Review Mai Tai Bar - Honolulu

Though this may be a resort bar and restaurant, Mai Tai Bar still delivers. Keeping with the pink theme of the Royal Hawaiian, all the tables, umbrellas, chairs and lanterns here were nicely decorated in pink. Seating is first come first served so the tables along the beach with sunset views were taken, but we still managed to grab one with great views. They get busy during the dinner rush but the staff were still really friendly and helpful. The drinks were amazing and the name does not disappoint, the Mai Tai here was fantastic, just the right flavors and a good amount of alcohol to back it up.

Great cocktail selection including Mai Tai's with a smaller menu but paired with great view out towards the ocean and a very friendly staff. We sat at the bar and our favorite drink by far was the 96 degrees in the shade, it comes with an extra dark rum floater and a side cup with more drink. We also loved the Ahi Poke Bowl and split it between the two of us. The staff were all extremely friendly, I'd recommend coming here for a great view of the sunset.

Great to have an iconic cocktail at an iconic bar! I love Mai Tais, and this bar can claim to be the home of this version - with pineapple juice. (I prefer this over the 1944 version, which has no pineapple juice). The servers were attentive, and the garlic fries were an amazing delight, too! If you love tropical drinks, then you owe yourself a pilgrimage to the Mai Tai Bar. ( did I mention that the beach looks great from here, too? :-)

The experience was just Excellent!! The server was humorous and let us dine breakfast by the beach. The pink pancake flavor was sweet and unexpectedly delicious. I’ve added guava to the açaí bowl and glad I did. The fruit was fresh and sweet.

We didn't eat here, just had drinks. Over $20 for a small Mai Tai seems unreasonable to me. I tried it, and it wasn't worth the price in my opinion. I get it...it is a signature drink; however, all over Waikiki they have different signature items and nowhere else is it so disparate between what you get for a signature item and how much you pay for the value of what you're getting. Other than that, we had a great experience! The local beer selection was better than I thought it would be, the service was excellent (thank you so much to Kealoha, she was very attentive even though she was crazy busy!). The view was also second to none, being right on the beach. I would definitely recommend going, but I would avoid the Mai Tai except to just experience having one. (...unless they lower the price under $21 for a small Mai Tai? Anyone?)

A fantastic place to chill out by the beach. Very busy place yet attentive waitress. There was a line to get in around 7pm. We ordered their signature Mai Tai which was delicious. $21 each. We also ordered truffle fries which were absolutely delicious. They were served with caramelised charlottes, chives, parsley and Parmesan cheeses served with a black pepper garlic alioli. The fries were the best I have ever had! We’d go back again when we are back in Waikiki. :)

We love this bar where you can drink the great mai tai. The foods there are very flavorful also. We had the special mahi burger and it was scrumptious! The atmosphere is relaxed. The live music was great also. It is one of our go to spots while we stay in Waikiki.

It’s Hawaii so $17 for a small drink is worth it. The pina colada was great. And that’s coming from someone who doesn’t drink and prefers a fruity nonalcoholic drink. There was about a 30 minute wait on a Saturday night with no room left at the bar. Good thing I only ordered one drink because the server was hard to find. It’s a bar inside of the Royal Hawaiian so it’s great if you’re staying there. The food looked good but I didn’t try any.

We do like coming here. Great little bar area by Waikiki Beach....on the beach. Can be difficult to get into, as it is very popular. It's a very busy area, but the bartenders work their butts off. We came for the Vic's 44 Mai Tai today. As we have that specific recipe and have had made them ourselves, their Mai Tais really come up short. I am sure they premake a portion and that reflects poorly in their drink. Keep in mind, we go across the country and internationally to try Mai Tai drinks. We were disappointed here. They do have lots of other drinks, but everything is in mass quantities and made quickly. Although this fell short, we still enjoy coming here. Note: the bartender did try to fix the drink, although I just couldn't drink it. He was very nice and accommodating and ultimately I switched it out for a gin and tonic. My husband switched his out for the Royal Mai Tai, which was so much better.

