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Cho Dang Restaurant

3.1 (935 reviews)
ModerateKorean
Open 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

Cho Dang Restaurant Photos

Business Info

CHO DANG RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Good for kids
Happy hour specials

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Recommended Reviews - Cho Dang Restaurant

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Kalbi
Kase O.

The kalbi was really good, it had a lot of flavor. The sides were good too, I like the bean sprouts. There was no one really in there so the food came really fast. Classic hole in the wall Korean restaurant.

Belinda A.

This used to be one my usual spots prekid. Now it has been a while since I have been here. We finally got a half day without my child. I ordered my usual soondubu with seafood pancake. I love that the soondubu comes out boiling hot and the pancake is so good. Hope that I'll come back again soon

William C.

Always a stop on any trip to Oahu. Packed with authentic flavors of Korea. Meat dishes are very tender. Spicy Pork is more sweet than spicy so don't shy away from one of my favorite dishes. Mom and Pop locally-owned and operated restaurant is a popular stop for locals. Avoid the crowd by going for lunch or off peak dinner.

Heidi K.

I forgot to say mild for the tofu soup. Luckily it was just right. Amazing kalbi. Loved the seafood pancake.

Dalk galbi
Eunice K.

4.5 Stars For the price, the food is excellent. We have ordered the kimchi jjigae, bibimbap, and dalk galbi. They have all been very good! For the price the amount of food you get is ridiculous- very generous. People mention the service, but I chalk that up to a language barrier: additionally whenever I have gone in they smile and everything goes smoothly. The restaurant is small, but there is a lot of parking. A quiet, nice area. Honestly, decent food has been difficult to find around Honolulu- Cho dang is a great place for the comfort food I crave.

Steph C.

Great place for a date night or to just get out of the kitchen tonight. This restaurant is located near Ala Moana and packs a lot of flavor, quantity and quality for the price. Don't miss the Kalbi and Meat Jun which are my favorite dishes here. The service is friendly and food comes out hot and fresh.

Meat Chun and Soondubu (tofu soup)
Marissa K.

Went here other day since I had a Tofu soondubu craving. The soondubu set comes with banchan and rice. Just enough to fill you up. Yummy and healthy!

Meat jun $9!
Sherene H.

Consistently still delicious. They still have all day specials such as a meat Jun plate for $12! My favorite thing to get is the fried mandoo! I love their dipping sauce and you can tell it's a huge homemade mandoo. I can't come here without ordering it. There's 7 huge pieces. My bf loves the kalbi and they give 3 big pieces. This location beats the new one any day. Service is somewhat slow since there's one server but she works so hard. The place is a hole in the wall but it doesn't matter since it's so tasty.

Tatianna C.

Great food and great value! We usually order takeout and the service is friendly and quick. We ordered the fried Mandoo, meat jun, and mushroom soondubu. Gotta try the mushroom soondubu it's the best.

Kalbi
Craig T.

Update on Cho Dang today went for lunch . I was feeling some kind of soup since I'm feeling under the weather . This weather being always raining stop raining and windy . So I decided to get their Mandoo and noodles and my wife had their Kalbi . My Mandoo soup was good 3 pieces of Mandoo lots of thin noodles and some vegetables and eggs. The Kalbi plate was soft and marinated very well. I forgot to take pictures of the bachan lol . Came with Kim Chee, daikon Kim Chee, bean sprout, ocean salad , pancake w/chives . Be back for sure , support local

Table and chair set up.
Jackie K.

My Dad wanted to eat Korean food today. He remembered where I have taken him several times to eat and asked me to go there today. Cho Dang restaurant is my go to place for a Korean lunch with my Dad. The parking lot has accessible parking and a walk up type ramp for my dad to use. The doors are a bit heavy, but I will hold it open for him to enter. Seating is simple and the aisles are wide enough for my dad to have easy access to the chair. Today, he used a cane. Usually there is only one person who will be there to take your order. Service is attentive and the food comes out quite fast. Tables were clean and our order was taken within minutes. My Dad loves the spicy pork and all the ban chan varieties that they serve here. Prices for the specials are reasonable here.

Irene M.

