Me Bar-B-Que — Restaurant in Honolulu

This joint is called Me Barbecue, and it’s got a bit of a k-drama behind it. The story goes like this: they started across the street, then moved into this bigger spot, and some other folks slid into their old location. Instead of coming up with their own identity, they just slapped the same name on the sign. So now you’ve got two Me Barbecues staring each other down across the road. The one I’m in now is the real deal—the original crew, the ones who built the name. The other? Well, let’s just say it feels like a shameless stunt, maybe a hustle to siphon off customers who don’t know better. Honestly, it’s straight out of a K-drama plot with a kimchee slap. I went for the Sunny Special, a greatest-hits plate of kalbi, chicken, meat jeon, and fried dumplings, with four sides for $28.50 But here’s the catch—there’s a sneaky credit card fee baked in, no sign, no warning, just quietly added. If you’re paying debit or cash, tell them to strip it off. That kind of nickel-and-diming deserves a little sunlight. But let’s get to what matters: the food. The kalbi is the star of the show—tender, rich, sticky-sweet perfection. The chicken holds its own too, juicy and full of flavor. Meat jeon? A sleeper hit. And that dumpling—crisp outside, piping hot inside—worth coming back for alone. Just don’t forget the dumpling sauce; it ties the whole thing together. I even poured some over my sides. The kimchi is legit, the bean sprouts and cabbage are light on seasoning but balancing out the meat. Skip the corn, though. Straight from the can, no butter, no salt, no effort. The Sunny Plate is a solid choice if you want to sample a bit of everything. But when I come back, no question—I’m going straight for the Kalbi Plate with kimchee. The Kalbi here is on another level, exceptional. This place has drama, personality, and good food. Just watch your bill, and whatever you do, don’t fall for the knockoff...

So today, I walk in and order a Kalbi plate. The woman working the register doesn't smile, welcome me, or anything. "What do you want" level of service.

The plate comes with two sides. For my first side, l ask for Kim chi. There are two options - Napa cabbage or cucumber. I say "Napa cabbage" at the same time as she says "cabbage" and she gives me a dirty look. It's all downhill from there. I get my number and go wait outside. There are a couple orders in front of me.

When food is ready for the couple ahead of me, the woman working walks their food outside and hands it to them. I notice the food isn't in a bag, so I walk in and ask the woman if I can have mine in a bag since I'm taking the food back to my hotel. She acknowledges my request and is still emotionless. I walk back outside to wait. Now comes the worst part. When my food is ready, I see the woman out of the corner of my eye, waving her arms to get my attention. We make eye contact, she holds up my bag, and gestures for me to come in and get the food. I should add that I'm carrying two beach chairs and it's awkward sliding in and out of the narrow doorway. There also is no one in line. She's just decided that she's not going to bring me my food like she did for every order ahead of me.

The food ended up being ok. Good portion for 1 and a light portion for 2. Whoever owns this place - coach your staff to not be disrespectful to customers for no reason. You deserve this...

Not to be confused with "Me Bar-B-Que" hole-in-the-wall store across the street. With a food feud right next to our hotel, we ordered an LA Galbi from both places and see which is better. Also ordered a chicken katsu from this store. It's truly bizarre that 2 Korean restaurants with nearly identical names are operating within 100 feet of each other... but let's get to the food.

PRICE: This store is slightly more expensive at $23.95 vs. $22.77 QUANTITY: This store wins easily, there's maybe 33% more meat in there for the extra dollar. TASTE: Surprisingly both Galbis are excellent but do taste different. This shop wins on flavor but the Rival store has better texture & authentic taste. SIDES/PANCHAN: This store's kimchi is way better. Japchae and potatoes are comparable. OVERALL: Honestly, both shops are great and have basically the same food at basically the same price. There's also a big difference between this stores indoor seating vs. the Rival's accessible outdoor window. IMO this original "Me Bar B Q" definitely matches the reputation. I'm not sure what change of ownership or shenanigans is happening with the naming, but honestly the rival store is more than a...