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Blind Ox Photos

BLIND OX ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Hipster
Intimate
Classy

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Recommended Reviews - Blind Ox

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Reviews With Photos

French onion soup
Lydia L.

A bartender in Waikiki tipped me off that Blind Ox was worth the hike, and I absolutely loved everything I had! The Love Potion #829 and Tokyo Nights were both interesting, complex, and beautiful to boot! My only note would be that the floral rim on the former is a little much; maybe mix the flower petals with sugar to make it a bit less aggressive. The drinks were great, but the food may have been even better. The octopus and French onion soup were both perfectly executed, but my favorite had to be the blue cheese mac and cheese balls. So so so delicious! I could have eaten about 20 more.

Kara B.

Everything about Blind Ox met our expectations. We had the private room, that also came with our own bathroom. Lighting was great, not too bright & not too dim. It was adjustable which was nice for when we took our pics. Our waiter was really awesome! He conversed with us, and even laughed at our jokes. He did videos with us, & even took our photos. The food was all delicious. Not all the dishes we had is pictured, but we definitely was full. It was all shareable for us girls. We even had oyster shooters which was delicious. The presentation of all the dishes was beautiful, and I like how our waiter explained all the dishes. He was very knowledgeable about each dish. He also made great drink recommendations for us ladies. Everything about Blind Ox was perfect for my sister's birthday. We definitely plan on coming here again!

Mark D.

Came here for a surprise dinner for myself and a few friends. There are two dining areas. One where the check in is and on the right side after some stairs is a fancier dining area which will make you say wow! Parking may be a little tough especially during peak hours but they do offer valet service if you prefer not to find street parking. Staff are friendly and actually very engaging which is nice when you're out drinking with friends. Food here is actually really good. Here's the breakdown of what we ordered. We got the blind ox blue balls ($16) which is crispy mac cheese balls, bone marrow ($28) which comes with bread that you can put the bone marrow on. Defiently recommend! The blind ox french fries ($16) which is great to share. The truffle oil and garlic taste made the fries so tasty! Their special dipping sauce was also a plus!. The blind ox steak ($38) is an 8oz NY strip, very tender, juicy and flavorful steak which I also recommend! Lastly, we got the the A-5 Wagyu Katsu Sando ($52). Probably my favorite of all the foods. The wagyu is so rich and literally just melts in your mouth. A must try! Overall, a very good experience. Little on the pricey side but for the quality of the food, i'd say it's worth it. We did order a few drinks/shots but the food is the main event here at Blind Ox.

Birthday dessert
Courtney O.

I had been looking forward to coming to the Blind Ox. It's advertised as a speakeasy type restaurant with a hidden entrance and a focus on unique cocktails and intentional bites. Overall, I'd say it was a fine experience. Not quite what I was expecting and I don't feel a need to go back, but it was still good. Food: The food was overall good. No jaw dropping stand outs. It was all relatively tasty. We enjoyed the salad, fries, uni pasta, bone marrow, fries and steak. Drinks: I did enjoy my matcha cocktail. It was unique and the whipped foam at the top was thick and interesting. Ambiance: We were seated inside. The interior area is small with small booths and a bar area. The seats were small and tight so prepare to get cozy with your party. There is also outdoor seating but it seems if you're going to spring for this experience, you should request inside.

Viva La Matcha
Elaine N.

Came here for the drinks, wanting to come back to try the food and see the bartenders again! Initially when I read some of the Yelp reviews that talked about the "NY/LA vibes," I thought to myself, "maybe I can skip out on this one." I'm your Cali girl, and you know we be bougie, hipster-esque, and fancy. But I'm also the girlie that likes uniqueness and different and unfamiliarity -- thus I didn't have too high of an expectation for this place. Boy, was I wrong. The drinks here were beyond my expectations. Bartenders were great! I felt like I made instant friends after my one drink. Huge shout out to Boo and Keisha! For drinks, I had the Viva la Matcha and Elevated Boca (per recommendation of Boo). I love Jasmine tea, and Viva La Matcha didn't disappoint. I smelled and tasted the floralness of the Jasmine, and loved how it was topped off with a matcha Pocky! The Elevated Boca is probably one of the best old fashion I've had. The couple next to me got a variety of food that looked amazing. I will have to come back to try the food. And I promised my Boo that I would. Bartenders were great. I came myself and sat at the bar. So I loved watching their interactions and mixology of drinks. Lastly, vote for Boo the Bartender! She's in a competition for a great cause. Proceeds go to an organization that brings awareness and prevention to girls bullying other girls! Link below! See ya ladies, drinks, and food next time! https://barboss.org/2023/boo-hooligan-2

The rear view namesake (impressive!)
JD H.

