Best Drive-In

We ordered the meat jun and beef mini plate for $ 7.75 each. It comes with a choice of 2 sides: mac salad, corn, fish cake, cucumber, kimchi, choi sum, wakame, bean sprouts, potato, etc. The food is very tasty, and the portions are quite generous. We like their homemade burgers and fries. The food is prepared quite quickly. They are very friendly.

Just because it says — «Best», it doesn’t really mean the food is the best…
Maybe I should have just stopped by to get a chicken musbi?
Or maybe I should have tried something else… other than the BBQ Chicken I ate on Friday.
I was working in the Sand Island area, and when I was done with my job, I decided to mosey on down to a place called — Best Drive-​In.
Best Drive –In is a little restaurant located in the Sand Island area, and they feature mostly Korean BBQ Food.
As I walked in, I could see they had premade bentos, musubi, & some pre-​made food. I didn’t go for any of the pre-​made items, and elected to go for a BBQ Chicken plate ($ 9.37 with tax).
You get the standard — 4 sides with you plate, and rice. I ended up getting the brown rice with my meal.
What can I say about my meal?
Overall the food was just okay… nothing outstanding about it. The BBQ chicken marinade was so-​so, but at least they didn’t burnt the chicken like some other Korean BBQ places. My brown rice was kinda hard, so I ended up not eating it.
The 4 sides I picked with my meal — (kimchee, bean spouts, kimchee fish cake, & cabbage) everything tasted okay, with the exception of the cabbage which had a rubbery texture… not sure what was up with that.
I would probably have to agree with bruddah Eric Robert R. on da assessment of this place.
The Korean lady who was helping me was very friendly, the décor of the restaurant was very old skool, and the grub… very average to below average at best.

The parking can be a bit rough and a lot of the big rigs tend to line up in what looks like a large bike lane but its probably actually designed for the big trucks. Once you get a parking stall Best Inn is tucked in near the diamond head end of the strip mall.
We were immediately greeted by the kind friendly staff with a «long time no see», which made us feel nice and welcomed even though we hadn’t been there before. I ordered the Meat Jun with a small drink (the drink sizes are big) and have my choice of korean veggie sides. The sides were fresh and tasty and portions a bit generous. The one complaint was that the potato salad was really dry, amazing enough, the potato was dry… the mayo of course not.
The Meat jun was UNREAL, honestly the best Meat Jun I’ve ever had. My friend had the spicy pork which was good, but she agreed, the Meat Jun was awesome. We will be back for more Meat Jun!!!

Very good Korean bar b q large portions and very reasonably priced will be coming back for more

Ate there for lunch today. Delicious is an understatement! I got the Meat Jhun and I loved it. You get a ton of food for a very fair price. Rice, four choices of veggies, and lots of jhun. Must go now! Great place with great service and food

This place truly is THE BEST korean plate lunch! Sweetest Korean lady makes the best radish kim chee and chicken katsu. If you’re ever in the area and crave ono Korean food, this is definitely the place!

Coming from California and damm. Havent had Great Korean Food in awhile! Everything about this place is so dope! The owners are the sweetest and so welcoming. I got the Drive in special with everything and lots of Kim-​chi and the Daikon root kim chi like! Highly recommend to come through!

Want Korean take out? Come here. Cash only. Best Kim chee and the special combo plate is insanely cheap food enough for 2 – 3 people for $ 12.50. The workers are very nice. They have yum yum mandoo and amazing egg rolls they call — KOREAN Eggroll. (What else would they call it?) it’s stuffed with thin beef, bean sprouts and veggies in a brown sauce and stuffed real big. Gotta try it — they run out fast.

I’ve eaten here countless times in the past 15 years because I used to work down Sand Island side. It was convenient to stop here on the way to work. Other than that, it’s not a place I would drive to just to eat if I wasn’t in the area.
I’m seeing a pattern in a lot of my reviews. It seems that one of my criteria is whether I would drive someplace to eat that’s out of my way and how far.
For me, the food is nothing to be wowed. Average to just above average Korean take out. The staff and owners are very friendly and every now and then will throw in something extra gratis. It’s a safe bet as long as you don’t expect anything more than good take out Korean food.

So I’m standing in line to order. The guy in front of me is paying for his. An Asian woman walks in and stand in front of me. A male worker comes forward and asks her what she wants to order. She points too me, and says he was first. The male then proceeds to say «that’s alright», and continues to help her. WTF…

The prices here are very reasonable especially considering how much food they give plus it tastes pretty good too. Also the service was very friendly and helpful. I will definitely come back again.

