Maui Brewing Co. Waikiki — Restaurant in Honolulu

Think twice before coming here for happy hour. The food was decent and the drinks were fine. This was our first full day in Waikiki. We have been here before, though it has been a few years. When we sat down we asked our server if it was happy hour. He said that it would be in 4 minutes. He went off to get us paper menus because I was not comfortable with ordering from the QR code and the menu was slow to download.

The server returned with paper menus and explained the happy hour prices and options. We ordered food and drinks for 4 people. When we asked for the bill, my spouse noted that there was no happy hour discount. We spoke to the server ( a different one) and he said there was no happy hour on weekends. Fine- that is not what we were told and we had the server verify twice before we placed our order.

We asked to speak to the manager, who said she was not required to give us her name. She reiterated that there was no happy hour on weekends, despite what we had be told by our first server.

The restaurant takes a $10 hold on any credit card at the time of ordering. She advised that our entire order had been processed at full price and that we could take it up with our credit card company. We did not sign anything and the card was unilaterally charged for an amount that we did not agree to.

She said if she gave us a happy hour price that she would then have to give it to everyone????? She was then accompanied by a male co worker named John who told us we should leave the restaurant. He pointed out the exits and suggested that he would call security or the police. We were not loud or disruptive. We were insistent however that we had been misled and we were.

We are in our mid sixties, well traveled accompanied by our adult children. They also told the manager what our original server had advised us, to no avail. We would have been content to reach a compromise.

I note some earlier reviews about the rudeness of a female manager. I would describe this as intransigence more than rudeness, and a refusal to be accountable for the actions of their employees.

The treatment we received was appalling- certainly not the “aloha” that we have experienced in our many years of visiting this wonderful place.

Be forewarned. It is too bad because the music was enjoyable and the atmosphere is very pleasant. There are many...

A respite from the crowded retail jungle that is this part of Waikiki; an open-air haven with second floor street view or option of indoor seating in this welcoming dining establishment.

Host station is downstairs manned (or personned) by considerate folks who encouraged me to take my time (a couple of extra minutes) going upstairs to ensure that I got happy hour pricing. Dining is upstairs (by stair or elevator), and the magic begins with the first aloha from the attentive staff at the secondary greeter station.

Matt, my server, graciously offered the menu, the specials, and the opportunity to order any of a wide variety of beverages. I chose my favorite drink, unsweetened iced tea and was delighted with the fruity wonder of the mango-passion fruit tea MBC serves. Matt did not let my glass get dry, which is server-artistry on the master level. Even with the keen attention to my drink, I felt no pressure to hurry and order and eat. MBC exudes a chill atmosphere, a "be at your leisure because we are taking care of you" vibe that really did allow me to rest and enjoy my meal and the setting.

Live music began playing shortly after my arrival and the beauty of this experience leveled up tremendously. With the acoustical backdrop, a fresh iced tea, and the fish tacos (aka a tastebud extravaganza) before me, I set about destroying the work of art that had been served to me. Camera-ready tacos too pretty, too colorful, too wondrous to touch, and yet I was compelled to do my part to complete the interactive portion of lunch by supporting the ultimate purpose of the chef's culinary craft. I was not disappointed. Nor will you be in your choice to dine at Maui Brewing Co. Waikiki. So do it first, don't save it for last, because you will want to come back and try those nachos you saw someone order, or that other special that was mentioned. And bring friends, because happiness is always...

We had a fantastic late dinner experience here. It was tough getting in...the host outside said they were no longer taking anyone else in for the night...bummer as we'd walked a ways to get her. He told us we could go up and order takeout....We chose to do that...When we got up there were plenty of empty tables available in the multiple dining spaces they have. (You order at the counter and then take a seat with a number.) Just to double check we asked the person who took our order if we could sit after being told we could only do takeout. He answered "once you've made it to this side of the door, you're welcome to sit." So ding one star for the strange, unwelcoming experience at the downstairs front host-desk who seemed to not be in sync with what was happening on the actual dining floor...otherwise the food we got was fantastic.

I had the Origami Pizza which was perfectly basic (crust, sauce, fresh mozzarella)...perfectly done in every way...SUPER thin crust (okay maybe it could have used a tiny bit more salt), and everything else full of flavor. This was easily one of the most satisfying pizzas I'd had in a while.

My wife got the Simple Greens with Veggie Burger...it's a house-made, grain-filled patty which she thought was well cooked an a nice addition with a macadamia nut crunch (so local feel.) She thought the greens tasted great too, as was the dressing, though slightly overdressed.

They're nice enough to label their menu with prominent and colorful V's for vegetarian items an GS's for Gluten sensitive items, and we always appreciate the extra "welcome" we feel when our diets are well represented on menus.

We weren't drinking tonight, but if we were we would have had PLENTY of choices of house-brewed beers, cocktails and wines on tap.

We'd...