Kim Chee II Restaurant

I’ve always ate and ordered take-​out here.
Quality-​8 of 10. After going to Korea last year, it made me critique the food here in Hawaii. But the Korean food in Hawaii is still good.
Top dishes-​meat jun, bbq-​beef, bbq-​chicken, fish jun. I wouldn’t recommend chicken katsu because it’s a little on the thin side and can be hard.
Service-​9 of 10. Their friendly workers are young and work hard to take care of everyone. It’s a casual setting that a lot of family goes to eat. The booths can be a bit on the small and uncomfortable side.

We’ve been coming here since I was a kid. The portions are large enough for leftovers. The food is consistently good.

Oh boy, where do I begin. I guess I should start by saying, «If you like this place, than I’m really sorry, because I want people to know the truth about how awful it really is.» My first and last experience with this place was when I called to make a takeout order for simple seaweed soup and rice. The guy on the phone was extremely rude and was talking to me like I was dumb for not knowing that they only have a small size soup. He said he could make a large and charge me double of one soup, you wouldn’t believe what I ended up getting, but let me finish. When I walked into the restaurant the first thing I noticed was the terrible fluorescent lighting of the place that gave it this eerie cold institutional feel, and there’s just rows of booths like an old diner that hasn’t been cleaned in years. Everyone working there was wearing regular clothing, and looked like maybe they were the teenage kids of the owners or something, you couldn’t tell exactly who was working there until you asked. I picked up my order at the window at the back of the restaurant and just continued thinking how I should just turn around and leave because the aura of that place just sucked. I’m going to assume it was the owner at the register who matched the rude attitude of the man who took my order. It literally makes me sick reminiscing about my experience here so I’m gonna wrap it up by saying look at the photos of the food (sooo bad) you’re better off going to a Yummy’s where the food is decent and decently priced. I literally got a small takeout (maybe 12oz.) container of COLD seaweed soup with maybe 2 strands of seaweed, for $ 10!!! A joke! I swear the guy ripped me off because I’d never been there and he just charged me whatever he thought he could get out of me. Really bad business ethic, shabby ambiance and cruddy food. Looks really musty/​dirty overall.

Love this place! We always get awesome service every time we come here. The owner, Jimmy, always remembers us and is super friendly.
The food portions are so huge! I can have three meals out of one plate here. The food is ready in no time too. Plus the prices are so reasonable!!!
The sides that they give are also a lot. They make sure that you have enough all the time!

This has been one of my favorites since way back when. Not much has changed since I started going here. Same great food, big amounts! Teri beef is so soft not to sweet or salty. The prices are still good! Probably in my opinion the best kim chee out of them all !

I ordered a tofu soup with vegetables. Bad choice. He place didn’t looked cleaned. But I have to say the staff was really nice and friendly.

I’ve been going to Kim Chee 2 for the past 23+ years, and have always loved their food. It’s been about a year and a half since my last visit because I’ve been away, and today it just wasn’t up to par. I usually get the lunch combo, and today the bbq chicken was a way smaller portion, was overcooked/​hard, and just didn’t taste right. The meat jun, however, was awesome as usual. I’m hoping it was just a bad chicken day for the cook.

Had a lot of Chicken Katsu but this is some of the worst I’ve tried. 1/​16″ thick piece of chicken that resembles breaded jerky. Dried. Burnt. See photos
Edit: Received a refund, nice people, good customer service. Changed rating to 3 star
Edit-​edit: Thought I wasn’t going to be charged for this chicken jerky, ended up getting 50% off. Lowering to 2 star

When I get to choose where to go to eat, Kim Chee II is what I always say. I always get the Combo special. It’s one of the most expensive plates on the menu but I know I will get to eat some more the next day. I eat it in when I can just for the soup and the barley tea. The head cabbage kim chee is the best. It always tastes fresh. I know your average self respecting Korean will scoff at that but you never see Koreans eating in there anyway. Adapted to local tastes is what I hear. Who the Hell cares. Food is fantastic whatever you order. Except for the ShrimpTempura. Not a fan. I miss the old man but Jimmy is running things that would make him proud. OMG writing this review, now I gotta eat here tonight.

I found myself here when a nearby restaurant I planned to try was closed. I was happily surprised. Had spicy shoyu chicken (which comes with some soup, lettuce, seaweed, rice, kim-​chee, and a couple other classic Korean pickled sides). Not a huge fan of the plate-​lunch framework in general, but Korean sides are light years ahead of macaroni salad. So that brings Kim Chee II a cut above your typical Hawaiian lunch fare. The chicken was legit too.

Darcie says we’ve been here before but she must mean another guy.
Couldn’t think of a place to eat and Darcie wanted Korean but but not our typical dives. So being the man of the family I elected for us to go to Kim Chi II. I’ve lived in Kaimuki for most of my life and really don’t remember eating here but I know it’s been around since I was a little kid.
The seaweed soup is awesome. The music is kind of like Muzak so it’s funny. There is only cabbage and daikon Kim chi.
We ordered a mix plate, tofu stew, meat jun, small Teri beef.
I’m sitting here waiting for our food and writing a review. All I can think about is how nostalgic the décor is. Reminds of restaurants of old. Cocos. Coral Reef. Flamingos.
But the food is plentiful and delicious. And the price is pretty good.

