Willow Tree Restaurant

I gave Willow Tree Restaurant a five star rating because of their excellent service and food! Willow Tree is a small whole in the wall restaurant located on the Windward side of Oahu. They are a family owned business. Immediately you can tell that they take pride in their customers and especially their food. My family of three and I were quickly seated and taken care of. As soon as we sat down the nice waiter was already serving us water, placing our utensils down (chopstick or fork), passing out menus, and serving us a warm bowl of turnip soup. Without us having to ask they scooted in a high chair for my little niece. Willow Tree is a quiet, calm and relax place to enjoy your meal. But don’t get me wrong it is also family orientated and kid friendly as well. My niece gave out a couple of loud giggles and screams here and there; while we were trying to get her to be quiet they were giving her more utensils to play «drums» with. Their seating can hold up to a good amount of people per family. My family and I went to eat at Willow Tree during the early afternoon, just in time for lunch specials (11 – 4). Lunch specials are around twelve dollars and consist of your choices of three different meats, mac salad, vegetables and rice. They are very generous with their portions as well! In less than ten minutes our food was already out. Don’t underestimate their speedy cooking skills; your food will still be juicy and cooked perfectly. From the lunch menu I ordered their famous Kalbi, BBQ chicken, and Spicy Katsu. So ono! During lunch hours you are still able to order anything on the menu as well. There’s so much to choose from! Throughout our entire dining experience we did not have to get the waiters attention. He was constantly refilling our drinks/​vegetables and asking if we needed anything else. Their quick service and tasty food will keep my family and I coming back for more. I highly recommend that if you are ever on the windward side that you must stop off and try Willow Tree. After one visit you will become a regular!

I loved their food. I usually never finish my plate, the food was so delicious had to stuffed myself. I tried the lunch combo with shoyu chicken, fish Juhn and jahp chae — best Korean food! Must try!

This was our first time trying Korean food. I was a little apprehensive about it because (as I’ve mentioned in other reviews) my husband has the taste palette of a 6 year old. However, we were ver glad to have tried this out! My husband ordered the Kalbi beef and it was amazingly delicious! I didn’t expect to it to have been so tender, juicy, flavorful! Omg! Way better than any nicer looking fine in chain restaurant I’ve ordered more expensive steak from. I ordered the BBQ chicken, and while it was pretty good, I was left wanting my husband’s delicious steak more than what I’d ordered. Ha! But who would have known! I tried the kimchi (not my thing) and the cold potatoes were good, but it was hard to get past the cold when you’re used to eating warm potatoes.

We came here on a Friday night and had to wait a bit but it was worth it. There were 4 of us. We had the butterfish, bolgogi, kimchi soup, and the sautéed beef. All we excellent. Staff was very nice. However, the only reason I give 4 stars is because they don’t sell any alcohol beverages and you have to pay for seconds of the small kimchi plates that you get with you meal.

Love coming here! Workers are super friendly and they always cater to my daughter who is 11 months. Two times that we went there they brought out tofu cubes and radish chunks for my daughter to eat. So sweet of them to think of the baby! And with no extra charge. The food is always so tasty! Love the little side dishes that come along with your meal. My favorite dish to order is the sizzling steak, the meat is so tender! Also the spicy chicken Katsu is a must!

Would probably give 3.5 stars if that were an option. I liked what I had here (spicy pork, bbq chicken, bbq beef, bibimbap, banchan), but my wife felt that the seasoning was not well done (sweet, but not enough garlic or spiciness to many of the dishes). And given that the pricing is just a tad on the high side, I can’t give an unqualified recommendation. There are lunch specials, so lunch is priced slightly better than dinner.
The service here is consistently excellent, with a very attentive wait staff. The décor is nothing special — diner-​ish. Plenty of parking in the lot. I’d go here again, but if I’m with my wife, we’ll have to be sure to get the spicy pork, which she thought made everything better.

Took my mom and aunt here for lunch — can’t beat the lunch special here. Service is always great, food served hot and fast and always consistently great. We all love the clear broth soup but I had to have my favorite spicy chicken Katsu. Great little restaurant!

Best Korean restaurant in Kailua. Tonight I had the Shoyu Butterfish and it was melt in your mouth good. The spicy pork is always a good choice also and the spicy chicken Katsu.
We also love the daikon soup they give you as an appetizer, the broth is clear but very tasty.
The place is always crowded, best to go for an early lunch or dinner. They always get busy during peak hours.

