Thirtyninehotel
Thirtyninehotel
39 N. Hotel Street
Honolulu, HI
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Up on the roof overlooking downtown Honolulu's concrete grove of condos and office buildings, the afternoon bartender is a cartoonist, the bar manager is a dancer, the owner is a painter and the patio cook is a fashion designer. This cast of characters is ideal for Oahu's hottest gallery/performance space in edgy Chinatown. Named after its street address (and not an actual hotel), the sprawling alfresco hangout reflects the austere aesthetics of Thirtyninehotel's creative clientele with cinder blocks, painted gray stucco and a concrete bar. Industrial age attributes continue throughout the expansive space, up to and including a rooftop men's bathroom covered in sheet metal. Accent niches hold candles that light the way at night, while by day Persian kabobs -- an anomaly in Hawaii's Chinatown -- are grilled to perfection over a custom-made fire pit. The newly renovated space also features simple day beds set on low wooden risers and lit by strings of tiny white lights. They're great places to relax and listen to offerings from the parade of musicians who frequent this edgy bar. Also on tap are occasional film screenings, a big hit with trendsetting patrons who are neither too cool nor too hip to take part in the revelry. And the bar menu offers many perfect drink choices to sip while soaking up Hawaii's famous rays and a radical dose of cultural exposure.

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Photos: Courtesy of Thirtyninehotel