I've always loved the idea of concept bars and had high hopes with Nightmare Honolulu. I'll start off with the pros: - They put a lot of detail into the decorations and you can take cute Halloween-themed pics just about anywhere inside. It felt like a Halloween-themed prom almost. - The staff did their job well. The guy handling the front door throughly checked IDs. There were people constantly walking around to pick up people's empty cups and bottles. The bartenders were attentive and handled the lines well. - My group of friends and I only had to wait ~5-10 min. in line outside. We were able to order our drinks almost immediately after being let in since there was no line to the bar at the time. The cons: - I wish they lessened the amount of people allowed in at a time. It was really packed and my group wasn't able to find seats or a table during the entire ~30 or so min. we were there. We settled with two of us standing up and the other two sitting down on a counter (...which probably wasn't meant to be sat on). - The drinks were on the expensive side (~$15 for the mixed drinks) and honestly tasted like straight up alcohol. I had three of the menu items there but I forgot the names of them. But, the syringe shot, the slushie, and the one with whipped cream all tasted like alcohol with almost nothing added to it. I expected that for the syringe shot but not for the other two drinks. Was hoping for some sweetness. read more

nightmare honolulu - Drinks (2024) - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

We made it 2 years in a row! We had lots of fun! Went in on a Sunday night and stayed until closing, which is at midnight, so it's not too bad. We met up with a couple of friends this time around, and got to spend a couple of hours here. We got to try a variety of drinks, from the cyclops, killer clown, and witches brew. One friend even ordered the blood bag, which is super cool. I love that all of the drinks come with little toys and stuff. It makes the experience even more fun! We had great service, super fast and friendly. Most of all, the atmosphere is fun. The awesome decor is always on point! Can't wait to actually make it into the Christmas bar this year. read more

nightmare honolulu - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

A temporary installation that has run the last few years in October, Nightmare Honolulu is a bar and lounge with a morbidly fun Halloween and horror theme. It's run by a group of similar bars in California and Hawaii; this one transforms into the Christmas Bar in November. Walking by a few times, we always saw super long lines but wanted to give it a try anyway. On Halloween weekend we went and got in about an hour before they closed; thankfully we got right in. The door staff was friendly, bartenders fast. They only had a few drink choices (and only one beer clearly ready for the Christmas bar); all the mixed drinks were Halloween themed with "blood" or served in syringes. Our group had a mix of beverages, the slushie was a hit! Prices were okay, not astronomical but not cheap either. You're really coming here for the ambiance and feeling of the season - this year it was primarily dolls and mannequins as theme with old beds, cradles, and body parts everywhere. The red light made it feel spooky, but the high ceilings and great ventilation made it comfortable. (2022 was in the old Shokudo space.) Overall, we had a great time that evening and will look forward to visiting again next year. read more

See all

Shoutout to our host Ricky and Justin our server and the rest of the team that pulled off the Nightmare bar :) As a first time visitor, I came out for the atmosphere. I had no idea what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised with the grand scale of aesthetics and decor from the entrance and silent entertainment. Ordered an Eerie Elixir Slush. 10/10 would recommend for presentation and flavor. However my friends that ordered actual alcoholic beverages were not as satisfied. Come here to Nighmare for atmosphere and photos. Definitely a place to socialize but that's about it. read more

See all

After four years of wanting to visit the Halloween pop up bar, I finally made it and it was well worth the wait! Nightmare Honolulu is the perfect bar for all the ghouls and goblins to kickstart this spooky season. The bar is located between Happy Wahine and the bathrooms on the third floor of Ala Moana. My boyfriend and I came on a Thursday night around 7:00 p.m. For a weekday and coming early in the evening there was already a long line but we only had to wait about 15-20 minutes. Luckily for us, one of the workers came and sat us before the groups in front of us since it was just the two of us! After being seated we scanned the QR code on the table for the menu. The workers took our order and immediately made our drinks. To drink I ordered the Cyclops. My drink was light, sweet, and refreshing. My boyfriend ordered the Skeleton and Vampire Bite. He mainly tasted Sprite in his Vampire Bite but said he could taste the alcohol in the Skeleton. We found the drinks to be good but we mainly came for the experience. Nightmare Honolulu closes on Halloween and will become a Christmas themed pop up bar in a few weeks. Expect long lines and wait times, especially with Halloween being this weekend. It's a place to go for the experience and to have a bone chilling good time! Just a note, ID and proof of vaccination are required. read more

See all

MAKE RESERVATIONS, line gets RIDICULOUS we went at 5pm on wed, so right when they opened and the middle of the week. no line, yay!. but ive seen later at night and especially on weekends, the line gets crazy long. and there arent many tables inside park in the structure closest to longs. the one where you can go right up the ramp from queen st. if you park on the 4th? level theres a ramp that goes straight across to the 3rd level of the mall. turn right, and youre there! its directly above sxy szechaun. no signs on the outside. but you can see through the glass and should notice all the halloween decorations. only open for this month to celebrate halloween. place is done up with lots of scary decor. several cocktail options on the menu, my fave was the clown one. didnt really taste like horchata, more like a pina colada, but was super easy to drink. syringe shots were HARSH! you can ask for just straight shots too, but they'll also come in a syringe. they basically only have the plastic cups for cocktails & wine, or the syringe. so they keep their costs low, since this is only a temp pop up anyway. 3 basic alcohols make up all the cocktails. so dont expect a full bar. you go for the trendy halloween themed cocktails. not for a bar experience. they only have titos, casamigos, and jameson, and a ton of different mixers to make their cocktails. it was a fun experience! only reason they get a 4 and not a 5 is because its not a full bar. read more

