Hawaiian Brian’s

This is a great place to play pool, especially because there are not many pool options left on Oahu. There is also a dart board section too. A great place to check out bands as well as well as upcoming bands and they do have a bar and small restaurant for snacks n grinds. A fun place to chill and hangout.

I’ve been to Hawaiian Brian’s a few times. Not enough I say. The first time I went was in 2005. Way before Unilocal.The last time I went was 2014. I remember what they looked like in 2005 for the most part. I’m sure this’ll be obvious to those who go often but when did they change everything? It looks like a new place all together. Not that that’s a bad thing.
I have fun each time I come here. But I only come here for the pool tables. It’s a good place to go after work or at night to chill and relax. The service is pretty good. I don’t drink so I don’t know how the service is to that extent. But the people who work there are nice.
The prices are ok. Not great but not bad. Honestly, after playing pool for 2 hours, you get over it pretty quick. They do offer either paying by the hour or pay once for 2 hours. It depends on a few things.
You can go by yourself or with friends. But I think it would be better (and less depressing) with friends. Plus, people usually go there with their friends. So I’m sure you don’t want to be alone.
If Hawaiian Brian’s wasn’t in the opposite direction of my house I would go there after work. Not everyday, but enough. Plus there’s traffic…
Either way, a great place to blow off steam or a great place to hang out.

Crossroads at Hawaiian Brian’s: Good little venue for smaller acts. Well handled by the staff. The event I saw had the area scaled down with cloth temp walls. Seats and tables in the «VIP» front area and standing and barstools in rear $ 10 price difference. Great sound and well run evening. I assume it always varies with the acts and promoters. Entry, as often mentioned below, is confusing. I came in from the rear but found the second floor door locked. I then went in through the parking garage entrance with no issues.

So, this is my second time here and same result. A mouthy worker threatening a paying customer. I have to say, I’m not surprised. It’s a Hawaiian Brian’s thing, I guess. If I ever have to come back, I hope that worker is not there. Highly doubt that’ll be anytime soon.

I had a good time at this bar. There is such a variety of things to do. I spent most of the time in the pool hall because I love playing pool but then I went to dance and join my friends at a party. Even if I wanted to play darts there is a place for that. I enjoy this bar and would go back again. Even to go and watch my friends band play at another area. It’s a great place. But the parking is a lil tight.

I’ve been told on many occasions «cool eh, you such a guys girl»…huh, um, no, I like guys. Then they would bust out laughing until they explained it. I’m not a girly, girly girl. I play pool, shoot darts, go beer for beer, shot for shot and cuss like a sailor with the boys. I tell nasty jokes and can get bowdy, IF I need too. Oooh, that’s what it meant, sorry. I can be podagee at times.oopsie. But at least I wear make up and brush my hair *big smile*
I enjoy the atmosphere here. Back in high school this was our hangout. I really love shooting pool. I’m really rusty but still my favorite thing to do.
A lot has changed over the years and the change is for the better, well except for the snack bar but I’ll get to that. I was recently there for the album release of 82 Fifty. There is a special area for live music, which they named Crossroads. It’s a big area with a stage, bar and dance floor. They also have high top table seating as well as regular seating surrounding the dance floor. You can also rent this area for parties (as my nephew had his graduation party here). Sound system is perfect and lighting is awesome.
They also have an area that is a dance club. They did an awesome job sound proofing. You can hear the music from crossroads as there is no door to close. But there is a door for the club portion. If someone didn’t come out as I was going to the restroom I would have never known to stop and wala’ao with the guy sitting at the podium.lol. The sounds don’t get all mixed and mangled… awesome.
I also appreciate the pool tables and dart boards are in separate sections. Both section play the same music so the vibe is very coherent and integrated. My chicka’s and I walked into the pool area, music bumpin’ and couldn’t help but to dance down the line of pool tables to get to our table (the guys had to get one all the way in back). Cool thing was all the other tables were like «yeah, woohoo» as they started to dance as well.
The security guards are awesome. A cousin had to leave because she drank a little too much. Instead of just telling us that she had to leave and walking away, he helped us get her to the back of the truck bed where she slept. Thank goodness for parking lot attendants too. A plus that the band is familia.
Now the snack bar needs help, well the person running the snack bar. Can someone get him a chill pill. I won’t elaborate on that. The food is ok. The empanada was under the heat lamp for too long. Good but so far from fresh that, yep, it’s stale. The yuca with cheese arepa was good. They also have something called crack fries. bwahahaha umm, yeah. It’s simple just salt, pepper and a little bit of sugar. First bite was okay. Second fry, I felt like I had to be «on something» to enjoy it!
Overall, since I’m a pool fiend, I love this place and will start to come back here a lot more.
FYI, if you don’t want to pay the pool prices, they have two tables in back that take quarters.
Rack’um up baby!

