Ondam

Stepping into this Korean restaurant felt like entering a beautifully curated space--warm lighting, elegant wooden accents, and subtle traditional touches that made the ambiance both inviting and refined. The food matched the setting perfectly. The bulgogi was tender and flavorful, with just the right balance of sweetness and smokiness. The marinated crab was a standout--briny, rich, and packed with umami, a true delicacy. I missed this taste when I visited Seoul last year. The pork tofu soup was comforting, with a deep, spicy broth that had just the right amount of heat. The banchan selection was fresh and varied, complementing every dish. To top it off, the makgeolli (Korean rice wine) was smooth and slightly effervescent, adding a refreshing contrast to the bold flavors. The service was quick and the staff were very friendly. My little one got extra cookies on the way out as one of the staff grabbed more for her as we left. Bonus points!A truly satisfying meal in a stunning setting--I'll definitely be back!

The hosts were very nice and welcoming, but unfortunately, the meal fell short. Surprisingly, the banchan was better than our entrées. Please note this review is solely based on the two entres we ordered: the kimchi fried rice and clam soup.The kimchi fried rice was not what we expected--it was mostly kimchi with barely any rice. The flavor was off, leaning too sweet, and the torched egg on the side like a moat didn't help. Instead of enhancing the dish, it felt unnecessary and unappetizing. If the torching was meant for presentation, it missed the mark--we just found ourselves thinking, "Why?"The clam soup had an overwhelming amount of greens, which threw off the balance. The broth itself was just okay, nothing remarkable.With such high reviews, I expected more from this spot.

We went for the soft opening !! Pretty busy spot and super authentic Korean dishes. We didn't exactly like everything we ordered, but some I would love to go back and try.Absolutely would not recommend the kimchi fried rice. It lacked flavour and it also just looked like it had no flavour -- it was barely red. It had a cool performance aspect to it as they poured beaten eggs around the fried rice on the hot skillet when they serve it. We also got some makgulli called red monkey or something and we didn't like it. It was weirdly sour and kinda had a cough syrup after taste to it.The sotbap was soooo good. Sotbap literally translates to pot rice and it just means the whole dish is steam cooked in the one pot. I got the bulgogi one and the meat was yummy. The bottom of the rice also gets crisp in the pot and at the end you can ask for either tea or hot water to pour into the crispy rice. The beef tartare was really yummy too. It had all the classic Korean ingredients like egg yolk, garlic, sesame oil, and pear. They especially went hard on the garlic and it was pretty good.

Ok Korean restaurant! Food was good, but not great especially considering it's supposed to be more high end. Came with some family on a Friday evening at 5pm. By 5:30pm, the place was already crowded. We got the bossam, seafood pancake, fried chicken platter, tteokbokki, and the mushroom shrimp dish and a soup I didn't get pictures of. My favorites were the tteokbokki and chicken platter - minus the glazed/ sauced chicken in the middle of the platter, for some reason all of us agreed it wasn't as good as the other fried chicken flavors. The bossam was good with the meat being very tender. The seafood pancake is pretty batter-y so I don't think I would recommend it. We were unfortunately also seated by the door which kept opening and closing from people coming in with the cold actually making my girlfriend sneeze and got her sick. So my advice would be to avoid that table if possible! Otherwise it was fun to eat here for the hype but I do think there are better Korean places in Santa Clara. Parking is easy as long as you get there early.

I wanted to try something new for dinner. I found this place on Yelp and stopped by around 6pm. I was able to get a table for two right away. Although I'm hungry I couldn't eat a lot so I ordered a few items:Kimchi pancake Tuna mayo gimbap Steamed dumplings I like the menu. It has a door design on it. Like welcoming you into the menu. I also like the interior design of this restaurant. It's really loud in here though. I can't hear my own conversation. As I'm eating the restaurant got even busier and louder. I appreciate the kiosk at the table. I can just keep ordering without talking to anyone. Service is good. I'd love to come back and try a few more items.

A lovely sit down Korean restaurant with good traditional korean food! Despite the premium atmosphere the food isn't as pricey as you might expect. The kimchi pancake was only 10 dollars too!The food was good but nothing too outstanding. The kimchi pancake lacked some crispiness, but was nicely flavoured. Should probably go for the seafood one next time.Despite the hype behind the fried chicken platter, I was honestly a bit disappointed. The flavours were a bit bland and it was not crispy as well.The clam Kalguksu was good but the broth not as flavourful or creamy as imagined The beef brisket bowl definitely saved the day though. Definitely add the sauce! It greatly enhanced the flavours! The meat was very tender, and the bowl deeper than you imagine, packed with a lot of vegetables. The banchan was also very good!Service overall was very good! They prioritize seating fully arrived parties over their wait-list, so be sure to wait in person!

