and extra sauce now?(Ordered a soy garlic chicken, and the chicken was dry. Hardly any sauce). Hopefully they will go back to their old style and make improvements, instead. PS: I only ordered medium size because I had a feeling that there was something off about the restaurant. read more

ChiMek - Korean Near Me - Santa Clara, California

We ordered and paid at the cash registrar first and then sat down at a table. Our order came out pretty fast. Split an order of soy garlic fried chicken with my friend. The flavor was nice and the fried chicken was not bad, but I've definitely had better fried chicken elsewhere. They have self-serve side dishes, which was nice since you can get as much as you want. It's also nice that they open until pretty late in case someone is craving fried chicken late at night. read more

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When u want a big dinner party but everyone comes at their sweet time on a busy friday, this is the place to be, with no stress for the host! Beer, wings and salad bar! Your friends can come and goes. Food comes fast and beer is icy cold! Plenty of tables and chairs, parking is easy! They turn on mood lighting when it gets dark too! Food is only average. Imagine this is a causal bar, not a sit down restaurant. We have korean pancakes, Korean fried rice, 2-3 types of wings and a stir fry beef then lots of beer! Great party and you talk loud! Love it. Will com e again. read more

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We came back here for lunch on Saturday after a few years away, and wow, the place has really gone downhill. It was empty and felt cold and uninviting. The only staff member, a single lady, didn't make any effort to welcome us. She told us to sit anywhere, brought water after a few minutes, and we ordered about five minutes later. Once she brought the food, she never returned, so we ended up serving ourselves--grabbing our own forks and spoons and going up to her for soda and ranch refills. It felt like being at a party where you don't know anyone, so you're just eating alone in a corner. The whole experience was awkward and uncomfortable. The food was okay, but tipping 20% for that level of service felt disappointing. read more

Arrived here with a friend on a Friday night around 7 pm; steady flow of people dining in and picking up to go orders, but we were immediately sat down at a table. Their unlimited salad bar has been brought back! Get your fill of corn, salad, and kimchi to whet your appetites. They have disposable gloves next to the salad bar, so they're definitely cautious with sanitation. What we ordered: -Honey Butter French Fries: golden and crispy. Definitely a change of flavor pace from salty fries, but these were a great take on honey butter chips. Lots of honey butter dust to maximize the sweetness! -Parmesan Chicken: My least favorite since this dry rub was strong in scent. Crunchy but Parmesan may not be their best flavor. -Sweet and Sour Chicken: great amount of garnish and sauce on this chicken dish. It does live up to its name, and the sauce really balances out the sweet and sour flavors. -Soy Garlic Fried Chicken: heaping amount of vegetables on top of the chicken, great pairing with the meat. Super crunchy and bite sized; I could eat this the entire time. Definite favorite and go-to when I come again for some Korean Fried Chicken. read more

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Visited Chimek with a large group of friends on a Saturday evening. It wasn't crowded at all and we got seated immediately despite being a party of 9. The restaurant's spacious, has a lively atmosphere, and was super easy to relax in. As for food, we ordered the fries, a kimchi pancake, two honeybutter larges, one soy garlic large, and another large I've completely forgotten. Fries: Super solid starter, crispy, and yummy. 9/10. Kimchi Pancake: 6/10, very average pancake. It's somewhat large to make up for it, but I wouldn't recommend it. Honeybutter: 10/10. This place nails the Honey Butter chicken, maintaining its sweetness without overwhelming anything. Would highly recommend atleast one order to try it. Soy Garlic: 8.5/10. Super solid and a necessary component for any night with Korean Fried Chicken. The salad bar is also incredibly generous and I'd highly recommend taking advantage of it for the pickled radish and kimchi! Overall, Chimek is a great place to watch a game, catch up, and feast on some wings! read more

ChiMek - Honey Butter - Korean Near Me - Santa Clara, California

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Open late with classic korean foods, Chimek was a pretty good option for the late night munchies. They have a unique "buffet" for they side dishes, which is completely self serve! We ordered soy garlic chicken, as well as honey butter fries. The fries coated in seasoning was AMAZING; normally the distribution of seasoning is not much but these fries were all coated so well. The soy garlic wasn't like the Bonchon flavor, but also tasty. read more

