The Standard

Another late night club open until 4am
Here’s a riddle for you:
What do you get when you cross a somewhat bitchy door girl, $ 10 cover (if you’re not on guest list), the smell of SWEAT + BARF as soon as you walk in, a crowd comprised primarily of dudes wearing flannels or plaid long sleeve collared shirts and a lighting system so erratic you may have a seizure?
Answer: The M (formerly known as the Standard).
We got there around 1am on a Friday and it was pretty busy– the club opens until 4am. Music was okay although the DJ had some bipolar moments, drinks were aight (btw there is a minimum $ 20 charge for credit cards), crowd was noticeably less classy than at other clubs I’ve been to, and seriously the earth-​shaking bass plus the crazy light show made me feel like I was supposed to be at a rave (which I guess could be good for some people, but if it’s gonna be a rave better have AWESOME music and a good crowd, which was a neg). Already salty for having to pay cover, I was super unimpressed. But the smell… which I suspect had something to do with the girl being carried out of the club when we got there… destroyed any redeeming qualities about this place.
Riddle me that. No thanks, I’ll pass. Dare I say I’d even rather go to Ginza cause at least girls are always free there. Even though there aren’t that many clubs to choose from here in Hawaii, I wouldn’t go here again unless I was forced to. That or completely inebriated.
Good thing my friends are fun!

Was really debating on starting a new company page for «M» because as many of us may or may not know, The Standard changed their name to «M» mid May 2012 due to some legal stuff with a hotel with the same name. ANYWAYS… it’s pretty much the same place and owners just different name so I chose to just write the review and heads up Unilocal Headquarters of the name change. Now that’s covered… lol…the 4 stars is for the Happy Hour.
For those who know me, I’m a purveyeour of happy hours and I’ve concluded that M’s is pretty good. Because this place is more known for being a nightclub, it’s pau hana environment is super laid back and not crowded at all. From 4−8pm enjoy ½ pupus and drinks and the pupus are definitely above average bar fare. The steak was really good and tender, the nachos had homemade tortilla chips and tons of toppings, buffalo wings were average, sweet potatoe fries were good and served with a whipped cream type dip.
It’s a very clean and modern place to hang out with friends and conversate as there’s just background music from 4−8pm. After 9pm, the DJ kicks in and the lights dim as the sun dissappears. (Yeah, was a great happy hour since we inadvertantly stayed until the nightclub crowd came in! lol! Ooops, that’s what 50% off drinks will do…)
Like some have said the DJs are hit or miss. The night I went, from 9pm to Midnight it was the same dude spinning and he started off with 94.7 type old school jams (some good some junk) then as the 20-​somethings drifted in, he started playing more dance and club type music. The music was okay, I’m pretty particular about my DJs so I’ll leave it at that. But overall I’m really liking this place for Pau Hana. Since I’m not a clubber anymore, I can’t say I’d come back here on purpose for the night club portion coz the line outside and people just standing around is silly to me, but the people inside and dancing seemed pretty happy. And it seems to be pretty predominantly 20 something asian… nothing wrong with that either but that’s what it looked like in there that Friday night, could be the promoter that night?
Pros:
–½ off HAPPY HOUR from 4p-​8p. you’ll get the place to yourself and your friends. Call ahead to reserve the cool booth area.
–Newer, modern upscale, vegas loungey
–Ample validated parking
–You’ll get grandfathered into the nightclub if you’re there from Happy Hour time. Not that you’d WANT to still be there, in your work clothes, when trendy people come walking in, per se. lol.
Cons:
–Although service was somewhat quick, it was not efficient or accurate as our server messed up on our bill and order several times.
–It will get super loud when the DJ starts spinning…

Party, party, party, I just want to PARTY!
This place is more of an upscale from what it was known as Oceans. Located in the same place and in restaurant row, you’ll find this up beat, trendy place tucked across from the old dollar movie theaters. I’ve tried their happy hour and the steak is amazing… mostly half off, but i believe the steak was market price. Drinks are also half off aswell, but when it hits club night or hours, for some reason they don’t sell their drinks on menu. sad but true story!
They play a good mix of house music, with mainstream, and when i went on a saturday night, they busted out some old school 90’s music with some bon jovi & old school michael jackson. Highly recommend this place for dancing & happy hour!

So this is the formers Oceans huh?
I came here for the first time this past weekend and I have to say that I like the interior its simple yet nice.
I believe the upper portion is for VIP
and there were a couple bars. I didn’t drink so i’m not sure of the pricing.
The crowd is a good mix of ethnicity.
The music is good. Its not all booty music all night. Heck the music was good enough for a grandpa to be dancing from 11 – 1:30AM and trust me, grandpa man had a smile from ear to ear and he was jammin!
I don’t understand how the guestlist works there because according to my friend, she had a difficult time getting names on. I couldn’t even tell who the promoters were there so basically cover is $ 10.
My only thing is I don’t understand why they take so long to let people in whether they are VIP or not. We were waiting outside for almost 20 minutes and it wasn’t a long line at all nor was it busy inside.
I don’t even think their dresscode is strict because I’ve noticed girls with slippers were entered in. strange, no?
So The Standard, is just standard in my ratings.

