Manoa Gardens

Mānoa Gardens is AMAZING! They have cheap wells $ 3 and drafts are I believe $ 5 for a 22 ounce! When Bale is open you can order cheap pupus like chicken wings, lumpia rolls, fries, etc.
Its located in the center of the UH Mānoa campus. You can’t miss it because its next to the Warrior Recreation Center and you’ll see the bale sign. It’s hours are pretty long for an on-​campus 12−8pm normally unless there’s a special event it could be closed or open for longer depending.
There’s tons of seating here, ideal for studying, group meet ups, dates, talking story, meetings, or whatever. It’s air-​conditioned and has a bathroom outside. It also has outdoor seating if you’re tired of the inside.
Sometimes it gets crowded normally during 12pm because that’s when everyone is hungry and on break. The bartenders are always friendly and mix good drinks. Love, Love, Love it here!

Manoa Gardens is a pretty cool place despite odd décor indoors (strangely not cool) and inadequate outdoor seating. It is a campus watering hole that sells pretty good beer for cheap, has a full bar, and is attached to Bale. During the day you can get some Phở and a beer and in the evening their bar menu features french fries that are super yum. I don’t ask much from a campus place but this place is better than expected.

I enjoy coming here when the rest of campus is more or less shut down, and I need a bite to eat (and maybe a drink to help me unwind after a long day!)
I love that it’s connected to Ba-​Le, and that I can get phở on a cold and rainy night. I’ve totally done that a good number of times, especially during midterms or finals when I’m typically studying at Sinclair Library, which is so close by. It’s actually kind of funny that you can get traditional hangover fare in the same location as the campus bar.
Food is all good. I wouldn’t call anything great, but nothing is bad. And I’ve never had a negative experience here. Granted I’m usually not here when it’s really busy, but I always feel comfortable, which I think is really important for a bar, especially a campus bar.
Drinks are a good price for the amount you get. I never feel like I’m getting gypped. Just remember to drink responsibly kiddos :)

The bartender disappeared for 10 minutes, when he came back I waited another 5 for him to serve me. Descent beer prices though and it’s the only beer on campus.

I use to like this place. The beer selection was always bad (they NEVER rotate the taps and its all generic choices), but the price was right (32oz beers for $ 7). It was a good place to go on campus, unfortunately it recently took a turn for the worse.
Just prior to the 2014 summer they increased the prices from $ 7 to $ 9 for the 32oz beers. Well that sucks, but its still an OK deal. However, over the 2014 summer, while the students were away, they changed the 32oz beers to 24 oz beers and kept the prices the same. Acted like they didn’t change anything. Now its $ 9 for a 24oz beer. BAD DEAL! Crazy expensive if you ask me. Here’s a conversation I had with an exceptionally rude bartender a few weeks ago:
Me: (noticing the smaller beer size after ordering a ‘large beer’) Oh sorry, I must have ordered the wrong size. I wanted a 32oz beer.
B’tender: We only sell 24oz and 12oz beers.
Me: But you use to sell 32oz beers, what happened to those?
B’tender: We only sell 24oz and 12 oz beers.
Me: …but you use to sell 32oz right? Did you change your policy?
B’tender: …(awkward pause)…(looks me straight in the eye). I said, we sell 24oz beers! or 12oz beers! Any other questions?
Wow, well it became apparent other people have been asking him the same thing. Extremely rude nevertheless. Won’t be back…

Decent selection of drinks for reasonable price. Great place, especially since I’m working on campus and just sometimes don’t feel like driving.
Not sure about the drink limit — last time I was here I had 5 empty glasses in front of me.

I can’t recall the amount of times I went «I’ll just have two max and then go to class,» and end up not going to class at all, who knows what i’m talking about?!
overall great place, haven’t been here in a while although i’ve heard prices went up slightly and that there is now a drink limit in effect.

Student-​oriented bar with the best prices around. Bartenders are friendly, cool, and chill, as well as the students that fill the area. Great place to study and have a beer. Its coupled with Bale, therefore you can enjoy great vietnamese food if you ever get the munchies. ;)

Love this Place. Its great late Friday Afternoons and early Evening during the Academic School Year. They have bands or DJs or usually some kinda entertainment at the out door Seating. the percentage of patrons is a closer balanced percentage of graduate Students of all sorts (Law, Engineers, Marine Biology, Hawaiian Culture, etc).
To Get Alcohol; everyone stands in a drama free line.
lots of Fried Food options, or Phở, or chips
Basically the restaurant chain: BALE’
TVs with sports games on them on the inside.
Indoor Outdoor Seating.
FRI 6−9pm: on KTUH 90.3. G-​Spot is on air. The Studio is above Manoa Gardens.
Different Close rather cleanly bathroom options.

