Overview
Enchanted Lake Kim Chee Restaurant is a long-running Korean restaurant in Kailua on Oʻahu’s windward side, in the Enchanted Lake/Keolu area. Google lists it as operational at 1020 Keolu Dr C4 with a mid-range price level, and the restaurant’s own site matches that address and phone number. (restaurantji.com)
For a traveler, the main draw is not just the Korean plates themselves but the unusually generous side-dish spread that shows up again and again in both the restaurant’s own positioning and outside reviews. The place appears to be a neighborhood favorite more than a destination “scene” restaurant: straightforward, family-oriented, and valued for filling meals, friendly service, and a strong banchan/vegetable bar. (enchantedlakekimchee.com)
Cuisine & Specialties
This is a Korean restaurant in the broad local-Hawaii sense: rice-and-entree plates, barbecue-style meats, comfort dishes, and a notable all-you-can-eat vegetable/side-dish bar. The restaurant’s website says it “westerniz[es] traditional Korean dishes,” and review sources repeatedly describe the side-dish bar as a major part of the experience. (enchantedlakekimchee.com)
- Overall menu style: Korean casual dining with mixed plates, barbecue meats, comfort dishes, and a strong banchan/vegetable bar; the site also has a dine-in menu and take-out menu. (enchantedlakekimchee.com)
- Notable dishes/specialties with support: meat jun plate, chicken katsu and BBQ beef, BBQ chicken, BBQ pork, kalbi, shrimp tempura, Korean seaweed soup, vegetarian bibimbap, chop chae, and mandu are all mentioned in reviews or customer-favorite lists. (restaurantji.com)
- Vegetable/bar highlight: multiple sources emphasize the all-you-can-eat vegetable or salad bar, with mentions of bean sprouts, cucumber kim chee, seaweed soup, macaroni salad, pineapple, and Jell-O. (restaurantji.com)
- Price range / spend expectations: Google marks it as price level 2, and reviews describe it as reasonably priced or “a little higher than your average Korean places” but worth it; for most travelers, expect a moderate, sit-down meal rather than a bargain quick bite. (restaurantji.com)
- Dietary usefulness / limitations: vegetarian diners seem to have real options because the side-dish bar is repeatedly described as having many vegetarian or vegan items, and one review specifically mentions vegetarian bibimbap. That said, the restaurant still reads as meat-forward overall, so vegetarian usefulness is a strength, not the core identity. (tripadvisor.com)
Notable Features & Ambiance
The setting appears to be a compact neighborhood restaurant in a shopping-center style location rather than a scenic or design-forward dining room. Reviewers consistently describe it as clean, family-friendly, and informal, with a lively feel built around the buffet bar and friendly staff rather than decor. (restaurantji.com)
- Service model and seating style: dine-in is available, takeout is available, and outside sources also mention delivery/order-online options. The experience sounds like a standard seated meal anchored by a self-service side bar. (restaurantji.com)
- Atmosphere and decor: generally casual and not elegant; one review explicitly says it is “not an elegant setting,” while others praise the clean, family-oriented environment. A few sources mention a fish tank, kitchen video footage, and a pleasant music playlist as part of the room’s character. (tripadvisor.com)
- Practical features: ample parking is mentioned in outside reviews, though one older Tripadvisor review says parking can be tight and suggests parking nearby and walking. That is a useful caution because parking conditions may vary over time. (restaurantji.com)
- Best fit: a hearty lunch or dinner for travelers who want a filling, familiar Korean meal with lots of side dishes and a neighborhood feel. It also seems well suited to families and repeat local visits. (restaurantji.com)
- Weaker fit: travelers seeking a polished date-night room, a highly modern Korean tasting-menu experience, or a strongly Korean-decorated atmosphere may find it less special on ambiance, even if they like the food. This is an inference from the review pattern, not a directly stated drawback. (tripadvisor.com)
History & Background
The restaurant’s own site gives it a chef-centered identity: Chef Chang Choi is presented as a veteran with more than 30 years of experience, and the restaurant says it has long been known in Kailua for adapting traditional Korean dishes for both local customers and Korean tourists. The website itself is light on a formal timeline, but it does signal established local roots and an enduring neighborhood reputation. (enchantedlakekimchee.com)
