Club Ke Kai Lounge

Kekai’s will be closing it’s doors soon. In fact their last day wiil be on Sunday, March 23^rd. Sad to see them closing down but we know nothing is forever. As a patron of downtown Honolulu for decades, it will be sad to see one of the last, if not, the last friendly local bar to bring the Hotel St. Era to an end. We will make an appearance before they close down, that’s for sure. We will miss the camaradarie of old friends and new ones alike hanging out and enjoying each other’s talent and the sense of family. All we can say is, mahalo Pam, Art and employees of Club Ke Kai’s for a fantabulous time after all these years and we wish you all the best of luck on your new ventures. Aloha maua ia kakou a me ka ahui hou. Nui luv, hug’s, & aloha. Maka & Bill Sr.

After a literal nightmare of a month with having to move my work stressing to brink of tears and having my new place robbed and my dog’s ashes and photos all stolen, I walked into this place after work today randomly and was felt everything disappear and started cry from relief. This is what Hawaii is really truly about. Friendly welcoming staff, crazy silly customers and that casual Hawaiian tunes and atmosphere… I feel so lucky to have found this place.

I pop in and out of this bar all the time. At least once a week I’m there, and I can’t tell you how much fun this place is. Saturday nights are like the coolest nights. People from all walks of life come down to have a gander at the karaōke, while the karaōke mama blows everyone away with her voice.
The bartenders at night are cool, and if you ask them they always have drinks on special. Jello shots are the best at only $ 3.00. They also got black apple shots for $ 5.00 on either Friday or Saturday nights.
The waiters/​waitresses are pretty chill too. Once in a while they have pupus, but if you’re hungry you could always bring your own food in. And there are a few joints right down the road on Hotel Street (i.e. Downbeat, Lucky Belly, The Window) that still serve food after hours.
Overall, super cool bar. Super cool talent. And super funny people at this bar :)

I hardly go out these days but when I do, I find myself at Club Ke Kai.
Back when I was a super FOB Chinese child, I would always go to Chinatown with my mom and that block on Hotel Street used to be so ghetto. She would pull me far away from the doors of those bars so I’ve always associated bad things with it until about a year ago thanks to recommendations from an old coworker and Mr. Bartender at Bar 35. I was instantly hooked.
It’s divey. It’s old school compared to all the newer swankier bars in Chinatown. Ke Kai has a special «Cheers» charm to it that the other bars lack. When it’s full, the patrons will always try to make room for you. Thanks patrons!
There is karaōke. $ 1/​song. The song selection is a bit older but those make for the best sing-​a-​longs. My friends always peruse the book but they never have the balls to sing. Such a disappointment. The owner is a classy lady! She has an amazing voice so it’s always a treat when she sings.
Drinks are cheap. Wells are $ 4 and my beloved large Kirin bottle is $ 5. I come here just for the Kirin.
I’m not even gonna sugarcoat this aspect but it’s a gay bar that’s very straight friendly. You wouldn’t even notice because it’s just so laid back and the crowd is diverse. So, if you’re ever wanna pre-​game before hitting the nicer bars for First Fridays or just to get a casual drink, I highly recommend Club Ke Kai’s. Good times were always had…
Trust.

I have to say I am a big fan of Kekai’s. It’s a dive karaōke bar, yes, but it is a ton of fun.
I’ve been to Kekai’s in various states of dress– mostly with the Cherry Blossom Cabaret, post performance (Kekai’s is a favorite after spot), so a brightly colored bob wig and corset is the usual attire, haha. They’re the usual dollar per song and decent drink prices. Ordered a mean mojito (or three) there before– so delish! The song choices aren’t the most updated but they have the oldies but goodies.
Other than the CBC girls and the friends I’ve happily delighted by introducing this place to, the usual crowd is a little older. Don’t be ashamed to belt one out in front of them though, they appreciate any song sang enthusiastically. I crooned Roxie from Chicago and it was well received. ;) Oh man, and you gotta hear Mama-​san sing! I’ve been privileged to hear Whitney Houston, Pussy Cat Dolls, and she followed up my «Roxie» with «When You’re Good to Mama». Love the involvement!
Again, I adore Kekai’s. I’d say best time to go is after you’ve grabbed a bite to eat (no pupus there, sorry), to prepare for alcohol consumption and rockstar performances. It’s a great place to end a night in Chinatown. Recommended to bring fun groups, so sporadic dance numbers can ensue, making for amazing video clips to watch the next morning. ;)

I passed by this place so many times but never stopped to go inside. One night my boyfriend convinced me to give it a shot, and OMG IT WAS A BLAST! It was a rather slow night, so we sat at the bar and decided to karaōke! This spot is bomb for singing! (Only $ 1 per song btw~!)
The bartender that was working that night was also a fantastic singer! I was just amazed by how great his voice was! Slightly made me shame to sing, but oh well who cares when there’s alcohol involved!

