Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Sam's Delicatessen

    3.5 (317 reviews)
    ModerateKorean
    Open • 9:00 am - 8:00 pm

    Sam's Delicatessen Photos

    Business Info

    SAM'S DELICATESSEN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Dogs allowed
    Good for kids

    You might also consider

    More like Sam's Delicatessen

    Recommended Reviews - Sam's Delicatessen

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Bbq chicken and Bbq  meat plate
    Gabriel P.

    Sam's Delicatessen is a few blocks away from my residence I told my wife let's go and pick up lunch and dinnr Now .I wished Sam's was on an outer island. It would of saved me forty-five bucks. I was doing some banking so my wife pre-ordered our lunch and dinner.When I got back to the car she said tha they ttold her It would be ready in fifteen minutes. We got there in ten minutes. She went in and I waited in the car. Fifteen minutes later she came out with our food. I asked her if it was busy, because it took so long. She said she was the only customer. Now as for the food. We shared the BBQ chicken and BBQ meat combo. For dinner we had tofu soup. The banchans which came with the plate lunch had little taste. Our plate lunch fared no better. The tofu soup also disappointed. I normally end my reviews with Enjoy, not this time.

    Our combo plate
    Deborah P.

    Well what can I say about this place. My husband wanted to try this place just up the street from where we live in town so after our errands we made a take out and headed home. The BBQ chicken was good their taste was ok the BBQ beef was lacking some kind of taste the pieces were alittle stringy. The banchan I chose wasnt the greatest in taste I tasted better banchan. The Kim chee was not hot or spicy kinda of bland the shoyu potato was hard and the shoyu taste wasnt there. All in all the banchan I tasted better. Now I'll see how's the tofu soup would taste like. I don't think I'll go back again. Sorry. My honest opinion.The tofu soup was watery and no taste at all. Very disappointed.

    Jan K.

    Menu and prices as of 06.30.26. Ban chan in regular plate was smaller portions than as in past.

    Meat Jun plate. Very good and moist not dry.
    Wendy Y.

    Ordered lunch for the family here. We got the katsu, meat Jun and bibimkoosoo plates. Honestly the best one was the meat Jun. the katsu for my son was kind of burnt or overly cooked. The bibimkoosoo is a tad bit salty. We suggest you call it in as our order took over 30 mins to be ready. Maybe they are understaffed. Also don't forget to ask for utensils or they won't give you any. Overall, we'll be back for the meat Jun only.

    Jason M.

    Decent food, horrible parking but we go to support sam...lol! Jk I don't even know sam anyway not my first choice for Korean food but we was in the area! Was Ono for shrimp tempura but the don't sell side orders of it, I already asked! lol

    Menu options
    Jackie K.

    First time ordering from Sam's Delicatessen. My sister suggested picking up dinner here. Parking is angled and limited here. Be careful parking here. Interior reminds me of old time mom and pop delicatessen. Small interior. Two ladies were covering the counter area. Many options to order from and it took me a few minutes to look at the options. We ended up ordering three bentos and a plate lunch. The $10.99 bento is small for the price point. The $13.99 bento is large and has more of a variety of meats. Sadly the only vegetable that comes with the bentos is cabbage. The plate lunch was my sister's order, so I am unable to review that plate. This place has catering and many Yelpers report that the prices have skyrocketed here for catering. The food was average. 3/5 stars Ambiance is not much at all. Could be cleaner and more lit. 3/5 stars. Service was minimal and no welcome. 3/5 stars. A good point is that Sam's offers brown rice as an option. Overall, I probably wouldn't return here.

    Chicken Katsu (recipe has changed for the worse)

    I used to be a huge fan of Sam's chicken katsu, it was my favorite chicken katsu. The recipe changed completely. I haven't been here for about a year so I don't know when it changed. The flavor is bland and oily. The fried outer is not really crispy. Banchan was OK. Super sad day. Please change it back to the OG recipe.

    Annie K.

    Perfect little take out place for local and korean bbq plate lunch. Portions are mediocre but taste is on point

    Kimchee Soup
    Janey T.

    My parents picked up Korean food for dinner and I decided to stick with Kimchee soup to be safe. My boyfriend got the Fish jun since he's never had it before. He really liked it since the inside was moist and the outside was a little crispy. He enjoyed the banchans as well! My kimchee soup was so yummy and had the perfect kick to it! Sometimes kimchee soup isn't spicy which makes me sad because I love my spicy flavors! This soup had the perfect ratio of tofu, kimchee and meat. My soup came with rice and banchans as well. There isn't too much parking so I recommend if doing take out, have one person driving and another person hop out to grab the food. The inside of the restaurant is giving old school, mom and pop shop. Kind of pricey but if you're really craving korean food and in the area, I'd give this place a try!

    December 2021 catering prices
    Lori I.

