Yakiniku Seoul

Absolutely incredible and delicious! This is the best Korean BBQ I’ve ever tasted. The sides are all homemade, and Yuna (Yunis) was incredibly helpful and kind. She made sure we were well taken care of and was genuinely friendly and attentive throughout our visit. I highly recommend this place if you’re looking to indulge in truly delicious food! I will always make it a point to stop by when visiting in the area:)

I’ve been coming here for years and the older lady (the owner) has always been amazing. Unfortunately, the newer staff she hired are not the same. We came in again today because this has always been my favorite spot, but after today we won’t be returning. We were the only customers there at 11am, yet our waitress forgot one of the meats we ordered because she was too busy eating herself. When it came time to pay, we paid partially in cash and the rest on card. I signed the receipt and told my husband to leave the tip while I ran to the restroom. When I came out, we left and got into our car, and the waiter actually ran outside to confront us, demanding to know why we “didn’t leave a tip” and asking if it was a mistake. It was a mistake, my husband forgot to do it when I went to the restroom and I didn’t ask on the way out, so we did end up giving a small tip, but the way it was handled was extremely unprofessional and honestly embarrassing. Chasing customers outside over a tip is unacceptable. I’m really disappointed, and sadly, we won’t be coming back.

Galbi soup is excellent, beef is tender and soup has a lot of depth. Highly recommended. I came back for a second time.

This place is an institution. Been at this location forever. We really enjoy their Yakiniku Seoul Special. There's enough food for at least 3 people, so it's great value! Please note that for the Special, they cook the food, not you. The side dishes are also delicious. The service here was very fast and friendly, even though it was a busy Friday evening.

The restaurant is not pretentious and overpriced, which is perfect when you are craving for affordable and great tasting Korean food. There are a lot of non meat options for pescatarians and vegetarians. The banchan is generous and the sweet servers will give you more if they see that you enjoyed them. The seafood pancake is one of the best I'd had in Oahu and I also liked that they provided options to have bibimbab with meat or not, and to be served in a normal bowl or a stone bowl so you can enjoy the crust that will form at the bottom of the rice. It's great to bring large groups for gatherings so you can take share the bbq or hotpot options.

Very good lunch experience. The Server was very good and friendly but the manager looking lady was not very appropriate. ⁡ She was talking people on the phone followed by video calls as if she was at her home. Very loud and the volume everyone could hear the conversation as a noise. ⁡ She literally threw one set of menu as she walked by without saying anything when we were seated. The restaurant wasn’t busy at all, but the call was more important I guess. I would have put five star review for the food and the server if it wasn’t the manager’s attitude

항상 이곳에 방문할때 마다 갓 지은 밥 😋 주셔서 감사해요. "I highly recommend Yakiniku Seoul - a five-star experience! Despite its old facilities, the cleanliness is impeccable thanks to the diligent owner. The tables are spotless, and the toilets are well-maintained with a noticeable shine. This Korean restaurant prides itself on serving freshly cooked rice with every meal. The food tastes fantastic, making it a must-visit spot!"

I’ve been going to Yakiniku Seoul for over 25yrs and this is the best Korean restaurant in Hawai’i! It’s a very comfortable, clean and friendly place for all occasions. The best part of this restaurant is that the quality of the food is always consistent and delicious!

Food quality is outstanding. Service is good, waitresses are friendly and helpfull.

Everything was amazing and the service was fantastic. They were very welcoming and always made sure we were enjoying our meals. This was our first time at this locations and I'm happy we decided to give it a try. Everything was delicious and I will definitely bring my family back to this location to try other dishes. Fresh Spicy Marinated Crab Fresh and Hot Kalbi Fresh and Hot Meat Jun All the sides were yummy

I spend most of my free time chasing the next best Korean meal. Yakiniku Seoul continues to be my favorite! Whether you're local or here visiting, you won't be disappointed. The food is DELICIOUS, high quality meats, the restaurant is clean, and service is fantastic! I love the variety of banchan and they're not stingy - always happy to give you more of your favorites. While it's not AYCE, for everything you get, prices are fair and reasonable. Definitely come and check it out.

