Cham Cham Korean BBQ

$ 6.00 bento box with 2 meats, rice and dumplings! Meat jun and BBQ pork were amazing. I wish my hotel was next door. Curse my limited stomach capacity! I want to eat more!

Best kimchee seafood soft tofu soup that I’ve ever had! I literally think about this dish! Great casual dining that we especially love to check out on rainy nights. Their pupus before the food are also very delicious every time. Small dining room, very cozy. My husband likes a variety of things off the menu. I can’t get myself to have anything else other than that amazing Kimchee soup!

Cham Cham Korean BBQ is located in the same building as Hilo Lunch Shop and is walking distance from Seoul Station. They are open Monday to Saturday from 9:30 am to 9 pm and closed on Sunday. You have the option to dine-​in or take out. Catering is also available for your party needs.
We were kinda in the mood for Korean food so I made the decision to come here. I’ve been here in the past and I think it’s pretty good. The dining room is a little small but it’s tolerable. It can get filled with smoke from all that cooking, that’s my setback. They need better exhaust fans, like now haha.
I was going to take pictures of the dining area but my daughter was getting restless so that wasn’t happening haha. Anyway, we ordered Meat Jun and Spicy BBQ Pork. The Meat Jun, in my opinion is on point. The portions are great, flavor profile is a definite and the veggies are awesome. The Spicy BBQ Pork is also real good. The spiciness doesn’t hit you right away, it creeps up on you and then BLAOW! In your face!
I like Korean food because I’m a big fan of all the banchan that the meals comes with. I love that balance of protein and vegetables. On the real though, the Meat Jun and Spicy BBQ Pork I recommend. I’m sure there’s other awesome dishes that Cham Cham has to offer.
The restaurant has a clean interior and usually there’s only one server that tends to everyone. Regardless, the service is still pretty swell. The banchan is the best and I can say better than other Korean restaurants I’ve been to. The prices are kinda up there but food quality and quantity stays uncompromised. Nice work Cham Cham!

This has consistently been the very best place to get Korean food in town. The prices have risen considerably over the years, yes, but the food remains unchanged — in a good way.
Notable favs: The kimchi pancake, the bibimbap, the seafood soft tofu soup, the meat jun, the banchan! Best traditional kimchi you’ll find anywhere. The laid-​back atmosphere doesn’t bother me at all — in fact, it really complements the delicious home style cooking you’ll find here.
I could eat here any day, everyday.

Pretty low key joint but it has it’s charm. The food has the standard Korean fare and it met expectations. This is a reliable place in Hilo to get your Korean fix.

The average star is for the environment. No air-​conditioner, only fans running. If you are comfortable about the hot weather, yes, it’s fine, but for most of the tourist, this is not a recommendation place to go.
Then back to the food, I can say it’s not bad, since the temperature inside was so high, we only ordered some cold noodles, actually I wanted to try some tofu stew, but you know…

Delicious food, fast and friendly service. HUGE portions. My coworker insisted I try it and I’m so glad I did! The sides that arrive before your meal are really good, with some items changing everyday. Prices were very reasonable, we had no objections. Water refilled quickly, we were checked on multiple times. Waitress was also very knowledgable about the menu and was able to answer any questions. Definitely will be back.

I’ve come here often since my initial discovery, and I have never had a complaint. I usually order the mixed plate, which comes with your choice of two meats, mandoo, rice, and a really nice selection of side vegetables. They are always friendly, welcoming, and the service is excellent. Next time, I’m trying their bibimbap — my ultimate test dish for a Korean restaurant!

Craving Korean while staying in Kona but nothing! So on a drive to Hilo found this place on Unilocal.Delicious! Waitress was super sweet. Good good, service good. Would return if we lived in Hilo. Kimchee soup was yummy– had bulgogi inside instead of regular beef so had a slightly sweet flavor. Also had long rice noodles which was different. Kids had BBQ chicken and shrimp tempura and both very happy. Combo mixed plate was good too. Prices were comparable and reasonable to amount of food.

Oh my goodness! The food is absolutely amazing and the waitresses there are so friendly. My experience was great. Portions are good size, and if you order spicy, you get spicy! Would recommend to anyone looking for good Korean food.

It is hard to find such a traditional Korean BBQ in Hawaii Big Island. It is owned by a Korean couple and supports the delivery! The food is so delicious!

This place was really bad, and that one star was for the mandoo. Our meal was overpriced for the amount and quality of food we got. I tried ordering using the Korean names of items, but the waitress didn’t know what I was talking about. My jige (kimchee stew) tasted like metal. There was no spice. Our tong kalbi was burnt. I do not recommend this place.

I have to disagree with the 1 star reviews for bad service. I’ve had exceptional customer service here, and I always recommend visiting friends to make a stop here. The food is also very good. When you get takeout, you get your choice of panchan. And the spicy pork is prepared as it should be… and delicious. Everything we’ve ordered so far has been delicious, and they’re always friendly. Small family owned restaurant with wonderful owners.

