Kau Kau Korner

It’s been years since I’ve been here. The same Asian woman at the counter years ago is still here. She doesn’t smile at all and not the friendliest person to work the counter to wait on people.
I went with the kalbi and chicken katsu plate. What I got was the kalbi and chicken teri plate instead. She got my order wrong. I didn’t want to wait so just took my wrong order. The kalbi was more bones than meat.
Don’t think I’ll be coming back here again. Sorry, you used to be good. Not so much now.

the FRiED RiCE is no joke !!
loaded up with portuguese sausage, char siu, BACON, and more meat and egg and green onion~ this fried rice is pretty good !
i was impressed by how much is loaded into this fried rice, but it should be considering the price. it’s kind of expensive.
as far as kau kau korner itself: i’ve never been there. i just seen it and passed by it when i was in the marukai food court. but i was craving some type of grilled chicken and rice so my dad dropped by.
their chicken bowl was sad. for how colourful and full of variety their fried rice is. the chicken bowl was just the opposite. there’s a little bit of veggies tucked under the thinly sliced chicken. thinly sliced and overcooked are how i’d describe the chicken. it seemed like it had a bit of flavour, but the texture didn’t help me enjoy it. lots of white rice though:
*NO BROWN RICE*
not a deal breaker for me though.
because of the fried rice, i’d be tempted to try kau kau again. but i’d probably pass on the chicken bowl.
to break it down: 4.5//4.75 for the fried rice itself. 2.5//3 if that for the chicken bowl. :\ 4 stars for kaukau !

Best place to eat in area for Local kine grinds, best part is its inside Maurikai market so load up on Hawaiian favorites to take home. Kau Kau has all the classics like teriyaki and katsu to Loco moco and Saimin. Great selection of Hawaiian Suns too. Good food, good portions and quick service for a fair price, what more do you need, Aloha

Ordered the tempura plate but it only came with 1 shrimp and 1 piece of fish. The rest was all vegetables. It would have been nice to gave another shrimp on the plste

Combination fried rice was good, but portion was very small, almost like a small side dish of rice. Was not worth $ 8.18.

Love the food here. All comfort food especially the spam Musubi, Kalua pork and Portuguese sausage.

Pricing, quantity and quality are just as good as any other restaurant in Gardena.
As with any restaurant sometimes a food item may not be up to par that day. But hey, so does other takeout, sit down places.

They’re located in the food court of the Marukai market. They serve Hawaiian /​Japanese food.
I’ve heard a lot of good things about this food court, so I finally ventured in. It was too hot for ramen, so I went here for some Hawaiian dish.
The service is super friendly, what do you expect from two Asian grandma manning the front. Lol.
They have a lot of Hawaiian breakfast dishes. Spam, Luncheon Meat, Vienna Sausage, Bologna, Bacon & Portuguese sausage. All serve with rice and two eggs. Yum.
I went with the Kalua Pork Plate. It was just okay. Lacking flavor IMO. They also don’t give as much cabbage as I’m accustomed to getting.
The price is very reasonable.
I’m really interested in trying the other dishes they offer (loco moco & breakfast dishes) but as of now, I say they’re just AOk.
Try it for yourself and decide.

Pretty good kalbi bbq, at a slightly higher price of around 10.95 for a combo, which includes chicken and kalbi bbq, miso soup, macaroni and cheese (chilled), rice, salad with mayo dressing — which is fair — imo.
The chicken strips were sort of like beef jerky, it was sort of dry — but the kalbi bbq (ribs) were good. Next time, I’d probably just get the kalbi and skip the chicken. Also got the spam musubi, which was okay — not a lot of flavor, but it has that gooey yumminess that you can’t put into words, like something homemade which makes you warm and fuzzy inside. Sure you might need some saki later, but hey, we all need a reason to drink sometimes.

