Well this place is a gem I tell you. My favorite Korean place in Kailua is Willow's BUT this place was great too. I got a mixed plate with chicken katsu, mandoo, shrimp tempura, kalbi and mahi jun. First of all, their mahi jun is FIRE!!! So good I will be visiting them on the regular just for that. Second of all, their shrimp tempura was soooooo crispy and well cooked. The shrimp wasn't overcooked but the batter was light and crisp. The chicken katsu was honestly amazing. Very crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. I didn't like the kalbi tho. It was thick cut (I'm told that's traditional for real kalbi) so it was a bit tough in my opinion. The mandoo wasn't the best and the vegetable side were ok but the mahi jun, shrimp tempura and chicken katsu was so amazing that it really made up for it. It looks like the owners are the ones manning the grill and cash register. Mrs. Restaurant Owner (idk her name) was so pleasant and helpful. Mr. Restaurant Owner was a wiz on the grill and had all of our food out super quick and everything was HOT. One thing about this place is that it's a bit pricey but if you get the right items it is sooooo worth it! read more

Kim Chee Restaurant - Korean Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

This is located in Kailua near enchanted lake and shares the same shopping center as Safeway. I believe it is newish? The ladies that work here are very friendly and pleasant! I appreciated that. Service was excellent. The food was okay. It was pretty pricey considering the unlimited banchan... usually Korean bbq/sit in the banchan is free, but this restaurant there are many choices and they are all good! They had red potatoes, Mac salad, kimchi (cabbage), cucumber kimchi, seaweed soup, bean sprouts, pineapples, fish cake, Korean pancake, dikon, chapchae (Korean long rice), and others that I can't seem to remember. I had the combo plate with mahi mahi Jun and shrimp tempura. The shrimp tempura was a regular curved shrimp battered, not exactly what I was expecting. It was too much batter for my liking. The presentation was very nice. Food: 2.5/5 Service: 5/5 read more

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This is a great Korean restaurant that is very nice inside. Everything looks newly-renovated and you can watch the Chef on his cooking show while you eat. This is an all you can eat or order off the menu place. They have an amazing vegetable bar or you can get as many veggies as you want. The dishes are exquisitely prepared. The butterfish is so soft and tender it melts in your mouth. The caldy is your traditional Korean kalbi but they use extremely large chunks of meat where you can suck it off the bone. read more

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Good: Chicken Katsu, Shoyu Butterfish, Kalbi Bad: Spicy noodles, Prices, We weren't that hungry and we only ordered 2 dishes for our family of 4 (2 young kids) and the owner refused to allow us to go to the salad bar as part of our lunch special because she said we were going to share. Our intention wasn't to grab much from the salad bar since we weren't that hungry to begin with. Even Worse: Our entire family got food poisoning and suffered the next 48 hours after eating here ruining our time in Kailua read more

I have been coming here since early 1990s. Food has always been very good tasting. Kimchee cabbage is my favorite among most Korean restaurants. However, over the past 10 years I have been coming here less and less because I have seen the prices skyrocket at the same time the proportions of servings significantly diminish. So to cut costs and still enjoy the food, my wife and stopped in to try the luncheon ayce vegetable buffet. With the choice of 2 entrees the meal costs 20.99 pp. I ordered the famous chicken katsu and meat juhn while my wife ordered the fish juhn and sweet potato. The servings were incredibly small and the fish juhn serving consisted of 2 cardboard thin pieces each about 2×3 " in size. To top it off, the salad bar consisted of only corn, beansprouts, cucumber kimchee, daikon, and some noodles and mac salad. That was it (besides white rice...the fried rice was empty at the time we arrived and was never re-filled). There was no seafood pancakes, toss salad, fruit and or other yummy items referred to in other reviews and have been included in my past visits. They didn't even have my most favorite vegetable item kimchee cabbage. For the two of us, we spent over $50 for the amount of food that was less than I could've gotten for $20 at a downtown korean fast food place which serves 3-4 the amount. I paid more for the friendly smiles than for the food. read more