In the grand scheme of Honolulu spots, this gets a solid "mediocre" from me (which is my definition of a middle of the road venue...50% of things I enjoyed and 50% need some work). It definitely attracts a crowd in search of a cool, hipster, unique setting. I do like the secretive, darkened ambiance that this place has. It is a bit hidden, the windows are curtained off and the faux front door has a phone box to look like you need to speak to an operator for entry. The entry is actually on the side street with a valet parking stand which brings me to the first subpar issue: On the night I had a reservation, the valet told me he was full so there was no customer dedicated parking left. I circled the neighborhood x 5 and could not find any street parking. I told the hostess that we were just going to cancel and go somewhere else due to lack of parking and they told me to park in the Safeway lot across Kapahulu. The signage there warns of towing for non-customers so I was not really cool with parking there but the restaurant staff assured me that their own employees do it all the time. For a somewhat haughty spot, I was unimpressed with this recommendation but had no choice. If this is their solution, The Blind Ox should really negotiate something with the lot managers so that customers know they will really turn a Blind Eye to using their lot in this manner. I did not like spending my evening in a hidden, sequestered speak-easy without windows not knowing if my car was going to be there when I got done. The ambiance works by having a cool bar, lots of premium booze available, and a life-sized bull in the middle of the room with fully unadorned gonads on display. There are some nice custom house-made cocktails available with great menu descriptions of expensive ingredients and pricing to match (most of the cocktails on the menu are at least $20!). The service was about what you would expect from a bar setting (friendly if a little understated, but perfectly adequate. The 2nd issue that did not impress was the food. The menu descriptors sounded great but the deliverables were pretty average. The most notable items for my party were the Scotch Eggs which were tasty and on par with many I've had in Europe. But, the Oyster Shots and Gold Popcorn Chicken, were both less tasty than anything I've had anywhere (ingredients seemed of good quality but both screaming for salt). Overall, I'm glad I got to check this place out despite leaving with testicle envy. But after this visit, my recommendation would be: Take an Uber and leave your car at home, come for a cocktail or 2 and then go elsewhere for dinner.

StaciLei T.

A night at Blind Ox is like transporting to a NY/LA style bar. I came here with friends from the mainland and for a moment, I forgot that I was in Hawaii. For locals, this can be a fun experience that mimics a night out at a bougie bar on the mainland. Here's the 4-1-1: Valet parking is available for $5 or there is limited neighborhood street parking. You enter through the outdoor space. We made the mistake of walking past that area and trying to get in using the main doors that face the street. Since it's a "speakeasy" we thought we needed to use the phone that's on the wall to get in... but no, you just walk up to the host stand in the outdoor area. Drinks are $17-$27. Definitely on the pricier side but delicious nevertheless! Here's what we ordered: Viva La Matcha ($22) with Jasmine Infused Tequila, matcha, honey, elderflower, lemon, coconut foam and a green tea pocky on top! Mr. Crack Seed ($17) with Li Hing Mui Infused Bourbon, honey, lemon. These two drinks were my favorite!! I've had a few matcha and li hing mui drinks before but these two were my favorite of these pairings. The Jasmine infused tequila was one for the books. I've had a few infused tequilas in my day, but this one was floral and perfectly paired with the matcha. The plum flavor of the Li Hing Mui brought out the best flavors in the bourbon- simply a great pairing. The Madrid ($19) with Vanilla Infused Rye Whiskey, pickled chili pepper, elderflower, honey, lime, tamarind rim. I had just a sip of this from my friend, but he really enjoyed it- especially the tamarind rim. Tokyo Nights ($19) with Japanese Whisky, orange cognac liqueur, italian bitter, rhubarb bitter, yuzu, black lava salt. I've always been a fan of Japanese whiskey but I would say that this drink caters to someone with a different palette to mine. For food we ordered the: Blue balls (mac & cheese balls) Nori Shrimp Truffle fries. The Nori shrimp and truffle fries were the most notable. If I was to come again, I would probably just order the fries! Overall, it was a really great experience but the price point of $17-$22 for a cocktail is too high.

Bone marrow!!!!!! Yummmmm.
Kristy N.

So far so good. LOVE the ambiance!! There's several entrances. The outside seating was closed due to the weather. Love love love it. Let's see how the food is...! Service was great! Very attentive and knowledge on the menu! Definitely coming back! Loved what we ate but I want to try EVERYTHING!!!

Kristina C.

If you want a very intimate spot for some drinks I recommend coming here! They have a really nice outdoor seating area and a very interesting setup inside their establishment. ***What I ordered **Viva La Matcha (7.5/10) I wasn't too impressed by the drink, but it was definitely different. I liked the floral notes in the drink, but I thought it would be a little more earthy. Although, I did love matcha stick garnish! That was a cute touch to the drink. Overall, I wouldn't mind coming back, although it is a little pricey. The staff was really professional and nice! The parking situation isn't too bad too. You can park on the street or do valet!

El Chapo
Michael K.

We stopped by for a drink and I tried the El Chapo, which they set on fire before serving! It was interesting, and they had a lot of other cocktails that I wanted to try. However, for $20 per cocktail, we would rather eat. I would have given 4 stars but the service was pretty bad. A server introduced herself to us then disappeared to go chat behind the bar for the rest of the night. Someone else finally took our order after like 30 minutes. I guess the $20 paid for the cool, imprinted ice cube.

Four items and two cocktails
David G.

We arrived and were sat in a tiny cramped table. I'm 5'9" and about 165lbs, I was struggling to sit comfortably and was sitting upright the whole time. Not sure how plus sized guests are supposed to sit at these tables unless they get a booth? Waitress was nice! The two drinks we got were the tequila machata one (ok) and the miso shitake drink (ok). Overpriced craft place what do you expect. I am not much of a drinker so I can't elaborate on cocktails. The lobster roll. Don't get it. Smells super old and fishy. The buns were your store bought Hawaiian rolls not toasted or buttered or anything. They take this limp frozen lobster and place it on top and give you with a side of this special clear sauce which tasted like tap water. How about butter and garlic ?! Pretty gross, you're in Hawaii go to a local poke place instead or how about they fish for local lobster? Hm.. there's an idea! The tacos with the raw fish. It was so bland. Needs a sauce or marinade, maybe a citrus marinade? The avocado smash was that of Albertsons guac. Unseasoned and no flavor throughout these overpriced tacos. Bland at best. At least the shell was crispy. The chicken nuggets with gold flakes. Go to Carl's Jr and get their chicken stars. Seriously, tough chicken and unseasoned. A complex looking dish only to be disappointed. I dipped them in my Mac and cheese ball sauce dip (very good). They give you honey and corn flakes on the size. Maybe the chef and owner were stoned when they came up with it? The bull balls (Mac n cheese)... best part. I mean you get Mac n cheese and you deep fry them and put a good sauce on them. Of course it'll taste good. But not $20 good for 5 balls. The real hero tonight....! Overall this was a recommendation from a guide so shame on us haha. Save yourself the $150+ meal and go get a poke bowl, shrimp plate, or anything else. Don't try and impress your date with this place. Looks cool, but the chef needs to step it up with the basics.

Lily D.

