What a hidden gem! How did I not know about this place sooner?! Vibe was chill and casual. Being on vacation, it was so nice to find amazing Persian food right here in Honolulu. Everything was fresh, delicious, and full of flavor. The service was great, and the staff was super sweet and welcoming. We ordered the Gheymeh, Ghormeh Sabzi, beef & lamb kabob, and chicken jujeh kabob--and all I can say is... the plates were CLEAN! Every single thing was delicious. And I can't forget the salad and that dressing! So good! I will definitely be back whenever I'm in Honolulu. If you're looking for really good Persian/Middle Eastern food, Bar Koko is a MUST! Highly recommend. read more

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I am Iranian and Persian restaurants on the mainland are typically hit or miss. This place is amazing. The quality of the food is top class and when I asked who does the cooking ,found out it is a married couple and they make everything themselves from scratch. The doogh was delicious and I highly recommend the mirza ghasemi before you go big with the kabobs. Also, their torshi is homemade and amazing. read more

A small, tucked away, intimate, authentic Persian restaurant! We loved the slow braised lamb and the lamb/beef kebobs. Both entrees come with saffron rice and a side salad. Our server was attentive. Parking is available (public paid lot) right next to restaurant. Don't forget to save room for dessert. It's always a good day to have pistachio or chocolate cheesecake. read more

Bar Koko & Persian Restaurant - Pistachio cheesecake - Bars Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

This place is legit! Homemade Persian food! Super nice owner! Nice staff! Fantastic flavored & quality food! We went twice during my trip! My husband is Persian and we all loved it! read more

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We finally tried Bar Koko! We always see this whenever we're heading to the freeway. We came on a Saturday night and parking was easy since there's a pay parking lot right behind the restaurant which was super convenient. The place itself isn't very big, but it feels cozy, and they do have a bathroom, which is always nice for a smaller spot. The menu had good options without feeling overwhelming, so ordering was pretty easy. We both got the beef and chicken combo kebab and it was so good. The meat was really flavourful and the chicken was surprisingly juicy. not dry at all. It came with rice and a side salad. This meal will fill you up! I didn't finish my rice but I had to finish the meat! 10/10!!!! I wish they had toum, though! And you gotta eat the grilled tomato! That would just make everything even better! Our friend ordered the beef and lamb shawarma and he said he loved it. We also tried the cucumber dip with pita and that was also 10/0! The pita came out warm and it paired perfectly with the dip. It wasn't busy at all when we went, just us and one other table even though it was a Saturday night. It honestly felt like a hidden gem. We'd definitely come back! read more

Bar Koko & Persian Restaurant - Bars Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Amazing food, ambience, and hospitality. The food was delicious and Sara's personality and friendless add more to the overall experience. read more

Bar Koko & Persian Restaurant - Bars Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Amazing Persian food. The koobideh kabob and chicken kabob were excellent. Stews were delicious and tasted like real home made food. Warm home made baghlava and hot tea was amazing. The staff were super friendly and pleasant. Wonderful experience overall. Will definitely go back!! read more

Overall it was quite good. Cute little dine in restaurant that only has five tables. The host/server was very sweet. The prices are very affordable and good value with the amount of food that you get. We ordered a combination, beef and chicken skewer, which comes with salad and rice. The second main dish was the beef and eggplant stew which also comes with salad and rice. The salad came out first in a bowl, which was a nice touch and allowed us to eat something prior to our meal, the dressing was a tart yogurt, citrus dressing, which was nice and Bright and the vegetables were leafy greens that were fresh. The main dishes came out, not too long after the salads the Meat mixture was pretty standard, and the chicken was nicely seasoned and juicy. The eggplant and beef stew was delicious and had large chunks of eggplant along with a few cubes of tender meat. Overall, the portion size the flavor, and the quality of the food was very good, especially when compared to the price point. Our only critique was that the water given for drinking and in the rice pudding did not taste good. That might be an infrastructure or a city and county thing, but it was nearly undrinkable. read more

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Food was delivered hot. It has all the blasting flavors of the Middle East. Bread was warm and soft the sauce is alittle tangy. Ordered close to closing which I hate to do but it turned out to be a fresh hot flavorful sandwich It needed some fries with it. Lol read more

