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  • Ultimate Irish Pub Tour: O'Tooles Irish Pub in Honolulu

    • 02/19/2016
    • ADB
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    Stop Number 2 — O’Tooles — Honolulu, HI  (total time - 4 hours) 

    (Talk about a “mini-vacation!) Only getting to spend four hours in Hawaii is one of those Rod Serling Twilight Zone episodes where the protagonist makes a deal with the Devil and chooses Hawaii, only to learn he gets but four hours there prior to spending the rest of his life in Antarctica studying penguins. It ain’t fair, Tim, that you have such little time there. 

    However, the Gaelic groggery Tim got to spend his four hours enjoying is a bit of Irish heaven. There happen to be lots of alleged Eire themed drinking places. However, three real Irish Bars in Honolulu (O'Toole's, The Irish Rose, Kelly O'Neill's), and O’Toole’s is the only one in downtown Honolulu. The other two are in Waikiki.

    So, Tim Herlihy, the U.S. Ambassador for the Tullamore distilleries in Ireland, will be here Today! 

    Wednesday, February 17, 2016. Call O’Toole’s to find out when he will be there. Go and shake hands with a genuine Irish distillery man and a true pub aficionado. Get a selfie with him. 808-536-4138. 

    It is said that O'Toole's is the litmus test of the local bar scene in Honolulu. A packed house here means it is busy everywhere. If the lonely wind whistles through, its vacant everywhere. 

    This place stands apart from other pubs for two things. 

    First is food. They have none. Truely. 

    Eat before you go, because aside of an occasional bowl of nuts, there ‘taint nothing to munch on. 

    Secondly, in 2006 the state put into place exceptionally strict non-smoking laws across the islands. 

    O’Toole’s ignores them. Cigar Aficionado Magazine ran a major piece on O’Toole’s a few years back claiming it was the best place in the islands to enjoy a cigar. Yes, this place is smokey. If you don’t like it, go to the pretend Irish eatery across the street. O’Toole’s is real Irish. 

    So, to review: As is true of all the Irish Pubs, cigarette laws are completely disregarded. If that's a deal-breaker, then I would suggest going elsewhere. Also as noted elsewhere, there is no food. Sometimes a bowl of peanuts will magically appear, O'Toole's has an informal neighborhood feel.

    Finally, O'Toole's holds a strong commitment to live music (and no cover charge), including Hawaii's best Irish band on Saturday nights. Yes, this is crowded place where you share tables and strangers interact with each other. Flirt a little, share a drink, chat. This is a unique place in Honolulu.

    And be sure to meet Tim!  

    O’Toole’s 902 Nuuanu Ave, Honolulu, Oahu, HI 96817-5114  808-536-4138 10am - 2am

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Ultimate Irish Pub Tour: O'Tooles Irish Pub in Honolulu

Stop Number 2 — O’Tooles — Honolulu, HI  (total time - 4 hours) 

(Talk about a “mini-vacation!) Only getting to spend four hours in Hawaii is one of those Rod Serling Twilight Zone episodes where the protagonist makes a deal with the Devil and chooses Hawaii, only to learn he gets but four hours there prior to spending the rest of his life in Antarctica studying penguins. It ain’t fair, Tim, that you have such little time there. 

However, the Gaelic groggery Tim got to spend his four hours enjoying is a bit of Irish heaven. There happen to be lots of alleged Eire themed drinking places. However, three real Irish Bars in Honolulu (O'Toole's, The Irish Rose, Kelly O'Neill's), and O’Toole’s is the only one in downtown Honolulu. The other two are in Waikiki.

So, Tim Herlihy, the U.S. Ambassador for the Tullamore distilleries in Ireland, will be here Today! 

Wednesday, February 17, 2016. Call O’Toole’s to find out when he will be there. Go and shake hands with a genuine Irish distillery man and a true pub aficionado. Get a selfie with him. 808-536-4138. 

It is said that O'Toole's is the litmus test of the local bar scene in Honolulu. A packed house here means it is busy everywhere. If the lonely wind whistles through, its vacant everywhere. 

This place stands apart from other pubs for two things. 

First is food. They have none. Truely. 

Eat before you go, because aside of an occasional bowl of nuts, there ‘taint nothing to munch on. 

Secondly, in 2006 the state put into place exceptionally strict non-smoking laws across the islands. 

O’Toole’s ignores them. Cigar Aficionado Magazine ran a major piece on O’Toole’s a few years back claiming it was the best place in the islands to enjoy a cigar. Yes, this place is smokey. If you don’t like it, go to the pretend Irish eatery across the street. O’Toole’s is real Irish. 

So, to review: As is true of all the Irish Pubs, cigarette laws are completely disregarded. If that's a deal-breaker, then I would suggest going elsewhere. Also as noted elsewhere, there is no food. Sometimes a bowl of peanuts will magically appear, O'Toole's has an informal neighborhood feel.

Finally, O'Toole's holds a strong commitment to live music (and no cover charge), including Hawaii's best Irish band on Saturday nights. Yes, this is crowded place where you share tables and strangers interact with each other. Flirt a little, share a drink, chat. This is a unique place in Honolulu.

And be sure to meet Tim!  

O’Toole’s 902 Nuuanu Ave, Honolulu, Oahu, HI 96817-5114  808-536-4138 10am - 2am

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