![\"don](\"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/don-e-don-honolulu-korean-restaurant-donedonribs2.jpg\"\/)
\nGrilled pork spareribs with gochujang
\nPhotos: Martha Cheng<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDespite the name change (from Ham Ji Park), you can still find the famous grilled pork spareribs.<\/p>\n
\t\t
\nGrilled pork spareribs with gochujang
\nPhotos: Martha Cheng<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon e Don represents the best of LA-style Korean food in Hawai\u2018i,\u201d says a friend known to wait hours for kalbijjim and make his own gochujang. Don e Don\u00a0is the descendant of Ham Ji Park, a Korean restaurant with two locations in LA, famous for its pork ribs and crowds. You won\u2019t find the crowds here, but you will find those same ribs and some serious warming fare for these blustery days.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ham Ji Park came to Ke\u2018eaumoku in 2018, and in 2019, changed its ownership (to the owners of 88 Pal Pal, the Korean supermarket nearby) and name to Don e Don (which is a play on \u201cpork\u201d and \u201cmoney\u201d). True to its name, the restaurant offers an unrivaled menu of pork, from jowl to neck to belly. Stick to these, rather than the non-Ham Ji Park staples; on two separate occasions, the kim chee pancake arrived more limp than crisp, and the kalbi isn\u2019t as good as the pork ribs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Here are my favorite reasons to return (Though I wouldn\u2019t recommending ordering them all in one sitting. We did, and the six of us\u2014none of us shrinking violets\u2014were thoroughly porked out.):\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Grilled pork spareribs ($26.99), either simply seasoned with salt and pepper or with gochujang<\/p>\n
These are meaty and firm, like a reassuring handshake, and just lightly charred. I prefer the gochujang version, sweeter and offering up juicy caramelized bits. (\u201cI like that you\u2019re not afraid to get messy,\u201d a friend said, watching me eat. And that\u2019s when I noticed the groups of Korean ladies around us using\u00a0plastic gloves\u2014available on request\u2014to eat their ribs.)<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
SEE ALSO:\u00a0Chef Chris Oh\u2019s Chingu Hawai\u2018i Brings L.A.\u2019s K-Town Vibe to Honolulu<\/p>\n
![\"don](\"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/donedonsoups.jpg\"\/)
\nBraised kim chee pork spareribs (left) and pork neck stew with potato.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Braised kim chee pork spareribs ($24.99)<\/p>\n
Though the restaurant is known more for its pork neck stew with potato (see below), we preferred this dish, served with a half head of cabbage kim chee, completely intact and laid over soft pork ribs like a lid. The kim chee lends its distinctive sourness, the perfect foil to the meat.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
SEE ALSO:\u00a0Your Guide to New Year Dining in 2020 on O\u2018ahu<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Pork neck stew with potato ($26.99)<\/p>\n
This is the sort of dish you should order when you want to feel like you\u2019re in The Flintstones (this happens to other people, too, right?). Giant hunks of meat on the bone are paired with an entire boiled potato. You can choose your spiciness level; though the mild version borders on bland.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Outdoor seating<\/p>\n
There just aren\u2019t enough outdoor dining options in Honolulu, especially outside of Waik\u012bk\u012b, so I never take this for granted. Best enjoyed with soju or Hite. (It\u2019s also fairly well sheltered from rain and wind.)<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Open Monday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m., Friday until 11 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday 4 to 10 p.m., 919 Ke\u2018eaumoku St., Suite 101, (808) 379-1993<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
READ MORE STORIES BY MARTHA CHENG<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Despite the name change (from Ham Ji Park), you can still find the famous grilled pork spareribs. Grilled pork spareribs with gochujang Photos: Martha Cheng \u00a0 \u201cDon e Don represents the best of LA-style Korean food in Hawai\u2018i,\u201d says a friend known to wait hours for kalbijjim and make his own gochujang. Don e Don\u00a0is<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":47154,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[263],"tags":[456,457],"class_list":["post-47153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-korean-restaurants","tag-korean-restaurant","tag-korean-restaurants"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/vive.im\/@dnc\/117517336215578442","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47153","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47153"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47153\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47154"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}