Arirang Bar-B-Q

Way overpriced bulgogi lunch at $ 14 including tax. Served on a regular plate warm with 2 shriveled up banchan on the same cafeteria style plate. Lady in the back not too nice. Really just needs to stay back there if she’s not going to practice good customer service. There’s a reason why this place was empty at 1:30 in the afternoon despite the high rating on Unilocal

For me the food was just okay, ordinary. In fact, I was disappointed because I saw the great reviews before I went to the restaurant and I guess the restaurant didn’t live up to my expectations. In addition the waitress overcharged for the food and I had to bring the matter up to her.

Went here for an early dinner with my friend. I got their soft tofu stew, and my friend got a bimbimbap. The stew was actually pretty tasty. Came with a few side dishes, which they made SURE to make clear was only for me and NOT for my friend too, which I thought was a bit rude of them.

I am so glad someone introduced me to this place. Best kimchee soup I have tasted thus far. I hate how out of the way the location is but still manage to go. The broth is rich, spicy and side dishes never disappoint. Short ribs are super good too, and the spicy tofu– it’s so flavorful! My favorite side dishes are ggaktugi, papaya kimchee and cucumber kimchee. The ladies there are really nice too and remember me lol.

I’ve been working in Kalihi for almost 20 years. I’ve seen this place before for a few year, but never thought about checking it out until last week.. . it’s because they got good reviews on Unilocal.I am cautiously optimistic about any place that gets good reviews on Unilocal,since I had a really bad experience at Ahi & Vegetable the week before.
I’m so stoked on this place! Been here four times in less than two weeks. I’ve only tried the meat jun and the spicy pork so far. This place is all about quality, not quantity. You can’t get better than that. I can’t stand places that serve you a heaping pile of low quality crap, and have the audacity to call it food.
Everything they serve, from the entrée to the sides, are all prepared perfectly. Not too much, not too little, just the right amount of everything. You can tell the people running this operation take a lot of pride in what they serve. I have so much love for places that treat food with respect, because a lot of places don’t, so it’s refreshing to find a place that truly knows how to take care of business like that.

We went back on Oct 22^nd, a Thursday night and there were more people this time. I had the BBQ chicken and meat jun plate this time. Very good flavor, the meat was cooked well and the banchan was tasty, too. Again, the A/​C was a little too cold, but still acceptable.

Good mandoo an kalbi but smal portion. I can find the same quality Korean plate lunch close by. Enjoy the food but I don’t think I’ll go back…

The Kim-​chee beef fried rice is to die for! This is our third visit, and each time we love the experience. The bbq is spot on as well.

Excellent Korean food! We enjoyed and devoured the plate lunch special with bulgogi and BBQ chicken, light crispy fried mandoo, amazing perfectly spiced bi bim kook soo, and assorted banchan (loved the potatoes and papaya!). We left full, happy, and still with leftovers. Thanks for a yummy and wonderful lunch! We’ll be back soon! Telling all our friends and family! :-)

Excellence Service
Amazing food
I highly recommend it!
Dumplings were delicious.
Tofu soup very tasty
Combination of beef and chicken barbecue good size portion

Really tasty Korean food with real spicy kimchi! Bulgogi sauce was a little sweet but that’s what I expect outside of Korea. Will definitely come back!
Service was great… servers were very nice and attentive.

My wife had dinner with a couple of friends there the other night and brought me home a tofu stew. It was great! One of the best, if not the best I’ve eaten. Generous portions of the stew, rice and vegetables. And all were delicious. And well-​packed.
The problem was I was supposed to meet them there but was unable to find the place. The google map took me to the shopping center but I didn’t see it TWICE! Apparently they turn off their sign at 8, when they close. I was supposed to drop something off to my friends. But you would’ve thought I would’ve still at least SEEN the place.
So, great food, but be careful about finding the place.

I’ve been to Hawaii so many times and always again to try the Korean places as there are so many out here and not the greatest because they pour out so much msg. (After one place I went, I had to make a beeline to the restroom and won’t mention names as they are my own people. I’ve been to so many of the best restaurants in Korea, LA, and Nyc… and have to say it was more than decent. I ate kimchii soondoboo and had it less spice and my husband ordered the somen with mandoo. The sides were just fresh and made my tummy feel yummy. I’d have to say… finally somewhere I can say is decent on the island.

Since I try to stay away from beef and pork, my Korean foods are pretty much limited to fish and chicken. Having said that, I have to admit that I sometimes have the mandoo because it’s sooo good and I can’t resist. I’ve had the fish jun which was good and fresh and our regular, the spicy BBQ chicken is awesome! We’re addicted and get it about once a week.
This is the BEST home-​style Korean BBQ I’ve been to in HNL. Although the area is not the trendiest– Dillingham/​Kalihi — if you dine in, you’ll be treated to super good seaweed soup and the full assortment of the best, freshest kimchee and other side dishes. The chicken comes out on a smoking skillet, hot and tender and there’s no MSG in anything! The place is clean and the staff is friendly so it’s worth eating in if you have the time.
We usually take out and eat at home, and it’s not quite the same but we’re still hooked! Keep in mind there are 2 different BBQ chickens, 1 regular and 1 spicy. We always go for the spicy, which I would say is about a 7 for heat. I’ve seen the bulgogi and kalbi come out to other customers and they look great — if I ever get bored with the chicken, which I doubt will happen, I may have to give them a try…

