Cuckoo Coconuts

The pitch.

Cuckoo Coconuts doesn't try to be cool, which is exactly what makes it cool. It's an open-air, fiberglass-tiki, neon-lit cocktail patio that's been serving cheap tropical drinks and live Hawaiian music in the middle of Waikiki long enough to be considered a legitimate institution. Bring cash, order the pineapple, take the photo, stay for the band. It's the bar you'll text your friends about the next day.

What it actually is.

Wedged behind the Waikiki Shopping Plaza on Royal Hawaiian Avenue, easy to walk past and impossible to forget once you're in. No walls, no ceiling, no doors, just oversize fiberglass tiki gods, fairy lights, wicker chairs and a drink list designed for tourists who came to Hawaii to drink something served in a pineapple. Crowd is mixed: bachelorette parties, retirees on day three of a cruise stopover, military couples on liberty, and locals who think the whole thing is hilarious. Drinks are cheap by Waikiki standards — $5 drafts and well drinks, $9-$11 tiki cocktails. Live music nightly under the noise ordinance (stops 10 PM).

Happy hour: what to get.

Outside happy hour, it's known for…

Pineapple piña coladas, kitsch tiki vibe, live nightly Hawaiian music, being the cheap-drink anomaly in central Waikiki.

Best time to actually go.

7:00 PM – 10:00 PM any night for live music + working sunset light.