Zap Cafe & Lounge

alright, last friday must have been a fluke, b/​c DAMN was it packed this time!
my friends and i managed to wrangle up a table and seats, and as we’re putting down our bags, a waitress walks over (different from last time), and asks us what we’d like to drink… then follows up with:
«YOU HAVE TO BUY A DRINK IF YOU’RE GOING TO PLAY DARTS OR BE IN THE BAR.»
oh. well… EXCUSE ME, but…
#1 — the last time we were here, the waitress never told us that
#2 — we WERE planning on buying drinks
#3 — you are a rude biatch
#4 — maybe if you gave us 2 seconds to respond, you would have already known we were going to order
i guess we must look like we’re slovenly, poor, homeless ladies that just came in to get out of the rain. its like she was getting ready to immediately kick us out if we didnt order drinks.
and this is why your tip was less than 10%. quite frankly, i would have given you NOTHING considering the previous gaffe and the fact that your service royally SUCKED… but my friend tipped you b/​c she is a far nicer person than i am. you’re lucky you got the couple bucks that you did…

This place sucks, Food, Drinks, Service and the owner/​manager is a douche bag! No one should ever come here unless your looking for somewhere quite to sleep! It’s that empty!

I’m a pool player. I like to think that I can become good enough to hustle people when I finally give up my health care gig b/​c nobody will expect it. But that won’t be for a while… Perhaps 32 yrs from now or 34, depending on when Social Security benefits say I can stop working in the paid labor force. So, in the mean time, I ‘practice’ when I can over drinks anywhere I can. Aside from the billards place near my gym & the local bowling alleys, HI doesn’t have a lot of places to rack up. I Unilocaled Zap & finally ventured out to check the scene for myself. If anything, I just wanted to get it off my bookmarks list of places to try.
For a Saturday night, parking was ample & the spot had a handful of people hovered in small groups around the dart boards & lounging in the faux leather couches. One of the two pool tables was empty & after payin $ 5 for a glass of domestic wine, we settled for $ 1 games. After a few rounds of mediocre pool games, I retired from my pool hustling fantasies for the evening and it was on to the next spot.

Zap Café & Lounge would have made my Unilocal profile as being «a new recent discovery» but last night was a little disappointing. Don’t get me wrong, I still love how this place is usually completely empty, which makes it a very chill place to hang out. The seating is comfortable, there are pool tables and dart boards, there drink specials usually go all night and the drinks aren’t too bad. However, where there’s the good, there’s also the bad.
My first gripe. The waitress never seems to know what the drink specials are. It’s cool I guess because the staff, in general, and the owner is pretty cool, but it made for an awkward situation when she had to check twice, when we got there one night and wanted to order drinks. My next gripe and this happened last night. The bartender reused my glass after I ordered the same drink. At least the glass was the same glass that I had used for my first rum and coke, but SERIOUSLY, to take my same glass, not put more ice in it, and pour rum and coke into it again!!! I’ve never seen or heard of this happening anywhere! The only reason I brought the glass up was to be nice, thinking that he’ll just put it aside and grab another glass… NOT REFILL MY DRINK LIKE IT’S A SOFT DRINK, WTF!
Anyway, I still love this place… a little less after last night, but I still love it. I’m pretty laid back, so I enjoy the chill atmosphere. If you don’t like to deal with the crowds, I’d definitely recommend it.
Oh and next time you’re there, ask the waitress how many people fit in the vault (being that it’s an old bank), which is now a private party/​meeting room. I swear she said 60 – 80 (you can even ask my friend Sheri)…we both think she means 16−18…even then that private room is VERY small.

Only came here for a drink with some friends. I ordered the sweet potato fries. Not bad except they served it with ketchup. I was hoping for some aioli sauce though.
Ambiance: Nicely renovated considering the place use to be a bank. Very roomy and lounge friendly. Fun music too!
Service: The waitress was very friendly and attentive at first. However, after our orders arrived, she was no where to be seen. Took almost 15 minutes to find her and get our bill.
Parking: Lot is tiny so good luck finding one on the street.

