Dragon Upstairs in Honolulu's Chinatown district, located above the street along Nuuanu Avenue in one of the city's most active nightlife corridors. Chinatown has become a hub for music venues, cocktail bars, and late-night entertainment, and Dragon Upstairs stands out as one of the neighborhood's more distinctive underground clubs. The atmosphere is energetic and slightly gritty in a way that feels intentional. The venue has the character of an old-school nightlife space, with dim lighting, a dance floor, and music that drives the energy of the room. Because it is located upstairs and somewhat hidden from the street, the club carries a sense of discovery that adds to the experience. Music and live performances are the heart of the venue. DJs and occasional live acts create a constantly shifting soundtrack that ranges from electronic and dance music to other genres depending on the night. The dance floor tends to fill quickly, especially on weekends, giving the club a lively and immersive atmosphere. The bar serves a straightforward lineup of drinks designed to keep the energy moving rather than slow the pace of the night. The focus remains on the music, dancing, and social environment rather than an elaborate cocktail program. Service during the visit felt efficient given the fast-paced nightlife setting. Staff kept the bar moving while maintaining a friendly and approachable attitude. From a global travel perspective, Dragon Upstairs reminded me of underground clubs I have encountered in cities like Berlin, Tokyo, and Los Angeles where music culture and nightlife creativity define the experience. read more

Oh my grinches... On this holiday scene it seems like it's everywhere and is no different here at The Dragon Upstairs a cozy spot on Nuuanu Ave as the holiday decor stars right as you enter and is so wonderful as it continues throughout the bar, it's not that big with just five bar top seats and about five table seats but don't get me wrong it is quite spacious with lots of instagramable spots like their topsy upside down tree, lights, table decor and Christmas music playing keeping the vibe festive. The staff was quite busy as a crowd came in thirsty for drinks but was very friendly and as I checked out their seasonal drink menu decided on a Elf shot which is a cute a slightly sweet drink that just reminded me of a calpico. Fun place right in downtown and with lots of free street parking after 6pm it's really a plus along with the cool air conditioning going you can still keep your cool even as the drinks kick in. Thank you! read more

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This place was okay.... I came on a bar crawl, but the bartender literally forgot our drinks and then when they did come out, I wish they did forget about them because the Grinch Martini tasted as if I sucked a lemon. Skip that one. The music was also not great--a mix of old and older Christmas music. I love Christmas songs, but the vibe was so off. The rest of the Grinch theme was lovely and if I were rating only that, I would give them 5 stars, but honestly the drinks ruined it. Our group just stayed for one drink and that was enough. read more

The Dragon Upstairs - The back above the stairs. - Karaoke Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

VIBEZ. You want a place that feels like you're in the right place? This is it. All vibes. If you get to see a good DJ here, you'll be stoked. Intimate and immersive. read more

As a local artist these folks have always thrown shows with local organizers and given so many guys like me a shot before we had crowd control, mic experience, or viral songs. I hope to rent their venue out independently in the future and try my hand at throwing some events in the near future. The ambience is chill and lowkey so no one is pretending to be better than one another but the dragon artwork is so beautiful you feel elevated a bit. read more

Amazing atmosphere! With great music and entertainment. Jake was a great host and manager coming up with great ideas

This is definitely a hole in the wall bar. It is located in the heart of Chinatown above another bar. I can only speak about the First Thursday Live Band Karaoke event they hosted. They have live band karaoke here the first Thursday of every month featuring the Aloha Karaoke Band. The band, the MC, the patrons, and fellow singers all rocked. Everyone was so friendly and supportive. The band jammed all night. The MC, Matt, has an awesome personality and is welcoming of singers of all abilities. He had me thinking that I could almost sing. You do not need to know the words to the songs. They have them on an iPad in front of you. Live band karaoke is a dying art that we need to keep alive. The bar is moderate to small and has a small dance floor and stage. The decorations are cool Chinese themed decorations, hence the name of the bar. The drinks are reasonably priced and strong. There is metered street parking in front of the bar. The bar seems like a cool hole in the wall and I will definitely try to make if there the first Thursday of every month. read more

Bartenders super chill, definitely recommend if you want a chill environment. Space in s a little tight but over experience has been good

super amazing service and great vibes! Jake was a vibe!! 10/10!! The drinks were also worth the money!