Blind ox was on my bookmarks for a long time as i've never gone to a speakeasy before. Reservations are easy on Open Table - You can reserve up to 10 guests online, but you'd have to sit outside. Smaller parties can be indoors. 20% gratuity is also added to your bill for parties 6 or more. I was excited to go but upon arrival - the entrance with the phone was broken. You had to go around the building and towards the back to enter. Kind of a bummer cause we had to sit outside too so we didnt get the full experience. It was also a hot summer night so if you do dine outside then you should also dress accordingly. There are fans but there isnt enough to keep you cool through the night. Blind ox is really great for larger parties only because everyone can order something and you can try different things on the menu. I enjoyed the food, but most importantly the company made the difference as well. We had two different occasions that night. We had 2 birthdays and 1 celebration of life. They do provide a cake for your celebration too. Service was super friendly and attentive. There was apparently a sign that no phones are allowed inside the bar area. I would definitely go back again to try other things.

Desiree' C.

Such a cute speakeasy concept here! The menu is definitely intriguing and takes a few minutes to read through and decide what you'd like to drink and the pupu selection is amazing. It was super busy when we went but reservations are highly recommended since it's a smaller, intimate bar.

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The service was great. The ambiance is fantastic for a date! Go there for the drinks. The food leaves a lot to be desired...

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Page 7 of 11

Blind Ox Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Blind Ox

Bar seat Reservations?

I loved the bar seating! If you book a 'bar' reservation, you will literally be seated at the bar. Great opportunity to chat with the bartender about their cocktails.

Im trying to book a resevation but dont understand what "standard" seating means. What is "standard" seating?

It means seated at a table and not the bar or outside patio

Is there some good music playing in the outdoor area?

Yes we have speakers in our outdoor area.

Since the safe access has been lifted, does anyone know if they still required vaccinated cards/covid tests?

Is this place appropriate for kids? I'll be traveling with my 13 and 10 years old. Would love to try this place if it is.

This place is very laid back. When I dined there, I sat inside and no one bothered. Everyone minded their own business and went about their day. The only thing that wouldn't make this place kid-friendly would be the fact that it's a speakeasy… 

Is this place only 21+?

No it is not, but they will card for alcoholic beverages.

What is the corkage fee?

$30

Do they accept discover credit cards?

Yes. Blind Ox takes Visa,Mastercard,Amex and Discover.

What is the price range?

$15-$18 craft cocktails, most small plates $18-30

Any happy hour?

No Happy Hour at this place :(

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Green Lady Cocktail Room - Absinthe on the rocks and cocktails

Green Lady Cocktail Room

4.4(138 reviews)
0.8 mi•Waikiki
•$$

Such a fun hidden gem in Waikiki!…read more Tucked inside the White Sands Hotel, Green Lady has that true speakeasy feel. Look for "Room 8" to your left--finding the entrance is part of the fun! Once inside, you're greeted with a clean, intimate space, low lighting, and moody vibes. There are only a handful of seats in the indoor bar, so it feels cozy and exclusive rather than like your typical crowded Waikiki bar. The mixologists are fantastic at their craft. Every cocktail we tried was creative, flavorful, and deliciously strong--definitely drinks you want to sip and enjoy! If you love hidden bars, creative cocktails, and a chill, intimate atmosphere, definitely add Green Lady to your Honolulu list.

It was very cute and the aesthetic was nice. However, my partner and I were ignored. We waited at…read moreour table for about 10 minutes, got up to order but told to sit back down and someone would come to take our order. We waited at least another 10 minutes before someone came to take our order, who was rolling her eyes and even throwing her arms down at us, especially when my boyfriend ordered. Rolled her eyes and left. Waited maybe 10-15 more minutes and we ultimately got up and left. During this time span, we saw her come out and take orders for other tables, bring them their drinks, and even come back for a second round for them. It was very unfortunate, especially considering we were some of the only POC there.

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Vintage Books - Flight of tacos (@miguelmoralesphotography on Instagram)

Vintage Books

4.4(202 reviews)
1.1 mi
•$$$
Gluten-free friendly
Romantic vibe

Catching up on an old review I never finished when this place first opened 2 years ago !…read more Of course the menu has since changed. The former 3660 has been totally transformed into a vintage bookstore in the front, followed by a bar in the middle, and a "speakeasy" behind door number 3. Not sure what to expect, the food totally exceeded my expectations with creative and tapas style dishes and beautifully crafted drinks. We enjoyed sharing these tasty dishes: Tofu with mushrooms, Gold Curry Clambake, Taco flight, cochinita pibil with masa cakes, and Cowboy Beef Salad. It had a fun vibe with dim lighting and vintage style decor, a great choice for my bday dinner with the gurls!

