I recently dined at Chimek and was thoroughly impressed. The food was absolutely delicious, with each dish bursting with authentic Korean flavors. Soy Garlic chicken turned out to be the best dish of the meal. TTEOKBOKKI and the kimchi had just the right balance of spice and tanginess. The staff were friendly and attentive, ensuring a delightful dining experience from start to finish. The ambiance added to the perfect late night vibes of the restaurant. I can't wait to visit again and explore more of their menu!
Audrey P.
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.
Winnie T.
*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
Henry N.
Went with 9 of my friends and none of us got full! One of them went to the mcdonald's around the corner after to get nuggets!! It seemed like they changed serving sizes for everything. The chicken wings used to be massive yummy crunchy wings, but now the wings are the same sizes as my pinky, with little meat!! The dry rub honey butter fries were still okay but it seems like they cut the serving size in half. I remember the basket used to be twice as big where one fry order could satisfy 3 people minimum. The quality of the fries seemed to have gone down too. The service was fast and nice, but the food to price ratio just wasn't the same as before . Maybe they had a change of ownership or something, but it definitely wasn't the chimek I remembered. Don't come back unless you want to feel disappointed, just go to BonChon or 99Chicken or Vons instead for better korean fried chicken.
Steven L.
New ownership Don't even expect anything close to the same serving size Just try a new place if you're coming back
Yiwen Dai
No salad bar, but we were able to get unlimited, pre-packaged portions of kimchi / daikon / coleslaw as we wanted.We went at around 630pm on a weekday and it was very empty.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Soy Garlic Chicken, Green Onion
Henrietta G.
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.
Patty G.
This restaurant is so underrated. Their staff are extremely friendly, the ambiance is vibey, and their food is amazing! Their servings are also really huge. I highly recommend this place if you want to just chill and hang out with your friends while having great food and drinks!
Mr. A.
What a nice casual spot. Super good food and friendly environment. Was pleasantly surprised with the quality and can't wait to visit again when in the area.
Eva C.
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.
I came in on Sunday to pick up wings for a 49'er playoffs party. I ordered soy garlic, honey buffalo, garlic parmesan, and honey butter. We got a lot of chicken for what we paid for and they tasted great. It was all eaten up and well enjoyed at our party.
kearth reynolds
Very quiet night (Christmas eve), but tasty wings and beer out with friends!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sweet and Spicy Wings, Soy Garlic Chicken
Kevin P.
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!
John P.
The garlic soy chickens sauce was too fishy that I wasnt able to finish it. I dont think its worth 20 dollars for such quality. Red radish tastes too raw. Overall disappointing experience as a fried chicken connoisseur
Cristina Dzh
Very poor service, and slow. We ended up leaving because she never came up to our table after 10 minutes of us sitting. Do not
I recently dined at Chimek and was thoroughly impressed. The food was absolutely delicious, with each dish bursting with authentic Korean flavors. Soy Garlic chicken turned out to be the best dish of the meal. TTEOKBOKKI and the kimchi had just the right balance of spice and tanginess. The staff were friendly and attentive, ensuring a delightful dining experience from start to finish. The ambiance added to the perfect late night vibes of the restaurant. I can't wait to visit again and explore more of their menu!
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.
*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
Went with 9 of my friends and none of us got full! One of them went to the mcdonald's around the corner after to get nuggets!! It seemed like they changed serving sizes for everything. The chicken wings used to be massive yummy crunchy wings, but now the wings are the same sizes as my pinky, with little meat!! The dry rub honey butter fries were still okay but it seems like they cut the serving size in half. I remember the basket used to be twice as big where one fry order could satisfy 3 people minimum. The quality of the fries seemed to have gone down too. The service was fast and nice, but the food to price ratio just wasn't the same as before . Maybe they had a change of ownership or something, but it definitely wasn't the chimek I remembered. Don't come back unless you want to feel disappointed, just go to BonChon or 99Chicken or Vons instead for better korean fried chicken.
New ownership Don't even expect anything close to the same serving size Just try a new place if you're coming back
No salad bar, but we were able to get unlimited, pre-packaged portions of kimchi / daikon / coleslaw as we wanted.We went at around 630pm on a weekday and it was very empty.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Soy Garlic Chicken, Green Onion
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.
This restaurant is so underrated. Their staff are extremely friendly, the ambiance is vibey, and their food is amazing! Their servings are also really huge. I highly recommend this place if you want to just chill and hang out with your friends while having great food and drinks!
What a nice casual spot. Super good food and friendly environment. Was pleasantly surprised with the quality and can't wait to visit again when in the area.
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.
Restaurantji Recommends
I came in on Sunday to pick up wings for a 49'er playoffs party. I ordered soy garlic, honey buffalo, garlic parmesan, and honey butter. We got a lot of chicken for what we paid for and they tasted great. It was all eaten up and well enjoyed at our party.
Very quiet night (Christmas eve), but tasty wings and beer out with friends!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sweet and Spicy Wings, Soy Garlic Chicken
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!
The garlic soy chickens sauce was too fishy that I wasnt able to finish it. I dont think its worth 20 dollars for such quality. Red radish tastes too raw. Overall disappointing experience as a fried chicken connoisseur
Very poor service, and slow. We ended up leaving because she never came up to our table after 10 minutes of us sitting. Do not
Atmosphere: 2
Service: 1