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    Red Pepper Korean BBQ

    3.4 (62 reviews)
    ModerateKorean, Barbeque
    Closed 10:30 am - 8:00 pm

    Red Pepper Korean BBQ Photos

    Business Info

    RED PEPPER KOREAN BBQ ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Red Pepper Korean BBQ

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    After removing the bones.. and again, this was on a smaller salad plate.

    Sad, but I probably won't be returning next time I'm 'ono for a KalBi plate. Service was friendly, but very disappointed in the serving size. $28.+ for a KalBi plate, and the pieces were already cut up, and in such a small amounts too. I was shocked-- and these photos are on a salad plate. Honestly, if this is a regular, how much is plated on a mini?! Again, service was friendly, and my daughter did enjoy her seaweed soup. I was refunded.

    BBQ Chicken and Fish Jun Combo Plate
    Justin H.

    TL;DR A solid Korean plate lunch option in the heart of Manoa. ----- I'm a bit surprised by the current rating for Red Pepper. It seems rather low. Perhaps the critics here are not benchmarking this restaurant against similar offerings in the same space. In my opinion, Red Pepper deserves a 4-star rating. I'm submitting a 5-star review, as I am trying to give it a bump. My usual order here is a combination BBQ chicken and fish jun combo plate, which I always enjoy. Yes, it's about $20, but that's reasonable given the amount of food provided: two pieces each of the chicken and fish jun, a hefty portion of white rice, and four sides. I'm a pretty big eater, and I can typically split this into two meals unless I'm dying of starvation. I recently tried the tofu soup, which was also quite good. For sides, I've been enjoying the potato salad lately. I always have kimchi in my fridge, so I usually like to order the choi sum, jap chae, and then either the bean sprouts, tofu, or egg rolls.

    Fish jun mini
    Mychel E.

    The food was decent enough. Better than I expected for the location. The customer service was great! I would stop here again if working in the area.

    Mira S.

    I was in the area so I decided to pop in for my baseline meal, a mini kalbi plate with glass noodles and kimchi cucumbers. The food was ready pretty quickly, which probably means it was already sitting in a warmer. I'd probably ideally give it 3.5 stars if I could--I might go back, but it wouldn't be my first choice, and it's a bit better than 3 stars but probably not 4. The beef was lean and okay, but it seemed maybe overcooked, there was something unusual about it that I didn't love but I can't place. The kimchi cucumbers had probably been made a while before because they weren't as crispy and crunchy as I'd prefer. The rice was good and there was some extra kalbi sauce on it which was nice. The glass noodles were good, nice texture and consistency. It's in a shopping center so there's lots of free parking.

    Mini meat jun plate w/ 3 choices vegetables (no rice)
    Ruby S.

    Gosh! It's been 15 years since I've been in Mānoa Valley. Wonderful to dine in and partake lunch here which opened in 2021. Can't beat free parking these days. This place was quite busy ranging from youth to elderly including a few construction workers enjoying their lunch. There were four seaters with tables available inside. One male cashier took orders and payments in advance, inquired if we want fork or chopstick. A female worker asked what kind of vegetables you'd like to have. Assorted veggies available from mild corn to spicy kim chee. Cool to see decent size tamago as a choice for side or veggie that you'd normally spot at an okazuya. Yes, there's kamaboko and green onion in each sliced tamago. Mini meat jun plate included a choice of 2 vegetables and 1 scoop rice or choice of 3 veggies only. Jap chae: Fresh glass noodles made and seasoned to perfection. Seaweed: Pickled seaweed was soft with perfect crunch from cucumbers, onions and carrots. Tofu: Firm to my liking. If the tofu doesn't break when lifted with hashi or chopsticks, then it passed the firmness test. Meat jun: Crispy egg flour batter on the outside, piping hot when bit on inside, while beef is moist and tender. Paper is placed under meat jun to soak up excess oil. Mini gimmari advertisement on Tempura plate caught my eye. Will need to order this next time. Visit here if you prefer to get away from the hustle and bustle of Honolulu and still feel like a townie.

