Don't get me wrong - service and ambiance is absolutely top tier and amazing! Cozy, warm, intimate vibes to make memories with friends, and very quick, attentive, personable, and accommodating staff. They were also very gracious when our party got a little rambunctious! Love that they are open late. But I really have to be honest about the food. Hits -tofu soup -army stew -sausage & rice cake skewer -kimchi rice (small portion) -sweet potato fries -"garlic" fries - more on the sweet side, the seasoning powder is crack -the apricot soju Needs improvement -Short rib kalbi, for $25 the portion was only 6-8 pieces, also cut thin & quite dry. We ordered three of these and some of it was fine. Good flavor though! -chicken wings, just wasn't crispy -clam soup, the blandest I ever had, no seafood flavor, maybe made with frozen/precooked clams -corn cheese, very oily and tasted like old, stale oil at that Much love to this establishment, we really appreciated everything! Great vibes read more

Danawa - Vibes are present - Asian Fusion Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Edamame was a bit salty Service could be more courteous The layout and decor is cool, but there was a brown stain on the curtain which was kinda gross The mala rose rice cakes had great flavor Veggie pancake was soggy and not crispy but still good Mushroom soondubu was okay read more

Danawa - Asian Fusion Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Stopped by Danawa for the first time. Three of us ordered quite a bit of food: tofu kimchi pork mix $25 chicken feet and rice $25 spicy army soup $45 2 soju $12 ea 2 cass pitchers $23/ea, not sure if we were mischarged since they were just larger bottles. So a bit on the steep end. corn cheese $12 extra ramen $3 Pretty empty when we went for a later dinner, but folks came in as it got later in the night. Staff was a bit awkward giving gloves. Easy parking in the plaza. read more

My friend and I came here late Sunday evening and ordered the soy garlic chicken and pork and kimchi fried rice. The food is good and very flavorful, however the portions are a bit small. Service was quick since it was only us and one other party in the restaurant. There is a lot of seating. I would come back again! read more

Our go-to Korean pocha place! Delicious clam soup and delicious soy garlic fried chicken, crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, served piping hot and fast to boot! We've also had other dishes such as the kimchi fried rice in the past and the food has always been on point. They've redone the interior on several occasions and you can tell they put quite a bit of effort into mimicking the late night outdoor street stall vibe with string lights, noren banners, and a "night sky" wall mural across their walls, except without the discomforts of teeny tiny seats/tables and super cramped seating of a real stall. Which we personally love as that's not an aspect we enjoy of real food stalls lol. There is always Kpop playing on the screen near the entrance, usually of various music videos, and the music in the store matches what is on screen. Caveat: we always come earlier in the evening to avoid the loud drinking crowds, so my review is reflective of that and can't speak to how it gets late at night. Would advise doing the same if you don't like noise like us! read more

Danawa - Soy garlic fried chicken and clam soup - Asian Fusion Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Came here with a party of 3 and was seated immediately! I've been meaning to explore more pocha places in the Bay, and this is definitely it for me. The location is inconspicuous and hidden away in one of the many strip malls off El Camino Real, but when you step through the door, you're transported to a different dimension. We ordered the spicy garlic edamame, army stew (budae jjigae), pork belly kimchi fried rice, and chicken with cheese. The edamame was a classic and was well seasoned without being too overbearing or sodium-packed. The budae jjigae was heavy! Definitely hard to get through, but my personal policy is that I will try to finish whichever dish is most difficult to get as take-out first. The portion is massive though, so don't balk at the price. The chicken with cheese was excellent. Just the right amount of spicy without being too overbearing, and the mozzarella cheese portion was also not too heavy and not too light. The pork belly kimchi fried rice stole the show for me personally, it was a favorite. I always love how savory the flavors of it are, kimchi by itself is too overwhelming for me so I love that the rice helps soak up the flavor naturally. read more

See all

Danawa has downgraded a lot in quality and taste. My friends and I used to love coming here but our recent trip made us firm that we probably won't come back. We got one of the combos for a group of 4 and it is pretty misleading because you can choose one item from each category but the cost wouldn't total the price of the combo. The portions are also smaller. Yes it was human error on our part but at the same time, we shouldn't have to think about these things if allegedly the combo is supposed to be a better deal than ordering everything individually. The food was very mid as well. Portions were small. It was not worth it. The fries were giving potato corner but double the cost. The rose tteokbokkie sauce was not as thick and flavor wise, it was just ok. The army stew was alright. Portion was pretty small. read more

