Jo Y.
Yelp
After immigrating to HI, Henry and Rose Chun opened Kim Chee 2 Restaurant in 1977. The prominent Chun family opened a series of Korean restaurants named Kim Chee and differentiated by a number. The four Kim Chee restaurants still operating today are Kim Chee I in Kaneohe, Kim Chee 2 in Kaimuki, Kim Chee 7 in Aiea, and Kim Chee 9 on Kauai.
This review is for Kim Chee 2 in Kaimuki.
With Henry Chun's passing in 2014, son Jimmy Chun took over Kim Chee 2 until his passing in 2021. Jimmy's three children, Nick, Faith, and Leila took over the restaurant after growing up working in the restaurant, just like their dad, Jimmy. Nick is the overall manager.
Kim Chee 2 offers the typical Korean bbq meats (LA short rib, big bone short rib, bulgogi, bbq pork), chicken, fried mandoo, fried rice, tonkatsu, meat jun, bi bim bap, bi bim kook soo, chap chae, chicken tofu, fish jun, spicy pork, and shrimp tempura. Lunch/dinner specials and combos use a variation of these dishes. The restaurant, known for its bbq items, also serves butterfish, squid, zucchini jun, and soups. The dishes are served with veggies (bean sprouts, bean sprouts, and pickled cabbage) and rice. Banchan of kim chee and pickled turnip are also served. Original family recipes are used. Note that their menu offerings are not authentic Korean cuisine, but instead adapted to local tastes; so, you won't find any Korean nationals here speaking Korean, but instead generational local folks who have grown up with this restaurant. There's also a good chance that meat jun was invented here, as you will not find this dish in Korea.
We ordered the following:
* Mixed plate. This consisted of a large bone bbq short rib, bulgogi, bbq chicken, fried mandoo. This was a nice assortment of their meats, and all were tasty from the different marinades that were used prior to grilling. Loved the charring, and the tenderness of the meats. I especially loved the big bone kalbi with its perfect yummy taste after grilling!
* Combo of shrimp tempura and meat jun. The shrimp tempura is the bready style, but yet there was crispiness on the outside. The meat jun's egg batter was very soft and fluffy that did not separate from the meat. Perfectly done. Interestingly, there is only the gochujang sauce that is used for dipping for all meats, including the shrimp, and I did not have any problems with that.
We shared the banchan of kimchee and kimchee turnip. Both dishes had beansprouts, seaweed, and pickled cabbage. We each had seaweed soup, which was piping hot and lots of seaweed in it. Portions were generous, and we had leftovers to last another meal.
As we were there during off-peak hours, like about 4p, there were only a few people dining. As such, customer service was excellent with prompt efficient service by friendly family members.
The restaurant interior is like time has stood still. Yes, it's very dated and would not be surprised if it looked the same when it first opened. You never see an entire restaurant with entirely bluish-green vinyl booths anymore, but you'll find them here. Korean art adorns the walls, and Korean vases are displayed alongside the booths.
Hours of operation are Wed to Mon 10:30a to 7:45p, closed Tues. Located up on the hill in Kaimuki next to Happy Days Chinese Restaurant, a large municipal lot is located in the back, and metered parking on Waialae Ave and surrounding streets.
This family-run old-school restaurant is likely to continue its legacy in offering tasty Korean comfort food to locals in generous portions at reasonable prices. We look forward in returning whenever we have a craving our local Korean favorites! Support local!