    Recently ordered bentos for a small party and everyone enjoyed it. The party platters are getting so expensive that I think the bentos were a better deal this time around. However, the mochiko chicken doesn't taste the same as it used to be, not sure if they changed the recipe but it's not the same mochiko chicken from a few years ago. The fried chicken wings is still excellent. I still like this place but just not as much as before.

    Outside
    S M.

    Today I got to try their Yook Gae Jang, Hot Beef Soup, and it turned out good. The worker, seemed like an owner, was very nice.

    The Chicken Wing Plate
    Carrie G.

    This place has gone downhill since I first started coming here. They nickle and dime you for everything including any kind of sauce (.25 cents extra), utensils cost extra if you ask for more than one (they did not even offer me any chopsticks or napkins), paper bags are .30 cents each, soda refills cost extra, $10 minimum for credit cards, etc. etc. the only thing they don't charge extra for is brown rice! The vegetable portions were really skimpy (see photos) and they were also pretty bland. I barely got any broccoli or bean sprouts. The chicken wings were pretty good, they were perfectly cooked and the batter was nice and crispy. The only drawback was how they were dry and they don't serve any sauce with them (I paid extra for the gochujang sauce and it was watery and tasted like it was rotten). The service is not friendly at all. Overall, there are better places with bigger portions in my neighborhood and sadly this little former gem won't be on my list to go back anytime soon.

    Oahu Special - Kalbi, Bbq Chicken, Bbq Beef, Mandoo
    Suzie F.

    This next to Bangkok Chef with 3-4 angled stalls in front. Small establishment with 3 tables. Not sure if I was greeted by the cashier/order taker, may have been greeted but honestly don't remember...was already looking the menu trying to decide on what to order. Ended up ordering the Oahu Special (1 Kalbi, 1 BBQ Chicken, 1 BBQ Beef (couldn't really tell since it was all bits of meat), 2 Mandoo and 4 choices of side) and Tonkatsu (Pork). The Kalbi was good, bbq chicken was a bit salty for my taste, bbq beef was alright I guess but I really hate/dislike when the meat is kasu (small bits of pieces kind of like you you cut for a baby). Enjoyed the Mandoo with the Mandoo sauce from another Korean restaurant since they didn't give any sauce. The tonkatsu was good, crispy but not burnt. The sauce was good also. The day I decide to carry just my drivers license, 1 credit card and no cash, there would be an issue with the credit card machine. Waited patiently for the Tech to arrive but the owners I presume were talking and then he asked if they could rerun my card which was a success...he said probably internet issue. This wasn't their fault, not in their control. After I paid and just as I was sitting down to wait for my order, the other girl said here's your order. She was lacking in the customer service part....Didn't ask if wanted fork or chopsticks like the other lady did for the other customer. I guess with this girl you'd have to ask instead.

    Chicken Wing Plate

    See all

    3 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    8 months ago

    Helpful 14
    Thanks 4
    Love this 10
    Oh no 8

    8 months ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 1
    Love this 2
    Oh no 5

    8 months ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 1
    Love this 2
    Oh no 2
    Photo of Jan K.
    1
    3
    22

    3 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Leah K.
    0
    22
    16

    4 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 2
    Love this 3
    Oh no 1
    Photo of Pat E.
    58
    6
    0

    2 months ago

    Food was very good. I ordered bentos for my family leaving on a trip. Food was ready to be picked up at the time I requested.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Lora C.
    330
    735
    5355

    2 years ago

    Helpful 6
    Thanks 2
    Love this 1
    Oh no 4

    2 years ago

    Helpful 26
    Thanks 11
    Love this 21
    Oh no 7

    6 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    11 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 1
    Photo of Lori I.
    830
    1117
    8786

    3 years ago

    Helpful 8
    Thanks 0
    Love this 10
    Oh no 1
    Photo of S M.
    5
    344
    3629

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    7 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    3 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 2
    Love this 4
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Cari C.
    0
    56
    88

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 months ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 1

    2 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Taylor T.
    459
    11
    13

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Joe K.
    17
    2
    0

    5 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 months ago

    Used to have the best mochiko chicken, but they changed the recipe. Now it's more like karaage chicken. Not the same. :(

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    10 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 months ago

    This was the second time in a row that the food had no taste. We ordered the meat jun and it was bland.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Family pack is so worth it! All the meats that you like, enough veggies to fill you up. Always order it for family outings.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Dee O.
    1
    155
    132

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    5 years ago

    Helpful 7
    Thanks 0
    Love this 10
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 8

    Sam's Delicatessen Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Sam's Delicatessen

    You might also consider

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Korean 50,383 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Korea Garden - Beef sampler (tongue, brisket, marinated flank, marinated rib eye (burried under all the other meats)

    Korea Garden

    4.5(381 reviews)
    2.1 mi

    The food was so ono and the banchan variety is unreal. high quality meat, delicious soondubu,…read morenyangmyeon was so refreshing, seafood pancake was crispy but not oily. such a wonderful spot, complemented by our amazing server Joel, who was so personable, helpful and made the experience that much better. nice ambiance too! weʻll be back for sure!