I've always been a bit skeptical about going to this place, and my recent experience here pretty much confirmed my hesitation. I bought two vodka tonics and was charged $36. Yes, for non-top shelf vodka, which barely had vodka in it to begin with. I hate leaving bad reviews, but I also hate getting ripped off. read more

Looked up and down Hotel street for live music on a Friday night and was told this place was the best. Jazz band playing when we arrived at 9pm. Spunky band with all-around great players that played to the crowd. Crowd consisted of a few older couples (late 70s), a few young couples and a group of wild 40 somethings that livened the place up. Meagan the bartender was attentive to all the tables, social and friendly. We didn't have to wait long before being asked for a refill. The bands playing definitely had s few groupies in the crowd, which just added to the locally supported vibe. Definitely a place to visit again. Note: at about 1100 a group of 6 people came up, and immediately started dancing and cheering elevating the vibe. I must say, having the first band stay to support the second band was awesome. ONLY NEGATIVE: no drafts on tap. read more

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Great place to go in m if you enjoy music. The remixes and transitions of songs were great

Tl;dr I enjoyed the place (I don't give 5 star reviews) The location is hidden above a bar, but from the one time I went, I didn't witness any overly-drunk people (I went for an EDM set, so drunken non-ravers usually upset the vibe if they're just trying to club). The space was good for a small crowd (~30 or less), and the bartender that was upstairs was present enough and helpful. The sound system for the music was near exceptional. Parking at the venue was decent, but street parking. I arrived sometime between 9-11 PM. I could see the venue becoming much less savory if there's more than 50 people there, and with only one bar tender for the little bar, one could see long wait times for drinks. The street parking could be easily overwhelmed, so if one would be expecting a busy evening, I would recommend finding an Uber or Lyft to the venue, and being ready to walk, as it is in Chinatown. At this time I do not know if they serve food upstairs or downstairs. Based on my one experience: Venue: 3.5 Size: 4 Sound: 4.5 Refreshments: 3.5 Staff: 4 Overall: 4. read more

Amazing drinks and service by Jake!! Definitely recommend. Make sure to ask for a magic trick.

The 5th Saturday of the month is a great time!!! Really good house and tech music! Staff was great. The DJ was on point! read more

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Was invited to a small poetry reading here, the dragons upstairs host one monthly. Gathers a great crowd! This bar was very cute.... artsy! Has a chill lounge vibe. I did not notice a specialty cocktail menu, however they do have a full bar. The bartender was friendly and she honored the 4 dollar yelp checkin shots as well. They have a daily happy hour! For being such a small nook bar, drink prices were a little higher then expected. However they do match the going price for a downtown Honolulu bar. read more

The Dragon Upstairs - Karaoke Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

We first heard about the Dragon Upstairs when Andy Bumatai hosted a comic night. We have since been back a couple of times. Tonight was a blast. Great band of tight musicians playing jazz standard of Coltrain, Hancock and others. A tiny room, cheap drinks, great sound and a cool vibe! read more

Yelp challenge 365 # 35/365 I rarely do the night scene but for some reason, this week was my week to make up for all the days undone. End up at the Dragon Upstairs. Mind you, Friday (First Friday) would have been a great day to go.... but.... had other plans and .... don't like crowds... so, end up there last night. Parking always seems to be the problem for me these days. Since I rarely frequent the area, I wasn't sure who / which facility provided valet service... nor did I know where to park in the eves... I end up parking at Pali Shopping Center and walked down a couple blocks to the Dragon Upstairs. Cut and clean LITTLE bar. good entertainment although I didn't get the name of the entertainer... it was good none the less. The bartendering group is relatively friendly and the service was great. I think their name for an Apple Martini is Green Dragon... or at least that's what I thought I overheard. Cute, clean, comfortable...just a few reasons for me to re-visit my schedule and get to the Dragon Upstairs more often.... read more

The aesthetic of this place is super cute, however I received service from one of the bartenders that should be deemed illegal. I went up to the bar to ask for a glass of water between drinks. The bartender pictured looked at me as if I were disgusting, shook his head, and moved on to the next customer. I asked again for a cup of water, and he said something along the lines of "next time you want water at a bar, give me a bill first." And poured me a glass, I didn't grab it within 3 seconds so he looked at me and said "dont want it?" And poured it out in front of me while making eye contact with me. Then again, moved on to the next customer. For the third time, I asked "can I please have a glass of water, I don't care how much it is, I just need water. " and I gave him my card. Again, he motioned me away and said "ask the other bartender", as he was scoffed. So I went to the other bartender and he was very helpful and gave me water and the drink that I also ordered with it. In summation, to deny someone water because it is not making them a tip or sales, is essentially barbaric and deserves to be highlighted. This male was extremely mysoginistic and belittling to me, and felt it was okay to treat me as if I were lesser because I needed LITERALLY a glass of water between drinks. It triggered me and allowed me to reflect on the gross club culture some bartenders and people normalize. read more

