‘I'O Waikiki Korean BBQ Restaurant

Girls lunch! Sometimes you got to treat yourself. So first off, you should know there are 2 different AYCE menus at 'I'o. There's the $99 all inclusive AYCE Wagyu menu, and then there's the Premium Meats AYCE menu (price differs lunch vs dinner) which is not including sides, but does include ban chan. The Premium Meats menu doesn't include Wagyu, but considering the fact that we had been watching food porn of folks eating at 'i'o, we were on a mission to eat that Wagyu. Our server was Justin, and he explained the menus, he also told us there was a special cut of meat on the Wagyu menu, a rib-eye, and that he would be bringing that out with our 4 cuts of meat to start. We ordered some sides of vegetables and some Japchae and cheese corn and shared some soju. When that glorius Wagyu came out I had to stop my Sifdy (Sister-in-food-drinks-y) before she threw that meat on so we could grease up the grill with that Wagyu fat. We started with those larger cuts of meat, the rib-eye grilled up beautifully and of course scissors made sharing and cutting the meat a breeze. Sifdy and I were in full effect, grilling and eating, eating and grilling. It was about 30 minutes in when we finally came up for some air and started laughing about how serious we were about getting that A5 on! Ordered some fresh dipping sauces and more water and continued the mission. My personal takeaway is to stick with the thicker cuts of meat to avoid what I call "shrinkage". The thinner cuts would probably do really well in shabu-shabu, but on a grill, they just get tiny and if not watched, sometimes crispy. We'll be back!

AYCE korean bbq in Waikiki! Place is pretty huge and the ayce menu has a healthy selection of sides and veggies. Had to try the Wagyu AYCE. At beginning grill temperature was a little on lower side so that resulted in Wagyu drying out. After flagging to waiter they turn it up some. Favorite was the sirloin. Overall found the grilled a bit harder to use. Even after using the beef fat 2-3 times on a clean grill, the wagyu meet would still stick to the grille. Since the Wagyu is pretty thin sliced it took a bit of trial and error to cook the beef right, assuming it didn't stick to the grille. Place is pretty new and clean. Service was pretty nice and friendly. The center has a parking garage too. I'd consider going back in the future, but not sure if I'd do the Wagyu again. -- for ayce you are also paying for variety, so if you do the Wagyu, it makes it a harder value premise to try the wide assortment of meats the place offers.

FLAVOR (5/5): What a hidden gem in Hawaii! We typically don't go for AYCE when on vacation because we want to save stomach space for trying different foods. When waiting for Maguro Brothers one night this place next to it caught our eye. Their meat quality for all you can eat is actually insane! Super buttery and melts in your mouth fat. The side dishes also were stellar, we asked for multiple refills of their mac salad it was like crack! INSTAGRAM WORTHY (4/5): Big restaurant but kept very tidy! They have big windows that bring in a lot of light and all their presentation was really pleasing! SERVICE (4/5): Our servers never got annoyed when we kept asking for side refills or ordering more rounds of meats. We felt taken care of for our meal. TAKEAWAYS: 10/10 would go here again when I'm in area!

'I'O Waikiki is a must try Korean yakiniku. The quality of the premium and wagyu meats are at its optimal freshness, maximum marbling, and the selections are endless. Enjoy this warm yet relaxing restaurant by yourself or with a group and indulge in to your hearts content. The staff members are welcoming and friendly. They're quick on the order and efficient! A must try.PaymentCash or credit cardParkingPaid garageRestrooms One floor above, near escalators, and a code is needed

Impeccable service, that alone will get me to come back again. First time to experience AYCE in Waikiki and this was such a great experience. The quality of the meat was good. We opted to get the premium ayce that came with side dishes and soup. The banchans were tasty. The Tofu soup had good flavor, it came with a piece of shrimp which added flavor to it. Great portion of the meat. Highly recommend.

