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8 Fat Fat 8 Bar & Grille
- Hours:
Mon, Sun 2 pm - 2 am
Tue-Sat 4 pm - 2 am
- Delivery:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street, Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Late Night
- Music:
- Juke Box
- Best Nights:
- Wed, Thu, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ambience:
- Dive-y, Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
79 reviews for 8 Fat Fat 8 Bar & Grille
Review Highlights
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"I absolutely love their crispy gau gee, so much meat." In 6 reviews -
"Can't wait to try the fried lettuce and escargot." In 10 reviews -
"8 fat fat 8 has a huge selection of karaoke songs." In 33 reviews
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79 reviews in English
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Review from Toke H.
Huntington Beach, CA
4/29/2012
I love this place! Its been ages since I've been here but I never appreciated what a great local place this is and plus the food is awesome especially the crispy chicken! Go on sundays when Jon is working, the guy is da bomb!
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Review from C B.
Honolulu, HI
4/7/2012 1 Check-in Here
Dive bar, great pupus, walking distance, open late.
Try: special chicken, crispy gaugee, potstickers, lupchong fried rice with egg
If you don't like karaoke, go early -
Review from Jasmind T.
Honolulu, HI
4/7/2012
I like dive bars in general and 8 Fat Fat 8 is a pretty good one. I'm new to the neighborhood, and wanted to get to know the chill dive bars I can frequent for a low key night out. The bartenders and servers were nice and helpful (I'm starting to get used to establishments not rushing to help you as soon as you walk in the door).
I like the drink specials because I'm a beer fan, and the drinks there on par with any bar. I love karaoke so that was a plus. Liked the fact that the pool table wasn't super crowded so my roommate and I got to play a game, and there are plenty of dart machines. We didn't try any of the pupus, but judging by the tables and the way they were coming out the kitchen they must be good.
Its a small place, but seems friendly enough. You can tell its a very local place, but not discriminatory. I'll definitely be back. -
Review from Tina H.
3/11/2012 1 Check-in Here
Here's the gist of 8 Fat Fat 8: It's hidden, it's divey, it's not a place for high tea or hipster art shows. You go there, you sit down, and you shove your face with food and beer. Normally, I am all about sitting down and shoving my face with things that don't make me the butt of some obvious sex joke, but I just wasn't feeling the hype that I'd heard from this place.
First off, the seats that we took were so close to the pool table, I had to get into action hero mode a couple of times and push my friend to the side in order to avoid a head on "cue-lission". That kind of gets old after the 3rd or 40th round.
Second, their service wasn't the best. I wasn't expecting to be pampered at a dive bar, but when we ask for the tab, can you, you know ... get it? We were sitting there for the longest time and I kind of got this feeling that the waitress forgot about it. Pretty average rating as far as attitude is concerned. There's only one cook from what I understand, so don't expect your food to come out in a flash.
Lastly (and most importantly) their food was alright. I liked their fried rice a lot but the chicken left something to be desired. If their food was amazing, I could ignore the other stuff, but I just didn't think their menu was anything special.
Personally, I think Home Bar and Grill has way better food, way better service, and still has that greasy divey feel we all like to sink into now and then. Plus, you're guaranteed to come home without a pool cue sticking out of your temple. -
Review from S T.
Honolulu, HI
5/6/2012 1 Check-in Here
Hands down great service. Everyone there is nice. It doesn't look like there's any beers on tap but the drinks they do have, it is CHEAP. They have happy hour and daily drink specials. Fridays are $5 for a large Kirin.
Food wise, not the best or cheapest but it's alright. Then again, I'm really not a fan of local style Chinese food. They have a decent steak for $16. And they give you free peanuts.
I love that it's a family kind of place, even if it's a bar. You've got people and their kids just hanging out, playing darts, pool, karaoke, gives me a nice feeling. Plus since it's a mostly older crowd, it empties out by like 10pm so it's great place to chill.
I've never had a hard time with parking there, either street or in the Midas. -
Review from sheldon f.
Honolulu, HI
2/28/2012 1 Check-in Here
Come here once in a while for a Guinness or a Boddingtons whenever my friend is in town visiting. They have beer and shot specials for every day of the week. Must haves every time we visit are; Fat Fat chicken and their chopped steak with onions. Their Fat Fat chicken is consistently absolutely delicious, always tender, always juicy, and the skin always as a light crisp.
There's a few dart boards, a single pool table and karaoke.
Service is mediocre, there's a waitress there who constantly forgets to put in your order and she's hard to get a hold of to order anything.
When their kitchen is closed they offer chips and planters dry roasted peanuts. There's a couple of "emergency" food items on their menu that they can make or prepare when the kitchen is closed.
If you can't find street parking, park in the Midas parking lot right next door. I Highly recommend their Fat Fat chicken. -
Review from Emiko T.
Despite the fact that I can never get the name right (I refer to it as 8 Fatty Fat, 88 Fatness, 808 the Fat Cake) my friends know what I mean and have forgiven me for my ignorance. Now I actually can never call it 8 Fat Fat 8, for these other misnomers have grown on me too much. As have their truly delicious chicken wings. Oi. Let me tell you, that is worth a trip in itself.
The drinks are just average. But I suppose what you come for are the great happy hour deals and drinks that are different every day of the week. Perhaps also what you come for is the no-nonsense service in which chatting up the waitresses is not going to get you better service nor service with a smile. They're there to serve you on their on watch and so be prepared to either be patient or know what you want right away. At times their drinks aren't the best but at least they come around often to top you off if you're unsatisfied. They actually (surprisingly) make a good margarita. A nice little touch is that they offer free peanuts.
The chicken wings are the most succulent thing you could ever want. I truly cry for the vegetarians of the world. They're so moist, crispy, and HUGE. And you get an entire plate of them, I think about eight or ten. Lucky tummy. If you only want to go there for one night, make sure to do it on chicken night when they're on the happy hour menu and half-priced (I think it may be Tuesday night).
You can sing karaoke though it may take you forever to get your song to play. But they have a huge selection. The talent rums the gamut from average to awesome--but I've usually only heard really awesome singers there. Like singers with soul. Like the lost members of the Delfonics.
Great neighborhood joint with PARKING! A must try in the dive category. -
Review from Jason Y.
2/1/2012 1 Check-in Here
This goes in the category of "dive bar".
Smallish, a bit dark, a bit dirty, but got some good food. Food is mostly chinese influence/tasting. Can't go wrong with the special chicken and a side of salt. It's yummy and pretty decent for $10. Also a go is fried lettuce which is what all vegetables should be, sauteed in butter and garlic. Just because it's main ingredient is lettuce, it's not a salad!
Other tasty things i've had there is gau gee, fried rice, escargot. Drinks are a decent price, $3.50 is the regular price for domestics, $0.50 off during happy hour. Not a big place, so if it's crowded you'll probably have to go somewhere else, hit it up early for after work drinks and some food, it's worth it...plus if you're a fan, you may run into Bruno Mars once in awhile. He can sing his own songs on karaoke, kind of cool actually. -
Review from Robert D.
1/3/2012 2 Check-ins Here
8 Fat is one of my favorite places to go after 10pm. The menu is typical Chinese/Bar food, which is freaking awesome!!!!
Food/Drinks:
Raspberry beer is a must try and their drinks are pretty well priced! The food is omfg delicious, I love foods that are deep fried. You only go around the world once so you might as well eat what makes you happy!!
Service:
All women....Yeah, all women.... Very friendly and always able to have a good conversation with them about what's going down in the neighborhood.
Overall:
What can I say that I haven't covered. Looks can be deceiving come down and try it out for yourself! -
Review from Seth H.
3/13/2012
Just love this place, not the prettiest place but the food is awesome, gotta try the lup cheong fried rice, gau gees are packed with meat, poke is good too with big chunks of ahi, french fries are nice and crispy, and the steak and onions is way tasty too. I bring my whole family.
-
Review from Sarah G.
Honolulu, HI
3/9/2012
Totes love this place! Kinda divey + $1-per-song karaoke = right up my alley. The fried lettuce is mighty tasty.
-
Review from Andrew D.
10/11/2011
I swear I wrote a review about this place already....
In any case, 8 fat is one of my favorite places to go after 10pm. The menu is typical Chinese/Bar food, which is awesome when all you want to eat is salty, crispy fried food after a long night at work. The drink menu is extensive, there's a couple of drinks on there that you can't find anywhere else( the raspberry beer). Service is always pretty sharp, haven't gotten anything bad service yet. Details below.
Food:
-Crispy gau gee, delicious with beer.
-Fried lettuce, it's...interesting.
-Onion rings, crispy, onion-y, delicious.
-Boiled peanuts, GIANT PEANUTS!!!
-Honey roasted peanuts, complimentary.
-There were some other dishes we ate, but you know how that goes...too much drinky, can't remember.
Drinks:
-Frambarge(??) It's the raspberry beer. Sweet, crisp, it tastes like soda.
