Fun atmosphere and great drinks! If you're in a hurry this is not the place for you. It's a place to enjoy your company and your drinks

The ambiance is unmatched. It's gorgeous in here! The atmosphere is very chill. The bartender is amazing. They just came out with this new menu today. The drinks are amazing and really fun to watch the bartender make. I highly recommend this place for drinks. read more

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If you want to enjoy some well-designed cocktails from true aficionados, this is the spot! My husband and I stopped in during a hot afternoon stroll around Hilo, and enjoyed the cool basement ambience. Great vibes and excellent service. We subscribed to Shaker & Spoon during the pandemic and thought we had developed some home cocktail skills... nope. This place knows how to craft perfectly balanced beverages. The prices were prohibitive from making it a regular stop during our vacation but we would definitely come back during our next trip. read more

The Hidden Nene - Zombie ($28) - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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BEST BAR EVER. The bartenders are so incredibly nice, efficient, knowledgeable, and provide an excellent atmosphere. This is a speakeasy, so it's a bit hidden down some stairs under a Silly Goose sign in the building above. They have the most extraordinary and delicious cocktails I've ever had. Go for happy hour and try them all. read more

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Great atmosphere and super friendly staff. Live music and great cocktails. Best mai tai that I've tried so far. :) read more

The Hidden Nene - Cocktails - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Great cocktails and atmosphere!! Really cool vibe and super friendly crowd. Service was great!

Great place to chill and hang out with friends drinks are great ...................... read more

The Hidden Nene - Mai thai - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Came in one Monday night with a group of friends after work. It wasn't too busy. Everyone was ordering lots of drinks. My friend and I ordered drinks, a beer and a wine, and they were "forgotten" for a while. The bartender apologized and said she'd get them. We waited a while longer. Other people were being served and my friend and I , who happen to be black, were ignored. When my friend calmly tried to get the bartenders attention after having our drinks forgotten twice she yelled at him. Weirdo redhead girl who's clearly racist as she ignored only us the whole night and spent most of it talking to a mid white guy. Won't be coming back. read more

It's was my partners and my 8th anniversary and we decided to drop in the Hidden Nene for a pre dinner cocktail. I was really happy to see Austin behind the bar. Always friendly and welcoming. As usual it was busy and we decided to order the deviled eggs (our favorite) and a Mai Tai and the Tea. It was also nice to see Aulli behind the bar as well. Makes me feel at home. The Nene never disappoints. It's the only place I frequent regularly. Do yourself a favor and drop by. You'll be happy you did. read more

Only a few of us entered, the rest boycotted. The "bouncer" wasn't very Aloha. He ID'd our 78 year old uncle insisting that they ID everyone, but really isn't a near 80 year old a bit much. It just gave off an unwelcome vibe. read more

Loved this hidden spot, drinks and Chris made it way much better. Must come. Great time!! read more

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We loved the drinks, the service (Waylon rocks!) and the charcuterie board. The location and ambience are almost there, the "theme" isn't quite apparent, and the speakeasy element isn't quite there, but close! Moodier lighting, hide the food prep area a bit, and moody music, change the entrance/door so it feels more hidden. The A/C was set too low, and the wine list needs a little help too really accent the amazing charcuterie. If you are headed to Hilo don't miss this gem! read more

The Hidden Nene - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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The cocktails were excellent! I loved the Tarta de Lima and The tea. Waylon, Christina, and Tasha gave excellent service! read more

The Hidden Nene - Tarta de Lima - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Amazing service. Incredible drinks. The best server. Thank you Tasha. Hidden Nene is always a vibe. read more

The Hidden Nene - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

My husband and I went here for my birthday and I had the most amazing experience! I am not a drinker but fell in love with the key lime drink, I had two! The food, the dessert and the drinks were all amazing! The employees treated us like family and were very hospitable! Pro tip: get one of each! Shout out to Austin and Aulii!! read more

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The staff needs more customer service training. They never acknowledge you when you sit down. A simple "hey guys I'll be right with you" goes a long way. We sat down at the bar (party of two) and neither of the bartenders acknowledged us. The man and woman working kept looking over but didn't say a word. They helped the customers on the right and left of us and would walk past us and make eye contact with us but never asked to take our order. After 20 min we ended up leaving and going to temples down the road. This is the second time I've been here and it's happened the first time as well. I thought maybe the staff was having a bad day. I guess that's the regular service here. Second time around I'd rather not spend my money on somewhere I feel unwelcome. Nice place though. read more

Excellent service and pleasant atmosphere! Definitely would recommend to everyone...great place to relax enjoy time with fiends read more

The Hidden Nene - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Delicious drinks and incredible ambiance! Servers were wonderful and kind, though it was quite slow given how packed it was. There was limited seating and we had to wait a while, but it was definitely worth it. read more

Award winning mixologist on site, oh yah!! The Hors d'œuvres are exceptional. The location is easy to park and basement ambience very special. read more