See all

Yummy yummy yummy. I it's like actually going to Asia for real Asian crusine. Asian crusine is the best and Korean take it to the next level. read more

Date: Thursday, September 19, 2024 Time: around 6:30pm Party of: 2 Meal: Drinks and Snacks *Truffle Fries ($12) *Fish Cake Soup ($18) *Soju ($12) x2 A friend and I were getting takeout elsewhere in the plaza. Since there was a wait, we decided to stop by Danawa for a drink. I didn't realize until I walked in, but this used to be VIP Oriental. I have some found memories of that old place. There no other patrons when we got here, so we just sat at the bar and ordered a bottle of soju. For some reason, I always feel bad ordering one thing, so we got the fries as an app. A pretty big portion with a fair amount of truffle aroma. When my friend came back with our takeaway, the server was super sweet. She said we could eat it there. We didn't end up doing that (tho I did taste a few things), but we were here for a good two-ish hours. Ended up with the fish cake soup as well. They made it slightly spicy which made me happy. (I can't recall if I asked for it spicy? Probably since I do like my heat.) There was a good amount and variety of fish cakes. I really enjoyed this dish. Glad I ended up at this spot. End up being a fun chill dinner of sorts. REVIEW #3565 read more

See all

Solid food! My favorites were the soy garlic fried chicken ($25), tofu soup ($17), and steamed egg. All of which were some of the best I've had. The chicken is super crispy and the wings are sizeable. The tofu soup was delicious, savory, and came piping hot. I don't eat a lot of Korean steamed eggs, but my friend said that it was the smoothest and jiggliest he's had. Prices are rather steep, but I'd say it's definitely worth it for the chicken. The only dish I'd avoid entirely is the bulgogi. the beef was paper thin and mostly veggies. It was also oddly very wet and extremely disappointing. read more

See all

A nice spot for casual Korean food! Came here on a Friday night and was surprised by how empty it is. We came for dinner and all of the tables were pretty much empty. It's also located in a less popular area so it is very accessible and parking is super easy. For drinks, we got the cocktail soju in peach! I like how strong they make the drink. Most places would dilute the cocktail in ice but they don't use any ice (I Lowkey wish they did though, because it would taste even better cold). One cocktail was more than enough for 2 people. For food, we got the chicken soy garlic wings, the pork belly kimchi fried rice, and the corn cheese. The chicken was amazing (10/10). The portion size is huge and the flavor is rly good. This was the highlight of the meal! The corn cheese is also big, but almost to a fault, because it is too much for 2 people to eat without it getting cold / too cheesy. We added it to the kimchi fried rice and it was a great combo together. The rice on its own was a little bland. For ambiance, the decor feels like a party spot but it's so empty. They also play kid movies in the background. The service was decent, we got our order taken quickly and the food was also fast to come out. This is a great place to try at least once!! read more

See all

It's a nice place for friends to hangout for food/drinks or even a date night. The interiors was like a mix of traditional Korean and casual. There were privacy shades by my table on the side so it felt like a personal space but we came early for dinner and were the only customers at the time. The pork soondubu was good -- I personally wish there was more soup, but the amount of tofu/meat was satisfying. The cheesy spicy chicken was good too, I recommend it! The portions were slightly small compared to the price. The taste was as expected. We had a makgeolli too and it was decent. Next time I'll come back for a light night meal to try the kimchi fried rice and army stew. read more

Danawa - Pork soondubu and cheesy spicy chicken - Asian Fusion Near Me - Santa Clara, California

This is one of our go-to spots for korean bars - been going since the location was called VIP. Prices are a bit steep but since we don't go too often, it's a treat. We usually get the steamed egg, chicken gizzard, and the rice cake sausage skewer. I'd recommend all of them, it's a chill spot to hang with friends and drink soju and beer. Never actually had a bad experience here. read more

Food is warm and freshly prepared; maybe less authentic Korean ( missing certain spices and pickled ingredients) but tastes not that bad. read more