I happened to be going to Marukai and looking for fresh Ahi and Hamachi to do some tasty things with them at home, when I suddenly smelled food and realized I was starving. I really do love Hawiian cuisine, so
I decided to give this place a go. I ordered the Korean beef rib and chicken katsu combo. It comes with rice but I like the macaroni salad better, so I requested it instead.
Rule #21
If the bones have no meat on them, don’t serve them on the plate.
So here I was with eight small ribs, of which three and one half of them had meat on them. And the chicken katsu, I found it difficult trying to find the meat in it as well. The cutlet was pounded paper thin and was mostly fried breading. So I tried it anyway and dipped it in the teriyaki sauce and took a bite. How strange? I tasted like a french fries.

My dad and I decided to try this place out for lunch before we shopped for groceries. This place is located in Marukai’s food court in Gardena. He had his eyes on the teriyaki beef and chicken combo while I wanted hot soup and went for Kook Bap… BIG Mistake!
I enjoy spicy soup but this soup was BEYOND Spicy!!! The cashier said it was mainly veggie soup with a little bit of japchae (translucent looking sweet potato noodles). It smelled like they used fermented bean paste, which I’m not a big fan of but my main complaint was that it was way too spicy to enjoy. There wasn’t much veggies except some bean sprouts, cilantro, and green onions. I noticed shredded meat in the soup but couldn’t tell if it was beef or pork and no kidding, a minuscule amount of noodles. Definitely not a vegetarian dish. It also came with a side of kimchee and a bowl of rice. The soup did keep my belly warm… and my nose runny. :P
The beef and chicken combo came with miso soup and salad with a little scoop of macaroni salad. My dad and I both thought it was just ok. We’ve had better tasty beef and chicken combo dishes for a lot less at a few other places I won’t name here. A bit pricey (around $ 14) for fast food… that’s just for the beef and chicken combo! Looks like their prices had gone up over the years from reading other people’s reviews.
The service was as expected for a place that calls out your number when your dishes are ready to get picked up.

Although this place is deep in the food court of the Marukai Market, it’s truly one of the best places to get really good Hawaiian and Korean food. The bacon or spam fried rice — awesome (tastes like Zippy’s)! Spam musubi — the best! Kalbi — so, so good! Not to mention, the sweet old lady in the front is so nice! I think she’s been there since I first started going there, since like forever years ago!
Cash only… So, stop by the ATM first (it’s to the left, right when you walk into the store!)

For a food court eatery in Marukai, the Costco of japanese food, Kau Kau offers up a big menu, flavorful goods at fair prices. It’s a japanese/​hawaiian/​korean place where you can find your traditional chicken/​beef teriyaki plates or bowls to the korean bbq (aka bulgogi) here. The plates are hawaiian-​style with the mac salad and green salad. You have the option to go the healthier route with white or brown rice for the bowls or plates. The bibimbop — a spicier version of a rice bowl with yummy veggies, friend egg, and beef — is my second fave next to the plate lunches. But whatever you get here you can’t go wrong.
KK is located inside Marukai so membership is required to eat here, just like Costco.
Marukai is worth joining to score on great prices and huge selection of fresh fish, japanese & hawaiian produce, meats, and other goods.

Ever eaten at a place that the food was so good to your surprised?
Have you ever drank so much water after that meal and water never tasted that sweet and refreshing?
Have you ever had food coma so bad after a meal all u want is water and a bed you can lay down and take a nap in???
Uh ha… This place is one of them!
Korean Vermicelli was my favorite. Japache
The Chicken and beef bowl was delicious. Meat is tender and not hard at all. The Terriyaki sauce was perfect. The sweetness was perfect.
My friend had the Korean Bibimbap (rice dish of steamed rice and precooked vegetables spinach, bean sprouts, carrots, mushrooms, egg and lettuce). She said it was light, healthy and delicious.
Surprisingly their food is pretty good! (Probably thanks to the MSG.)
Located inside of Marukai Market in the food court. For fast, cheap and decent food, you got to try it!

