Went to buy lunch at Pearls today. Cashier did not know what he was doing. Handed money over and change was literally dropped it into my hands and over the tip jar so it would fall in. When asked to choose my sides, I asked for corn and bean sprouts. I was asked three times and server didn't still understand. One corn and one bean sprout. Server said two bean sprout. I said one bean sprout and one corn and he said ok. I walked away and waited. Picked up my food and got home. To my surprise, two bean sprout. Not going back there again! Sorry but NO . Had to add the star for me to post. read more

Ordered 2 plates. The amount of sauce in one plate was ridiculous, so we moved the food over to the cover side as well as to the other plate. After we did this was when we noticed this HUGE roach looking creature. Whatever it is, it was disgusting to see in our plate lunch that was mixed in with our food. It definitely made us lose our appetite. We covered it with that napkin you see in the photo and threw it all away. Would give negative stars if it was possible. NOT ACCEPTABLE. Gross. read more

Pearl's Korean BBQ - HUGE ROACH looking creature. - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Line was hella long but I think it's worth it. Located on the Longs/CVS side of Kahala mall near the food cluster is Pearls, similar to Yummies. Korean BBQ is so nostalgic, especially in Hawaii. You can find it in every town. The parking at Kahala is free and there's tons if you don't mind walking just a little. There's hand sanitizers throughout the mall. However you may wanna order online to cut the wait time and remain safe. The restaurant tables are open on the left when you enter. People order then cluster in front. The wait time was approximately five minutes to order- not bad. Then ten minutes to get our food. The food seems really pricey when you look at the menu but honestly it's enough to feed two people off of one plate. With the option of four different sides and rice with a main meat, you can't go wrong. I got the kalbi and meat Jun combo. BTW it's not listed that way on the menu. If you want a combination and don't see it on the menu just ask. They're more likely to just do it for you. These people pump out food like nobodies business. It's crazy the amount of plates we saw leave that counter in 15 minutes. The flavors were on point and I love that they cooked the kalbi just right. (Can't stand when it's gummy) the shoyu potatoes surprisingly were perfect with saturated flavor. I also got the egg omelette, bean sprouts and glass noodles. The glass noodles were tough, which is disappointing. It's like they rushed through it. The flavor was there but it wasn't cooked all the way through. All in all I'd go back if in the mood for Korean BBQ. I'd just order online so I could grab n go. read more

I got the veggie plate to go. Service here was kind of rude. And they kind of snap at you every time they ask you a question. My veggies were alright. There was something in my kimchee and mac salad that looked like it resembled mold. Or like a dirty sponge of some sort. Large quantity and they usually aren't like that but this trip was a swing and a miss. read more

Pearl's Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I got the Garlic Chicken plate for $14.99 plus tax today. It was very disappointing. It was super hard, dry and way to overcooked. It was mostly skin and what little meat there was was inedible because it was so tough and dried out. It was either cooked earlier then refried or cooked on high heat like 20 minutes too long. Lousy. How can garlic chicken be so messed up? read more

Food is tasty - but don't make the mistake of doing their "online ordering" when they are busy! They will serve all the people who ordered in the store first, no matter if you placed your online order way before them. I had to wait 45 min for my food, but saw people walking in while I was waiting, order food and get it before me. Crazy! read more

Customer Service has gotten much better. Could never avoid this place becuase they food is always so good. Our Family favorite, the Meat Jun with the sides, mac potato, long rice and tofu. Always so delicious. Never tried anything else becuase were afraid to get addicted to another dish. Glad customer service gotten better. That's a top for any buisness! read more

We are a regular at Pearl's. We love the fish jun, but my favorite is the vegetable plate. You can order it without rice and they give you extra veggies. They pile up the vegetables; you can actually share or save for extra meal later. The vegetables are prepared fresh daily and they don't use MSG in their vegetables. Great place to grab 'fast food'. read more

Pearl's Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

The food here taste good & they give plenty! I can eat a lot, however I always am only able to eat 1/2 & save 1/2 for a whole other meal. My singles from dancing go far here ;) read more

The food keeps getting worse. I got food here as i was craving korean food nearby and out of desperation, went here even though the last few times the quality was bad-overly salty, dry chicken, poorly seasoned vegetables etc... Ugh my spicy pork was inedible, chewy & old :( cucumber kimchee and seaweed was just badly seasoned and too much vinegar. Never go back again!! read more

When i want a plate lunch at Kahala mall this is the spot. I'm all into eating healthy at whole foods but sometimes you just wanna get your GRINDZ on haha! I stopped eating meat and chicken a while ago but still eat fish so if I'm not getting a full veggies plate which is the best part in my opinion anyways! 5 choices from the sides bar. I'm getting a Zucchini or Fish Jun. melt in your mouth Ono! For being a "fast food" plate lunch stop its like eating at a backyard potluck. I love it. The staff are always nice and busy. And this place is clean and plenty of spots to sit. Check I'm out this place is cherry! read more

Honestly I'm not one to write a complaint but I'm appalled by the unprofessionalism here very rude. I have seen better customer service at McDonald's. Food was undercooked not worth the money. Don quiote location way better cooks and customer service. read more

Everything was overcooked and burnt. I can't believe how much they charge for the food.

