Great food and friendly staff! The reason for this review is that I've came here 3 times already in the past month and noticed that the guy working there gives you very little portions for your sides. If I'm paying, over $12.00 for a plate, I would like more than just 2 shoyu potatoes as a side. Didn't want to review on this but he's been very consistent in shorting on the sides every time I order. Will check back next time if this changes. Mahalo Peppa's. read more

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

Ah, Peppa's...risk your life parking but a lot of bang for the buck--ain't no lying in the previous reviews. Despite the middle of the road Yelp reviews, this place has been around for some time at this location. Disclaimer: Went with a frequent customer last time, so maybe we did get a bit of preferential treatment then, but this place has been pretty consistent for a long time. PROs: + Cheap at $12 for a full, huge meal. Average plate goes at least 2 meals; most of the time 3. + Banchan/sides have been clean each time we've gone, and they don't skimp on the portions. + Fish is flavored nicely; fish jun is usually not too eggy, but has been a bit inconsistent. + Cheap drinks at under $2 for a large. + Will sub rice for another side at no charge. + Brown rice available. Has been cooked well so far; no hard or uneven spots. + Seasoning overall is balanced--not too aggressive or overly sweet (except for the jun sauce) but not bland; even local kids like this stuff. Toddlers chowing down on choi sum and seaweed? Why, YES! MAYBEs: * Parking is not their fault but hey--it's Makiki; the parking lot is tight and crazy. Don't try to get into that angled lot and drive out past Pizza Hut--it's stressful. Park on the street and walk a bit. * Customer service can be spotty, but doesn't seem to affect portion size or cleanliness. All business, man. * Kid and family friendly in that it is casual, but not someplace roomy enough for a stroller to sit comfortably. CONs: - Few tables to eat in and no public bathrooms visible. Take it to go. Bottom line: Better overall than Mama Woo's lately. Proteins aren't as good as Best Korean on Sand Island. Banchan is cleaner and more flavorful than Best's lately. Portions are bigger than most Yummy's (except for the NEX location, for some reason) and Ohana's, lately (though Ohana's has a wider selection of items, including a sushi side). Prices are better than 99 Bar-B-Que, but customer service is not as good. Don't drive from Kaneohe to get here, but if you're in Makiki and need a filling, decent meal for the whole family at a great price point, this fits the bill very nicely over other offerings along Wilder/Piikoi. We'd go back and do. read more

You can't go wrong with the Peppa's Special. We order it and it's enough for two of us with leftovers! The food is delicious!

Plate lunches are nothing new around here. If you got a craving, there's an L&L or some mom and pops plate lunch place that will satisfy that craving. From the outside, peppa's looks kind of bleak and dreary but there's a reason this place has such great reviews. Yes, the food here IS expensive. Estimating around $10-$12 a plate (higher end if you do combo plates). However, the plate lunch is SO big that it's enough to feed two. Usually I eat half for lunch and the rest for dinner or share with someone. My boyfriend can't even eat a whole regular plate by himself so I think it's a good indication that it's quite a bit of food. I usually get the spicy pork, which costs around $11 and comes with four sides. The potato salad thing is amaaaaazing. It's not healthy at all though so if you're looking for healthy alternatives, you may want to opt for the veggies, which are all fresh and delicious. I don't know if it's something to try if it's out of the way, nor is it something to write home about. But I think the quality of the food is pretty darn good compared to other greasy places. Great portions, good prices in comparison to the amount of food you get, and conveniently located in the Makiki neighborhood. The parking lot isn't very large but I've never had an issue with parking in all the times I've been here...which is a lot. read more

Pros: good food, a little pricey but lasts us a couple meals, staff friendly Cons: can sometimes be a little slow and sometimes don't have all the sides We go here a couple times a month and always like it. Never had problems with anything we've ordered (chicken Katsu, spicy pork, meat jun, bibimbap, mandoo, etc.) read more

