CW’s Waikiki

Went to this place to watch Josh Tatofi perform this past weekend (²⁄₈). The set up for this place is pretty awesome. It’s wide open with the bar in the middle, and the stage towards the «front». We were sitting directly across the stage, and our view of the entire place was great. I was with a group of three on a night at which two local groups were performing. It wasn’t horribly packed, but it was definitely a good night to go-​plenty eye candy. Our waitress was extremely friendly and stayed on top of our drinks the entire night.
Even though we went for the live music, the speakers and the volume was nearly deafening. You could barely hear yourself think! Let alone talk to anyone that was sitting even a couple of feet away from you. And with how hollow the space, I don’t think the extreme volume was necessary.
I didn’t stay after the live music was over because the music by the deejay wasn’t so great. It was pretty much the total opposite of what had been playing by the live band. So we left a few hours before the place closed. We would have stayed had we enjoyed the music after the live shows.
Nonetheless, they have a pretty cool show coming up this weekend with Trey Smoov! Not going to be able to make it, but if they keep bringing in these types of artists, I’ll definitely be going to this place more often in the future!

The new CW’s is terrible (atleast for late hour). When I stopped by, they had a live band which was great. Unfortunately, the bartenders were terrible and ruined our entire night. Anytime someone wanted a drink, it took a good 15 minutes just to get a bartender’s attention. They were extremely rude with all my friends and ignored half of the bar. I understand being busy, but I have never seen a bar ran so poorly.
Please don’t come here after hours, you will regret it. I know I’ll never come back.

Disappointed! Tried to have a pau hana drink here yesterday with my friend. Saw the sign for pizza slices and with the lite of ample parking we tried to go for pizza n cocktails. Closed. Don’t know which days they are open. Confused we left and went somewhere else..

I am Loving the new CW’s! It attracts a little bit more laid back crowd, and they are definitely getting some great music in there.
Every day they have drink specials, so no matter when you go in, you can fins something delicious that isn’t too spendy. MaiTais, Salty Dawgs, Kamikazis… you name it. They have plenty of beer specials too. Not to mention, they carry NewCastle on draft (which I learned Murphy’s just stopped not too long ago) which make me happy.
You have two options for food, you can either order off of the bar menu, or you can order from the food counter. The counter stops serving at 9 (I believe) but they serve the bar menu until about midnight. So far, I have absolutely no complaints about the food.
The Garlic Chicken is phenomenal, and they serve it with perfectly cooked rice. It’s juicy like kaarage, but has all the flavor that you love from garlic chicken.
The Fish and Chips is super tasty, not dry, and not overly battered. The only downside is the fact that it is one large piece of fish, as opposed to a few smaller pieces, so it makes sharing a little bit harder.
The Parmesan Truffle Fries are amazing. AND you can sub them in place of the regular fries with any dish for an incredibly small fee.
The Beer Battered Onion Rings. I swear this will feed your whole party. The portion is HUGE and they are battered just right. You can go wrong with beer batter if you aren’t careful, and they seem to have figured it out.
The Spicy Ahi Tuna Tacos are also amazing. They are served in soft tortillas with avocado and cabbage, for a little extra crunch. They fill you up too!
Basically, what I’m saying is that the food is really good. The staff is incredibly friendly, and they will take care of you as best as they can. You’re happy, they’re happy, EVERYONE is happy!!!
They have live music most nights (even Jazz night on Mondays) and a DJ to fill in the gaps on the weekends. Not to mention, a parking lot so you can easily drive there, or a cab from Waikiki is about $ 6. Totally worth a visit.

CW’s (Coconut Willy’s) closed down about 2 weeks ago. Don’t fret, though!
Their new digs are in the old Hard Rock Café building on Kapi’olani Ave., right across from the Hawai’i Convention Center.
1837 Kapi’olani Blvd.
Honolulu, HI 96 826
Phone: (808) 520‑1120

Cool place to hang out and have a good time. Laid back, huge smoke friendly patio with fire pits. Happy hour every day and reasonably price drinks and pupus. DJs every night and lots of live music. What more could you ask for?

Many good times have been had at CW’s! The live bands are excellent! The atmostphere is laid back but always a good time. This location at Lewers St has now closed down as of 2÷5÷12. They will be re-​opening at the Old Hard Rock this coming Friday (2÷10÷12) The new location is sure to have the same kicked back atmosphere… and of course the drinks will I am sure be stellar as usual. I am wishing the new locaiton the best of luck and cant wait to check it out!

I’ll be honest, there was a period of time that I didn’t like this place. I figured that Yard House was right across the street, chiller atmosphere, variety of beers… etc etc. However, a recent rendezvous to Coconut Willy’s proved to be a good time. The live band offered great, top 40s hits and the space allowed for dancing with your gal pals.
I’d recommend it!

Great chill spot in the middle of waikiki. Close to other good after hours establishments. Its sad its now closed. Many memories there. Chilled with friends. Great drink specials. Didn’t know what to expect until I got there. Bands were great.
And it’s an honor to be the last 4square mayor of the place. Was able to get 2 drinks for the price of one the last couple of nights. But I expect the new place to be open at the old Hard Rock real soon. Its a shame Wyndham had to force CWs out but I’ll gladly go to the new spot.

I don’t understand some reviews that say this place is crowded and diverse. I came here on two nights while bar hopping, hoping the reviews would prove me wrong, but I could honestly shoot a canon through this place. It was embarrassingly empty. This was the first place that I had two bartenders asking me what I wanted to drink instead of having to flag one down for my orders. It was THAT empty. I felt bad for the DJ because he was hard at work and no one was on the dance floor.
The only good thing about this place is that the bouncer is a pretty nice guy. I really wish this place was more popular because everyone working there and the patrons seemed pretty decent.

Where you going tonight? CW’s! Duh.
Can you guess that I love this place?
So even though it’s a bit small and can get crowded, I always end up having a good time here. I adore the bartenders. Harley is thee best and always makes sure you’re taken care of. Drinks here are made pretty well and aren’t that expensive which is always a plus.
The crowd here is pretty eclectic. There’s a decent mix of military and locals. Mostly military though. It gets more packed towards the end of the night. I guess this is a place to end your night rather than start it. Although I’m always down to just chill in Waikiki so I don’t mind when it’s a a little empty. Saturday nights they have a live band which is pretty decent that plays until one ish. Unfortunately, I do prefer that they have a DJ spinning because I like to get my dance on rather than my rock on.
The bouncers are always really friendly too and the bathrooms are pretty clean!
If you want a crazy bar experience, CW’s might not be the place for you but if you’re looking for a great place to just hang out, talk to a few cuties and just have a good time then I highly recommend this place!

Honestly … Seriously … I need to be SUPER drunk to hit this spot up … I rolled up saying … WHATTTTTTTTTTTTT …
Then I bounced!
The DJ was chillin and there was like … 4 people on the dance floor … im sure it cracks … but the overall venue itself was garbage …

Okay so I tried this place on three different nights, hoping that the party animals here on Unilocal that love the place would suddenly swarm the place… Never happened. Long Hammer on tap was the saving grace (besides the couches along the side wall). Otherwise it was like watching some nursing home/​Vietnam War-​era hybrid hell night. Sorry to say it. I really, really tried to enjoy the moment but Yard House with its beautiful food, people and beer was calling out too loudly.
My quick tips:
Leather couches save this from being a total waste of a night.
AC is fixed — it’s freaking cold in here. Now just need some ladies!

This is one of my favorite bars in Honolulu. I’d give it five stars if I could because how I love it so much, but I’m going to be realistic and point out their flaws too.
About a year ago when I first started coming because of my friend (yes she’s white but super cool and goes to HPU), it wasn’t as crowded as it is now. And there used to be much more white people, NON military white people. Given that I’m a local, it took a couple visits getting used to it, because the first couple times a band played, and I’m all about mainstream music you can dance to…
Now-​a-​days, it gets super packed. I like the mix… majority will be white, college students… but you will see locals (not the moked out ones though), people coming after work from the bars/​clubs, military, and some older crowd… it’s a good mix, very casual, beach wear… not so professional or glammed up. You can walk in sporting a bikini top with shorts most nights, because the atmosphere has a very beachy feel.
I must say one thing though… my friends from UH and HPU LOVED this place and now call it their favorite location (you can guess they’re white). My local guys friends loved it as well and want to go back. As far as my local chick friends… they absolutely did not like it and wanted to go to Señor frogs instead, where they seemed to have a better time. However, it was SUPER packed that day and took 30 minutes to get our drinks.
–There is NO COVER.
–I believe there’s a $ 6 validation at the hotel there, otherwise it’s Waikiki, find parking where you please.
–The prices of the drinks are pretty cheap. However good luck trying to get one on the super busy nights… and yes the servers can get a lil rude.
There’s some seatings (couches on the right side when you get it) and there’s tables and chairs on the left side… as well as a mini island in the middle with surrounding seats there and at the bar. Warning-​it can get super crazy and hot, so be prepared to SWEAT. There is no air-​conditioning. On SUPER crowded nights, you will just want to leave. But that’s probably why you’ll see a lot of people cruzing outside.
The people that go here are very welcoming. Everyone just seems to be in a feel good mood. Not stuck up or anything. The owner is a sweetheart and you will surely meet him if you go here enough times.
The bathrooms are pretty cool, cute and not bad.
AND FOR SOME ODD REASON, one of the reasons why some of my friends love going here is because this place MAGNETIZES hotties… men and women alike. There is not ONE time I haven’t been here where I haven’t seen a few «handsome» men.
*and a note to guys. my guy friends say they love going here because the girls aren’t so stuck up and snobby… much easier to get a girl to dance with them here… and thinking about it, that’s pretty true.
BOTTOM LINE: Always a good time and my favorite place !

