We found a total hidden gem in Waipahu that was open on Christmas evening, and it definitely didn't…read moredisappoint! Yujin K-BBQ is a cute little takeout spot that is brightly decorated, extremely clean, and has a very welcoming environment. That's always a great sign that even better things are coming. It was so good that we've already visited twice (once on Christmas and again on New Year's Eve), and everything was cooked to perfection. My other half said this was the best spicy pork he has ever had. It's incredibly flavorful and a must-try. I ordered Kalbi on our second visit to satisfy a craving. It was super yummy with just the perfect amount of char. We also absolutely loved the meat jun and fish jun, those will definitely be our go-to orders from now on! The sides change daily, so it's a fun surprise to see what you get. Everything we tried appealed to all our taste buds, not one complain here. You can tell the staff really takes the time to put some love into their cooking. Since everything comes out super fresh, you do have to wait a little bit for your food, but they provide comfortable seats to wait on, and trust me, it is 100% worth the wait. This has officially become our go-to place whenever we are craving Korean food.

First time, ordered takeout. Hot and ready in 10 minutes. Got the Kalbi & Meat Jun combo and it…read more didn't disappoint. Kalbi was tender and had good flavor, Meat Jun, although on the thin side, was also VERY tasty. They don't give the option of choice of sides, rather they give whatever they make for the day, which changes daily. I received a combination of 6 different sides, ama they all tasted fresh and homemade. What was new to me was a potato hash and corn salad, it was ONO! This is going to be my go-to Korean restaurant in Waipahu.

Love that we can have southern bbq delivered west side! Ribs and tips are amazing! Tender and…read moreflavorful smokiness. They're sauced but not doused in it to the point where it's difficult to even taste the smokiness. Hubs gets one or the other each time. I am VERY picky about my grits and I love theirs! I crave it often lol. The shrimp is blackened with a mild but tasty kick. The grits manage to be creamy and pleasantly textured at the same time. In some magical way, they each have their own bold flavor that compliments each other perfectly. And the serving is so generous that it makes at least 4 meals for me. Oh and their fried okra is a must! The cornmeal batter plays so well with the creamy vegetable. And it's perfectly fried maintaining the bite of the okra. We ordered DD so we can only attest to the food. But look at that perfect presentation for take out, no less! If you're craving southern bbq, this is your answer!

I love southern food, but this was mediocre. The place did not appear that clean, which was a…read moreturnoff. The staff was friendly. The catfish plate was very tasty and what you'd expect from a southern food place. However their ribs were tough and could have been cooked a bit longer so they'd come out more tender. Overall, I'd rate them as average, but give them a try and make the decision for yourself. Aloooooooha and happy eating.

Takeout lunch from Waipahu, O'ahu, Hawaii…read more.. I was shopping at Waikele Premium Outlets when I realized that I hadn't had lunch yet. I had driven past Y'kele Korean BBQ and thought that I should give them a try... Located across the street from the outlets, the Waikele Center has many restaurants such as Restaurant Kunio, Panda Express, Subway, Chili's, and McDonald's. There's a lot of free shared parking, but it can get crowded at times. The interior is clean, bright, and air-conditioned. There are many tables and chairs for dining in. Service was pleasant and efficient. I ordered and paid at the counter, then took a seat. In no time my meal was ready. I was so hungry that I took a picture quickly and then started eating. There was so much food that I took the rest home. I got the Y'kele special: BBQ chicken, kalbi, and BBQ beef. It came with four sides. I chose tofu, corn, choi sum and seaweed. Everything was delicious! I'd return because it's convenient, tasty, and satisfying!

When we arrived the place was completely empty so we decided to eat inside. The front staff was…read morereally nice and immediately greeted us and took our order. After picking his sides, my husband went to sit down at a table while I took care of the payment. Unfortunately, they swiped my bank card multiple times saying it's reading error. They asked if I had cash, which I did, and I was able to pay for our food. Something didn't right with me after I paid so I told my husband to check our bank account and make sure multiple payments wasn't withdrawn from our account. Just as I thought, the payments went through and was deducted from my account. I immediately took my husband's phone up to the counter and showed them my account, verifying that the payments were withdrawn. There was also another customer standing at the counter with the same issue. The cashier was really nice about the whole situation and immediate issued a refund to both myself and the other customer. I ordered the Bi Bim Kook Soo and my husband ordered the Kalbi and BBQ chicken combo plate. The Bi Bim Kook Soo was huge and I couldn't even eat half of it. The BBQ beef was a little tough and not as flavorful as the vegetables. The noodles, sauce and vegetables mixed together were really delicious though. It had a nice sesame flavor to it. My husband had the BBQ chicken and Kalbi mixed plate, and thought it was okay. He said it wasn't as flavorful as it was before. If you eat at this restaurant, please make sure you check your credit card or bank card if you're told there was an error with your payment method.