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Gotta say, one of the worst restaurants I've been to in a while. Normally I'm a big fan of weird run down holes in the walls, on the expectation that it's gotta have a reason for staying open, right? I don't know why this place is open. Or how. I'll start with the food. The only good thing here is the dry rubbed fries. Full stop. We literally did not eat the rest of the food because the wings smelled like it was fried in rancid old oil. The soy glaze was heavy and somehow didn't taste like anything. The double fried chicken was indeed double fried and crispy, but it tasted like bad oil and that was all. We took about three bites total of the chicken then paid and left. They also didn't serve beer! At all! When my boyfriend asked they said they didn't have a liquor license. Yet they had a sign about beer on tap and multiple neon signs advertising beer. Even the water cup has a beer advertisement on it. It's tagged for their beer, right here on yelp. Yet, no beer. No sides bar, either. No kimchi or radish or anything. I ordered raspberry tea, apparently a mistake because it was mostly water. Genuinely mostly water. Raspberry flavored water. Service: Fast! However, the table next to us was dirty the entire time. Not just crumbs, but the plates, their leftovers, even their pay was left there for the entire fifteen minutes. It was not busy. When I went up to pay I was honest with the food. Not detailed, just said the chicken tastes like the oil was bad. They didn't say anything in depth in reply so I'm assuming they have heard something similar before. It wasn't close to their closing time. I don't know why they were operating like they were less than an hour out from locking the doors. Overall it was a wild experience. Were we being personally targeted or something? Did they see us and decide today was the day they were going to throw restaurant decorum and basic skills out the window? It definitely FELT personal. We paid in full regardless. Tldr; don't go. read more

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One of my favorite places to get korean chicken! It's located in a big plaza so parking is really easy to find. They are open pretty late, so it's great for some late night drinking and snacks and friends. It's also great for a chill dinner meal. It's clean and decorated nicely. It gives a bit of a sports bar feel and they always play important sports games. I love getting their dry rub fries. My favorite flavors are either honey butter or the spicy curry bbq flavor. For chicken, I also love the honey butter, spicy curry bbq, and soy garlic. They have small and large servings for chicken. For 2 people one large (2 flavors) was perfect for us. I also love how they have popcorn and a salad/side dish bar. They also have gloves, which is nice, so I dont get my hands dirty when I eat. Overall, I love this place and would definitely recommend to come here for good food and chilling with friends. read more

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Took me awhile to finally try ChiMek after passing by so many times. Got their chicken to go and even as leftovers, pop it in the air fryer, it's just as delicious! The chicken itself is huge for wings and really tasty on its own. Tried their side sauces soy garlic and sweet and spicy with the chicken and so yummy! Their sauces are heavy on the garlic, so if you are a garlic lover like me, you will enjoy it! read more

ChiMek - Korean Near Me - Santa Clara, California

i believe the management has changed :c when i first came here, the food was delicious and the service was wonderful. like look at these photos! the last time i went here the chicken was soggy and it tasted different from before. it was also pretty empty and dark. i also read their recent reviews. i hope they can improve their menu again since i really used to enjoy this place! read more

ChiMek - Korean Near Me - Santa Clara, California

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Came here on a Friday evening as a party of 3 and we were seated immediately. It was less busy than I thought for a Friday night but we placed our order nonetheless and it came out swiftly. We got a small order of their soy garlic chicken, kimchi fried rice, and unseasoned fries. Everything came out piping hot which was nice so we dived right in. The chicken was well seasoned and cooked; the soy garlic flavor was savory and delicious with just a bit of sweetness to counterbalance. It was very crisp and the portion was more than I expected considering it was a small order but can't complain about that! There was a self-serve bar of side dishes such as pickled radish, which paired very well with the chicken. The kimchi fried rice and fries were both nice sides that complimented the chicken well. The fries were super crispy and not too greasy. Though the fried rice paired well with the chicken, I would say that the dish itself on its own is quite plain due to the lack of green onions and seaweed. Though it's a small detail, I think the addition of these two things would've added something to the dish's flavor profile, as well as improved the presentation by creating contrast with the overall red colored dish. My only real complaint about Chimek though is the lack of AC and overall ventilation despite hot weather. They had 2 doors propped open but otherwise, it was quite uncomfortable dining in there due to the heat. Overall, the food was good but nothing exceptional. 3.5/5 at best read more

Lovely place! Came on a Tuesday at 7pm and it was moderately full. It's a good place for late night snacks and drinks. For wings, we got a small order of the soy garlic. The menu says that the small size has 8 to 12 pieces depending on the size of the wings, and we ended up with 12. I've had garlic soy at other places, but nowhere was as juicy and flavorful as here. I think they added more than just soy and garlic because there were other flavors. I ate these leftovers the next day and it was fine, but I think it's definitely way better if you eat it the same day it was made. We got the Super Tteokbokki at the recommendation of our server. Based on reviews, I thought it would be sweeter, but it was actually pleasantly salty and spicy, just the way I like it. It could feed 4 people IMO. I loved the amount of cheese and was actually expecting more! It also came with mandu and fried seaweed rolls. The cocktail sojus here are really sweet. There must have been soda and sweeteners because I got a bit of a headache afterwards; it's nice if you have a sweet tooth though. The alcohol was masked by the sweetness. Shoutout to our server who gave us a paper notepad after she saw us drawing on napkins! All in all, I loved the vibe and good food here. Would come again! read more

