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Next Door
Rating Details »
- Good for Kids:
- No
25 reviews for Next Door
Bottom line: How savvy are you? If your idea of a great night out includes overpriced drinks, a fake "Las Vegas" style club experience (go to Vegas for the real deal), crappy music and even crappier DJs, snobby local asian girls who work retail, live with mommy and daddy and want to pretend they're rich for the night, and 5 million local dudes in "Affliction" t-shirts, then Nextdoor just isn't your shit.
But. If you actually appreciate the craft of DJing (you cringe when the DJ misses a beatmatch and laugh at badly crafted crossfades), love indie/good music, want to avoid the fake pretentiousness of the Waikiki "glam" club scene, and could go home perfectly happy if none of the hot garbage on the top 40 hip hop charts gets any play...then Nextdoor just might be your shit.
It's a definitive local venue, with previous guest DJs to include: Z-trip, Zita, Africa Bambaata, Diplo....we're talking world class talent. And too many amazing indie hip hop / rock acts to mention, really. Nobody, and I mean nobody, else gets talent of this level on stage and on the 1s and 2s. Even the resident DJ talent here is the upper echelon of DJ talent in the state.
As a former SF resident I can say that this place reminds me of a few of my favorite old haunts in the city...its a great looking, comfy venue that takes the typical party setting and elevates it into a semi-cultural experience with good music. It's music, while still being super fun rager party music, is crafted for a more sophisticated audience. Yeah it gets hot and yeah the bathrooms can get a little dirty but it's worth it.
A lot of people in HI just don't "get it" but....we live on a small rock and like any small town, many of the clubs here are super, super, behind the times. In any other major city in the US, the DJ and music culture is just that....a culture. Something enjoyed for the love of music. Here, its oftentimes a backdrop for a bunch of single people who don't really give a rip about art or music, they just want to meet folks and hook up. Honolulu can be a shitty town to go clubbing in if you actually like good music. Frankly a lot of local kids aren't very sophisticated musically and that's obvious when you see what most of them have on their iPods. What did you think was going to be playing at the clubs they like partying at? The most bass-ackwards crappy dive bars I can remember from Jersey played better music than many of the "popular" clubs here. *ahem* Pearl *ahem*.
Anyway, this isn't meant to be a rant...just know that if you've been to every other club in Honolulu and didn't like it...then maybe Nextdoor just might be your shit.
I heart NEXTDOOR!
I was the resident gogo dancer for Nextdoor 2007 & 2008 while living in Hawaii and pretty much lived there on Friday nights.
Nextdoor was my favorite place to gogo dance and my favorite place to party at when not working.... I loved First Fridays!
If you love house music... you'll love Nextdoor. Friday nights are my favorite nights and I did attend Acid Wash Wednesdays once or twice to show some love to Vegas Mike.
What's so special about Nextdoor is that they bring in DJs from all over the globe! Guest Djs from Jay Tripwire, J. Scott G., Jojo Flores, Fred Everything, Kaskade, Bassbin Twins, Dj dan and Niguel Richards to name a few... I have many great memories rockin the gogo's to the sickiest music! Lucky me! My friends/ resident Djs in 2007/2008 Dj: Willis Haltom, Nick, Ira/G spot/ Vegas Mike/ Akio rocked ND! I loved dancing to their music! (^_^)
Yes parking is an issue... either street or paid parking lot, there can be a long line, it gets crowded, hot and sweaty because of no a.c. but with 2 dance floors upstairs/downstairs, a full bar and awesome house music... you can't help but deal with the people and heat... and head to ND and dance the night away with great drinks and people. Come in heels or kicks...
They even have special events here... like performances, fashion shows and local fashion designer sales.
When I think about Hawaii... I play back many great times at ND! I miss ND and the great vibe! I had many nights rockin the gogos/ dancing on the dance floor and vibing off all the amazing dancers in the crowd! fun!
I haven't been to ND in ages since I moved away from Hawaii... I wouldn't mind stopping by this month before I leave the islands. Don't know what it's like now days... I haven't seen the place since they reopened.
If you haven't been to ND or visiting Oahu... stop by Nextdoor on a Friday night, get a drink, lounge on the sofas or dance to house beats! In the heart of Chinatown in a warehouse like building... great bartenders and Chris the sound guy if he is still there is cool! Nextdoor is the place to be!
Lots of xoxo's to ND! I miss u!
My band used to play here before. I remember it was our's and another that was the start of their (back then) Wednesday live shindig. Being up on that high stage, giant projector screen in back and those wonderful red brick walls! Aside from the UH warrior throwing me across a Maui football field in front a stadium full of cheering (but concerned) people during my days a college photojournalist, this is the closest I'll ever be to becoming a Rock Star.
I have a fond memory of the owner and sound guy yelling, "Dude, your bass SUCKS!" True. The sound quality, perhaps. At the time I was playing a beat-up, generic Fender. Though the fingerwork on this Filipino boy? FI-AH!