Yakiniku Seoul is my absolute favorite KBBQ restaurant. I recently went to celebrate a birthday, and the food & service was spectacular. Christine and her team made us feel so welcomed, valued, and special over dinner. There were two other parties celebrating a birthday also. That speaks volumes that patrons decide to celebrate a birthday at an establishment. My favorite go to is their Assorted Meat Yakiniku with brisket, rib eye, pork belly, and cow tongue. Definitely get the seafood pancake, meat jun, and fried mandoo. They have THE BEST kim chee and banchans to accompany your meal. They use high grade rice. Have every guest pick a protein or dish to share to eat family style. And keep the beer and soju flowing. Check out their lunch specials Monday through Friday. Parking is in the rear up a ramp. Enter through King Street, turning immediately after Panda Express.

Christine and Kay and the entire staff are very friendly and inviting. The food is outstanding! This is quickly becoming our go to spot for Korean BBQ!

Family run Korean restaurant with friendly service. Enjoyed lunch of mixed seafood green onion jun which was tasty and crispy. We tried the thinly cut beef tongue served on a bed of onions and it was delicious. We had to order extra rice to finish all the tasty banchan (side dishes). It seemed to be a hole in the wall place with a steady stream of regular customers who all knew each other.

I guess Daniel .C Yelp ghost got me too. I remembered posting this restaurant but I guess it disappeared. Yakiniku Seoul located corner of King St. and Kalakaua Ave. Parking is behind the building and entrance to the restaurant is on the ground floor of a commercial building. I ordered their Cheese Tteokbokki which was very cheesy w/ mochi and fish cake mix all together. Also I ordered their Kalbi came on sizzling platter with onion . The Kalbi was very tender and good marination. Good variety of Bachan . Prices are little on the higher side but it's ok not too bad . Need to just support local .

My go to KBBQ place! Their banchan is delicious and they'll refill as you run out. Everything has a unique taste and doesn't all taste the same like other yakiniku places I've been to. The ladies who work here too are also very polite and bring out your food and drinks fast! They have plenty of seating and it's never busy when I go. You know it's good food when you see only Koreans and locals there. They also offer take out and can cook the meat for you if that's your preference.

Ambiance traditional Korean restaurant. Service friendly, efficient and attentive. Ordered the meat Jun, Kalbi soup. Both were excellent! Meat Jun is thinly sliced layers of beef, flavored, dipped in egg and fried. It was sooo good. This was the best meat Jun I've tasted. Kalbi stew served in a dolsot pot all bubbly and comforting. The Kalbi is cut into bite size pieces at the table by the server. Broth rich and seasoned well. Good assortment of banchan as much as you want. Lots of parking available in the lot behind the building. Go check it out!

Hands down, the best Korean BBQ on the island.... maybe anywhere. Food was excellent, service was absolutely amazing. Truly authentic flavors and ohana-like vibe. I will definitely be back . P.S. The rice is so good!

Had the best office birthday lunch here today! Highly recommend. Food was delicious, Bi Bim Bop in the hot pot was perfection... The side dishes were wonderful. The beef Jun was yummy. Most importantly, the staff at this place made us feel like we were guests in their home. Easy parking in back. Go here!

The food was good, but our service was rushed. Not at all friendly I've had better stone bowls

Just got done eating our takeout lunch. So delicious. Ready really quickly and easy to pickup. Lots of parking. Clean restaurant. Friendly staff. My absolute favorite go to for Korean food.

Great Food and Excellent staff!! Love coming here!! All the food aHIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

Excellent service and food!! A large variety of banchan (8) were served and the MEAT that we ordered were OH-SO-TENDER/DELICIOUS. The inside of the restaurant was pleasantly clean and we didn't walk out smelling like BBQ. Highly recommended!!

This is our favorite Korean restaurant on the island! The owner, Christine, is so warm and gracious...she always makes you feel at home and welcomed. The food is consistently delicious, fresh, and well-seasoned. I can't even tell you how yummy the rice is, too! If you're looking for a great place to eat, ample and free parking, pleasant atmosphere and good service, this is the place to go! We always get the outside skirt, kalbi jjim, and squash jun. it's the best!

Quality food with authentic Korean flavors and spices. Fantastic staff with excellent service. Go there hungry and order your favorite dishes.

This is an institution that remains a wonderful value with top quality meats and Tamaki Gold rice. Our go to for Yakiniku

Ultimate favorite restaurant on island. Highly recommend! Delicious, good quality, great service!