Can you go to the Mai Tai Bar and not get a Mai Tai? This is one of the unique versions with a Vic’s 44. This is a lime forward and funky drink. Delicious and boozy!

I had my goal of enjoying a Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai fulfilled today! It was a beautiful day at Waikiki beach & many thanks to Kaci for her excellent service. Thanks also for the great guitarist for his lovely music. I can also recommend the Truffle fries, a very generous portion & a reasonable price I thought. So happy I was able to come here. The photo of the Fries was after we had eaten more than half. 🌺

Let's just say the views are amazing right next to the beach in view of Diamond Head. I had a mai tai, and it was really good . My friends and I ordered the truffle parmesan fries, and I was shocked that each fry was perfectly seasoned and crispy, like every single one. What?!?! The service was good as we had plenty of attention on our drinks.

Love the Mai Tais and beach vibe at this cool "sandbar". Met Brian, who made our daily trips to the bar extra special with his kindness and attention. We were guests at the Royal Hawaiian and truly enjoyed our experience. We were hoping to see Brian before we left but missed him! Until next time! Thanks for the wonderful beach and Mai Tai experience 🤙🌺

Only had a drink here, but it was a great setting. The Mai Tai sampler was fun and tasty.

Great place to watch the sunset. We had drinks only, and all but one were delicious. Considering the cost to stay at this hotel (way too much), the prices at this bar are reasonable for a beachfront view and access. No issues with service, she was attentive and friendly.

It’s a lovely bar inside the hotel. Finding the entrance to this hotel is a bit challenging, but easy from the beach. Or look for the KITH store, and walk the path on the right. The bar is open until 11 pm. The last call for food is 9:45 pm. And the last call for drinks is around 10:30-10:45 pm. AMBIENCE The atmosphere is nice. It’s like a beach bar. They always have people, but they always have tables available. If you do not sit in the front rows, it feels like you are in a garden. FOOD Their food menu is not really vast, and only a few vegetarian options, but it’s good. All that we tried was really appetizing. I did enjoy my cauliflower. It was very tasty. The poke ball is very good as well. And their cheese board (such a rarity to find one) was really delicious. Everything is pretty pricey. DRINKS The drinks are not good! They are called “Mai tai” bar, and you expect a very good balanced Mai Tai, that unfortunately was not the case. And neither regular cocktails were balanced. Go with a beer or a glass of wine - hard to spoil it. Though the Mai Tai that I took was the best one: called “white wash”, it was pretty tasty, tho still unbalanced; banana foam was saving it. They need a better bartender! STAFF Very mixed. Some days we had lovely servers, kind, joking, and helpful. Other days: rude, without eye contact, and almost throwing a plate into you instead of putting it on a table. But overall no conflicts or some heavy attitude. I keep saying the same thing about Hawaiian hospitality, but personnel really needs to be trained properly, especially when we talk about luxury hotels. Great service - great tips. I would rate this place at 4. The food was pretty good; the drinks must be improved (A LOT!), and the staff is not well trained (some proper training must be done), but this place is far not the worst we have experienced in Hawaii.

GREAT MAI TAIS!!!!!! Much better than anywhere on Kona!!!!! Do the ‘Royal Hawaiian’….You’re on the beach, great views…. And keep playing the 80s music, PERFECT!!!!!!!!! Bartender Susan may possibly be the best bartender in Hawaii. I’ve been to every island and I’m thinking no one even comes close to her…this hotel is lucky to have her!!!!

Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai was great Espresso By the Sea was good Cost of each drink was high 8.5/10

Tasty drinks and a wonderful oceanside view for sunset. The bites including the truffle fries and the ahi poke bowl were quite good as well. The surroundings of tropical plants provide a great escape from the hot sun. Expect to pay for the prime location though as most drinks are around $20 and entrees $30.