This little hole in the wall is a gem in Kaneohe. It’s just unfortunate that its so far from where I live, I’d probably order from here often. We were doing some banking in the area and decided to check out options for dinner. This came up, «Thanks Unilocalers!» and it was a winner. YAY!!! While its not the authentic style that I’m accustomed to, it was close enough. There were a few banchan dishes that they provided. A little soup… albeit a little lukewarm for me… but I ordered croaker fish whole. PEOPLE, do not fear whole fish. You eat around the inedible parts and get to the tasty meat! So what if the eyeballs are there… its not going to bite… promise. Fish was good and reasonable for what they provided. Hubby chose Kalbi and it was surprisingly good in taste AND portions!
Like I said, I would definitely be back if I lived closer. And maybe sometime we’ll just go out there for the convenience of having reasonably priced Korean food.
So then why only 4 stars? Service was attentive, I could see that they turned over tables and there was plenty of carry out orders. Well… for me the fact that I could see the massive table of clutter and her whole life in the back part of the restaurant did not bode well with me. And outside of the servers, the restaurant owner never acknowledged any of the tables that were there. Still, outside of the clutter that triggers my OCD to go clean… this is a good meal and definitely worth some time to get to!

Okay, I’m legit Korean so when visiting in Kailua I was craving some comfort food. I was seriously disappointed with the Korean food here… I can’t speak for anything else. Nothing was like it was in Korea or here at home (when my Mom makes it) or any of the millions of Korean joints around LA.
Not sure how they describe themselves as «Korean» but if you’re looking for REAL, authentic Korean food… you won’t find it here.

I love everything about Willow Tree… I’m visiting home from Arizona, and my taste buds were crying tears of joy when I ate lunch here yesterday with my dad. The lunch specials can’t be beat. I picked meat jun, bbq chicken, and bulgogi, with mac salad. It came with soup, a bowl of rice, and kimchi for my dad and I to share. Speaking of the kimchi, it was so good! I don’t know if they make it themselves but it was the best kimchi I’ve had in months. Definitely didn’t seem like it was from a jar.
Going to miss them when I go back to AZ…

Little Korean restaurant with delicious food. First impression, a family restaurant with large booth and comfortable seating.
I ordered the spicy chicken katshu ($ 13), recommended by a Unilocaler. It was very good, and not very spicy. It is on the sweet side. There were many little Korean appetizers that came with our orders, and rice.
Lots of parking, & Safeway grocery store right next door. Convenient to grab something on the way home.
We enjoyed our lunch here.

Love this place! Great prices, food, and customer service!
Highly recommend going for their lunch special on weekdays, 3 item plate for $ 12.
My absolute favorite is the spicy chicken katsu, it’s so unique as I’ve never had it anywhere else. Other favorites are the mean juhn, grilled chicken, and either kalbi or bulgogi.
Have come here quite a few times now and have noticed the line getting longer each time, but the wait is usually quick and so worth it. The older gentleman with the glasses that works here is always so friendly and quick to take our order and refill water.
Again, great prices, food, and customer service — what more can you ask for? HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

Kalbi n chicken wings were spot on! Jaep jae was missing the sweetness we associate w the dish. Very large portions so we were able to share. Family operated business!!! Thank you!

My absolute FAVORITE Korean restaurant. I love their food so much that I drive to Kailua town just to get my cravings fulfilled! Back 3 years ago while I was in nursing school, this would be the place my classmates and I would eat after long weeks of clinicals, tests, and even when we went on morning hikes or to the beach. Willow Tree always fulfills!
For $ 11.95 you get a lunch combo, choice of 3 with the rice, veggies or Mac salad, and the kimchee on the side! That’s my kind of deal. Portions are good. I’m always full.
That turnip soup though. OMG. I was always craving that when I was pregnant. So much that Id be searching for how to make it till this day!
I always get their kalbi, meat jun and jahp chae. Kalbi is not oily, hardly any fat, but still juicy and tasty. Their meat jun — the egg is fluffy, & lightly flavored. The jahp chae has a lot of tasty vegetables in it!
If you want good quality Korean food, with friendly service, and no long wait, the drive to Kailua is WORTH IT.

