Cocktail bar
Bar Leather Apron in Downtown Honolulu is Justin and Tom Park's intimate cocktail bar on the TOPA Financial Center mezzanine, the 2023 James Beard winner for Outstanding Bar.
Signature drink: Old fashioned
Food: Small plates
Tip: Reservations highly recommended; walk-ins welcomed by availability. Open Wednesday to Saturday 17:00 to midnight.
Hotel cocktail bar
House Without a Key at the Halekulani in Waikiki Honolulu pours sunset cocktails under a 130-year-old kiawe tree with Hawaiian entertainment, the signature mai tai a Charlie Chan reference.
Signature drink: Mai Tai
Food: Hawaiian small plates
Tip: Sunset hula starts 17:30. Bar tables walk-in only; the Kawehewehe blue curacao cocktail is the new house move.
Jazz cocktail lounge
Lewers Lounge at the Halekulani in Waikiki Honolulu is the seven-nights-a-week jazz cocktail bar where Hawaiian-grown ingredients meet Chet Baker and Ella Fitzgerald named cocktails.
Signature drink: Smoke Rings (Sam Cooke)
Food: Lewers burger, poke chips
Tip: Live light jazz Tuesday to Saturday 20:30 to midnight; Sunday and Monday 20:00 to 22:30. Smart casual.
Tiki bar
La Mariana Sailing Club on Sand Island in Honolulu is the city's last original tiki bar, opened in 1957 with carved tikis from the Sheraton Kon Tiki Room and Trader Vic's pufferfish lamps.
Signature drink: Mai Tai
Food: Surf-and-turf, pupus
Tip: Tuesday to Saturday 11:00 to 20:00. Tucked behind warehouses on Sand Island; bring a sweater for the lagoon breeze.
Cafe and cocktail bar
The Manifest in Chinatown Honolulu is the dual cafe-and-cocktail bar with the state's largest whiskey selection, serving Waialua-grown coffee by day and live music by night since 2009.
Signature drink: Hawaii's largest whiskey selection
Food: Toast bar, sandwiches
Tip: Tuesday 10:00 to 22:00, Wednesday and Thursday to midnight, Friday and Saturday to 02:00. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Tiki bar
Skull and Crown Trading Co. in Chinatown Honolulu is the modern tiki bar on Hotel Street, with fresh-juice cocktails and a deeper-than-typical rum list inside the Encore building.
Signature drink: Modern tiki cocktails
Food: Polynesian small plates
Tip: Tuesday to Saturday 17:00 to 23:00. Closed Sunday and Monday; book ahead on Resy for weekends.