I am truly disgusted by the service. I went to Mai Tai's for a casual lunch with a friend of mines, and I ended up spending over 2 hours here. We ordered 2 entrées, and an salad, and the waiter brought out the salad and the entrees at the same time. Our steak and pizza got a little cold by the time we ate it. After finishing our food, we waited over 15 mins before we got any service from our waiter again, but only because I call him. He never came to us. And, it wasn't even that busy. There was quite alot of empty tables. We then ordered dessert, which took another 10 mins to get to us. While we were eating, I also saw a different waitress fill up 2 glasses with water, and while holding both glasses in one hand, filled them both with ice. What's disgusting about this is that the waitress over filled the cups with ice, and water started to over flow from the cups, down her arm, and INTO the ice container. A few other waiters saw that, but didn't say or do anything. If you're going to say that you're an amazing bar/restaurant, and be inside of a luxury hotel, please have better service, and follow the health code. I mean, I've gotten better service from a dine in Zippys.

The Mai Tai bar is a wonderful place to spend time having a drink and watching the world go by. The Mai Tai bar at the Ala Moana shopping centre is also a great place to have lunch between shop-to-you drop!! And when you drop you go back for more Mai Tai's!!!!

I went out with some friends and we had a great time there. We pick our seats and our waitress was the best, she told us her honest opinions about drinks and food. We couldn’t have asked for a better time!!

For being named Mai Tai Bar the Mai Tais we’re just ok. The waitress was very polite but I waited 40 minutes for my appetizer that was served without a napkin or utensils. The atmosphere was very nice and the live music was enjoyable.

Always first stop for me on any visit to Honolulu..😊 Some of the best Mai Tai's in Honolulu. Well named!! Fantastic location.. Nice service without being super speedy..

Beautiful location on the beach in Waikiki in one of the most historic hotels on earth. The Royal Hawaiian is Hawaii's second hotel built in 1927. The ambiance, the staff, the authentic tropical drinks are unsurpassed. This is a place you will come back to again and again. You will make acquaintances from all over the world and also acquire some life-long friends. This bar is full of camaraderie and genuine Aloha spirit. Kui Wright is the head bartender. He is not only famous for recreating the original Mai Tai and Shirley Temple drinks made originally at the bar here, but also creating many of his own originals. It's a great hang out for both kama'ainas and malihinis alike. An experience not to be missed.

Aloha all ~ Well, it's been a year since we were there. We used to go on a regular basis and tell 'all' our visiting friends about the wonderful atmosphere and great food. They have my very favorite Mai Tai there. My cousins even mentioned a place that has good Mai Tai's and I could not tell them!!! Because.....something happened on January 5, 2016 that I can not get past. It was about the food quality ~ I was shocked ~ I did let them know then... and also a few days later. I left them several messages ~ I called ~ I spoke to several people with no power... The boss NEVER called or contacted me in any way. I would like to go back.... just sayin' if the management over the food wants to contact me I'm here :) Mahalo ~ Aloha

The original Mai Tai was well worth the price and the view was amazing.

Good drinks and poor service, and ghosts waitress! The drinks are not worth the time and money involved with it.

Unique 👏👏 Royal Mai Tai is spectacular , the view is magnificent , the waiters are very Kind

We really loved it!!!!! Beautiful spot in Hawaii, great food and drinks and really awesome staff. We will be back!!!

Great view, great weather. The service is always top notch.

Great view! Pretty good service! Food just ok! Mai Tai's are good but not the best on the island!!

What can I say, going to Mai Tai Bar is a lot like visiting family. A lot like Cheers, you want to go where everyone knows your name! The staff is amazing and so is the view! Food is great too, cheers 🍻

I have been to this bar many times and it has always been excellent. This visit was terrible. Service was below average. My girls were served off milk. Over priced menu. Will not go back again. Too many other places in Waikiki with better views and better service/value for money. Very disappointed