The Dragon Upstairs - This is said bartender - Karaoke Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

This is always been one of my favorite venues. I've been going there since they opened , it's always a good time ! read more

Great nightly music and staff is super friendly! Avsifbowbdobeixhdibeidbdiwbfibrixhwjifbfibeicbf read more

The Dragon Upstairs - This band rocks! - Karaoke Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I came here couple times and it was always a great experience. Great for date night and if you love jazz. Ambience and drinks synergetic with great entertainment from local artists. I would definitely come back here for some chill date night. read more

Just attended the Aloha Comedy Festival closing show. The comics were excellent. Can't say the same for the bartenders etiquette. She was loud and had no care that her side bar conversations were distracting to the talent and the audience. read more

I loved this place I'm never disappointed when I go here the staff always takes care of us plan on going back often

I used to come here often a few years ago, but the place has declined dramatically. With a regular bartender leaving, drinks have been less than desirable at this location. I like that it's a small jazz club but they don't have much as far as entertainment. We came recently on a Saturday night only to be sorely disappointed. I will say the band (3person) was good but drinks....horrifying. I ordered a lemon drop and it tasted like water and lemon. Literally. The man ordered an old fashion and he received whiskey on ice. He watched the bartender make it and informed her not to call it as such. She apologized and said she was only filling in. If you don't bartend, really, please don't pour/make drinks. That is a huge disservice to your patrons who are paying for drinks they expect to be made accordingly. We also arrived within 10 minutes of opening and there was only another couple there. I hope they get things back in order as this was such a fun place to go to and watch jazz. read more

The Dragon Upstairs - Pseudo lemon drop. Tasted only of water and lemon - Karaoke Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I love this place for music or for a drink...and now after last night I'll be back for the comedy! Last night they had some of the funniest women in Hawaii as the entertainment. The place was packed. I was pleasantly surprised. Can't wait til the next one! read more

Cinco de Mayo Cantina Crawl 2015. 16 venues participating in the Lucky Loteria....each place visited a person receives a stamp on the card. The Dragon Upstairs was a participant venue for the night. The cantina crawl happened from 5pm to 11pm. I arrived at the Dragon Upstairs after the 11pm hour. Cost was $5.00 to get in. I noticed that there were a few people in the bar area and I also noticed that there was a live band performing ska/reggae music. I made my way to an area where there were chairs and tables available. I really enjoyed the music that was performed on the night of Cinco de Mayo. The music got me dancing in my seat. The group (Hydroguide?? I'm not really sure on the groups name but it did start with Hydro) also got the small crowd dancing the night away. I was asked by couple of individuals in taking snapshots of their group on the dancefloor. One of the employees of the Dragon Upstairs was making her rounds and asked if I wanted anything to drink. Since I already had my limit of alcohol for the night I opted to drink a cup of ice cold water...it beats paying $2.00 for a small bottled water. If I did order an alcohol drink it would have been Tequila Sunrise with Peligroso Tequila, a shot of chilled Don Julio Blanco, or a Ketel One Vodka screwdriver. I had a wonderful time listening to the music and people watching on the night of Cinco de Mayo. I wonder if I'll ever be back at the Dragon Upstairs for First Friday...I really would like to watch the music group perform from start to finish. read more

The Dragon Upstairs - Live music. Reggae beat - Karaoke Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Bar-hopping Stop #4. After a fun time at Hank's, we were curious about what was upstairs so we wandered into the Dragon Upstairs. It's a pretty cool, small loft type place with a small stage for the jazz musicians with a tiny dance floor in front of it. They did have a cover charge that night, I don't know if this is every night, though. For a weeknight it was kind of crowded but we were able to get a small table. It was a nice time having a few beers and listening to the jazz players. Later, we ordered a couple rounds of some drink special they were running, I don't remember what it was called but it tasted like a creamsicle. It was probably called "creamsicle" but my mind was a bit blurry by then. One thing that I thought was really cool was watching the couples ballroom dancing. I'd say all of the dancers were in their 20s or maybe early 30s but they could all cut a rug. I kept imagining that this is how it must've been in the early days of downtown Honolulu. read more