Still the best deal in town! Say all that you want there's no one that have their prices and I searched...as I was deciding on dinner and it's been a bit chilly lately and it's supposed to storm tomorrow why not some comfort soup and for me it's Yukkyejang which is hot (spicy) shredded beef soup with long rice, veggies, and egg it's the ultimate soup for me. It's been awhile that I decided to give the Kaka'ako location a visit...too long apparently only to see that they've closed so it's just the Ala Moana location so here I am Service here is basic no not the friendliest but for $11.50 ($10.99 +tax) it's certainly the right price for me while I've seen fast food charge five to seven dollars more. Gosh what a warm and comforting soup as it wasn't too spicy and had a calming and gentle flavor it was exactly what I needed and since I didn't need any rice she gave me a little extra banchan which was a nice touch and at these prices thank you Cho Dang for giving me that and more. Thank you

Entrance
Gabriel P.

Our first time to this restaurant. Thay are two entrances, a little confusing at first. You end up in the same restaurant , but in different dining areas. We ordered the Zucchini Jun and large Tofu Soup with seafood to share. The banchan was excellent. This is the first time I had the potato severed warm. I think that it enhanced the flavor. The tofu soup was another great choice, It was mildly spiced. The little shrimp or prawns was shell on. I didn't like it because they were tiny and hard to peel. Soup was flavorful and had a good spice level. The service was excellent. Enjoy

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3 years ago

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

The meatjun was burnt and chewy. Luckily I like burnt food but only if it's still crispy.

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1 year ago

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5 years ago

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2 years ago

The mandoo and kimchee soup is particularly really good. Ambiance isnt great. But i come here for the great soup.

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4 years ago

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4 years ago

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5 years ago

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4 years ago

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2 years ago

Always good and comforting for these chilly nights especially when I am feeling a little sick.

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5 years ago

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2 years ago

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4 years ago

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

If you're hungry for some tofu soup, this is the place for good Soondubu. This is my go-to for Soondubu and Meat Jun. Two thumbs up.

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3 years ago

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7 years ago

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9 years ago

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Cho Dang Restaurant Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Cho Dang Restaurant

Do they cook with MSG?

Korean food recipes generally do not call for MSG, but, like other Asian countries, it’s really up to the cook. It would be safe to assume that there is if you are sensitive. It may not be in the food directly, but could be in some of the sauces… 

Can I eat any menue in the morning?

Yes! Even there "Special" section with 15 selections are "all day".

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Korea Garden

Korea Garden

4.6
(358 reviews)
0.6 mi

As always this place delivers not only great food, but the service is great with a combination of…read morefriendly aunties and young servers greeting each customer and making sure that your dining in experience is excellent. So many of the Korean restaurants in Honolulu have servers who are actually mean to the customers and we now refuse to give them our dining dollars. The more modern Korean restaurants are providing much better customer experiences so that a customer becomes a life-long customer who spreads the word to family and friends and who keeps coming back for life. Does anyone remember the "Angry Korean Auntie" who used to run her restaurant like Seinfeld's "Soup Nazi'? That is the kind of service that we try to avoid now regardless of food quality. The atmosphere here is elegant and welcoming and the food is excellent and the ban chans served here are better than any other Korean restaurant in Honolulu. We enjoy coming here and never smell like BBQ when we leave, LOL, due to efficient fans and AC's. Their marinated Kalbi is some of the best I have every had, way better than any LA Kalbi and we recommend it. All the soups are good and generous.

Service was AMAZING as usual!! No one takes care of you the way the Korean aunties here do We came…read morefor my boyfriend's birthday and had a great time! The restaurant was clean, bright, and not too noisy. My new favorite Korean restaurant on Oahu!!! They even have uncles in the lot to help you park

Photos
Nicely decorated
Nicely decorated
Hot stone pot bibimbap
Hot stone pot bibimbap
Cold noodles in beef broth

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Cold noodles in beef broth
Kyung's Seafood

Kyung's Seafood

4.4
(1.1k reviews)
0.5 mi
$$

I honestly hadn't been back to this place in a long time because of the lingering fish smell it…read moreused to have. However, since I was in the area, my partner and I decided to give it another shot...and now I'm hooked In fact, I went three times last month. Not only is the food amazing, but the service is on another level. Everyone is incredibly friendly and welcoming. I highly recommend calling ahead for reservations. My go-to order is always the poke and kalbi, and the third dish depends on whatever my partner is craving that day. Parking can be a little challenging, but I promise it's worth it. Everything we've tried has been absolutely delicious. If I could, I'd eat here once a week! It's currently my partner's and my favorite spot. 10/10, highly recommend!