Can you even find this place. Its a hidden bar behind, yet around the corner of places like Giovanni’s on Beach Walk. This place has an aka name called CW.
Its a large bar that is hidden. When you walk into the place, its alittle on the darker side. You can either sit on the right side or go left and watch the live entertainment performing on stage. This place does get busy and its not by the locals.
Drinks are average price for Waikiki. Its not really my kind of bar but I can always have fun no matter where I am.

Coconut Willy’s is as quirky as it’s name. I don’t even know why we went here, we just did?
As a local, I am kinda plus minus about places in Waikiki just because I’m not sure about the kind of crowd that will be there.
Surprisingly coconut willy’s wasn’t as bad as I thought. We got there at 1, and CW is a good last stop for your bar hopping adventure bc it opens until 4! There was quite a variety of ppl there– military dudes, asian fobs, locals, OLD guys, etc. That was kinda weird seeing some old guys… WARNING TO GUYS: it’s a total sausage festttttt! Spotted some cooks in their chef uniforms kicking it after work! Also had it’s fair share of creepers but I guess that’s typical of waikiki, no?
THE ONLY THING IS: NO FREAKING AIR CONDITIONING. Being a small joint, it gets PACKED. And guess what? NO AIR CONDITIONING/​VENTILATION= sweaty bodies everywhere. Sauna status. I’m not claustrophobic or anything but it felt like the ceiling was lower than normal. On the dance floor someone cut one loose and it stunk so badly — PEEE YEWWW, it did not go away for a good 3 minutes.
Good points: No cover! Bathrooms are okay. Crowd is definitely lively. Drinks are decently priced. Check what the specials are. We went on a Saturday and it was like $ 4 Sex on the Beach!
I don’t think I’ll be back for awhile but I’m glad I checked it out? If I had more drinks it might’ve been better so we’ll see. :D

Coconut Willy’s is a small but lively bar just off of Lewers street. It’s a tad hidden from street view, but I kind of like it that way. Makes this place a sort of hideaway that keeps it from being overcrowded by tourists. Though crowded, it can get.
The ambience is pretty welcoming with its cozy tropical theme. There is indeed a dance floor and stage area, but I mostly like coming here for the snacks and drinks, especially considering this is one of the few places I know of that has Negra Modelo in stock. Other more tropical drinks and mixes are also available. What really sets this place apart from all other bars though is that it stays open until 4am everyday. Think final destination after a night of Waikiki bar hopping, especially during drinking holidays like St. Patrick’s Day and even Halloween.
Every single time I’ve been here it’s been packed after midnight, which you can say is because of the size of the venue, but they make use of the space so well. You get live performances every now and then, and if you get here early enough, you have the choice of lounging at the bar, at a table, or on the couches surrounded mostly by a college-​age crowd.
I have nothing but fond memories about this place. The owner and his wife are occasionally there on the weekends, and they’re very hospitable. They take care of the venue well, and in doing so, the people, too. I’m giving them a lot of credit for what they’ve done to such a small space. It’ s as good as it gets.
Find out a little about their background here in the Honolulu Weekly’s archive:

**************** REVIEW 408 ******************
Coconut Willy’s at Wyndham Vacation Ownership, right at Waikiki Beach Walk, just around the corner from where we stayed, the Sheraton Waikiki. Small club with a small stage and they got real packed by 11 PM.
We came here the first time with some local surfers, was surprised about this place, live entertainment, and DJs spinning 80s, 90s and now, along with mash-​ups. We came back the following night. Met tons of military guys & girls. They were playing beer pong. I’ve seen it before, but never played in my life, I was a late boomer when I was in college, too busy to model & travel to even drink beers. My bestfriend, a Midwest wholesome all American girl, she is a pro at this game. We got invited to play, but we nicely declined.
Watching them play & the girls got wasted, we love it! Some of the military guys here really persistent & some of them were really nice & polite. Not a typical rude dudes like the main land.
Drinks were cheap compared to San Francisco, of course, good service, even the door men were nice to us! A British band was playing and we were dancing a long like it was our last night on the island!
There’re a picture of these military guys on the wall. Rumor has it that these crazy guys made this spot popular. I wonder why ;-) We met these guys! What a memory night it was for us!

Cool place with a good mix of locals, tourists, and students. The ceiling is a bit low, and even when we went last night (where the temperature was about 68 degrees outside) it was pretty hot inside!
They had pretty good drink specials and an awesome live band, whose lead singer looked like Russell Brand! We had a good time for the short amount of time we were there, but my friends wanted to make use of their night away from the kids, BFs, etc… so we left to find whichever other bar wasn’t charging cover in Waikiki — ha!

CW is not bad, just not my cup of tea.
I was surprised at how crowded it got there. I’m not sure if the «no cover charge» had anything to do with that. But no cover in Waikiki is fantastic, and not to mention very rare.
There’s quite a bit of space and seats in there. CW’s also has a dance floor that doubles as a stage for live bands.
I would say CW’s is appropriate for all ages (21+), both tourists and locals. However, like I mentioned earlier, it’s just not my cup of tea.