South Bay: Daeho

Daeho's branch in Milpitas has been open for quite a while now.  Given the nearly always present mass of people outside waiting around to be seated, I'd never felt tempted to check it out.  But when CL and DK wanted to go one Saturday for lunch, I suggested we arrive as early as possible.

At 10:50am on a Saturday, there was still a bit of a line to get in:

But we were one of the first to get seated:

The banchan was promptly brought out, as was the purple rice:

Nothing super exciting, just three kinds of kimchi.

Then again, Daeho isn't known for its banchan.  Oh, no.  It's known for its kalbi jjim ($75 for a regular).  We added cheese to ours ($5) and it came with a fire show:

The melty cheese was an Instagram dream, but I could have gone without it:

The kalbi jjim itself was very sweet and included large hunks of kalbi.  We added rice cake as well ($3) and that turned out to be a mistake.  The rice cakes split, which means they were likely freezer burnt.

I understand that kalbi cuts are expensive and thus kalbi jjim is expensive.  But honestly, $75 feels a bit much.  While Daeho's kalbi jjim was certainly tasty, I personally prefer the kalbi jjim at Kunjip.  The sauce is more nuanced at Kunjip and not just sweet.  Super addicting with rice.

If you're into cheese and flames and fanfare, Daeho is the place for you.  But if you want something a bit more homey, I would recommend Kunjip instead.

Daeho

217 W Calaveras Blvd

Milpitas, CA 95035

(408) 770-3778

https://daehokalbijjim.com/