Mahalo to Emi and Yelp Hawaii for another unique and educational experience! My +1 and I had a…read morechance to go to the Oceanic VIP Music Hall to see Ka'imi Hanano'eau who is the lead singer and guitarist for the band, HiRiZ. We got free validated parking across the street at the Dole Cannery parking structure! We waited in the lobby of the Castle & Cooke Building where our Escort checked our names off the list and led us to the 4th Floor. Along the way, the walls were filled with portraits of previous performers such as Jim Brickman and Na Leo Pilimehana. Impressive! After walking around to what seemed to be the back of the building, we entered a large living room full of sofas, ottomans, barstools and tables. We were warmly greeted and invited to partake in refreshments of shrimp platter, croissant sandwiches, fresh fruit, pasta salad and bottled water. The Emcee, Kevin Jones of Star 101.9, kept things lively by introducing the band members, asking engaging questions , and adding interesting trivia. He really helped make this event a more comfortable and intimate one. My friends and I sat in the first row where we could check out the jewelry and shoes (and bare feet) of the band. We enjoyed watching them communicate through gestures and eye contact and how they pressed the buttons of the amplifiers with their feet! I truly enjoyed watching Ka'imi's fingers glide over the frets of his guitar so effortlessly. ..He's a very talented songwriter even though he sang songs from the Doobie Brothers, Prince, and the Pixies, too. I was also amused by his playfulness as he approached the electric fan which blew his long hair wildly around his face! We're grateful to be invited to the Oceanic VIP Music Hall. It's a very special place! Hope to get another chance to return!

Ah the Road Runner Music Hall, they renamed it, it's now called the Oceanic VIP Music Hall! Yeah…read moredifferent but i guess Road Runner wasn't fast enough. This has to be my FAVORITE part of Clear Channel! Posters on the wall from previous artists that have performed to the couches you can chill on, how can anyone not like it here? Sometimes it can get cold, it just depends. I don't know what else to say, if I had to pick watching an artist at the music hall or at a venue, I'd rather it be here. It's just cool like that.

It's been a while since my last review, and after several visits, the jazz shows are still…read moreconsistently great. The food, however, has been disappointing for me overall. I did finally find one dish I genuinely enjoy: the Chicken Caesar Salad. The dressing has real anchovy flavor that gives it a nice umami, and the cheese is good quality. It's simple, but it's the only dish so far that's been reliably good. My favorite drink here is still the Grand Central Cadillac. It's margarita‑style -- strong, clean, and never cheap‑tasting. Their Mai Tai is nice too, just lighter and sweeter. I hope the kitchen continues improving so more dishes reach this level. And I'd love to see them bring in more seasoned jazz musicians, similar to the lineups at Blue Note's NYC and LA locations.

Here to see Air Supply with Hurricane Lala making her presence known on the Big Island first…read more A few of my Yelp friends power is already out on O'ahu. Wind and sheets of rain outside in Waikiki you'd never know that was happening inside the cozy interiors of the Blue Note. We arrived an hour earlier than 5:00 pm door opening but the line was already 25+. Construction is going on so you might need to climb the stairs one level to get here. Thank my lucky stars the elevator worked for me to get to the lobby. Have your tickets ready. I was hoping for a booth and we did get one off to the side. Placed our dinner order with Hannah. I told Doc if we spent $250 more it would be a 1K evening. We are eating prime rib and lamb shank plus pupu of poke nachos. I liked the taro chips since sadly I don't eat raw fish. Show is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. this gives us time to leisurely enjoy our dinner. Although the prime rib was tough, the veggies were overcooked the tastiest item on the plate was the mashed potatoes. Our server was attentive and refilled our water. She was excellent cuz she took my credit card and processed the tab right then. The furniture in our booth shows wear and tear on the seats and backs. Nevertheless the ambiance is good.

There needed to be better quality lights along the pathways, the bags used for the bag lights were…read moretoo thick that it did not allow the candle light to come through enough. Again, there were too many people allowed in at the same time. There were many extra large strollers and wagons around. There needed to be more volunteers- about 3 parents were frantically looking for their children. The light displays like the tunnel, mushrooms, flowers, and trees were beautiful. It was a hot night and the huge crowds added to the heat. Good variety of food trucks and drink vendors.

What an amazing fun night for everyone, especially families! W told me he was working at the event…read moreand couldn't meet up so why not go check out something I've never experienced! Daytime, there's a number of activities for everyone to do, but at night, the whole garden lights up and it's magical! Definitely worth checking out and it helps the park. You can bring in your own food or purchase from trucks. Also, lots of families bringing chairs and blankets. Parking will be a challenge. There was an elementary school that had free parking. I parked at the Chinatown Cultural Plaza garage on Maunakea, lots of people did. What a great event! Mahalo Foster!

Sea Life Luau was one of my favorite experiences in Oahu! If you're looking for a break from the…read morebusy atmosphere of Waikiki, this is the perfect place to spend an evening. The oceanfront setting is beautiful, and the entire event is well organized. We enjoyed the pre-show cultural activities, a delicious buffet with a good variety of Hawaiian dishes, and excellent service from the staff. I highly recommend Sea Life Luau to couples, families, and anyone visiting Oahu. It was a memorable evening and definitely worth adding to your Hawaii itinerary! Please check out my video: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8GHNmBP/

We purchased passes for a luau which included entrance to the Sea Life Park. We enjoyed walking and…read moreseeing all the aquatic animals in the park. As time went on, we prepared for the luau which will be starting. We were each greeted with a fresh floral lei as well as shell leis if you were interested. The food is pretty decent and if you're not a big drinker, I would suggest the seltzers for your bar tickets treat yourself and enjoy.