See all

Overall, a tasty experience! We were the only ones in the restaurant on a Tuesday night and I really enjoyed the food. The service was quick and attentive and the restaurant was clean. I only tried two dishes, but the rice cakes were delicious and they let me substitute the fish cakes for spam instead. The gizzards were delicious, served on a sizzling platter. read more

Danawa - Spicy Rice Cake - Asian Fusion Near Me - Santa Clara, California

See all

Came here around 6pm on a Friday and we were the first ones here. The Christmas decoration was cute but very dark ambiance. Got a bottle of soup, beer, seafood pancake, and fish cake soup. My favorite was probably the seafood pancakes, which was lite and crispy. For the price, though, it'll most likely be my first and last time. Thank you! read more

Danawa - Seafood pancake, extra crispy, always - Asian Fusion Near Me - Santa Clara, California

See all

We came here because we were sooooo hungry and it did not disappoint!! Staff is so friendly and food was priced so affordably!! I def want to come back soon. Please support this restaurant!! read more

Both girls that were helping us out were really great they really made the place pop and it gave a great atmosphere. Food was great and drink were even better. read more

We've been coming to this location since it was VIP, but this weekend was probably the most enjoyable. The owner(s) seem to be invested in differentiating themselves from everyone else. So many places in the area serve Korean food and soju/yogurt soju. They're bringing in an element of mixology, with both new and classic cocktails. The servers, Jin and Asia, were awesome. They worked hard all night making sure we had the premium experience. From going over the food, clearing the table, informing us about different drinks options, to even refilling our water. Every other place just dumps the big plastic carafe of water so you can fill it yourself. But there's an extra level of service and attention here. Every time they came by it energized the mood of the table. The vibe was bright and modern, with updated decor and the projector playing videos. If you haven't been here in a while, I recommend you check it out again. We may need to bring back our big group functions back here. read more

if i were on death row, i would choose danawa to be my final meal. if i could choose only one restaurant to eat at for the rest of my life - it would be danawa. at 1:30 am after prom, i came to danawa with my date. i have been coming to danawa every month or so for the past 9 months, and i have had zero complaints. the service is impeccable and the food comes out SO quick! we've only ever had great experiences with the staff, and if i could give this place 6 stars i would. i personally do enjoy the ambiance inside and i love that they change it up every now and then! here are our favorites that we get every single time (or as my boyfriend likes to call it, the big 3): soft tofu soup: 10/10 incredibly good. we've tried it with pork, mushroom, and seafood. it's delicious every single time! kimchi pancake (my personal favorite): 10/10 we rarely have leftovers, that's how good the kimchi pancake is. it pairs very nicely with the sauce and is always perfectly crispy. kimchi fried rice (spam/pork belly): 9.8/10 sooo good! it's very creamy with the egg and the flavors are very bold - salty, spicy, kimchi-y. we've tried more than our typical order, though! spicy rice cake: 9/10 the rice cakes are cooked to perfection - very chewy. it will definitely have you coming back for more. sausage and rice cake: 9/10 a great appetizer! yupdduk: 8.5/10 we loved it and it was honestly really fun to eat. it doesn't feel greasy despite all the fried foods. highly recommend trying this place out!! i've tried my fair share of korean places across the bay, and i will always continue to come back. i am actively eating at danawa while i write this review and i couldn't be happier. read more

See all

5 stars!!!!! Always the best time to come enjoy with friends and family. Very very home friendly group. They have great seating arrangements + a large selection of drinks and food. Ambiance is amazing and it's a go to location for everyone to enjoy. read more

Randomly found this hidden gem tucked away in the corner of a plaza next to an event center. Decided to give it a try and to my surprise it was such a good experience. The place was pretty empty on a Sunday night with only another couple dining. They play popular Korean pop that many people know so it's a fun song along. Their decor was so mesmerizing with the clouds on the ceiling. The service was quick and easy. All our food came out super quick and was really tasty. My favorite was the steamed egg, it was so fluffy and flavorful. I also order a bottle of beer not realizing it was HUGE and for the price?! An absolute deal! This place is a great food spot with friends who want to have good Korean food, some drinks and a good time! read more

Danawa - Bulgogi, steamed egg, corn cheese, tteokbokki - Asian Fusion Near Me - Santa Clara, California