    As always this place delivers not only great food, but the service is great with a combination of…read morefriendly aunties and young servers greeting each customer and making sure that your dining in experience is excellent. So many of the Korean restaurants in Honolulu have servers who are actually mean to the customers and we now refuse to give them our dining dollars. The more modern Korean restaurants are providing much better customer experiences so that a customer becomes a life-long customer who spreads the word to family and friends and who keeps coming back for life. Does anyone remember the "Angry Korean Auntie" who used to run her restaurant like Seinfeld's "Soup Nazi'? That is the kind of service that we try to avoid now regardless of food quality. The atmosphere here is elegant and welcoming and the food is excellent and the ban chans served here are better than any other Korean restaurant in Honolulu. We enjoy coming here and never smell like BBQ when we leave, LOL, due to efficient fans and AC's. Their marinated Kalbi is some of the best I have every had, way better than any LA Kalbi and we recommend it. All the soups are good and generous.

    Photos
    Korea Garden - Nicely decorated

    Nicely decorated

    Korea Garden - Hot stone pot bibimbap

    Hot stone pot bibimbap

    Korea Garden - Ginseng chicken rice soup

    See all

    Ginseng chicken rice soup

    Jagalchi - 돼지불고기 / Spicy Pork

    Jagalchi

    4.0(527 reviews)
    1.5 mi
    •$$

    Came to Jagalchi on a Friday night closer to 7pm without reservations for a party of 7. We had to…read morewait around 15 minutes for a table. They have free parking in the small lot right outside their restaurant, but there is also paid parking across the street. We were lucky, and people were leaving as we got there. For 7 of us, we got the rabokki, meat jun, half order of bossam, and kimchee pancake. This was more than enough food for everyone, and we probably would have skipped the kimchee pancake next time. The food was really good, and I would definitely recommend the bossam if you're with a group. The meat is super soft and flavorful, and even the half order was a generous portion. We also ordered the lemon soju and yogurt soju pitchers. They have tablets for you to order the food, which was super convenient. The food comes out pretty quickly, and the service is friendly. Overall, would recommend here for good Korean food and fun vibes.

    I went in on a Friday evening for dinner and it wasn't busy. There is ample parking available in…read morefront of the restaurant and on the street. The restaurant gives off Korean pub vibes, decently sized, and best suited for smaller groups. We ordered a variety of food: chicken combo, kimbap, bulgogi, bossam, and spicy rice cakes. The food was very delicious. My favorite was the bulgogi because it was tender and flavorful. I also enjoyed the spicy rice cakes, but I wish they gave a bigger portion of it.. The chicken was okay, but not something I'd order again. The spicy sauce was drenched all over the chicken and was very spicy. The regular crispy chicken didn't have enough salt for me and was overcooked.

    Photos
    Jagalchi - By the time we were ready to leave, the restaurant started to get more crowded.

    By the time we were ready to leave, the restaurant started to get more crowded.

    Jagalchi - Bulgogi bibimbap

    Bulgogi bibimbap

    Jagalchi - We went early, so the restaurant was pretty empty.

    See all

    We went early, so the restaurant was pretty empty.

    So Gong Dong Restaurant - Sundubu and meatchun combo (spicy)

    So Gong Dong Restaurant

    3.9(769 reviews)
    1.7 mi
    •$$

    Yummy spot near keeaumoku Sam's Club for Korean tofu soup and other dishes! They have banchan, and…read moretheir beef and pork tofu soup is my go to. Their meat jun is good, but seafood pancake is very very breaded. A good adorable spot for Korean food. Friendly staff, and nice for a quick meal.

    If I could give this place zero stars, I absolutely would…read more The customer service was horrible from the moment we arrived. We were told the waiter was the owner, must be under a new owner and if that's true, his behavior was extremely disappointing. I would not recommend eating somewhere where you're made to feel like an inconvenience. My soon do bu tofu soup was literally thrown onto the table, causing some of it to spilt over on the side. We were not given enough chopsticks, and when we asked for straws because the ones we had broke, his attitude became even worse. He started slamming things around, and when we tried to get his attention, he clearly heard us, laughed, said something under his breath and walked away. Thankfully, the other person working with him came over and helped us. At that point, I couldn't even enjoy my food because of how uncomfortable and unwelcome we felt. I ended up asking for my food to be packed to go. The overall atmosphere felt extremely toxic, rude, and unwelcoming. What made it even more disappointing was that we were there during a time when it wasn't even busy. I will not be returning, and based on this experience, I cannot recommend this place.

    Photos
    So Gong Dong Restaurant - Inside

    Inside

    So Gong Dong Restaurant - Meat jung

    Meat jung

    So Gong Dong Restaurant

    See all

    Sam's Delicatessen - korean - Updated October 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...