Tag: Waikiki

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Arnold’s Beach Bar – Hidden Waikiki Gem

Arnold’s Beach Bar is an under-looked gem of a bar in Waikiki. We were impressed on a previous visit and can confirm they’re still doing well.

The Mai Tai isn’t craft but at only $10 is really great. The ingredients are Calypso Virgin Islands White rum, Triple Sec, Amaretto, a splash of OJ and Pineapple, and a float of Dark Rum. A good shake means this Mai Tai is mixed well and chilled, better than many Mai Tais I’ve had this trip.

This is by far the best dive bar in Waikiki, with a friendly bartender and cheap booze. Plus some nice tiki decor. I enjoyed the visit and had two rounds.

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Halekulani Mai Tai

The House without a Key was booked but we eventually figured out there is an adjacent pool bar that serves the full menu and even had a great view of the performance stage.

Our salads were good but expensive. A much better value was the Halekulani’s famous Coconut Cake. So light, with a cream frosting that I loved. Don’t skip it if you come.

The Mai Tai was good, not great (didn’t stop me from having two, though). The mix is batched and placed into glasses where they are procured when ordered and ice is added, then the dark rum float. No shaking or stirring, which makes the first sips less than satisfying. A little self stir rectified things.

According to the Halekulani’s published recipe, the float is supposed to be Lemon Hart 151, but we only saw Myers’s being used. Not a terrible choice but for sure lacking the requisite oomph we previously found to be this cocktail’s most important ingredient.

Nonetheless you’d be hard pressed to find a better Mai Tai in Waikiki. We continue to recommend this.

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Vic’s ’44 Mai Tai at the Royal Hawaiian

We popped over to the Mai Tai Bar for a drink. Wish the 1944 Mai Tai was better, but sadly it was sour and thin. Mrs Mai Tai had a better time with her Pink Palace, which is a Pina Colada with grenadine to add the pink color reminiscent of the Royal Hawaiian’s pink color.

 

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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.