I have been going to this eatery since 2003. What can be said about a place that is around for that long on such a limited area that already isn’t said about a business being around for so long? (get it? or did I lose you?) I guess I can give some details since you already can figure out that it is a sure thing eatery. May not be the best in everything but most things are pretty darn good. And that is not easy to do.
Let me start with the owners and workers… every day, always smiling, all day long. Wonderful people, hard-​workers! Love them!
Okay, now the food. Whether it is the ready made okazuya offered in the morning for breakfast eaters that are in a rush, to made to order meals off the menu, everything is pretty tasty. Things I enjoy in order of my personal favorites:
*spicy pork
*fried squid
*Korean sushi roll
*meat juhn, fish juhn, mundoo
I have tried other things but can’t remember them all. I have never been disappointed. I love their vegetables and sides!
One complaint I have here is that when you ask for spicy it doesn’t happen. Their kimchee is also not spicy. It is just not something they do.
Other than that, I love this place. It always feels so welcoming and I feel appreciated as the owners constantly strive to please their customers. They work 10 hour days 6 days a week to be available to their customers. Honestly this is why this place is 5-​stars in my book rather than 4!

Cash only!
The kalbi here is pretty darn amazing. Great marinate & great quality of meat.
Knocking it down a star because the kimchi (or kim chee to most people here on the island) was lacking. It was stale in flavor & spice. A tad disappointing, really.
But I absolutely recommend this place on their kalbi plate alone!

This was our second time catering through Best Drive-​In. Once again it was for my oldest daughter’s birthday. And, once again, the food was ONO! Prices went up by a dollar since our last time ordering, but heck, it’s still a good deal.
We got the Menu I which comes out to $ 13 per person, buffet style for a party of about 40 people. Included are the following:
–BBQ Beef
–BBQ Chicken
–Chicken Katsu
–Mandoo
–Meat Jhun
–Long Rice
–White Rice
–Bean Sprouts
–Mac Salad
–Cabbage
–Kim Chee Cucumber
–Kim Chee
–Watercress
We ended up ordering for only 20 people and still had choke left overs! People loved the food and kept coming back for more. And when we told them to bring home left overs, they jumped on it and took home plates on top of plates.
They accept credit card only for catering orders. But, this is by far the most reasonable, tastiest place on the island for catering. I will even go as far as to say they are waaaaaay better than Gina’s! And, the owner is super friendly and helpful.
But, then again Korean food depends on what your palate prefers. Each place has it’s own blend of sesame oil, salt, sweetness, etc. Best Drive-​In has the right mix for my Korean palate.

Egg roll bomb! BOOM, bay-​bee!
4.5 stars, defaulting to 4 overall. Came here for a very, very early lunch after a flight. Most of us ordered the same damn thing (monkey see, monkey mandoo). Usually, everything is tasty and great. This time… still good, but…
PROs:
+ chicken Katsu was beautifully trimmed! crunchy, great breading to meat ratio
+ brown rice done well
+ Kalbi was tasty and soft, easy to eat
+ BBQ chicken was grilled beautifully with good char
+ giant egg roll looked like a grease bomb but was freaking awesome fresh (maybe wouldn’t be later, tho)
+ like Mako H. said, the meat jun is really, *really* good
+ okazuya was fresh & a great value
+ choke food for the money
+ sweet, sweet ladies behind the counter and a really nice owner who checked on people even as he was bringing in supplies
CONs:
— banchan (sides) weren’t very flavorful today for some reason.
@Choi sum was gritty and needed salt/​shoyu.
@Bean sprouts weren’t seasoned well, either.
@Mac salad was plain, but compared to the outstanding proteins, stood out as a coulda-been-so-good-but-wasn’t.
@Even the seaweed needed seasoning (rats!).
— parking is tight at lunch and you will compete with a lot of work trucks (hey, it’s Sand Island), best to have someone drop you off.
We’ll be back, of course. Those musubi are crazy good. And the egg roll, while not a thing of beauty to many, I love. Like an ugly baby or a hunchbacked boyfriend who is nonetheless more fun than a Grand Canyon zipline. But maybe next time, I’ll try totally different banchan.

