Lewers Lounge

Overall 9.5/10

Lowers Lounge consistently delivers one of the best cocktail experience in Hawaii, bar none.

Location: 9/10
Located in the heart of Waikiki, Hale Kulani is easily accessible with friendly valet service. It's also a short walk from the entrance.

Ambiance: 10/10
It doesn't get better than this. A quiet, elegant live Jazz bar gorgeous decor and perfect lighting. The smoky vocals are only matched in smoothness by the smoke rings cocktail.

Seating: 8.5/10
With bar, table, booth and chair seating, Lewers Lounge offers a nice, comfortable environment. Unfortunately not all seats give a view of the live jazz, but a majority do. Make sure to either show up early if you want good seats. The music starts at 830pm, but doors open at 7.

Drinks: 9/10
$24 for a premium, artisan crafted cocktail in Waikiki is a steal! In a town where bottle beer costs between $8 and $16, these drinks are an amazing value. The Smoke Rings drink is a solid entry if you enjoy an old fashioned. It wasn't the best smoke infused cocktail I've had, but it was very good. My wife's The Very Thought of You is their take on an espresso martini. She didn't like the squeeze of lemon they finish it off with, while I love it. Other than that, it was another strong effort. We've never had a bad drink here.

Food: N/A
Since they only offer light food options, we usually go to dinner after our drinks. The free mixed nuts they offer, however, are warm and slightly toasted. They are fantastic!

This was my first time here. Definitely an old-school piano bar atmosphere. However, the service was a bit slow for my tastes. The server didn't check in with us enough -on more than one occasion I had to flag someone down -the pupas were just regular for me. For the same price, there are better food options around the city. My concern is the inconsistency. There was a lovely production with the pouring and presenting the first glass of wine. However, when you order a subsequent glass, you don't see them pour it from the bottle. And I noticed right away that after the first sips that it was a different wine from the first wine I had, despite being told that it indeed came from the same bottle. That might work with people whose palate is not as sensitive as mine but I know that was a different wine. That first glass was lovely though! Typically my friend and I like to order a bottle of wine however, this didn't appear to be an option at this establishment. Only glasses were offered. And the price was $2 different on my recipe per glass than on the menu. Best things for me were the musicians and the ambience.

Swanky Intimate Jazz bar. Service is fine, if a bit stiff. The 2 piece band ( piano and horns), were excellent. The first gentleman with the guitar was also very good. Beautiful hotel. Right on the Ocean. Expensive. Very adult.

I’m always down for a nightcap! We were staying at Halekulani and popped in before heading back to our room.

ATMOSPHERE:
The cozy lounge is the hotel’s lobby bar but is located in a separate building just off of the pool deck. Live jazz music is featured Tuesday through Saturday evenings. Decor is very warm with dark woods and ambient lighting. It’s a bit squishy inside as it isn’t a large space. Choose from bar and low top seating.

EXPERIENCE:
We had a short five minute wait on this particular Saturday night around 10pm as they were fairly busy.

I’ve always been drawn to jazz bars and Lewers Lounge did not disappoint. Ambiance, check. Drinks, check. Soothing, live singer, check.

The spouse and I enjoyed a glass of bubbly before calling it a night. Prices weren’t too eye popping.

The disappointment of the night? Me. I was so full and tired from our dinner prior to coming here, I was falling asleep! Ugh, still so mad about that.

Host & wait service were good.

OVERALL:
One of the few jazz lounges in the 808.

Great place my new wife and I frequented. Did not realize it was so fancy, as I was asked to take my hat off. No problem. Gets busy on the weekends, but mid-week it's perfect. My wife and I were the only ones there on Monday and Tuesday and the piano man and horn guy accommodated our song requests. Surprised not much other people were there. I definitely put on slacks and Hawaiian shirt the next day and felt dressed for the occasion. Nice first romantic finish to the evening, as my wife and I were the only ones dancing. The act the following day was not as good.

Perception of this place really depends on personal preference. There were many great aspects of this place and others that left me disappointed.

1. The atmosphere - very cool classic cocktail piano lounge. I'd rate the atmosphere in the top 5% of piano lounges I've been to.

2. The cocktails - simple and classic. If you order an old fashioned, negroni, sazarac, etc that's exactly what you'll get. I personal enjoy more creative reimagined variations of classics so I was somewhat disappointed. The drinks were good, don't get me wrong, but not unique or special.

3. The price - $18 for a cocktail in Hawaii is a very good price. Other lounges are much more expensive so I found the price point to be a positive.

4. The music - the night I went was a gentleman playing solo piano. It was pleasant but lacked the energy of a jazz lounge. I've been to other lounges where the musician is playing solo to a backing track and it does make for a better entertainment experience.

5. The food - overpriced and not good. Just don't bother getting food here.

6. The service - friendly but slow and not attentive. It'd be difficult getting a buzz with the pace of the service.

We love the lounge for many reasons, but mostly for listening to Maggie and/or Rocky when they are performing. The haupia cake and cocktails are great, but apparently you can’t get the cake after ten. The dress code is much more relaxed except that you still can’t wear nice sandals. This seems strange in that several patrons were in jeans and sneakers, which seems far worse than wearing designer sandals with a buttoned shirt and slacks.

If you're looking for an upscale and relaxing environment in Waikiki this is the spot for you. Playing jazz each night with great cocktails and snacks.

The atmosphere is very chill and they usually require nice clothing.