Sam’s Delicatessen

This is my 2^nd time here. I came here the 2^nd week my boyfriend and I moved to this area. It is walking distance from our apartment, but… who wants to do that. Lol.
They have dedicated stalls to this store but… I’m not good at maneuvering into it. I park at Walgreens and walk over. I’ve seen cars get stuck in here before lol. Just a warning.
The place is small and quaint. I think it has like 3 or 4 tables. But their food is good and prices are much better than Pearl’s or Yummy’s. We got 3 plates for around $ 27.00! Score. AND they give lots of food, so I had left overs. My sister complained that her Bi Bam Bop (sp???) Wasn’t spicy (she says that about every place).
I tried the tofu Katsu this time. It was good but I don’t think I’d order it again because it was such a simple meal. I think I can make it on my own. My bf for the broiled salmon plate, which he says was yummyy. They also do platters for big parties. I would just take a platter of those bean sprouts, please ^_​^.
A lot of people who were buying lunch at the time, ALL ordered their Korean chicken wings, so those must be good. I will try them next time.

First time at this place. Ordered the Mochiko Chiken plate, it came with four sides. The sides have a unique sweet taste to them including the potatoes. Their Mochiko chicken comes with a special honey dipping sauce. The large is worth the money, Couldn’t finish it so lunch became dinner.
The downside is the parking very limited and cramped

Portions are huge for the price! Had the teriyaki beef with white rice, Mac salad, corn, kimchi and broccoli. Corn was cold but everything else was good. Will definitely revisit to try some other dishes.

Gotta change this to 5 stars. Just had their Kalbi and it is amazing. No bone, thin, not fatty… perfect. I guess some people like the fatty oily kind with the bone on but I really really prefer mine as stated above.
Kalbi /​Mochiko chicken combo is a winner. So is the tofu katsu, meat Jun, and chicken wings (make it crispy), and their tofu soup.

I gave them a 3 stars since I only like a few dishes. Parking a bit tricky and it located next to the Bangkok chef in Nu’uanu. Better for take out

This place is ok. Nothing special about it. There’s not much room to sit inside so plan on getting take out. The good thing about this place is their portion sizes. their mini plates give a lot so if you’re not a heavy eater I’d stick to mini.

DON’T CALL TWICE… BETTER YET DON’T CALL AT ALL… let me explain
So I’ve been coming to Sam’s for over 4 years, yet have never written a review for this place since I’ve seen mostly positve ones. Chicken wings are epic, reminds me of manapua man days. Fish Katsu with tartar sauce is also excellent. Kalbi is also great!
So, I called on a Monday to place an order for 3 pans of food (Wings, Meat Jun & Fish). Lady on the phone passes the phone to a man who completes my order. I tell him if I can get a total cost and he says, let me call you back later. Okay, I figured they call me back on Monday. No phone call! Maybe Tuesday… none! So I call back later in the afternoon around 3pm and tell them about my 3 pans that I placed on Monday. I give my name and lady says «Okay here it is»! She give me a total so I come in on Tuesday to prepay it for pick up on Wednesday (paid for 3 pans!).
I get there to pick up and the boss lady there says okay I have your 6 pans order ready. I said no… only 3! She’s yelling at me saying she has me for 6! We check again and she has my name and order written down on 2 different types of papers. One on a regular sheet and one on a piece of cardboard. Both with my name, my order and my phone number. I tell her, I came by yesterday and prepaid the 3 pans which said «PAID» on the regular sheet of paper. She then suggest why I called twice to place the order. I’m like WTF! I called back to confirm my order of 3 pans not place a second order. The other lady there says she was the one who took my order and took my payment. But the boss lady kept insisting that her order, on her piece of cardboard was the order, which say 3 pans was correct, but ended up doubling it… for reasons unknown. She kept insisting how she has my name twice, two different handwriting, same order on both, same phone number on both! How the hell do I know LADY! Maybe you’re Dr. Xavier’s sister… I don’t know!
Their ordering system broke down somewhere. Not my fault, but she was instigating that it was my fault because I called twice…2 stars only because their chicken is SOOO Good!

Food here is good. We ordered Tofu Soup, Meat Jun and Mochiko Chicken Plate. We were pretty satisfied. The prices were fair and service was good too. We would be back since it’s conveniently located near my son’s school.
They take credit cards and they do serve Coca Cola :)

A family favorite since we discovered the place! Sometimes there is a bit of a wait when they are busy, but the mochiko chicken is worth the wait! I have yet to try a better mochiko chicken. The Korean BBQ chicken is almost always good too, and I always try to get the long rice.

