Bar review · Waikiki
Mai Tai Bar at The Royal Hawaiian: The Pink Palace Mai Tai
The Royal Hawaiian’s oceanfront bar pours the hotel’s signature mai tai from 10:30 AM, serves food until 10 PM, has live music every night from 6, and takes no reservations.
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The Royal Hawaiian’s beachfront from the water, 2023. Photo: Seagerthomas, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The 30-second verdict
Come for the $22 Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai at a table steps from the sand, with the pink hotel behind you and Diamond Head down the beach. There are no reservations, so arrive before 5 PM for a sunset seat, and stay for the music at 6.
Mai Tai Bar at a Glance
- Address
- 2259 Kalakaua Ave, Honolulu, HI 96815
- Where
- Oceanfront at The Royal Hawaiian, central Waikiki, steps from the sand
- Cuisine
- Island-inspired American: poke, burgers, flatbreads, fish
- Price tier
- $$$ (mains $27 to $45)
- Hours
- Daily 10:30 AM to 11 PM; food 11 AM to 10 PM
- Music
- Live music nightly, 6 to 10 PM
- Reservations
- None; first come, first served
- Dress
- Casual
- Parking
- Free valet or self-parking for up to 4 hours with a $25 purchase
Hours, music, menu and parking from maitaibarwaikiki.com and royal-hawaiian.com, checked Sep 27, 2026. Prices before tax and tip.
Best for
- CouplesGoodDiamond Head views and nightly music, but no way to hold a sunset table.
- FamiliesGoodA keiki menu for 12 and under with a drink included.
- FriendsGreatFive mai tais on the list and cocktails until 11.
- SoloGreatNo booking needed, and a bar seat works for one.
- GroupsSkipNo reservations, and five or more pay a 20% service charge.
Pros
- Oceanfront, steps from Waikiki Beach, with Diamond Head in view.
- Live music every night, 6 to 10 PM.
- Cocktails from 10:30 AM to 11 PM.
- Free parking for up to 4 hours with a $25 purchase.
Cons
- No reservations.
- In November the music starts after sunset.
- Resort prices: a $31 burger and a $22 mai tai.
- Parties of five or more pay a 20% service charge.
Known for
The Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai
Tanduay 5-year silver rum, orgeat, fresh pineapple and orange juice and a dark rum float, $22. The hotel says Trader Vic Bergeron created the mai tai in 1944 and that it was first served in Hawaii at The Royal Hawaiian in 1953.
What to Order
Start with the Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai ($22). For a tarter, lime-forward drink, Vic’s 44 ($21) is the bar’s take on the 1944 original, and the Aliʻi Mai Tai ($40) pours Kō Hana barrel-aged agricole rum. Not a rum drinker? The Royal Sunset Ale ($11) is a pink cream ale brewed for the hotel by Honolulu Beerworks. To eat, the poke bowl with Auction Block ahi ($31), the South Shore shrimp ($31) and the double smashed burger ($31) are the anchors, and the Pink Snowball ($15), the hotel’s coconut cake, is dessert. See how it ranks in the best mai tais on Oahu.
Prices from the bar’s online menu, checked Sep 27, 2026.
Sunset and the Music
The bar is open-air, set at the edge of the Royal Hawaiian’s beachfront with Diamond Head to the east. Live music runs every night from 6 to 10 PM. That timing works in summer; on Nov 6 the sun sets around 5:54, so fall visitors get sunset first and the band after. Drinks stay at the bar, since state rules bar alcohol on Waikiki Beach. For a sunset with music already playing, Duke’s Waikiki, two minutes east, starts its first set at 4 or 4:30.
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Price and Hours
The bar opens daily at 10:30 AM, with a 10:45 PM last call and an 11 PM close. Lunch and dinner run 11 AM to 10 PM, last call 9:45. Mains run $27 to $45, and spirit-free cocktails are $14. The keiki menu, for 12 and under, includes a drink, and the bar says it regularly handles gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan requests. Guests of the Sheraton Waikiki, Moana Surfrider and Princess Kaiulani can charge it to their room.
Getting There and Parking
The bar is at The Royal Hawaiian, 2259 Kalakaua Avenue, beside the Royal Hawaiian Center and about 5 minutes on foot from the Duke statue. Drivers pull into the hotel’s porte cochere and bring the valet ticket to the bar: diners park free for up to 4 hours with a $25 minimum purchase. Our Waikiki parking guide has the alternatives, and our Royal Hawaiian review covers the hotel.
Mai Tai Bar on Instagram
Could be better
You can’t hold a table for sunset. The bar seats first come, first served and takes no reservations, and in November the sun sets before the 6 PM music starts, so the two best reasons to go don’t overlap. Groups of five or more also pay a 20% service charge.
Consider Instead
- House Without a Key adds hula every night from 6:30 on the Halekulani lawn, and a dinner reservation there holds a seat. Cocktails run $24, and the lawn itself is walk-in only.
- Duke’s Waikiki is the better call for groups and planners: the Dining Room takes reservations, the 20% gratuity starts at eight guests instead of five, and live music plays twice a day.
- Mahina & Sun’s is the cheaper afternoon round: happy hour from noon to 5:30 every day and $16 tiki drinks by the Surfjack pool, with no ocean view.
Tips for the Mai Tai Bar
- Arrive before 5 PM. It is walk-in only, and fall sunsets come before 6.
- Bring the valet ticket. Diners park free for up to 4 hours with a $25 purchase.
- Two mai tais to compare. The $22 house classic and the $21 Vic’s 44.
- Staying next door? Sheraton Waikiki, Moana Surfrider and Princess Kaiulani guests can charge it to the room.
- Takeout works. Call the hotel operator and ask for the Mai Tai Bar.
- Five or more? Expect a 20% service charge.
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Mai Tai Bar: Questions
Does the Mai Tai Bar take reservations?
No. It seats first come, first served. Parties of five or more pay a 20% service charge.
What time is live music at the Mai Tai Bar?
Every night from 6 to 10 PM, per the bar and the hotel.
Where do I park for the Mai Tai Bar?
Use the Royal Hawaiian’s valet or self-parking and bring the ticket to the bar. Diners park free for up to 4 hours with a $25 minimum purchase.
Is there a dress code?
No formal one. The hotel lists the bar as casual.
Can I just go for drinks?
Yes. Cocktails run from 10:30 AM to 11 PM, and the Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai is $22.
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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