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Barfly Jason Genegabus |
Secret’s out:
Loft is the spotEVERY once in a while, I'll get the urge to keep quiet about a bar I review for this column.
Most of the time it's because of a bad experience at the establishment. But I've always ended up sharing my thoughts anyway, because if I don't warn you, the drinking public, who will?
This week was a little different. After a couple of drinks with friends at The Loft, I was almost convinced that I needed to keep the place a secret. But the key word here is almost, and, as they say, almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.
The Loft
Hours: 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. Mondays through Saturdays
Location: Chaplain Lane (off Fort Street Mall,
half a block makai of Beretania Street)
Phone: 521-2519
I MEAN, if you discovered a place where drinks are just a dollar on Saturday nights, the music is on point and college coeds are getting faded at the bar, would you want to share it with a few thousand of your closest friends or just keep it to yourself?
Located just off Fort Street Mall, The Loft isn't the easiest place to find downtown. Most people are only aware of the bars on Nuuanu Avenue and the more popular spots like Murphy's down on Merchant Street. But if you know how to find Club Pauahi, you're halfway home when it comes to finding The Loft. Just walk up Fort Street Mall toward Beretania Street and keep looking toward your left. Once you hit Chaplain Lane, it shouldn't be hard to spot the bar. If you've reached Beretania, you've gone too far.
ONCE INSIDE, don't pass go and don't collect $200 -- your best bet is to head for the bar, since there aren't any servers and the bartender is the only person who can get you a drink.
This is probably the biggest problem I have with The Loft -- the amount of time it takes to be served. But when draft beer and well drinks are just a buck, who am I to complain? I can't think of any other bar I've visited recently that offers this deal on a Saturday night, and with $4 pitchers available on Mondays and $3 drink specials the other four nights of the week, you can't go wrong stopping by to knock back a few here.
AND WHILE I don't really understand the mix of red, blue and pea-soup green used on the walls, I did get a kick out of all the classic bar signs that hang throughout the room. There were old-school Stroh's and Coors Light signs mixed in with a few of my personal favorites, like Red Dog Beer and Old Grand-Dad Whiskey.
Another way-cool aspect of this place is that there really is a loft here! Walk up a flight of stairs near the bathrooms, and you'll find a cozy space with carpeted seating and a little niche for turntables and speakers. On the night I visited, the area was utilized mostly by couples looking to get away, but adding a bit of soft lighting and the aforementioned turntables would definitely turn the room into more than just a spot for making out.
I'VE ALSO heard the owner of the bar controls a second space in the same building, and while it's currently used as a campus center for Hawaii Pacific University students, the possibility exists that The Loft might expand in the months ahead.
If that happens, don't be surprised if this joint becomes a favorite among folks who can appreciate cheap drinks in a comfortable environment. Either way, I know I'll be back there tomorrow night for a few beers, so stop by and say hello!
How much for a Bud Light?
The Barfly drank $1 draft beers during his visit to The Loft. There are only two taps installed for the time being, however, so if you don't like Killian's Irish Red or Coors Light, you're better off spending a little more and ordering a bottled beer instead.Get things to do?
Unless you're the social type who can make new friends easily, it's a good idea to bring someone along when you visit. I didn't spot a television or Megatouch machine in the place, but it didn't really matter on Saturday since DJs Kee and Bless were there to throw down on the decks. DJ Kee had the entire room bobbing their heads at one point during the evening as he spun a mix of mid-'90s hip-hop that included tracks by the Wu-Tang Clan, Dru Down, Pharcyde, Militia and the Westside Connection.What about the grinds?
Unfortunately, The Loft doesn't serve food right now, so you're better off going somewhere else for pupus and then coming here for drinks afterward. Let's hope business is strong enough over the next few months to convince the owners that opening a kitchen here would be in their best interest.And the help?
While not so bad that it would keep me from returning, service at The Loft could use a little improvement. One solution would be to throw a barback and a server into the mix of things -- this would free up more time for the bartender to mix drinks and would help keep the customers who aren't sitting at the bar happy.
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.