So you say you wanna go Chinatown, but you don't really want somewhere too crowded. I mean besides the nights when the whole crowd of Honolulu is in Chinatown? Well, this is the spot. Why isn't it crowded? You ask? Well, first off, you need to climb a whole lotta stairs to get there. (Hello, it's called Dragon Upstairs, you didn't think it was downstairs, did ya?) And secondly, it's hella tiny. You get up there and bam! There's the bar! Walk a few steps and bam! There's some seating, and hey, you can touch the stage! And the space is so weirdly configured, the whole area isn't on one level. You go up, you go down a step to get to seats, stage, restroom. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if you had to go a step up into the bar service area. So if you are just stinking drunk, this place is a major hazard. Yes, that means don't get too drunk here. Or if you are, stay out. The bar itself is tiny. I'm just a beer girl, so I'm just happy with beer and haven't tried any mixed drinks. So, I'm happy with the bar. Otherwise, it's a bar in Chinatown that's upstairs. Go because you like the music, which you should see is either a DJ or someone live. You've been warned that it's tiny and you may trip. read more

I went here on a Tuesday night; to hear a friend play some music. ATMOSPHERE: Cute trendy place. You go up a flight of stairs it's a small place with a bar, stage area and scattered seating. Sounds were good. Drinks to awhile to get to the table from the time of order. The Cosmo I ordered was nice! PARKING: Scary, nighttime and in the middle of downtown. You can park at Mark's garage for an expensive flat rate ($10) I think. Or there is parking in the Chinatown garage, where I parked, it was a scary walk back to my car; only because I couldn't go back in the door I exited onto Nuuanu ($3). It was nice, would I go back? Yeah, cozy, cute great music. read more

The Dragon Upstairs - Karaoke Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Ayla is the best bartender in china town! The dragon upstairs is the best spot for anyone looking for good music and great vibes. I've been coming here for 2 years and this is my go to anytime I come to china town! read more

Very expressive and lit.. the bartenders are very professional and friendly... the Music is everything

Cyndy's Bottom Line: Great place to relax and listen to live jazz. We stopped in after dinner. There is a $5,00 cover. Great jazz music. read more

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I only came here once and it was my first time but I didn't like it. I purchased a Yelp voucher, which was a great deal. Spend $30 and get $50 to spend at the Dragon Upstairs. It is really small and upon getting to the top of the stairs, I was informed of the $10 cover charge. I explained and showed my voucher to the door man & the bartender but they had no idea what it was. The door man insisted I pay for things in cash, instead of the voucher. I said, No! There was a comedy show going on and some of the comedians were yelling at the audience for not laughing or talking during their segment. It wasn't very good comedy at all. The place is tiny, old, and hot. We left shortly after arriving. No plans to return, ever! read more

This place didn't have live music and is falsely advertising their props. The space is really cramped and drinks are over priced. They actually have a cover charge for what's equivalent to someone's small backyard. read more

they are amazing. Kyla is beautiful and treated me so generously. good house music and dope dive bar vibe.

Literally the best bar I've been to in years. Live music, god priced drinks, and great bar keep. The best thing about it is the music. The band and people are so personable that I will forever recommend this place to anyone who visits Hawaii. Forever a regular read more

The Dragon Upstairs - Karaoke Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

A cozy little respite when wandering about Chinatown late at night. Cute decor that is a cross between opium drug den and a jazz club. Small but large enough that it's comfortable even when it's packed. The only place where I've had a genuine midori sour so I always have to have at least one when I'm there. Prices are a little pricey for Chinatown standards but the drinks are fairly strong. Just not a place that is for the type who wants to get knees up. It's pretty much devoid of much service besides a bartender but it really doesn't matter since it's all about the atmosphere, decor and live music. It's the only place that so far has made a Midori sour correctly. Just for that I'll give them an extra star. read more

So I learned that this place used to be a tattoo parlor before it was a jazz bar, and that the dragon on the wall when you come up the stairs is from that time. It kind of looks like a one of those box nativity scenes you see at Christmas but Chinese and no Jesus. It's cutesy, chic, and red, red, red. I miss the bartender with the toupee. I don't see him round much anymore. read more

The Dragon Upstairs - Karaoke Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Great entertainment with good quality liquer at a low price. What a great place to listen to some Jazz.