I’ve recently gone to Zap a few times and I found that it was on the verge of being OK and it has some potential for it which makes me hope it will succeed. They offer mediocre service, rather poor drinks, and ok food.
The menu is your standard bar fare with breakfast items. Strange, I know. But if you happen to be in the mood for some breakfast, it is definitely available should the mood strike you. The pupus were good, but nothing stellar. I found the eggplant katsu to be a little oily, while the cheesy crab dip a little more cheese and not much crab.
The pastas were decent, but nothing great. It’s pasta, it definitely doesn’t disappoint. The fresh fish, which was mahi the night I went seemed a bit over-​cooked and lacking seasoning.
The drinks were rather reasonably priced. However, stick to the beers, the poured drinks seemed a little weak for the prices.
Service was rather spotty. While friendly, they seemed amiss, mia, and just overall lacking. Note, it wasn’t very busy when I’ve gone either.
The location is convenient and they have some parking out front. Not a lot, so you may need to park on the street or in the pay lot across the street, cause it can fill up quickly. It is kind of cool to see how they converted an old bank and the vault is definitely a décor highlight, but the only thing worth mentioning.
I truly hope they take the criticism and praise seriously because it definitely has a lot going for it and could be great, but sadly when I’ve gone I just had to keep saying I’ve had a lot better at other places.

went here on a wednesday…
why?
the $ 3 crown won my heart…
so there i sat with a bit of a buzz, having only spent $ 15 (minus tip)!!!
— we ordered the crab dip (imitation crab *tear*) pretty good, it comes with chips AND bread
— the sweet potato fries which were also pretty good
— chicken wings which were like everywhere else
— a burger with bacon and bleu cheese juicy and thick
sooooo,
— food i give 3.5 stars
— drink special i give 4 stars
— service… well, i sat at the bar so it was on point… and i don’t know if they have servers there on busier nights…
— ambiance… it was waaaay too bright when i was there… however, that was due to a pool tournament… so i’m thinking that it’s a lot better when the lights are turned down…

Used to be the old American Savings Bank!
the bank vault is still inside. I opened it and theres tables and chairs inside setup for private parties. :) cool
shot some pool, had a few drinks. service wasn’t the speediest but definitely friendly! blue moons, coors = $ 3 pints.
their table menu says TUESDAYS: BLUE/​YELLOW CARD 20% OFF!
we got super excited. turns out its only for food!!! –1 star
was with great company and had a blaast so im feeling generous

«Oh Zap, where do I begin?»
I was excited to try a new spot whose building sign gave me the impression that I was in for a great meal. Acck! I was so wrong. The prices were decent but the food was bleh! Gross! The chef brought out our food personally and explained that should we have any problems to let him know… «It’s been awhile for me but I hope you enjoy your meal» 0_​o seriously?!? Okay I’m posting pictures up but here’s what I got from the food… Costco food, warmed up, with mediocre sauce thrown on it. We ordered different dishes to get an idea of what the food was like. The pork chops, served with rice and fresh cabbage, were ok, best dipped in ketchup. The chicken strips and fries were similar to the kind they serve at football games but not as good. The cheeseburger… OMG the cheeseburger, consisted of a bun, veggies, cheese, and some weird processed ball of «meat» that was suppose to be passed off as hamburger. The soy beans were ok. Over all the meal was less than satisfying and I would not recommend that you eat here. Not the mention we had a few conversations with the manager and he was kind of a jerk. Recommendation: Drive right past it on your way to somewhere else
Love you guysxo
Keep it real– positive. J.

We went there on a friday night.
The place was empty the food was not great and the service was bad. For a place trying to market itself as a sports bar/​hang out spot it does not carry that feeling you get in other similar venues.
I highly recommend skipping on this place. There are other friendlier and better bars in the area.

Drinks were priced moderately but service was terrible. Bouncer gave me alot of hassle for walking right past him when he was talking with his friend… not my fault when you aren’t paying attention and not doing your job. Bartenders were unfriendly and carded me before every drink I purchased even though I never left the bar area. Couldn’t drink a redbull outside while my friends smoked because according to the bouncer it looks like alcohol to any passing motorist. Ridiculous and terrible service. Never coming back here ever again.

So we popped in Thursday night to see how this place was. It’s not exactly what I expected. It was pretty empty and a very different vibe to it. It’s kind of like a sports bar. We did order some food. We had the spicy beef quesadillas and the mahi scampi. I liked both but my girl said the scampi was more like an Alfredo. I disagree but it seems like they have good food to offer. I would go back to try something else. I’m just not sure about the vibe yet, but it’s still early. I would recommend checking it out with a group but if you are going to people watch you may want to wait until it picks up a bit.