Their BBQ chicken is probably one of my favorites! And I really like their loco moco and tofu soup. But on the flip-side, they don't cut their meat jun into slices. Which I find odd and such a pain to do when you are starving. It's kind of pricey for Korean take-out, as a mini plate will run you $9+, and a regular plate averages at around $11/12. But the quality of side dishes here is very good and the selection is usually plentiful! They also have brown rice :) read more

BI-BIM-JIP Over the years, this has been the most convenient and economical place to grab some grub in the Makiki area. It was never the tastiest or the best quality Korean food I've ever had, but it was at least convenient and reasonable. I recently went there on a Friday night (busy as usual) and I couldn't believe the price increases! $16 for a bbq mix plate and $12 for bbq chicken?! What was worse, my chicken plate only had 3 pieces of chicken that tasted cold and hard- as though it was pre-cooked, before the dinner rush, and then quickly heated up again. To add insult to injury, when I was picking out my sides, the owner scolder the girl for putting too big of a scoop or one too many tofu on my plate. If you are going to charge top prices for a plate lunch, than at the very least, put out your best possible product. Make sure it is hot and fresh. Highly disappointed. read more

I came here twice these past few days. Korean BBQ plates with side dishes. I miss this! It's still the same. Good food and the sides are large. Thank you for the consistency. It's good to know that even 2 years later, the food is still as good as it is. :) read more

Standard Korean fast food place. Has most of the dishes you'd expect from Pearl, Tasty, etc. Prices are standard, and food is okay. Likes: Convenient location for the neighborhood. They also have all the sides I like (mainly the mayo potato salad). Dislikes: Nothing really bad. Prices are a little high, but the regular portions are good (enough for two people to be satisfied). Food can take long, so call ahead if you want to save some time. Favorites: I like the meat jun here. Food is average, but with the convenient location, this is a good place to go to if you live in the area, but not some place you should go out of the way for. read more

I like their BBQ beef. The side dish taste pretty good, too! I didn't wait too long to pick up my food. The portion is also quite big even though I ordered smaller size. read more

This is a good space to dine in. The service is pretty fast and efficient. Cashier is friendly too. Everything seems to taste good especially the fresh veggie options. It's real crisp with good flavor. The Kim chee cucumber and chop chae is my fave. I usually like their BBQ options, but sometimes I prefer to try other items. The tofu soup was pretty amazing. I'll definitely choose that menu item again in the future. The tofu is good texture, soup is spicy hot just the way it should be and veggies are not overly cooked. The meat portions are good and ideal tenderness. Love this place since it's conveniently located nearby. Other Peppa locations aren't comparable! read more

Peppa's is your typical fast food version of Korean food. I have to admit, I haven't tried much here because I'm a sucker for the banchan/vegetables that are served. I always order the veggie plate with no rice so I can have an extra option. No complaints on flavor and the portion sizes are pretty generous. I usually can split a veggie plate into 2 meals :) Service is pretty fast and there is always a crowd around lunch. Parking is shared with numerous other places so it can be tight... but aside from this, it's a good place to grab a quick bite of Korean food. read more

I eat here often and it is very consistent. Plates are as you expect from Kbbq large and tasty. I usually get the bbq chicken meat jun combo with four piece mando added. It is easily big enough for two. Clean space and decent customer service. read more

*****AVOID AT ALL COSTS***** this peppas was a place my family and i used to frequent in the early 2010s and even before that. the last time i ate at this makiki location, aprox 9 or 10 years ago, i got so sick from the food (bbq chicken--i remember. a family member also got sick) & as a kid it definitely kicked my a$$. fast forward to today..i dont know how i decided to come back here but i was craving korean food and it was close to home, so i decided to give it another shot. i was still traumatized but decided to get the bbq chicken AGAIN anyway & my bf got the meat jun. the FIRST red flag was that the food took BARELY 5 minutes, honestly it seemed a little faster, and this place has its moments but its never SWAMPED and extremely busy, plus i dont see a reason to pre-make any food anyway. all i know is chicken should take more than 3 minutes i get home and cut into my bbq chicken which appears PINK--2nd red flag. i voiced the concern to my bf but ultimately, unfortunately i gave it the benefit of the doubt and told myself maybe it was just from the marinade. knowing what i know now, i wish i didnt indulge the way i did...maybe an hour after eating, my stomach got extremely sore & i thought it was just car sickness at the time, but even after not being in a car, it continued & started feeling horribly nauseous. i had to calm myself down and eventually using the bathroom helped but im pissed that i felt so crappy in the first place because i felt sick again not too long after that, which lasted another few hours, continuing as im typing this. its now 6ish hours after eating that food and my bf who had the mean jun is now having stomach pains, which sound similar to what i was experiencing before the nausea hit. the peppas was the only thing out of our normal diet, so i know for a fact it is the culprit. this is NOT fun... getting sick one time 10 years ago shouldve been enough but suffering again now just seals the deal that im never coming back to this location & maybe never to any peppas locations period. side note: just looked and i cant believe their health inspection 2 weeks ago found NO violations..that has to be inaccurate/: read more

Love, love their vegetables. Most times, we just order a plate of vegetables to take home to add with our home-cooked meals. The portions are huge, even the mini plates. read more

Went back for the chon plate lunch. It seems to be fairly consistent and the portions will feed 2 people if you order that extra scoop of rice. Another nephew told me that if you make your own rice at home (and who doesn't) you can order it without rice and get 5 veggie selection instead of 4. Considering that their kimchee is good, I would like that. You can get a double order of one side. In other words, one tofu, one kimchee, two cucumbers, equals 4. Korean math, I love it. Their cucumbers aren't kimchee, per se but it's a mighty good pickle to accompany their food. And if you're a chicken lover, their bbq chicken is crazy tender and ono! read more

Uh-oh, I think it's happening, but it can't be, but I think it is, someone pinch me, I must be dreaming! My lovely wife went and picked up food from this place today, and the vegetable portions were small! She said that the Korean woman in front of her complained about the small portions, and then even started complaining in Korean to the young woman serving, just to emphasize her point, I guess. My wife said the server gingerly put slightly more veggies on the woman's take-out plate. But my wife is not quite that demanding, and doesn't speak any Korean, so we got small portions...waaah! She said she hadn't seen this woman there in the past, so we are both hoping this is just a temporary "new worker" state of affairs. We have both noticed legions of fast food places are cutting WAY back on portion sizes, while increasing prices at the same time. I know we are in the throes of a recession, but this is NOT the way to keep cash-strapped customers coming back. Keep it up, Peppas and I will go to Amazon.com and order my own Korean cookbook and make my own panchan! And I may even seek out some venture capital and open my own Korean BBQ! Don't make me do it! read more

If you live anywhere between Roosevelt and Punahou, there's not much within walking distance for you. This place is your spot! Awesome, quick, Korean bbq options of all kinds. All the classics, huge portions, good prices. I always call 5 minutes ahead, make my 5 minute walk, and my takeout is ready. I would almost give it 5 stars, because they're great at what they do. Let's call it 4.5. Check it out! read more

I have been here a handful of times. The food is generally edible but not honolulu's best korean plate lunch place by any means. Recently my seaweed had little stones in it. The staff can be bratty. Overall the quality of the food is below average and the side dishes are nothing special. I have a feeling that since there is no where else nearby to eat, residents are forced here, or makiki inn, and thus don't protest by going somewhere else. Right next door is Sure Shot Cafe which has excellent sandwiches and scones, but is unfortunately closed by around 6 or 7 pm! If the Sure Shot was open late, I would have never ventured into that bummy place Peppa's. read more

Honestly if you are very hungry this is the place to go. The regular size will feed two people I think lol. You get 4 sides and a specific entree that you choose. I got the meat jun and it was ok but the portion is quite a lot. read more

Tasty food and a lot of side choices. BBQ sauce is on point and portions are good. The special is enough for two people.

I've been to maybe half a dozen of the fast food variety Korean BBQs here now and they're all about the same. You get some korean dish with 2-4 types of kimchee or vegetable. This place gets special note for two reasons. 1) It's in Makiki and there's not much here so I'm glad to have some kind of nearby dinner option I can walk to. 2) the girls that work there are cute as buttons. Not 5 stars for being nothing extraordinary. Not 4 stars for lack of a restroom. After they serve you a bucket of cola, you gotta scramble home... Oh I like the bbq pork special. It's as tasty as the kalbi but you don't have to mess around with bones. read more

First night in Honolulu and after a decently long hike, we decided to grab a quick dinner from here. Ordered the mini plate chicken with the side order of cucumber kimchi and water crests and I have no complaints as everything was delicious!! The mini plate came with 2 large slabs of chicken! Definitely, this meal can be saved for leftovers. I wish I had known about the no rice option to get that extra veggie side dish, but for something less than $10, it was spectacular! I would recommend this place to anyone because these side dishes aren't commonly found in Korean restaurants back in Toronto. read more

Okay, I have to admit that the last time I ate Peppa's was in high school, whence half a decade has passed. Sneaking out of campus for lunch was a thrill in itself (but after junior year it was allowed and not quite so thrilling) The plate lunches were always filling (and we had leftovers) and consistent in taste. After having worked in food service for two years, I now know that consistency is wicked difficult to have. Honestly, any place that delivers above average tasting food consistently should get four stars. read more

Yummy yummy food but the location was hot, like there was no air circulating in the building and they don't keep the doors open so it was icky. But the food is yummy! Just take out and eat at home! read more

Yikes! Somebody needs to wear a hairnet when making the kimchee. Nice enough place, everything else appeared to be clean. You might want to check out all of the specials on the scattered signage to get exactly what you want. read more

It's not Yummy's...but it's just as good. Portions are big. Staff is friendly (it's not Yummy's). Parking is a pain, but I live just up the street. It's pretty good fast food korean! read more

Peppa's is one of those small neighborhood under-rated secrets in Makiki specifically. I can't speak for the other franchises across the island. For years I've tried different Korean BBQ plate-lunch spots going across island to sample places that had a reputation for having the "best" Korean food. I'd say, for certain things, Peppa's is comparable to the same quality as these other spots even though you'd never expect it looking a the place. * Good portion size. I'm not easily swayed by places just because they give large portions of mediocre food. But a mini-plate of chicken here is typically large enough to satisfy me unless I'm really hungry. * Vegetables are good. Tastey and well flavored. I usually grab the cucumbers, bean sprouts, watercress, and long rice. * BBQ chicken is typically really good. Once in a while if you go in an off-time, it may come out less-then-perfect, but typically they give you really nice pieces of meat that's BBQd nicely. Eat that with the rice and veggies it's ovah. * I've had the meat jun there before which is good too. I'm not a meat jun connoisseur but it tastes about as good as other places where I've been told was the "best" meat jun on island. What made this place the go-to spot for the neighborhood was once the price. They used to have a special meal combo for 1 that was about $7 at one time, but in the span of about 5 short years that's climbed to about $10. Still a good deal but not as fantastic. read more

Enough bang for the Buck! I always have leftovers for the next day. Food is plenty and not expensive. 4 sides + 2 scoops of rice + BBQ chicken + large Mountain Dew = only $12 Took it to go and headed up tantalus to watch sunset. Cheap and good dinner with a nice view. I recommend this place if you need food fast and want to fill yourself up. It's not the greatest food of the world but it's ok and fills you up for cheap. Staff is friendly and food is ready fast. read more

I go here very often since I live right around the area. The people that works there are very nice and honestly; I think the prices are fair. You get a pretty big portion for what you pay for. read more

YUMMY'S IS PURE CRAP COMPARED TO PEPPA'S. I. LOVE. THIS. PLACE!! They've been there for years, ever since I've been a Makikian. You can't go wrong with any of their offerings. All the grilled meats are marinated just right and grills up tasty. It's a bit pricey to make it an everyday lunch or dinner fare, but the prices are pretty standard for decent Korean BBQ's if not excellent for the amount of food you're getting. My absolute favorite is their bulgogi and barbecue chicken combo plate. They also add a deep fried zucchini and a mandoo to the grilled meats of generous proportions. I always ask to add 4 more pieces of mandoo for a little extra $. Hey, if you're gonna go grand ordering this, go all the way! I can probably manage eating the whole thing in one sitting, but usually don't from the guilt, so I split the plate into two meals for me. Their sides are always fresh and seasoned right. I usually like getting the chap chae, eggs, chinese broccoli and the baked potato salad, which is probably not the healthiest choice, but so-o-o-o good! Speaking of their side dishes, that is my one gripe lately. They've been chintzing on the portions which saddens me because this is the heart and soul of a Korean BBQ plate lunch. Without it, it would just be regular plate lunch. The side dishes are what makes it special. Korean tradition, and I may be wrong about this, in a meal, the more side dishes you offer, it shows the love and care you put into the meal. Crunching on those side dish veggies always makes me happy with a mouthful of rice! The reason I'm writing this review is I'm definitely making a 3 1/2 block hike over there for lunch. Always nice knowing I did a little bit of exercise before digging in to a huge plate of theirs. read more

If youre looking for Korean that's good then thus is the place. It's not outstanding but good. In the Makiki Shopping Center it's the best meal you can get.. there are much better Korean options but it's a short drive in traffic. Meat Jun . BBQ meat, Spicy Pork, etc, all the favorites can be found here. Parking is limited and tight. The center does NOT have public restrooms anymore probably to keep the occasional homeless at bay. read more

Good food and good customer service. Good portion size. Sides could be a little bigger read more

Not sure what to have for dinner and don't feel like cooking? This place has amazing bbq chicken. All the sides are fresh & yummy, and there usually isn't a long wait even at dinner time. They give you lots of food, I always have enough for lunch the next day! Ask for extra spicy sauce in your take-out, it's super good on everything. read more

Very sweet girls! Customer service was excellent and I definitely recommend bringing your money here

if there were zero stars that's what I would give them! a total RIP OFF! $13.96 just for a mini Hamburger steak??? WTH?? very small hamburger pattie, small portion of rice with instant powdered gravy, and 2 choice if vegetables or soggy macaroni salad! WTH? read more

Good food but a little pricy. A lot of sides and fast service. BBQ pork and Pappas special are my favorites. Parking is easy and the staff is friendly. read more

Peppa's is a stone's throw from my apartment so likewise, it's our go-to spot whenever we can't decide what to eat. We don't even discuss what to order because the answer is always bibimbap and meat jun. This isn't the place to go if seeking a gastronomic adventure since it's standard (but tasty) Korean takeout fare. Bring your appetite and then some because the portions are filling. There's plenty to go around for a meal or two. Service is generally quick and friendly, though we did get the cold shoulder once when they were busy. Parking in their tiny lot is a bit of a pain. It'd probably be a better idea to park further anyway as you'll be wanting to walk off some of the huge meal. read more

Damn good Korean BBQ and for very good prices. I'll definitely be back. Definitely try the meat jun and galbi. My mouth is watering... read more

Grew up going to this place. It was awesome then and it is awesome now. Depending on my mood, I get the bbq chicken or the kalbi. Something I get both. I dont know what else to say, but that I always go back when I visit. read more

Peppa's Korean BBQ - Mini BBQ Chicken. Could've went regular, but I have to watch my figure =P - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii