Yard House

tjensen3618

California

3.56/5  rDev -8.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | $$

This place basically follows the Yardhouse formula, large place, slight industrial modern decor, big bar, lots of taps, except for this one, well it's in HI.

Looking over the beer menu there's a good selection of about 100 taps. To most BA's about half those are not of interest. A lot of Hawaii local taps that i was interested in were out, the server blamed it on the fact that we were there on a Mon. and a lot of the kegs get kicked over the weekend, fair enough.

I had a CoConut Porter, St. Rogue Red, Trois Pistoles, and a taster set with some hawaiian locals that i am not familiar with, and they didn't do anything to force me to remember what they were.

I didn't get any food so i did not include a score for it, but i've eaten at Yardhouses before, the food is usually pretty good with higher, but average prices for the upscale urban areas that they are usually located in.

Basically it's must stop for anybody staying on the main strip in Waikiki and is missing the craft beer selection of the mainland.

05-21-2010 22:06:27 | More by tjensen3618

big_kevin

4.09/5  rDev +5.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4 | food: 4.25 | $$

The Yard House in HI is probably the best one I've ever been to. The setting is really nice and with so many folks vacationing it just has an awesome vibe.

The prices when put in context, you're on Waikiki beach, all of a sudden become reasonable.

I can still remember eating pizza there in June of last year (7 months ago) so that's pretty memorable and complimentary of the food.

01-17-2013 00:48:11 | More by big_kevin

Devi0us

California

2.99/5  rDev -23.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 3.5 | selection: 2 | $$

Visited on 06/10/2011

I heard alot of things about this place before we flew to Hawaii.

We stayed at The Embassy Suites and The Yard House was at the bottom of our hotel. I knew I had to visit this place after hearing that they had 120 beers on tap.

The atmosphere was loud and the place was packed. I did go during happy hour so that was a plus.

We were seated quickly and the staff was very nice as with every place in Waikiki. As I browsed the beer menu, I was completely disappointed. Although there was a little over 100 beers, hardly any of them appealed to me.

I had 2 beers because I felt like I had to since we went there. The first was a Black Butte and the other was a Trois Pistoles. You can check my reviews if you really want to know how I felt about the beers.

I'm glad to say I visited this establishment. Any place you visit will be better when your in Waikiki. I'm gonna have to check this place out again in San Jose or Roseville. Maybe the beer selection will be better.

07-14-2011 09:02:52 | More by Devi0us

Dogbrick

Ohio

4/5  rDev +2.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$$

(Visited 12/2010): We visited the Yard House a couple times during our time in Honolulu before and after a cruise around the islands. It is located on the Waikiki Beach Walk on Lewers. Not sure about parking as we walked from our hotel but being a touristy area it should be easy to get there.

The entrance is open, and the interior is rather dark with a circular bar toward the right and funky artwork on the walls. Lots of views outside around the seating area.

Yard House has 50+ beers on tap, with a good amount hailing from Hawaii such as Kona, Maui, Mehana and Hawai’i Nui. Other craft brewers like Deschutes, Rogue and Sierra Nevada are available. As for imports they carry brews from Chimay, Affligem, Murphy's and the like. Only a couple of bottles and they were of the NA variety. Beer floats are also on the menu which is cool.

Service was consistently good on our visits. Our servers were familiar enough with the local beers and seasonal stuff.

Food at Yard House is consistently above average. My macaroni and cheese dinner was very tasty.

Overall this is a good beer spot to visit amid all the shopping and tourist spots in the area.

07-07-2011 16:34:08 | More by Dogbrick

mariner22

Hawaii

4.6/5  rDev +18.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$$

I lived near a Yardhouse in Arizona and never went. In Hawaii, it's my favorite beer bar. Slim pickings in Hawaii. The Yardhouse has the best selection of beer on Oahu (right up there with The Varsity and Bar 35) and they seem to know how to handle beer. I've never had a beer taste off and they use the right glassware. I enjoy their selection of beer an appreciate that they change a few of them up every couple of months.

They have an extensive food menu. I enjoy the selection and have liked everything I've tried (except the vegetarian "chicken"). The recently added a "snacks" menu before the pupus. They are small bites from ~$3-5. Perfect for a solo snack.

The Yardhouse can get really crowded. They have an unusual number of large booths, so the space isn't optimally designed to seat guests. The bar is pretty big but it also fills up frequently. Luckily the area around the bar is pretty wide so people just stand. The service is usually pretty good. The knowledge of the staff is hit or miss. Sometimes I have really good beer conversations, other times the staff doesn't seem to know a whole lot about beer or the beer list for that matter. Sadly they charge for samples and do not let you build your own sampler.

You can valet at the Embassy Suites on Beachwalk (very close to the Yardhouse since you can cut through the hotel) for $6 with validation. If you think you might need to leave your car overnight, the Waikiki Post Office is only a little further away and is $5 from 6pm to 7am (or whenever the post office is closed).

01-25-2011 05:56:40 | More by mariner22

themisanthrope

Hawaii

4.08/5  rDev +4.9%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$$

I went to the Yardhouse last week for a friend's birthday. The place was HOPPING. We went on a Saturday night, and it was tourist central - which isn't terribly surprising considering that it's right in the heart of Waikiki. The crowd was mostly non-locals and tourists, but again - that's to be expected.

We sat at the bar and had a very helpful bartender that helped a friend of mine with some recommendations. The bartender even expressed distaste for a particular brewery when asked his opinion of a particular beer. He let my friend try the beer, and my friend agreed - it really wasn't for him either.

