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Makiki night spot
Has anyone ever attempted--or even considered, for that matter--establishing a bar/lounge in Makiki that offers something a little more refined than the shady bars on Keeaumoku Street south of H-1? Is there a space in the Makiki Shopping Center or anywhere else in the neighborhood that would be suitable for a cozy, happy-hour/night spot with character? There seem like an awful lot of folks in our neighborhood who, for lack of any options, must seek their evening revelry elsewhere. Is Makiki missing a great economic opportunity here, or is there no place for this sort of business in our neighborhood?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Josh Lake on -
I second your want for a decent bar/lounge closer to central makiki. I've had a few conversations regarding this topic, and the idea of a liquor license being granted to a bar too close to residential, seems to kill our dream. I could be wrong, but I have a feeling this is probably the case. It'd be a pretty popular place if it did happen though.
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Permalink Reply by Kim Isaak on -
I think the winning opportunity would be something like Town restaurant where the "bar" would not be the "main" thing. I imagine a stand alone bar would be very challenging to get approval for. The closest thing we have to a hang out spot is Sure Shot and they close so early. I don't blame them, hard to stay open without enough business.
My favorite neighborhood bar is 8 FATFAT 8. It is totally a bar -pool tables, darts, karoke, nagahide booths, but has such a nice vibe. Staff is really friendly and I feel very comfortable just stopping in -even by myself. And the pupus are really good and affordable. They have escargot! Check it out. Maybe that can become our neighborhood hang out.
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Permalink Reply by Fran Orian on -
is this a "hostess" bar? I too would like to find a place to just go have a drink and socialize.
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Permalink Reply by Kim Isaak on
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I'm pretty sure 8FATFAT8 is NOT a hostess bar. Never been to one so don't know what to look for, but every time I've been there there have been NO what I image "hostess bar activities to be" activities happening. Just lots of friends meeting and hanging out, socializing, playing the games and eating and drinking. Again in my experience I never encountered way drunk people -tho I have never "closed the place down" before, so not sure about the late night crowd.
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Permalink Reply by Berna Fo on -
In NYC, there are a few places that are like a groove cafe during the day--coffee/baked goods/sandwiches, wifi, roundtable in the background, books/mags/music to peruse, local art--and then at night becomes more of a groove lounge--DJ, live performances (music, poetry), drinks, sit down tapas. Personally, do not gravitate to environs that rely on alcohol or television to create atmosphere.
Apartment living tends to force me out into the neighborhood to find places to eat, work and meet friends. I'm a big fan of Sure Shot, but yeah, closes early, and I need someplace to go pau hana and later sometimes.
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Permalink Reply by Jim Shon on -
As long as there is live music that pays the artists scale. I'd love to see a place that features jazz.
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Permalink Reply by Derek Kauanoe on
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Aloha Jim,
Itʻs not quite in Makiki but on a Thursday this month, there will be live jazz at 6:30 at the Honolulu Club bar, which is open to the public.
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Permalink Reply by Sure Shot Cafe (Kiko) on -
I don't really know how far "Makiki" the area is, but other than something going on on the lower side of the freeway, I don't think it's possible for anything in Makiki. I know that the concept has been around for awhile, and even the wine cellar would jump on the opportunity, but the general Makiki housing area has such a problem w/ vagrants as it is. We originally used to be open until 11pm, then it became a safety issue to stay open so late. I constantly see people either drinking or passed out drunk at the bus stop ALL the time. Plus, I think the residents would be opposed to a liquor commission hearing for such a venue. I know from a business stand point it will also be extremely hard keeping the "wrong" kind of people out w/o being discriminatory? Not to mention the liability and security/insurance madness.
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Permalink Reply by Hilary Hutson on -
My Makiki neighbor and I often talk about this. What we are missing is a neighborhood bar/lounge that really has a neighborhood feel. Somewhere to go grab a pau hana beer and hang out and play shuffle board (well that's my personal favorite bar game...) I second Kim's point that 8 Fat Fat 8 is a great bar (try the broccoli beef with cake noodles), but it really doesn't feel like a "neighborhood bar", although I'm not so sure what defines that. The question is, would a bar in the neighborhood be a "neighborhood bar", or would it change the feel of our neighborhood?
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