BUDNAMUJIP KOREAN RESTAURANT

BUDNAMUJIP KOREAN RESTAURANT

HONOLULU, HAWAII

BUDNAMUJIP KOREAN RESTAURANT

871 KAPIOLANI BLVD

HONOLULU, HI  96813

808-593-8822

HOURS:  Daily 11:30 AM - 2:30 PM / 5:30 PM - 10:00 PM

www.budnamujip.com/english/main/

Once again my Daughter spoke up and came up with our next dining adventure.  She said she wanted to try "that Korean place across from the Mercedes dealership".  That Korean place is called Budnamujip and it serves up high end Korean BBQ that many of our Korean friends have highly recommended.  I had no idea what type of Korean restaurant this was when we walked in but as soon as we entered I knew what to expect.  There were those shiny exhaust hoses above each table that mean you will be cooking at your table.  You don't actually do the cooking here yourself, as an attendant places the meats on the grill and then cooks and cuts them into small pieces.  She did not seem to speak english but always smiled and instructed us on how to eat with some hand gestures.  Our waitress did speak english and she was able to explain each dish and answer questions.  We tried to order one BBQ Beef dish and one Seafood dish but were told that you must order a minimum of two BBQ Beef dishes to get the BBQ Beef items.  At around $30 per person for the lunch menu this is not a cheap place.  In fact, you probably cannot get out of Budnamujip for under $50 per person minimum.  This makes it a rather expensive Korean BBQ.  Is it worth it?  For me no as I am not a big fan of all the Korean Side Dishes.  We tried all of them but left a lot of food on the table.  The BBQ meats however and the fish were fantastic.  Since we had to order a minimum of two BBQ Beef dishes we went for the Jumulleok which is Marianted Beef Outside Skirt Steak ($29.95).  This beef had an incredible flavor and both me and my daughter looked at each other with big smiles.  "Awesome".  At that point my Daughter made a point that she was the one who recommended we dine here.  Next up was the Yangnyeom Galbi ($29.95).  Beef Short Rib marinated in the Budnamujip Special Sauce.  This was nice piece of meat that the girl really took time to turn and make sure that it was cooked to perfection.  She continually turned the large bone and grilled the pieces of fat hanging onto the bone.  I was thinking of how good that would be to suck on and eat, but then they took the bone away after all that attention and care to cooking it?  We wrapped the Beef in Cabbage and added  a few of the side dishes and sauces.  Delicious.  We also used the lettuce to make Wraps.  My Daughter loved the lettuce with a mild Kim Che Sauce on it.  I really wanted to try a fish dish so we ordered the Eundaegu Jorim ($29.95).  The Braised Butterfish was served on a large platter with Boiled Potatoes, Onions, Chili's and Tofu.  We loved the fish and sauce.  Was not spicy at all despite all the chili's in the dish.  All in all we liked the food at Budnamujip.  Seems to be a very popular place for our Korean residents as 99% of the customers were Korean.  I think this is a testament to the  restaurants authenticity and despite the high cost is a favorite among our Korean friends.  My take on Budnamujip is that the food is good.  Service was o.k. and the prices are high.  Would I go back?

Probably would but not anytime real soon.

BUDNAMUJIP KOREAN RESTAURANT

KOREAN RESTAURANT BUDNAMUJIP ON KAPIOLANI BLVD WHERE THE OLD FLAMINGO RESTAURANT STOOD FOR ALMOST 50 YEARS

EVERY TABLE HAS ITS OWN EXHAUST SYSTEM

BUDNAMUJIP MENU

 FOUR LOCATIONS IN KOREA SINCE 1977 AND NOW IN HAWAII

APPETIZERS

BBQ MENU

BBQ MENU REQUIRES THAT A MINIMUM OF TWO PEOPLE PURCHASE A SELECTION

BUDNAMUJIP SPECIAL MENU

ENTREE MENU

SIDE ORDERS

VOTED ONE OF THE BEST KOREAN RESTAURANTS BY CNN TRAVEL

METAL CHOP STICKS, LARGE SPOON AND SOME KOREAN BBQ SAUCE

BUDNAMUJIP BBQ SAUCE

OUR MEAL STARTED WITH A SMALL PIECE OF COLD TOFU WITH AN INCREDIBLE SOY CHILI SAUCE

WOOD CHARCOAL FIRE IS BROUGHT TO THE TABLE SMOKING HOT

THE HOT WOOD CHARCOAL IS PLACED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TABLE AND COVERED WITH A SCREEN.  THE TABLE TOP EXHAUST SYSTEM CLEARS THE AIR IN SECONDS

JUMULLEOK - MARINATED BEEF OUTSIDE SKIRT STEAK IS PLACED ON THE GRILL

WHEN THE KOREAN SIDE DISHES START ARRIVING GET READY FOR SOME FOOD.
THIS IS A PUMPKIN DISH

MUNG BEAN JELLY

MARINATED ONIONS 

CABBAGE

LETTUCE SALAD ALSO USED TO WRAP THE BBQ BEEF 

CABBAGE USED TO MAKE BBQ BEEF WRAPS

THIS WAS A BIT STARCHY AND CHEWY

PICKLED ONION WITH JALAPEÑO

COLD KIM CHEE SOUP

LOTS OF SIDE DISHES TO SHARE

THE WAITRESS COOKS AND SLICES THE BBQ BEEF

WAITRESS SHOWED US HOW TO PLACE THE BEEF IN CABBAGE LEAVES AND TOP WITH SIDES

YANGNYEOM GALBI - BEEF SHORT RIB MARINATED IN BUDNAMUJIP SPECIAL SAUCE

MARINATED MEATS HERE ARE OH SO GOOD

EUNDAEGU JORIM - BRAISED BUTTERFISH (BLACK COD) IN SLIGHTLY SPICY SAUCE

BUTTERFISH SERVED WITH TOFU AND LARGE PIECES OF POTATO 

 KOREAN DESSERT - SIKHYE IS A COLD SWEET RICE SOUP