Gulick Deli

Was gonna get some lunch from there this morning 12÷15÷14 only to find out they were closed. Windows all covered up :(Now not too many places in town that opens early and have good okazu and very reasonable. Big mahalo to Lori L for the 411.

THIS LOCATION IS NOW CLOSED.
I went on November 9^th at lunch time and had lunch there with my kids, business as usual. The kids usually eat the chow fun and shoyu hot dogs. There were no signs posted and nobody said anything about it being the last day of business.
Today I drove up and there were boxes all over the floor and there was a sign posted on the door that said the last day of business was November 9^th. They will still keep the Gulick Avenue location (the original Gulick Deli) open for business, but this King Street location is now gone.

Meh… food not bad… service could be better (guess u get what u pay for) sunday morning opens 8am… got there 755 and door didnt open till 815… and half the food on the line wasnt even ready… as a restaurant, u would think everything would b ready when the doors open… dining area was filthy with dust covered table and a huge roach on the floor. …

My moms the one who introduced me to this place! And I fell in love with their food!
Their musubis and chow fun is my favorite! They’re a must get when I come here.
Sometimes the people standing in line are rude when you’re just trying to look over the counter to see what they have, but I mean they shouldn’t be because this place does have a big selection of food, as well as different types of the same kind of food. So why get mad at the people who are just trying to take a look ?
ANYWAY the staff are usually friendly, you need to speak up and confirm with what you’re ordering because it can get loud because this place does get busy!
I’ve noticed they’ve renovated the place and it’s much bigger now, there’s places to eat if you have time. I usually come here to stop and go with my food but it’s nice to know this place has room to dine in.
It does get busy in the morning and sometimes they run out of the good stuff but I love their food! So it’s worth it.

GULICK OKAZU-​YA RULES:
1. Stand in line. Know what you want before it’s your turn. Look forward.
2. You may peek at the counter on what they have, before it’s your turn, but make sure you don’t lean forward too much, or get «stink-​eye» from those in-​line before you.
3. When it’s your turn. Point at what you want. Don’t just say it– since there’s probably 10 different types of chicken. Point too! Point at the dish, but not at the worker! Or, «stink eye.»
4. Be aware of each item price. It can and will add up if you’re not a human calculator! And no complaining on final price since you control your own destiny!
5. After ordering slide 3-​steps to your right and decide if you want to add any cone sushi or drinks. Then slide another 3-​steps to your right and…
6. Pay. Cash or CC accepted. Go Eat!
Having spent some time in Hilo… The best Okazuya’s… are well. In Hilo! Amongst us locals we ALL know that! However, since I’m not in sleepy-​town Hilo can I still get Okazaya in Honolulu? The answer is «Yup, Cuz you can!»
You can get some Okazuya from a hand full of places in Honolulu! One such place is…
GULICK DELI!
Now don’t get confused… There are two. The original one called GULICK DELICATESSEN in Kalihi, that’s been there forever, and this location called GULICK DELI in swanky Mo’ili’ili!
Of course, like movies, the original one is always better and that rule applies here too. Yup.
Still, if jonesing for Okazuya «finger foods» or some PHAT Chow Fun then it’s worth a visit here!
Here’s some facts you might want to know about GULICK:
–Rhea Cherie, the cute local gal with the «French» name is Duchess of the original Gulick! Not sure if she speaks French tho?
–Lien V. loves the Chow Fun here, aka as the one-​inch noodles!
–Brian M. always buys a tray of Pinakbet, so I heard, but he’s not a fan of the one-​inch noodles!
–Mahina C. likes coming here when she needs to «fill her craving needs!»
–Terry K. sometimes brings a plate & Maki Sushi anytime she’s flying to Vegas. Sit next to her if you can ’cause she shares her Maki Sushi!
–Pua P. loves the Gobo here. Yup, the Gobo. Go wiki it! Shh.
–Avoid lunch-​hour here, if you can– all the BIG C&C Blallahs, in orange or yellow t-​shirts, will be in line then. They order a lot, so you wait.
–Lee and Cory Makishi have taken over their parents’ deli, both the original Kalihi delicatessen and the Mo’ili’ili deli! Just a tip they want you to know… the line always forms on the left-​side! So, avoid the right-​side until it’s your turn or get… «stink-​eye!» from the Blallahs from the West-​side!
O-​kazu おかず is a Japanese word meaning a side dish to accompany rice. So yup, anything can be found here, but probably NOT a NYC Deli Sandwich! It’s simple local comfort foods great for picnics or a visit to Aunty Moana’s house.
On my last visit here, I ordered the:
GARLIC CHICKEN — moist and tasty (Win!), HAMBURGER PATTY — felt heavy and just filling (Meh!), OKINAWAN SWEET POTATO TEMPURA — not the best, but cheap (OK!), CORNED BEEF HASH — generous, but not memorable, still not bad (OK!), I also shared some CHOW FUN (OK!) with my co-​worker. She also got a Bento for $ 5 and change! No complaints.
So, I definitely recommend…
GULICK DELI & DELICATESSEN!
Especially if josesing for a quick, filling lunch for cheap! Just note each price and remember there are bento options too! Not the best, but good enough for this big boy!
Lastly, ok, one day in the future I have this weird idea of just walking-​in and ordering one Shoyu hotdog! Nothing else, just one Shoyu hotdog! I’m curious on the reaction! Eh, nvm I just going get «STINK-​EYE!»
OVERALL GRADE 3.5-STARS!
(Rounded up due to it being a local institution!)
LIVE ALOHA…
Unilocal REVIEW #312