I never knew this cute little place existed until a co-worker told me about it. Vintage Books is a…read morebookstore themed restaurant and bar tucked away in Kaimuki. It kind of reminded me of a "speak easy" with the vibes. There is bar seating, tables, and even some couches! Surprisingly, there was no wait and we were seated right away. Their drink menu is full of crafted beverages. I got a fruity sangria and it was delicious! The food menu had a lot of interesting items that I was excited to try. My favorite was the Prosciutto Arugula salad- a nice healthy option. I also really enjoyed the Ulu tacos! Instead of traditional tortillas, breadfruit slices took its place.

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Vintage Books - Flight of three tacos: kalua pig, suadero, and tako

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Bar Leather Apron - Japan old fashioned

Bar Leather Apron

4.5(477 reviews)
3.7 mi•Downtown
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Finally had our Bar Leather Apron experience! We've been hearing so many great things about this…read moreaward-winning bar and finally scored reservations. Unfortunately, due to a recent building power outage that greatly impacted them, our reservations had to be cancelled, and we couldn't reschedule for dates that worked for us. We decided to try walking in when they reopened and were able to get in right when they opened at 5pm! The drinks were unlike any other cocktails I've had anywhere. They were full of depth, well-balanced, smooth, and just delicious, even for a non-whisky drinker like me! The prices were also not outrageous given the drinks' presentation and the bar's reputation. They're pretty comparable to what you'd pay for drinks at a mid-upscale restaurant, but at BLA, you're getting a whole different level of taste and craft. We were a party of 4, and we each ordered different drinks so we could all sample them. We ended up ordering quite a few haha. My favorite of the night was definitely their signature Leather Soul, and again, I don't even like whisky! That's how good it was. We also ordered some of their small bites, including the bread and butter and smoked salmon. Both were great bites to complement the drinks. The servers were all so nice and attentive. You could really feel their passion for what they do. We all loved the drinks and the overall experience. Would love to come back and continue supporting them!

Date night? Hanging with friends? Pau hana with colleagues? Just want your own moment but you also…read moreenjoy history and well made drinks and pupus? This is your stop. Plan for reservations well in advance because you're going to want to sit at the bar. That's where the storytelling is center stage. From the outside, you'd easily miss it. But once you step inside, you realize you're stepping into an experience. Every drink comes with a unique story and the bartender is not simply a storyteller but an artist as well.

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Bar Leather Apron - View from our seat

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Bar Leather Apron - Matcha old fashioned

Matcha old fashioned

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Deck.

Deck.

4.1(2.8k reviews)
0.9 mi•Waikiki
•$$
Happy hour specials
Locally sourced ingredients

I come here once a month. Great view, great service, both of servers I have gotten are excellent!!…read morePaka and Josh. They both always remember what I like/order, and cater to my needs. Food is great and reasonably priced and served in good portions too. Because many other Waikiki restaurants would jack the prices up simply because they could, the fact Deck's price points are lower than the most and the quality is better than the most is awesome. Highly recommend it.

Made a Sunday reservation on OpenTable. Sat quickly. Breezy but hot so we ended up with covered…read moreseating with enough of a view. First drink I tried to order was listed on the menu but server said it wasn't available. Sounded like the menu is undergoing some changes. 5/5 not your average mai tai. Bestie loved it. 5/5 Lilikoi margarita. This was pretty good. Small but tasty. 5/5 truffle fries starter. Shoestring fries perfectly crispy and the aioli was amazing. Generous Parmesan on top which was appreciated. 2/5 ordered a wedge salad appetizer to come out before the meal but it came out AFTER the meal. Missing the bacon and blue cheese crumbles were on the salad which wasn't listed on the menu. The lettuce looked wilted and onions looked old. Honestly super disappointing. 4/5 Huli Huli chicken. Rice was a bit dry but the chicken was really good. 5/5 Haupia French toast. What a star!! We prob didn't eat this until 30 minutes after the meal arrived since we had salad and chicken to eat, and holy moly this made up for everything. Treated it as a dessert and it was creamy in the middle and crunchy on top. The center was like a custard filling. Service was not great but she was trying. I think she may have been new, the things she was saying just needed some polish and refinement. She tried to check in periodically but kept forgetting us. Even mentioning the bacon on the salad I think the response was "oh man I don't know what's up with that". Lol! I would have taken a slice of bacon to crumble myself but nothing was offered. Overall I'd come back for the fries, drinks and French toast!