Pearl's in Kahala needs to get serious about its customer service if it wants to retain customers. The workers frequently roll their eyes and speak to one another in a language other than English / Korean. It just doesn't seem appropriate for this behavior to be taking place right in the front of the cashier counter where most of the customer interaction takes place. This popular Korean plate lunch chain has the advantage of name recognition; people are familiar with the mandoo, meat jun, and other dishes. Personally, I like the soups and side salads. Sure, the mandoo can be over fried, but it is the only place in Kahala Mall which consistently has mandoo. For $5 you can add sides to any dish. Most plates come with them already, but there are a few soups I enjoy which don't come with the sides. They're simply too hard to pass up. read more

Pearl's Korean BBQ - Life's all about choices. Choose wisely, my friend. - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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In a day and age when most businesses are raising prices and reducing portions, a double whammy. My husband and I understand that they had to raise their prices but their portions were huge so kudos to them. We have now boycotted all restaurants that raised prices and severely reduced their portions. read more

The Kalbi is pretty good. They give 4 large pieces, lots of rice and 4 sides for $13. The meat is tender and flavorful. The sides are always pretty fresh and good. DO NOT order the fried mandoo. Apparently they pre fry it and refry it to heat it up, once you order. On our last visit my wifes mandoo was cold inside. Gross. Sorry but you have now pissed off my wife and we can never eat here again, even though i like your kalbi. Bye Bye Pearl. read more

I'm not one to normally give bad reviews as I think it hurts the restaurant's business, but I have to speak out on this one as I think it's a teachable moment for the management and staff. On Saturday I came by to order take out. Very simple order, which was a side order of BBQ Chicken. Not a plate, no sides, just an order of BBQ Chicken. There was one other party with an order ahead of us so figured this should be quick and easy. While we were waiting outside during our due diligence to social distance, 4 other parties came in and ordered. 20 minutes later the 3 of the 4 parties behind us had their orders full filled. And I mean I'm talking about several plates of food. At this point my fiance and I were getting pretty irritated. I mean we ordered a side order of Chicken. What's more irritating is the front-of-the house staff knew we were waiting, I mean we were right in front of the restaurant looking in. No one bothered to ask what we ordered, not even the girl who took our order decided to put two-and-two together that we only ordered a side order and we didn't get our orders filled yet. I think at some point they realized their error and called it in the to back because we finally we went up to ask about it and cancel the order and refund our money. They said it was getting "boxed up now" and when we got the order, no apology, not even a thank you for waiting. After this experience, I'm not so sure I'd go back to Pearl's Kahala, they're just lucky to be the only Korean eatery in the vicinity. The chicken btw, was a little on the saltier as well. read more

Yes, I am Korean and I eat at Pearl's... I should add that I am also one lazy kimchi mama with a willful two year old who constantly asks for sugar. Cook? Pastas, soups, meatballs, no problemo! Cook Korean? where's the fire? Back to Pearl's, I would not get any seafood or soups here. Save those cravings for later when you do make it out to any of the eateries along Koreamoku or even Palama. Stick to mini plates like BBQ chicken. Sure, the chicken is already cooked and just reheated on the grill. How else is your food ready in less than 5 minutes? This is fast food Seoul style. At least the meat is fully cooked and while it won't squirt any finger licking juice like a freshly BBQ item, it's not dry leather either. As someone was quick to point out, this Pearl's knows her veggies!! I would give one whole star if I could just for its broccoli alone! If you're not a fan of the little green trees, well, just one crunch might make you change your mind. The choy sum, good tho wet - needs to be wrung out more. I always wondered why my halmoni (grandma) had such huge hands...the better to wring out those blanched namuls (veggies) before massaging them ever so lightly in a sesame oil and garlic dressing. Try the cabbage too - it has the right crunch but have to admit, best cabbage award goes to Gina's BBQ (who btw does some pretty good soups). For now, I'm happy with my two veggie selections of broccoli topped with more broccoli. Pearl's, your broccoli is the shining star and my heart thanks you too! read more