We are extremely disappointed with our recent experience…read more We've been loyal customers and typically eat here twice a week whenever we're on assignment on the island in the last five years. We have also left two previous positive reviews because we've genuinely enjoyed the food and wanted to support this small business. Earlier this week, we ordered the bulgogi for our kids, but the meat was too chewy and tough making it inedible. Wanting to give the restaurant the benefit of the doubt, we ordered the bulgogi again the following day and even requested it be cooked well done. Unfortunately, it had the same too chewy and tough texture, and again, could not be eaten. After feeding the kids something else, bathing them, and putting them to bed, I called the restaurant around 10:00 p.m., but they had already closed. I called the next day, and the owner (a lady with glasses) returned my call. Instead of listening to my concerns, she repeatedly interrupted me and spoke in a passive-aggressive, dismissive manner. I was on speakerphone with four other adults in the car, and everyone commented on how unhelpful and condescending the conversation felt. I explained that I wasn't calling simply to complain - I wanted to share feedback because we genuinely care about the restaurant and have supported it for a long time. I even mentioned that I had previously provided constructive feedback about the takeout bowls, which the restaurant later improved. Before I could finish, she cut me off and said, "We're not talking about the to-go bowls right now, are we? We're talking about your bulgogi." She insisted that if I wanted a refund, I needed to return to the restaurant in person, and that if something was wrong in the future, I should come back immediately so they could remake it. Unfortunately, that's simply not realistic for us. We're staying in a hotel with two young children, and the restaurant is about 40 minutes away. By the time we discovered the problem, got the kids settled, and called, making another round trip would have meant roughly 80 minutes of additional driving with tired, hungry children. I understand that mistakes happen, and I wasn't expecting perfection. What disappointed me most was how the concern was handled. This business does not value customer feedback and will never first listen respectfully, even from repeat customers who have consistently supported and recommended them. Sadly, based on this experience with both the food quality and the customer service, we won't be returning.

Photos
Interior.
Interior.
1LB Mama special fresh ahi (my go to) *6/1/24
1LB Mama special fresh ahi (my go to) *6/1/24
1LB each (spicy ahi and fresh ahi mama special) ohh-wee so yummy *6/1/24

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1LB each (spicy ahi and fresh ahi mama special) ohh-wee so yummy *6/1/24
Choi's Garden

Choi's Garden

3.7
(632 reviews)
0.3 mi
$$

We stopped by Choi's Garden around 11:20 a.m., shortly after they opened at 11. There were already…read moretwo tables seated when we arrived. One thing we noticed right away was that it was pretty warm inside. I'm not sure if the A/C wasn't on yet or if it was having issues, but it's something to keep in mind if you're visiting during the day. We waited about 5 minutes at the front without seeing any staff or receiving a greeting. Eventually, a server rushed in through the door and was clearly scrambling to get everything set up. After another 5 minutes, she finally seated us. She apologized and explained that the person who was supposed to open didn't show up, so she had to cover everything herself. Throughout our visit, several parties who arrived after us also ended up waiting 10 minutes or more to be seated. That was really the only downside of our experience. The server was doing her best under the circumstances, and it seemed like an unfortunate staffing issue rather than the norm. Now for the food--it was excellent! We originally came for the $5.99 naengmyeon special, and it was absolutely worth it. We also shared the spicy pork and the meat jun, and both dishes were surprisingly delicious. Everything was flavorful, and the portions were satisfying. Overall, I'd definitely come back. Despite the rough start, the food made up for it, and I'm hopeful the staffing situation was just a one-off. Hopefully they'll also get the A/C situation sorted out because that would make the dining experience even better.

