Explore Santa Clara's Koreatown

Discover Koreatown's best restaurants, spas, and shopping

paris baguette restaurant

 Jen Siska

Taste Korea's best bites

Bigger than big in Korea, Paris Baguette has opened here too. Pick up a tray and some tongs and start grabbing. Crunchy croquettes are orbs filled with diced beef and sweet potato; strewed bread is like a big, puffy Nutter Butter; and whole red-bean bread jolts you with a sugar rush that’ll last all afternoon. $; 3561 El Camino Real; 408/260-0404.

grilling ribs

Jen Siska

Feast on grilled ribs

Finally, you can BBQ your own Korean beef without smelling like it afterward. At the trendy Beque Korean Grill, special vacuum ventilators beneath the table suck in smoke and oil, letting you lightly singe your kalbi (short ribs) without carrying its scent the rest of the day.

spa at lawrence health center

Jen Siska

Spa on the cheap

For $30, a seasoned therapist at Lawrence Health Center, a Korean spa, exfoliates you head to toe, sending you out soft as a babe. FYI: Birthday suits are customary. $20 entrance fee, $65 for a scrub and massage; 3545 El Camino Real; 408/243-1177.

Chasaengwon Tea House

Jen Siska

Tea time

At Chasaengwon Tea House, the classic tea- house gets an update. Beneath a giant TV broad- casting Korean programs, sit at a small wooden table and sip one of the 21 teas. Straight from Korea, they’re touted for their health benefits: Try persimmon leaf for an immune-system boost, or jujube (Chinese date) for digestion. 3330 El Camino Real, Ste. 206; 408/246-0700.

Han Kook supermarket

 Jen Siska

Eat your Korean veggies

Perilla leaves. Ginseng root. Opo squash. Beech mushrooms. The mile-long produce aisle at Han Kook supermarket is a multi- colored parade of good stuff you've likely never heard of. Other aisles hold a smorgasbord of marinated raw meats, cooked veggies, fermented cabbage, and sesame spinach to go. 1092 E. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale; 408/244-0871.

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