-They have drink specials every night.
-All their other drinks can be found at any other bar.
Service:
-All women....I think.
-Very friendly, helpful and nice ladies.
-One of them is super hyper, she's our favorite.
Overall:
-Good food
-Cheap drinks
-Karaoke, if that's your thing
-Open til 2
Like I said before, my favorite place to come after 10pm. -
Review from Mitchell L.
Boston, MA
8/20/2011 1 Check-in Here
Amazing local feel for a bar. I absolutely love their crispy gau gee, so much meat. Greats drink specials too! Forget waiting for happy hour! $3.50 specials every day all day!
They have pool and darts along with Karoke! If you want a place you can actually talk to your friends then this is the place. If you're trying to pick up on girls, then this isn't your place. Depends what you want. But I love it for the chill atmosphere! -
Review from carol l.
1/9/2012 3 Check-ins Here
Get your bathing suits on and dive into this bar! Great Chinese bar food. A must: 8 fat fat 8 chicken, mushrooms (probably cooked in a pound of butter) who cares! Ong choi with cake noodles..sooo guud! If your with my brave Fear Factor Chinese friends fried gizzards and escargots! Yeah!!! Oh yes you dies hard American Idol participants you can practice here all night. =)
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Review from Shannon B.
1/11/2012 1 Check-in Here
Cheap beer by the bottle only. Great food, and a unique atmosphere. This is definitely a place that you are welcome to become a regular.
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Review from Curt C.
8/1/2011 5 Check-ins Here
8 Fat Fat 8 is "homely". It's a very small bar and can usually be quite crowded on weekends, but it just feels kinda cozy. It's also a open karaoke lounge bar (which I usually dislike), but every time I've been here the singers have been pretty good so I don't mind the singing. There are also four dart boards, however since it is really close to one of the tables it can be a bit crowded in that area. There are daily drink specials and the food is quite good, we had ordered the Ika, Fat Fat special chicken, some green veggies, and lup cheong fried rice. All of the dishes were really really good.
Located on Beretania, not the hardest place to find, but I did drive by it the first time and had to turn around. There is a small parking lot to the left of the bar, but I've never had a problem finding street parking.
Would I go back? Yes. Some may be put off by the size and the atmosphere the first time, but this place really grows on you. Not the most trendiest place (okay, not a trendy place), but a place to just wear some shorts and slippers, kick back and relax. -
Review from Jacque D.
Honolulu, HI
7/12/2011
Went here for the first time after hearing great reviews from a fellow yelper and friend, Kris. She kept saying it's a dive bar but they have great food!!!
Went on a Friday night. Parking lot was gull, so we had to look for street parking. I found one across the street. Didn't want to jay walk (even though many people were) because its against the law, i walked down to the crosswalk and then back up. I'm crazy.
No booths were open, but the seats at the bar was open. That was nice. I had a long island iced tea ($7.00). It was yummers! Light in color, so you know there was lots of alcohol! Kris recommended we get the Shrimp Fried Rice and the Special Chicken. So ono!! I cant wait to come back and try their other specials.
We wanted to play darts. And found an open table near the dart boards. kind of hard to play darts when a group of people were sitting in our path. but there were nice enough to move to the side. Then we chose a board that was on the other side so we wouldn't be in their way. After that cam a another couple started to play next to us. Then it started to get cramped.
There was a lot of regulars there. The servers and owners knew them by name and knew what like to drink and eat. That's cool. Make you feel at home. The regulars that sat at the bar also love to sing karaoke! They are great singers. It was fun to sing along with them. One of the ladies even brings in her own maracas. It was just awesome! -
Review from Anita C.
Honolulu, HI
6/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
Drinks and pupus after work... Chicken gizzards & crispy gau gee and of course Heinekin Lights! Anyways, the crispy gau gee was great! Plenty of beef mixture inside and pretty spicy tasty dipping sauce. The chicken gizzards would've been ok, but it was a bit over cooked. The tempura crust was good though.
We did play pool, but got kicked off the table by some older men that took their sweet time playing. There's only one pool table there and you need $1 in quarters for it (typical bar pool table). Waitress/bartender was really friendly and attentive to our needs. The owner also stopped by our booth and talked for a bit and checked how we were doing.
I've gone to this place a few times before and would definitely go back. Bear in mind, the place is not the prettiest, but service, food, pool table, and bathroom is pretty good for a hole in the wall kinda place. -
Review from Vivian H.
1/16/2011 8 Check-ins Here
Must Order: Salt & Pepper Shrimp, Pan Fried Pork Chops, Fried Lettuce
The other day we decided to try out 8 Fat Fat 8. We were actually looking for red snapper that wasn't at a Thai restaurant and Yelp pulled up 8 Fat Fat 8. After reading some of the reviews on their pork chops an chow fun we decided to give it a shot. It was just walking distance from our place and I've been there a couple times before but never had the food.
People list 8 Fat Fat 8 as a "dive bar" and I didn't quite see it that way. Sure, the booths have stains on them but it reminded me more of a local Hawaii bar. My mom had previously owned Mikado next to Side Street Inn years ago with people coming for her Vietnamese spring rolls. After she sold her bar, 8 Fat Fat 8 was the hangout that her friends ended up going to and seemingly of recent, a younger crowd has also started to frequent the place.
Anyway, back to the important stuff... the food. So alas, we get there and there isn't red snapper! Not a big deal since we see that Salt & Pepper Shrimp was the Saturday night special and when I'm craving salty food, Salt & Pepper Shrimp hits the spot! After some debating, we ended up with Salt & Pepper Shrimp, pan-fried pork chops, and fried noodles. I really wanted to try the fried lettuce but I got vetoed on that one. :-(
Coedo Beniaka Beer
First up was my boyfriend's beer. He wanted to try something different and this beer was a sweet potato based beer from Japan. At $9 it's a bit of a commitment but when I tried it, it was pretty good and I rarely drink alcohol let alone beer! He liked it as well and it was a very nice compliment to the salty foods we were having.
Salt & Pepper Shrimp
The Salt & Pepper shrimp came out and we were excited. I LOVE Salt & Pepper shrimp and we love it at Fatty's where they call it the Szechuan shrimp. 8 Fat Fat 8 beat out Fatty's. The shrimp was crispy and jam packed with good flavors. They have more garlic than Fatty's does which is probably why we liked it more. You get whacked with the flavors in your mouth and even if I was in a desert with no water, I could imagine myself salivating over the thought of eating this. It was so good, I ate the whole shrimp--head, tail & all! Hey, I am Asian!
Pan-Fried Pork Chops
When we ordered the pork chops, the waitress, Deborah, asked us pan-fried or salt & pepper. We asked her which one she liked and she said the pan-fried, so we gave that one a try. The flavors are very good with a lot of the pork fat making the pork chops very juicy. I imagine it was fried in a pan dedicated to just pork chops with years of flavor caked into the pan. The flavors were very good but we also want to try the salt & pepper one for comparison.
Fried Noodles
The fried noodles were great and they weren't the slightly thicker local style noodles but in the Hong Kong style thin noodles which we love. It was very good albeit a bit salty but then again we are at a bar and things tend to be saltier at bars.
Verdict: We wished we tried this place sooner! The people there were awesome and with my boyfriend being the all-American Gap guy, we don't worry about any territorial locals. It's a laid-back environment great for chillin' and hanging out with friends. With it's onolicious local bar food and close proximity to our place, we're definitely planning on being regulars here. We've already planned out our visits based on their pupu specials-- Tuesdays- Salt & Pepper Pork Chops, Wednesdays- Beef Chow Fun & Saturdays- Salt & Pepper Shrimp. I hope to see you guys there too! -
Review from Shaila M.
Honolulu, HI
1/8/2011
My friendly dive bar!
From the outside 8 Fat Fat 8 looks kind of shady, but it's so not! A dive bar, yes. Definitely. But, friendly service and great food make it a place to frequent, though I'm going to try to limit myself to only once in a blue moon, otherwise I think I'd become morbidly obese.
If you're a Side Street fan, you're probably a 8 Fat Fat 8 fan. The difference is that you're likely to leave 8 Fat Fat 8 with some money in your wallet as prices are more reasonable and food is delicious, but with an obvious Chinese fair.
A few favorites are the crispy gau gee, fried pork chops, cake noodles, and the chicken. I hear their fried lettuce is amazing and I can't wait to try it! Ok, geez, I just realized everything I just cited is fried or deep fried, but hey, it's bar food and delicious at that!
The bar is on the smaller side and it does fill up quickly, so it's best to come a little early if you can. Parking's in the lot just before the bar. Yum! -
Review from Dave P.
Honolulu, HI
10/22/2011
Came in on a Friday night, it wasn't super packed at 6. The gau gee is very plump and tasty,the $5 kirin's hit the spot, darts, pool and Karaoke...Cant beat it...It's definitely not an "ultra" lounge, and that just fine with us. Another plus was the friendly staff.
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Review from Lauren S.
Stockton, CA
11/18/2010 11 Check-ins Here
I kinda love this place. I wasn't so sure at first when I walked in and saw everything upholstered (um, spilled drinks...helloooo) and the servers were a little off top...But the prices are pretty decent for both beers and wells (but a soda shouldn't cost the same as a well!) and the pupus are delicious! It's a really friendly place and I go here often with my coworkers who all just love it and the $1 karaoke songs!
I was worried when I moved here I wouldn't have a local neighbourhood bar, well I found it at 8 Fat Fat 8!Listed in: Hollalulu!, Favourite Karaoke Spots
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Review from Jason D.
Ahh 8fat. One of my favorite places to go to. If you're looking for a high-class place to hangout at, this ain't it. 8fat is a your neighborhood bar and has lots of regulars.
Go early because parking and searing could get limited. Better yet, call ahead and reserve a table if you have a large party.
Good drinks, good food, good company. That's 8fat for you. -
Review from Chi C.
2/21/2011
I must say, this bar serves the best food out of all the bars I've been to. The special chicken is delicious and the ong choy beef with cake noodle is perfect. In combination with beer and liquor, this makes an awesome combination. The service is great, the staff is very attentive. Tonight's special was the mystery beer, which was budlight lime. This is the first time trying this beer for me and I think its pretty refreshing.
Overall, I like this place. Great food, great staff, great atmosphere. No wonder this place has been around for so long and is liked by so many. -
Review from Kaliko P.
8/20/2010 4 photos
The first thing my friend said when we found street parking (none in the small parking lot) and walked up to 8 Fat Fat 8 is: "I don't want to die". Indeed, they don't call dive bars dives for nothing and we didn't know what to expect. My response was "the Yelpers all said it was a fun and friendly place, come on"
The bar pretty dimly lit, as most bars should be. The chairs were all booth types toward the middle of the bar, made of some kind of plush mouse-colored fabric with lots and lots of stains on them, but they were pretty comfortable.
We passed a booth that had a six year old kid in it and my friend immediately relaxed. After he was certain he wouldn't get killed he said "I am the only white guy in here", to which I said "no you are not, there are two other white guys in here". He relaxed again. Our waitress came by after a few minutes and asked us what we wanted. We were not sure, so she said "get the apple beer, its good". The apple beer turned out to be Smirnoff Green Apple.
A lot of people occupying the benches were singing karaoke. A nice blend of younger and older folk and the (one) child. The karaoke was pretty loud but it was cool to listen to some of the people who were really good at it. You could tell they were good because the bar patrons would clap at the end. If you sucked, you got no applause.
I ordered an Appletini ($6) and it tasted a bit odd, like old brandy in it. Not too bad, but not great. Another waiter came by. He looked like he was from the kitchen, and he wanted to know what we wanted and sat by us. He was very friendly, as was our waitress. We tried to order the Fried Lettuce, but they were out of lettuce. We ordered the Fried Noodles ($8.00) and the Onion Rings ($7.00). While we were waiting the waiter/kitchen cook brought us a small dish of salted peanuts, which was a nice touch.
The Onion rings were very good, hot and greasy. Nice portions. The Fried Noodles were %$##@ salty, but my friend didn't think so. In this case, he wins, because I rarely salt my food and I don't eat out much. The noodles were very good, they were thin Hong Kong style noodles.
I ordered a Bloody Mary for my next drink ($5) and it tasted funky, like really spicy generic tomato flavored mix. What do you expect from a dive bar? I'd stick with the bottled drinks next time I come back.
Total bill without tip came out to about $34.00 for the both of us. We ended up taking home the food as the portions were large.
In a nutshell here's my rating for this friendly dive bar:
PARKING: **
ATMOSPHERE: ***
FOOD: ***
MIXED DRINKS: **
SERVICE: *****
Seriously, I had better service at this dive bar than I have in most fancy establishments! I would have given this place a solid THREE if it were not for the friendly, attentive staff!! -
Review from Malaking Saging M.
Honolulu, HI
12/9/2011
8 Fat Fat 8, don't let the name scare you away... Cool lil bar with that local dive vibe. Drink specials every day. Strong drinks, yes please. Great service was a nice surprise and we didn't even sit at the bar. Pool and darts to play. I was a crispy gau gee virgin before here. The bar (no pun intended) has been set here 4 excellent crispy gau gee. I went at 4pm when they opened so I don't know what the night crowd is like, but the pre-night crowd was older folks. Good stop to grab a drink or 2 and pupu before heading home. I will go back since I live around the corner.
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Review from John W.
Harrisburg, OR
2/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
After being stationed on O'ahu for too long I grew tired of tourist trap bars and wanted to go drink with some normal people.
I believe it was a Wednesday night some friends and I went and we had a blast, there was only about 6 other people but we had a great time.
The bartender was friendly and took great care of everyone, some girls were singing karaoke it was pretty funny. Also I had a very interesting conversation with a rape counselor.
If I ever make it back to O'ahu I will definitely stop by here again. -
Review from Justin U.
9/3/2010 4 Check-ins Here
This place never fails me. Karaoke, good food, darts, good parking, good seating, not overly crowded, cheap drinks, friendly service.
Favorite dishes: Garlic edamame, fried pork chops, salt/pepper chopped chicken and fried rice
Inside, there's a good blend of people from all age groups. Karaoke is open mic, so be prepared to sing in front of everybody. $1 per song. Also, there's about 5 dart boards costing 50 cents per person per game. To the side, theres a pool table costing 1 dollar per game. There's drink specials everyday costing 3.50 per drink. On the walls, TVs everywhere.
This is definitely one of my favorite spots to hit up on Oahu to hang out and drink without all of the craziness of crowded bars. I'm slowly becoming a regular here. -
Review from Seleena H.
Honolulu, HI
7/12/2010 6 Check-ins Here
I don't frequent dives. But, somehow, I've unabashedly become "a regular" at 8 Fat Fat 8! And, just what does a vegetarian eat at 8 Fat? Why - the fried lettuce, of course! What, never heard of fried lettuce? I hadn't either. But, let me tell you, 8 Fat's fried lettuce is the best (and most unique) dish I've ever had at a fun, neighborhood dive! Doused in some kind fo brown, stir-fry sauce, the fried lettuce is flavorful, slightly spicy, and a stroke of genius!
Loaded up on 8 Fat's delicious (and inexpensive) fried lettuce and fried noodles, there's nothing better than grabbing the mic and busting out a song (or two). Whether folks are shooting pool, throwing darts, or belting out some tunes, 8 Fat is just a fun, comfy, homey place that is always packed with a lively, local crowd. -
Review from Y C.
Honolulu, HI
6/9/2008
Looking for a place to impress your date on your very first outing? Searching for ambience, candlelight, valet parking, and hardwood floors? Then you're in the wrong neighborhood, mon ami. However, if you're looking to have a good time, sing some karaoke, play some (mini) pool or darts, drink, and EAT GOOD GRUB, fatties is the place for you. The bar is located on Beretania next to Midas, and parking is either street or the Midas lot.
It's a hole in the wall in every sense of the word, so don't expect to be wowed by its decor. Your date will not be impressed if he's used to the finer things in life, or if she's more Lewers Lounge than a lounge. But their reaction to the place can be a good indicator of how they roll :)
I hate giving them 5 stars because this means I may have to fight for parking and table space. But I gotta give credit where credit is due, and 8 fats deserves all the kudos it gets.
Drinks: they have lots of beer selection, full bar, premium, sake, and all that jazz. Prices are not bad either.
Karaoke: their song selection runs from oldies to now, and the atmosphere is real friendly-like. At any given day, you'll hear someone belting out a tune.
Darts/pool: they have 4 dart boards and a small pool table, enough to keep you occupied if your friends start to bore you.
Food: now we get to the meat of the matter . . . our standard order, be it a group of two or ten, is the 8 fat chicken, 8 fat soybeans, and beef with cake noodle. Clearly this is not enough for 10 peeps, so we double the order, add french fries and lup chong fried rice, and drink more. And yes, with two people we can almost finish three dishes. It's that good.
Ok, gotta go - meeting some friends at 8 fats. . . -
Review from Leimalani F.
Honolulu, HI
10/16/2010
Cha-nese and Karaoke? Win Win! Luck Luck!
Nice bar. Puffy stools with backs. $1 songs. Regulars crooning Neil Diamond and the like. Pretty good grinds. Me likey.
Fried rice with lupcheong is tasty tasty - sweet lupcheong, savory goodness, fried egg on top. Yum. Poke is just OK. It's not the freshest, but it is served with really yummy spicy sauce. We didn't finish it. Fried pork chop - man is this sinfully good. Great spice of pepper, really thick and crispy. Too bad it still had parts of bone in the small pieces. I wish they had cut the bone separately for those that like to gnaw (like me!) Spicy stir fried ika on cake noodle. Pretty good, perfectly cooked broccoli. They used to have a different menu, so no more pot stickers, but this was not a loss and they identify the items they renamed (like 8 Fat Fat 8 special sandwich - formerly known as spam and egg sandwich, cracking me up!) Can't wait to try the fried lettuce and escargot.
Minus one star because the bartender is frazzled and tends to sing rather than serve. We like the girl with the glasses :) Also, their prices have gone up. Domestics are $3.50 and they had no good drink specials. It got expensive pretty quickly ($180)
BONUS: They have the karaoke book by ARTIST!!!! You know what dat means! -
Review from Sara C.
Montour Falls, NY
2/22/2010 ROTD 4/2/2010
8 Fat is my local dive bar/pool joint/karaoke place/tasty kitchen. It's right down Beretania from my place and for that I am very grateful as I tend not to remember leaving here! For you drivers, there is a parking lot just beside the building and street parking after rush hour.
When you walk in the door you'll see a dimly lit bunch of booths ahead of you and a pool table to the left. Be careful on the right though, people may be throwing darts where you want to walk! Sometimes booths are reserved for parties and I've definitely been here when it's standing room only, but it's easy to make friends while you're standing right next to somebody at the bar. It's usually stuffed with longtime Makiki locals and they will happily talk story between songs.
If you manage to grab a booth, the waitresses are super friendly and attentive, especially when you've been in a few times and they get to know you (these girls will remember you so tip well!). The food is some of the best bar food I've had in town: I've tried the poke (average+), the gau gee (awesome), noodles (yum) and pork chops (good stuff). And the drinks... there's usually a good special on (Wednesdays are dangerous for me because Crown is $3.50), and they have an okay selection of beers from Chimay to Black Butte to ever-popular Stella.
Karaoke is $1 a song, just ask a waitress for a book and she'll take your requests to the bar. I've definitely been singing along louder than the person with the microphone on occasion but everybody's pretty good-natured here; I think we're all aware that we can sing again tomorrow, ya know? The crowd is generally mellower early and raucous later, like in any bar, and as yelpers before me mentioned, it's a mix of local lushes, great singers, college kids, and people who were hipsters back before that was the cool thing to do and have grown out of it but still haven't shaken the dive bar habit. Understandable though, because 8 Fat is hard to quit! Bring your friends, come hungry, put your singing voice on, and prepare to have a blast. -
Review from sky i.
Honolulu, HI
12/31/2009
Yeah, it's a dive bar, so what??
Get 4 dart boards, one pool table and ONO GRINDZ. Plus, get the old style karaoke with half drunk customers warbling all through the night.
I likes it.
Bwahaha. -
Review from Kimo S.
1/2/2011
This review is based on my take-out dining experience which will have me coming back for more! We were looking for a place to pick some fried rice and fried pork chops up since Side Street was closed on New Years and was hopeful 8 Fat Fat 8 was open.
Yay, it was! We ordered the shrimp fried rice and the pork chops... the fried rice was how my wife likes it, not soft and mushy but it could have used a little more "stuff" in it. Still, really good ... if I had to categorize it I would say it was more "Chinese" fried rice than local fried rice. The pork chops were good but I was hoping for that deep(er) fried style with onions and mushrooms. Still, for the price it was a good meal and the staff was very friendly while I waited.
We'll definitely be coming back here to sample more dishes and the great drink prices they have. -
Review from Jessica C.
San Mateo, CA
Updated - 5/29/2009
Ok - 2nd trip to Hawaii means 2nd trip to 8 FAT FAT 8. My return didn't dissapoint - it only allowed me to finally take a handle on the mike and FINALLY start singing in public. What did the S-toyas and I sing? You ready for this? INOJ- Time After Time, Madonna - Holiday, Kenny Loggins - Footloose - and sang back up to our friends who chose Bab's and Celine's - Tell Him. Laugh away, but it was insane.
We did the songs with crowd involvement, we shared the mike with the crowd, we brought our own MC Grey Sekiya, rocked out dance moves - the crowd was loving it. If you were there Friday, May 22, 2009, you were lucky to witness us when we're out of the cage. Of course, we had the Lup Chung Fried Rice again - grindz to the max!!!
Anyways, if you and your friends need a chill place to go that's free from attitude, cover, and douchebag-ness, come out at support 8 FAT FAT 8. I can't wait to go back...again..and again..and again....Listed in: Onolicious in Hawaii, Brah!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/2/2008
8 FAT FAT 8 is the best hole-in-the-wall Karaoke place I've been to stateside or on the island. I… Read more »
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Review from Chad Y.