I have no issues with KeKai’s at all. It’s really divey. Really, reallly divey.
The first time I went there was a group of old, old locals singing there love song tunes. YOU KNOW THE ONES. Some of that Marvin Gaye, Luther Vandross, a little Anita to get this party started offfff rrrriiiiiiiggggghhhhhttttt.
The owner is really nice and she sings that Patti LaBelle, Diana Ross, even Don’t Cha by the Pussycat Dolls really well.
Dollar a song, grab a few brews,
Pass the refreshments you know a cool, cool beverage,
Everything I do requires a news crew presence… wait they don’t have that song (Clique –Kanye) BUT they do have alot better selection then some of the karaōke houses in town. Believe dat!
Drop by when in Chinatown, it’s right near Manifest. This is the usual walk between Manifest and that tattoo parlor on the street. Yea, you know the one where you look left into the door and it looks sketch as heck. It’s good times. Hahaha

I’ve passed this place many a time while visiting good old Hotel Street. Like what many others probably do, I kept my sights dead ahead and pretended that this place did not exist. Out of sight, out of mind right? It was just another hole-​in-​the-​wall establishment, better left to the seedier days of Chinatown and Hotel Street.
I am glad to report how wrong I was. As cliched as it may sound, never judge a book by it’s cover. Meeting up with some friends in Chinatown on a Friday night, one of the girls suggested we sing Karaōke here. Apparently she is a regular and vouched for this place. Fortunately, I had enough drinks by that time to be relaxed enough to venture in to this oft ignored establishment.
The place was filled with who I assumed were the regular patrons, regular people that could have been someone’s auntie, uncle, grandpa, or grandpa. Other than the bartender, I believe my friends and I were the youngest group in there, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Songs are only a $ 1 a pop, so we began to feed the karaōke machine, which had a voracious appetite. Actually, requesting songs consisted of filling out the standard slip of paper and submitting it to the bar. Service was quick and speedy, and the drinks flowed aplenty. In fact, my karaōke singing was so horrible, the bartender felt compelled to comp me with a FREE DRINK. Cheers, mate!
The biggest shock came from the cleanliness of the bathroom. I walked in, expecting the standard bar bathroom dilapidation, with the requisite odors, but was greeted with white walls and the smell or roses. Club Ke Kai, I salute you.
BTW, my first Unilocal review. Thank you for reading.

I never really considered going into any of the older bars along Hotel Street… The people who are hanging around the doors have been enough to scare me off from actually entering any of those establishments for years! Finally, I was invited to come to Ke Kai’s for a couple drinks on New Years Eve… I trusted the person who asked me to come there, and she assured me that their place is full off good people, and that they run off the riff-​raff. So I gave it a shot! And I was impressed with the homey feel and easy conversation. Now I have a pretty cool hangout spot… Ke Kai’s has become my go-​to spot when I need a place to chill in town for a couple mins or hours.
Friendly staff: Unko Peter and Unko Kimo pair up on many weekdays. Cheryl Ann is usually there daytime on Saturdays… it’s a very laid-​back atmosphere, watch the volleyball game (or whatever is on, TCM if you wish lol), talk story over a couple cold ones… No cover, cheap brews (although their mixed drinks tend to run a little higher), an all-​around– nice time. $ 1/​song karaōke is always fun! Oh yeah, and clean bathrooms!!! big plus!
Live Hawaiian music two Sundays a month with a high percentage mahu turnout… good fun, great oldies! Feels like a family gathering with kanikapila…
NEGATIVES: pricey mixed drinks, $ 20 min for credit cards, and parking, just cuz its in Chinatown…

Had a blast here.
The place was crowded for first friday and I still got fast and friendly service. Karaōke was a blast and they are planning more events for the future with live entertainment. Drink prices were great, a friend and I ordered a domestic and an import and the bill was only 7 bucks. I would damn near expect to pay that for just one beer at just about any of the bars in the area. I would recommend this place to anybody looking to have fun.

you know what makes a fun evening more fun? drag queens.
i swear i had the best time the other night. we stopped by to have a quick beer and ended up singing ike and tina turner with the lovely «ladies» of club ke kai early into the morning hours.
things are just better when they are dusted with a tad bit of erotic wonder. that is how i would describe my evening and the people who helped to inhabit it the other night.
way good fun folks, way good fun…

Well, I don’t know where to go with this review. I’m torn between 2 and 3 because quite honestly, I don’t think I’d ever go back again. Granted, the night in question was the Saturday before Halloween so it was pretty crazy in there. The only reason we ended up in this dive was because we couldn’t get into any other ones. Downtown was packed to the gills for the Hallowbaloo block party and all lines for all bars were jammed. So, we ended up at Ke Kai’s just to keep our buzz going.
So you got like 7 of us hogging up the corner of the bar and trying to order drinks. The bartender was pretty rude and had I been sober, I probably, wait, I wouldn’t have tip as handsomely as I did. We were drinking shots of 151, crown, vodka, etc., anything and everything you could imagine. And you know once the alcohol is flowing through my veins, I’m a happy camper.
Not much to say about this joint other than it’s an older establishment. The bartender was rude but the drinks – at least from what I can recall – were inexpensive. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and dish out a 3-​star. A-​OK.

Ok, so this is more of older chinatown that hip shiny happy people chinatown but I love it because you can get a seat, drinks are dirt cheap (mixed ones are rough though), the karaōke is souful, and the bathroom recommends «ladies» only. This is not a place to sing will smith and have your microphone removed by the bartender due to your bad singing. bring your motown a-​game.
It opens at like 10 in the morning, and never seems to close. I go there on first fridays, no line, no cover. and I watch the beautiful people wait for bar 35.

I lived near by so China Town was my territorial.
This place is just FUN!!!
You can have drinks and Karaōke on reasonable price.
People gathered there are unique but fun.
Forget your stressful life style for awhile and enjoy…