STOP! Read this first before going.'I'O Waikiki Korean BBQ** NOT RECOMMENDED **A5 Wagyu: * too thin, not fatty, not tender for $99.95/personFood: ***Value: ** but that's the price of WaikikiMenu: ***Ambiance: **** Clean & newService: ****Parking: **** validatedAfter seeing several IG foodies post reels and rave about all you can eat A5 Wagyu, I asked two if my friends if they wanted to give it a try. We ordered their A5 Wagyu at $99.95 per person, but left disappointed, especially after we had eaten Miyazaki A5 Wagyu two months prior at Han No Daikodoro.Unfortunately, I have to report that their A5 Wagyu it is NOT even close to the Japanese A5 Wagyu that I eat several times a year in Japan. It is not the same fattiness or thickness as the Miyazaki A5 wagyu I've eaten in Japan or at Han No Daikodoro in Honolulu. Even the Japanese A5 Wagyu that I just bought at Costco for $60/lbd. was way better. You can also buy Japanese A5 wagyu at the J-Shop around $156/lbd. that's really good!Just look at the pictures in the menu vs. the Wagyu we were served. Are they the same? Also, three of the four A5 cuts were sliced paper thin, which might be good for sukiyaki, but it was way too thin for Yakiniku. Normally, it's thicker in Japan so you can brown the outside and have the inside rare. Their banchan (side dishes) and tofu soup was just ok. With 3 people, 2 bottles of soju, tax and tip it was over $400 for our lunch or around $133/person. If the Wagyu was thick, tender & fatty, no problem. But since that was not the case, a ** rating is appropriate.If you're a tourist in Waikiki you can consider their all you can eat with sides for $59.95 or no sides for $46.95. If you're not familiar with Japanese A5 wagyu and have cash to burn, go for the A5 Wagyu at $99.95.However, I would recommend the All-you can eat at Seoul Garden $28.95 (lunch) $38.95 dinner, with authentic delicious banchan. For the best deal you can try GEN for $19.95 (lunch) or $32.95 (dinner). If you've eaten Japanese A5 Wagyu in Japan, you'll be disappointed here. I'd recommend going to Han No Daikodoro in Ward for Yakiniku and order their Miyazaki Beef Chef's Cut to start. Also, Restaurant Suntory in Waikiki for Teppan and order their Miyazaki Wagyu (but it's expensive).Yelp: https://yelp.to/PKPCGE22pMYELP: Milton KSorry! They allow only one 12 second video & the remaining to 3 seconds. The full video and pictures of the entire menu can be found on other platforms/apps: MiltonIn808RATINGS KEY: A = Really Good - one of the best B = Good - would order again C = ok - similar, nothing special D = Not very good - wouldn't order F = Terrible - avoid

We came in at 8:30 and while we ordered the Wagyu menu the meat was just mediocre. It wasn't bad as far as quality but it also wasn't mind-boggling. Our server was kind but we felt like more of an inconvenience to themSince it was later in the evening on a weekday. For 280.00 for two people with just 1 drink we won't be back. Far better AYCE bbq across HI.

I give this place a 4.5/5 stars!We had a reservation but I believe we didn't really need one because there were lots of open tables and we got seated right away. Upon looking at the menu, they have different tiers of pricing depending on what kinda of things you want. We went with the second choice which had a good amount of items but was a little pricey. We also had to add on lettuce wraps which I believe should be in part of that price because lettuce is pretty cheap. Nonetheless, the meats were good and all the side dishes were also really good. The mandu was my favorite. The samjjang was pretty watery but the other sauces were good. Overall, the quality of the food was good and I would come back.They have a parking lot in that building. And downstairs is the old Yokocho so you can go and enjoy a matcha ice cream after dinner!

Spent $60 per person and got the premium option. The food was mediocre and the dipping sauces were all watered down. Even their sesame oil was watered down. I don't think it was an authentic Korean joint. Everything was kinda bland and didn't have much flavor very Korean. Good thing was the service and friendly staff. I wouldn't come back.

I recently visited this Korean bbq spot and unfortunately, my experience was less than satisfactory. The ambiance of the restaurant was pleasant, and the staff were friendly and attentive. However, the main issue was with the food, particularly the meat.The meat we were served was not up to standard. It was tough and lacked flavor, which made the dining experience quite disappointing. Despite the efforts of the person cooking the food, it was clear that the quality of the meat itself was not good. This significantly impacted our overall enjoyment of the meal.I hope this restaurant can address this issue, as it has the potential to be a great dining spot. Improving the quality of the ingredients, especially the meat, would make a big difference. I look forward to seeing improvements in the future.Also the server was cooking the food for us the WHOLE time like leave us alone and let us enjoy our food.