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The sweet and spicy flavoring was delicious and is now my go-to here. Absolutely delicious even better than the garlic soy and regular. They take happy hour very seriously and have it for only one hour. Only a few items are on sale during happy hour, but it's still pretty good. The soju is about 2 dollars cheaper and it's pretty good! It tastes like juice, but gives the desired effects. Overall, this place is great to hang out with some friends for some drinks and chicken. read more

ChiMek - Korean Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Been almost 2 years since I last visited. This is the first visit since pandemic started. The free salad bar is gone, thanks to COVID. It's still got draft beers, but now the place has less appeal. Got the medium spicy crispy fried chicken since I remember it being good. Was a bit surprised to see a glazed hot sauce on it. Wifey tasted it and confirmed her suspicion: Buffalo wing sauce - she doesn't like it. The chicken was still crispy without the sauce, but I really don't remember the hot sauce being Buffalo sauce. Ordered a small garlic Parmesan dry run fried chicken. This turned out to be the best dish of the meal. The wings were better than the drums. Wifey likes tteokbokki (spicy rice cake) so we got one. I had never ordered one previously as it didn't appeal to me particularly. Wifey said this tasted like ready-made instant ones. It was not bad, but just wasn't great. Got us each a pint of Kirin Ichiban, the only Asian draft beer, as it would pair nicely with the fried chicken. I'd give the place 3.5 stars. Since there's no free salad bar and that having Buffalo sauce on Korean fried chicken was not what we had expected, I'd round down to 3. I'd still come back for beer mostly. It's still a nice hangout spot as it opens late. read more

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COVID-19 OUTDOOR DINING I'm always happy to see a restaurant go above and beyond in their COVID safety protocols to keep their staff and customers safe. Wanna take my temperature? Yes, go ahead! ChiMek Staff *takes temperature*: "You good." ChiMek Staff *takes temperature*: "You good too." Me: "Out of curiosity, what's our temperatures?" ChiMek Staff: "93 and 91..." Me: "93 AND 91 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT?!?...That doesn't sound right." ChiMek Staff: "Yea, you good!" We walking dead but we good... Ok, KFC time! It's been months since I dined at ChiMek but I will always remember that temperature taking moment and it has me rolling every time. With COVID, I've been slowly making my way through all the South Bay Korean and KFC restaurants, and I saw that ChiMek was offering outdoor seating so I paid a visit. During COVID, ChiMek is open for takeout, delivery (3rd party apps), and outdoor dining. When I visited, they had about 6-7 tables on the sidewalk in the plaza but I recently passed by and saw tent seating. C O V I D - 1 9 S A F E T Y P R E C A U T I O N S * All staff wore masks properly. * QR code for ordering. * Tables spaced out more than 6+ feet. * Hand sanitizer available. M E N U * KFC: Fried (lightly battered) OR Crispy Fried (extra battered). Double-fried. --Soy Garlic, Sweet & Spicy, Garlic, Chinese, Honey Buffalo, Green Onion, and Dry Rub. Adjustable heat levels. * Apps (pajeon, fish & chips, tteokbokki), Soups (jjigae), Platters (sausage, pork belly, squid). No free salad bar during COVID. Weekday Lunch Specials: Lunch Box, Burgers, and Giant Kimbap. Beer and soju available. F O O D * KFC - 1/2 Soy Garlic, 1/2 Crispy Fried KFC (Large, 16 pc - $28.99): https://bit.ly/3bdGI6j **Requested Crispy Fried (extra battered, double fried). **Includes kimchi and pickled radish. While the wings were huge, meaty, and tender...the batter is different than what I'm used to for KFC. It was missing that addictive crunch. My preference for KFC is a thin, crackly, almost translucent exterior crust. ChiMek's style seems more American; the exterior is dry and crunchy but doesn't hold up well to the sauces. Between the two flavors, I preferred the plain KFC because it stayed crunchy longer. The soy garlic had good flavor - savory, garlicky, and slightly sweet and sticky but was soggy, even for dine-in. The complimentary kimchi and pickled radish were fine and helped cut through the richness of the KFC. * Fries ($5.99): Not mine, didn't try. S E R V I C E Friendly, laid-back, and prompt. A M B I A N C E Large space with sports bar atmosphere with plenty of flat screen TVs. Overall, ChiMek's KFC style isn't really my jam but I glad I tried it once. 3.5 stars rounded up. read more

