Jo Y.
Yelp
Yang Ye Park and husband Sung Yong with their 5 children grew up in Jeonlado, a region of Korea's countryside known for cooking up delicious traditional cuisine. The family's recipes are based on this foundation, but make their own spin on the flavors. They previously were in the restaurant industry and decided they wanted to open their own restaurant. Thus, Million Restaurant was opened in 1989 in a hole-in-the-wall spot on Sheridan St. and continues to be popular, but Yang Ye Park has since retired, Sung Yong has passed away, and daughter Diana Park and the rest of the kids have taken over.
On 4/11/22, the Paik Family opened Million Kapiolani, a bigger, more elegant space with private room options not available at the Sheridan St hole-in-the-wall location.
The Paik Family also opened Woori Sohn Mandoo near Beretania and Punahou streets in lower Makiki in April 2024. Specializing in housemade mandoo, they sell them in takeout frozen quantities, as well as various bentos.
Million Restaurant offers an extensive menu of delicious Korean bbq and noodle dishes in a casual atmosphere. The menu includes:
* Soup: pollack, kim chee, beef intestine, Korean miso, chicken, short rib, ox tail, beef tendon.
* Noodles: chilled soup, spicy sauce, house.
* Grilled/Fried: spicy pork, kalbi, bulgogi, chicken, fish, oxtail.
* Pan Broiled: pork belly, fish.
* Sides: rice cake, mandoo, kim chee pancake, pig feet, egg battered beef/fish, chicken wings, cold tofu.
* Yakiniku sets: seasoned meats, seafood & veggies that you can grill your own.
* Lunch specials (11a to 3p only): meat jun, kalbi, bulgogi, pork/chicken cutlet, mundoo, fish, hot stone pot, buckwheat noodles.
* Special plates: similar menu of lunch specials during non-lunch hours.
Most meals served with shredded cabbage with dressing, rice, seaweed soup and complimentary banchan. Banchan includes: cucumber kim chee, fish cake, won bok kim chee, bean sprouts, potato salad, taegu, seaweed, and more. Additional servings of banchan are complimentary upon request. All banchan are tasty and can be an easy meal just with rice!
We are usually there during lunch, so I always order my favorite lunch special of kalbi plate. Love their long lunch hours that end at 3p. The kalbi is freshly grilled in the back kitchen and is served piping hot and has the perfect kalbi taste after being marinated in Millions' special sauce. Hubby's choice is usually meat jun and bbq chicken combo, which is also grilled in the kitchen, served piping hot, and is so savory and flavorful. Portions are generous, so there are always leftovers for another meal.
Excellent customer service provided by the Paik Family, who have been in the restaurant business their lifetime and are very attentive and friendly. A loud welcome greeting is happily shouted as you enter, and they quickly guide you to a vacant table, bring out the banchan and menus, take your orders, and bring out water, hot tea, rice, and soup. As your orders are quickly prepared and served, they ensure that you are adequately provided for, replenish your water, and bring out your bill for efficient processing. As you leave, they loudly thank you for your patronage and then say goodbye. What a great dining experience!
Hours of operation are Sun to Thur 11a to 10p, and Fri/Sat 11a to 10:30p. Millions is housed in a warehouse-like complex with other businesses. Nothing fancy, so no ambiance, as you're here for the food. It is almost retro, as mimimum renovations have been made, as you'll see enormous smoke suction piping from the ceiling to the tables to eliminate excess smoke while grilling. While unaesthetic, it serves its purpose. Tables are appropriately placed for dining in. The interior space is clean and bright.
You can enter via its front entrance on Sheridan St or the back entrance from the parking lot. There are a number of free parking stalls assigned to Millions in the private lot in the back of the restaurant. Be sure to read the signs, as the private lot is shared with other businesses, and parking may be limited during the peak lunch and dinner times. If you are parked in another business' space, your car may be towed. There is also metered and free street parking.
Unless we're entertaining, the Millions on Sheridan St does its job for us! Savory and delicious food, as well as excellent customer service puts this restaurant on our lunch rotation list. Thank you to the Paik Family for their hard work in their Korean cuisine businesses in all these years with many more to come! Support local!