Red Pepper Korean BBQ

TL;DRA 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.

First time trying. Sunday lunchtime. Take out. Prices are $20+ on regular plates. Although portions are on big side. Prices are on high side.Ordered:Combo meat jun and BBQ chicken, $20.99Fish Jun, $21(Plates include rice and 4 vegetables/sides)Vegetables were fresh, goodI thought the Fish Jun and meat Jun were very thin. (The thinest I've seen)Fish Jun was overcooked.Food came out fast.Located in Manoa Market Place.Near Safeway and American Savings Bank.Shared, free parking lot.

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.

This spot has supported us through many a busy day. When we don't have time to cook, we know we can rely on red pepper to have healthy and delicious options for takeout so we don't have to resort to places like McDonald's. I particularly like the choy, jap chae and cucumber kimchi. When you want to indulge, their fried chicken wings are so good, with a gentle five spice kick, leaving you craving more. Their kalbi and chicken plate is another consistent go to for us. I also like to order a mandoo soup to eat the next morning. The best part is the friendly staff and especially the kind auntie who run this place. The decor is not fancy but the people are kind and the food is fresh. It's definitely one of our family restaurants.

Food seemed better than the last time. Meat in my seaweed soup was "souper" soft. And even Kalbi was more tender than usual. Wish they were a little more generous with the veggies b/c the prices are a little steep and other places pack it in. But it is definitely convenient for the valley...

Ordered take out here 3x and every dish was pretty bad either the lack of taste but tonite was the worst bbq chicken I ever had. Dry like jerky, burnt to a crisp and very salty! For $16 mini plate, I wish I spent that on someplace else. The location in Makiki was not this bad. Manoa location needs a revamp of better eateries but this place was a disappointing.

Wow, talk about overpriced and food that doesn't taste very good. I stopped by after grabbing some stuff from Safeway. BBQ chicken was dry and stringy. Karl bi was hard and tough, also noticed it was cut thinner than yummys pr peppas. Also they give much less food and less vegetables that other places. It's almost like they just want to fleece the students from the university that don't have cars.

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.

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

Came in on a weeknight, wasn't busy at all. I ordered the mandoo kook soo, my son ordered a combo plate. I sat down, looked at the pictures of food on the wall and realized I wanted to change my order. I went back up and asked if that was possible. The guy said, "oh I think they're ready making it"He didn't bother to actually check and I had barely just ordered. My dish was just ok, not much flavor. My son enjoyed his combo. I just wish they had better customer service.