ChiMek - COVID-19 Patio Dining: KFC comes with gloves. Very convenient during COVID. - Korean Near Me - Santa Clara, California

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Food was good but car got broken into so overall experience was not great. No quality of chicken is worth the violation. Even if restaurant is good and they have signs outside warning customers, my experience was still skewed. There's no way around it. Just find a better plaza read more

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They have indoor and plenty of outdoor seating under a tent. Just wish the service was better. We were here for lunch with some friends and there were kids in the party. We decided to sit inside since it was a very hot day. The music was explicit and very loud and we asked if our waitress if they could turn the music down which they did a tad. We asked again if they could turn it down a little more because of the kids and the guy behind the counter told the waitress that he wouldn't. I get the vibe that you are trying to create but there was nobody else there inside, we were the only customers there and that was true for the entire time we were there. A little empathy and judgment would have gone a long way. I wanted to leave but did not want to create a scene or make it inconvenient for the whole party so we ended up staying. Our waitress was a sweetheart and the food was OK but I have a sour taste in my mouth from the experience. read more

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I've been coming to Chimek for a few years now. A friend of mine had suggested it for a gathering with a bunch of other friends and after trying their wings, I was hooked. I really dig the laid back vibe of the place and the really chill employees. I recently swung by with my cousin for dinner cause it was his first time trying it and we ended up showing up right when they were opening. The wings were exactly how they were when I first tried this place. We both split a large order of the sweet and spicy wings and man... I missed those so much! We also got an ordered of the honey butter fries but we weren't able to finish them cause we filled up on the wings but they were pretty damn good! I know there's quite a bit of selection when it comes to Korean fried chicken in the area, but lately this spot has been my go-to because of the ambience and the vast amount of seating. They seemed to have gotten rid of the outdoor parklets though so it's primarily indoor seating or to-go, just a heads up for anyone wondering. Thank you for dinner, Chimek! I'll be back soon! read more

ChiMek - Sweet and Spicy Chicken - Korean Near Me - Santa Clara, California

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Came here last night, wasn't packed at all. Then again came in very late, but my friend had ordered us food before hand. Had 3 choices of wings, all different flavors 1 dry rub, 2 wet rubs and they were very delicious, crispy and, flavorful. The place was kind of like a hole in the wall... but I like that. Very Lowkey! With very nice service. I will definitely come back here during the day and try it again cause the wings were delicious! And what really stuck out to me was this pork belly dish, very well seasons and the taste was phenomenal. The pork belly was so tender it melted in my mouth!!! read more

ChiMek - Next day Crispy Fried Chicken Wings - Korean Near Me - Santa Clara, California

NOTE: This review deserves a 3.5 star rating, but I didn't want to give it a lower rating to hurt the business, so it's marked at 4 stars. Pippin' hot KFC! Mhmmmmm! My partner and I were craving wings last night and decided to try something new and higher in quality than what we'd get at Wingstop (I still love Wingstop ). Anyways, we came around dinner time and were surprised at how empty/not as crowded the restaurant was! But then again, it was a Monday night, so maybe it just happened to be a lesser busy day. Anyways, we ordered a small order (which really wasn't small lol) of soy garlic fried chicken and crispy fried chicken, as well as a plate of dry rub fries! We got our dry rub fries first, which was excellent, considering we ordered them as an appetizer. The servers were quite attentive and came to check on us quite periodically, despite us choosing to sit outside; so that was very nice! We were even offered plastic gloves to protect our fingers, but unfortunately by a bit, as we still ended up with greasy fingers haha. Both fried chicken wings came out relatively quick and at the same time, wow! They weren't lukewarm or cold either, but super duper hot--like fresh from the oil fryer! Wowza! We could hardly contain our excitement to eat and bit right in. My partner and I ended up with burned tongues and fingers lol. While the chicken came out fresh and hot, we were disappointed by the flavors each chicken had. While our soy garlic chicken was thoroughly coated, the sauce was very thin and watery, giving little flavor for the chicken unless we waited a bit for the flavors to soak into the skin and penetrate the meat. The crispy fried chicken was crispy, that's a definite, but lacked any aspect of salt I ended up having to mix the crispy fried chicken with the soy garlic chicken to give it a kick of flavor to eat; otherwise, it was dry and flavorless on its own. The service at Chimek was spot on and the food came out hot, but the flavors were disappointingly lacking. I hope to come back again and try their chicken once more. read more

