5 Best Bars in Chinatown, Honolulu and Pearl Harbor

Inspired by listening bars in Tokyo, this dimly lit, hip little spot serves some equally trendy cocktails. Sip a highball or house cocktail while a DJ spins vinyl nearby (no requests, please). Conversation is not banned, but a mellow mix of chatter and soaking up the sounds goes down best. Close to Hawaii Theatre, the bar is also a great place for a drink before or after a performance or show. Reservations are a good idea. 

The drinks and rotating beers on tap at this Irish, Cheers-like bar are reasonably priced by Honolulu standards, and its menu of New York–style pizzas, both classic and inventive, is a crowd-pleaser, too.

Come here to feel Hawaii hip. Named after the iconic lei sellers in Chinatown, this bar is part speakeasy, with a sign out front and an entryway that allude to those lei shops. You can buy lei here, and the bright white inner courtyard has two lei walls to enhance that vibe. The rest of the space, though, is a purple-hued, neon-tropical lounge that slays. On the menu are upscale cocktails and small plates, and there's plenty of great people-watching.

With exposed red brick, big skylights, and rotating exhibitions of work by local photographers and painters, The Manifest has the vibe of an artist’s loft. It's a café by day and a cocktail bar and night club by night, so it serves a good cup of joe as well as quality cocktails.

This chill bar gets its name from the Chinese expression “qing, qing” (which means “please please”), often used as a toast; soldiers returning from the Chinese Opium Wars introduced it in France and throughout Europe. With an extensive wine menu—by the glass and the bottle—plus a selection of single malt bourbon, whiskey, and scotch, it's an ideal spot for a drink or tapas-style food. The bar’s rooftop lanai, romantically lit with string lights and featuring a large living wall flourishing with ferns, is the best place to sit.