Expert tip: if you want to drink before everyone else, sit at the bar and flag down the bartender. Bar flies drink first!
Newly remodeled– new booths, fancy chairs and tables, and wifi coming soon. Same great staff!

If anything makes up for the lack of a college atmosphere around Manoa, its a bar right in the middle of campus. Nestled between campus center and the library, Ba-​Le/​Manoa Gardens is always the place to go after (and maybe before) class.
The prices are the best you’ll find, especially for the big beers. Where else can you get a 32 oz. Longboard for 5.50?!
If only they stayed open past 8…

We all know that the best thing about college is the fun you get to have. Booze, Parties, Hangovers, and Hookups. That’s what we all look forward to when we go off to college right? Well, at least that’s what the typical college student would probably say. Not me. Personally, I was never one to go out and party until I puked. I didn’t even really drink when I finally turned 21. With that said though, I do enjoy a good beer or a glass of wine every now and again.
Knowing what I just admitted to then, it might not be much of a surprise to know that until about a month and a half ago, I had never set foot into Manoa Gardens (at least not for an alcoholic drink). It took exactly three years and my cousin’s semi-​alcoholic behind (only joking btw) to get me to come to this bar (& he’s not even a student at UH! In fact, he’s never even attended the school!!). Go figure!
I honestly don’t know why it’s taken me so long to grab a drink here. For years since turning 21, my friends have continuously made plans to come here. We’ve even talked about possibly grabbing a beer just minutes before going to take our final exams so we could «clear our heads». Lol. But, for some reason it just never really happened. I actually find it kind of funny that the semester that I’m graduating from UH is the semester I finally went to the bar on campus. #Yolo #notreallythough
I know, it’s not everyday that you see a bar on a college campus. In many ways, it could be a double edge sword. — I mean, cheap drinks? Hello, of course! (& they can make you pretty much every drink you can think of!!) It may not be good on your liver at the end of the day, but it’s certainly good on your wallet! But, on the other hand, we all know what crazy things can happen at bars… Ah! Who am I kidding?! Forget I even said that!
On that note, I’m gonna leave all you youngins with a little advice… advice that I probably would’ve given 21-​year-​old me, if I had the chance. — Live it up, kids! Study hard, and party harder (if your liver can handle it.). But, know your limit (s).

Great outdoor venue! Probably the best deal for a cold beer on the island!

Ok ok I haven’t been a student for a long time but the memories and going there recently since we were at UHM to hear a friend speak brought back that flood of memories and the great times friends and BEER! Things have changed since I remember it but the beer is still there and the place is still great to be at. Sure gone are the days that many undergraduates still can get a beer but hey the ones who can and the grad students and lecturers still make the place rock.
Oh I was pleased too that the day we were there they were setting up for a band to play too.
ahh good memories, good beer and now even better beer than I remember.

A BAR on a college campus!!! You’ve GOT to be kidding!
Bar + college campus pretty much seals the four-​star deal itself. And it’s a full service bar, meaning you can enjoy your favorite cocktail and/​or partake of their sufficient beer selection. Prices are outrageously affordable — you can get a 32-​oz MICRObrew or IMPORT for somewhere around $ 5. You’ll not find that deal anywhere else on the island, my friend.
MG is a routine stop for me and my colleagues when we want a change of scenery and to exchange fun conversation over a cold brew. They even provide some peanuts to snack on (if you ask for them). Grab a table outside and enjoy the beauty of the Manoa campus as you take in a frosty brew.
Couple drawbacks, though: Although the seating areas are clearly labeled NO SMOKING, lots of folks light up anyway (because they’re outside, so they figure it’s okay). This is a real drag, and nobody seems to enforce the rule. Second, service can be painfully slow when they’re busy. A single-​file line forms at the bar and you’ll often end up waiting for awhile to get your next beer. (And don’t bother trying to buy a bunch of beers for you and your buddies – Hawaii state law says only one drink per person. So you’re pretty much stuck in the line if you want service.)
And, this isn’t so much of a drawback as a caution: There’s a $ 20 minimum if you plan to use a credit card. So unless you’re staying for the long haul, get some cash from a nearby ATM before you jump in line.
But, as I said, where else can you buy BEER on your COLLEGE CAMPUS!!! So if you’re willing to tolerate the annoyances, you can really have some good times here. :)
Cheers!

Oh Manoa Gardens, how unique you are.
I haven’t been here in over a year since I’m no longer a student but it’s truly a one-​of-​a –kind spot. First off, it’s cheap, ridiculously cheap. I’m working at a bartender now and you simply can’t drink cheaper than at Manoa Gardens. 32 oz beers for what was it, $ 6 – 7? haha.
If you’re a student «Let’s go to Bale!» becomes like second nature at a certain point. My favorite Manoa Gardens memories occured during UH’s magical undefeated football season, I remember seeing a game winning field goal then being so excited I ran out the door and jumped one of the trash cans — good times.
This place could always improve, the food is decent but could be better, the bar is limited but for what it is, a cheap on-​campus place to drink, Manoa Gardens is pretty darn close to perfect.
Oh Manoa Gardens, how I miss you.