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Deck.
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430 Pkwy Cocktail Lounge - The bar

430 Pkwy Cocktail Lounge

4.5(52 reviews)
2.3 mi•Ala Moana

I went here for my birthday and didn't realize I should've made a reservation for a larger group,…read moreespecially since it was my first time. Thankfully, Michael and his team were able to accommodate us, which I really appreciated. From the moment we walked in, the place had a great vibe, the interior is beautiful. Throughout the night, the staff and Michael (the owner) were incredibly welcoming, funny and attentive. The cocktails were amazing. I had the expressing my love all night and even though the place was busy and there was a bit of a wait for food, it was honestly worth it. We had the crab dynamite, the ahi brioche, and the prosciutto and burrata. SO GOOD! My friends and I had such a great time and will definitely be back.

I've been waiting for this cocktail spot to iron out its flaws and become as good as it should be…read more Sadly, I don't think it will happen. That's a shame because it has the potential to be very good. When you start with a cocktail concept that is deliberately kept low key with no signage, and a drink menu that rotates and evolves, you have a pretty good floor to start. Having a cozy place to settle in and being able to enjoy food from Chris Kajioka should give 430 Pkwy a high ceiling. If you like an espresso martini try something a little different. Their Espressing My Love batches espresso with Averna, black walnut bitters, and a unique monkeypod syrup. Unfortunately, there is no espresso machine so you cannot get fresh drawn espresso to make a Carajillo the way Cafe Miro use to. The ahi brioche is a carry over from all Chris Kajioka places. The grilled cheese is excellent. Hotdogs are kicked up - it used to be a black truffled miso chicken sausage but the current one is a little different. The problem is the food preparation totally undermines the whole place. Without a separate kitchen you have frying being done just a few feet away from where cocktails are made. If you sit on the right side of the bar you will quickly understand why this doesn't work. I would come here more frequently if i didn't have to smell like cooking oil afterwards. Fix that problem and this place would rock.

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430 Pkwy Cocktail Lounge
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Wild Orange - Char Sui Bao (not our favorite)

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4.6(189 reviews)
1.7 mi
•$$

My husband and I went here on a whim after finding this place online and we are so glad we did!…read more The speakeasy is inside the Hawaiian Brian's club, but hidden behind a door that looks like a vintage vending machine. The ambiance inside is a unique blend of Japanese and urban with musical tracks from artists like Nujabes to match. Fern and Elsa served us and were friendly and so welcoming, answering questions and the menu and making great cocktail recommendations. We thoroughly enjoyed our drinks (several of which are named after famous anime characters) which were a unique blend of Japanese inspired botanicals, and a couple of side dishes. The ube sake shot was dangerously delicious and the mushroom boa were savory and tasty. This was the most unique place we vision our trip and we hope to visit again on our next Hawaiian vacation. If you are in the Ala Moana area, definitely stop by!