Being from the mainland and having spent a lot of time in the New York City area, when I see «deli» I think «Jewish» and «sandwiches made with meats and cheeses» and «cold salads»… and dill pickles. THIS IS NOT THAT TYPE OF DELI.
3 stars «A-​OK»… lots of potential here… better for take-​out; don’t plan to eat there (although you can).
So for you other mainland haoles reading this, here’s how it works at Gulick Deli: you tell the server what you want from a selection of pre-​cooked asian-​type foods (mostly Japanese?) on display at a short buffet line that’s behind glass, and they pack it up and charge you at the end… some items are hot, some are cold. You are tempted to order too much. Server was friendly. There’s also mac salad available (and I guess rice, I didn’t notice that).
I had a teri tofu patty (good), furakake garlic chicken (delicious), string beans and carrot with pork (really good, big chunks of carrot and beautiful fresh green beans), and vegetable tempura (not so good, kind of oily).
With a coffee this came to about $ 10. There’s also a limited selection of canned drinks available or fountain sodas in 3 sizes.
The food was good and did NOT make me sick, but the dining area kind of did…
There is seating if you want to eat there, which I needed to since I was on foot and bus. But the place is a wreck. It looks like it was actually once a really nice dining room, but now it’s a disaster. The carpet and flooring is really bad, the paint is terrible, they have two a/​c units running apparently… but it’s still super hot inside… I sat down at a table and the table top almost fell off… this is basic stuff. The «bones» are there for this to be a great place to grab a quick bite to eat, but instead it’s a disaster.
Based on how the customer area looks, I would be afraid to see the food preparation area. But as I said, the food tasted fresh and good and I didn’t get sick. So who knows.
Overall it seemed like a huge missed opportunity to me. It would take only a short investment of time and money to get the public areas cleaned up and straightened out.

I used to go to the Kalihi location a lot so I always forget about the King St location all the time. So when I again realized they were here damn I better go get lunch from this one. It was pretty strange for the Chow Funn to be so thick almost a inch wide uh this ain’t no Christmas ribbon people! Although it wasn’t too bad just strange. Well I did make some weird choices for this lunch since I was like ooo ooo I want that and that and that! But I had to realize I could only eat so much and still I over bought doh! Besides the Super wide Chow Funn I got the Garlic Chicken and the spare ribs which is like buying two lead weights for your stomach! Well the garlic Chicken wasn’t how I remember it from the Kalihi Location it was kinda salty and although I went at 11:30AM it was pretty dried out even in the wet garlic sauce other than a bit salty it was ok enough I don’t know why sometimes dried out chicken is good to me, the Spare Ribs now that really is like lead weights so heavy in the Stomach that was a lot better except a bit hard like spare ribs are sometimes.
In reflection I should have gotten the Chow Funn, spare ribs and maybe a hash pattie or something lighter… But I know when I walk into there again it’s going to be I want that and that and that all over again!
Yup parking during lunch isn’t much of a problem because of the front and back parking lots and a decent enough amount of seating in there.
For the price I paid for the three items it was like a plate lunch anywhere else except I was totally stuffed and was dragging back to work.
Zzzz…

Mmmmm I love gulick! I’ve been coming here since I was a little girl and it’s always been one I my favorite places to eat. Definitely my favorite delicatessen. I’m so happy they opened up this location on king street because it’s more convenient for me to get to.
Prices have gone up, but in still ok with it! My favorite items are the Shiso musubi, garlic chicken, hash, pork long rice, gobo and nishime. My only only complaint is that the hash has probably gone down half in size from what it used to be!

