DENNIS ODA / DODA@STAR-BULLETIN.COM
Daniel Contemplo hits his mark while throwing darts at Brandy's Bar and Grill.
Aloha near stadium
BRANDY'S BAR
AND GRILL
Hours: 2 to 7 p.m. Sundays,
noon to 2 a.m. Mondays through Fridays
and 1 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturdays.
Location: 4510 Salt Lake Blvd.
(Stadium Mall)
Phone: 486-4066
WHEN I WAS growing up, the only time I would visit Stadium Mall was to make a fool of myself while trying to skate at Ice Palace. Believe me, it wasn't pretty. Now that the Barfly is old enough to appreciate Honolulu's various watering holes, Brandy's Bar and Grill at Stadium Mall looks like a great place to grab a beer with friends from the Leeward side who don't want to drive all the way into town (or if you don't feel like driving out to Pearl City, Mililani or Wahiawa).
Proving once again that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, don't be fooled by the nondescript front entrance to Brandy's. You'll be surprised by the size of this place when you walk in -- there's actually a lot of room to move around and it even has a second floor! The bar has been open since 1984, although you may not recognize it if you haven't been there for a while. The second floor staircase was recently reconfigured, giving the main room a much more open feel.
Once you're inside, grab a seat at one of the half-dozen tables or take your place at one of Brandy's eight barstools. Four televisions and one big screen are strategically placed throughout the room, although only two were actually turned on during our visit. When we stopped by last Monday night during dart league, a good 25 people or so were drinking and doing the dartboard shuffle -- walk up to the line, throw darts, walk back to their table, drink beer and repeat.
Speaking of darts, this place seems to be a haven for the better players on Oahu. I'm not sure if there's another location with more steel-tip dartboards than Brandy's -- most places stick to electric dart machines nowadays. If you'd rather do something else, check out the pool table or one of the three Megatouch game machines.
The Barfly was also happy to discover that Brandy's isn't one of those places that treats their regulars like royalty while newcomers have to fight to get service. We had no problem grabbing a barstool and ordering a pitcher, and our bartender was even nice enough to let us in on a Heineken draft special that was running during our visit. Everyone in the bar seemed pretty easygoing, and the Barfly even managed to educate someone about how tasty shrimp shumai can be with a cold beer.
So the next time you can't agree with your friends about where to go and have a few, offer up Brandy's Bar and Grill as an alternative to driving all the way into town. And according to general manager Christopher Huber, don't forget to visit during the UH football season; Brandy's easily reaches capacity when fans flock there to tailgate before walking across the street to Aloha Stadium.
Barfly appears every Friday in Star Weekend. E-mail Jason Genegabus with suggestions of neighborhood bars to visit.
How much for a Bud Light?
The Barfly and his trusty Drinking Buddy had a $9.75 pitcher of Bud Light when we visited Brandy's; draft pints and bottled beers are also available, as are mixed drinks.
Get things to do?
Nine steel-tip dartboards and two electronic dart machines appear to be the main draw at this place. A pool table and three Megatouch game machines also take up space at Brandy's, and karaoke is available on certain nights.
What about the grinds?
It's been forever since the Barfly had a grilled ham and cheese sandwich ($5.25), which went down well with the Bud Light we drank at Brandy's. The shrimp shumai ($4.75 for 10 pieces) we ordered was nice and crispy, too. Other items on the menu include the clubhouse sandwich ($6.75), Susie's Spicy Chicken Wings ($6.75), Mozzarella cheese sticks ($4.75), egg rolls ($4.75 for three) and beer battered onion rings ($5).
And the help?
Tiffany, our bartender, did a good job keeping an eye on our beers even though she was the only one serving drinks when the Barfly landed at Brandy's. She also earned a bigger tip by mentioning how we could save money by switching from pitchers of Bud Light to the draft pints of Heineken that were on special (beer economics is an important subject to some people, you know). It was nice to feel welcomed at this place, even though we had never sat down for a drink here before.
Barfly appears every Friday in Star-Bulletin Weekend.
E-mail Jason Genegabus at jason@starbulletin.com with suggestions of neighborhood bars to visit.