See all

Tonight was an absolute unexpected pleasure at Danawa. I've been a few times and it was just different energy tonight thanks to Asia and Jin. They were the best bartenders / hostess and my friends and I were so appreciative of how they help us finish the night with the awesome food and drinks. Definitely going to be back when they are there (on weekends) because it was just different good from all experiences there. read more

Came here last night, this is a great spot to go for late night drinks with some friends and Korean food! Our server Jin was very friendly, attentive to our needs and made our night ! Definitely coming back read more

Count me as one of the plethora of people who remember this place and frequented it when it used to be known as VIP. VIP was a Korean dive bar without all the neon lights and trimmings of a traditional dive bar. They had tables and couches for larger parties, and it was fairly easy to mingle with others. It was definitely a vibe, everyone was still rocking an iPhone 4s-7s, most people were still on FB, Snapchat was still new-ish, interest rates were very low...It felt way easier to meet people. It's crazy because I still think Danawa is new, but it's been around since 2018. Time definitely flies. Danawa seems like a more desensitized VIP. You definitely get vibes that they no longer want to be that dive-y Korean bar they chalked up such a reputation for, and now want to dial it back a bit. I double checked the hours and Danawa opens nearly as late as VIP used to (1am vs 1:30am). The food was meh and pretty expensive. Service was pretty bad, it was difficult to get a waiter/waitress to help us. I even flagged one pretty much almost in the face but she literally looked away. I sort of felt like Bruce Willis in The Sixth Sense. read more

For a late night spot with friends, this place has a fun vibe. Dim lighting, K-pop MV's on repeat, and nice decor. A decent place for some late-night eats, but everythimg is on the more expensive side. We got the Supreme Chicken Wings, which were really good! So crispy, juicy, and they came out piping hot. The sauce was very flavorful and the mayo balanced out the sweet-and-sour glaze. I definitely recommend! The Truffle Fries were tasty and coated well in oil. But for $12... probably not the best bang for your buck. Decent portion though! read more

Danawa - Supreme Fried Chicken Wings (Mild Sweet & Sour with Mayo) - Asian Fusion Near Me - Santa Clara, California

See all

We came here as a group of 6 during a weekday around 9pm. We were the only group there, but slowly more people came in as the night went on! My group and I came here to find a place to chill and drink the yogurt soju cocktail was one of the best yogurt soju drinks I've had! We got two pitchers in total because it was so good. We also ordered two plates of fries just to snack on. Definitely preferred the sweet potato fries over the regular fries. Service was fast and responsive. If you're looking for a place to drink and chit chat with friends while snacking, I'd recommend this place! read more

See all

My partner and I stopped in on a Saturday night and it wasn't very busy! The food was good and the service was quick. Will go again for sure! read more

Looks closed but open dim lighting kitchen doesn't stay open til 2 am so I'm glad I got here at 12:20 I ordered spicy ramen , chicken and garlic fries appetizer and spoon Hari yogurt flavor I have no complaints everything was good service was good thank you to the gentleman wearing kloud shirt glasses read more

Danawa - Spicy ramen - Asian Fusion Near Me - Santa Clara, California

See all

Soy Garlic Chicken Wings 3 large portion, thick deep fried starch, sweet soy sauce Spam Kimchi Fried Rice 4 flavorful Spicy Army Stew 3 not too spicy, ramen, dry pork belly, sausage, spam, kimchi, rice cake, tofu read more

Good kimchi fried rice. Kimchi pancake wasn't really anything special but just really soft. Good sweet cheese corn too but it didn't have enough cheese. read more

See all

the reason why i am giving this place three stars is because of the service. i loved how the restaurant looked, the dark ambiance was cool. we ordered the kimchi pancake (8.5/10) if it was more crispy i would give it a 10/10. we also ordered the spicy fried chicken and the regular, both were really good and had a lot of flavor (9/10) the next thing we ordered was the spicy rice cakes with noodles. ohh this was good (9/10) along w those items we also ordered the corn cheese and i would give this a 4/10, i wish the cheese didn't clump up the last items we ordered were the kimchi fried rice (9/10) and the bulgogi (7/10). i wish i took more pictures but unfortunately this time the camera did not eat first parking is a breeze because it is in a huge plaza i would recommend coming here if you have the patience for their slow service read more