We got introduced to this restaurant from our family friends whose been going here over 10+ years and we came here twice in one week. Haha. This time we brought our kids. I love the assortment of side dishes. We got the assortment of meats and an order of pork belly. I love to eat the meats with the salt oil, samjang and the seasoned lettuce (no rice). Oh and the fried tilefish was cooked to perfection! I love the crispy edges and soft meat! The two ladies serving us were so sweet. Helped us cook our food and gave our kids a sweet treat. They even packed up our leftovers to go. This is our favorite korean bbq on island. The price matches the quality! We will be back next week! Lol.

It's been years and maybe we'll over a decade since the last time I've been to Yakiniku Seoul. They are located in the corner of King and Kalakaua. You'll make a right immediately after Panda Express on King Street and their parking lot is on the left. It's slanted so be mindful of that. There is a bunch of parking but if it happens to be full then there is metered street parking on King and Kalakaua. You can enter off Kalakaua or down the stairs near the top of the parking lot. The restaurant is rather busy so reservations are best. We had reservations to dine here at 6:30pm. When we checked in with the hostess, we were told 10-15 minute wait. There were empty tables and booths with "reserved" signs so we weren't sure why we had to wait but we did as instructed. When we were finally seated, it took a good long while to get water and menus. Funny because they came back shortly after to ask what we wanted to order when we just opened the menus. We asked them to come back and we took a look. By the time another person came back to take our order, we had an idea of what we wanted to order. We decided to get a mix of meats to cook and made dishes. The raw meat option we ordered was the Assorted Meat Yakiniku. We weren't sure of the difference between Stew and Soup so we asked. Our server said same thing so we ordered the Kalbi Soup and 2 orders of Meat Jun. We got the raw meats first, an order of Meat Jun then shortly after the Kalbi Soup. It took awhile then we got the second order of Meat Jun. We thought this was odd that the meat jun didn't come together and felt bad the other couple had to wait to get their order. The tables here are definitely small as we had to make many adjustments to fit all our food on the table. There was a good amount of banchan but there was a roach in the one with potatoes. Yuck! They got us another one after we brought this to the attention of our server. Their Meat Jun was quite good and the meat was very tender. The amount of raw meat was decent and we enjoyed it but the grill top burned really fast. It took a very long time to get it replaced. There was also no vents above us and smoke from all the grills filled the restaurant which we didn't care too much for. Everyone thought the Kalbi Soup would be spicy but we were disappointed when it came out and it wasn't spicy. We had to flag staff down several times to get water refills. With the slow service and sub par customer service we experienced, it's hard to give this place higher than 2.5 stars. When we got the check, they were quick to take our credit cards and our signed credit card slips though. That was the only time they were quick to "service" our table. The roach was also a deduction on cleanliness of the restaurant. Even though their Meat Jun is legit, it might be another few years or a decade before we consider another visit.

What a hidden gem. It's really tucked away and it's easy to miss. But don't miss it! Super easy parking. Clean and spacious seating. The menu is robust with something for everyone. The staff is really friendly and helpful. Some food highlights 1. Really yummy soup. Traditional Korean soup. (Number 2 on the menu). Generous portions. 2. The kimchi is really fresh and made in house. 3. Even something simple like the bowl of rice is quality. Shiny grains of cooked rice that aren't all clumpy 4. Get the meat Jun. number 6 on the menu. It was recommended to us and it was sooooo good. I've officially added this spot to my rotation of top spots.

Yakiniku Seoul is a solid place for a la carte KBBQ when I'm feeling too full to hit up a local AYCE option. The prices are reasonable (not too expensive but not cheap either) and the meat quality scales appropriately with the cost. They have a lot of options for whatever you're in the mood for, from basic USDA Choice to Miyazaki A5. I definitely appreciate that the number of options and the fair pricing here! The banchan selection is great here as well. My favorite is the odeng (fish cake) and picked radish. All of the banchan goes amazingly when paired with meat and wrapped in ssam. Biggest drawback of this place is that each serving of ssam costs $7 per portion The portion size of the ssam isn't particularly huge either, which is a major bummer since I love the low-carb meat and veggies combo of KBBQ and ssam. The service is very friendly and helpful. The vibes are casual, great place to bring a group of friends or come on your own. Lots of options both in menu items and in dining format!