12/3/2009
8 Fat Fat 8 is one of those local bars that doesn't try to be something it isn't. It is unpretentious and simple with good drinks and food! It's prices are affordable and the service is top notch.
The drinks are well poured and at decent prices. The food is good and the pork chops and roast chicken were fantastic. The pork chops were well seasoned and gave me the flavors of roast pork without the heavy fat and grease. The chicken was cooked well, moist and full of flavor.
There is a karaoke setup, pool table and some dart boards which make it a great chill spot! -
Review from leon H.
Honolulu, HI
Updated - 9/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
Best chinese grinds bar... thats right. You sing Karoke and drink .Old school place
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/30/2011
A dive hole in the wall that has some of the greatest grinds. You will love the chinese style food.… Read more »
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Review from Belmar S.
Honolulu, HI
11/29/2009
I like going to different bars and I like getting their pork chops. So with that said I have to mention about 8 Fat Fat 8's pork chops.
The pork chop was pretty good, tender and juicy and seasoned well but it wasn't anything like Side Street Inn's pork chops. Some of the people there are pretty chill.... I say some because my friend who used to be a bartender there gave last call and this (I'd like to say homeless) man who was playing 9 ball flew his drink in her face. Man everyone just got all crazy.
Guess that happens at bars haha, if you're looking for a small bar, pretty chill, nothing fancy, this would be a good place to go to. Just look out for crazies playing 9 ball by himself. =0) -
Review from Arthur S.
5/3/2011 2 Check-ins Here
so call me old school, and a dive bar regular, but i LOVE 8 fat fat 8! no waiting in lines for a drink, and the food is quite tasty here!
we actually went on a sunday. im on vacation, so i can do that sort of thing. drinking copious amounts of booze on sundays that is. this place is actually so popular that it was pretty damn busy, even for a sunday! i mean my friend and i were sitting around and thinking. could all these people be on vacation too, OR has 8 fat fat 8 has once again lured victims into its drunken happy atmosphere and enticed them with loud karaoke music and an intriguing menu??
if you fall victim to 8 fat fat 8's mysterious powers you must try the rib eye steak with onions and mushrooms! i think its grilled perfectly, and the sauces are so delicious and flavorful and its right off the grill so its still steaming with warmth and smells soooo amazing!
the fried lettuce is also another must try. the mix of sauces, seasonings and its crunchy texture make it that great crispy snack to pair with while drinking, and how can you feel so bad?? AFTERALL, its fried lettuce! so it maybe a bit contradictory after your twelth beer, but hey, its better then snacking away at a box of krispy kremes!
great place to go one the weekends. fill up your karaoke lists quickly becuase EVERYONE here wants to be the next american idol! be aware it does get a little crazy with drunken karaokeers? karaokers? once in a while. but i think thats what gives the place such a relaxed care free feeling.Listed in: Party like a rockstar
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Review from DaMagic F.
Honolulu, HI
9/28/2009
Pro's:
-Great Food!:
I'd def go for Fat Fat Chicken. It's basically called 'Crispy Chicken' in Chinese Cuisine, But done very VERY Well! Moist interior with light crispy skin, sprinkled and served with a spiced salt.
Ahi Poke: Cant go wrong with this! Fresh!
Other Fav's: Lap Cheung Fried Rice w/Egg, Ong Choi w/ ur choice of meat over Cake Noodles.
Prices: the prices for both the food & drinks are very reasonable! Decent rotating Drink Specials (x1 Shot & x1 Type of Beer for $3.50 Changes Daily)
Service: ALWAYS the Best Here! Everyone who Works/Serves here are friendly and helpful.
Crowd/Atmosphere: What we like here most of all are the patrons & Staff. Very low key, cute little neighborhood Dive Bar, Where Everyone Knows your Name Kinda Place. The Patrons are unpretentious, & generally genuine.
Desperate Douches attempts & their signature hidden agendas seems to be curbed to a minimum here. Which is a very very rare & valuable trait for any bar to have. As a woman, it's a problem more often delt with than one might think. And counts for more than you think for us when deciding on a place to re-visit on a consistent basis. That is, if u or ur self esteem strives on that kinda stuff. I guess, Each to their own.
Cons:
Hmmmmm....the only one I can think of is...There's only 1 Pool Table in the Bar. Sometimes you may have to wait a while to get ur game in.
Other than that I highly Recommend 8 fat fat 8!!