I ordered the Deschutes Inversion IPA, and it was great. The taps seem like they were cleaned regularly and the beer was super fresh tasting. I also ordered a local beer : Big Swell IPA. I LOVE this beer out of the can, and it was the first time that I've had it on tap since moving here. It was absolutely fantastic, and the bartender agreed.

Overall the place is pretty decent. The selection is pretty good (great for Oahu), the service is solid, and the food (though I didn't eat this time) is great for a chain. It is SUPER noisy, however. We had trouble carrying on a conversation. It's also mostly a sit-down place - we had an overcrowded table and I felt in the way at all times when standing. It's not a relaxed atmosphere - but what do you expect on a Saturday in Waikiki?

01-18-2011 11:07:50 | More by themisanthrope

warmstorage

Georgia

4.03/5  rDev +3.6%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$$

As many others note, yes, the prices are a little high, but c'mon: it's Waikiki. Happy hour is unquestionably the time to go (Mon-Fri, 2pm-5:30pm.) I walked right up to the bar, though it was largely filled at 3pm with tourists gulping down BMC McGarbage.

A shame, that, since of the 130 taps, at least a quarter are interesting, and there were a few gems: 16 ounces of Anderson Valley Imperial IPA ran me $4.50 (which is happy hour pricing; normally $7.50, still a deal IMO); a 12 ounce goblet of Rogue Double Chocolate Stout was $5.00; and 16 ounces of Widmer Deadlift IIPA was, I think, $4.50.

Atmosphere, not much to say: it's a Yard House, big, loud, lots of wood and brass.

Quality: the beers I had were clean and fresh, but as you can see above, I was choosing things that they probably only get a get or few of, and so turn over quickly. I probably wouldn't want to wade in to the unremarkable draft lines.

Service: was solid, competent, friendly enough, repeatedly refilled water without asking.

Selection: well, look, it's 130 on draft, surely you can find SOMETHING you want. As noted, there are several standouts, and at least a quarter, maybe half, of the draft list is crapontap. Just leave that for the guys asking for specific college basketball games to be put on, and choose the better stuff. Plenty of Hawaii taps. Do ask what specialties/rotating stuff isn't listed: the Rogue Double Chocolate Stout, e.g., was listed.

Food: I liked it, largely because of the extensive vegan and vegetarian options. Tasty, but definitely spendy outside of happy hour. Solid HH specials.

By way of comparison: if the choice for an extensive tap list is here or Ryan's, which claims "one of the most extensive beer selections on the island" then it's Yard House, hands down. And all the beers go on happy hour at Yard House, while at Ryan's only Bud Light, Miller Lite, Blue Moon, and Kona Longboard Lager go on happy hour. That said, Ryan's is a calmer atmosphere. That said, Ryan's is in a bigass mall.

12-01-2010 17:32:48 | More by warmstorage

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.04/5  rDev -21.9%
vibe: 2 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3 | $$$

The entry sat at a slight angle to Lewers Street with the m.d.s. to the right of the entry. Coming in, the long wide stainless steel bar was on a right oblique. Actually, it was a racetrack shape that extended in a complete oval with the back bar a series of tap handles. The outer circumference of the place was nothing but booth seating, which was somewhat unusual from where I sat. Speaking of sitting, it took me two nights of stopping by before I could simply get a seat at the bar. I was peevish on the first night and peckish on the second night. The place struck me as too TOO - too busy in terms of people waiting to get in; too much beer at once - a yard?!?; too loud - tone the rock down, please; too many bartenders - the poor people were nearly tripping over one another.

Beers: At first glance, theirs was an impressive array of 110 taps, but upon further inspection, there was a good bit of BMC coupled with fairly pedestrian imports. Where they shined was the local selection; Kona, Maui, Gordon Biersch, Mehana, and Big Aloha. All of them were represented.

Beer was reasonable, food was $$$.

Blends: Black & Tan; Half & Half; Blacksmith - Smithwick's & Guinness; Black Velvet - Pear Cider & Guinness; Dark Castle - Newcastle & Murphy's or Guinness; Eclipse - Blue Moon & Guinness; Greatness - Lost Coast Great White & Guinness; Snakebite - Pear Cider & Harp; Youngberry Chocolate - Lindeman's Framboise & Young's Chocolate Stout.

12-24-2009 14:28:41 | More by woodychandler

BigBlacke

Florida

3.88/5  rDev -0.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$$

Atmosphere was exciting. Lots of people and good times.

Quality was pretty high. A great place to take a date.

Service was a little slow, but for how busy it was I would consider it normal. Friendly staff as well.

They had about 150 beers on tap so that was a plus. Interesting brews, like coconut porter.

Food was excellent. Also a great 1/2 off deal during happy hour.

It was a bit pricey, but you can expect that from an upscale place like this. Prices can stack up pretty quickly, but definitely a place to check out while your in Hawaii.

10-18-2009 12:42:00 | More by BigBlacke

soupermirl

Mississippi

3.88/5  rDev -0.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$$

I liked it so much I went 2 nights in a row. The food was a little above average for a chain. The beer was unstoppable. A circular bar with 100 beers on tap. It is a great place to get your grub on and sit back with friends to enjoy a few of your favorite brews. The location could be better, but in such a populated commercial environment on Waikiki, unless you can get a view of the beach or be right on the strip, you probably can't ask for much more. The beer is really what's most important anyway. A bit pricey, but it is Hawaii.

01-08-2009 04:02:13 | More by soupermirl