Skull & Crown Trading Co. — Restaurant in Honolulu

Don’t come to Skull & Crown if your goal is to get sloppy drunk on tiki drinks. Not because it can’t happen, trust me, the pours are generous, but because that’s not the point. In a city where every corner shoves a happy hour Mai Tai in your face (spoiler: those aren’t Mai Tais), Skull & Crown offers something different and memorable.

If you want the snob’s Mai Tai -- the kind reverse-engineered from Trader Vic’s original blueprint and balanced like a tightrope walk, you drink it here. My husband and his best friend are amateur mixologists with a copy of the Smuggler’s Cove cocktail book dog-eared and stained with every flavor of simple syrup known to man. The redacted Dagger Mai Tai on their menu (you'll know it when you see it) was developed with Smuggler's Cove. When you start making your own syrups, buying obscure spices no one keeps in their pantry, learning what "balanced" actually means in a glass, you stop seeing cocktails as alcohol delivery systems and start tasting them like cuisine. Listen, I still love a trashy happy hour with bottom-shelf booze, but Skull & Crown reminded me why it's called a CRAFT cocktail. If Olive Garden is the fanciest restaurant you've ever been to and suddenly you have some money to spend, you have to experience fine dining just for the sake of it. This is that equivalent. However, I'm just a stranger on the internet, so, do whatever you want. I'm not your mother.

That said, the cocktails are only half the story. What makes this place a hidden gem isn't just feeling like you're in the live action Scooby Doo movie, but the staff. Our host, Christopher, helped us shift a late-night reservation when we dropped by early after the Bishop Museum. Tina, our server, was stellar: attentive, honest, and sharp as a blade. She suggested we spike the Ube-Bae (listed as a mocktail) with a splash of rum, and I’m not exaggerating when I say it became the best drink I’ve ever had: a boozy "milkshake" made of purple dreams. I’m now on a personal mission to recreate it at home. It's going terribly.

Tina also suggested my second drink, the Pua 'Ula'Ula, based on what I liked: once again, spot on. She knows her stuff. My one regret is not getting the bartender or kitchen staff's name.

The food was great, too. Shrimp ceviche and squid skewers, if memory serves. We ordered mostly to avoid the spinning-room sensation after round two, but it was good, better than it needed to be. Do not skip dessert. Get the ube tres leches (you'll thank me!!)

My husband tried the Dagger Mai Tai, King Ko Swizzle, and the Clarified Zombie. We wanted to keep going, believe me, but we’re in our thirties now. There's a fine line between revelry and ruin.

Before we left, we picked up a bottle of their Traders Club Kila rum, partnered with Ko Hana (the local distillery) and a souvenir glass by a local artist. Skull & Crown is serious about drinks, serious about detail, and fully leans into the tiki camp with an intimate,...

We had the most beautiful time at Skull & Crown last night. We arrived a bit early so our table wasn't ready yet. We ended up waiting until our reservation time, which I will suggest you to do. The place isn't big but there are a lot of people who came here looking for seats. The ambience from the entrance, the bar and the tables are consistent. Theming was perfectly done from decor to lighting and sound effects. It was so nice just seeing everything together and it definitely sets the mood for all of the delicious food and drinks--not just drink but DRANKZ. Lol. My husband and I ordered the Nacho Rangoon which was Crispy Wonton Chips, Smoked Sword Fish, Cream Cheese Queso, Cucumber, Sesame, Sweet Chili Sambal and Pineapple Salsa. This was absolutely Delicious. We ate this SO Fast. We also got the Vegetarian Option for the S & C Noodles which was Sautéed Thick Saimin, Neighborhood Vegetables and Roasted Peanuts. Tossed with Shrimp and Szechuan-Inspired Kung Pao Sauce. Honestly I'm a baby for spicy but my husband enjoyed this thoroughly. He said his mouth was numb but it was too good not to finish. For dessert I enjoyed the Halo-Halo Tart. This had Ube Haupia Shortbread Tart Topped with Various Sweet Beans, Fruit Jellies and a Coconut Lime Granita. Our wonderful server gifted us a Banana Cream pie that my husband really enjoyed. The crust was buttery; the cream wasn't too sweet and we found caramelized bananas lining the bottom. Every food item was beautiful and SO Yummy! For drinks we had Siren Song, the Navy Grog, the Maunakea Mai Tai, the Dagger Mai Tai and a couple orders of this mini daiquiri (?) shots.. OMGoodness! We highly recommend...

How can you describe the experience at Skull & Crown Trading Co., other than "Outstanding!" This Tiki Bar was recommended to us from an employee from Hound and Quail, and we were not disappointed. We started out with a few coctails (we had a family of 10 this night). My wife and sister shared a Skull and Crown. There was a fire show with it, and it tasted it fantastic! I tried it, too. I had the Crystal Skull, and it was my favorite one that I tasted that night. The other drinks were the Dagger Mai Tai and Taboo. The hand-held food was worth sharing with everyone. The Potato Nanbans disappeared as fast as they hit the table. Most of the kids had the Beef Skewers with the chimichurri, and they cleaned those up quickly. I had the Kalbi Ribs, and OMG! They were amazing. Super tender, and the taste was out of this world. The decor is layered and interesting to look at. It isn't distracting, but it feels very submersive. You feel like you stepped back in time with flickering lights and well picked out music and sound effects that fill the room. I took so many photos to inspire me to work on my own tiki-adventureland area in my house. The employees were all kind and treated us all well. They were attentive and wanted us to have the best experience possible. They helped us navigate the menu and offered sound suggestions for our meals and beverages.

If you are in the area, you need to visit Skull & Crown Trading Co. You will have memories for a lifetime ( depending on how...