Restaurant review · Waikiki
Duke’s Waikiki: Hula Pie and Live Music on the Sand
The beach restaurant under the Outrigger, named for Duke Kahanamoku, with live music every afternoon and night and the Hula Pie its owners have served since Maui.
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Diamond Head from a Duke’s window. Photo: Thomas Tunsch, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The 30-second verdict
Duke’s is the easy Waikiki beach dinner: live music every afternoon and night, a mai tai, and one slice of Hula Pie for the table. Book the Dining Room ahead, and park at the Outrigger Waikiki Paradise for $6 instead of taking the valet.
Duke’s Waikiki at a Glance
- Address
- 2335 Kalakaua Ave, Suite 116, Honolulu, HI 96815
- Where
- On the sand at the Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort, central Waikiki
- Cuisine
- Island seafood and steak, burgers, tacos, tropical cocktails
- Price tier
- $$$ (dinner entrees $23.50 to $74)
- Hours
- Daily 7 AM to midnight
- Music
- Daily 4 to 6 PM, then 7 PM to midnight
- Reservations
- (808) 922-2268 or OpenTable; recommended for the Dining Room
- Parking
- Validated self-parking at the Outrigger Waikiki Paradise, $6 for 4 hours
Hours, music, prices and parking from dukeswaikiki.com and its menus printed Aug and Sep 2026. Checked Sep 27, 2026.
Best for
- CouplesGoodSunset falls inside the first music set, but it is a busy beach room.
- FamiliesGreatA keiki menu for 10 and under, $13 to $18, and breakfast from 7 AM.
- FriendsGreatLive music twice a day and two mai tais on the list.
- SoloGoodOpen 7 AM to midnight, with a late menu from 10 PM.
- GroupsGoodA large-group form, but eight or more pay a 20% gratuity.
Pros
- On the sand at the Outrigger, with Diamond Head down the beach.
- Live music every day, plus Henry Kapono on Sundays from 4 to 6 PM.
- Hula Pie, $15, sized for the table.
- $6 for 4 hours of validated self-parking.
Cons
- Valet at the Outrigger is not validated.
- Parties of eight or more pay a 20% gratuity; takeout adds 5%.
- No happy hour on the restaurant’s own site.
- The hotel around it is still renovating its public spaces.
Known for
Kimo’s Original Hula Pie
Macadamia nut ice cream stacked on a chocolate cookie crust, hot fudge poured over, toasted macadamia nuts on top. It started at Kimo’s on Maui, the owners’ first restaurant, and the menu calls it portioned for sharing. $15.
What to Order
Share the Hula Pie ($15) and pick a mai tai: the Duke’s Mai Tai ($18) with fresh juices and two rums, or the Vintage ’44 ($20) with Koloa rums and fresh lime. Compare both with the best mai tais on Oahu. In the Dining Room, the macadamia nut and herb crusted fresh fish ($43) and the 12-ounce slow-roasted prime rib ($47, while it lasts) are the standards, and the prime rib buffet is $64. For less, the poke tacos ($25) and the half-pound cheeseburger ($23.50) run on both menus; see the best burgers on Oahu for rivals.
Prices from Duke’s menus printed Aug and Sep 2026, before tax and tip.
Two Sides and the Live Music
Duke’s runs two ways: a casual bar side with tropical cocktails and island plates from 11 AM to close, and a Dining Room for fresh fish, steak and the buffets, where reservations are recommended. Live music plays from a beachfront stage every day. The first set runs 4 to 6 PM and the second 7 PM to midnight. On Sundays, Henry Kapono plays from 4 to 6. In early November the sun sets around 5:55, inside the first set. Rather see it from the water? The Ke Kai sail boards on the sand out front; our sunset cruise guide compares the rest.
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Price and Hours
Duke’s is open daily from 7 AM to midnight. The breakfast buffet runs 7 to 10:30 AM, Dining Room lunch 11:15 AM to 3 PM and dinner 4:30 to 10 PM, and a bites menu covers 3 to 4:30 PM and 10 PM to midnight. Dinner entrees run $23.50 to $74. The keiki menu, for 10 and under, is $13 to $18, and the menus mark vegan and gluten-conscious dishes.
Getting There and Parking
Duke’s is at 2335 Kalakaua Avenue, on the beach side of the Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort, a 2-minute walk from the Royal Hawaiian and about 5 from the Duke statue at Kuhio Beach. Drive? Self-park at the Outrigger Waikiki Paradise Hotel, 150 Kaiulani Avenue, and get validated: $6 for 4 hours. Our Waikiki parking guide covers the alternatives.
Duke’s Waikiki on Instagram
Could be better
Parking is cheap only in the right lot. Duke’s validates self-parking at its sister hotel, the Outrigger Waikiki Paradise on Kaiulani Avenue, a few blocks inland, and says validation is not available for valet at the Outrigger itself. Pull into the Outrigger’s front drive and you pay full valet.
Consider Instead
- Mai Tai Bar at the Royal Hawaiian is the walk-in cocktail stop in central Waikiki: five mai tais on the list, music nightly from 6 PM, and free parking for up to 4 hours with a $25 purchase. It takes no reservations.
- House Without a Key trades the busy beach room for nightly hula on the Halekulani lawn, with beach attire allowed and validated parking. The lawn can’t be reserved; dinner can.
- Barefoot Beach Cafe is the family budget pick on Queen’s Surf Beach: plates $16 to $25, shave ice, and the zoo and aquarium next door, with no alcohol.
Tips for Duke’s Waikiki
- One Hula Pie is enough. The restaurant says it is portioned for sharing.
- Park at 150 Kaiulani Avenue. Validated self-parking there is $6 for 4 hours; valet isn’t validated.
- Sunday afternoon is Henry Kapono. He plays from 4 to 6 PM.
- Can’t book online? Call (808) 922-2268; the restaurant asks you to.
- Hungry late? The bites menu runs 10 PM to midnight.
- Big group? Eight or more pay a 20% gratuity; use the large-group form.
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Duke’s Waikiki: Questions
Does Duke’s Waikiki take reservations?
Yes, by phone at (808) 922-2268 or on OpenTable, and they are recommended for the Dining Room.
When is the live music at Duke’s?
Every day, 4 to 6 PM and again 7 PM to midnight. Henry Kapono plays Sundays from 4 to 6.
Where do I park for Duke’s Waikiki?
Self-park at the Outrigger Waikiki Paradise Hotel and validate: $6 for 4 hours. Valet at the Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort is not validated.
Is Duke’s good for kids?
Yes. The keiki menu covers children 10 and under at $13 to $18, and the buffets have keiki prices.
How much is Hula Pie?
$15 on the current menus, and one slice is meant to be shared.
Sources, checked Sep 27, 2026
Researched from the sources above, checked Sep 27, 2026. We never claim a visit we did not make; first-hand notes are marked as Stew’s. How we research and review.
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