Kim Chee Restaurant No 2

Always a good choice. This has been a go to for decades, and little has changed. The family has continued excellent food and service with huge portions. The big bone kal bi is my favorite. Meat Jun is just the right crispy.
Mar 15th, 2023

Best Korean food on the east side. This restaurant is still just as good as it was 20 years ago when the current owners grandfather was running it. If he had eaten my dinner tonight, he would have been very proud of what his grandkids are serving.
Mar 14th, 2023

The Best Kalbi on Oahu, or Mainland. Delicious with slight charcoal flavor like the Motherland. Ohhh Yeahhh...You have the choice of regular or thin cut.The place is basic like family style and has that late 70's vibe. Well maintained by grandson running the show. It's locals serving so laid back style but friendly...I've overheard so so with other dishes but all about the Kalbi!!! Enough... Go for it... Nevermind the side dishes or yada yada yada... High 5!
Mar 8th, 2023

The next stop in the search for unique items to try while in Honolulu was this non-descript Korean diner. Meat jun was recommended to me by another friend. Out of the local places that serve it, this branch of the Kim Chee franchise was chosen because it was the closest to my hotel. There was a set of restaurants all next to each other on this particular block, and Kim Chee II was in the middle of the row.The inside could have passed for a 1970s/80s American diner with the only difference being the style of cuisine on the menu. One other party was seated when we arrived in the evening. Four dinner specials were available on the right inside page of the menu. The Small Bone Special sounded interesting as it consisted of LA Kal Bee (two pieces) and a choice of any two items from the following... BBQ Beef, BBQ Chicken, BBQ Pork, Chicken Katsu, Fish Jun, Fried Man Doo, Meat Jun, Fish Tempura, Ton Katsu, and Zucchini Jun.I wanted to see if the protein type made a difference so I chose the Fish Jun and the Meat Jun for comparison. White rice and a side of pickled slaw came with the order. While we waited for our food, complimentary banchan and seaweed soup were provided. The banchan was spicy which didn't appeal to my dining companion. The seaweed soup was similar to miso soup but with a more clear broth.Meat jun was described as thinly sliced beef dipped in egg batter and fried. For the seafood variation, a white fish (pollack?) fillet was used. About a half dozen fried pieces of each were plated along with the two Korean BBQ beef short ribs. A dish of gochujang dipping sauce was provided for the two jun. While the fried meat and fried fish were alright, the star was the Kal Bee. Something about how the beef was marinated and then grilled made it juicier than the flanken-style short ribs I have tasted on the continent.The rest of the dining experience (service, price, food quality) was average. It was the LA-style Kal Bee that elevated my rating of Kim Chee II Restaurant to a four star level.
Mar 6th, 2023

Looking for Meat Jun in Kaimuki, Honolulu, Hawaii...There are certain foods that are unique to Hawaii such as: cake noodles, Gau gee, and Meat Jun. [Note: I actually found Meat Jun in Downtown Los Angeles atBROKEN MOUTH |Lee's Homestyle (Restaurant) (Number One on Yelp's Top 100 Places to Eat in the USA 2023). Meat Jun is on the menu because the chef is from Hawaii!]Anyway, my friend, Emmett, from San Diego wanted to try Meat Jun. I searched for a Korean restaurant with dine-in service and found Kim Chee II on Waialae Avenue.Parking in the area is mainly metered street parking and municipal parking lots. We found a free space on 12th Avenue with no meter. Unbelievable... I was ready to park in a Loading Zone because it was after 5pm...However, Emmett convinced me that there's no "No Parking" sign at this free space. I asked him if he had enough cash in case my car gets towed... He said he'd take care of it. So, I parked - and when we returned to the car, it was still there... with no ticket!!! (Knock on wood!)The clean, old school restaurant's interior has a retro type of decor and had a convenient restroom. The background music was upbeat contemporary local style. Service was polite, helpful, and attentive!I ordered the Dinner Special which came with five banchan (bean sprouts, pickled seaweed, cabbage kimchi, seasoned cabbage, and burdock kimchi), hot tea, seaweed soup, and a bowl of white rice. The short rib Kalbi was seasoned well and was nicely grilled! The zucchini Jun and fried mandoo tasted great with the gochujang dipping sauce!Emmett also had the Dinner Special and got Fish Jun and Meat Jun with his Short Rib Kalbi. The portion was so generous that he got a takeout box for his leftovers! I think he liked the meat jun! Go ask him!
Mar 2nd, 2023