I think this place has a lot of potential! It’s very nice and modern. I like that it has dart boards and the boards aren’t crowded. The couches are very comfy as well. The place needs to establish it’s clientèle, and decide how they will bring their customers back for more. I walked in with my boyfriend and waited almost ten minutes. We threw a couple round of darts, both walked around and found the bathroom… waited, but still no service. The place probably had about 10 people and 4 or 5 workers standing or walking around the floor. There was even a waitress that saw us walk in. and went and walked back by the bar. Finally, I go up to the bar and ask the bartender if I could order and start a tab. He starts making my drinks then asks me who the drink is for. I told him it was for boyfriend sitting down at our table. Very rudely, he tells me «uhhh… well I need to see his ID. you need to go grab it and bring it here to me». So i then reply «well could you please have one of your waitresses come and check it when you drop of the drinks because I have been sitting there for almost 10 minutes and got no service!» No apology from the bartender. I was pretty disgusted but the girl who dropped off the drinks was very friendly. Two drinks later, someone comes up to us and tells us «you are going to need to move in a few minutes. the only place you can sit is at the bar. we have a party coming in». No reserve signs out.nothing.
Whoever owns this place, needs to give their workers a lesson on customer service. If the service doesn’t improve, this place won’t last. There are so many other great bars with great service right around the corner.

We ordered the Fried rice and chocolate chip pancakes (for my son). Their chocolate chip pancakes were the best pancakes I’ve tried so far! It’s like you’re eating a donut! Yum! The fried rice was ok. nothing special. Tasted like any other fried rice. I did not like the mix of sweet meat with fried rice and egg. I would go back for the pancakes though. They do have a cool IPOD juke box.

Review for the breakfast only.
I had the local style fried rice and loved it. My wife however didn’t liket it as much. It is a mix of white and brown rice with a teri meat, egg and Kim chee on the top. My son had the chocolate chip pancakes. I must say that it is really really good. The batter that they use taste like doughnut batter.

So went to Zap yesterday night (tues) arrived at about 5:30. Wasn’t packed at all (only crowd in the bar). The place still hasn’t defined itself yet its still a cross between a lunch venue, coffee bar, bar, club, breakfast spot and dinner restaurant.
I would say the place looks like a bar that opens early and serves restaurant type of food and stays open til late.
Parking is adequate in their lot but I guess it can get packed. They do have other options such as parking on King st or in CPB lot.
As far as the bar goes the drink prices are decent. Hovering in the 3 $ for draft (domestics mainly) and 4 – 6 for mixed drinks and more expensive beers. They do make some nice looking martinis.
Food wise the menu is huge and maybe slightly overwhelming. Breakfast items served all day is a plus. Most of the food consists of breakfast items, sandwiches and main dishes. Prices ranged from 6 $-12 $
We had the Chicken alfredo (special of the day) and the Longhorn Chicken, which consisted on chicken tenders with a spicey teri sauce on a bed of French fries served in newspaper and plant pot. The chicken alfredo was tasty and something I would have expected at a Italian restaurant.
We had a big group (30+) and I got a chance to see some of other dishes. The pork chops came out as single serving meal (not as a pupu as I expected) but looked tasty. Another person had the Frittata which was basically a omelets. Another person had the Tuna melt which came with a «fresh» salad.
Overall I like the place. As a bar/​club the place did great. As a standalone restaurant it might not be my favorite spot. Prices were slightly more then what I would expect at a bar but not more then what I would pay at a restaurant. Portions aren’t huge and you would expect family style at this bar but you’ll only be getting single portions.
If you want a late night hang out or after work pau hana give it a try.

Came here with a bunch of friends on a monday night to celebrate 2 birthdays. This place has alot of space and seating. The staff was accomodating and helpful. There are 4 dart machines with enough space where u can move around, unlike some places where you feel cramped while shooting. cool new place to hangout, atmosphere is pretty chill, music is not loud where u gotta scream to the person next to you. although I wished it was alil louder. ahha! dunno how the music works, I think theres a jukebox? not sure.
OK! the food! umm… have dinner before you come? LOL. portions are HELLA SMALL! I tried the spinach dip; leghorn? which is like chicken strips; the pork chops and sweet potatoe fries. All was ok tasting. had better at other places… The pricing is average compare to other restaurants… Quality & Quantity is below par… Good thing about this place is you can order anything on the menu at any time! Thats soo awesome! sometimes I feel like eating breakfast at night! wats wrong with that!!!
Overall, New place to check out if you dont know where to go.

This place has a lot of potential but it only gets two stars this go-​around. It just opened so I hope to go back once they get all the kinks out and hopefully the stars will go up.
I came here with my friend because we wanted to grab some food after work and check out the new place. I ordered the fish sandwich ($ 12) and french fries ($ 5). My friend ordered lettuce wedges ($ 12). My server neglected to tell us they were out of fish and brought out chicken tenders ($ 8) instead of my french fries, which turned out to be a blessing since I didn’t get my main course. The dipping sauces are amazing. You should try them. The salad was a little wilt-​y and pretty small for $ 12.
Prices and serving seem to be decent for a bar or lounge but it’s kinda pricy for a «café» especially since they serve food all day. I would come here for pupus and a happy hour but not for lunch or dinner. The breakfast food looked pretty reasonable but I’m not a fan of breakfast food after the breakfast hour. Sorry, IHOP fans.
Now I’ll admit the vault is pretty cool, but it’s cramped and narrow. It’s has a table set for 17 people. I’d feel claustrophobic in that room with 16 other people in it. It’d be better if they turned into a VIP lounge instead of a party room.
–1 star for not telling me you’re not brining out my dish
–1 star for the price and serving size
+1 star for atmosphere in the lounge area

Zap Café & Lounge just soft opened this past Wednesday. It takes the space of the old American Savings Bank on McCully and Young. Hours are 10 am — 2 am daily, and the kitchen is open all day.
Zap is a coffee shop, bar & lounge. They strive to offer fresh local ingredients and eco-​friendly products. They have a breakfast, café and lounge menu — emphasizing fresh local ingredients, with choices ranging from «local boy» burgers (Big Island Grass Fed Beef Patties) & Agnes’ Bakery Sweet Bread to Kochu-​jang Rubbed Korean-​style Pork Chops served with three local Waimanalo eggs and house-​made kim chee to salads made with Otsuji Farm Lettuce and Nalo Greens.
The whole staff was very positive and pleasant. The owner, Sandy, was welcoming and full of energy. She used to own Mocha Java over at Ward.
Zap did a great job at making the space not seem like an old bank. There’s a DJ booth, a lounge and dance area, a long bar, and plenty of open space and seating.
Coolest thing ever is the use of the old bank vault as a private room!
There’s a lot to try, but the Kochu-​jang rubbed Korean-​style Pork Chops came highly recommended from the servers. It was grilled and thick, and served with fresh local eggs. Pretty tasty.
At night, it looks like it can be a great spot to hang out with friends and enjoy food and drinks made with fresh local ingredients. Plenty of parking across the street if their parking lot fills up.

What happens when you convert an old bank into a late night breakfast joint AND bar? My dream come true.
After passing by Zap a few times on the way to Waikiki, today I saw the sign I’ve been looking for «Now Open.» I park and walk right on in the automatic sliding door. You would never think this was a bank, they redesigned it so well to be spacious, 90s standard modern, and high end. The only sign remaining of the bank is the vault which they turned into a VIP room (can we say vault party?)
Gretchen, the bartender, was very friendly and took good care of me and my friend. She explained the menu, all green font items on the menu come from local farmers and all the red font were specialty items. I wanted to order their specialties but I’m on a diet. The only thing that worked out was the «Legendary Leghorns» (Fried Chicken with Hot-​Spicy Sauce) $ 8.95 and Crispy-​Seasoned Fries $ 4.75 so I could portion control the food. According to Gretchen, David Cruz of the Cruz Brothers is the mastermind chef behind the menu. He is also responsible for Indigo Restaurant’s menu.
The service is a little bit slow, but I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt that they are just experiencing adjustments to their opening. The food comes out after us watching the afternoon news on one of their many large flat screens. We only get four pieces of chicken cutlets and some fries in the Leghorn order. I think I wouldn’t be as unhappy about the $ 8.95 pricing if it had just two more pieces and that I was warned that the chicken already came with fries.
The chicken itself was oily and not as spicy as I had hoped, but at least it was moist and fairly seasoned. The fries came with ketchup, but that was really unnecessary due to the insane amount of seasoning spices. The presentation was really cute. They came in terracotta pots with a 1901 newspaper reprint of Royal Hawaiian’s opening as the lining.
When I start drinking and eating fatty again, you’ll surely find me here.