Sarah took care of the accidental overcharge after last review. Have gone back several times. Great service and consistent food as usual. Order diner special again along with Spicy Stir Pork and a Shoyu Butterfish. Yum and stuffed. read more

Kim Chee Restaurant - Shoyu butterfish - 1 pc side dish (super delish) - Korean Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

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Situated along a strip center and non assuming this little place strikes a home run on Korean flavor. Order the trio sampler you cant go wrong. Service was excellent read more

As a party of 6 we got seated right away which was really nice! The staff was super friendly and upbeat, their customer service was amazing. The vegetable bar on its own would make this review a 5 Star, this is the best Kim Chee restaurant on island, better than the one in Kaneohe. The fried mandoo and meat jun was good, but I can't stress enough how amazing the vegetable bar was. Overall great service and great food ! read more

Alright, when you hear Kim Chee restaurant, normally you think of meat jun and very casual environment. This location is far different from the others that I've been to. When you enter, it looks like a nice korean restaurant. There's booths on both sides and in the middle where the fish tank is are tables that can hold larger parties when you remove the middle divider. Ok, you ready to hear the huge difference that sets this location from others? It's an AYCE ban chan and rice place. Yes, you heard me right. All you can eat! Sorry, I forgot to take a pic of the line but it consisted of the regular dishes such as, kimchee, bean sprouts, cabbage, shoyu potatoes, Mac salad. In addition, they also have curry, fried rice, somen salad and some sweets like jello and cut fruits! When you look at the menu, everything is pretty expensive. Like $20, but it's because of the AYCE sides factor. I ate so much rice and sides that I ended up not event touching my meat! I took the whole dish home. Haha. So I got 2 meals in one! Winning! The other huge difference from this location is your meats come on these huge dinner plates. The combo plates come out like some artistic meal. Just look at how it's presented on the pics. However, the plates are a little too big for the tables! It was difficult to maneuver with your side plate and these oversized plates overlapping. Definitely will be back though. To me, you get more food on your main dish at other locations. But I do like the AYCE sides and curry/rice. read more

Kim Chee Restaurant - Kalbi & tempura combo. Look how fancy the plates are presented. - Korean Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

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We love this place so much. The chicken katsu is the best - moist chicken and crispy breading. It's always a treat for us when we order takeout. We usually get the meat jun and chicken katsu. We also get the dinner for two. Most friendly owners too! They always greet us with a smile. read more

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This is my spot that I frequent when I am craving Korean food. They give amazing portions, especially for the price. Their fish and meat jun are astounding. I would also recommend getting their chicken Katsu. Their sauces and Kim-chee taste home made. Their customer service here is on-point. One of the owners is a chef. There is also a beautiful aquarium in front of the store. read more

I called in and ordered my food. I ordered the lunch special for only $14.99 which is a really good price for Korean food in hawaii. There was a wide variety of choices you get to choose from and they also have Vegan options for those who are not meat eaters. I took my first bite into the sweet potato tempura, right there and then I knew that this was probably on of the best Korean places on the island. Their pickled veggies were all so good, I had kimchee and cumcumber kimchee with bean sprouts (these came with the the lunch special). The quality of the food is good and the lady that served me was very nice. I would recommend this place to anyone who loves Korean food! read more

Kim Chee Restaurant - Korean Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

We use to frequent Kim Chee in Enchanted Lake when we used to visit family in Waimanalo... our relatives don't live in Waimanalo anymore but I still think about going to Kim Chee all the time.... it's my FAVORITE KOREAN RESTAURANT EVER!!! And here's why... #1 - Food tastes so delicious and freshly made #2 - All you can eat vegetable bar which also includes ono seaweed soup, and jello/fruits. #3 - best customer service! The owner is super nice and makes everyone feel like family! I drive all the way from town just to eat at this restaurant... So far, I've been coming here on my days off from work. My favorite dish is the chicken katsu... the chicken is so tender and flavorful, The food is a bit pricey but since every dish comes with the all-you-can-eat vegetable bar, it's totally worth it!!! read more

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Very tasty sides and meat Jun . I come every month from Wahiawa . It's worth the drive and traffic cause the food is soo tasty and delicious

