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Barfly Jason Genegabus |
Different
‘sports’ barIS IT POSSIBLE for a hostess bar to, as my dad used to put it when he wasn't very happy with me, straighten up and fly right?
More than a few people have mentioned to me the grand opening of Eagle Sports Bar, which occupies the space that used to be home to the notorious Club Yokohama. Long known as a "buy-me-drinkie" bar by the beer-guzzling public (or at least that's what I've heard -- it's not like I've ever been in the joint before), the place underwent a management change recently and now bills itself as a sports bar.
But has this place really changed its tune since the facelift? Leave it to the Barfly and his trusty Drinking Buddy to find out.
Eagle Sports Bar
Hours: 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily
Location: 747 Queen St. (corner of Queen and Cooke)
Phone: 591-0991
THE BAR was eerily quiet when we walked in after 10 p.m. one night earlier this week. On first glance, Eagle Sports Bar looks like a lot of other smaller bars that local residents frequent in other neighborhoods on Oahu. Over a dozen booths provide plenty of room to kick back and enjoy a drink, while a 15-seat bar takes up most of the Diamond Head side of the room.
Unlike another watering hole the Barfly visited earlier this year that billed itself as a "sports bar" without even bothering to be one, Eagle Sports Bar actually delivers if you decide to stop by and catch a game. A half-dozen televisions are strategically placed throughout the room, and we had no problem getting the one closest to us changed to a baseball game instead of the Japanese-language drama that the bartender was watching at the other end of the bar.
Two pool tables and a pair of dart machines occupy another side of the room, and a pretty extensive karaoke setup adds one more big screen in addition to the smaller televisions mentioned above. A jukebox is also housed in the same area, but it didn't look like it was working on the evening we stopped by for a beer.
SO THERE we were, sitting at the bar and watching a game. So far, so good, right?
Wrong. Just when I was starting to think someone had managed to teach this old dog a new trick, there they were -- two ladies who were at least 35 years old, sly grins on their faces and their hands on our shoulders.
"Oooh ... how you tonight?" one of them cooed at the Drinking Buddy as he valiantly tried to keep his eyes locked on the television above the bar. "You so handsome!" the other one told me as she moved her hand from my shoulder and tried to stroke my goatee. "And such a sexy beard!"
And with that, the cat was out of the bag. Looking around, I noticed the two had walked out of a small room near the front door, where another older woman still sat with a slightly bored look on her face. Soon after, the inevitable question came -- first to the Drinking Buddy, then me.
"Do you want to buy me a drink?"
NEEDLESS TO SAY, we were out of Eagle Sports Bar shortly after finishing our first (and last) beer of the night. Walking back to my truck, we agreed that for a cheap beer in a quiet place, this bar isn't necessarily that bad of a pick. However, if you're not adept at fending off requests to buy overpriced drinks for the ladies that work here, stay far away from this place. Save some money and go buy a normal girl a drink at Pipeline Cafe instead. Or, better yet, buy me one!
How much for a Bud Light?
The Barfly drank a $2.50 bottle of Bud Light during his visit to Eagle Sports Bar; watch out for roaming women asking you to buy them a drink, however -- they're a lot more expensive than the beer.
Get things to do?
Pool tables, dart machines and karaoke are all in the mix, and the bar's television sets also provide distractions to help fend off the ladies who work here.
What about the grinds?
While a banner outside the bar boasts that a full pupu menu is available, we didn't see any menus during our time at the bar. And we weren't going to stay and find out after getting hit up to buy drinks for the ladies, either.
And the help?
The lone bartender on duty dropped what he was doing in order to get us a beer when we walked in, but that was the last we heard of him during the rest of our visit. And although he was polite for the most part, I think the guy was worried that I worked for the Liquor Commission or something when he saw I was carrying a pen and paper in the bar.
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.