We came here one night for dinner after my son’s football practice. The food was average compared to some of the other Korean BBQ places. I’m a kalbi girl. I love kalbi. That’s what I always order. This is the only place that I’ve come across where the kalbi is boneless. Some people might like that, but not me. I like to suck on bones. Yes, I’m weird like that. The kalbi was on the tougher side and hard to chew. I got the corn, mayonnaise potatoes, choy sum and taegu for my sides. Everything was sweet. They added sugar to all the sides. I could taste the sweetness. It was just funny that my choy sum and mayonnaise potatoes were sweet.
My hubby got the mix plate of mochiko chicken and chicken katsu. I didn’t taste it but he said it was ok. The chicken katsu was a little burnt on the outside and dry on the inside.
We must be ordering the wrong items because this place is busy. We were here for an hour and the door was opening nonstop. A lot of people call in for takeout. I’m surprised at how much business this place does. It is cheaper than other Korean places but the food isn’t as good.

First time and ordered the bento. If you order bento, you have to order a minimum of 3. I figured out why after waiting for 15 minutes waiting for the food. The bento has meat jun, fish jun, 2 mandoo, bbq chix, teri beef, chix katsu and small potion salad. I think they make you order three cause it’s like they making 3 mix plates and portioning it out to make 3 bentos! It was good size bento, price was $ 8.55 each and the food was good and clean. Next time I would like to try the other Korean food there. Peace.

My family has been coming here for a long time! Around ten years, I think? The workers are all lovely people but yes, sometimes they are a bit more rushy especially if they’re busy.
My favorite is the meat jun plate. After that would probably be the spicy bbq chicken that has so much flavor! Next, the mochiko chicken which can honestly feed 2 – 3 people. The chicken wings, kalbi, and teri beef are also just as amazing. My favorite soup is the Mandoo Kooksoo. For sides, make sure you get long rice or shoyu potato– there’s a reason why they run out!
The food is pretty good and it’s for a great price. I’m never disappointed when I come here (except for the super rare times where I’d get bad rice but I’m really picky about that.)
SAMs is perfect and I’ll continue to support their business, many years to come.

I’ve noticed this place for the LONGEST time… But never once have I bothered to stop by. It was a blessing in disguise that Bangkok Chef was closed on Independence Day because now I’ve fallen in love with this little Korean place!
A friend had posted a picture of their meatjun on Instagram a few days prior so I was already craving their meatjun. Prices are very fair for the portions they give.
Service was really quick so that’s a plus! I was busy talking to my friend while we waited for the food to come out but the wait wasn’t bad at all.
The total for a regular plate of meatjun + 4 sides = $ 9.37. There were three layers of delicious meatjun, cooked perfectly.
For sides, we got mac salad (just okay imo but I’m not a huge mac salad person), long rice (yum!), potatoes (coated with sauce and mayo (?)), and pickled cucumbers.
One plate is easily two meals — perfectly satisfying… Or one really big meal that’ll have you super full and ready to KO for a nap.
Can’t wait to come back and try other stuff!

The food here is convenient and quick! It’s worth it if you’re looking for a good amount of food for a decent deal. It’s okay Korean food, but it’ll do the deal if you’re hungry and willing to deal with slow customer service!
My coworker showed up for the food, and the staff ignored her cleaning the tables until she waved her down. She than took the order… she took her sweet time doing more things like wiping down the counter. After my coworker paid for the food, the worker than proceeded to get the box full of the food we ordered (it was just sitting on the side the entire time)…

I love Sam’s. What’s not to love?
We always call to order since there’s usually three of us eating and all we have to do is walk across the street. It’s usually about a 15 min wait for 3 – 4 things.
Let them know if you’re paying separately and they’ll gladly do it. They take card and my combo kabli & chicken was exactly $ 10!
Once your entrée is done, they call out your order so you can go choose your sides. They’re so generous. There was a new girl working and the man from the kitchen behind her told her to put more to really fill it up (!!!) their sides are great: cabbage kimchi has good amount of spice, other veggies have good flavor, the noodles are my favorite, and I never feel like I’m eating something old that’s just been sitting out.
Someone in our group always gets the fried chicken and I get sooo happy when they give me a piece. They are so good! Crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Eat them plain, with rice, or add sriracha! Yummm
Parking is available but the whole lot is shared by the Thai restaurant and laundry mat. You can be safe and park at Walgreens instead.

If you love fried chicken and/​or mochiko chicken, dial these guys up, place your order, and head to Sam’s in Nuuanu to pick up some of the best mochiko chicken and fried chicken wings on the island.
Mini plate or regular? Well, it depends on whether you want 2 choices of banchan or 4.
Portions are very generous. Although the mini plates start at $ 7.55, which is normally the price of a regular plate at other places, you’re getting the amount of food that you’d get on a regular plate, so don’t let the price fool you.
They’ve got a few tables and chairs if you prefer to eat here, but everyone who came through the doors when I was here got take-​out.
If you don’t like to wait for your food, I highly recommend calling in your order, as the food is made-​to-​order, and fried foods normally take a little longer than the grilled stuff.