At first, it seemed very costly for Bi Bim Bap to be over $20 but if you consider the "all you can eat veggies" ... it was quite reasonable. Plus the meat was very good as were the veggies. I love their Kim Chee. The service was excellent. Restrooms were very clean (men and women). The restaurant is comfortable. 4 stars because the fact remains that - even with an all you can eat veggie bar - none of the entrees are less than $20 read more

Kim Chee Restaurant - Menu and cost - Korean Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

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I've been coming to eat here with my family for probably close to 10 years. The food is always good (the AYCE banchan is the absolute best) and Aunty has not changed one bit! She greets every customer and never seems to forget a face. Kim Chee never disappoints. Parking right now is tight since they're repaving the main Safeway parking lot (finally!). Paving should be done by the end of the month. Parking is still open along the store fronts. read more

Yes!!! I love that you can pick your own sides (buffet style) and serve your own seaweed soup. The service was great and food delish! Thank you for being the best Korean food option on the windward side! read more

I'm from Los Angeles, home of some of the best Korean food out of Korea.... This place is Legit. Possibly one of the best yuke jangs I've ever had. Everything we had was bomb. I can only eat so much poke... Need my Korean fix and this place more than filled it. Top it off the lady is so friendly. read more

Kim Chee Restaurant - Korean Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

5 stars for the vegetable bar! It is all you can eat and is included with the entrees or you can eat just the veggies for $15.50. The veggie bar includes white, brown and fried rice, seafood soup, a variety of banchan including kimchee, jap jae, zucchini jun, macaroni salad, fish cake, honey potato, and more. Everything is fresh and clean. I ordered the mahi mahi jun. The presentation was cool, but the fish jun was fishy. I would not get this again. 3 Stars. I would eat here again, but just do the vegetable bar. read more

Kim Chee Restaurant - Mahi jun, was ok, a little fishy for me. I enjoyed the vegetable bar. - Korean Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

You may think, is this the very first Kim Chee restaurant? Ehh, nope I think it's separate from the other KimChee chains on the island. This place seemed like a fancier dining experience than other kimchee chain restaurants I've been to. The decors are nicer, newer, and cleaner. We were yelping for meat places in the area and this place kind of popped up. We came here an hour too early so we walked around the Enchanted Lake Shopping Center. When it was almost 11am we walked in. Waited 5 minutes until the lady notices us. Then she sat us down and said go help yourselves. Yes, we came here for the AYCE lunch special for $16.99. Buffet dining only happens once a year for me because I can't eat enough to make my money's worth. Honestly, the food options is not as much as Camellia Restaurant. There was a lot of meat (chicken, pork, and beef), but not a lot of vegetables. Veggies were only bean sprouts, cabbage, and salad. Some meat tasted good and some were just meh (like Yummy's fast food). There was meat jun and tempura sweet potatoes but it tasted soggy and old. Soup was only seaweed soup which was not bad. There was white rice, fried rice, fried noodles, and long rice. The food wasn't as hot as I thought it would be. Desserts...I was looking forward to it, but it was only strawberry jello and oranges. Drinks: they have fountain soda, but I think it's extra charge because the cashier asked us if we had soda. Would enjoy it if more options of food was available. Seems like there's not much Korean restaurant in the area. I could see why people would come here for korean food. Service was good. The servers were polite and attentive. read more

Kim Chee Restaurant - Buffet lunch - Korean Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

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Kim Chee Restaurant is my favorite Place to get Korean food. Korean food isn't my favorite, but I really enjoyed eating here. During COVID, they don't serve you dine in, but you can do take out and eat at the restaurant. The first thing I must talk about is the customer service. The lady that works there is very friendly and always makes you feel welcome. Because of her, I left satisfied and with a smile on my face. From this restaurant, I ordered the chicken tofu. It came in a broth with chicken, tofu, and lots of veggies. It was also served with rice and a side of Kim Chee. The broth came steaming hot and tasty, which was very satisfying. All the flavorful vegetables in the soup added a lot, making it feel very nutritious as well. The Kim Chee wasn't too spicy, but savory and goes really well with the rice. I would definitely recommend the chicken tofu. I also tried a bit of the Bi Bim Bap. It came with beef, egg, and many vegetables on top of rice. All the flavors and textures complimented each other well and I will probably order that next time. I would eat here again!! read more

Kim Chee Restaurant - Chicken tofu - Korean Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

Food is great. Service is great. They have an AYCE of sides that come with your meal.