Came here with BF and a girlfriend for make a wish fundraiser last night. It was chaotic inside the club… bartenders kinda rude…(and I have been bartending for almost 20 years, no reason to have attitude, they weren’t even that busy). I don’t really like the décor way too sterile for me. My clubbing venue looks more like SoHo or Next Door. Different strokes for different folks I guess…
There were pupus apparently earlier but we got there at tail end so ended up with some kind of paella rice that was literally being grabbed away as we were scooping some out… and it was not too yummy. I was starving so I ate it, wonder if the earlier pupus were better.
Anyway it was for a good cause so not really complaining, I just don’t think I would brave the lines and cover charges to come back here and go clubbing. I’m really more of an 80’s night gal myself, so I guess this is really just not my scene.

Rubish… was not fun for my girl, my friends, and her friend’s celebrating a bday.
–Only décor was a little better than old Oceans.
–Waited in line almost 30minutes while several people were let in not standing in line.
–When we got to the front, was told plaids aren’t allowed even though we get into Las Vegas clubs w/​them! Wasn’t ugly plaid either… got it from Guess. Higher standards than Las Vegas??? BS!
–After buying plain collared shirts from Walmart we got in and counted at least 10 other plaid shirts inside. WTF!!!
–Getting in w/​Walmart shirts, being declined using Guess and seeing clowns using plaid inside was super f*d up!
–Management at the door sucks.
–Drinks were a bit pricey and took longer than other clubs.
–Old Oceans was better hands down… especially w/​theme nights.
–Not recommended for clubbing… dining may be better… maybe

Came here for a tasting event, so this is a review for the restaurant not the club.
The décor in the Standard is quite impressive, a modern and simple layout with good lighting and I believe two or three bars.
As for the menu, per a friends recommendation we tried the Risotto which had a slow stewed meat (possibly shortrib)
The risotto was fanstastic, one of the best I’ve tasted. The seasoning could have been lighter depending on taste but it was really well done, the Chef even came out to talk to our table which was a really nice touch. We tried a few other items, fried calamari, sweet potato and truffle fries, all which turned out pretty good.
Another impressive selection was the beers on tap, they have a few of the usual suspects but also their own brew and an IPA which I can’t remember the name but it had a purple handle and was good.
The service was good, I’ll definitely check this place out again for happy hour.

Nice décor. Modern feel. The servers and bartendresses are hot!
My only gripe is that the bartenders are incredddddibly slow. They work at such a leisurely pace. While slow, the bartenders are polite and speak with courtesy.

Unilocal Challenge 365 # ¹⁴³⁄₃₆₅
This location started as a club named Studebaker’s. It’s now morphed into a place called The Standard.
New décor is… okay. New management is… okay I suppose. Service is… in need of improvement.
I stopped in for a Happy Hour quick drink after I read a blitz about them in the daily paper. And to my sad surprise; it was nothing like the description in the paper… starting with the initial feeling walking in= very little ambience. Sit at the bar (they were not busy; I was one of 4 patrons), waited at least 5 minutes to be recognized and another 7 minutes for my drink.
I should have reminded them about the # 1 rule and that is NEVER keep a patron waiting for an alcoholic beverage… without good reason of course…
May try them again… stay tuned

Grand opening night for the Standard was the Nextworking Professional Mixer last fall. I admit to never have gone here when it was Oceans, but the Standard is a really classy looking place and very clean. Nice seating, good food, good music.
I came back again for a friend’s birthday. And we were all wondering how to dress to the standard of the Standard. We were also told there was a $ 10 cover. Normally I wouldn’t go for that, but given the occasion, I went with it. However, I ended up paying only $ 5 because of the way I was dressed… I suppose? I thought that was interesting but I wasn’t going to argue with paying less.
The DJ that Friday night was pretty good, and for someone who enjoys the downtown night life, this was definitely different… but not a bad different.
On a side note, the bouncers are pretty strict. They kicked out my friend because supposedly he was too «drunk» but he just accidentally slipped on the stairs. And when they kick you out, they make you walk out the back patio and to the side by the trash bins… how nice right?