Kim Chee II is a Kaimuki staple serving up **local style** Korean BBQ. If you’re looking for a «traditional» Korean restaurant, keep moving. The guy running the place has been there my entire life and is always friendly and helpful.
I recommend the combo plate, and my sister is mad about the butter fish. If you dine in you get hot soup and some pupus along with your meal. The booths are big and comfy and the styling is out of another era. It makes me feel like I’ve been transported back to the Honolulu my parents grew up in.

I love having lunch here, but not for the reasons you might expect. Yes, the seaweed soup and kalbi are awesome! Yes, the big booths are comfy and spacious! Yes, there’s tons of parking! Yes, the food is consistent, big portions and a great value!
But there is one other thing probably few (if any of you) have thought of… THE MUSIC.
Yes, Kim Chee II is pretty much the only place on the island where you can hear midcentury music like Arthur Lyman, Henry Mancini and Les Baxter. Nowadays people call this music «easy listening» (and that’s true, it is), but back in the 50s and 60s when it was in its heyday, this is the kind of music that put Hawaii on the map.
The genre is formally called Exotica and it was popularized by local musicians like Arthur Lyman, Martin Denny, Augie Colon, and Harold Chang. It is very relaxing, scenic music, and to my knowledge, Kim Chee II is the only place that plays it. The music has lots of nice melodies, great arranging/​orchestration, and is easy to talk story over.
Now you know why, after a big plate of kalbi, you feel so relaxed. Not only is it the «kanak attack,» but it is also the soothing sounds of exotica music.
Check it out… it really sets the mood and makes for a great eating vibe!

Pros: Meat jun and sauce
Friendly staff
Good sized portions for reasonable prices
Cons: shrimp tempura is all tempura
Vegetables taste old

I personally LOVE Korean food. It’s just sad when what should be a nice eating experience is turned sour because of poor customer service. The male owner working the register of this establishment is VERY rude. I don’t know what his deal is but he makes you feel as if he is doing YOU a favor by selling you his food. I mean don’t get me wrong, I am by no means one of those customers who expects to be treated like some king or queen just cause I’m giving you my business. I do however believe in mutual respect. If you treat me with respect then I will do the same for you. If not, then I’ll just take my business somewhere else. Plain and simple.
The food here is pretty middle of the road, not stupendously good but not terrible either. Given my non-​food related experience though I will not give it three stars as I believe this rating should be inclusive of all aspects of the restaurant and I believe the poor customer service far outweighed the quality of the food.
Thankfully I still love my Korean food and this experience has not changed that at all. What has changed though is that Kim Chee II has lost my business for good. Who knows though, perhaps your experience will be different (although it does seem that I am not the only person who has had a problem with this male owner). Good luck!

An old reliable… Solid comfort Korean dining. I’ve been eating here for over 30 years and the food has always tasted the same!
Who wouldn’t like the Ono kalbi, katsu, meat jun, barbq chicken, and the list goes on. If you dine in, you get the seaweed soup and you can check out the mounted mongoose vs bird fight display!
One star off bc I wish they had wonbok kimchi instead of cabbage. Please.

I know there will be some readers who look at this and say, «How could she give this place 5 stars?»
Now, before I tell you «How?» let me say that I am very well aware that this is not an authentic Korean restaurant and that many of the dishes have been adapted to local tastes.
Which is exactly what I love about it! It’s just enough Korean taste for non-​Korean Korean food eating customers like me.
Today I just picked up a side order of radish kim chee, and my usual is the mix plate which includes kalbi, bulgogi, bbq chicken and mandoo. Its a lot of food which makes it fun to share.
When I have the time, I like to relax and eat in because they serve the seaweed soup. Its a bit on the salty side and has a nice iodine ocean flavor to it. If you like seaweed, you’ll love it!
Much more than the tasty food, I appreciate the family who runs the business. Our family has been going there for 20+ years, and have seen Jimmy and his family grow up.
They treat us like family and no matter how busy, Jimmy will always make time for small talk while keeping the kitchen and servers on top of the orders.
There are certainly a lot of good new restaurants in old Kaimuki town. Kim Chee II is a classic and will always be my favorite.
5 stars for Kim Chee II!

My favorite Korean restaurant ever! The staff is always friendly and polite, and are quick to bring your food out as well as some kim chee to snack on.
The food is my favorite part tho! Their meat jun is my favorite, and so is their tonkatsu. The servings are quite large for a decent price. The sauce ties everything together! If you’re ever craving a good Korean meal, come here!

Our «go to» Korean restaurant in Kaimuki there are lots of price friendly options in the Kaimuki/​Kapahulu areas but Kim Chee is a Kaimuki institution that has been here for decades.
All there stuff is good but we especially like the bbq meat/​bbq chicken combo. Plus the typical array of veggies plus the seaweed soup is a welcome sight when eating here.
Always a welcome comfort food restaurant when coming home from a trip or when you don’t feel like cooking.

My family & I ordered family style, which I think is the way to go when dining here during dinner time. We ordered the meat platter which came with meat jun, fried mun doo and 1 other meat (that I can’t remember at this time), kahl bi LA style (which is thinner sliced than the local style) and kim chee soondubu. Everything was tasty, and the kim chee soondubu spicy just the way I like it. We also received vegetable condiments which consisted of bean sprouts, seawee, and pickled cabbage. And 3 bowls of individual rice (since there was 3 of us).
The employees were nice and the food tasty. I would definitely come back.