Bar Koko & Persian Restaurant - Chicken shawarma - Bars Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Very tasty and authentic cuisine! We tried the lamb shank, kubideh kabob, and joojeh kabob. All very delicious. Service is friendly and atmosphere is cozy, albeit a little cramped. read more

Very disappointed in the food quality and service provided here. As a persian this food is was the most disappointing meal I've had. As well when I asked for chai they looked at me confused and said they had black and green tea so we passed. Overall wouldn't recommend coming here. read more

The restaurant is very small and the food is below average. We ordered koobideh for a party of six, and it arrived in just five minutes , it tasted like premade frozen kabobs. The doogh was also disappointing, extremely salty and unpleasant to drink. Customer service was ok ! read more

This is a must try restaurant. The Persian food is very tasty and healthy. They have various salads and kabobs. Each dish has a special flavor unique to their style of cooking. The naan bread for dipping is delicious. The service is very helpful on making recommendations and the food is served very quickly. The restaurant is small, yet it has a cozy and comfortable feel to it. read more

Bar Koko & Persian Restaurant - Naan bread - Bars Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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we had a wonderful experience at this Persian restaurant in Honolulu. The food was absolutely delicious and felt very authentic. The kebabs were perfectly grilled and juicy, flavorful, and well seasoned and the rice was light and fragrant, just the way it should be. The portions were generous, and everything tasted fresh and thoughtfully prepared. The atmosphere was warm and inviting, with a nice balance of modern comfort and traditional Persian touches. It's a great place whether you're going for a relaxed dinner with family or a more special evening out. The ambiance really added to the overall experience. What stood out the most was the management and service. The staff were attentive, friendly, and genuinely cared about making sure everything was perfect. You can tell the place is well managed, as everything ran smoothly and professionally. read more

Love this spot, order here on Uber Eats all the time. Food is bomb and feels healthy lol read more

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Being Persian the ghormeh sabzi is 5 stars. Aya is a local staff member and she's always smiling and gives great service. Highly recommend if you're visiting read more

When I lived in San Francisco and dated a Persian boyfriend I used to eat kebab koobideh every week - it was my favorite comfort food. It has been seven agonizing years since my last plate of kebab koobideh. This Uber eats delivery was EVERYTHING! Perfect fluffy saffron rice. Super fresh salad, a perfectly roasted tomato and of course large moist satisfying skewers of beef wrapped perfectly in foil away from the rice for delivery. It was delivered from 8 miles away and still arrived piping hot in less than 25 minutes. I greedily gobbled down the whole plate in 5 minutes - too excited and hungry to savor anything. I ordered an extra skewer of beef in case the portion sizes weren't enough - but even at my hungriest I wasn't able to eat more than 2 skewers. My eyes are always bigger than my stomach. For reference I feel like the skewers are like 2 hamburger patties worth of beef each. Shown below are before and after pics of my first Bar Koko Uber eats delivery. It certainly won't be the last. Thanks for exceeding all expectations and making my Hawaiian koobideh dreams come true! read more

Bar Koko & Persian Restaurant - Bars Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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There is lots of parking. The portion for the shawarma was smaller than an authentic shawarma; there was only cabbage and the tzatziki sauce but I will agree the tzatziki sauce made that dish. For $12 on Oahu I guess you can say it was decent. The beef stew was deceiving did not look like the picture of course and that's due to the lack of potato fries. I'm all for different cultures and their cuisines so for this dish it's sour and if you're not used to beef stew being sour then might not want to get this. The best dish was the lamb kebab. Drink menu is minimal. There is a mandatory service fee so do what you want with that info. 3 stars due to the quality of food matching the price. It is affordable and you get the affordable quality. read more

Bar Koko & Persian Restaurant - Beef stew - Bars Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Worst koobideh I ever ate, looked and tasted horrible. I have had koobideh all over the world and never tasted one this horrible. Rice was also old and garbage read more

I loved the pita, hummus, cucumber dip, and Persian salad. The service was nice. It was a Sunday, so there was parking on street. But they said we could've parked in lot. read more

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Service was very personal, the place is small and quaint. Would not recommend large groups. Max party of 4 per table. Tue food was delicious the chicken little on the dryer side would probably recommend the beef or lamb looked juicy but we never order. read more

