Journalists are just adventurous nerds. Research-happy folks who put their findings to the test and get on-the-ground knowledge to find some semblance of truth — and then share those findings with readers.
This week, I set out to explore the South Bay to update our guide to restaurants around Levi’s Stadium ahead of the World Cup. I personally blame the traffic between Berkeley and the South Bay, but Eater SF (aka me) simply doesn’t get down to Santa Clara enough. I set out to correct that with several whirlwind trips through Santa Clara, eating my way through various places I’ve uncovered through research, happenstance, and a little bit of intuition. But it’s never a straight line from research to write-up, so here’s some BTS content before the new map drops tomorrow.
One of the first spots on my research list was Kenny’s Cafe. At the time of my visit, I couldn’t remember why exactly I had followed the establishment on Instagram, but I was nonetheless charmed each time it popped up on my feed. Owner Kenny Kim’s smiling face as he posed with customers, paired with close-ups of his food, managed to enthrall me from afar. Indeed, stepping into Kenny’s Cafe is an experience of its own: Kim’s kindness in guiding me through the menu is soothing, and perusing the thousands of customer photos that line the restaurant’s walls proved uplifting.
The breakfast sandwich I tried was enough to make me a believer in the space, paired with his special salsa made with green onion kimchi and adobo sauce. I couldn’t help but root for this place and Kim himself. Kim even managed to talk me into a selfie — which he uploaded to Instagram, Facebook, and Threads with alarming immediacy. It wasn’t until later that I really started to dig deeper into the research, to find this lovely piece that former San Francisco Chronicle food critic Soleil Ho wrote about Kim. It’s a worthy profile of an eclectic restaurant, but it’s something worth experiencing in person.
Occasionally, restaurant finds emerge from necessity. When it came to dining out in the area, I found myself at a different, here-unnamed modern restaurant. But when a friend and I were quoted an hour wait at an already-late-to-us time, we started looking at other options. Ilbunjee, a spot I had long ago bookmarked, intrigued us with its commitment to using non-marinated meats. We pivoted to this tiny strip mall to check it out. My dining partner declared the golbaengi muchim, a whelk-laden salad, a hard-to-find dish, and it was the first thing we ordered. (I highly recommend it with the noodle add-on, and fair warning, it’s a large dish for just two people.) Despite its small size, Ilbunjee impressed, from the steel barrel drums to the kind help with the grills — and the food and pricing seemed like a steal ($102 for two with the classic combo, which comes with four cuts of meat, soup, salad, and banchan). Onto the list it goes.
Again, it was circumstance that led me to Los Tacos de Noe, a Mexican food truck on Halford Avenue. I was drawn to the area by Milldang, the Korean bakery that opened this year, and in exploring that area came across a nearby restaurant serving soy sauce-marinated raw crab on the menu (this is a lesser-seen dish that to me telegraphs a certain skill level and a commitment to Korean cooking that not every restaurant adheres to). I also eyed the reviews of Los Tacos de Noe, noting to myself that it was maybe a worthy stop on a different outing. Well, when I pulled up to said crab spot, I was forced to pivot: It turned out the restaurant was closed for maintenance. I was spurred on to visit Los Tacos with the further information that they make their tortillas by hand, and I have no regrets about changing my meal plan to quesabirria tacos.
All I can say is, I am impressed, South Bay, and I vow to be back. Now if only we can do something about the damn traffic.