    Regular Hamburger Steak
    Alvin A.

    After my daily workout, I felt like picking up Korean style BBQ for dinner. Originally I called Peppa's in Makiki Village. Tried calling in their number, but a message kept saying that the voicemail hasn't been set up yet. I guess they were busy with walk-in orders and/or the phone line was busy. Ended up calling the next closest location which is in Manoa Marketplace. As I arrived, the restaurant name has now been changed to Red Pepper Korean BBQ. Almost the same set up, except now they serve Boba Tea! I like the fact that egg maki was available, as other establishments tend to run out during after work hours.

    Kalihi and bbq chicken plate

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    1 year ago

    $21.98 for my meatjun plate. Danggggggg. Sides are great, meatjun is super flavorful and delicious but everything is getting so expensive.

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    2 months ago

    Love their Kalbi plate! Kim chee is bomb too!! They give a good portion and dining area is always clean.

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    3 months ago

    Good food but really expensive. Only go here because there's not many other options in manoa. Portions are small for how much you pay.

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    10 months ago

    Very similar to Yummy's and Pearl's, basic Korean take out with banchan sides to choose from. A little pricey but so is everywhere else's

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    7 months ago

    Did this place change ownership? The food quality was never good, but it's really bad now.

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    Great Korean plates and love the tofu soup. Friendly service and bright and clean area to sit and eat.

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    2 years ago

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    Guava Smoked - Smoked Butterfish Collars grilled to perfection...you can't get this anywhere else!!

    Guava Smoked

    4.5(598 reviews)
    2.1 miKaimuki
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    I loved it here. Truly a hole in the wall. Parking is really tough so street parking is usually…read moregonna be the norm unless you get lucky in their tiny shared parking lot. The guava bar was delicious and flavorful and just crumbles in your mouth! Definitely one of the better guava bars I've tried. Love how crumbly it is. The salmon belly was delicious OMFG. It looks so simple and straightforward but that sht is so flavorful. It is crispy and yet soft on the inside. The salmon belly is cut into bite-sized pieces so I didn't have to worry about using a knife to cut it. I usually try salmon belly where it is usually seasoned lightly to bring out the natural flavor of the salmon, but Guava Smoked's salmon belly is just grilled in a way that makes the salmon sweet/crispy and still get traces of the salmon taste as well. It's definitely not your traditional Japanese-style way of cooking salmon belly but really just their own. I'd go back and get this again. Another thing too. I'd get this with beer. This would hit very hard with alcohol but because I don't drink I need a kombucha. The grilled salmon belly would go perfect with it. Cheers! Uncle was very helpful and kind when serving and if you dine-in he brings it to your table.

    TL;DR The spicy pork…read moreis good. ----- I had Guava Smoked on my radar for quite a while, so when I found myself nearby and craving a protein-packed plate lunch, I decided to drop in. There is a dedicated parking lot behind the restaurant that is shared with the other businesses in the same building. When I walked into the restaurant at about 1pm on a Wednesday, I was surprised to find it almost empty. It's a pretty large space, so the lack of patrons was rather glaring. There was one person sitting at the counter facing the kitchen and one employee working. This was my very first visit to Guava Smoked so I asked the person at the counter what he recommends. He said the two most popular meats are the kalbi and the spicy pork. "Perfect!" I thought, because those were the two options I was eyeing. Unfortunately, they were out of kalbi that day. Bummer... Nothing else on the menu caught my eye, so I ordered a smoked spicy pork plate to go. The spicy pork was good. Did it blow my mind? I wouldn't say it did. But it was satisfying enough. Honestly, I really wish they had kalbi available when I went. Hopefully next time I stop in they will.

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    Kalbi and Spicy Pork Combo

    Red Pepper Korean BBQ - korean - Updated May 2026

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