There is not much publicly available background beyond that on the official site. No clear relocation story, ownership transition, or detailed founding history surfaced in the sources reviewed. (enchantedlakekimchee.com)
Review Sentiment Snapshot
What People Love
Review patterns are unusually consistent: people praise the generous vegetable/bar selection, the friendliness of the staff, and the feeling that the meal is filling and good value. Repeated favorites include BBQ pork, BBQ chicken, kalbi, meat jun, chicken katsu, shrimp tempura, seaweed soup, and vegetarian bibimbap. Several reviewers also describe the restaurant as a family regular or a place they return to over many years. (tripadvisor.com)
Common Gripes
The downside signals are relatively mild and not strongly recurring. The main caution is ambiance: some reviewers say the room is basic or not especially elegant, and one older review mentions parking hassles. There is also a slight mismatch in how sources describe the place—some call it Korean, some emphasize the salad/vegetable bar, and a few secondary summaries add details about the room that are hard to verify elsewhere—so the most solid takeaway is that the food/bar experience matters more than the decor. (tripadvisor.com)
Practical Visitor Tips
- Hours posture: Google and outside listings agree on a Tuesday–Saturday lunch-to-dinner schedule, roughly 11:00 AM to 8:30 PM, with Sunday and Monday closed. Since hours can drift, treat this as the current best signal rather than a guarantee. (restaurantji.com)
- Best time to go: earlier in the meal window seems safer if you want easier seating and the freshest sense of the side-dish bar; one older review specifically noted the place was quite full at lunch. (tripadvisor.com)
- Walk-in vs. reservations: the site has a reservations link, but the public evidence reviewed here does not prove how essential reservations are; this reads more like a place many people simply walk into. (enchantedlakekimchee.com)
- Parking: parking appears to be a mixed signal. Some reviewers say there is ample parking, while an older Tripadvisor review warns it can be tough and suggests nearby parking if needed. (restaurantji.com)
- Ordering tip: if you want the most distinctive part of the experience, make sure you understand whether the side-dish/vegetable bar is included with your entree or available on its own; multiple reviews indicate it is a major part of the draw. (tripadvisor.com)
- Who should prioritize it: travelers in Kailua who want a satisfying Korean meal with strong side dishes, family-friendly service, and a local-regular feel. (restaurantji.com)
Verification Notes
- Official name and address align across Google and the restaurant’s website: Enchanted Lake Kim Chee Restaurant, 1020 Keolu Dr C4, Kailua, HI 96734, phone (808) 261-5719. (restaurantji.com)
- Google lists the business as OPERATIONAL. (restaurantji.com)
- No major verification issues found, though the suite format is a useful detail to preserve because nearby listings sometimes render the address differently. (restaurantji.com)
Sources
- Google Places / place details —
https://maps.google.com/?cid=10781200722895949319— retrieved 2026-04-02. Useful for identity anchoring, operational status, official-ish hours, rating, price level, and address/phone confirmation. - Official website: Menu page —
https://www.enchantedlakekimchee.com/menus— retrieved 2026-04-02. Useful for confirming the restaurant’s own naming, address, contact details, and the fact that it offers dine-in/takeout/reservations navigation. - Official website: Dining Menu page —
https://www.enchantedlakekimchee.com/menu— retrieved 2026-04-02. Useful for confirming dine-in menu presence and the restaurant’s current public presentation of its menu structure. - Official website: About page —
https://www.enchantedlakekimchee.com/about— retrieved 2026-04-02. Useful for the chef background, veteran experience claim, and the restaurant’s own description of its culinary identity. - Tripadvisor listing and reviews —
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60652-d891806-Reviews-Kim_Chee_Restaurant-Kailua_Oahu_Hawaii.html— retrieved 2026-04-02. Useful for recurring traveler impressions on the vegetable bar, friendliness, value, and parking caveat. - Restaurantji listing and review summary —
https://www.restaurantji.com/hi/kailua/kim-chee-restaurant-/— retrieved 2026-04-02. Useful for recurring summary patterns about cleanliness, family-friendly feel, side-dish bar, and common customer favorites.