The food is good. Really good. Everything else? Pretty average.
First of all, they have a small parking lot which they share with other businesses but there usually seems to be space which is definitely a plus. The interior is not terrible but you can tell this place puts way more emphasis on their food then on the décor. Fine by me. They are more of a take-​out place, anyway.
My first complaint is that only about half the items for sale were labeled. I think they would be able to speed up their service if people didn’t have to keep asking what everything is. Not only were a lot of things NOT labeled, but many were clearly NOT what the label said they were. I would also like to see the labels to know how much things are.
My second complaint is that my food wasn’t hot. As good as it was, my boyfriend and I sat down to eat our plates right there, and our food was lukewarm at best. The food itself was pretty good, though. Definitely no complaints there.
They have more space to sit down and eat there now, which is nice. It was almost uncomfortably warm in there and the place was pretty run down. Since they aren’t really a sit-​down restaurant, though, I can’t really fault them.
I just wish my experience had been a little clearer (better labels) and that my food had been hotter. Overall, average.

There are no signs to tell you which line was which. I went to the cashier to pick up my phone order and waited in line. The cashier was letting the people buying food cut in front of me. When I finally asked the cashier if this is the line to pick up phone orders, she replied no and I’d have to wait in the line proceeding to the counter. So I had to get out of one line and wait in another. Many people I saw come in had the same problem as me… Didn’t know which line to stand in and ended up standing in the wrong line.
Waiting in line, I noticed the rate of which people were getting helped was very slow. While some people stood in line, others were waiting on the side for their food that they should’ve picked up half an hour ago. I overheard that two men had placed an order 2 weeks ago to be picked up at 10:45 and finally got it at 12:30. They waited almost 2 hours for their food.
Gulick’s food may be good, but their service and time management needs improvement.

So been here couple times hoping it would be better but always disappointed. Ordered nishime, eggplant, egg, and tuna musubi and paid $ 9.64. Seriously? I think that is way over priced. As far as taste goes, everything was too salty. Never going here again.

I’ve been on the hunt for my go-​to okazuya, so I wanted to try Gulick Deli.
They have ample parking, which is a big plus.
The food was good; the highlights:
TERIYAKI HAMBURGER: tender but nothing special/​memorable. There wasn’t much teriyaki flavor in it.
CHOW FUNN: really thick cut noodles that didn’t have a lot of flavor. Plus, the noodles were dry. Let’s just say dry chow funn noodles are not fun to eat.
TEMPURA: I ordered this thinking it was the mixed vegetable tempura, but it also had kamaboku mixed with it. I’m not a fan of kamaboku so my husband ate it. I tried to pull out the pieces, but was unable to pull it all out and I swear it smelled and tasted like fish (that could just be in my head though).
SHISO MUSUBI: tasty and not too strong.
DEEP FRIED TOFU: the best thing I’ve tried here. It’s lightly coated in a teriyaki sauce and the deep fried tofu gives it a nice crunch. If you go here, you have to try it.
Some other notes:
— serving size is pretty generous
— prices are reasonable

SCREEEECH! Oh Look Gulick is OPEN!
A Okazuya place open on a Sunday? Really? Yes they are! Sweet!
Monday — Saturday 6:30 am — 4:30 pm and Sunday 8:00 am — 4:30 pm
Well I past the driveway because I was on my way to Le Jack in de Box for breakfast and a quick fix. Twenty feet in reverse later I’m in the parking lot and in one of the many stalls in fronting the deli.
I had a bad habit of getting carried away at Okazuya’s thinking that I can scarf down everything, so I step back breathe and strategically try to make good choices.
Just my luck that all the individual portions I order were the most expensive items, funny how this happens all the time :(
I did notice that they were missing some items that Kalihi Gulick always have, bummers…
My Controlled Order: Pork Eggplant, Chow Fun, Vegetable Tempura and a Furikake Musubi
I enjoyed the Pork eggplant and Veg tempura, but I’m not a fan of the fat thick Chow fun noodles.
*Service was quick and friendly
*Private lot and street parking
*Le Jack in de Box or Gulick? I’ll pick Gulick even if I have to pay a little more!
*3 — 3.5 Stars

