Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [84]
thirtyninehotel (Map; 599-2552; 39 N Hotel St; 4pm-2am Tue-Sat) More arty than clubby, this multimedia space is a gallery by day and low-key dance space at night. Guest DJs don their aloha wear for special weekend appearances, while rock bands test the acoustics on some weeknights. Next-door Bar 35 stocks over 100 bottled beers to choose from, along with chef-made gourmet pizzas.
Hank’s Cafe Honolulu (Map; 526-1410; 1038 Nu′uanu St; 3pm-1am) You can’t get more low-key than this neighborhood bar on the edge of Chinatown. Owner Hank Taufaasau is a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to the barfly business: the walls are decorated with Polynesian-themed art, live music rolls in nightly and regulars call it home.
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ONLY-IN-HAWAII BREWS
Truth be told, O′ahu’s microbrew scene is still a work in progress. If you can’t make it out to the Big Island’s Kona Brewing Company (Click here) outpost in Hawai′i Kai, sample Hawaii-brewed beers here:
Varsity (Map; 447-9244; 1015 University Ave; 10am-2am) Formerly Magoo’s, this UH student-friendly bar has open-air sidewalk tables and plenty of microbrews from Hawaii and the US mainland on tap.
Sam Choy’s Big Aloha Brewery (Map; 545-7979; 580 N Nimitz Hwy; 10:30am-9:30pm Sun-Thu, to 10pm Fri & Sat) At the back of Sam Choy’s Breakfast, Lunch & Crab restaurant, sip Kaka′ako Cream Ale and Kiawe Honey Porter next to the shiny vats they were brewed in.
Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant (Map; 599-4877; 1st fl, Aloha Tower Marketplace, 1 Aloha Tower Dr; 10am-11pm Sun-Thu, to midnight Fri & Sat) Fresh lagers made according to Germany’s centuries-old purity laws, with harborfront tables and live music on weekends.
On Waikiki Beach Walk, check out the Yard House (Click here), a mainland chain that stocks microbrews from the US and around the world.
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La Mariana Sailing Club (Map; 848-2800; 50 Sand Island Access Rd; 11am-9pm Sun-Thu, to midnight Fri & Sat) Who says all the great tiki bars have gone to the dogs? Irreverent and kitschy, this 1950s joint by the lagoon is filled with yachties and long-suffering locals. Classic mai tais are as good as the other signature tropical potions, complete with tiki-head swizzle sticks. Grab a waterfront table and dream of sailing to Tahiti.
Mai Tai Bar (Map; 947-2900; Ho′okipa Terrace, 3rd fl, Ala Moana Center; 4pm-midnight) A happening bar in the middle of a shopping center? We don’t make the trends, we just report ’em. During Friday happy hours, this suburban-style bar is packed with a see-and-flirt crowd. There’s live island-style music nightly.
Aku Bone Lounge (Map; 589-2020; 1201 Kona St; 5pm-2am) This down-home dive bar with a tasty pupu menu and a rubbah-slippah (rubber flip-flops) crowd believes in ‘keeping Old Hawaii alive, one beer at a time.’ Weekends are for karaoke, sung by patrons from the comfort of their own tables. Live Hawaiian music takes over on weeknights.
Smith’s Union Bar (Map; 538-9145; 19 N Hotel St; 6pm-midnight) You have to be a dive-bar aficionado to appreciate Smith’s Union, which first opened in 1935 when this section of Chinatown was a red-light district and playground for merchant seamen. For wage-slave hipsters, it’s a cheap front-loading hangout before hitting the clubs.
Live Music
If it is traditional and contemporary Hawaiian music you want, look no further than Waikiki (Click here). But if it’s jazz, alt-rock and punk sounds you’re after, then venture outside the tourist zone in Honolulu’s other neighborhoods.
Chai’s Island Bistro (Map; 585-0011; Aloha Tower Marketplace, 1 Aloha Tower Dr; 11am-10pm Tue-Fri, 4-10pm Sat-Mon) When the sun sets over Honolulu Harbor, you’ll find some of Hawaii’s top contemporary musicians performing here, including the Brothers Cazimero and Jerry Santos. Come for the drinks and the music, not the food.
Jazz Minds Art &