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Been ordering takeout from here for years now and it's one of my favorite Mediterranean places on the island. Good portions and decent prices. read more

I had no idea there was a Persian restaurant in Hawaii! We decided to visit on evening when we were in the area for drinks. We got the naan and hummus, stuffed grape leaves, cucumber salad, eggplant stew and beef and lamb sandwich. Everything was tasty but I especially liked the eggplant stew. The rice inside the stuffed grape leaves was kind of wet/mushy for my taste. Portions were a little small for the prices. We were the only ones in the restaurant so service was fine. I'm not sure if there is parking, we parked on the street in the metered stalls. read more

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Food is always on point here, and super fast when you order for delivery. Kabob plate is my go to I love their house dressing/sauce...so lemony and delicious!! Thank you Bar KoKo! read more

Food was spectacular- had vegan eggplant. The naan wasn't like normal tandoori oven naan was more like pita - delicious.. Everything was beyond fresh!!! Rice fresh w touch of saffron. The Persian Salad I paid a lil extra to replace traditional salad w this it's was fresh crunchy etc. lovely flavor felt like I was eating in nyc . I will be back definitely with friends. Great space and vibe polite staff. I so enjoyed the fresh flavorful food . The people around me were enjoying the meat dishes. Parking in back / meter $4 it takes cards. And there a $3 service charge for using a card. read more

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We love Bar Koko! The food is always so delicious & fresh. We've always ordered through delivery apps and it comes in great shape. Our favorites are the beef shawarma and the hummus! This will always be a go to spot. read more

Bar Koko & Persian Restaurant - Beef and Lamb Shawarma & Hummus - Bars Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

No presentation, no plating, no decency to make sure that customer satisfaction is met. I wanted to love this place because I miss Persian food back home. We had a beef kabob plate and a chicken kabob plate. And we got naan, grape leaves, and saffron rice pudding. The plate at the bottom looks destroyed and the rice spilled everywhere. Aside from presentation, the food itself was below average. I can't believe I threw up after eating the grape leaves. It was so disgusting. Beef kabob and chicken kabob were pretty dry but the flavor is there. I think the only thing I could actually eat was the naan, rice, and rice pudding. I'll give them 2 stars instead of 0 because that rice pudding is truly the only redeeming dish they have. You're probably wondering what's my point of reference for good Persian food. It's Fanoos Grill in Torrance CA or literally any other Persian restaurant that isn't this place... read more

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The food was awesome but the service was a little slow and constantly required me to repeat what we were requesting; I think there may a slight language barrier. Let me elaborate a bit: Starting with the food, it tasted amazing and was very authentic to the region got which it comes from, the Middle East/Mediterranean cuisine. For appetizers, I ordered the Cucumber Dip, Pita Bread and the Tandoori Naan Bread, it all tasted so amazing! And for dinner, I ordered 2 Combination Kebob dishes (combo of beef kabob and chicken kabob), one for my Aunt and one for me. Let me tell it did not disappoint, the presentation, portion size and the flavors were fantastic! Even my Aunt, the finicky eater that she is, loved the flavors and textures of everything she tried! Now on about the restaurant setting, unfortunately, this is where things dipped a bit. In my opinion, the restaurant is not located in the best location at the corner of Piikoi and Young streets, however, the upside is that there is tons of 'paid' parking in the back and on the side of the restaurant. Also as a note, the restaurant is connected to a "hookah lounge (as defined by Wikipedia: "A hookah lounge (also called a shisha bar or den, especially in Britain and parts of Canada, or a hookah bar) is an establishment where patrons share shisha (flavoured tobacco) from a communal hookah or from one placed at each table or a bar") and it seems that the specific draw is more for the hookah lounge patrons. I say that because there is a hallway that connects the lounge to the restaurant/bar/restroom areas and there seems to be way more activity and service offered in the lounge than in the very small, cramped and pushed up against the far wall dining area just opposite the extensively stocked full bar (that is, literally, the full length of the restaurant itself. Regarding the service, also unfortunately, there seems to be a slight language barrier that our server did not quite understand what we were asking for and thus, completely ignored our repeated requests for Naan Bread. What he did bring us was Pita Bread, of which was already delivered to us alongside the Cucumber Dip which comes with Pita Bread already. When I asked our server about the Naan Bread for a 3rd time, he then pointed to the Pita Bread and walked off, a bit frustrating but the food somewhat made up for the lack of service! Also, he never returned to check on us or offer any else, I had to flag down the lady behind the bar to get more water! I would love to give this restaurant a 5-star rating but because of the service issues and the crampiness of the restaurant can only give it a 4-star rating or my personal 4-Shaka rating! read more