Finally came here last night with a small group of friends. Always better to do korean food family style in my opinion. We were able to be seated immediately but any later than the 6pm arrival time, we probably would have had to wait. The restaurant itself is very stylish along with their menu design. The menus themselves are already worse for wear though. All our menus had torn or ripped pages in them, which is surprising since it's a fairly new restaurant that's on the nicer side. What we ordered: -kimchi pancake ($9.99): this was a nice and tasty pancake with nice texture. It's a thicker pancake than I'm used to. It could be a little crispier.- seafood pancake ($20.99): the seafood pancake I really liked along with the rest of the table. Nice and crispy with a decent amount of seafood. Probably my favorite dish.-seafood kalguksu ($22.99): the most disappointing dish for me. The broth was on the bland side. Noodles was decent texture but just not a good quantity of noodles. We barely got 4 people enough noodles for a quarter bowl of noodles each and still had a 5th person. Plenty of seafood though, also on the bland side though. The noodles itself is a like a 2/5 for me.- steamed dumplings ($13.99 for 6): the dumplings were fine. Needed the sauce and then was very tasty. The one on the menu shows 4 mandu but on the electronic ordering, it is 6 regular steamed dumplings. - bulgogi sotbap ($26.99): the bowl was surprisingly deep so had a lot of rice. It showed some crispy rice at the bottom, but I'll try to ask them to cook it longer so it's actu crispy. The bulgogi itself was good but not very bulgogi tasting, like lacking in that bulgogi sauce. Pickles that came with it were good.-ondam chicken platter ($21.99): this had a nice variety of kfc in 3 different flavors. My favorite was the fried garlic one. The sauce it came with was good and went well with the kimchi pancake actually. I wish there was the option of bone in or boneless chicken. But decent amount of chicken for the price. Could be fresher or crispier when it came though. -complementary bonchon: the bonchon options here were quite delicious. I really liked the black beans and the green veggie dishes. A very solid bonchon.For the price point and quality of food, I gave 4/5 stars. We were able to feed 5 people very well for around $30ish each. It's on the blander side flavors wise. Great bonchon though. But tasty enough overall where I would crave it enough to come back multiple times, especially with a group. My biggest gripe is if they're doing electronic system, should have the option to ask for water or tea. It was quite difficult to get water refills. We also asked for tea at the beginning but that never came. Servers were quick once you did manage to get their attention.

I like Ondam. When I first opened the door, it felt like stepping into a traditional Korean house (Hanok), almost as if I had traveled back to the Joseon Dynasty. It was an exciting moment for me for a second, experiencing my own culture.The menu design was a nice touch it resembled a Hanok door, adding to the traditional ambiance. Good job!As for the food, it was pretty good. All six side dishes were fresh and flavorful. Each one was well prepared and delicious. We ordered abalone porridge, kimchi pancake, and beef pancake. The porridge was tasty but a bit watery, the kimchi pancake was slightly too doughy, and the beef pancake was tender and paired well with the spicy vinaigrette/green onions.The service was pleasant, the servers were friendly and kept refilling side dishes & our free barley tea, which was a nice bonus.

We came here on a weekday night during the winter holidays for dinner. There was little wait and ample seating and we were seated pretty quickly and the ambiance was lively and intimate.We ordered:- Tteokbokki - This was delicious! The rice cakes were soft and very chewy and the sauce was absolutely delicious and creamy, with just the right amount of flavor and spice.- Chicken Platter - This comes with 3 flavors of chicken - Sweet & spicy, soy garlic, kkanpung. I thought all 3 flavors were delicious, but my favorite was the sweet & spicy one.Overall, I had a great time eating here and will be back in the future to try more items in the menu!

5/5 good food, slightly elevated ambiance than your typical Korean restaurant :) Food: Kimchi pancake: 4/5Crunchy and pillowy at the same time. Not too spicy and more sour. Korean fried chicken: 5/5ALSO crunchy. The flavors are all pretty delicious but the middle one with the darker sauce was amazing. Spicy stir fried pork: 5/5Tender pork stir fried with onions. Decent spicy and pairs perfectly with plain rice. Definitely a dish to share with people. Bulgolgi bat sop: 5/5Let the rice cook a bit in the bowl. The cronch is worth it. There are so many toppings in the bowl and it fills you up quick. It's another dish that's great to share. Service: Friendly! Our group of 7 got seated quickly but it's always safe to call and reserve ahead of time. Plenty of seating but this place is pretty popular. Side dishes came out quickly but it took some time for the main dishes to come out. Parking is a little tough due to the size of the lot and popularity of the stores in the plaza so try to arrive in off hours. Ambiance: Slightly fancier than your usual Korean restaurant. There are details that try and upscale the place like the decorated menus and the entryway. It's a pretty nice place to take someone for a casual date or if you'd like to bring family members for a comfort meal ( but you have to impress them a bit)