Korean cuisine for dinner in Honolulu, Hawaii... I saw Lorie and her family check in at Yakiniku Seoul. I read reviews by my friends Rod U., Andy F., And Nat N. Bruddah Fran even got Review of the Day (ROTD) for Yakiniku Seoul. It's time to visit! Located on the busy corner of King Street and Kalakaua Avenue, Yakiniku Seoul has a free parking lot - the entrance is on King Street before the building. Walk down a few stairs to get to the door from the parking lot. Enter an old school type of environment. It was late in the evening. My friend and I had finished watching a movie. She called ahead and made a reservation for 8pm. It wasn't too crowded at the time! Service was helpful and friendly. We ordered the Assorted Meats Yakiniku (to share) and asked that our meats to be cooked by the kitchen (instead of cooking it ourselves and getting smokey and splattered upon). They agreed to do it! Yay! Our server even helped us cut our meats (which arrived on two sizzling platters) with scissors! I was so happy! Delicious food in a calm, clean spacious restaurant! There was so much food - various banchan (side dishes) that my friend took the leftovers home! Note: There was a convenient restroom, too! I look forward to returning!

We always drive by this place at the corner of Kalakaua and King St. but never got to try it out until recently. Parking is above the restaurant and you need to enter the parking lot from King St as you turn on the side street right before the restaurant, then go up the ramp. There was a lot of parking when we went, but this was also before the dinner rush. We were able to walk in and get a table right away. Tables are booth style which felt a little different for yakiniku. Service was great as they would check in on us often. It's just good yakiniku. We are simple so we always just order lots of brisket, which their quality was very good :) Their side veggies were also great! Overall, it's a great spot for yakiniku.

I've been coming here regularly for Korean BBQ for many years now. My favorite cut for yakiniku is the anchan (inner thigh). They season it & it's tender and high quality meat. The banchan are always really good & the staff are nice about refilling it. The aunty who works there remembers me and she's always very nice. It can get rather loud and smoky but that's expected at a yakiniku!

If you want good quality Korean bbq, head to Yakiniku Seoul! Their cuts of meat are great quality and the selection of banchan are vast! We ordered the assorted meat yakiniku which came with pork belly, beef brisket, beef tongue and ribeye. This was a really good value and came with all the yakiniku basics! Not in the mood to cook? You can order cooked food as well. The bibimbap in the stone pot was really delicious! The restaurant is clean and there's lots of tables. The staff were friendly and brought out anything we needed fairly quickly. I'll definitely be back!

Great place, great food and drink, and good value. We have always been treated well there, and have always left knowing that our patronage is appreciated. The owner is a terrific lady!

We had 4 of us in our group and decided to eat here because we were craving Korean bbq for lunch. You can choose to either cook on the tabletop or order ready made meals. My m-i-l ordered a stone pot bibimbap that came with seaweed soup, and the rest of us chose the assorted meat yakiniku, rice and lettuce with ssamjang (soy bean paste). With our meal, we got a plethora of banchan that complimented the meats and helped with satisfying our craving. The reason I dropped one star was because we had a hard time waving down the server to order more banchan, change the grill plate out and when it was time to get our check. It wasn't busy when we were there - only 2 other parties. However, the servers were really nice and we left there with our cravings gone and our bellies happy.

This place run business long time and food is good and reasonable. 8 of Assorted namuls are free. They have private parking. Most local people, so not that crowd

Love their Spicy Squid!! Their meats a great too. I love it here. Maybe it's the time I go there because there isn't a lot of people. That's usually between lunch and dinner. Quite and not one cooking food so you don't smell like you've been cooking. The food is really good. I'd like to come back with a party of four to order the set meal and try their food

I love this place, the food is so good! My favorite is the Kal-bi in the stone pot! I just had lunch there with my two girlfriends and they have never been there before, but now we will make it definitely twice a month affair. The owner Christine is so hands-on and is such a hard worker! The staff is very kind and very personable, and the place is immaculate! I've been coming here for years and I've eaten a lot of things on the menu, and guess what? Everything is absolutely delicious.!!!!!!!!!!!