Friend suggested here as a centrally located place for several of us to get together…read more Service - male server was accommodating Female, not so much. Had to call and up the count on our reservation twice, female did that well. They put us in the far back corner and it was warm. Female did come and turn the fan on after a little while, explaining the AC was broken. Fan did help, but I was near the fan. I don't think it reached the folks farther in (there were 8 of us). Three of us ordered the stone pot bibimbap with bulgogi. One wanted to sub BBQ chicken, was told, "no." She had to change her order since she doesn't eat beef. Friend later told me she had been accommodated before, but these seemed to be new owners.) Two ordered BBQ Chicken plates, one the stir fried squid, one kimchee fried rice, one meat jun, a fish jun. Ban Chan came - two sets (one per table of four) of bean sprouts, fish cake, Choi sum, potatoes, kimchee. They were good. Cold water was served, and after a while we were given a pitcher so we could refill our cups, which was good. Food didn't take overly long to come out but wasn't really quick. (There were only two servers and the restaurant filled up quickly.) Stone pot bibimbap flavor was a disappointment. Only gochujung sauce to add, no sesame seed oil, so it was bland. Both of us who got it didn't think it was very tasty. Otherwise, it was nice and hot, and there was plenty of crispy rice after mixing it all up, and it included a raw egg which added some flavor, but not much. I will not get it again. Those with the BBQ chicken said it was tasty and juicy. Meat jun and fish jun was ok. Kimchee fried rice and stir fried squid were very spicy. Flavor was ok. Had to ask for our checks, were told they had only two staff working so they were very busy, but they kindly accommodated four separate checks for the eight of us. Not sure if I'll return. Prices are reasonable for the portion size, but no AC, bland stone pot bibimbap, we're not to my liking.

Photos
Cute decor
Cute decor
Stir fried squid
Stir fried squid
Banchan

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Banchan
‘I'O Waikiki Korean BBQ Restaurant

‘I'O Waikiki Korean BBQ Restaurant

3.9
(182 reviews)
1.5 mi
$$$

I tried their $29 lunch special and it was sooo worth it. The quality of the meat was honestly…read moreimpressive for the price. The brisket and beef belly (toro) were my favorites, super flavorful and cooked perfectly. It doesn't come with salad, egg, or soup, but you still get a solid KBBQ experience with just meat and banchan. If you're looking for something simple and satisfying, this is a great deal. Also, the restaurant is really spacious, which makes the whole experience feel more relaxed and comfortable. Would definitely come back for a quick KBBQ fix.

Sorry, but this place feels like a tourist trap. They're clearly benefiting from being in a prime…read morelocation with very few Korean BBQ options nearby. The premium AYCE option is around $60 per person, which would be reasonable if the quality matched the price. Unfortunately, it doesn't. We're from the Bay Area and have been to countless Korean BBQ restaurants with significantly better meat quality for the same price or less. To make matters worse, even at the highest-priced AYCE tier, fountain drinks aren't included. What really left a bad impression was the automatic 20% gratuity. Our group consisted of two separate parties of three people each. We were seated together at one large table with two grills, but we had separate bills, ordered different AYCE meats option, didn't share food, and made that CLEAR before ordering. The menu states that automatic gratuity applies to parties of five or more, yet we were still charged because we happened to sit together. Had we known this was their policy, we would have chosen another restaurant or sat at different areas of the restaurant. The reason I'm giving two stars instead of one is because our servers were friendly, patient, and knowledgeable. They answered all of our questions about the menu and provided excellent service throughout the meal. Unfortunately, when we brought the gratuity issue to the manager, he insisted we were one large party despite us being separate parties with separate orders and separate checks. At the end of the day, the only difference was that we happened to be sitting at the same table. Overall, the service from the staff was great, but the overpriced food, disappointing meat quality, and questionable gratuity policy make it hard for me to recommend this place.

Photos
‘I'O Waikiki Korean BBQ Restaurant
Very marbled beef (I can't remember the name)
Very marbled beef (I can't remember the name)
Pork belly and Kalbi

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Pork belly and Kalbi

Cho Dang Restaurant - korean - Updated July 2026

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