Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
pidgin for 'happy hour.' Chinatown's buzzing nightlife scene revolves around Nuʻuanu
Ave and Hotel St, once Honolulu's notorious red-light district.
Thirtyninehotel
LOUNGE, CLUB
clubby, this upstairs multimedia space is a gallery by day, low-key lounge after dark. DJs
don aloha wear for weekend spins, while rock bands test the acoustics some nights.
Nearby
Bar 35
serves over 100 bottled beers and dishes up fusion pizzas; you'll find
more DJs and live bands there and at
Next Door
. All three places are on the same side of
the same sketchy block of Hotel St.
M Nightclub
CLUB, LOUNGE
(
http://mnlhnl.com
; Waterfront Plaza, 500 Ala Moana Blvd; admission after 10pm Fri & Sat $10;
4:30pm-midnight Tue-Thu, 4:30pm-4am Fri, 8pm-4am Sat)
Flickering votive candles, flair bar-
tenders who juggle bottles of Grey Goose and Patron and table service at sexy white
couches backlit with purple hues - this restaurant-nightclub hybrid is as close as
Honolulu gets to Vegas. An insider crowd of dressed-to-kill locals bumps shoulders on
the dance floor ruled by electronica DJs. Grab happy-hour martinis at neighboring
Bambu
.
Mai Tai Bar
BAR
(
www.maitaibar.com
;
Hoʻokipa Tce, 3rd fl, Ala Moana Center, 1450 Ala Moana Blvd; 11am-1am;
) A happening bar in a shopping mall? We don't make the trends, we just report 'em.
During afternoon and late-night happy hours, this spring-break-style sports bar is packed
with a see-and-flirt crowd listening to live island grooves and watching pro sports games
on giant-screen TVs. For a boogie, join the cougarish dance divas at the mall's
Pearl Ul-
tralounge
.
La Mariana Sailing Club
BAR
(
www.lamarianasailingclub.com
;
50 Sand Island Access Rd; 11am-9pm)
Irreverent and
kitschy, this 1950s tiki bar by the marina is filled with yachties and long-suffering locals.
Classic mai tais are as decent as the other signature tropical potions, complete with tiki-
head swizzle sticks. Grab a waterfront table and dream of sailing to Tahiti. Skip the bland
pupu
, though.