Went here for the first time ever a few days ago. Kinda confusing so I wanted to try share what I found out as a #firsttimer!
I parked on the street (kaipolani) and didn’t know how to get in!!! I walked up the stairs that you can see through the glass. You gotta go up the stairs and literally through the gym and out the door in the back. Cross the parking lot and you’re in. I guess Theres a parking lot if you drive up the ramp up off kaipolani (can’t miss it) but it’s kinda tight. I’m glad I parked on the street.
I went for my friend who was having his CD release show there, and it was a decent venue, lots to do and see.
I actually really liked the food though!!! There’s a small food window and they surprisingly had really good chicken! I had the chicken rice bowl and i would actually go back to Hawaiian Brian’s just for the chicken bowl… Is that weird?!

Hawaiian Brian’s is interesting. The experience differs depending on the event you attend and where it is. Each part of HB’s has its own personality.
For example, there is an arcade area towards the back with darts, pool tables and such– never really hang out there, but that’s cool for people who are into that!
Crossroads is a big, cool venue with two bar set-​ups inside, great for hosting concerts or big events. I’ve been there for a few rock shows, and also to showcase with RAW Artists. It’s amazing how the space can be manipulated both to house a rock band and a moshpit area, a dance floor for a rave/​electronic night, or a runway for a fashion show with different artist booths. As someone who works with event planning from time to time, I always keep Crossroads in mind when cooking up plans. The staff is great to work with, too, for any booking questions or price estimates.
There is a smaller space towards the front, which seems more divey and reserved for smaller acoustic bands. There’s usually a reggae show going on when I wander by.
My favourite space is the recently opened Electron. I go to Vortex there every second Saturday. The space has a great sound system for electronic/​industrial music, a wide dance floor, a DJ booth separate from the main space, its own bar, and a couple of comfortable black leather couches to sink in to. There’s a couple of small, round tables along the dance floor with high stools. Whether you want to dance or just chill with your friends, there is lots of space in the Electron Listening room.
I think the only tricky thing with HB’s is the location. It’s set off of Kapiolani, by the 24 hour fitness. You kind of have to park in their garage to go in. The price isn’t bad IF you get your ticket validated inside Hawaiian Brian’s at the snack bar. (Oh yeah, there’s a snack bar too.) Honestly, it does look a little sketch on the outside. But once you’re inside and enjoying your event, nothing else matters.

Hawaiian Brian’s
Again– am I a fair reviewer? I think so, I use Unilocal as my own personal blog and some people enjoy reading it as well– I hope to use it as a memory device for me much later. So that being said, it may be a slight bit unfair of me to say — but I have had sooo much more higher hopes for how HI Brian’s would do things.
1997, a few of us lived near Queens Hospital. We’d want to do thing together at night, sometimes dancing and sometimes just hanging playing pool. So we found Hawaiian Brian’s to just play– I forget if smoking had been banned or not by then inside but it smelled like a dirty pool hall. It was way worse than any pool hall that any of us had played at when we were younger.
Fast-​forward to 2015, it has been remolded but still not up to par for what I would expect to see in 2015 as keeping up with the Jones’. Yes, you can play pool but it is not as clean feeling as say a new modern pool hall.
There are these unique chairs tucked here and there that are like theater seats that could be thought of as nostalgic.
Jon Taffer may agree that women feel safe when the bathroom is safe/​clean. I have heard more than a few negative comments about the womens room– I only use the mens room and it is on par for a bar. Things work and I can find soap– enough said on my end.
Here is a double complaint. There is a small food section– loco moco, fries, fish, chicken nugget stuff and other fried to order items…
First off– it appears to be never open. I know it is open sometimes as I have tried it, but others have complained rightly so that it is usually closed.
When it is open– the food is worse than bar food– it tastes worse than someone going to safeway and getting cheap van de kamps fish sticks, Tyson chicken nuggets and Oradea potatoes fries and sticking them in a fryer and serving them as ‘bar food.’ No that isn’t bar food — that is basically what I would feed a screaming 2 year old if they were visiting my house and put ketchup on the side in case it hates having it already on the food. Yes– I ate the different orders I got but — no — I did not go away happy. Would you complain after ordering it?
Plus side– they do have some great local bands playing– all of the info is up and updated on their website. It really is clear if you read the full details about the ticket price, what location it will be in (like crossroads, listening room or studio) and times.
Staff is pretty cool– they check ids and give you a heads up if they see you parking incorrectly and ask you to move again if needed.