We wandered into this restaurant assuming it was like all the other Kim Chee restaurants around town, but it wasn't. After spending the day doing some clean up work at a friend's house, we stopped by here for dinner before heading home. This restaurant is located in the Enchanted Lake Center on Keolu Drive next to Round Table Pizza. When I first stepped in, I was impressed by the cleanliness of the restaurant, and the large saltwater aquarium at the entrance. After reading over the menu, we ordered a small Meat Jun and a regular Kalbi, Mandoo, and Shrimp Tempura Combo. Before our plates arrived, we went up to the AYCE Vegetable Bar to get whatever sides we wanted. At the same time, we got bowls of rice and seaweed soup too. When our plates got to us I was totally surprised to see such presentation. It was not like the other Kim Chee restaurants at all. In fact, I don't even know if they're affiliated for that matter, given such presentation. So what do I think of the food? I think the Meat Jun was good and worth the price. But the combo, not so much. One Mandoo, one Kalbi Rib, and three pieces of Shrimp Tempura. I was surprised that the shrimps weren't butterflied open or anything. It was just battered and fried to create the wow factor presentation on the plate. But under all of that was a small curled up shrimp. Overall everything was pretty much A-Ok and I would go back. So go chance 'em and lemme know what ya think! read more

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Excellent! Korean is one of my all-time favorite cuisines and not only was the food great but the service was great as well! I am leaving the restaurant feeling like a member of the family and I watched as customers came in and out being given the same greeting you receive stepping into your auntie's house. We ordered the mixed plate with Kal-bi, shrimp tempora, and shredded lettuce salad topped with a piece of fried mandoo. We also ordered the salad bar which had fried rice, kimchee, seaweed, eggplant tempora, locally grown papaya, salad, and a few other choices. At the end of our meal, our server, Michelle brought us some hot tea and a complimentary cake. I really enjoyed my dining experience here and will certainly be back! I would recommend this location without reservation to anyone in search of good Korean cuisine! read more

Kim Chee Restaurant - Front of menu - Korean Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

I love korean food. I love good banchan and I love great service. Kim Chee in Enchanted Lake is great and has all three of these things I love. After calling a few restaurants to check availability on a Saturday night, and after finding out that basically all the restaurants in Kaneohe and Kailua were booked for the night, I called Kim Chee. The owner answered the phone and said if we were coming now, she'd save us a table! So sweet! She also asked for my name, which is pretty normal, right? When we got to the restaurant, and throughout our dinner, the owner continually greeted and asked how we were doing by my name. It was pretty impressive. I also noticed that she called several other customers by name and there were several large parties that looked like regulars. I ordered the small portion of Kalbi, at $23, it was a little steep, but the meat was so tender and flavorful. It is the traditional cut of kalbi with the big bone. By itself, I don't think it would be worth it. But with the unlimited banchan bar, this is possibly my new favorite restaurant. The ban chan section consists of rice, fried rice, spicy chicken, a chicken vegetable dish like nishime, bean sprouts, cucumber kim chee, kim chee, mac salad, radish salad, jello, oranges and seaweed soup. This is a great family-run small business (the restaurant will be closed for a couple days while the owner goes to the mainland to see her daughter graduate. They serve delicious food with unlimited appis and really care about their customers. The owner and other waitresses constantly ask about how you're doing and if they can get anything. I will definitely be back! read more

Kim Chee Restaurant - Small kalbi - Korean Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

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Out of towner here and I heard about Meat Jun and this was the place I decided to try it. This place did not disappoint, and I now love meat Jun! The picture doesn't give it justice on size. We got a regular size and it fed both of us fully (and we eat a good amount lol). They also have a ban chan buffet to go along with lunch The owner is a sweet lady who is happy to hear when you love her food. If I lived here, definitely would come back! read more