The food is overpriced for the quality. It's inconsistent--at times overly salty, and the meat jun…read moreis often too thin.

A great place for lunch to pick up or eat in. The portions of bbq meats and the selection that they…read morehave are great and very big. Upon eating at this particular location I was able to get two meals out of my combination lunch plate. Definitely worth the walk in and the service was fast and friendly. With a casual ambiance it's a nice relaxing place to grab a bite when you're in the area and feeling hungry. Will definitely be returning again soon!

I first came to this place about a year ago and have been coming here ever since for lunch. With…read morethe rising cost of food places, this place remains to keep costs low, give generous portions of food, the food is always tasty, and the staff are so friendly. I hope one day they are able to expand because they would bring in more business, I think.

I heard they have new ownership... and I haven't visited them in a while. I saw they had chicken…read morekatsu and gon lo mein on their weekly specials so I wanted to try it! Their portions and prices are insane... in a good way! Their specials change weekly Monday-Sunday. The lunch specials from 9:30am-2pm are $10.50 and after 2pm is $11.75. All day specials are $11.75. They always post the specials menu on their IG, so you can check there before you go - @garden_island_cafe :) The chicken katsu was crunchy and yummy! They cut their pieces a bit wide though... but the portion was filling! I had leftovers. The gon lo mein was tasty and had lots of flavor. They loaded it with lots of BBQ chicken too! I also had leftovers of that. The lady at the counter was very friendly... she said I came at a good time before the crazy lunch rush. I always like to call in my order so that I don't have to wait and I can just pick up and go. They do have a few tables to eat on if you'd like to dine in.

Went to give it a try based on other yelp reviews and was very pleased. The plaza area gave…read moreMcDonald ave in Richmond CA vibes, a little sketch but safe overall. On the outside it's a little hole in the wall but once you go inside it's small, cute and very clean. The young lady that took our order was very friendly and also had lived in the Bay Area for a short time. We ordered the Korean chicken and the heart attack loco moco that comes with Brisket and pork belly. The Korean chicken came over rice with a side salad. The chicken was really good, fried with a perfect crisp and an orange sauce (great flavor and a little kick.) The loco moco was probably the best I've ever had the meats were very tender and the gravy was very flavorful. The egg was a little more cooked than I wanted but great overall. The Mac salad was unique it was like a potato salad with noodles and egg. It was different but very good as well. I will definitely be coming back again with my family next time.

Always seen this place but never went until today. From the outside it doesn't look that nice but…read morewhen you enter it's way different inside has tables and chairs for you to seat and eat. The whole place was very clean and they had a tv playing some old school jams. The lady that took our order was nice. Everything on the menu sounded delicious. Can't wait to go back and try something else. But of course I had the heart attack moco because I like trying different styles or versions of the loco moco. This loco moco had pork belly and brisket and I had over easy eggs over a bed of rice and salad. I also heard their brisket saimin is good too so definitely need to try that the next time I go. There's actually a lot of food I want to try here so I will definitely be going back.

My mom saw this place on TV this morning and she had high hopes for the food but sadly we were…read moredisappointed. We can deal with it being kinda in the ghetto of Waipahu but it was the very unhappy (clearly annoyed) counterperson who was taking our order - who SNAPPED AT MY MOM because she was confused with what comes with their plate lunch AND then the cook (assumedly - a different person than who took our order) annoyingly brought our items out to the table. She ordered the chop steak - I thought tasted ok, but it was seasoned heavier than my mom would like. Portion was right for the price. I got their signature Loco Moco burrito - SAD. It was $20, majority rice and mac salad, no meat. I needed a knife to cut the burrito in half, there was no counterperson or anyone available to ask for a knife, so I kind of looked around their register area and found a random one on the side, cut the burrito in half, DEFINITELY NOT how they showed it on TV, if the counterperson came back, I probably would have asked for them to swap it out. We were sitting for about 25 mins - nobody came back to the counter? If it wasn't for the counterpersons unfriendly attitude I was planning to buy their signature dessert to go, but I was turned off by the whole experience AND he didn't come back out anyways until literally I was throwing our containers away. He didn't greet us. Thank us. Ask how everything was. Or say anything when we were leaving. We saw the owners on TV and are happy and glad to support a local business BUT NOT when your employees are rude and unfriendly. $45 - 1 mini plate + 1 signature item and 2 cans of soda, I would SKIP this place

I will be dreaming about this ahi katsu for the rest of my life. Drive here from anywhere; I…read morepromise you it is worth it.