The food was delicious and we enjoyed ourselves. It's our favorite Korean Restaurant of all the Korean restaurants in Honolulu or the Mainland. Same cooks for over fifteen years.

We ordered the cold noodles kabli lunch combo and friend mandu. The food tastes very similar to what I had in Seoul. The homemade banchan that accompanied the meal was really fresh. I will definitely be back!

I was craving Korean food but also hot pot so my friend & I decided to come to Yakiniku Seoul. I believe there's a small parking lot in the back, but when we went it looked like it was blocked off so we ended parking on the street, in the meter stalls. We called ahead of time to make sure there were seats available and when we got there we got seated right away. The inside of the restaurant looks a little run down and outdated. They brought us water and came to take our order right away. We got the udon & vegetable hot pot which comes with meat also. And all the banchans. My favorite! Plus we also got rice. It's a huge pot and more than enough for two people to share. The broth was not as flavorful as I expected it to be but nonetheless still hit the spot. After about half an hour of being there the restaurant got super crowded and then died down again right before we left. I would recommend calling them ahead of time just to make sure there's seats so you don't have to try finding parking and then find out there's a wait.

If you haven't been here yet, you're missing out. Hands down, they have the best Korean BBQ on the island, with top quality meats and ingredients without the frills. Forget the fancy new Korean BBQs that recently opened --- this place has been operating for over 30 years and consistently offer the best quality meats and fresh ingredients. They offer a variety of delicious banchans and their kalbi is definitely the best IMO and of course you have to get the seafood pancake which is so yummy! We especially appreciate the attentive service we receive from both the owner and her daughter-in-law (Alicia). They ensure we have the best experience every time we dine there.

This is without a doubt, the best Korean food in Honolulu and in Hawaii by far. And our family is Korean and knows Korean food. If you want real Korean food, this is the place. Consistent high-quality and excellent service. Simply. Awesome!

Delicious yakiniku! They have a lunch menu but it wasn't as much food as expected. Good thing we order the mix meat plate. I love the bachan they give especially the seaweed and fishcake. I love their rib eye, beef tongue, and brisket for yakiniku!

OK, my wife and I were just looking for another place to get Korean food. Now that Choi's garden is gone, we needed another place besides Korea House and Sorabol which are our current favorites. I was perusing through Yelp looking for "Korean Restaurants" when I saw Yakiniku Seoul. I know it's not new, but I have never eaten there. I don't know why, but it was not a place I have been too. I was reading the reviews when Rod U's review came up giving them high marks. Hmmmm OK, worth a try based on that alone. We headed there and found lots of parking. Since we went early, there were hardly any people inside. There was a selection of meats available for $65 so went for that. A very nice lady helped us with good service. The side dishes were pretty good - of course it all depends on what you like, but I found them to be good. The miso soup was exceptional - very tasty - delicious. But the one thing I noticed right away was that the rice looked really good. The lady who was serving us - I believe was the owner! She started telling us that she takes pride in the rice and pays extra. I told her I noticed right away. She said that the meat they use is good. Well, we start cooking and I did notice that some of the meat was more tender than usual. In fact, although it didn't seem the amount was as much as some other places, I didn't take into account the final meat - which was the steak. For the first time, my wife told the lady not to cut it and I was finally able to stare at the beautiful, whole steak grilling nicely ..... YES When it was finally time to cut the steak, it was delicious! FINALLY, a steak that tastes as good as it looks in a Korean restaurant! It was really good and tender. So, Rod U. was right - they use good quality meat. The lady told me she buys good quality meat and I could tell. Just when you thought it couldn't get better, I had to use the restroom and learned that coronavirus hates ginger!!!! LOL Well, too bad there wasn't ginger on the menu. But anyway, this is a good place! I look forward to trying different dishes and getting the great service from the owner!

Amazing food, service. All the staff are super friendly and the ambiance makes you feel like being with family.

Food and service are top notch! The ladies who work here are always polite. We always have a great time coming here!

