Mai Tai's in Waikiki??? - Tiki Travel

M Mo-Eye Member Taboo Island, USA Joined: May 17, 2006 Posts: 646	M Mo-Eye Posted posted on Sun, Oct 11, 2009 4:30 PM Aloha! Here's my 2 cents: All the mai tais around here are definitely Hawaiian style, can't think of anyone that really has a classic mai tai. Not sure which place the Sandbar was in the Waikiki Sheraton, but it may not be there any more. That Sheraton now has Rumfire, which opened maybe a year or so ago. I was there once, and hated it. They do have an amazing selection of rum, the largest in Waikiki, if not Hawaii, but the drinks were really bad and super expensive. I had a mai tai there, which was something like $12 for happy hour, and it sucked. Ordered some Zaya on the rocks next, and they poured a strict 1 oz. for $18. I like the Duke's mai tai. Not overly sweet like most and fairly strong. Check out the Royal Hawaiian - they just did a renovation recently and re-did the bar. I think the drinks are now better. I just had my first House Without a Key mai tai recently, and I did not care for it. It was actually too sweet and not that great of an overall taste. I love La Mariana, and also really like their mai tai. It has a different taste from most and are pretty strong. For me, I can drink these all day. The best in Waikiki, IMHO, is the Chart House near the Ilikai. Ask for the Guy Tai, not the Mai Tai. It is made by Guy the bartender, comes in a pint glass and is quite tasty and even comes with mint (which is rarely seen in Waikiki). Other honorable mention for drinks: Soul de Cuba in Chinatown is awesome. Super small place - maybe 8 tables and a bar that seats 4. Great Cuban food and a small list of mixed drinks that are made very well. Also a nice little selection of higher end rum. 39 Hotel in Chinatown. This is a nightclub, so many nights are packed with the younger crowd listening to DJ's. I was there at about 4:30 in the afternoon, and they were just setting up, so we were the only ones there. They have a great roof top patio in the back and their drinks were pretty good. Some unusual concoctions which were more high end than any place around, and they were cheap. Half price for happy hour, so those labor intensive drinks were only $4! They were doing Tiki Tuesdays for a while, featuring 4 special Tiki drinks and Hawaiian music, but not sure if that is till going on. All in all I completely agree - it is very hard to find a good mai tai in Hawaii. Most range from poor to horrible! It's also hard to find a decent selection of rum. I would say 90% of bars here don't go beyond Hana Bay, Bacardi, or Captain. I was just on Maui recently, and most mai tais were bad, except for Mama's Fish House, which were pretty good.

Aloha!

Here's my 2 cents:

All the mai tais around here are definitely Hawaiian style, can't think of anyone that really has a classic mai tai.

Not sure which place the Sandbar was in the Waikiki Sheraton, but it may not be there any more. That Sheraton now has Rumfire, which opened maybe a year or so ago. I was there once, and hated it. They do have an amazing selection of rum, the largest in Waikiki, if not Hawaii, but the drinks were really bad and super expensive. I had a mai tai there, which was something like $12 for happy hour, and it sucked. Ordered some Zaya on the rocks next, and they poured a strict 1 oz. for $18.
I like the Duke's mai tai. Not overly sweet like most and fairly strong.
Check out the Royal Hawaiian - they just did a renovation recently and re-did the bar. I think the drinks are now better.
I just had my first House Without a Key mai tai recently, and I did not care for it. It was actually too sweet and not that great of an overall taste.
I love La Mariana, and also really like their mai tai. It has a different taste from most and are pretty strong. For me, I can drink these all day.
The best in Waikiki, IMHO, is the Chart House near the Ilikai. Ask for the Guy Tai, not the Mai Tai. It is made by Guy the bartender, comes in a pint glass and is quite tasty and even comes with mint (which is rarely seen in Waikiki).

Other honorable mention for drinks:

Soul de Cuba in Chinatown is awesome. Super small place - maybe 8 tables and a bar that seats 4. Great Cuban food and a small list of mixed drinks that are made very well. Also a nice little selection of higher end rum.
39 Hotel in Chinatown. This is a nightclub, so many nights are packed with the younger crowd listening to DJ's. I was there at about 4:30 in the afternoon, and they were just setting up, so we were the only ones there. They have a great roof top patio in the back and their drinks were pretty good. Some unusual concoctions which were more high end than any place around, and they were cheap. Half price for happy hour, so those labor intensive drinks were only $4! They were doing Tiki Tuesdays for a while, featuring 4 special Tiki drinks and Hawaiian music, but not sure if that is till going on.

All in all I completely agree - it is very hard to find a good mai tai in Hawaii. Most range from poor to horrible! It's also hard to find a decent selection of rum. I would say 90% of bars here don't go beyond Hana Bay, Bacardi, or Captain.

I was just on Maui recently, and most mai tais were bad, except for Mama's Fish House, which were pretty good.

Post #487578 by Mo-Eye on Sun, Oct 11, 2009 4:30 PM