Ah Hawaiian Brians. This was the place to go and have fun when we were younger.
But man oh man, has it changed.
Lately, my friends and I were feeling a bit nostalgic, and wanted to play some pool. We knew that this was the place to be and headed on over.
Hawaiian Brians shares a parking structure with 24 hour fitness. I honestly hate the parking structure here, since its so tight –_​_​– Most cars usually take up to 2 stalls because its so tight.
If you validate your ticket with Hawaiian Brians, its $ 2. However, if you happen to be working out at 24 hour fitness before heading to Hawaiian Brians, you can validate your ticket for $ 1. Difference is that you pay for the validation up front in 24, while you pay for it at the gate (if you validate with Hawaiian Brians).
Anywho, Brians is totally different from «back in the days». I guess it is now separated into three different parts; one is for a live band, a more sophisticated part. Another is for a more clubby type of music. The other part is like the old days: for having a drink and shooting pool.
They have really good daily specials everyday. Im not quite too sure about the other days, but I know that…
Tuesdays: $ 2 per hour per person
Saturdays: $ 10 flat rate or $ 5.25 per hour per person.
Not bad, right?
Pros:
–Great deals
–Good music
–Chill environment to play pool in
Why I took away a couple of stars:
–Parking lot sucks
–Food place is nearly always closed. And when its open, its not always the greatest tasting.
–Service at the bar. If theyre busy, then it can take a while. However, there were a couple of times when there was just me at the bar… but the girls kept on talking to each other, making me wait –_​_​_​_​_​_​-​.
This is still our go-​to place to play pool. :)

Went here one Saturday to see a local reggae show at the venue. I loved this place. Not the most glamorous, but it’s real laid back and a cool place where locals hang out. They have one smaller venue for smaller shows or comedy acts, and then a larger venue for bands. They also have a carry out style place to eat with bar food like nachos, as well as tons of pool tables and games for everyone. I would love to go back to see more reggae bands!

Great Place for Live Entertainment, SupaStar Djs, a Game of Billiards or Snookers, grinds, Darts. Plenty of secure parking in private lot; street parking as well. Multiple rooms of different fun things to do.

Making some good renovations and headed in the right direction. Different rooms with different entertainment and still have billiard tables. Service is good. Parking is plentiful. Good entertainment spot and great local music.

What the FRICK happened to Brian’s?!
I used to be a DDR fanatic, and spent many years and quarters here. I stuck with this place through college, playing billiards and drinking at their newish bar. Left Hawaii for 4 years, and then returned to find that Brian’s has seriously swirled down the toilet bowl. Everything has changed for the worse. The only thing that remains is the slightly stale cigarette smell from a bygone era of indoor smokers.
The «renovations» give this place an extremely claustrophobic and narrow hallway labyrinth feeling. I can’t even imagine going to a concert here, because I’d be scared of being trampled to death. The new walls and doorways are obvious gatekeeping techniques, completely unlike the cavernous and open recreational space that Brian’s once was.
During our EXTREMELY brief visit in Jan 2015, we discovered that all of the arcade games had been removed. Way to kill my childhood, Brian’s.
Based off the Brian’s PR responses here, I see that the company is trying to rebrand itself as a show venue and nightlife spot. Honestly, with the horrible closed off and unwelcoming layout, I can’t imagine playing billiards here, much less attending a show.
If I could give my visit 0 stars, I would. What an epic disappointment.

The only reason I gave this place 2 stars is because Hawaii is a bit limited when it comes to nightlife/​things to do. There are bars and clubs but in terms of any kind of actual «activity», we’re limited to Hawaiian Brian’s and DnBs.
It feels grimy the minute you step inside. The pool hall area smells moldy and I was skeptical to sit on the chairs on the side mostly because they were old movie theatre seats and have been there for 5+ years. The arcade section has been diminished to a few games: street fighter, house of the dead, DDR, and tennis. We put in $ 1 for street fighter; 50 cents each so my bf and his friends could play against each other but it turns out there’s no versus mode. Basically a waste of money because who wants to play arcade games alone?
The bathrooms didn’t even have sinks… they had a huge tub looking thing with water faucets. Overall it was just kinda dirty and not somewhere I would want to hang out. We mostly just went because we couldn’t think of anything else to do on a Monday night.
Parking was $ 2 with validation. Oh but the parking structure wasn’t built very well so if not careful, you may scratch the sides of your car on the pillars.

Hawaiian Brian’s is an island tradition that’s been around for decades. They recently split their very large space up so that only half of it’s a pool hall and the other half is a music venue called ‘Crossroads’. You now get your balls and check out your table at the bar in the small room. Even on a Saturday night at 5:00PM the place wasn’t too busy but it was starting to fill up as we got ready to leave and it’s usually jamming around 10:00AM. This is a grungy pool hall with lots of 20somethings having fun so if that’s your thing and you like pool you’ll love Hawaiian Brians. Wrack’em up rackie!

Not being from here, it was really difficult to find this place but thanks to Google and much internet Unilocal searching we found it!
It is located next to 24hr fitness, and parking is upper level. The parking price has increased from what I was told and from what we saw. However, since we were here only for a concert, events that are at least 6hrs the parking price is a flat rate $ 5.
The food up in this joint was NOT bad but also pricey. Yet the Korean Aunties were very hospitable, and super super friendly.
The bathrooms smelled like cigarettes and perfume, YUCK, and OLD as hell. Like the sink and toilet was not the business. I was just glad they had toilet seat covers.
Overall the place is really cool, if you set and plan really well the inside can look really nice for a small wedding reception since of the decent space and dance floor.

My review is strictly based on coming here one night to play pool. I wasn’t drinking and didn’t eat anything.
I have to say that I love this place! Just recently introduced over this past weekend. A couple of my guy friends and I stopped in to play pool. I love it! So many pool tables, a bar and a good food menu (from what I hear).
It is located on the second floor of the building. There is parking in that lot, I think its free?
As I walked in there was a band playing in the smaller room to the right. We walked past for the doorman to check our ID then gave us a wrist band saying we were over 21. I didn’t really know until I entered the pool hall as to why we needed bands. We walked into the pool area and there was a lot of high school looking people, then the light bulb went off — this place is 18+.
There were over 20 pool table in here, chairs lined up down the middle of the rows for people to sit. They had two sticks for every table. and a coin machine as it cost to play pool.
I will definitely be here again! Great place to go to not just dance the night away, but a chill place to hang out with friends, drink, and where its quiet enough to hear them.

Hawaiian Brian’s is so different than it used to be back in the day. I remember the first time that I stepped into this place when I was just a toddler. They were located on Keeaumoku Street. That brings back so many memories. That was when it was still cool to get hugs and kisses from your mom in public.
After that fateful day, I was hooked. I just had to play video games wherever I went. It was so awesome when people still hung out in arcade rooms rather than doing most of their gaming on home systems.
Some time later they opened where they are currently located now. It was the best place to hang out with dozens of pool tables, 15 Street Fighter II games, Mortal Kombat, Killer Instinct, and so much more! I even met my first girlfriend here! So many memories!
Alas, times have changed. Their pool tables and video games are limited in number. Not many people stop by anymore for pool or games. They also serve alcohol now.
I stop by occasionally to watch a performance or to use the ATM. This is my go to spot for ATM use when I show up at 24 hour fitness without any cash. It’s also the closest ATM. I need that paper to pay my validation!

This is a newly renovated area in Hawaiian Brians. There used to be a smaller stage and it was just curtained off from the pool tables. Now they’ve added walls, a larger stage, 2 small bars and a bigger sound booth. The stage is now higher and they’ve improved the stage lighting features.
I went to an event and there were only about 6 double long tables with chairs set up on the side of the dance floor. 3 cocktail rounds with uncomfortable bar stools and people sitting on the edges of the room. The restrooms and the snack bar (if you’d like to order food) are located outside of Crossroads. They will deliver the food to you inside the venue though.
The bands sounded great. I think the place still need to work out some kinks and improve their use of the space.