Entertainment in O'ahu
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Indigo
A favorite for the theater crowd, Indigo has a relaxed, open-air courtyard and menu decorated with contemporary Eurasian cuisine. Creative dim sum appetizers include 'ahi (yellowfin tuna) tempura rolls and goat cheese wontons. Dinner features such dishes as tangerine-glazed ribs, ginger-miso salmon and mahogany duck. An award-winning wine list matches the inspired menu.
reviewed
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B
Hideaway
You don't really know a city until you've visited a few dive bars and The Hideaway is Honolulu's most beloved drinking hole. It is also oddly close to Waikiki but only shows up in a very few drunken vacation snapshots. The crowd is mainly a steady supply of regulars who feel at home with cheap beer and an eclectic jukebox.
reviewed
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C
Hawaii Theatre
In a beautifully restored historic building on the edge of Chinatown, this is a major venue for dance, music and theater. Performances range from top contemporary Hawaiian musicians, to modern dance and film festivals. It also hosts the Ka Himeni Ana competition in which famous Hawaii musicians play in the falsetto style.
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D
Smith's Union Bar
You have to be a dive-bar aficionado to appreciate Smith's Union, which first opened in 1935 when this section of Chinatown was a red-light district and playground for merchant seamen. For the wage-slave hipsters, it is a front-loading hangout before hitting the district's most recent incarnation: a trendy club zone.
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E
Formaggio
The neighborhood of Kaimuki leads Honolulu in early adaptation of international trends and this wine-and-cheese bar pairs a sip of Italian sophistication along with a tumbler of mellow Hawaii. With a soundtrack of smooth jazz, the local crowd savors conversation and spirits not just a race to oblivion.
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F
Doris Duke Theatre
At the Honolulu Academy of Arts in the Sheridan Park area, this theatre is the place for film buffs to get their fix. It showcases a range of American independent cinema, foreign films and avant-garde shorts. Live performances at the venue include Chinese Opera and Japanese koto music.
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G
Opium Den & Champagne Bar
This bar at the Indigo restaurant is best known for its small army of martinis. Try the amazing lemon-drop martini if you dare. Being on the edge of Chinatown and near the Hawaii Theatre, it attracts both theatergoers and a downtown after-work crowd for well-priced drink specials.
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Hanks Cafe Honolulu
You can't get more low-key than at this neighborhood bar on the edge of Chinatown. Owner Hank Taufaasau is a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to the barfly business: the walls are decorated with Polynesian-themed art, live music rolls in nightly and regulars have made it home.
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Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant
It isn't the most original choice, but the San Francisco-based brewpub has a relaxed waterfront perch near enough to Honolulu sightseeing areas that you can reward culture-spotting with hops-chasings. Live rhythm and blues and contemporary Hawaiian rock get a weekend billing.
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J
Kapahulu Kafe
Why rot your guts with the fermented juices when you can chill-out with Hawaii's homegrown stimulant, kava? Between the University and Waikiki, this kava bar is a mellow introduction to the herbal drink, plus an arty venue for a weekly calendar of local acoustic acts.
reviewed
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Pipeline Cafe
A gargantuan warehouse in an industrial side street, this place has a punk-rock heart but also showcases hip-hop and heavy metal bands. You don't need multiple face piercings to blend in, but it doesn't hurt. There's often an admission charge, depending on the band.
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Aku Bone Lounge
This is down-home Hawaii - a low-key bar with a tasty pupu menu, cold Bud Light and a rubber-slippers crowd. Most nights are for karaoke, which are sung by patrons from the comfort of their own tables, but live Hawaiian music takes over four nights a week.
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M
Bar 35
Nudging against Chinatown's happening thirtyninehotel, this urban bar has a dizzying 100 domestic and international bottled beers to choose from, and addictive chef-made gourmet fusion pizzas to go along with all the brews. There's live music most Saturday nights.
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N
Anna Bannanas
There's nothing like lying on a beach all day to make you feel like dancing all night. Near the university, Anna Bannanas is a good weekend dance spot with rock and reggae bands. This place has been here for around 30 years so they must be doing something right.
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O
Jazz Minds Art & Cafe
Intimate and subdued, this jazz lounge with almost a speakeasy ambience pulls in the city's best talent, ranging from big band and bebop to fiery salsa and cutting-edge minimalist. Just don't let all the Asian tourist-oriented strip clubs nearby turn you off.
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Varsity
Even though Magoo's has changed its name, University of Hawai'i students still hang out at this open-air sidewalk bar, with plenty of cheap microbrews from Hawaii and the US mainland on tap (and cheap Pabst Blue Ribbon!). Thursday nights are really buzzing.
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Q
Movie Museum
This Kaimuki gem is a fun place to watch classic oldies, such as Citizen Kane and Casablanca, in a theater with just 20 comfy chairs. Movies are shown Thursday to Monday evenings and weekend afternoons. Reservations are recommended.
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Rumours
At Rumours, there's dancing and DJs aplenty. The music varies from night to night, with Latin music featured on Thursday nights, Top 40 on Fridays, and hip-hop and R&B on Saturdays. We dare you to request the Hawaii Five-0 soundtrack!
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ARTS at Marks Garage
At the cutting edge of the Chinatown arts scene, this community gallery and performance space puts on a cornucopia of live shows, from youth poetry slams and conversations with island artists to live jazz and Hawaiian music or Shakespearean plays.
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T
Tiki's Grill & Bar
At the top end of the ResortQuest Waikiki Beach Hotel, Tiki's Bar & Grill is a good place to enjoy a drink and pupu (snack), or catch live music in the afternoon and see out the day in style as the sun sets over nearby Waikiki Beach.
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Kumu Kahua Theatre
This little 100-seat treasure in the restored Kamehameha V Post Office building is dedicated to premiering works by Hawaii's playwrights, with themes focusing on contemporary multicultural island life, often richly peppered with Hawaiian pidgin.
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thirtyninehotel
More arty than clubby, this multimedia space is a gallery by day and low-key dance scene at night. Guest DJs from the mainland don their aloha wear for special weekend appearances, while jazz tests the acoustics on Tuesday.
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Zanzabar Nightclub
The kind of club that advertises on the radio, Zanzabar is flashy and slightly cheesy but strobe-light's good time nonetheless. Theme nights and karaoke fill the weekly schedule. Weekdays are 18 plus, weekends 21 plus.
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La Mariana Sailing Club
They don't make kitschy 1950s tiki bars like this anymore - and who knows how long this one will last? Grab a waterfront table, order a mai tai with tiki-head swizzle stick, and dream.
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X
Neal S Blaisdell Center
The center presents concerts, Broadway shows and family events, such as the Honolulu Symphony and the American Ballet Theatre, and occasional big-name rock musicians, such as Sting.
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