Pearl's Korean BBQ - Mini BBQ Chicken + Choy Sum + Brocs - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Pearl's Korean BBQ deserves my 4 stars!! Thanks for the offer in Savings Pass, I purchased as a fundraiser. ( 5.00 savings pass) Pearl's offered 4 piece of mandoo free with plate purchase. I picked up a Combo plate, BBQ chicken & Meat Jun, no rice- choice of 5 veggies. Whenever I see that they have broccoli & potato, I must get it. I love this 2 Sides, besides the usual kim chee, chop chae, & choy sum. I was surprised!! by how big the portions are, I regret not taking any pictures. Since this is my first time visiting this Pearl's location & I didn't get to Yelp it before going, this was a win or lose situation & I can't complain! I was happy!! The fams was happy too!! This 1 combo plate, eaten with my pot of rice cooked at home was enough for many meals. I had my lunch, my 2 kid's dinner, my hubby's dinner & packed the leftovers for him the nexts day for lunch. & I forgot, my daughter's friend came over & she also ate a little from this combo plate. Wow! talk about getting your $'s worth. Unless, we are small eaters... There were 2 or 3 huge pieces of meat jun & 2 huge pieces of bbq chicken. Yay! for the savings pass, I got to check this place out. I will def. be back!! read more

Food tastes good and nice choice of sides. However, always always always check your order! I went twice and both times had missing mandoo. ‍ read more

There was a lady who ordered first and I ordered my food after. For some reason I got called up first to get my food. I left and went all the way home, they had given me HER food. It wasn't even busy so I don't know how things got mixed up. They didn't even give me a receipt. Tried calling several times but no one answered. I guess they know that people are calling just to complain. read more

Food is tasty, great service! I love the mandoo plate. Pearls special is a great plate too.

I love this place for the spicy garlic chicken and always enjoy the taste. Today I ordered a plate (Curry rice BBQ beef) to take out and shared it with my son at home. Unfortunately I found the ugly cabbage(one of the veggies) in the plate. I wonder how they cook these outer pieces of cabbage without cutting them off. Don't they wash the veggies? If I run the restaurant, I would never serve ugly veggies like these to anyone. So disappointed and I lost my appetite... The curry rice BBQ beef was not good either. It was too sweet. My dog won't mind though.... read more

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Came here before watching Despicable Me 2 at Kahala Mall's theater. Craved some Korean food and found this place in one of their food courts. Ordered their mini chicken katsu plate with sprouts and corn along with a honeydew bubble drink. The chicken was dry and I eventually stopped eating it and offered my friend the rest. I enjoyed their bubble drink but I don't think the mixture of food and drink was good for me. The restaurant had a lot of seating and it seems to be kept clean. The workers were nice. With that being said, I wouldn't want to order food here. The plate may be just about the same price as L&L but I'd rather go to L&L. read more

Not Korean...Blah, side dishes boiled & bland; broccoli, greens, potato, bean sprouts corn, and noodles. TASTELESS! Even my middle school child can make it. Then main dish meat was re-heated.The service sucks, not kind. They use microwave,so why take so long? read more

9/2/16: review update: father wanted dinner from here, so the good daughter I am, obliged without a fuss. BBQ chicken plate, side of zucchini jun and side of BBQ chicken. This was supposed to feed five people, bit it fed 7, not including rice that we cooked at home. The side order portions are enormous. A+ The BBQ chicken was very tasty, moist & juicy. A+ The zucchini jun could have stood to be cooked a little longer. A little too "raw" for my likes, as the slices were pretty thick, but not bad. B- As for the sides, wide variety, and fresh looking. B+ (The mayo potatoes are my fave, but this time, I couldn't get it. Too much mayo.) I was pleased with my choices and enjoyed every bite. read more

This place just gave up..... food still decent but everyone there is just lazy.... meat jun not cut anymore, they don't give you sauces and when u ask then they have attitude to bad read more

I've been to the Kahala Mall location at least 10x in the last couple of years, so I am pretty confident in concluding that Pearl's has really deteriorated. I normally order the BBQ beef and it usually has a good flavor and the quality is decent. The sides are pretty blah, with no flavor. For example, the mac salad has no flavor (just lots of mayo) and the cucumber tastes like someone sprinkled chili flakes on it, whereas it should have more of a vinegar taste. In contrast, Yummy's sides are far tastier, but the meat quality has gone downhill. Unfortunately, the quality of the beef at Pearl's on my last visit would qualify as almost inedible. I threw out half of the meat because it was full of gristle. Considering the fact that Korean beef takeout is quite expensive at roughly $15.50 an order, I can get better value and quality elsewhere at the mall. read more