Danawa - Asian Fusion Near Me - Santa Clara, California

We came on a Tuesday night around 9PM and it was pretty empty. We ordered the seaweed glass noodles and the spicy army stew. You can never go wrong with army stew. The spicy army soup was HUGE and could probably feed 3-4 people. The seaweed glass noodles were pretty basic and tasted like the ones from hmart. The dipping sauce for it was pretty good read more

Danawa - Seaweed glass noodles - Asian Fusion Near Me - Santa Clara, California

See all

Group of 5 came around 8pm on a Saturday and it was not packed. Huge plaza parking lot so that was easy. Seated immediately and ordered pretty quickly. Food came out in 20ish min and drinks 5min. Inside vibe was pretty cool! Clean, a bunch of seating, bar in the back, design and decor gave off very chill and good vibes! The soju cocktails were expensive $24 each but serves about 8 small glasses. They ran out of some flavors but the ones we ordered had a decent amount of alcohol content (not too heavy or light). All had good flavor and weren't too sugary. Most likely juices mixed with original soju and the guava one was slightly better because of the juice. They all came without ice which is great for value but just ask for ice on the side so it isn't lukewarm! Place was almost full by the time we left. Cant rate food because but it looked good. Friend really like the seafood pancake! 9/10 Yogurt 9/10 Mango 9.5/10 Guava read more

See all

I came here twice on separate occasions and I would give the same rating for both times. Overall, the food was pretty good and a decent portion size but the service was terrible. Here is what we ordered: Beef Bulgogi (6/10): Not enough flavor and tasted like plain beef Spicy Rice Cakes with Noodles (8/10): My favorite tteokbokki dish but not enough rice cakes were given Soy Garlic Chicken (10/10): No complaints! Very juicy and Crispy Buldak Chicken Wings (6/10): Pretty good but my spice tolerance is low Kimchi fried rice (9/10): The only complaint is the small portion size. Cheese Corn (7.5/10): Average Cheese corn Although the food and vibes were good, the service was horrendous. Water refills were not offered unless you asked multiple times for more. Servers were not friendly and were pretty rude when taking our menus and giving our dishes out. It was hard to find them whenever we needed something since they sat near the bar looking uninterested. Typically I can dismiss bad service but they really need to improve on it, otherwise I wouldn't come back. read more

See all

My friends and I came here after the Keshi concert and luckily we were able to get a large table for 15 before the rush of other concert goers came in. This place is pretty lowkey and I almost couldn't find it until I saw it was in a corner. Food here is a bit pricey, but can be worth if you're sharing with a friend. My friends got the budaejjigae and shared amongst themselves, and the kimchi fried rice portion is big enough to share for two. For myself, I just ordered the fish cake soup with a Cass beer. It came with lots of fish cake and had a light broth. Service was extremely slow, but I don't blame them since we were a huge group, there were only 2 front house staff, and I don't think they were expecting lots of customers from a concert coming in on a Wednesday night. The food came out pretty slowly. When they brought out the budaejjigae, they forgot to insert the fuel canister so it took a while for my friends to finally eat their food. There's also a button to call for the waiters if you need to order or get the check. Ambience is dim, but nice, and they also play Korean music and music videos on the projector, haha. I would come here again to try it again, albeit in a smaller party next time. read more

Danawa - Fish Cake Soup - Asian Fusion Near Me - Santa Clara, California

See all

Great experience at Danawa last night! From the moment I walked in, the staff were incredibly welcoming and friendly to our large party of 18. The food was absolutely delicious-- our side of the table had the soy garlic wings, bulgogi, cheese corn, and spicy army stew (my fave!). It's the perfect spot to hang out with friends and enjoy great food. Highly recommend! read more

This spot is pretty cool for a late night snack and to hang out at . Service is definitely on point. Their food is pretty fresh. Would definitely come back here again ! read more

See all

Good food, small portions, fried tokpokki was good, flavor squid was good, fried chicken good, gizzard good, service fast, was nice to some people at the table but not all... random haha, quick service Outside a homeless man opened the door for me... that was kind Place seemed clean and dark A bit pricy but we are having an inflation so duh read more

Danawa - Bar - Asian Fusion Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Everything was great from start to finish--delicious food, excellent service, and fair pricing. A smooth, enjoyable experience all around. Highly recommend! read more