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Food was great!! Just a nice small mom and pop restaurant. Had a great meal. Service was excellent

We landed on the island in the afternoon and I was starving. We looked up restaurants on the route to our hotel and discovered Bar Koko. At first it was hard to see and I thought it was the ...interesting... hookah bar on the corner and was a little skeptical. Though they share a bathroom with said hookah bar, they are not actually the hookah bar :) they are a delicious cute little restaurant on the side. Our eyes were definitely bigger than our stomachs because the plates are a good size relative to the price and compared to what you get at Persian restaurants in California. We ordered the koobideh and the chicken kabob plates along with the pita bread. I don't think it was the usual long grain rice used in Persian food, but the food was all still super delicious. Our server was very kind and even let us charge our phone behind the counter while we ate. Definitely recommend when you're cracin Persian food in Honolulu! read more

Bar Koko & Persian Restaurant - Beef Kebob, Chicken Kebob, side Garden Salad - Bars Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Moving to Maui was an excellent decision...but sadly it meant giving up access to good Persian food. Bar Koko is worth the short flight to Oahu to indulge in so many Persian specialties. Attentive staff and excellent food! read more

We were visiting Hawaii from Los Angeles and found this exceptional Persian restaurant with super high-quality food. The customer service was excellence. My children and the family devoured every dish. I highly recommend this restaurant.. We tried a variety of dishes, and everything was great! read more

I happened to be in the area and was excited to see a Persian/Iranian restaurant. We were greeted by the server/cashier "Miah." Inside was quaint and intimate with a few table seating. I didn't have the luxury to dine in. So we ordered takeout. Miah was quite patient with us as I had a lot of questions about their menu items and drinks. Miah informed me he was fairly a new hire (he was hired 2 wks ago), but he answered my questions honestly and to the best of his knowledge. My companion and I decided to order the following: 1. Vegan Eggplant Stew - Thick, flavorful red stew with eggplant! My only suggestion is to add (more) beans or lentils (not sure if there was any in the actual stew) to make this more hearty and filling. 2. Beef and Lamb Shawarma - My companion enjoyed this! 3. Saffron Rice Pudding (Shole Zard) - Sweet and refreshing. Sorta like tapioca pudding, but lighter and with spices. We really enjoyed this! 4. Doogh - A Persian yogurt drink. I told Miah I wanted to try a Persian drink, and he recommended this. Miah informed us this seemed to be popular drink with the dine in customers. Tasted similar to the dressing used for their salads, but instead was a drink. This is not sweet, but more minty/herbal. This wasn't bad, but not my favorite. More likely an ethnic item that needs an acquired taste to really enjoy it. Miah also informed us this restaurant also served food at the hookah lounge right next door. How awesome is that?! Our takeout order was prepared in a decent amount of time. And there is parking available next to the restaurant, but it's self paid parking. You also have the option of parking on the side of the road, but you may have to walk a little to get there. So from my takeout perspective, 5 stars! I look forward to visiting this restaurant again as a dine in customer and trying other items on their menu :) read more

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As a Persian-born guy with a mom that could cook every ethnic dish masterfully, you could bet your bottom dollar that I would be the biggest critic of Persian food!! Bar Koko restaurant completely surprised me with their absolutely delicious menu options. Their appetizers, beef and chicken kabobs are so authentic and out of this world. I was so pleasantly surprised to find such an amazing Persian restaurant in Honolulu, of all places! Having left California for Maui, thought I'd have to kiss Persian food goodbye forever...now, I'll be taking the puddle-jumper to Honolulu just for this restaurant. Keep it up Koko and see you soon! On a 1 to 5 star-scale, I'll give Koko a 10... read more