While staying in Kailua with a friend, we were looking for a place nearby for dinner. Overall, the meal was not bad. It’s a small mom and pop korean restaurants. Very nice owners and kind waiters. We went on a friday night and the wait was about 30 mins. Very small location.
They have the standard korean items such as kalbi, spicy pork, rice cake soup, and mandoo plus some local inspired plates (shoyu chicken, kimchee fried rice etc)
I ordered the shoyu chicken since I was craving that, although the flavors were on point, the chicken was very dry. It was served with rice and some sliced cabbage.
The meal came with an assortment of banchans ranging from bean spouts, potatoes, kimchee, and marinated cucumbers. Maybe i’m spoiled, but I was a bit shocked to learn that the banchans weren’t unlimited like it is in all the korean restaurants in LA. Thankfully the owner was nice enough to not charge us for and extra «side» of kimchee.
Overall I would say that food was okay. It wasn’t anything extraordinary, but like i said before, coming from LA with an awesome ktown, i’m a bit spoiled. The prices were around $ 13 – 16 per dish which is okay. If you’re on this side of the island and craving korean food. then it’s not a bad option. Out of towers and visitors, you can skip this place.

This will be my third draft on this establishment. Oh, Unilocal.Glitches…
This was my first and only visit to Willow Tree Restaurant, and it seems like it is a popular joint in Kailua. Walk in, sign in, and wait to be seated. There’s a few rows of booths and a few tables on the right half of the restaurant. From the looks of it, it looks like a family business. Very casual dinning, a bit retro, but comfortable and clean.
This is located in Aikahi in Kailua, a few doors left of the Safeway. Parking is within the lot and it is free.
NOTE: this is NOT a BYOB place. (There’s a sign on the door that states that)
My friend, Scott K. wanted to try this place. I was hesitant at first because the last time I had Korean (from somewhere else), it didn’t sit well with me. But I decided to give it another try and get the Kal Bi ($ 13) to be safe. We each ordered from the lunch menu vs. the regular portion which cost a lot more. It wasn’t a value meal lunch, but it was worth the $ 13. They served us each a soup and pickled veggies to start. Our plates came with more pickled veggies, rice and the kal-​bi already cut up (bone-​in). It was delicious!
If I’m in the area again, I would return to try something else. We looked around at the other tables and they all looked good!

I wish I could give a 4 and a half star rating. The food quality was a 5, by far. It’s just a hole in the wall, without much atmosphere and the staff/​kitchen can barely keep up with the orders, but the food makes everything okay. All was SO GOOD. Just thinking about the dishes, I want to change my rating to a 5, but I have to consider the all-​encompassing experience. (So, I’ll stick with the 4.)
I’ve been a few times now and every time, I can’t wait to go back. Each visit I get something different and I have never been disappointed. To start, each person gets a small bowl of soup that looks like nothing, but it’s packed with flavor. Then the table gets an assortment of cured veggies. All entrees have been perfect. From delicately panko crusted (fried) chicken katsu to the more mild BBQ steak or tempura shrimp, each item out of the kitchen is absolute delectable.

Great authentic affordable Korean food. This place is authentic. I’m talking real authentic.
I had the bi bim bop for lunch which came with sides of Kim chi, tofu, potatoes, and veggies. All for 12.95 which is a great deal. The lunch was delicious. There were a number of lunch specials that looked great.
Crowd was local. And the restaurant front looks kinda shabby, but the food was delicious. A great mom and pop restaurant. The owners were very sweet and kind. The food came out quickly.
Highly recommend.

Don’t come here to admire the décor, ambiance, and aesthetic appearance… it is a small hole in the wall crammed into a strip mall (Aikahi Mall). The food however has a big reputation and does not disappoint. I don’t really come here for the sit-​down experience; I order take out and revel at the large portions I get in conjunction with the flavor detonation in my mouth.
More specifically, the chicken katsu, spicy or not, is probably the hands-​down favorite: thinly sliced juicy chicken fried in the traditional katsu batter is a winner… at least one in my family gets this so we all share. Other things we usually get are the sides of fried man doo and the meat jun. Both of these never disappoint.
The food always comes with a plentiful serving of sprout based salad, kimchi, and rice with fried tofu. For a fair price you get sufficient food to feed the most famished of souls quickly and with great service to match.
My go-​to Asian takeout