It isn't the holiday season without our annual visit to The Christmas Bar. The over-the-top decor,…read morefun festive drink menu, and friendly service makes this pop-up a must-see on our holiday bar hopping. Every corner and every inch of the ceiling is decked out with lights, ornaments, and holiday touches. We did miss the narwal this year as he was nowhere to be found! Every visit I order a different holiday cocktail and this year I tried the Campfire Old Fashioned. Made with Skrewball and Jim Bean, stirred with cinnamon syrup, chocolate and orange bitters, the warm and rich drink features toasted marshmallows on top to tie the whole "campfire" vibe together. Between the immersive decor and creative seasonal drinks, this pop-up is a must visit for anyone wanting to get into the holiday spirit.

So happy to finally have been able to go to The Christmas Bar! It's definitely one of the most…read moredecorated and festive Christmas pop-ups here, and I loved the fun drinks and staff dressed up to the theme so overall it was a great setting to feel the holiday spirit. Thankfully we got here before the line got long and the room itself felt pretty stuffy since it was packed, so my family and I moved to a corner with the AC where it was cooler and had less people so it gave us more breathing room. Tips: There's free validated parking for 3 hours, use the restroom before going into the bar since you have to get back in line if you leave the bar, and have only one person in your party wait up front for your drinks since it's crowded near the bartenders. Hope you all had fun this holiday season!

Really good food and a wonderful show. We had great customer service from the bartender to the…read moreserving staff. The pork was amazing

Backstory: I'm on a girl's birthday trip. This is my second trip to Hawaii. For two sisters, it's…read moretheir first and they wanted a luau experience. We were original Mauka on a Friday, but that was cancelled due to weather. When trying to reschedule, we debated our options and ended up at Germaine's. It was not our preferred choice due to some reviews, but the beach location swayed us. It's a good distance from Waikiki, and we thought at some point we'd gotten lost in an industrial district, but after a few turns we found ourselves in paradise. We paid for parking and everything was uphill from here. We started with check in and photos. Then onto flower making for our hair, a quick sunset selfie and a return for a temporary tattoo. Then the evening's big highlights began. We gathered for the unearthing and presentation of the pig, then returned to our tables for dinner service. The Mistress of Ceremony, Serena, has such a warm demeanor. She referred to us all as cousins and family, and honored special celebrations of those in attendance (anniversaries, birthdays, etc). I realized this was all routine, but Serena had a way of making us each feel special. Food was buffet style unless you paid for VIP. VIP had their food brought to them. The menu was fine. I got a little of everything, but was most satisfied with the teriyaki chicken and rice. I added some vegetables from my friend's vegan option. While we dined, we were educated and entertained by Polynesian history and dance. Everything was beautiful. I'm happy we had a chance to witness this little piece of Hawaiin culture, beauty and sweetness. A-lo-ha!

Nice place to relax. Lots of grass. Two main ponds and the bandstand is next to it. Went for a…read morecrafts fair- kind of small but nice to see the park. Right next to the ocean. Named after the Hawaiian queen. Lots of banyan trees there

Just a slightly sweet escape from Waikiki without venturing too far and still get a touch of a…read morebeach view and the space to do any outdoorsy activity. Parking is literally next to impossible especially on the one way street there's very little room to double park without holding up the procession though there are many many street parking it's a matter of luck finding one. Prior to covid pandemic this enormous park did host many events and activity though the bandstand is a great place for entertainment as there are lots of seating which is quite nostalgic as it's been awhile personally since I've been here. Today was quite an adventure as we finally got to do an in-person Susan G Komen Race for the Cure, amazing event and the perfect location. Thank you!

I enjoyed my one time I went there to see Johnny Valentine and am sad to hear they closed the venue…read morepart. I loved arriving at this shopping center and going through the music classrooms, almost like a speakeasy. Cute older couple that runs the place. Very...Italian decor? Moody, night club vibe on the upper level, older crowd mainly. The food and drink were not too bad. Would I go just for the food? No. But the ambiance was really cool to experience, I'll miss it!

Medici's is a special little gem in Mānoa transporting you to a magical space filled with music,…read morefood, and happiness. The club opened in April of 2014 and features jazz, blues, classical musicians in Hawaii. This was our second time here and loved it. Tim and Carolyn (owners) are very welcoming couple who work in tandem to operate this place. Tim is the chef, artist, and manages the music events upstairs. Carolyn is the musical director for the school downstairs. All proceeds from dinner/shows help support the Manoa School of Music and the Arts downstairs. The ambiance is beautiful and well-decorated with plants, art, paintings. Tim is an artist, so you will find his paintings for sale too. We took one home during the NYE event and admire it everyday. Your ticket includes live music and a tasty 4 course gourmet meal who is cooked by Chef Tim. Just a word of warning is that the meal is on the smaller side. The dishes are served on mostly paper plates but I assume that's how they also keep the costs lower. Most of the attendees seem to be 50+ so the food might be catering to those who are older and don't eat as much. Although we ended up being content by the end with drinks. You will likely end up sitting with strangers since the tables are large, circular, and can seat up to 6-8 people. This can be a good way to socialize and make some new friends. They also have a bar that has very reasonable prices. $25 wine bottles and only $7.50 for beer/wine glasses. Cocktails available too. Highly recommend this place if you're looking for a special place to enjoy the beautiful tunes of jazz. Hard to find places like this anymore!