They do what they do best! I’ve been here too many times to count. I usually come here to grab a quick plate especially when I’m on a time crunch.
Atmosphere: Nothing too spectacular really bare bones. It’s right off of Nuuanu sandwiched between a thai place and laundry mat. There is a TV and couple tables but this place really isn’t for dining in. Grab your food and get out!
Service: The owner and the nice lady who’s always there are very kind. They get so many customers during the dinner rush they don’t really engage in small talk but get the job done. Satisfied.
Food: Korean food. It’s probably one of the few places in the US that does fast serve Korean. Like the chipotle of Korean food. Me’s BBQ in waikiki is a close second. I only rate this one better because its so close to me. ;) I’ve tried almost every plate dish here and love it. I’d stay away from the soups though.
Intangibles: Best quality food/​cost ratio in town. I’d come here everyday if possible just cause I need Korean food regularly.
You’ll see me here if you come around dinner time.

OH-​EM-​GEE! When I am ono for Korean plate lunch, Sam’s is the place to go. Sam’s has the best Chicken Wings… EVER! I don’t know how they do it, but their wings are crispy and flaky on the outside and juicy on the inside. So delicious! I actually dream about their chicken wings.
Sam’s has an awesome menu of Korean plate favorites such as Meat Jun, BBQ Chicken, and Kalbi. The Tofu Katsu is also to die for here! The vegetable sides are one of the best. I love the cucumber kim chee, long rice, and bean sprouts. Many people in my office love the macaroni salad and shoyu potatoes. There’s such a great variety that you can mix-​and-​match and never repeat.
Sam’s is located on Nuuanu Avenue in-​between Bangkok Chef and the laundrymat, so parking is pretty limited. Our office always practice «tag team pick-​up» when we order food from here. Ordering by phone is always recommended for larger groups.
Man, writing about Sam’s is asking me hungry again!

Considering the mountains of yumminess this place serves per plate lunch, it’s a total bargain! I first tried the mochiko chicken at a catered party, & that’s all I’ve ordered here ever since. Weird that’s it’s cut into such tiny little pieces – so don’t order this if you need a high chicken to batter ratio – but I’m not complaining bc it’s absolutely addicting!
The bf loves their chicken katsu, which is moist, tasty, and completely sans fat (that’s a HUGE factor for him). Unlike some other Korean places, the chicken’s not pre-​marinated, so it’s just straight chicken & crispiness… basically «Japanese-​style» katsu (if Japan had chicken katsu). Oh! I did try their tonkatsu once, & it was a tad over-​cooked, but still pretty good, & I’d try it again to see if that was just a one-​time mistake. Other than that, we love all the veggie options, and again… the portions!

Short-​version: Get the MOCHIKO CHICKEN and/​or FRIED CHICKEN WINGS. Closed on Sundays.
Long-​version…
This is not a Deli. This is not a Korean BBQ. This is a small hole in the wall plate lunch kind of place that serves mostly Hawaii-​Korean type of food.
This morning we arrived at the baseball field at 7:30am for a double header. My son’s team hasn’t won a game yet. We often lose by scores like 30 to 0. The one thing I look forward to is the potluck afterwards, but this morning’s double header meant we had to endure two games before we could eat. At around 10:45am, it happened. No, we didn’t win. I smelled this amazing FRIED CHICKEN smell I had never smelled before. Someone brought a tray of Sam’s Korean fried chicken. WHOA HO HO. Very very VERY good wings.
FRIED CHICKEN WINGS ($ 35.95 for a tray up to 40pc, $ 7.25 for a 8pc side order)
If you like fried chicken, you should definitely check these out. I know this is supposed to be a Korean place, but you can get kalbi and meat jun anywhere, and it sounds like other reviewers don’t really like the kalbi anyway. You gotta try these chicken wings. Nothing better than some artery clogging fried chicken induced food coma. Hard to explain, you just gotta try it yourself.
I couldn’t stop thinking about this place all afternoon and decided to drive down there myself. I called to place my order and the lady answered the phone and put me on hold for at least 5 minutes. During that time I scanned the quick tips and decided to order mochiko and meat jun (and more chicken wings. Strangely enough, my husband said the wings were better from the tray at baseball. The side order was still good but not as good as the tray. Moral: Order the whole tray).
MOCHIKO CHICKEN ($ 43.95/tray)
This is awesome! To ME, this is better than the fried chicken and quite possibly the BEST mochiko chicken I’ve ever had. Nuff said. Crispy and crunchy bite sized juicy boneless mochiko chicken … ONOLICIOUS!
MEAT JUN
This is also very very good but there are lots of other places that make good meat jun too. I normally love my meat jun but the fried chicken wings and mochiko are the way to go here.
BANCHAN
Everything I tried was good, maybe a tad sweeter than most other places.
PARKING
Do not park in the Walgreens parking lot unless you buy something from Walgreens or you may get a ticket/​tow.
And now I will begin my 2 week cleanse to clean out my arteries.