Ro's Recz

Address: 25 Kaneohe Bay Dr #104, Kailua, HI 96734

I do not go to the Windward side of the island much, but I recently went to Kailua to do some shopping. While I was out there, I decided to try a restaurant someone had recommended to me called Willow Tree Korean Restaurant.

I did takeout from Willow Tree, and I really enjoyed it. Willow Tree has a great lunch special that lets you get a combination of 3 items (it also comes with sides and rice) for $16. While this is not cheap, it is a pretty good deal considering the amount of food you are getting (and most Korean restaurants in Hawaii are on the pricier side).

I tried a bunch of Willow Tree’s dishes since I got multiple lunch specials to share. My favorite dish was the spicy chicken katsu; even though this is not a traditional Korean dish, it was a Korean style take on a local Hawaiian dish. It was great and I wish that I had gotten more of it. The meat and fish juns at Willow Tree were also good, as well as more traditional Korean dishes such as kalbi and bulgogi. You cannot really go wrong with whatever lunch special choice that you make there (although if I had to choose the mandoo might have been the weakest).

I am not sure how different Willow Tree’s menu is for in-person dining, but if you are looking for a great Korean takeout restaurant in Hawaii, it is one of the best I have tried. If you are ever on the Windward side of Oahu definitely check out Willow Tree!

Willow Tree Recommendation Rating: 4

This post has now been updated to reflect a new ratings system that I have implemented, which is scored as follows:

1: Something worth checking out if you have time

2: Something that is a hit for some people, but not a must for everyone

3: Something worth prioritizing if interested

4: Something worth making time to check out

5: An absolute home run, worth going out of your way for