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Barfly Jason Genegabus |
Time travel is not cheap
EVEN though I clearly stated I was talking about establishments in Ala Moana Center when I compared the Mai Tai Bar to Morton's a few weeks ago in this space, a number of you thought I wasn't showing enough respect to a longtime favorite of some residents.
"It's the Pink Palace!" I was told. It's one of the "few places you can still get an authentic Mai Tai," someone else said.
Were these people all drunk when they read the column? I was talking about the Mai Tai Bar at Ala Moana, not the beachfront watering hole that makes its home at one of the oldest hotels in Waikiki.
But the responses also intrigued me; not every bar on Oahu has such a vocal following as this place does. What makes it so special?
Mai Tai Bar
Hours: 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily
Location: 2259 Kalakaua Ave. (Royal Hawaiian Hotel)
Phone: 923-7311
SPEND JUST a few minutes at the bar in the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, and you'll have an answer to that question. It's all about the view here.
Like Duke's a little further down the beach towards Diamond Head, the Mai Tai Bar hosts an ever-changing mix of tourists from around the world with a smattering of local folks among them.
They come for live entertainment and to gaze upon bronzed beauties that set up towels on the sand just steps away. They visit for world-famous views of Diamond Head. And maybe most importantly, they show up to drink rum out of hollowed-out pineapples with little umbrellas sticking out of them!
RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM
The Barfly visits the Mai Tai Bar --- the one in Waikiki, NOT Ala Moana Shopping Center. Thoai Nguyen holds a Backscratcher drink at the bar located in the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.
While the price definitely isn't for the faint of heart, the Royal Pineapple's ($11.25) mix of Absolut vodka, Meyer's rum and Cointreau blended with pineapple juice makes for a quintessential tourist moment. Even if you're not on vacation, there's something relaxing (yet oh so cheesy) about sitting at a table on the beach with Diamond Head over your shoulder, sipping liquor out of a fruit. As the saying goes, it makes you feel lucky you live in Hawaii.
A number of other mixed drinks are on the menu here, including a traditional Royal Mai Tai ($7.75), Princess Kaiulani Punch ($7.75), a Royal Tini ($7) and a Guava Tini ($6.50). Again, if you can handle the cheese factor, try the Pink Palace ($7.75), a mix of Grand Marnier, Meyer's Platinum White Rum and cream blended with coconut and pineapple juice. With a "dash of pink" and served in a funky glass, this drink may look funny, but goes down really easily.
RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STAR-BULLETIN.COM
The Mai Tai Bar at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki is right on the beach, allowing patrons million-dollar views.
MY BIGGEST gripe about the Mai Tai Bar is something that should be easy to fix -- the service.
With open seating at the almost three dozen tables that surround the bar, it's relatively easy to slip in and grab a table without anyone knowing that you've arrived. Unfortunately, that also means it's easy for the servers to pass by without noticing that you're ready to order a drink. It took a good 10 minutes of watching the three servers on duty pass us by during our visit before one of them finally stopped to take a drink order.
And while it was easy to place a pupu order, getting the food was a different story. The sashimi ($15) we ordered came relatively quickly, but the broiled New York steak ($18.50) was an exercise in patience. We were told three times that it would "be right out," but ended up waiting close to a half-hour before getting a chance to dig in.
If you've got deep pockets and a "Hey-I-Don't-Care-I'm-On-Vacation" attitude, there are few things more relaxing than kicking back near the ocean with a cold drink at the Mai Tai Bar. But when it comes to affordable prices and attentive service, there are a number of other bars on the island worth checking out first, including that 'other' Mai Tai Bar at Ala Moana.
Barfly appears every Friday in Star Weekend. E-mail Jason Genegabus with suggestions of neighborhood bars to visit.
How much for a Bud Light?
Domestic drafts will set you back $4.50 at the Mai Tai Bar, $4.75 if you prefer bottles. Import bottles sell for $5.50, and there are even a few local microbrews available.Get things to do?
Live entertainment is a staple here; call the bar for a complete listing of times and performers. Otherwise, sit back with that fruity drink and take in the world-famous view before you, or try not to laugh at the tourists line dancing with the band near the bar.What about the grinds?
Expect to pay what some people might call a "tourist tax" if you're ordering off the pupu menu. The sashimi platter ($15) and broiled New York steak ($18.50) weren't that bad, but you could get the same thing for at least five bucks less somewhere else - even in Waikiki! More economical choices worth ordering include Diamond Head nachos ($9.50), the Royal Pupu Platter ($13.95) with a mix of coconut-battered shrimp, teriyaki chicken skewers and vegetable shrimp spring rolls, and the chicken quesadilla ($12.95).And the help?
Even though we were at the Mai Tai Bar during a shift change, there was still no excuse for the service received during our visit. Empty glasses went unremoved, it took way too long to get a drink, and our server simply forgot about the water we asked for before paying our tab. It wasn't only our table that got this treatment, either; I overheard a table full of tourists grumbling, and another group got up and left after waiting too long to get their first drink order taken.
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.