Kim Chee Restaurant - Regular Meat Jun - Korean Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

The best KimcHee there is. Best tsukemono, rice is always perfect, katsu always crispy, Jun always light, the sauces are on point, and of course the KimcHee is #1. I'm so happy the buffet is open again, because all of the sides they used to have absolutely hit. Portions are generous and prices are super fair, especially if you get dat lunch special. Over all the years , thank you for never once giving me a bad meal. The owners are super friendly & deserving. read more

One of the best ones on the Windward side, hands-down the best service unlimited sides, seating is great and alot of parking! The husband used to be on OC 16 electric kitchen if you know you know! read more

Food is awesome and so yummy! They don't have done in yet but you can order take out. The lady that greets you and services you is the nicest and sweetest person I have ever met! Definitely recommend this place!!! read more

The hostess/owner is Korean, she's 100% wonderful. We love it, we come by each year since the in-laws love the food and service here. I always speak Korean with the owner and it's always a hoot, apparently she doesn't get the opportunity to speak it that often here on the island. There's a salad bar with all sorts of foods, great selection, and especially tasty kimchi. The combination mixed plates are the way to go, there will usually be leftovers. LOVE this place, feels like home away from home. read more

It was our 1st visit to this location. First impressions mean a lot... the interior dining area is a nice side and appearance is a neat setup. The cleanliness helps make the atmosphere comfortable for patrons. I specifically like the service with the upbeat spirit the workers express which makes adds a positive vibe to the experience. In addition, menu is somewhat limited and the prices are ridiculously high. It's mostly Ala Carte style so better to come with at least 4+ people to maximize the shared cost and variety to order so you can determine if it's worth a return visit. The veggie side bar was very appealing especially with many items to select from. The quality of the veggies was great! I liked the zucchini Jun which had a good flavor and texture. The choy sum and other items had a fresh taste to it. They even offered soup that wasn't an extra cost since it was offered with the veggie buffet. The soup was a spicy stew which was a good balance with hot flavors with a twist of sweetness. If I attempted the soup before everything else, I could've been satisfied alone with that and some rice. It would've definitely saved me money for sure. Lessened learned for the next time. As for the order of "plate for 2"... it looked like a great idea based on the variety that it included, but the price was $48 (ish)... when it was delivered it seemed like a little food with the portioned serving, but we couldn't even finish it. We had to take home what was like half that we had remained. First I was satisfied that when I asked for well done meat that's what I received...and maybe that's not a big deal to many but with so many bad experiences in the past, no place ever cooks my order properly. Seriously Impressive! The chicken wasn't anything grear- it could've used more flavor. The chicken katsu- texture was on point and the meat jun- WINNER along with the dip sauce is by far my favorite! I was disappointed with the shrimp tempura (OVERRATED)! Why is there so much batter where at least 5 pieces of shrimp could've been used to make up for all that excess outer batter. They need to use bigger pieces of shrimp or much less batter dip to resolve this issue. The taste of the fried batter was fine, but no one wants to be misled and later disappointed when biting into no shrimp. I would probably return again despite the high prices. Everything is so expensive. Most items $18+ besides side rice and the soda is less than $4. I'm use to visiting the other Kim chee locations in town area but this one had its similarities and differences. King Street then kaimuki is my preferences but this location pretty good too! read more

Kim Chee Restaurant - Looks little, but it's A LOT! - Korean Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

I was here this time last year, and loved it again this time too :) This is my niece's favorite Korean restaurant and being that she is leaving to Texas on Thursday, she wanted one last meal here. Myles and I shared the Kalbi/BBQ Chicken plate. The plate also comes with an all-you-can-eat sides which are: fried rice, white rice, The Awesomest Kim Chee, chicken long rice, shoyu tofu, shoyu potatoes, deep fried eggplant, mac salad, lettuce, corn, pineapple and strawberry jello. Of course there are more, but those were the items on my plate. I was full just from the sides!! The plate came fully decorated with dots and dashes... of course, I am not a fan of dots and dashes, but it was beautiful! It was decorated better than Mariposa's fine dining plates! Plus since my niece was leaving, the chef and staff made a carrot cake for her and looked like something from a Pastry magazine. It was too nice to eat!! Excellent Kalbi, excellent sides... my niece has very good taste in restaurants as well as a staff that treated her like ohana. read more