Okay, I have been trying to eat at this place for like a million years! Usually I get the «town?! traffic sucks I don’t wanna go into town!» bit from my family, but this time I was on a serious Yobo pig out mission! So it was on!
Located right across from HCC there’s a pretty good amount of parking in the evening, but warning, Yohei is right next to this place so if you have A.D.D. like me you gotta be disciplined. «I was like «oooh Yohei!», but I digress, just don’t look to your left and get your but in the door at Arirang.
Im just gonna tell you what I ordered cause it was really good! Bi Bim Bap, you could order the pan cake thingy that everyone orders or the Bulgogi which my dad ordered (not gonna lie, it was really good), or everyones favorite Meat Jun, no just go straight for the Bi Bim Bap. It comes in a seriously hot stone bowl with all the tasty mix um up stuff placed like ikebana on your hot rice! Give um the ko cho jung sauce and mix and say «awwwrite!» They have two types of ko cho jung so ask them for both, one is sweet the other is a more on the spicy or do what I did and use both. The best part is at the bottom of the bowl where the rice gets all crispy! Damn! My stomach is rumbling just writing this.
So get on it, check this place out, and if your from the West side like me, a happy stomach make the traffic wait just a bit more bearable.

We are always on the lookout for solid food for decent prices here in expensive Oahu. Here is yet another place. Nice entrees like the barbecue items, mandoo, and chicken. Nice tofu soup, and good ban chan.
A really nice surprise is the attention to customer service and happy smiles at this place. Maybe it’s the feel of a mom and pop shop staffed by the kids, with a burning desire to make this place a success. Definitely different from the common «you’re irritating, go away» feeling some places give you.
Customer service is a big deal. Especially in a service economy. Your livelihood depends on it, and my encounter here, along with very good food, will hopefully guarantee a a long successful run. I give the food a solid four stars. Good food. Good service. Happy staff. Love it. I’d eat here regularly if I was close.

Wow, this place wasnt what I expected. Part of the reason is I thought this place used to be in town (or something with a similar name) and the other that the food was so good.
Decided to check this place out with some friends. Its like a little Korean group who are going to try different Korean restaurants. Located in the shopping center across of Honolulu Community College, which tends to draw a shady crowd for the area but not this place.
I ordered the Spicy Pork, which wasnt as spicy as I would like but it was enough. I love hot and spicy! I didnt want to offend them this first time around so thought I would see how it was. The pork was tender and no chewy.
Included with your meals are the sides… all about the sides. They served maybe 5 – 6 different ones. Since we were the last party to come, they didnt hesitate to give us more when we asked. Im not sure if they do that on the regular basis but the sides have just as much flavor as the food.
One thing to note, I believe this place closes at 8:30 pm. Its not to late but this is not the the spot for the late night cravings. I think that is a smart move considering the area.

This is my favorite Korean restaurant and has become the only Korean restaurant the Korean side of my family goes to. Everything is homemade and terrific. The two dishes I usually switch off between are the fried pork w/​Kim chee and the Kim Chee Chige. I really like the soups here because they are made to order and I feel they are not over salted like many of the other restaurants I’ve experienced. I believe this is because they are not made in mass quantity so they don’t sit in a pot all day. The fried pork? Fried pork, that’s why! Just get it and thank me later.

Not sure how long Arirang has been around, but I’ll be sure to find out the next time I go so that I can tell myself what an idiot I am for not discovering this spot earlier! The place isn’t crazy-​packed & I don’t understand why. I don’t think we need to drive to Oahu’s Koreatown if we wanted a quick fix!
We got the bi bim kook soo, tofu soup, & bulgogi & mandoo combo… All were flavorful & tasty. Would probably up the heat level for the bi bim kook soo cause medium didn’t do it for me. I just really wanted to accommodate my friends cause they can’t really do spicy. Anyway, the mandoo was perfect! So crispy. So hot. So yummy!
Service was spectacular, we even joked around with the owner. She playfully teased a friend of mine cause said friend talked about how she’s learning to cook (& I couldn’t believe it cause all she could cook a year ago was saimin & eggs!). Joking aside, she made us feel very welcomed & we will def be regulars… Especially when I don’t wanna drive through ridiculous rush hour traffic back to the westside!

If you’re in Kalihi, this might be a convenient place for you to get Korean food, but if you have the time, I would head over to Koreamoku where the better places are located.
Stopped in for lunch and the place was deserted. Doors didn’t open until 11:15AM or so despite opening hour listed as 11AM.
So Dong Gong has much better soondubu (soft tofu soup) for a much more reasonable price! I could not believe that my soondubu was $ 12.95 here! NOT a combo, just a normal bowl! While my soondubu was okay, it was a little watery, and had less flavor than I’d like. Also, I asked for a raw egg but the lady said that it was already cracked in there. I found it eventually but I like doing it myself because then I can swirl it around to thicken up the soup. Maybe that’s why it seemed extra watery. They should just let the customer do it so that we can be sure that it’s in there. Plus, what if some people don’t like it with the egg (crazy but it’s a possibility right?). The banchan here is okay and you get refills of everything but fishcake. Unfortunately fishcake is my favorite one, but I can’t complain. :(
When I was leaving, I saw them packing the chicken/​meat jun combo lunch special to go. That looked good, and at $ 8.95, is a lot more reasonable! Stick with the lunch specials and you’ll get your $$ worth.