Food has small portions to price. We ordered lots of extra so we would be full. Family owned l love that. Been there many times as I love Persian food and this is the only one I know in Hawaii. So I try to support there local business. I hope the kabob isn't frozen?!? Usually great once seems frozen. I know many people from LA didn't care for the food. It's because there is so many amazing Persian food there. It's hard to find and get some ingredients in Hawaii! I know some Persian people here small community this is it or Greek( not the same) or nothing. Please support them and open more Persian restaurants !!! Hawaii is ready. Take for example Istanbul I love how the sister will add saffron and zereshk when I bring it. read more

Always excellent and fresh cuisine. Never a bad meal in the 5+ years ordering from here. I usually to go and always prepared as if it were fresh out of the kitchen. Can't miss gem with so few Mediterranean restaurants in town. Highly recommended. read more

Eh. The food was fresh and somewhat well-seasoned (good flavors but not enough oomph. No saffron flavor in the rice at all) and the portions were large. Our server though... she really didn't seem to care. I'm assuming she's the owners' kid, based on her attitude, but I could be wrong. She brought us dips with no plates or serving utensils. When we asked for to go boxes she just went on cleaning empty tables (nobody was waiting for a table) and then completely forgot. After we'd finished and sat for quite a while, she finally shouted across the bar to us that we could check out at the register when we were ready. When I repeated the request for boxes, she eventually brought them. She never asked if we wanted dessert, but I guess we can assume that's because we didn't all finish our entrees. All in all, underwhelming. And the bathroom experience was, well, interesting. read more

I wrote a review about 3 months ago and bummed I can't find it. It was the first review I've ever written. And my first time to this restaurant. Today is my second time and I have to say it does not disappoint. The food is phenomenal. The beef and chicken kabobs I had last time the meat melted in my mouth. They have the best beaf stew that I've ever had bar none. Unreal the flavors. I almost ordered a second one it is that good. If you're in the area do yourself a favor and stop by and check them out. Great prices, friendly staff and unbelievable food. Unreal the flavors. Your mouth and stomach will thank you I promise. read more

I discovered this restaurant through Groupon only to realize my wife and I had driven by it in the past and discussed it. There is a parking lot wrapped around the restaurant for a $4 fee not associated with the restaurant. I asked if they validate parking and they don't. There were plenty of parking spaces available. We entered the restaurant and realized how tiny it is with only five tables making a reservation essential to being seated. There is bar seating but the place is so tiny that you would be sitting in the aisle. Our table was situated by the bathroom and people had to brush up against my wife to access it. It was a little ridiculous. The tables are homemade with wood pieces, and the chairs are not dining chairs. I put my back in the chair and leaned into the table behind me. I ordered the Doogh ($4) drink which seemed like something unique to experience as I had never heard of it. Once was enough. Been there done that. I'm not sure why anyone would drink this as it tasted more like a dill cucumber dressing I've had in the past. I tried to drink it alone, I tried to drink it with my meal....I don't know how to make it taste worthwhile to order again. I tried to appreciate it but nothing made it better. My wife had a sip and was like, no. The menu comes with pictures which is nice to visualize quickly what might interest a person. My wife and I were really excited about eating here and I think our appetite grew with the anticipation. We ordered the Hummus ($7) appetizer that comes with pita bread. It turned out be tasty although not enough bread to support the amount of hummus. We ended up ordering Naan Bread ($3) to eat with the remaining hummus and weren't impressed with the bread. It didn't give us the fresh, homemade feeling we've experience with eating naan bread in other restaurants. I ordered Beef Kabob ($16) that came with two strips of grilled seasoned ground beef served with basmati rice, garden salad, and a grilled tomato. Again, I was expecting that first taste to wow me and it didn't. It was missing flavor and my wife indicated the same with her meal of the Beef Stew ($14). The Beef Stew had so little beef that my wife counted the pieces of beef in the bowl- 4. Four bite sized pieces of beef in a bowl of beef stew. She was very unimpressed. As mentioned earlier with the excitement of eating here, my wife was interested in eating the Saffron Rice Pudding. However, given the meal thus far she was ready to go and didn't even want to be disappointed with trying the rice pudding. I doubt we would return after the experience. The food was edible but no wow factor. The restaurant is super tiny to almost uncomfortable, and neighbor parking is not free. read more

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This establishment offers good food at what I would say are good prices. I appreciated the atmosphere of this place too. This was a good introduction to Persian food. I was particularly pleased by their offering the unique doogh drink. read more