Kim Chee Restaurant - Kook Soo for my dad-in-law. It's still steaming in the picture. It was steaming so much he had to take his glasses off! - Korean Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

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Kim Chee at Enchanted Lake is by far the best Korean food I've ever had! Who knew such a place existed all the way out in Kailua! From the outside it looks like just a typical store nothing fancy but when you enter the first thing you see is an amazing fish tank filled with bright colorful fish, coral, and eels. After being seated you can see the chef's accomplishments (being various tv channels) and his signature dishes on posters around the restaurant. The food was fantastic and the presentation of each dish was amazing! I ordered and shared the dinner combo for two and it was HUGE! It was on one of the biggest plates I've ever seen and the presentation took me by surprise. There was a free standing tempura/onion ring, sculpture with curled taro chips! The dinner combo had meat jun, chicken katsu, barbecue chicken, and kalbi (each big enough for a small meal alone). And I can guarantee you'll be full after a meal like this! Another great thing was that there's a side buffet with each dinner entree! The buffet has rice and a variety of Korean vegetables as well as jello! Personally I thought the service was top notch! The owner was the main greeter, cashier, and even helped serve the food! She was so friendly! She made sure everything was to our liking and would ask if we needed any more food, or water. One of the nicest Korean ladies I've ever met. With excellent food presentation and service, I think Kim Chee at Enchanted Lake just became my new favorite Korean restaurant! read more

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Pros: Pride of ownership, Customer appreciation, Ono food, Quiet/Cool/Clean ambiance, Cheerful & attentive service, Exquisite presentation of food, Clean & spacious bathroom, Kid friendly Cons: Hidden between other popular restaurants with dark windows so could be missed It's Monday night and I am so full from eating there that I just want to go sleep. But I had to yelp Enchanted Lakes Kim Chee Restaurant. It could not wait. My family and I went there to celebrate my daughter's 9th birthday. She chose to eat there because she absolutely LOVES the lady owner and the meat jun. If ever you need a pick me up, to smile, or feel appreciated then go eat there. Trust me. We have taken out dinner from here many times before and dined in on 3 occasions. This was the first time that we went for a birthday celebration and I was so impressed with how they made my daughter feel. Her ear to ear smile said it all. She got her own fancy dessert topped with a shrimp tempura. Tasty and creative. Sang happy birthday aloud, gave her a huge hug, AND gave her a gift (wallet) with her choice of bracelets. That's how you earn your 5th star! You could just feel the love. Their Kalbi is a must try. The meat is tender with the right amount of marble and flavored to perfection. Their meat jun requires no sauce. Serious, it's that good. If you do need sauce then you are in luck. Their sauce is unique and compliments the meat jun well. Dine in and get all you can eat fresh vegetable bar with added papayas, curry, 4 different rices, and soup (see video). I almost forgot, dinner is BYOB! Dining in for dinner is the best bang for your buck. Ranging $20 per head, approximately. The seating is all booths with soft cushions. They also have 4 tvs and a huge fish tank. Great for kids as the owner loves kids. So quiet and comfortable and clean. The staff are always smiling, dressed in uniform, and the kitchen is clean too. The chef takes pride in his cooking and you can taste it. E. Lakes Kim Chee...daughter approved! :-) read more

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They have a lunch/dinner menu but at lunch time, it's usually better just to get their buffet. It has just about all of my favorites: fried rice, BBQ and katsu chicken, meat jun, spicy chicken stew (prepared for the buffet only), and potato or vegetable tempura. Both their cucumber and cabbage kim chees are very good, as is the mac salad. The $13.99 price is only a couple of dollars more than a regular plate. At dinner time there is no buffet but the entire buffet line is used for side dishes of all sorts. The presentation of the entree is masterful, as well. Although I love the buffet's variety, I would not hesitate to pick my favorite entree and eat just that and the side bar for dinner. Service is always prompt and very friendly, especially from Sarah, the co-owner. read more