Wonderful cocktails but incredibly poor service. I literally never complain or say anything. Im the farthest thing from a Karen in my life. I also was a bartender, so I understand the stress and workflow. I will say there is only 24 seats in the establishment and they had 4 bartenders who could not handle this. The gentleman who was overseeing the service was a young guy with long dark hair who literally stood at the bar flirting with two uninterested women while the service well bartender was going down in flames. It was so uncomfortable as this person literally never made eye contact or assisted at any juncture. We waited 40 minutes literally for a cocktail. read more

Funny enough, this place didn't show up in my original planning when I was putting together plans for a trip to Hilo months ago that I just got back from a couple weeks ago - that is because, when I was originally planning it, they hadn't opened yet, as they are pretty brand new! Good thing I did a second check the week before I left, haha. One important thing to note - this really is a locals bar, not just a tourist bar, it's the *only* bar like it in Hilo, and it's not that big, so on Friday and Saturday, it can easily already be full (especially during happy hour). I originally thought I was going to catch the end of happy hour on Friday - nope, it was full with a line out the door. I did catch the end of happy hour on Saturday with slightly more time and only 1 person waiting to get in before me, and it was a madhouse. Then I went back around 6 on Sunday and it was dead, because people who aren't on vacation have jobs, so my point is, it's a very different vibe depend on the time of day and the day of the week it is. I personally much preferred the vibe on Sunday, when I could actually ask the bartender questions (was a great guy and a great bartender!), learn about the bar, try something off-menu, etc. On Saturday things were louder and much more to the point. Drinks always come out slightly better when the bartender's not swamped, too. Anyway, being the highlight of the week as far as cocktails specifically, I did end up trying *quite* a number of them - especially as the majority of them were at happy hour price, being $10 instead of $15 every day from 5-7. That said, I learned the second day when the bartender had time to actually talk to me: the happy hour drinks also all use a cheaper well version of the respective spirit, which was indistinguishable in the "The Tea" gin drink that was all about the tea and not the gin, but went a long way to explain why the smoked/spiced old fashioned I had the first night didn't taste like it had the much higher quality whiskey listed on the menu that my old fashioned did not, in fact, contain. (Having learned that, I did try the Smoky the Bear again with the right whiskey the next day, and it was much better, though they still don't smoke it enough to justify calling out the smoke so much on the menu, or possibly just smoke it too far away or too long before it's served. It's a solid old fashioned, but neither time did it arrive particularly smoked.) Other than the relatively disappointing smoked drink, everything else I tried was great, and I tried a number - the The Tea (gin, tea, citrus, wasabi spritz) was probably my favorite, but the chocolate margarita, the mezcal/blood orange sour, and the gin-swapped cherry brah I tried (gin instead of vodka, luxardo, lime, cherry, black pepper, basil) were all wonderful as well, as was the $10 bartender's choice on Sunday (that Saturday there wasn't one, so despite it being on the menu, there is clearly no guarantee that there will always be one). So was another secret off-menu drink the bartender produced on Sunday, with gin, lilikoi and lavender (it sounds like it's likely going on their next menu.) I didn't try any of the food, though I did *like* the idea of the build your own charcuterie menu. (Bit pricey though. Either way, I didn't have any more room for any more food plans. As I just wrote in another review earlier today, I always have room for drinks. Though I was sad I didn't have room for a *dessert* drink - they make a key lime pie cocktail that looked incredible, but I couldn't quite commit to basically drinking a whole slice of pie.) read more

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This is our favorite speakeasy in all of the land. The drinks and food are perfect. We went multiple times on our short stay in Hilo... and I still dream about it. Don't miss a chance to try it out. It's really amazing. The service is attentive, the space is cozy, and it's just a delightful experience. read more

Cute vibe. They have a nice happy hour for drinks but be prepared to spend at least an hour to get one drink. They have one slow bartender and one server for the entire place. Music is at a nice level to chat but playlist is all over the spectrum . read more

The Hidden Nene - Happy hour November 2024 - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Walking down the street (actually heading to a different restaurant) when we came upon the building with the brick entrance and wrought iron gating. Beautiful menu of tapas standing on the sidewalk intrigued us. Speak Easy. What!? Let's go here instead! (Sorry, other place lol.). Went down into the dark entrance into a green moody bar with black and white floor tile, dark green walls, and seating for just 35. It was quiet. We were feeling like we were in a NYC 1935 movie. On to the food. Ummmm WOW. Tapas to share. Deviled eggs with a twist, charcuterie, wine, award winning Key Lime Pie drink (get this now!), stacked caprese. Everything was lovingly prepared. So much attention to detail. I think it was the neatest place I've ever been to. If you want a chilled and creative vibe, stop in here. Reasonably priced. read more

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What a cool spot. Didn't expect this in downtown Hilo. Really has a speak easy pub feel to it. The bartenders were very nice, drinks were all great. Definitely will come back. read more

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HIDDEN GEM IN HILO. We were blown away by the creativity and appearances of all the drinks. Unique ingredients and amazing cocktails. They do fill up quickly so get early there before 8pm if you want to get a spot. Also drinks are $10 during happy hour. What a steal! read more

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Cool vibes, cool people and super cold AC. Give it a try, if you like it, write a review. If you don't like it...keep that to yourself. read more

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Cute bar. We only stay for one drink but it's a fun experience. I think I'd go for longer if the menu had more variety.

