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MURALS & MICROBREWERIES in HONOLULU
A Guide to Amazing Street Art Murals & Microbreweries in the hip area of Kakaako on Oahu in Hawaii
As a break from lying by the pool, surfing in the sea, shopping at Ala Moana, or eating another delicious meal at one of the many excellent restaurants in Waikiki, head on into Honolulu to the old industrial area of Kakaako.
WHERE IS IT?
It is situated off Ala Moana Avenue, between Waikiki and downtown Honolulu, and is easily accessed by bus. (see below for details) It was once a fairly dismal area full of warehouses and auto body shops, but today it is a trendy and very hip industrial part of town.
WHY GO THERE?
It’s a great place to spend a few hours wandering around, being amazed and surprised by the variety of stunning wall murals around every corner, and while you’re in the area, stop by and sample the wide range of beers and food available at the local microbreweries, speakeasies, and cafes.
There’s also the “Eat the Street” event which takes place on the last Friday of every month, from 4 pm to 9 pm at 555 South Street with over 40 food trucks taking part. On Saturdays,, if you’re in the area, there's a Farmers’ Market from 8 am to 12 noon at Ward Warehouse.
What is the POW WOW Festival?
In 2011 the Pow Wow Festival started in Hawaii. It is a street art festival that takes place in February each year and features both international and local artists creating wall murals. It is called the Pow Wow festival because ‘Pow!’ represents the impact that art has on a person and “Wow!’ represents the reaction the viewer has to the art, and there are certainly plenty of Pows! and Wows! going on in the Kakaako area and beyond. The wall murals stay up for at least a year so they are always on display.
In 2019 more than 60 artists, 40 of them from Hawaii, took part. Check out the murals below. These are some that really caught our eye and will give you some idea of what to expect.
This mural is by Michael Reeder from LA.
MURAL HUNTING IS THIRSTY WORK!
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The Kakaako area has been involved in beer making since the mid-1900s and these buildings are once again being sought after by microbreweries. In the last five years, a number of unique and interesting microbreweries have opened in the Kakaako area and it has become quite a craft beer hub. All of the microbreweries offer their own range of specialty beers.
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The Brewseum and Home of the Brave Brewing takes up two adjacent buildings and features 10,000 square feet of World War II memorabilia. The tavern is decorated like a World War II officers club and serves microbrews, brewed on the premises. There's also a Wiki Waki Woo Tropical Speakeasy and Tiki Bar. You could spend quite a lot of time here browsing through the interesting World War II memorabilia.
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The Honolulu BeerWorks opened in a converted warehouse in 2014. It features a rustic and open-air restaurant with great food and specialty beers. One of the crowds favorites is Pia Mahiai Saison, made with locally grown oranges, tangerines, lemons, limes, lemongrass and Big Island honey and the bold Sheltered Bay IPA.
The Waikiki Brewing Company opened one location in Waikiki and in 2017 opened another in Kakaako. The restaurant smokes all its own meat in a food truck on the premises and is a very popular beer and barbeque location.
The Aloha Beer Company is another interesting microbrewery in the area. It features a range of beer styles brewed in house and The Taproom is the main bar. The Carport is its outdoor area and a cocktail lounge/speakeasy type bar called Hi Brau is on the second floor.
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There is also a good range of restaurants scattered through Kakaako, so there's no shortage of interesting and quite unique food and drink locations when you get tired, hungry or thirsty!
FOR YOUR INFORMATION TIPS -To help you find your way around. We wouldn't want you to miss anything.
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MAP for the Pow Wow Murals- http://powwowhawaii.com/mural-map/
Getting there by bus- many buses go through Kakaako. Take your pick from numbers- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 13, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22. 23, 24, 40, 42, 51, 52, 55, 56, 57 & 57A
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One way fare is $2.75 and you will need the correct money. No change is given.
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The Bus website: www.thebus.org
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MICROBREWERY ADDRESSES
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Brewseum & Home of The Brave Brewing is at 901 Waimanu Street, Honolulu
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Honolulu BeerWorks- 328 Cooke St, Kakaako
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Waikiki Brewing- 831 Queen Street, Kakaako
Aloha Beer Company- 700 Queen St, Kakaako
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Eat The Street- 747 Ala Moana Blvd Honolulu
Facebook Page-https://www.facebook.com/EatTheStreetHawaii
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THE AUTHOR:
Maureen Spencer
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Maureen is a travel writer lucky enough to be living in New Zealand and has a great passion for travel. Since she became "empty nested" in the late 1990s she has traveled and worked in over 70 countries!
Now she writes articles to share her amazing experiences with other travelers in the hope of providing practical information to help them to prepare and plan for their travel trips.
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