Firstly, the vibes are IMMACULATE. 20/10…read more Wild Orange is a speakeasy hidden behind an old-school Aloha Maid vending machine. Apparently you're normally supposed to put a coin in to open the secret door, but it's broken right now, so the whole vending machine just swings right open. Slightly less secret, but still very cool. Inside is where this place really shines. Moody lighting, a giant orange tree in the middle of the room, Japanese hip hop playing in the background (I want to steal this entire playlist), and extremely cool and friendly servers and bartenders. I've been to a few other attempted "speakeasies" in Honolulu, but most are basically just dark bars with a fun door or code word. Wild Orange actually has the VIBES to make the whole concept work. Definitely worth coming just to hang out and chill. They have a full bar and an extensive specialty cocktail menu. Tried the Purple Dragon, made with ube liqueur and coconut cream. Very sweet--a little TOO sweet for my taste--but tasty and pretty. Probably should have listened to the menu and kept it as a shot, but I wanted something I could sip on for a while and chill. The Umeshu Highball was also very pretty and tasty. My friend who works as a sake distributor was impressed with their selection of good sake, so of course we had to order a bottle. Our server brought it out in an ice bucket, kept it off to the side, and completely served it for us throughout. Very classy. The food menu is fun and creative, but unfortunately not really for me because it's entirely vegan. Most times, but ESPECIALLY when I'm drinking, I want MEAT. Tried the Wild Musubi, a vegan Spam musubi. I'm not actually sure what the "meat" was. Possibly fried tofu? Whatever it was, it was definitely a passable alternative, but would have been 100x better if it were just plain old Spam. It also falls victim to what I find is a common problem with vegan attempts at Japanese food: anything teriyaki ends up being way too treacly sweet without actual meat or seafood to ground it in reality. Also tried the Char Siu Tofu Bao, fried tofu in a red Chinese-style char siu sauce on fluffy white buns. Again, fun and certainly not bad, but these would be 1000x better with actual pork. If Wild Orange had this exact same creative food menu but carnivore edition, this place would probably be 7/5 stars for me. That being said, I know being vegan will actually be a huge draw for some people, and I appreciate that the food is creative rather than just the usual sad vegan afterthoughts. Parking is pretty easy by Honolulu standards. It's inside Hawaiian Brian's, so there's a large shared parking lot. That being said, you might still have trouble finding a spot during peak gym hours since you're competing with all the 24 Hour Fitness customers. All in all, I LOVE this place. Definitely a fun stop--first, middle, only, or nightcap--on a chill night out. Will absolutely be adding Wild Orange into the rotation of places to bring out-of-town guests when I want to impress them with something cool and different. The vegan menu probably means it'll be a couple-times-a-year place for me rather than a regular haunt. But for drinks, service, atmosphere, and pure VIBES? 20/10.

Photos
Wild Orange - The space is eclectic with fun vintage furniture

The space is eclectic with fun vintage furniture

Wild Orange - Dumplings

Dumplings

Wild Orange - Hoisin Mushroom Bao

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Hoisin Mushroom Bao

RM 38

RM 38

4.8(84 reviews)
1.1 mi•Waikiki
•$$

What we thought was a pawn shop turned out to be... a speakeasy?!…read more What a lovely surprise. A gem of a find! I will never forget this experience. I was just skipping around town exploring wanting to check-in to as many places as I could like the responsible Yelp elite that I am and then I find this amazing hole on the wall speakeasy. The lovely gentleman in the front welcomed us in to take a look around and I asked him if I could take photos for yelp and he told me that if I was going to write a review, I had to join them. So of course, I took the invite and decided to stay for a little while. We sat at a nice area. A perfect little place. I just want to take a snapshot and keep it in my memory so I can emulate it and turn it into my home study. I could stay here forever. The vibes were on point. The server recommended drinks that he thought we would like, and we loved both of them. I don't remember what the drinks were called, but mine had a blueberry taste to it, and my friend had a mock tail, but some sort of Yuzu to it. We also shared a $15 charcuterie graze. 10 out of 10 would recommend being curious and opening doors to finding out that there's a speakeasy randomly in an area you never thought would be there. What an amazing experience.

This spot is the place to be in Waikiki! Definitely make a reservation because this place fills up…read morefast, especially later into the night. What surprised me most was how good the food was for the price. Usually spots with this kind of atmosphere rely on the drinks to carry the experience, but every dish actually delivered. The chicken karaage was crispy and packed with flavor, the beef takoyaki disappeared almost instantly, and the taro chips with mascarpone were such a unique combination. Between the cocktails, food, service, and atmosphere, everything just worked.

Photos
RM 38 - Lounge area

Lounge area

RM 38 - Ahi

Ahi

RM 38 - Dragon Lady and 38 Old Fashioned

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Dragon Lady and 38 Old Fashioned

Blind Ox - tapasmallplates - Updated October 2026

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