When you’re in college this place is AWESOME! It’s not pretty or fancy but it’s the only bar on campus so I think it gets bumped up to four stars just for that reason alone. I remember finally turning 21 while a student at UH (a very long time ago I’d like to add) and discovering their Long Island Iced Teas.
First sip — «Hmm that’s funny, this sure doesn’t taste like iced tea!»
Fourth sip — «Well it tastes funny but my tongue is starting to go numb.»
Tenth sip — «Woo hoo! This is the best school ever! I’m so smart!!!»
Second Long Island — Dancing in circles followed by inevitable blackout
It’s really amazing that I didn’t die from alcohol poisoning but what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger right?! Drinking Long Island Iced Teas at UH is sort of a rite of passage and everyone has their drunken Manoa Gardens story. Although that time of my life, called «The Blurry Period,» was fun I’m glad it’s over. I purposely make it a point not to drink Long Island Iced Teas anymore because I don’t need to relive the puking or hangovers of my youth. No offense to you Long Island Iced Tea lovers, but I like my intestines. They’ve been really good to me!
If you’re a student at UH, go for it! Your time there is short and you should get drunk as much as you possibly can. Grades don’t really matter in the real world (or at least my sucky ones didn’t) so coast on by and drink up. You’ll look back fondly on those days of low productivity, almost zero responsibility and practical poverty. It’s just two steps up from being homeless. You’ve got the rest of your old age to be responsible, pay bills and go to work sober. Live a little and drink one of those giant Long Islands for me! Go Bows!

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I usually find that returning to an old haunt is often quite disappointing… like watching an old episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and finally realizing how lame it really was. However, this visitation to the oft-​frequented bar during my former university student life reminded me of some really great memories.
Let me preface the rest of my review by saying that if this bar went to high school with the other Hawaii bars, it would be in the outcast group and given swirlies every day. The selection of drinks is surprisingly good for a campus bar (besides a standard liquor set-​up… rogue dead guy ale, newcastle and kona longboard on tap, and patron/​jäger machines). However, it’s obvious this place was designed as a campus eatery, then, the manager got a permit to serve alcohol. The layout is like a typical (mini) cafeteria except for the half dozen stools at the bar. Also, the pupus aren’t great… the best you should expect is so-​so fries, onion rings and spring rolls.
That being said, this Friday, I had a chance to hang out with some friends until they had to leave… then I hung out with the bar rats and bartenders. Despite the fact that the bar officially closed at 9, the bartenders were nice enough to let me hang out till 10 o’clock reminiscing about the Manoa Gardens of old. I even got a free 24-​oz tanqueray tonic, despite the fact that I had only met the bartender an hour prior; definitely some of the nicest bartenders I’ve ever met.
If you ever visit this bar, I would recommend avoiding high expectations… it’s nothing fancy or particularly special. However, for former bar rats, it’s always reminiscent of good times past. I frequented this place many times after midterms/​finals with classmates… and sometimes professors. Although years have passed since I last visited, I still saw students drowning their school-​related sorrows in a 32 of beer. I doubt the crowd will ever truly change, which is actually nice to think about. There will always be the 21-​year old student celebrating his/​her birthday as early in the day as possible, the juniors/​seniors drinking away the stress of the semester, the grad students and professors discussing research and scientific theories, and the lonely university individual trying to find good company. Good times.

Dear My University Bar,
I’m finally graduating, and you’re a main reason why I haven’t gone crazy after all these years. 32 oz. beers after (and between. haha) classes, before/​after work, etc. cannot be beaten.
Thanks,
Jon

UNLV, Las Vegas, Sin City, is a dry campus, meaning NO ALCOHOL ALLOWED. UH Manoa, Hawaii, Paradise, FULL BAR conveniently located at BaLe Sandwich Shop. Why UH has a bar is beyond me but Manoa Gardens is giving UH brownie points when I compare the two colleges I’ve attended.
I ran into two friends chillin’ at the bar while they were on their breaks. Having an almost three hour break myself, I got tempted to have a beer with them. One beer turned into two and a free shot compliments of Mr. Bartender. Damn, I was feeling like a rockstar before my Chinese class.
The beers and drinks are extremely cheap. Lots of beer selections that you wouldn’t normally get anywhere else. Where else can you get a 32 oz. draft beer for about $ 5!!! Great prices for the college student budget. Tim (i think) the bartender was super chill and even offered us his food lol.
Today was my first time drinking there and it definitely will NOT be my last. UH kids, if you haven’t done so already, give this bar a try!