Tag: Hawaii

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Deck

We have to thank Christa for the tip on Deck, a restaurant and bar located at the far end of Waikiki on the 3rd floor pool deck at the Queen Kapiʻolani Hotel. This was around the corner from Tiki’s and proved to be an elevated cocktail experience.

The Mai Tai is a ’44 made with three rums from local favorites KōHana. This superior Mai Tai allowed the rum blend to shine brightly and lets you savor the unique taste of these Hawaiian Agricole rums. Really great.

Mrs. Mai Tai ordered the R&R, which is a Gin cordial with raspberry and thyme, topped with soda. Quite interesting and refreshing. We also tried their Basque Cheesecake which was just right for desert, and quite good.

Our service at Deck was great, and we appreciate the host who sat us in quieter portion of the restaurant rather than at the bar where there was a lot of hooting and hollering. Quite a nice place to relax, and during daylight hours there’s a fabulous view of Diamond Head.

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Tiki’s Grill and Bar

We missed this family-style tiki restaurant on our last trip so we ventured over for dinner just past sunset. Tiki’s is a very large restaurant with a large interior space that is mostly closed for refurbishment, along with a very large patio. We were seated right away and enjoyed some live music playing and some second floor views of Waikiki beach. Our service was very good.

Our food was moderately priced and a good value for the quality and portion. Less kind things can be said about the “1944 Mai Tai” which is served with a heaping portion of passion fruit foam, along with tourist-friendly Cruzan Light rum and Bacardi Dark rum. Far too sweet, even without any pineapple or orange juice. A plus of sort is that you can keep the plastic glass.

The interior portion that is visible is very nicely decorated with a lava rock and red paint theme that I think looks great. Lots of Shag artwork and other nods to Hawaiian and tiki culture. So, not bad at all.

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Tipsy Tiki

This is the former Myna Bird Tiki Bar location in the food court at the International Marketplace. There was an ownership change for the food court and this bar was rebranded as being part of the La Pina Cantina next door. So I was surprised to see a new name here and also a new menu.

And, friends, I’m here to tell you that Tipsy Tiki is fantastic. Our bartender Lee told us his Mai Tai is made from fresh ingredients and while I’m no Island Mai Tai fanatic, this one was pretty great. One of the best I’ve ever had. Mahalo Lee!

Mrs Mai Tai had the Cool n Fresh with Tequila, lavender syrup, cucumber syrup, lime, and coconut water and it was really amazing. We will return to try more of the menu.

This venue may not scratch the itch for the hardcore tikiphile, but I’m always ready to welcome a new tiki place when the cocktails are outstanding. Check it out in Waikiki!

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Princess Mai Tai

We’re staying at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani and stopped by the Splash Bar for lunch. I enjoyed my beef skewers but felt the Mai Tai was just so-so.

Plenty of tikis on the grounds and we enjoy the central Waikiki location. At least we can see the ocean peeking over the Moana across the street.

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Monkeypod Mai Tai

We ventured across the street from Aulani for dinner at Monkeypod Kitchen. Their Mai Tai has honey-lilikoi foam, as well as Kula silver and dark rums, Macadamia Nut Orgeat, and Bots Orange Curacao. When I tried this in 2019 I didn’t love it, but I have to say that this time it was a better experience. The foam overlowed everywhere, like lava from a Hawaiian volcano, but once we mixed the foam and rum float together with everything then this was a pretty good cocktail.

Even better for me was the Fifty-Foot Pole, with Ko Hana Kea Hawaiian rum, Smith & Cross Jamaican rum, Joto Yuzu, Mango Shrub, and Ango. One of the best cocktails I’ve had in a while. Meanwhile, Mrs. Mai Tai loved Gin/coconut cocktail White Walker again, and then tried Ai’ono with Bourbon, pineapple, and cinnamon syrup. It was a good cocktail night.

And dinner was even better, since the Mahi fish sandwich I had was probably the best fish sandwich I’ve ever had. Julie’s Macadamia crusted Mai Tai was also excellent. The Strawberry Cream Pie was delightful. We had a slight issue with the meal, but our server went overboard to address it, with our appreciation. We really had a great time.

Monkeypod Mai Tai
Fifty-Foot Pole
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Disney’s Aulani Resort

Mrs Mai Tai and I landed in Honolulu and made our way over to Disney’s Aulani Resort for a one night stay. We love the grounds and atmosphere but it is so pricey it doesn’t warrant a long stay. We enjoyed the lazy river, pools, and even a quick dip in the ocean.

The Tropical Mai Tai (Hawaiian Mai Tai 1) was nothing special but I liked the Tropical Itch a lot better.

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Mai Tai Contest

I’m leaving Wednesday for 11 days in Hawaii (June 8-18). We’ll be at Aulani for one night, then in Waikiki for five nights, then in Kauai for four nights.

The contest is simple: guess how many Mai Tais I’ll drink while I’m in Hawaii or while in transit in the air.

Any cocktail with “Mai Tai” on a menu or packaging counts, as does any cocktail handed to me when I ask a bartender for a “Mai Tai.” RTD Mai Tais count as one per can or bottle. If I order but don’t finish the Mai Tai it still counts.

Participate in the Contest on Instagram

  1. Enter your guess for my Mai Tai total in the comments. Round numbers only.
  2. @ mention two accounts
  3. One entry per person

Deadline for entries: 7 am PDT on Wednesday June 8.

Winner gets prize pack from Hawaii including swizzles and swag collected on the trip. Plus bragging rights. Shipping overseas is okay.

  • In the event of a tie we’ll split the prizes
  • In the event of no correct guess we’ll choose the next closest entry (higher or lower)

Need help guessing?