Located in the Enchanted Lake Center in the Keolu Drive section of Kailua. I would describe this as a unique casual neighborhood Korean Restaurant. Unique in that it tries to be creative in concept and the dishes. Location: Just google it if you are not familiar with the Enchanted Lake/Keolu Drive neighborhood. Lunch: The lunch speciality is the AYCE food bar. Mostly banchan (kimchee, cabbage, seaweed etc) type items but includes soup, fried rice, noodles, katsu and meat jun. You can order off the menu but at lunch the food bar seems to dominate. Dinner: We only ate lunch here but dinner is notable because you order off the menu and the food bar is included in your dinner. Look at the pictures and the menu as some of the items look very nice and have a great presentation. Food Bar Experience: My wife filled her plate twice and had soup and thought it was 3 stars overall. She is willing to come back especially so she can try dinner. I'd give it 3.5 stars because I found enough meat free items to have a good lunch. Desserts: Real Korean restaurants don't do desserts. Just ask our favorite AKL to see her dessert menu...you'll find out. LOL! This place has desserts and they look pretty fancy too. One more reason to return.! So do I round up or down?? Most 3 star places I don't really feel like going back to. Since we both want to return for dinner I'm going to round up to 4 stars. But really the lunch food bar alone was more like 3.5 IMHO. read more

Kim Chee Restaurant - Plate load from the banchan AYCE food bar. Not bad at all! - Korean Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

I'm surprised this place only has a few ratings. As for good food, this place has got it. I went there with the girlfriend cause she was raving about how great the place was. I was a little doubtful because the name sounded a little corny to me, but after trying this place I'm a believer. When we got there a woman with a big smile greeted us and showed us to our table. I later found out through chatting that her and her husband own the place which is nice. I like going to good family owned restaurants. The place is mostly Korean food I think, but they have other dishes. We ordered the Butterfish, Kalbi, Mixed Dinner plate, and Carrot cake for desert. All of which were phenomenal. Kalbi: The best kalbi I have ever tasted. I'm not Korean, but my girl who is said it's the best kalbi she's had in Hawaii. The meat was so tender and cooked perfectly with just the right amount of sweetness. Every time I bit into a piece I let it sit for a second or two to let the delicious flavor get all up in my taste buds. Butterfish: Soft, buttery, and delicious. That thing was gone within minutes of hitting our table. Mixed plate. The mixed plate is similar to Peppa's, Yummy's, or Gina's BBQ, but so much better in taste. The chicken Katsu was the highlight of the mixed plate. I was a little sick of chicken katsu after eating it at some other places for a while, but their Katsu, which like everything else, was cooked perfectly. The panko breading was flaky and not over fried. Just the right amount of breading. The chicken was tender and juicy. It was how chicken katsu was meant to be cooked. Carrot Cake: The carrot cake was small, but delicious. If you have room for desert I highly recommend. There are several little billboards around the dining room with pictures of dishes and a chef looking fancy whipping up something on them. I later found out the chef is the owner and got to speak with him later since we were the last table of the night and they stopped by to chat with us. The husband and wife team that run the restaurant are so friendly and hospitable. After talking to the husband I can really tell he loved what he did and was very passionate about cooking and it showed in the food and presentation. That's another great thing about this place. The presentation of the food is like Alan Wong's or Roy's without the hefty price tag, but with the great food. All in all it was a great meal and I highly recommend this place. read more

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Huge portions, delicious Kim chee, perfect BBQ, was thrilled with this discovery! Pricey but actually worth it!

Salad bar makes this location the best of Kim Chee restaurants. Take one look at salad bar and thoughts of yummy moments instantly appear. Salad bar included with dinner entrée order. Can request brown rice. Friendly mamasan makes it especially pleasant experience read more

I don't understand how I have not written a review for Kim Chee. My family has literally been going here/ enjoying take out for the past 10+ years. The food had not changed at all! This is the real deal. Bi bim bap, meat jun, FRIED MANDOO (my personal favorite) are all good. Do not miss the chance to come here. read more