Food was very fun! Service was great!! Ambiance was uniquely different for down town Hilo!!! I'll be back!!!! read more

Very cool hole in the wall bar/restaurant. We went here on out last night in Hilo. Wanted a small bit to eat and a few cocktails. I got the make your own charcuterie board, my husband got the deviled eggs and the burrata cheese with tapenade. My mother in law got the hummus. All so good. The drinks were also amazing. read more

The Hidden Nene - This was the Birds of Paradise drink - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Had high hopes for this place, based on the reviews I read, but there was nothing here that I could recommend. Walked in, the lone bartender told us to seat ourselves, which is no problem. Instead of swinging by and dropping off menus, she decided to go and make a round of drinks for another group, so we had to wait about 10 minutes for water and menus. By the time she came over with those, we had already looked at the menu online and ordered a round of drinks and an appetizer. When the drinks came, my fiance's drink had a VERY obvious lipstick stain on the glass. The drink was golden in color and the stain was bright red, so I'm not sure how that was missed. My fiance took it back to the bar and bartender apologized and said she would re-make the drink. I would think that at that point, she would finish up whatever drink she was making and then re-make ours, but that was not the case. The bartended ended up making 2 other rounds before she got around to re-making ours. By that time, I was basically done with my drink, and we were still waiting on our appetizer. At this point it's been about 20 minutes since we placed our order for our lone app (deviled eggs), and it turns out that the bartender never even put our order in. Ultimately, we downed both drinks as fast as we could and left. All in all, we were in there for about 50 minutes, and all we had to show for it were 2 subpar drinks. The couple seated next to us weren't impressed either, and they told us to check out another bar down the road, saying "it's like this place, but also NOT like this place, if you know what I mean" Now onto the actual cocktails: I had the Smoking Bear. It was ok, but nothing to write home about. They top it with rosemary that they light on fire, and it's pretty annoying to have to drink around the little charred/burnt bits that fall off the sprig. Fiance had the Seedy Underbelly. I would've liked this one had they not gone overboard with sesame. The sesame oil on top is unnecessary, and it overpowers every other scent when you go to drink it. tl;dr I guess there aren't many options when it comes to craft cocktails on the island, but if you're at all used to any craft cocktail bar on the mainland, or on Oahu, you can skip this place. You're not missing out on much. read more

As the name implies, this is a hidden gem in quaint Hilo town. My girlfriend and I enjoyed fanciful libations at this speakeasy at noon! Yes, you are reading this right. Not midnight! But lunch-time! We actually waited anxiously to get in for their Happy Hour. We aren't big drinkers, but just wanted to chill and enjoy the vibe. We got recommendations from Tasha and the cocktails were spot-on! This is on my A-list for anytime-and-everytime I'm in Hilo. The Hidden Nene is a hidden jewel! read more

An unexpected gem in Hilo with great craft cocktails and tapas! Hidden beneath the chocolate shop with fun ambiance and Hawai'i island twists on classic prohibition era speakeasy characteristics. Excellent bartender. read more

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Chris and Annabelle were awesome, highly recommend, the best craft cocktails and bites .

Sweet spot in downtown Hilo if you're looking for a "grown up" cocktail and the devilled eggs and charcuterie plate are tasty. Nice atmosphere. Cozy spot, especially if it's raining out which isn't uncommon in Hilo. Bar or booth seating are both comfortable. read more

I found this speakeasy on Google when I was searching up bars in the Hilo area. I am so glad that I found this place since it had a great atmosphere and the drinks were really good. Honestly I don't exactly remember what we ordered but I had an elderberry/flower drink that tasted so good but was stronger than I expected (not necessarily a bad thing). Would definitely go back if I'm ever back in the area. read more

The Hidden Nene - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Fantastic little speak easy! Service and ambiance is phenomenal & the people there including thee owner are amazing! Drinks are perfect and their drafts from local breweries are on spot!! Cheers to your new adventures! read more

The Hidden Nene - Hidden Nene - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

This bar was such a fun place for drinks and food! The decor is inviting and perfect for a speakeasy vibe. The service is fantastic. Chris makes amazing and delicious cocktails (the Tarta de Lima aka key lime cocktail is one of the best drinks ever consumed). Crystal made the most scrumptious deviled eggs. We will definitely return! read more

Unbelievable cocktails and service! Chris and Crystal were attentive and knowledgeable. Can't recommend enough!!

Hidden gem with classic prohibition era speakeasy vibes and ambiance, Hawaii island approachability and warmth, an expertly crafted and utterly delicious cocktail menu (including many truly awesome NA options - no afterthought mocktails here) and incredible staff and service. Will absolutely be back. read more