See all

Perfect night out to have a few drinks and catch up with friends during the spooky season. The decorations and ambience really puts you in the right kind of mood. We came in at 8pm on a Friday night and the wait was around 20 minutes. The drinks were great and the garnishes on them were adorable. Our main bartender, Kara (sp?), was professional, attentive and very welcoming. Though it was busy she still spent the time conversing with us. Definitely worth checking out before they are gone! My favorite drinks of the night was the Slasher Slush and Haunted Plantation! Thank you guys for such a great night! read more

See all

You know I love a good novelty bar especially when it's themed around one of my favorite holidays! What better way to celebrate the Halloween than with a haunting good time at this locally owned and operated pop-up bar. My group of friends and I zombie crawled our way to Nightmare Honolulu on a Friday night to indulge in some spooky good fun. The line was long as all of the ghouls and goblins came to play but my best advice: don't let that deter you! The line moved relatively quick throughout the night. This business is located on the upper level of Ala Moana on the Ewa wing--If you know where Shabuya and SXY Schezuan is, this place is right above it. At the door, they had someone checking IDs and vaccination cards before showing you to your seat. Once inside, the bar hosts two main areas with seating all around, on the right side there are about 2-3 booths that can fit larger parties. The space itself is cozy and pretty dark--definitely on par with the spooky Halloween theme. Once seated, there are a bunch of QR codes that decorate the counters for you to scan. The QR codes pull up the drink menu which is pretty extensive. Their drinks range from slushes to horchata and craft cocktails. Each cocktail is made from three basic alcohols of our choice, you can choose either: Titos, Casamigos, or Jameson. I tried the Zombie Slush and Haunted Plantation. These two were both sweet and the alcohol wasn't too overbearing. The Zombie Slush was a slushie base and I chose vodka as my choice of alcohol. The Haunted Plantation was a mix of soju with ube and cream flavoring. Although a little on the pricier side, I believe you pay for the experience, which is fine by me! All in all, I had a great time here. The staff is pleasant and kind, quick, and all around fantastic. The drinks were delicious and fun. read more

See all

Nightmares and ghosts ghouLORE! Located on level 3 in the Ewa Wing of Ala Moana, right above Jamba and next to Happy Wahine by T-Mobile, you can't miss this Halloween themed pop-up bar! The storefront is unmarked, but you're sure not to overlook the line leading to their main door, and the twinkling of orange and sparkling strobe lights emitting from the glass window. Obviously expect a wait, as Nightmare Honolulu is a seasonal event. Documented COVID vaccination and matching ID is required before entrance. The attendant will ask you to digitally scan a QR code to fill out a contact tracing form. When you're cleared, you enter at your own risk! The bar is divided into two separate sections, where there are two bartenders tending at each end. The interior is aesthetically trimmed with all things Halloween, lavishly lit with lights, and stridently playing spooky sounds. The menu is digitalized; the QR code is on the table for you to access via cell phone. Do not anticipate a full scale drink menu, however they do feature a fun and festive assortment of aptly named alcoholic (and non alcoholic beverages), some that are decked in decorative decanters or have an accessory affixed atop that are very IG worthy! Definitely check out Nightmare Honolulu and receive a fang-tastic experience! Happy Haunting! read more

See all

This is for their 2022 popup location. We showed up Friday at 7:45pm and there were no tables left. By the time we left at 9pm there was a 20 person line outside the door.... Crazy. This location is huge and much bigger than where they've been elsewhere in Ala Moana in years past. Anyway, the drinks are pretty bad and not really matching the Halloween theme. They will give you a bad drink and throw in a plastic spider or light up ice cube and consider that festive. The decorations are also bad and look like high schoolers making a homemade float in their school parade. Some suggestions. They should get a fog machine, it's cheap and adds to the spooky vibe. Have some scary actors or characters walking around to scare people and give it a haunted house vibe. I just think... they could do better! read more

Might be a hot take but the long line and lack of alcohol in the actual drinks made this experience not super worth it for me. I'll have to say the haunted plantation was yummy, so on point with ube and crème but truly with the 5 or 6 different drinks we got they came in fairly small cups and seemed to have no alcohol in it! Not worth $13 each! read more

nightmare honolulu - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Go early line starts at 8pm. We ordered a trick o treat bowl and two of us finished it but I tried to walk out with the pumkin and they took it from me:( bummer I wish I could've kept it if I spent 40$ on it.... the blood bag was ok not everyone got the iv pole when ordering the blood bag which is lame of you pay that much and don't get the full experience. luckily we got one cause it was early on in the night. read more

See all

Great drinks and good vibes for the spooky season. The zombie slush and vampire bite stood the most for me. read more

nightmare honolulu - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

I love themed bars and restaurants! Halloween is always spooky and great. We got here around 11pm an hour before they close and there was only 5 people infront of us. There were no tables left but we could order straight from the bar. We did that and walked around to interact with their props and decorations. Great place for photo ops & a night out with friends! read more

Nightmare was a little underwhelming. It is in a new location, where Shokudo used to be, so maybe they were trying to get a hang of things in there. The drinks were decent, nothing I would go back for, but the ambiance was cool. Servers do have a lot of ground to cover so I would order a few drinks at a time so you won't have to wait for a long period. The shots were a fun idea, being filled in a syringe, and it was easier to take. They do not serve food, other than some candy and goodie bags, but you do have an option to bring your own in which is nice. I don't know if I would go again, but it was good to experience it at least once. read more

The drinks are all great tasting, the service is fast and friendly, the decor is spoooooky and fun lol. The two times I've gone this month it has been busy but always enough seats for my group of 3-4 people. 9/10 will go again. read more

A pop-up Halloween-themed bar. The decorations were awesome and well displayed! Drinks were also delicious, fun and festive! There were not much options in terms of food, so that's why I gave it a 4-star rating. Nonetheless, I can't wait for next year! read more