Ugggh. I really want to go with the herd and automatically give Best Drive-​In a perfect 5-​stars, but you know what?
I can’t. Best Drive-​In is NOT DA BEST!
I’ll buck the trend and give BDI a view from the Rebellious Black Sheep of the family…
«An-​yŏng-​ha-​se-​yo!» (Hi)
BDI AMBIANCE:
Typical boxy local diner. It’s located a few blocks down on Sand Island Access Rd. The building probably new in the 1970’s and ironically 1970’s soft rock playing as I walked in. The typical Yvonne Elliman’s «If I Can’t Have You». Framed photos of the owners posing with Daniel Dae Kim, Chad Owens, Neil Abercrombie (I guess they like K-​food too), etc. The business itself can’t be that old, but I’m only guessing a decade max? Two food counters– meat & vegetables/​sides. The disco menu on the wall. Several cafeteria type tables & chairs scatter throughout. Most patrons were workers in the area. Best described as a CAFETERIA vibe with a South Korea touch.
GRADE: C+
BDI GRUB:
Seems like the go-​to item here is the Meat Jun. Per Emi, my little birdie and most legit reviews I scanned. Of course, I go to the counter and order something else. Typical me /​sigh. All regular plates (mini is an option) comes with 4 sides. My order:
PORK KATSU (looked good in pic) — Sweet Potato, Choi Sum, Corn and Long-​rice Noodles. Of course, White Rice (brown is an option) is my starch. No doubt I received CHOKE food. A ton of sides and a ton of Katsu, but.
It WASN’T DA BEST! Frankly, it seemed like the Katsu could have been in higher heat as it was soggier than I would have liked. Still good, as I ate it all, but definitely NOT DA BEST! The SIDES, interesting enough, were probably better than the average Korean Fast Food spot! So, the SIDES might be BEST, but definitely NOT the Katsu. This ran me nearly $ 9 buckaroos, but it was plenty!
GRADE: C+
BDI STAFF:
Very, very friendly staff. I believe the couple, at the counter, were also the owners– both humming Yvonne Elliman tunes. There were at least two others in the back too. Probably all South Korean related. Very, very friendly and easy to «talk story» in English or if you know Korean, go for it. I love these small businesses that try hard to compete with the chain stores and restaurants! The friendliness of the staff get’s a bonus star!
GRADE: A
I guess I should have ordered the Meat Jun or something meaty like the Short Ribs, but no I went with my lips, yet again. So, being frugal me I ate every bite and walked out feeling a tad bloated. No worries I’m headed to the gym anyway… Well, after I digest it for an hour.
«Don’t know why
I’m survivin’ ev’ry lonely day
When there’s got to be no chance for me
My life would end…» –Yvonne Elliman
Lastly, my experience was average, but with very nice owners. So, I have to grade BEST as AVERAGE with a BONUS STAR for friendliness. 3-​stars + 1-​star = 4-​stars. A decent place for some choke Korean grub in the heart of Sand Island. I wouldn’t go out of my way for it, but then again…
I still need to try the Meat Jun! Is it really DA BEST?!
Hey, at least I have Yvonne Elliman, circa 1978, etched on my mind for a week! Yes!
«If I can’t have you
I don’t want nobody baby
If I can’t have you, uh-​huh, oh…»
–Yvonne Elliman
«Na-​jung-​e bwae-​yo!» (Cya later alligator)
Unilocal REVIEW #179

The best drive in has the best spicy BBQ pork. the flavor is strong and their portions are large. i usually order full plate and i eat it for 2 meal. i love it! They are very friendly workers and service is great. Quick on their meal and if you phone order, by the time you get there your food is ready. Also they have okazuya style of food where you get to pick up to 6 items and it’s under $ 10 dollar with the drink.
the food taste good and their service is great so i’m a fan of this place.

My boyfriend frequents Best Drive-​In when he needs a quick snack or lunch during the work week, and today I stopped by with him to grab his go-​to favorite: chicken musubis. At $ 1.45 I’ve always wondered about these infamous chicken musubis which he swears by. Once I offered to make him a breakfast burrito and he told me he’d just grab a chicken musubi. So here is what I deduced are three possible reasons for his decision:
A) My breakfast burritos suck.
B) There is a hot girl at the counter.
C) The chicken musubis are a really good deal and he was in a rush to get to work.
Thankfully I think that the reason is «C,» because although the man who runs Best Drive-​In is super friendly, he is definitely not a hot girl and I know my cooking to be quite spectacular. I ordered four chicken musubis and they made them fresh which I thought was pretty great! The meat is chicken thighs which are nice and juicy and there’s a huge ball of rice wrapped in big pieces of nori. A bit too much rice for my taste but my two-​year old daughter devoured it with glee. As a bonus I have to say that I appreciate any place which states on it’s menu «God Loves Your Everyday» and «Nice Coffee For Your Morning,» all of course which is served with a genuine smile.

For service alone, this place deserves 4 stars! The ladies who work there are super nice. I went early to try and avoid lunch rush (got there about 11am) and it was actually busy! people make a lot of phone orders so you just walk in and see boxes of food ready for pick up.
When you walk in, they immediately acknowledge you and tell you that whenever your ready just let them know. I had nooooo idea what to get so I got the Special (Kalbi, BBQ chicken, Meet juhn, Tempura things) and a Meat Jun plate. Unilocal had an awesome check-​in offer so every plate came with 3 free mandoo! Sweeeet :)
I paid $ 17 for the two plates, and within less than 5 minutes my food was ready! The portions are GENEROUS and the food is really good. I particularly liked the kalbi. It was sweet and charred and delicious! Suck-​the meat-​off-​the-​bones Mmm Mmm good! I’m totally a fan. Any place that can combine friendly and FAST service, large portions, and good food, is a-​ok in my book.
Don’t forget to check Unilocal for awesome check-​in deals. :) I’ll be back soon to try their other offerings. Can’t wait to try their katsu!

Best Drive-​In? Best kept secret!
Actually, it’s no secret to those who work out in Sand Island. This place is always crowded for the breakfasts under $ 4 and the amazing plate lunches $ 8 – 9. LOVE their Korean food, LOVE the okazuya food, LOVE the pre-​made musubis, and LOVE all the banchans in the display case. Get there early or they will run out of your favorites!
Too bad I didn’t check-​in til I was done or I could’ve loved the free 3-​piece mandoo too! Next time!