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This place was absolutely dead when we came one evening, my friends and I were the only ones in there. Not sure if we came during a slow time or if it's just always quiet in there. I will say I'm impressed with the honey fries which remind me of the Korean honey chips - so good! Their fried chicken was also delicious and had lots of different flavors to try. I enjoyed the food and it's a good spot to hang out with friends. read more

Food has changed. It was a change of ownership. I wish they changed the name too. Because the flavoring and quality is not the same. Please do better if you are going to take over business and understand the culture and the type of food. This is no longer Korean fried chicken. It is just a spot that serves mediocre chicken and happens to serve soju and beer. The overall ambiance is sad. Also they no longer have the side/appetizer bar. And for take out you no longer have radish but instead cold slaw. I hope they can undo the changes and or at least improve the quality. read more

ChiMek is a good place to eat if you are looking for a late-night meal or place to drink. Currently, due to COVID, they are open until 11PM and have outdoor seating available. Parking: They have a shared parking lot that always has space available. Food: Their food is pdecent. I would recommend the soy garlic wings and sundubu jigae. Their ramen is basic Shin ramen with very few added garnishes. In general, their food is pretty standard and expensive. For a small plate of wings, it costs $17.99. They also offer some combination options if you plan on drinking and eating wings. Note: If you check in yelp, you can receive a 10% off discount. Drinks: Their nectar soju drinks are pretty good. However, you can only choose one flavor and it is a little bit carbonated. I would recommend trying the strawberry nectar soju. They also have a reasonable selection of beers on their menu. Happy hour: Currently, they offer happy hour from 9-10PM. It is a dollar-off french fries, onion rings, and dry rub fries. And also about $2 off soju and beer pitchers. Service: The servers are pretty attentive to their customers. They constantly came to check on the table to make sure we were doing okay. Overall, Chimek is a good option for late-night drinking and Korean food. . read more

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Great place for fried chicken, beer, and soju! Came here on a Friday night with friends and there was lots of seating. We ordered some combos of fried chicken, super teokbokki, a pitcher of beer and a few bottles of soju. I love that they have a "ban chan" type bar where you can get kimchi, coleslaw, pickled radish, and different veggies to eat with your meal. The service was really nice and accommodating. The owner was there and he was really sweet too! He said he came up with a honey butter flavor fries so we had to try and it was delicious! I will say their chicken is a little oily and heavier than other k fried chicken places I've tried, but still delicious. read more

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ChiMek is my go-to place whenever I crave Korean fried chicken late at night (the restaurant used to open until 2am). There are also free rice and popcorn next to the salad bar. The staffs there are so nice and attentive. I highly recommend getting the soy garlic chicken and the Chinese style chicken; they are crispy and perfectly seasoned. I'd expect more from the pancakes, though. We also like to order soju cocktail, it goes so well with the fried chicken. read more

ChiMek - Korean Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Changed ownership in recent months. No longer the same "Chimek". Pretty dead inside. No side bar. Didn't have an alcohol license when I went a few months back , so there was no "mek". Just mediocre chi. Pretty disappointing overall. read more

Mixed thoughts on this place! Liked the crispy fried chicken wings, didn't like the soy garlic fried chicken or seafood pancake. Loved the wait staff's friendliness, thought the manager had a really cold demeanor. So overall it was okay... The crispy fried chicken wings were super crunchy on the outside, juicy on the inside--fried chicken at its best! Soy garlic was super bland however. Seafood pancake, while well-fried and quite full of seafood, tasted like some of its seafood was a few weeks old... Food was pretty hit or miss. Service-wise, similar story. Wait staff was so sweet and helped us out with a smile whenever we had questions or requests. However the manager wasn't really that way... He wordlessly helped bring us extra sauce when we received hot sauce instead of the medium we'd ordered and didn't inform us that the sauce replacement would cost extra. Then when we we're paying, we went up to the counter since things were taking a long time... he didn't acknowledge us for a solid 10 min as we stood there (things were busy, but pretty cold not to even glance over and say "be there in a bit") before finally coming over to swipe our card. Just a couple of examples, and totally get that he might have just been having a bad day, but at least during our visit we had quite a mixed experience service-wise. Generally ChiMek is open for dine-in (both outdoor and indoor seating) and it's quite popular! We came around 8pm and didn't have to wait for a table, but most tables were already full and we saw that some people (larger groups especially) sometimes had to wait a bit before getting seated, but never very long. All in all a spot that does the job at satisfying a fried chicken craving. Worth giving the crispy fried wings a try, but I'd be wary of items + service being hit or miss. read more

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