Korean and Hawaiian restaurant! my sister and I couldn’t decided what to get to we settled for the KOOK BAP, BOY WE MADE A MISTAKE! Lmfao. shit was spicy af! the old lady working there didn’t even warn us on how spicy it was :/​don’t get me wrong, I LOVE SPICY FOOD but this was just out of my taste bud! hahaha.
KOOK BAP = spicy Korean noodle soup!

Chicken Katsu plate — yummy! Loved, not healthy but really yummy. This place takes cash only. It’s inside Marukai. I saw they also had portugese sausage, one of my favs. I would eat here again when I’m grocery shopping here.

Korean owned Hawaiian joint inside the Mitsuwa market, so you’ll see items like kimchi and KBBQ, but I always get the yakitori. It’s essentially grilled chicken on a skewer with their teriyaki glaze. With the plate, it comes with two skewers, and it is a lot of chicken! May not look like much but the pieces are big.
The chicken is flame grilled, so it has that charred flavor. Teriyaki sauce is definitely on the sweeter side. By itself, I’m not really a fan of the sauce, but good with the chicken. Maybe brushed on when grilling? The plate also comes with salad & ranch dressing. Not a big fan of ranch, so I just eat the salad plain.
Had a few of the other items, and while good, I still think yakitori plate is the best value. I’ll get the spam musubi once in awhile, but it’s pretty plain as far as spam musubi goes.

I am writing this review specifically to rave about Kau Kau Korner’s kalua pork. It is the most authentic and delicious I have had in the South Bay. Moist, smoky, salty, and delicious.
It is just the right amount of smoked salt taste — maybe even venture to say a little too much? But it’s so damn tasty. Honestly, I didn’t need to eat anything else here because the portion was so plentiful, and it was only $ 8.95. The kalua pork came on a bed of cabbage with two scoops of rice and a side cup of macaroni salad. I ate the entire plate! Om nom nom.
My brother got the tempura plate, and that looked like a feast! They don’t skimp on portions here, that’s for sure.
They have a variety of Hawaiian Island beverages, which always excites me. I am a huge fan of POG and Orange Passion.
I have been told that they have chicken long rice, but they only make one tub of it a day, and when it runs out, it’s gone. I have YET to try this, but I am super excited. I haven’t been able to find authentic Hawaiian-​style chicken long rice in a very long time. It’s a traditional Korean dish that is often served cold, but I prefer the Hawaiian-​style, which is warm.
Stick with Kau Kau Korner if you’re in the Marukai food court. You won’t regret it.

I wandered in here for breakfast. I wanted something Hawaiian. I went for the loco moco and the sauce was great, but the patties were too thin and needed more fat in it as they were a bit dry inside. They did cook my eggs right — over hard — which people typically mess up, so there is one plus. Next, time I should try the Portuguese sausage and eggs. I prob couldn’t go wrong if I ordered that. PRICES ARE SUPER FAIR about $ 6.
I will mention that this is the saddest looking food court ever. Reminds me of one in in an airport in the Philippines or something!

I’ve been going to Kau Kau Korner for the past decade or so and it has gone through different owners once or twice. I can only guess that based on some of the minor revisions to their menu. Years ago, the menu was much like its anchor grocery store, Marukai– Japanese American and local Hawaiian flavors. I used to always get their curry plate even though I knew I could just buy a box of curry paste for so much cheaper. But it was the whole plate experience that kept me loyal, especially their mac salad. I loved it so much that I had to ask for the recipe. Their secret was finely diced celery and carrots and seasoned salt. And that’s the recipe I still use to this day.
However, the mac salad changed in taste in the past few years and the curry plate is no longer a staple item on their menu. Instead, there are more Korean items on the menu like galbi and bimbimbap. The lunch menu doesn’t leave a lasting impression on me anymore, except for the chapjae. There’s something about their japchae that makes me coming back for more. It’s served cold and is refreshing. It’s not overpowering with sesame oil but rather subtle.
I honestly don’t know why I always come back to Kau Kau Korner. Perhaps it’s the japchae. Perhaps I’m just way too loyal to leave it for good. But I’ll be back…