Waited 45 min to get 2 plates, when they finally called me they only had one plate for me. They had completely misplaced my second plate. I had to cancel my order because I was not about to wait another 45 min for a single plate. read more

I barely leave reviews lol but i just ordered a katsu combo on doordash and holyyyy they give so much food and KIMCHI AND SIDE DISHES R SOOOOO GOOD katsu seemed deeep fried which was SUPER CRUNCHY sosososooso worth the money BUT THEY FORGOT CHOPSTICKS FOR ME they gave me fork read more

I consider myself a regular, a fan of Pearl's at Kahala Mall. The food is always consistently fresh and tasty, the portions large enough so I have a home lunch for work the next day and the service efficient. BBQ chicken + 4 pieces man doo and spicy BBQ pork are some of my favorites. And the generous veggie portions are always refreshing and satisfying. Keep up the good work, Pearl's! read more

Pearl's is aiiiiiight. One look on the menu and my eyes were like: O_____O If you choose a regular lunch/dinner plate, the price is ranged $9.99+++. The regular sized plate comes with 4 choices of vegetables and 2 scoops of rice and a mini plate is half that amount. Anyway, seeing that I didn't eat anything at all today and it was around 2:21pm, I ordered the BBQ chicken and a milk tea tapioca (or as some call it, "bubble tea"). The tapioca itself was really sweet, and the milk tea came in a slushy form. It was pretty good, but I'd prefer my tapioca not to be as sweet. My bf really enjoyed it though so I guess if you want to satiate your sweet tooth and thirst at the same time, this will definitely do the job! The BBQ chicken was slightly burnt more than I would like. It seems suspiciously like the per-marinated chicken you can get at Costco though... The kimchee was terrible and didn't taste fresh. The chap chae, sweet potatoes, and choy sum were good. The meal was pretty average and nothing exceptional. I'm not too sure if I'd come again though because it is on the pricier side for take out. read more

Pearl's Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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I believe this is hands down the best Korean BBQ place. They give huge portions and there BBQ chicken and Meat Jun is the best thing to get here read more

I ordered kalbi plate. They gave me bulgogi. Wtf. I'm already home, too late for me to return. Irraz. read more

Pearl's Korean BBQ - Wtf kind kalbi is this?!? It was too late for me to return, im already home right now. Irraz, i didnt think my order could go wrong. - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Why the bad reviews Yelpers? I was pleasantly surprised with my experience at Pearls. Overall food, service, prices, and portions were all reasonable and what I expected when going to a take out Korean restaurant. I got the combo, bbq chicken and man doo. The chicken was well marinated with a light char (just how I like it). The man doo was crisp on the outside and flavorful on the inside. This combo comes with choice of 4 sides. I got Mac salad, noodles, cabbage, and kimchi. Yes I agree with below reviews that the cabbage and mac lacked taste. I just think it lacks salt which is an easy fix! Personally I would rather add more salt than have it TOO salty where I can't eat it. I didn't even need to add salt because everything else was already well flavored, it was nice to have the sides not too salty and overpowering. At first I thought $15 was a bit much for take out, however when I opened my plate, I understood why! I got enough for dinner, lunch, and then some! I suggest phone ordering as lines can get long! I phone ordered 5 minutes before coming and my plate was ready by the time I got there and paid. Friendly service from hard working girls. I couldn't have asked for more. read more

We dropped in for dinner tonight, My wife and I shared spicy pork and spicy chicken. Portions were huge and the food was delicious. Definitely a place to return to! read more

I don't know why this location isn't rated higher, what we ordered was meat Jun Mandoo combo and everything was tasty and fresh. Next time garlic chicken! read more

Pearl's Korean BBQ - Meat Jun and Mandoo combo with bean sprouts, choy sum, mac salad and Kim chee sides - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Yelp 100 Challenge #18/100 If you need a quick bite to eat and want Korean in the Kahala area than Pearl's is a good choice. I've been coming here for years and never had any issues. They used to be located right where California Pizza is on the outside. The one thing I like eating is the Kalbi which is four pretty good sized pieces, rice, and four sides. The veggies are at times on the salty side, but they are always fresh. Also their portions are quite big and I could share a plate lunch with someone easily. Overall, for fast food Korean food in the Kahala area you can't go wrong here. read more

Pearl's Korean BBQ - Mixed plate with food given out already. Yes, some food was given out and that is too much for me - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Really great food forgot to give me sauce with meat Jun. Ordered bean sprouts Mac salad shoyu potato and Choi sum

Probably the place where you get a good bang for the buck. This was the mini. Now I'm sure the regular is enough for two or even three people. read more

Pearl's Korean BBQ - Spicy BBQ Chicken,Sea salad and potatoes - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii