To preface, I've never been to Sam's in person, but have had their food catered a couple times. Their bentos are one of the best ones I've had and their fried chicken is also so insanely tender and flavorful, probably the best chicken I've ever had to be honest. I'll have to go again to see how their service is but the food itself has always been very tasty and solid. read more

Called in a take out on Saturday night at around 7:20pm. Ordered the combo meat jun and bbq chicken. Server wanted me to pick out vegetables because they were closing soon. Asked what time they were closing so that I can pick out my own vegetables when I get there, but was told I needed to pick them out now because they are closing soon. After I picked the vegetables, I was told to come now. Picked up my combo plate for over $21 and when I got home, there was only one small piece of meat Jun and 2 thin pieces of bbq chicken that was and overcooked. It appears the delicatessen gave me whatever left over they had sitting around. The food quality and quantity was good once upon a time, but I will never go back there again. read more

"I'm craving Korean food," I declared. And the next thing I knew I was on the phone ordering from Sam's Located in the building on the corner of Nuuanu and School Street next to a Thai restaurant, Sam's is convenient and affordable. We tried 2 combo plates: one with tofu katsu (yes, you heard it right) and BBQ chicken, the other being the "Oahu Special." If you're expecting garlic breath for the next few hours after eating here, you're in for a surprise. While I relish a good garlic breath and the ensuing taste of garlic, at Sam's it's not overpowering, even in the kim chee. I guess to me that's a good and bad thing. The BBQ chicken was tasty and well cooked. The tofu katsu was nicely breaded and fried, and not greasy. It suffered from a lack of flavor on it's own, but the sauce (shoyu-based) that comes with it helps. It comes with 2 scoops of rice, and I failed to notice that brown rice is available at no charge. SOmething to remember for next time. On to the " 'oahu Special." I was perusing the Yelp photos of the plates of food and the menu and saw the 'oahu Special mentioned. Never one to shy away from a specialty plate, I ordered it. The plate is brimming with a piece of boneless kal bi, BBQ chicken, a BIG helping of thin teri meat, and 2 mandoo. For around $14 I think it's a great deal. Ban chan are your standard fare with one exception: they have taegu as an option! I rarely see taegu as a banchan option anywhere so I was pleasantly surprised. Overall, I found that the food and banchan were a bit under-seasoned as far as garlic and spices. Perhaps they are catering to local tastes. I dunno. Well, we can always add heat if we want to. Two plates cost us just under $30 so I would rate this as a good deal. I've noticed that Korean combo plates usually run higher at other Korean fast food places lately. 4 stars for value, 3 stars for taste. 4 stars for convenience. read more

Sam's Delicatessen - The 'oahu special: mandoo, kalbi, teri meat and BBQ chicken! - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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I love their food & I live in the area, it's one of the places I can conveniently get a good quality, well rounded meal. A little pricey, but I can tell all their banchan is made in house & very good. Every once in a while i splurge on their chicken wings which are soooo ono! I also got their meat jun party platter which was a crowd pleaser at the pa'ina :) read more

Prices have gone up! Almost $15 for such a small portion of fried noodles. Not worth it. Best to go elsewhere. Also, almost $17 for 8 pieces of chicken wings. If craving fried noodles, drive to waipahu and head to leeward drive inn for more for your money. Also, cashier isn't the most welcoming person. No smiles at all. Disappointing but at least I know not to ever go back. read more

Sam's Delicatessen - Fried noodles - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Of course this place been around for awhile an old Mom & Pop store feeling when you walk right inside, ready to order. Small place so dine if not busy? read more

Been coming here for years but tonight I'm done with Sam's. They have continued to raise their price which is understandable, but to raise the price and go down in quality and quantity is a call for a bad review. I don't usually give a bad review but tonight I got one tiny piece of Kalbi and 2 small bbq chicken pieces. 3 pieces on a combo plate that costs $20. Killing me. read more

I've wanted to try Sam's for quite a while now but the parking can be challenging. We finally found ourselves nearby late one night and there was parking right in front. I tried their Meat Jun and Chicken Katsu. Both were great. Katsu nice a crunchy. The meat jun very tender. Best of all the banchan had taste. You don't really have choices with the Kim Chee restaurants and you're lucky when Yummy / Pearl have any taste. Hope I get lucky with the parking again, soon. read more

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Food: vegetables have no flavor and not fresh. Mochiko chicken in very small pieces as though left over pieces.

Drove by to try new Korean place going home. Parking is tough and tight. Not the most welcoming service with barely an acknowledgment. Bbq was okay with small sides, nothing special. Kinda pricey, $14 for mini at other places I could get more chicken and larger better tasting sides. read more

=== 1. VERDICT/VALUE 3.5 stars - review for the chicken wings only: when sampling wings on the island, be sure Sam's is on your list of spots to check out! === 2. FOOD The Chicken Wing Plate only gives you three wings, so the Side Dish of Chicken Wings ($12.25) gives you eight wings - so that's a better value if it's chicken you're after. Taste maybe subjective, but there's truth to all of the Yelp reviews - these wings are worth the trip! They are not as salty as KFC's chicken, but the meat is as marinated as Popeye's. It's like getting the fried chicken wings from Maple Garden and giving them the fried chicken batter from Zippy's. All in all - a very good treat or addition to any dish :) === 3. SERVICE No complaints about the takeout service done in English. The place isn't as busy as the Bangkok Chef next door; and so the wait time for food seems reasonable. === 4. ATMOSPHERE It's really a takeout joint - a few stools are available for eating in, and wheelchairs/strollers fit well enough inside, but the lack of decor suggest that you're going to enjoy your food more anywhere outside. Parking is a little tough given the few tight spots in the joint lot out front and the relatively small lot behind the building. read more

Sam's Delicatessen - Side Dish - Chicken Wings ($12.25): so ono - eat when fresh :) - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Best mochiko chicken. Prices are pretty reasonable as well! Also really liked the japchae, had a nice mushroom flavor and is not overly sweet. read more

Lots of compliments when we served pans of chicken wings & meat Jhun. Really happy they were able to do one pan all wings and one pan mix for the chicken wings. read more

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One of the best deals on the island. Good food, decent price (compared to other restaurants). We get the family meal #1 and a side order of the Mochiko chicken. read more

On NUUANU Avenue next to Bangkok chef the parking spaces are limited a few in front or the restaurant and some behind the building which is shared with both restaurant. This is an old time family restaurant before the food was very good and tasty We use go there at least 2 times a month but haven't been there in awhile and decided go get our fix on Korean food. The BBQ chicken was over cooked and dry and the rice also was dry and not moist like the chicken. The meat jun was ok but missing the the taste. No table service. Not good for large groups. Parking limited read more

Sam's Delicatessen - Menu - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Korean food in Nu'uanu... Four small tables compose this hole-in-the-wall eatery. I haven't dined in, but have enjoyed their food at family potlucks. This is the first time I experienced Sam's Delicatessen myself. First off, there are a few free parking stalls right in the front. The parking seems to be shared with Bangkok Chef next door. Otherwise, there's free street parking. Inside, the decor is plain and simple. Empty boxes line the walls of the place, with a single air conditioning unit providing adequate relief from the warm Hawaiian weather. I ordered the Oahu Special: Kalbi, BBQ Chicken, Beef teriyaki, and Mandoo with four choices of banchan. I liked the variety! Surprisingly, the teri beef was my favorite because it was easier to eat - less chewing and no bones! Yum! The kalbi and mandoo were tasty! If I see an empty parking stall again, I'd stop in again! read more

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Ordered on the phone and I don't have to wait long. Small shop but very efficient and easy for take out. Delicious and affordable!

Mochiko chicken and fried chicken wings are the best. I order it by the TRAY and share because that seems to be the best value and makes everyone happy. I bet you haven't ever had fried chicken wings like these...I don't like chicken wings and I will eat these anyday! The other more "normal" korean food is ok. The seaweed soup is good and the mandoo kook soo is good. Some of the other stuff lots of people love the meat jun but I think it's ok. Ban Chans are good, pretty standard, nothing out of the ordinary. Few parking spaces in the front; not sure if you're allowed to park in the back. I try to call in my order in advance because it can get busy around lunch time. Not sure they're the friendliest but they're friendly enough - they know what they're good at and they do it well so it works for me. read more

Got our New Year's Eve grinds from Sams. My sister loves this place - particularly their wings. It's super convenient - located on nuuanu. Easy parking just call in your order and in and out with boxes of Korean belly therapy. We got the family pack 1 and 2 side orders of the wings. The family pack was rocking. Excellent meat jun - seems like you only see this in Hawaii - I'm told that in Korea its more of a home cooked dish something you don't get in restaurants. For those unfamiliar w da jun it's marinated beef slices that are battered in egg and fried, and served with a sweet dipping sauce. Family pack also has kalbi - thick beef slices w no bone, and bbq chicken - just clip with scissors into bite sized pieces and you're good to go. Their sides.... they get a bonus for giving us extra veges since we asked for no rice. But their jap Chae... it had good flavor but was just noodles!!! The rest of the sides were standard fare. Everyone likes the wings here - I think they're fine. Basically breaded drumettes - not flavored like typical kfc. Thats said this is still a great place for Korean eats read more

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Good Korean takeout. Favorite is the chicken wings. Super tasty, Crunchy, and meaty. Always get the 4 mondoo for$1.69 more, and no rice, extra veggies. If you call, the lady isn't the friendliest, but that could just be because she's always busy. She was really nice when she talked to my 7 year old daughter. Idk why Korean food is so expensive these days, but I would say their prices are competitive. With the convenience of being close to downtown, it's a winner. read more

The location of Sam's is great for people living in the Nuuanu area. The parking is a problem but the food is good. I had the mini fish jun with long rice and mac salad. Mac didn't have taste. Could use salt. The fish Jin was good. Not oily and didn't need the dipping sauce read more

For the portions, taste and price, this is one of my go to places for Korean food. Their fried chicken wings is one of the best on the island. It even tastes good the next day cold. Good amount of choices of sides provided they don't run out. Go early. read more

Ridiculously small portions...5 choices of vegetables per plate and this is what they gave read more

Sam's Delicatessen - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Sam's ain't going to knock you on your ass and make you say that was amazing but...it's located in lower Nu'uanu which is convenient if you live in the area. The food is good solid Korean food. They have a catering menu which I attached to this review. This is a good place to get Korean food it's tasty they give a decent amount. The prices are on par for any place similar. Overall good decent place If in the area and hungry for Korean. read more

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Fking sh*t Go to chinatown nearby and get some actual cuisine This pissed me off with how mediocre it is read more

They have brown rice! I usually get the Oahu plate and side order of chicken wings, people say the wings are onolicious! Kalbi is just ok, guessing mundoo is purchased wholesale. If I want something healthy get the Vegi plate. I patronize this place about 4 times a year, would go there more often but parking is getting extremely difficult to access or non existent. And not open on Sunday's. You can sneak a short time parking stall at the old Walgreen's location, where Chun Hoon was located. read more

Lunch is always good especially the meat Jun and the bbq chicken. I go early so there's always parking in the front. read more

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The best meat jun and chicken wings! Very dependable when placing large orders! Tell them what you need and they help you with ordering! Food is always hot and fresh! read more

No smile, no welcome when you walk in to give the business business. Since I haven't been to Sam's for three years, I decided to give it a try. Ordered the Teri Pork. The pork was tough and a little burnt. The side dishes of macaroni salad, long rice, kimchee, and seaweed were ok in taste. The macaroni salad was macaroni with Mayo. The prices have gone up. Handwritten new prices covering the old prices are pasted all over the menu. Boxes are piled up high. The restaurant needs a good cleaning and organization. After this experience, I don't plan to return. read more

Update : Bought food around 2:30 or 3pm, around 5pm we ended up with diarrhea (I only took a tiny piece off of my husband's fish jun plate to taste) Husband and I would come here often in 2018 on our lunch break but this year coming back *bc we were in the area*, we're hella disappointed and won't be coming back.... Husband's fish jun tasted kinda old, fish tasted extra fishy; they gave him very lil side dishes and it wasn't seasoned. Husband's fish jun sauce was super watered down too, didn't taste any salty ness. I got the O'ahu Special bc I used to order it in 2018 and it was super tasty and the beef was regular pieces but this time ordering O'ahu Special on July 22, 2021; almost everything tasted super bland and the beef pieces were tiny.. I disliked their kimchi a lot, had a difficult time finishing, it tasted super vinegary and bitter, not at all spicy. Only thing I liked on my plate today was the Asian cucumbers but even then, it wasn't spicy. read more

Sam's Delicatessen - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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As of late the service has been okay along with the food. Before everything used to be really good not sure if it's because of the pandemic that everything has been out of wack with them lately. read more

PLEASANTLY SUPRISED I did not have high hopes for the food here, but it was on the way home so I stopped in. The staff is so incredibly rude I almost walked out. I ordered the bbq chicken and fish jun- prices here are reasonable. I've been notice Korean BBQ plate lunch prices at other places have increased to $15/$16 a plate. Here it was about $12 for a combo so not bad. The chicken had a nice dark shoyu glaze with a little char- really nice looking. Pieces are a little thin but didn't have a lot of fat. The chicken tasted more like a shoyu sauce- not too sweet or gingery. The fish jun is the best I've tasted in a long while. The other item I was impressed with was the shoyu potato. This was really good! read more

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Highly recommend. Don't let the ratings fool you. I've been to highly rated place and they suck, but this one was their meat jun is pretty good too I just wish they were cheaper. lol read more

Sam's Delicatessen - Spicy pork and Korean fried chicken. - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Good bang for your buck. Filling quick food that's good enough to satisfy your taste buds too. They have all the Korean BBQ meat like Kalbi, Teri beef, meat jun, fish jun, kastus, and of course your BBQ. The sides are simple, the typical banchan. Your plate's side banchan does not include Taegu (fish). You can purchase it on the side. Price range: $8.99 for minis. All the way up to $12 for a regular lunch plate. There is parking in the front and some stalls in the back. read more

Sam's Delicatessen - Lunch and dinner plates - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Got the fish katsu plate it was good, but the broccoli was disappointing. I got maybe two heads of broccoli the rest were these stems??? Plus their prices went up. read more

Sam's Delicatessen - Broccoli?? - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I've been coming here for years but because I moved out of a Liliha area I don't frequent the establishment much but when I do food is always on par. I order the family pack #1 or #2. Food is worth and feeds the family for 2 days. Prices went up but so is everything. Owners are always there and very nice. So limited stalls but you can definitely park in the back too. What I like is fast service you phone in they tell you 15-20 minutes and the food is done not that time. I don't hesitate to go to places with fast and friendly service. read more

Did take out bento- delicious food and the prices are reasonable. Delivery if over $100- on time.

Sam's Deli is my neighborhood Korean food stop, and I'm so glad they are! I could, in theory, walk to Sam's to get food, but then I'd want to run home to eat it, so I usually drive...because I'm going to want to eat the yummy food as soon as possible when it's fresh & hot! Don't get me wrong, you can eat in at Sam's, but I've only actually done that once or twice. So Sam's is similar to some other local Korean places, where you can order your entree, and then choose several items from the cold foods trays, such as seaweed salad, garlic potatoes, taegu, cucumber kimchee, choy sum, fresh tofu, bean sprouts and more. Depending on the size of your order (regular or mini), or if you hold the rice, you get a different number of sides. I typically order a regular plate, hold the rice, and it's enough food for 2 meals. My usual orders are one of the following: kalbi, bbq chicken or meat jun. I've also added the side order of mandoo, and those are also tasty. There's a huge menu, but when I find my favorites, I typically go back for the same ones over & over. Service is polite and efficient. Catering is available, and there is a minimum number of orders for some items, such as the bento. Also there's a minimum amount for using a credit car. But it's all good. Parking is a bit limited and tight in front of Sam's, but there's some parking in the back, and in a pinch, you can park down the block in the Walgreen's shopping center lot and take a short walk. read more

This place is delicious‼ I order bbq with white rice and it comes with a choice of 4 side HIGHLY RECOMMEND. They are also following covid guidelines they have shields in front of the cashier and food area, masks on the whole time,frequently cleaning and sanitizing, also very friendly:)...SUPPORT LOCAL read more

Sam's Delicatessen - Bbq Chicken - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

This is our go-to Korean take-out place in the neighborhood. We order family pack 1 with the meat cut up and the chicken wings for dinner gatherings. They also have a good selection of banchan. Personal favorites are the seaweed & choi sum and hubby loves the kim chi & cucumbers. read more