Summary: Nice clean place that serves decent food and drinks. The people that work here take good care of you.
Food: Sliders, fries, buffalo wings, mac & cheese. all good. sliders were the best.
Drink: only had Red Bull Grey Goose, but each one I had was done right
Service: Very attentive.
Parking: parking structure. plenty

Hmmmm… I think that best sums up my thoughts on this place.
Hmmmm in a good way for happy hour because seriously, if you haven’t been there yet for happy hour, then you’re missing out. Like seriously. Drinks are good and cheap and raise the «standard» on what happy hour should be.
Hmmmm personally for me in not such a good way where this place in a sense reminds me of the old Oceans 808. I can’t quite put my finger on it. It’s not the décor. I think you’ll have to go there to check it out to make your own determination. I mean, it’s really nice in there and the music is good, but there’s just something about it. In any case, try it — you just might like it.

Awesome job on the makeover! It’s chic and so LA. love it! It doesn’t even feel like the Oceans I used to come all the time back in my college years. Or even the ghetto club it became after that.
We came here for a professional event which was quite packed. We were quite hungry so we went straight for the bar and ordered off the Happy Hour menu. The bartenders were so friendly and made us foo foo cocktails which we all enjoyed.
So the food… the garlic rib eye steak was incredible. Good quality meat and seasoned to perfection. The truffle fries were like any other truffle fries. The crab dip tasted just like Ryan’s. And the best part of it all was that they were all half-​off!!! woo hoo!
I wanted to try the dessert but we were all too full.
There are so many great happy hour places in Restaurant Row to choose from next time I’m in town!

Another Oceans? Guess again… The interior has been entirely redone, and I must admit is pretty fab. Décor is very LA/​Hollywood-​esque.
Really good after 2am spot/​last stop of the night. Rumors have been going around that it’s supposedly impossible to get in… I haven’t really incurred any problems, only because of the fact that I have only been here for the Nextworking event and after 3:00am. The bouncers in the front aren’t ghetto & scary, which is always an indicator that the venue has some class. Drink prices are high, but that’s the price you pay to go to a nicer venue. I shall return during the daytime to try their happy hour food menu.

Went for happy hour. It was pretty empty which was sweet bc we lounged on the couches in the VIP area. Service was great — attentive & friendly. Out food arrived timely after ordering. Specialty cocktails were $ 5! Plus free validated parking!
Loved the ambiance with the hip décor & cool loungy house music which wasn’t blaring loud so we could enjoy each other’s company & conversation. Ideal atmosphere to hang with friends over bites & drinks.
Sweet potato fries — $ 5 happy hr — Great but the marshmallow sauce was an innovative thumbs down for us.
Kalbi — $ 7 happy hr (market price on menu) — Nothing exciting, kinda dry. Probably not order again.
Garlic steak — $ 6 happy hr (market price on menu) — The steak quality was good & nicely grilled but lacked flavor. Tasted like it wasn’t salted before grilling. Preferred the slices were more even & less thick. We loved the caramelized onions & mushrooms, very tasty & buttery.
Cheese platter — $ 15 (market price on menu — no happy hr discount) — So you’re not disappointed, it’s a cheese plate, not a huge platter, tho filling for 2 people. This was the highlight bc it included quality cheese & charcuterie! Wish it came with more bread bc there wasn’t enough to enjoy with all the cheese & charcuterie. Loved the lychee jam & forgot to ask where it was from in case I could buy it retail.

I don’t leave many reviews, in fact, this might be my first one!
At any rate, I came to the Standard for happy hour on a Friday afternoon. The place is so clean and hip but still has the easy going hawaiian atmosphere. Me and a friend ordered a couple drinks and shared the Ahi Tacos. OMG! The wasabi mayo and togarashi made the Ahi melt in my mouth. It also comes with rice! Who doesn’t love a bite a rice with some tuna! Oh yeah, half price all appetizers during Pau Hana (happy hour).
Since this place seemed like it would be a fun place at night too, we decided to come back for a night of dancing.
Bottle Service:
We reserved a table with bottle service, SO CHEAP compared to most places! $ 200 bottles of Stoli? Steal! That;s how much most people spend anyway at a club. Oh, and the waitress was HOT and super SWEET! Poured our drinks all night.
DJ:
WOW! The DJ was a guest from Los Angeles (where I’m from) and I happened to know who he was. His name is DJ Parlay and is the most popular DJ in Hermosa Beach, CA. I definitely knew it would be a good time when I saw him. I think they had a guest DJ since it was PRObowl weekend and there were some football stars there!
Overall, this place rocks! It knocks the old Oceans out of the park. FREE PARKING. good crowd and sweet employees. Can’t go wrong! Definitely coming back next time I visit.

This is going to be my new favorite spot!
Happy hour is from 4−8pm with $ 3 premium wells, $ 5 specialty cocktails, and $ 3 select draft beers. And almost all of the food items on the right side of the menu is half off! I like their truffle fries, sliced rib eye (go for med rare at least since it comes on the sizzling platter), blue crab and artichoke dip w/​crunchy french bread, and the deconstructed Elvis. The portions are a good size too.
I’m happy that Honolulu is stepping up it’s club game. The inside is really nice and the lounges are comfortable. The staff is friendly and I can’t wait to club here. Would be a nice change from Stage, Ginza, Pearl, and Apartment 3. O yeah, there’s parking!!!

