Family Friendly Atmosphere Envelopes Eaters

YAKINIKU MILLION makes it a point to welcome customers as if they are coming home to enjoy a freshly prepared meal with family and friends.

As it turns out, the eatery is adept at treating its guest like kin because the restaurant is run by multiple generations of extended family members. Yakiniku Million has been serving up popular traditional Korean dishes out of its convenient Sheridan Street locale since 1989, and offers a wide variety of cuisine. Diners may choose from yakiniku sets, which are prepared on the gas grills located at each table, as well as a slew of side orders, soups, noodle dishes, grilled and fried entree selections in addition to mixed rice and special plates.

“This is a family restaurant, and we’re all involved,” explains manager Diana Paik, one of five siblings that have kept Yakiniku Million going strong for nearly 25 years. “Customers will notice the friendly atmosphere. They are encouraged to order their favorite dishes and share them family-style at the table.”

Yakiniku Million features a special lunch menu available daily from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. that includes more than 30 popular selections starting at $5 each. Paik recommends Mool Naeng Myun ($7.95 lunch special, $8.95 regular price), a hearty portion of buckwheat black noodles in a chilled special soup. Book A Kook ($8.95 lunch special) is a dried pollock soup with plenty of tasty pieces of fish in an egg broth.

“The lunch specials have been very popular, and you receive large portions at reasonable prices,” says Paik. “The buckwheat black noodle soups and dried pollock soup go perfectly with people’s favorite beverages.”

Customers also are raving about Yakiniku Million’s Bi Bim Bab ($8.95 lunch special, $10.95 regular price), which features a bowl of mixed rice topped with fresh vegetables and savory barbecue beef. Sul lung Tang ($8.95 lunch special, $10.95 regular price) is a popular beef broth and brisket meat soup that includes a broth boiled with beef bone for 48 hours to infuse all the flavors.

Kal Bi barbecue short ribs are another specialty at Yakiniku Million, and customers are treated to a multitude of options when ordering the popular local dish. Diners may choose to enjoy the Kal Bi on a sizzling platter with a bed of onions ($23.95), or as a combo with the aforementioned chilled special buckwheat noodle soup ($21 for the combo). Additionally, the short ribs are available in a variety of entrees, including the Kal Bi Plate ($11.95 lunch special, $13.95 regular price) and the hearty Kal Bi, Barbeque Beef and Chicken Plate ($14.95 lunch special, $15.95 regular price).

For those looking to get grillin’ yakiniku style, the restaurant offers menu “sets,” which include ample portions of meat, and also include rice, seaweed soup and a variety of Korean side dishes. The sets are available for $49.95 apiece, and feed two people with a variety of meat options including seasoned short ribs, marinated and seasoned beef, beef brisket, barbecue chicken and shrimp. Diners may also choose from additional meat selections to prepare on the tabletop grills, including Shoyu Marinated Chicken ($23.95), Shrimp ($23.95), Sliced Beef Tongue ($23.95) and Beef Outside Skirts ($25.95). Diners may opt to forego the sets and instead order the individual meat selections to prepare on the grill, and in this case, a minimum of two such orders is required when cooking at the table.

“We have a lot of regular customers, and when people come to try our food, they leave happy and keep coming back again,” Paik says. “We’re very thankful to our loyal customers.”

Diners can find convenient free parking behind the restaurant, and may park at the metered stalls fronting the eatery as well. Customers are encouraged to call ahead and order their favorite selections to go for the same prices offered on the dine-in menu.

Yakiniku Million

626 Sheridan St., Honolulu
596.0799
Open daily
Sunday-Thursday 11 a.m. – Midnight
Friday-Saturday 11 a.m. – 2 a.m.