Weather in Hawaii sometimes gets rough.
It’s hurricane season, after all, so these little rocks in the middle of the Pacific find themselves with a slew of tropical storms brewing around them.
It would certainly explain the incredibly windy, somewhat overcast days we’ve had recently, at least, a not-unexpected, but fairly disappointing change in climate.
Disappointing, since the inclement weather forced the HawaiiActivities office to cancel our planned team event for October: a sunset catamaran cruise on the Honi Olani, courtesy of our friends at Hawaii Nautical.
Deprived of a chance enjoy cocktails out on the ocean, a few of us decided instead to find the next best thing: have drinks on land.
Our venue: Harbor Pub, a low-key bar on the bottom floor of the Ilikai hotel, right next to Ala Wai Harbor.
I ordered a Mai Tai, as per tradition.
Since we arrived at 5 p.m., right after work, it was still happy hour, which meant Taylor, Maira, and I could enjoy $3.75 Mai Tais for another two hours.
As you can see from the diagram, rum is clearly cheaper than pineapple juice.
As far as cocktails go, Harbor Pub’s Mai Tai is exactly what you’d expect in a drink ordered at a dive bar.
Its most notable feature, as illustrated above, is the sheer amount of dark rum they used—this thing is strong.
It was truly the happiest of hours at the Harbor Pub.
The happy hour deals don’t end with the drinks, either, as every one of their appetizers is $1 off.
Being quick to snatch up a bargain, I ordered a plate of their “nachos grande” and later a “grilled chicken nacholada.”
I was forced to order one at a time because of the sheer size of each plate. They definitely don’t disappoint in regards to portions.
When my Mai Tai disappeared I decided to try a chi chi instead. For those of you unaware (like I was), that’s a pina colada with vodka instead of rum.
The problem with the chi chi is that the pineapple/coconut flavor is much stronger, whereas the vodka isn’t so distinct.
I call this a problem because I strongly suspect that the juice-to-liquor ratio of my chi chi was similar to that of my Mai Tai.
As our nachos were running low, Maira suggested we order a pizza.
Despite what you may think about a bar stuck under a hotel on the corner of a street across from fishing boats, Harbor Pub has some damn good pizza.
We ordered the “bianca,” which is a four-cheese pizza topped with ricotta and Gorgonzola. Whether this still allows it to qualify as a four-cheese pizza is anyone’s guess.
To water it down, I ordered a Blue Hawaii, which is what I always order when I feel like drinking another Mai Tai but don’t feel like ordering one.
Despite the weather, it was a fun, filling, and friendly night in cozy Harbor Pub.
Going to work the following day, however, wasn’t so fun…
This post is a continuation of our Mai Tai series, where we try bars around Waikiki and Honolulu to see which ones have a Mai Tai worth trying. Check out our past entries and subscribe to get notified when we post a new article!