I’m so disappointed I am literally standing in the front of the line and the nerve of the door lady,. Ugh well I’m jumping ahead of myself. Let’s back it up.
Well first I was invited to the grand opening TONiGHT and am on the Guest list. Ugh stood in the VIP/​guest list line with my friends 2 guys and 3 girls right… Told the bouncer we were on the glist… he refused to let us in and said the guest list was close and it was only 930… STRIKE ONE!
So I said, ok whatever, then we moved to the general line which at the time was short so I we didn’t care. But let me tell you about this line… It did NOT move at all. We must have been waiting for an hour. GEEZ wtf… Place isn’t even that great, and they were letting in random people while paying customers were waiting… Doesn’t it make sense to let the paying customers in FIRST rather than guestlist ppl who AREN’T PAYING AT ALL!!! This blows my mind! STRIKE TWO!
Once we did get in the front of the line after waiting, the door girl had the nerve to say… Hey guys we need more women in the club please stand aside… Waaat Ta FaaaGEEEZUSS! Let me remind you we were accompanied by 3 beautiful Women! And this was my reputation on the line. STRIKE THREE!
We were OUT! That was the last straw! We did not bother to wait any longer so we left… Come on… We’ve been in twice before… for the Professional Mixer and the Soft opening. I know we were missing out on anything.
I’d have to say the professionalism and management was ABSENT.
I understand it was the grand opening and place is new… but we were treated with such disrespect that it was neither worth our time nor money.
Let’s all hope this place gets their ACT together. Will give them another shot some time later.

So I recently went over to «The Standard» formerly known as Oceans. I was quite impressed on the re-​modification. I think it is way better and has the potential to be way better (as it officially opens and as people go to it and review) to be way better than what it used to be. I went over for a Christmas party hosted by the Filipino Chamber of Commerce. It was a fun event. The FCCH was the first organization to use to venue. The whole vibe and atmosphere is very nice, clean, hip, and modern. The DJ was aight. He only played some electro/​house and seemed like he only had one playlist because we heard the same beat/​songs over again. I think someone requested the electric slide (gotta be Pinoy) and he went back to the playklist. The VIP lounges and seating area is pretty cool. You gotta be there to experience it. The dance floor is pretty good. Not too big, not too small, but just right. There are 3 bar areas so this place is gonna get a lot of drinkers for sure. The waitressing and bartending service was pretty good. The food that they had to offer for the party was great. We had a light dinner consisting of edamame/​soybeans, mahi mahi, calamari, rice, mashed potatoes, and buffalo wings. The drinks are hecka expensive. I only requested water which was just good enough for me. Will definitely come back again if cool events happen around here.
Unilocal 365 Challenge #137/​365

Welcome to The Standard. For such a pretentious name, the club lives up to it. The Standard had its soft opening this past Saturday after much anticipation. It’s located where Oceans Club used to be at the Waterfront Plaza aka Restaurant Row.
If I remembered correctly, there are 3 huge bars so getting a drink wouldn’t be much of a problem. One right at the entrance, one in the back, and one at the top of the right platform. Drinks are a little on the pricier side so if you’re a broke college graduate like me, pre-​gaming might be helpful to get the party started on a budget. Patron was $ 9 and my beloved blue Stoli was $ 7. Their specialty cocktails are expensive but worth the price since they use premium liquors in there. Fancy, huh?
The interior of the place is NICE. I can see how a million plus dollars were invested in the renovation. It’s mostly white with some eclectic art on the walls. It’s very modernized and sophisticated. Maybe a little too sophisticated for me but I enjoyed the vibe. Out of the frames from some of the walls, lights flash to the beat of the music. My drunken self was amazed by it! The middle is a large dance area and surrounding it are steps on both sides to platforms that houses super comfortable couches which most likely will be used for bottle service and VIPs. The DJ booth is elevated off the side next to the bar by the door. The music they played earlier in the night was mostly electro-​house but it changed into the booty shaking stuff as the night progressed and people had less inhibitions to stray away from the dance floor.
The Standard is probably the chicest club in Honolulu. It has the potential to be a Las Vegas-​style club. For the avid club goer, The Standard will make an awesome hot spot. I may find myself back here when things are in full swing. For the time being, I hope, it is CASH ONLY! Thank you Mr. Bartender for inviting my friend and I to check it out… I just wished I remembered more of it haha.
Grand opening from another source will be Dec. 30^th. In the meantime, I think they are only opened on Saturdays with $ 10 cover.
PS: Ladies, bathroom stalls are plentiful! We all hate waiting in that dreaded bathroom line at the clubs so I am happy to report there are 4 or 5 stalls!!!