Our go-to for korean food...Im a Waipahu girly and will always drive there on my way home to Ewa…read moreBeach. Yup even if there's another Pearl's by my house!! Best meat Jun and choi sum. Our go to is MeatJun+FishJun combo, no rice, double choi sum, potato salad, japchae, zuchinni jun. Its enough for my daughter and I to share...and we are both big eaters. They're pretty busy, so phone line is sometimes busy, cross your fingers! Affordable catering pans for your next gathering.

Was craving fish Jun and since it's lent season, decided to give this place another chance since…read moreit's been awhile. . . Years Went here today to buy fish Jun. dead wrong. Portions are even smaller. Um lady gave me have half a scoop of the potatoes and it wasn't even a FULL scoop!!! Had to tell her 2x to make it a full scoop. SHAMEFULL. Will be taking my $$$ elsewhere. Had to use my second choice of potatoes in places of getting the Japae noodles OMG!!! 2026 MAR 13

For our dinner we were served with the following dishes: Snails simmered in coconut milk, green…read moremango slices, pinakbet, garlic butter prawns, Insalada with bagoong na isda, Lechon kawali, grilled Hito, Bulalo soup, pork barbecue on a stick, freshly fried Turon, Biko and Karioka. We were spoiled to the max! The owners and their family run the place and in true Filipino hospitality, they served us buffet/family style and entertained us with their stories from their humble beginnings to what they are today. The food was the best I've had in the Island. Hands down. Everything tasted nostalgic because the technique used in cooking each dish tasted like a handed down recipe from a grandma's kitchen from back home in the motherland. If you're ever in the island of Oahu please make your way to Waipahu and sample as much of their offerings as you can and I can guarantee you will not be disappointed! 10/10 recommended coming from a humble cook who rarely raves about Filipino food because I myself learned from my paternal grandmother.

Stumbled upon this place because had to go get a haircut for my nephew at the Waipahu plantation…read moremarketplace. They're located on the corner and once you see a tent & smell bbq, you're at the right spot. This restaurant gave karinderia vibe to it! Karinderia is basically like those food stalls they have in the Philippines, where they have a bunch of dishes and you sit out to enjoy the food. Home cooked & affordable eats. They have everything from bbq sticks, adobo, lechon, kilawan, lumpia and more. I got the bbq stick & chicken inasal plate. The bbq stick was packed with so much flavor! The chicken inasal was more on the huli huli side & was served with Filipino dipping sauce. They also offer free sabaw with your meal. Ordering was a little complicating, they have a menu outside with food and also more food inside. The bbq items were cooked by order and the inside food had more of the Filipino dishes like (adobo). But next to the cashier, you could also find other fried dishes as well. So a little complicated. You also have the option to sit outside under the tent or inside the restaurant with AC. For this type of place, if you're dining in, you order & eat first then pay. Like any karindera. Overall, this place was VERY good & SUPER AFFORDABLE. If you want to experience a true Filipino experience with great food, this place is for you.

Donnie's Bbq was one of the food trucks at Waikele tonight from 4-8. As soon as I saw the special:…read morefried Catfish, I had to try it! The catfish was seasoned perfectly, not a lot of batter either. The baked beans were so good. My mama can cook some baked beans but these were fire. Shhhh don't tell my mama. My husband had the turkey leg. He said it was flavored good. And he loved it. Only thing he said negative was it was a little cold in the middle. Not freezing cold, but definitely wasn't hot like it came out of the grill. We had to wait 15 minutes for it to be done so the outside was hot but not the middle next to the bone. We aren't ones to complain so we let it ride. I also want to know if the collard greens were home cooked or canned. I cook collard greens all the time so I just wasn't sure if these were fresh. They were still good though. I'll definitely be visiting Donnie's again for that bomb catfish. Thank you.

Donnie's BBQ Truck was at a Juneteenth event today, serving up delicious smoked meats. He had jerk…read morechicken, pulled pork, ribs, and brisket available. Before the lunch crowd, I ordered the jerk chicken,, bbq beans, and potato salad. Everything was on point! The chicken was tender and tasty, which came served over rice. The bbq beans were good. I really enjoyed their potato salad too :) From the line of folks waiting, I'm guessing everyone enjoyed their meal too. Grateful that they brought the mobile smoker to today's event. I really enjoyed their food.