One of my most favorite restaurants. It is a local favorite with a loyal, local fanbase. This is the #1 Korean BBQ restaurant in Hawaii. I have been going here since I was a little kid. -Dr. West Mori

I did not realize that I've never reviewed Yakiniku Seoul before because my wife and I have been coming here for many years. It seems to me that whenever I dine here I am bringing out of town guests here because the food is always good here. We made reservations for 4 on a Friday evening but we were a little late so the gave our table away. We ended up getting a table about 15 minutes later, no problem. The lady who seems to be the owner or manager kept rushing around and apologizing for this and that all night long. They don't have enough servers but what servers they did have worked very hard and seemed to get things done but you have to be patient and you have to track them down when you need something. Believe me, the food is worth it. I've always enjoyed my meals here and it is nice to know that it's still good after all these years. First the banchan. The banchan is good here but it used to be better and some of the portions were too small for the four of us. We ordered the combination 7 I think. It came with thin sliced meat selections and a ribeye steak for about $65. We also ordered bi him bap stone pot rice mixture which is a must for my wife. You let it sizzle and then mix the egg and rice together, scraping the crispy rice off of the sides and then you enjoy. The meat jun here is my favorite version of this dish. The meat is thicker and juicier that typical meat jun. We always order this, but the meat used to be thicker before although it is still delicious. Our guests usually talk about the dining experience for a long time and are more than satisfied. Make reservations and come on time so you don't have to wait. The restaurant has kept its popularity for decades and I will continue to bring out of town guests here because the food is very good.

Great service and delicious, well prepared food. The vegetable pancake was perfectly crispy and delicious. The kalbi soup was full of meat so good. The japchae was delicious. The cold soup was tasty Lots of high quality banchans. Can't wait to return.

Location: Corner of Kalakaua and S King Street next to Panda Express Parking: Lots of free parking in the back of Building Ambiance: Typical Korean Yakiniku Service: efficient with call button Food: We ordered Yakiniku Seoul Special; includes variety of meats and ban Chan, plus included the spicy tofu soup. Best value if you're not sure what to eat. Will return for lunch

January 2024. Visiting from 9th island. Food is 5 stars. Old school authentic Korean bbq. Nothing fancy or modern. This is classic Korean bbq. What LA ktown bbq was in the 80s and 90s! Meats are very good quality and taste. All of the banchan (side dishes) are fresh and great tasting. Service is 4 stars. It's an old school Korean spot so I'm being generous w the 4 star rating! But they are nice so. Ambiance is 4 stars. The decor and vibe is old but works. Again nothing fancy or modern. But cozy and they turn out solid food. This spot is solid.

Food A+ Service A+++ Yakiniku Seoul is a long standing, no frills Korean BBQ spot that delivers amazing food and service. The quality of their meat is amazing. Their beef finger (the delicious, flavorful meat between rib bones), and outside skirt really stand out. It's worth mentioning that the finger meat isn't so common in many KBBQ places. Their banchan (complementary side dishes) are all tasty and they have a decent variety. For non table top bbq options, their cooked dishes are all solid. I personally love the steamed butterfish dish. A cold noodle after a meal of grilled meats is refreshing and can fill you up without making you feel too full and heavy. I most recently came on a slow afternoon and the ladies working were all extremely friendly and welcoming. My baby was fussing a little towards the middle of the meal and they were so generous they helped us rock her in her stroller until she fell asleep. Our waters were never empty and the staff made it clear that it wasn't a hassle to ask for more banchan when we wanted. Even on other occasions, during busy dinner rushes service has been impeccable. Yakiniku Seoul is a must for Korean bbq in Oahu. They have been a staple for decades and continue to deliver an outstanding dining experience. I need to add pictures to this review the next time I stop in. We were all ravenous and forgot to take a single picture before diving in.

My friends and I are in Hawaii for a wedding and tonight is my fiancé's birthday. We all came to Yakiniku and had THE BEST TIME!!! The people here are so great and the food is delicious. They made sure my fiancé had the best birthday during our stay in Hawaii. Please eat here and have a great time! I can't recommend this place enough. Big love.

Good quality Korean bbq! This place is tucked away and a hidden gem. Have always passed by this place but didn't know how to get in. Parking is in the back, go down south king st and turn right after panda, and make a left turn into the parking lot. There's a lot on the menu, our favs: * pork belly * marinated kalbi * bbq chicken * bulgogi * salad * mandoo Average prices range from $20-$40 for meats. Each meal comes with a bunch of different sides. We came on a Thursday night and it was not busy at all, sat 6 of us right away. This was our second time here and they're always so nice!