Much better than Seoul Station around the corner. Better food, better service. Yet if you’re looking for great Korean food, you have to travel to Honolulu. I’ve never had anything bad here, but there’s nothing that especially stands out. I may be a harsh critic because I used to live near Honolulu’s Korean district.

Great little hidden gem. I had the sampler platter with spicy pork & beef Jun. …awesome. It also came with pickled cabbage, 2 dumplings, potatoes and greens
Girlfriend Had Rice bowl topped with egg & beef. She loved it!
1^st time we’ve had Korean we will be back!

We went in around lunch time and there were a lot of tables available. The service was wonderful and food was tasty. We were first given a variety of Korean side dishes and each were unique in its own taste.
BF and I ordered the meat jun and BBQ chicken. The best meat jun I’ve ever tasted is from Kauai’s Kimchee #9. This meat jun was different, but tasty and the sauce went well with it.
They also give you a card for you to stamp to get a free meal or drink after eating there 6 times.
I will definitely go back to Cham Cham Korean BBQ when I am in the Hilo area.
The hours of operation on Unilocal is incorrect, and I couldnt’ find a sign outside or inside to show the correct hours of operation which I would’ve updated on Unilocal!We went to this restaurant on a Tuesday and Unilocal reported it as closed.

Finally got my Korean food fix! Came for dinner and received the little 6 plates of Korean appetizers. They are all a nice way to start the meal.
All entrees come with the appetizers and unlimited white rice. I got the spicy seafood tofu soup. Comes boiling hot and you get a raw egg to crack over the top. I had to wait a little for the soup to come down in temperature, but the soup was flavorful and spicy. Well the right amount of spice for my taste. It had a generous amount of tofu and a variety of seafood items. Would definitely order this again. The portion was kind of small for the price, but tasty

We had an excellent Korean dinner at Cham Cham. The spicy squid was so delicious, as well as the kalbi. Both dishes were perfectly seasoned and cooked. It would have been better though if we did not have to wait too long for our food considering there were only a couple of other diners during our visit. At least they served some banchan; these small plates of side dishes can be quite addicting. I wish they had more selection though… oh well, at least they’re free. Our total bill without tip was $ 44.76.

Day one, meal three in Hilo. First two were underwhelmingly meh. I am beginning to worry that my food trip to Hilo may not turn out so well… I am glad I was wrong. THIS is good stuff. Man have I missed good Korean food. Sadly, Kona does not have good Korean– 1 fast food joint that is blah at best, and 2 korean bars– does that even count?
Anyhow, I am so glad I chose this place. It was up in the air between here and Seoul Station. After reading fellow Unilocalers, I decided for Cham Cham. Ironically, pulling up to the restaurant I see Seoul Station is in the next building over.
We walk in and the place is packed– a good sign. We snag the last open table and look at the menu. The Mrs orders beef bibimbap and I go for the spicy pork. There are pictures of dishes on the wall to accompany the menu you receive at the table. A visual description if you will, in Korean, English and Japanese. Being Japanese speakers we thought a few of the translations were interesting, as they were nothing like the real dish shown.
Anyways, fast forward to the banchan (small vegetable dishes brought out before the meal. Korean pupus if you will). We got 6 dishes (taegu, kimchi, daikon, seaweed, mac salad, and takuwan) and all of them were absolutely delicious. Normally you get one or two that are just average, but all of these were great. We mopped all 6 dishes easily.
The beef bibimbap was OK. It wasn’t anything special to write home about, but it wasn’t un-​tasty in any way. My spicy pork on the other hand, was very very good. A few people have said in previous reviews that it wasn’t spicy. I have to disagree. It isn’t fire spicy or over spicy in any way. It has just enough spice along with the sweetness. The spice was great in that it came a few chews after you bite. The second you don’t think it’s spicy, and there it is.
I am afraid when I go back to this place, I will be ordering the same dish again, although I should be trying something else– it was that good.
The great spicy pork with the really great banchan will bring me back here again when in Hilo. Finally a good meal, and hope for better food on this foodie weekend. :)

After a long and tiring day at the Volcanoes, I was craving Korean food (surprise, surprise)!
Ordered:
*Meat Jun & Spicy Pork Combo ($ 12.99) — for those of you who has never heard of meat jun, it’s thinly sliced beef dipped in flour and egg and then fried. It was my first time trying it and OMG, it’s Delicious! The meat was so TENDER! An absolutely must try! The spicy pork however, was Bleh… it was too sweet and not spicy at all. The combo also came with two potstickers. They were ok.
*Seafood Soon Tofu (10.99) — bland bland bland. Tasted like water and salt with tofu, squid and mushrooms. The tofu had a weird texture… hard to explain. Not a fan…
*Banchan– there were 6 different dishes and they were ok. FYI, they serve the side dishes after our food came, instead of before. Refills were allowed.
Service was good and the server was friendly (young korean guy). There was another guy there and he didn’t seem too happy to be there, no smile whatsoever…
Tip: Order the MEAT JUN, skip the Tofu Soup!