8 Fat Fat 8: The Best Local Dive Bar in Honolulu (Skip Waikiki and Go Here)

Why This Is the Local Bar to Know

When most people picture a Hawaiʻi bar, they think mai tais by the ocean. Venture past the sand and you'll find something better for a real night out: honest dive bars with some of the best local food in Honolulu, at prices that won't hurt.

8 Fat Fat 8 is exactly that. No frills, nothing trendy — just good friends, good food, and good drinks, the way it's been since 1986. Plenty of people drive past it on Beretania every day without stepping inside. That's the mistake this guide fixes.

There's luck built into the name, too. In Chinese, fat means prosperity, and 8 is lucky because it rhymes with fat. The owners named it 8 Fat Fat 8 hoping to double that luck two-fold — a wish for luck, friendship, and prosperity for everyone who walks in. Spend one night here and it fits.

Where Is 8 Fat Fat 8 & How to Get There

It sits right on South Beretania Street in Makiki, just south of Ala Moana, next to the Midas — it literally shares a parking lot with the car mechanic, which tells you everything about how unpretentious it is. Best of all: that means free parking • near Ala Moana, a genuine rarity.

By car: Use the lot out front. Free parking this close to Ala Moana is a small miracle.

By bus: From Ala Moana, take a bus to the end of Keʻeaumoku Street, then walk a couple of minutes.

By rideshare: An Uber or Lyft from Waikiki runs about $10–$15.

The Food: Some of the Best Local Grinds in a Honolulu Bar

Yes, it's a dive bar — but the kitchen is why people keep coming back for nearly four decades. 8 Fat Fat 8 serves Chinese-local fusion on those iconic red-and-gold plates, at throwback prices. Order a lot and share everything. The kitchen is a big part of where it sits on my best restaurants in Honolulu list.

The famous Fat Fat special chicken (order this first). It's deep fried, not roasted — and it proves two things at once: that fried chicken can be light — the skin is crisp and batter-free, no coating at all, just seasoned skin fried until crackling — and that you really can find terrific food in a dive bar. It's the single most-recommended thing on the menu, by locals and food critics alike.

The signature ribeye steak plate. The other must-order: ribeye steak with onions and mushrooms, over rice with kimchi and salad (around $17). Tender, savory, generous — the plate regulars steer newcomers toward first.

Don't sleep on: the stir-fried lettuce (a house specialty that over-delivers), the Fat Fat Wings with gau gee, salt & pepper pork chops, shoyu pork belly, the Fat Fat Sandwich (formerly the spam & egg — a cult favorite), and the yuzu cheesecake — tangy, creamy, and worth getting dessert in a dive bar for.

Insider tip: during football season they open at 6am and serve a full breakfast. Sunday-morning football with eggs and bacon is a local ritual here.

Cheap Drinks & a Daily Happy Hour

Beer and cocktails are affordable, the pours are honest, and there's a rotating lineup of specials all week — strong drinks that won't wreck your budget, which is the whole point of a good local bar.

Happy hour runs every single day from 3 to 6pm, with $1 off beers and cocktails. (Confirmed directly with the owner, July 2026.)

Beers range from Coors Light, Bud, and Miller to imports like Corona, Heineken, Stella, Tsingtao, and Kirin, plus wells, wine, and a deep whiskey and tequila list.

Karaoke, Pool, Darts & Live Sports

This is what makes 8 Fat Fat 8 a whole night out, not just a meal.

Karaoke is practically a professional sport in Honolulu, and it's on most nights — but it takes staff to run, so it's only available when the bar isn't too busy and there's no big game pulling the room's attention. When it's on, this is where the night comes alive; when it's not, there's still pool — grab a cue; they host an APA pool league Monday through Wednesday. Darts — league-ready setups in the back. A big projector plus multiple TVs turn the whole room into a sports bar for football, soccer, and the big game. Trivia nights are popular, so come early for a seat.

We grabbed the mic and went with "Chicken Fried" by the Zac Brown Band — the perfect anthem for a bar this famous for its chicken. Flip the songbook, find your go-to, and give the room a show. That's the night this place is built for.

Local tip: the change machine gives quarters — but only for the pool tables and dart boards. Keep some on hand.

The Vibe: Where Locals and Students Actually Hang Out

By day it's relaxed — regulars at the bar, families sharing plates, a ballgame on the big screen, red lanterns overhead. Come evening it transforms: the room fills, the energy climbs, and it becomes one of the best neighborhood night bars in Honolulu. This is where locals unwind, where students come to spend their money, and where it's genuinely easy to strike up a conversation and make new friends.

That's what the Waikiki bars can't fake. 8 Fat Fat 8 is the real Honolulu — family-run since 1986, female owned and managed since 2003, and still going strong.

Editor's Choice

Happy hour every day 3–6pm ($1 off beers & cocktails). Specials confirmed with the owner, July 2026 — subject to change; call ahead.