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Barfly Jason Genegabus |
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
King Street Cafe patrons Spencer Unten, left, Joe Chung and Mya Tagalicud eat, drink and play a video game Tuesday.
Bar makes you
feel like a ‘King’
King Street Cafe
Location: 1380 S. King St.
(Corner of South King and Piikoi)
Hours:
Mondays through Fridays
11 a.m. to 2 a.m;
Saturdays and Sundays
5 p.m. to 2 a.m
Phone: 942-9990
WHEN THE Barfly is thinking about which bar to visit, the issue of food usually plays a factor in where I'll end up for the night. If I've been fortunate enough to get a meal in me before heading out, then eating usually takes a back seat to cheap beer prices and a comfortable environment.
But what generally happens is that I'll have just gotten off work and haven't had a chance to grab a bite just yet, so ono kine grinds jump right back up to the top of my list. This week's featured bar is one of the places I'll be keeping in mind when I need some food to go with a cold beer or two.
KING STREET CAFE, located on the corner of South King and Piikoi, used to be a restaurant before an ownership change about four months ago. It doesn't look like much has been done to change the establishment's appearance other than adding the requisite bar signage, Megatouch game consoles and dart machines that most places in town already have, but then again, it's all about the beer and not the decorations, right?
Parking won't be a problem when you stop by -- just make sure to stay in the left lane if you're coming down King Street towards Piikoi. There's a parking lot entrance on the left just before the light, and it's a lot easier to pull in here instead of making the turn and waiting for cross-traffic. Once you get inside, there's more than enough space to relax, with maybe 10 seats at the main bar and another 15 tables and booths spread throughout the room.
On busy nights, a second bar is also an option at King Street Cafe, and I hope management has some sort of entertainment planned here; while karaoke is always a popular choice, live music or DJs spinning records would work,too. Just move some tables out of the way near the dart machines and they'll have enough room for a dance floor while leaving lots of space on the other end of the room to lounge and order drinks.
LET'S NOT FORGET what the Barfly likes most about King Street Cafe -- the food! One of the owners happened to be in the kitchen on the night we stopped by, and the pupus he brought out could have easily won awards at this year's Taste of Honolulu.
Items like teri beef ($5.25), kalua cabbage ($5.50) and pork char siu ($5.75) are all affordable choices here, and the pork tonkatsu ($5.50) we ordered was nice and crispy, with hardly any fat. The ahi poke katsu ($8.75) I had was incredible -- it looks like the fish is rolled into a ball before getting fried and cut into quarters for serving. I've never tried anything quite like this dish, and will definitely be back to eat it again sometime soon.
AND ON TOP of the decent drink prices and yummy food, the staff here are genuinely nice people, too. Even though we were the only people in the bar when we first walked in, the lone employee on duty dropped everything he was doing to get us a beer and make sure we were settled in. Later in the evening, one of the bartenders also made it a point to sit down and talk story a few times. Whether it's your first stop of the night or your last, King Street Cafe is worth a try for those looking for a new bar to frequent.
How much for a Bud Light?
As long as it's on special, the Barfly and his trusty Drinking Buddy will keep ordering those Anheuser World Selects at $3 per bottle. Both domestic and imported bottles are available, too, and four taps offer Heineken, Newcastle, Bud Light and Michelob on draft. Happy-hour prices are also in effect from 2 to 7 p.m. each day.
Get things to do?
The standard offerings are all here at King Street Cafe; karaoke is big here, especially on nights that one of the DJs brings in his own CD-Gs to the bar. Dart machines and Megatouch game consoles are also part of the entertainment arsenal, and four televisions a spread throughout the room. A big screen is also housed behind the main bar.
What about the grinds?
If nothing else, be sure to stop by early one evening for a beer and some pupus -- it would take me at least three or four visits to try everything that caught my eye on the menu here. King Street Cafe is also centrally located between a number of other popular nightspots, making this place a good choice to unwind and talk story with friends after going out.
And the help?
As long as enough employees are on duty to handle the crowds that may show up on the weekend, it shouldn't take you too long to get a beer or order some food when you visit. If it looks kind of empty when you stop by, sit closer to the front door near the main bar -- this will ensure the help notices when you're almost done with your drinks.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Barfly appears every Friday in Star-Bulletin Weekend.
E-mail Jason Genegabus at jason@starbulletin.com with suggestions of neighborhood bars to visit.