Gulick Deli has been around forever! I’m glad to see that this place has a new location and is doing good business! They have some delicious local island plate lunch treats!
Nishime (Japanese stewed veggies). Delightful! Well made stewed veggies of konbu (Japanese seaweed), konyaku, daikon, carrots, and mushrooms. Taste like the good old days! Grade: A–
Wrapped Nishime: Never had this before, but it was the veggies mentioned above, wrapped into a sushi-​like shape with seaweed. Delicious and fun to eat. Grade: A!
Cone sushi: Old fashioned style, made with aburage (tofu skins) and stuffed with just plain sushi rice. Grade: B
Maki Sushi: Old fashioned Japanese sushi rolled with rice, carrots, tuna, shrimp, egg, etc. Well made and tasty! Great for picnics! Grade: B.
Kinpira /​gobo: Burdock root cut into little strips, and cooked with shoyu, hondashi, and sugar! Old time favorite! Grade: B+
Fried Chicken. Well prepared. Cripsy skins with juicy meat! Grade: B+
Mochiko Garlic chicken: Bitesized pieces of delightful juicy shoyu chicken. Grade: B+
Food Grade: B+
Service Grade: B (Nice people, but service was slow!).
Worth the Money Grade: B (bit expensive for plate lunch foods).
Overall Impression: B+

Gulick is the sister complany of the original Gulick Delicatessen & Coffee Shop in Kalihi. This location is far more convenient in location and large parking lot (there’s also a back parking lot on Young Street).
What separates this okazuya from others is that it opens past the usual okazuya hours:
Mon-​Sat: 6:30am-4:30pm
Sun: 8am-4:30pm
This whole plate was only $ 7.90!
UME SHISO MUSUBI $ 1.05:
I just love the sweet & salty combination from the umeboshi plum & pickled Japanese basil. Gulick’s shiso musubi trumps Fukuya’s one (
).
I like that the rice is more fluffy and not overpressed & tough as Fukuya’s can sometimes be. I love it so much that I’ve made separate trips to gulick’s just to get their musubi, prior to stopping off at Fukuya for their mochiko chicken… I’m cragee, I know.
VEGETABLE TEMPURA $ 0.90: I had to add some vegetables to round out my meals, lol!
A fried cluster of onions, carrots, parsley, kamaboko and crack. I don’t know the entirety of this fried deliciousness, but I like it. It’s good when it’s fresh out of the fryer, can be REALLY greasy & soggy when it sits out too long.
SPICY CHICKEN $ 2.85:
It’s been 3 years since I’ve first eaten this item, the recipe never changes.
It’s NOT spicy at all. It’s more of a sweet korean-​style/​teri glazed chicken. I’ve asked on a few occasions why it was called «spicy chicken» and always got the same response: a head shrug and an «I don’t know»…
I would rename it «honey glazed chicken» or «korean-​style chicken»:
EGG OMELETE ($ 1.95):
Spam, kamaboko and onions cooked into a soft egg omelete. A simple and tasty staple in one’s okazuya plate!
TOFU PATTY (You can get it plain or w/​teriyaki sauce for the same price of $ 0.99):
The healthier item on my plate. It’s something I always have to get when I’m here, perhaps to calm down the rest of the savory flavors in my meal.
It’s nothing out of of this world, but it’s filling and cooked just to my liking. The tofu is fluffy and soft, while the cooked veggies (carrots, onions & chopped parsley) still gives it a nice contrast in texture.
**the extra star is for the ume shiso musubi alone***

What happened?! Like I said in my 1^st review I have been eating okazuya from Gulick for over 30 years. Where to start. The teri beef was salty. They changed the chow funn and not in a good way, the noodles were much wider and really dry to the point of being rubbery. I’m going to give the Kalihi location one more shot and hopefully they won’t disappoint.