Favorite Next Door band: At Sea. Whatever happend to them?
4 stars
Nextdoor on Hotel St. in Honolulu
This was my hangout before I turned 21! Kiddos like me are probably the main reason they closed down for a while. I love going to shows here- notable faves: Matt Costa and Citizen Cope (dude was angry with the dumb sound ppl though).
I haven't been back since they re-opened because... well, to be honest because no one will go with me! I really liked it here but no one else did. Maybe it's the lack of seating, freaky bathrooms, or weirdy owners but I always try to steer everyone in the direction of Next Door. People avoid this place like the plague. I welcome it. Is it still dancy, drunky, fun? The legal me may never know :(
Giving street cred. to downtown Honolulu since its arrival in 2006, Next Door is a must-do for any partygoer looking to experience Chinatown's urban overhaul. First Friday is the night of nights, but be warned that it gets packed. If you're a virgin, opt on any other Friday of the month and dance the night away to the rock's best dj's in a space that tips it's hat to NYC or SF.
Probably the ONLY place I'll go to if I want to have a fun night, I don't do the whole club Zanzabar/Fashions thing but I do really enjoy Next Door, the decor is great and I love that they have the SMART bar. I love the mix of people who come here and that you don't have to be so dressed up to fit in... It does get pretty hot in there, so dress a little more comfortably and you'll be fine :)
WEDNESDAY NIGHTS are the best :p
I met my bf here on Halloween! :) That's the only reason for the 5 star rating. haha.
I actually think the place is pretty ghetto but I do like the music and mixed crowd. I like the fact that you can dress comfortably and casually and not feel out of place. You're definitely going to sweat here and you don't want to do so in "dry clean only".
Come here for the vibe, stay 'cause you're sloshed on Chernobyls.
While I'm sure this place didn't invent Chernobyls, they might as well have 'cause that's the only place that actually knows what they are and I discovered them here. They are dangerous as they sound. And they glow in blacklight! Fun!
I've come here for a variety of different events, from cool indie bands to slammin techno DJs, this is the place to go in Hawaii. Parking can be challenging if you're new to the Chinatown scene, but if you plan to leave before 12, then park in municipal parking. If you want more time freedom, then park at Mark's Garage or next to Mark's Garage in the open air parking lot. Bring cash for that and for your entry fee.
check the website for info, as the cover charge changes depending on what night it is and the event. Usually weeknight's it's free before a certain time (like 10) and is around $5 after that. On weekends it can vary from $5 all the way up to around $30 depending on who it's for. The drinks are decently priced, you can get those Chernobyls for about $8 which is great 'cause they're pretty strong. Tip the bartenders well, they're awesome people!
If you're there on a crowded night it'll be hard to get a seat, but if you go with a few people it's possible to wait around and kinda pounce your way onto the corner couches in the front (comfortable couches!!!)
The decor is great, it's an old warehouse where the second floor has been removed to give it greater space (which is awesome 'cause it's never too hot in there, plus there's a door that's eerily high off the ground) . Exposed brick walls, and in the spots where there's bricks missing they've put little tealight candles. So cute. Yea, i said cute.
The bathrooms can be a little offsetting, they're usually set up to be unisex, so you'll walk in and have a guy walk out...not so great if you want complete privacy (of course there are doors on the stalls so it's not like you're doing that in front of others). Plus there's not always soap, so check on the other side if they have any. If not I recommend bringing hand sanitizer.
The music here is so diverse but it's awesome every single time I come. If you're visiting Hawaii and want something that's not touristy at all, come check this place out. But leave the socks & sandals in the hotel, okay?
R.I.P. CLUB HUBBA HUBBA
My my...how Hotel Street has changed. I remember going to Hotel Street every day after school to make a bus transfer and crossing the street so I didn't have to walk in front of Club Hubba Hubba. What a difference a few decades, good music, and a swarm of well-dressed 20-somethings can make. The DJs are good and even made 80's night bearable.
Another great thing about Next Door is that it's adjacent to Bar 35. When Next Door gets too packed and you start to feel like you're in a a sauna, get your hand stamped and duck in to Bar 35 for some breathing room and more affordable drinks.
It's no secret that living the party lifestyle can take a serious toll on the human body.
Now, one local nightspot is offering a healthier way to imbibe alcohol and providing easy-access alternatives in an effort to introduce customers to an alternative drinking experience.
Lacy Matsumoto and Chris Kahunahana introduced the SMARTbar concept at NextDoor in May, with four new cocktails and a wide variety of non-alcoholic smoothies and juices.
"We'd been talking about having smoothies because I'm not really a big drinker," said Matsumoto. "But when you're at a bar, you tend to just drink what's available."
That got her thinking about bringing in a few blenders and setting them up, Jamba Juice-style, behind the bar.
But the cost of ingredients, noise factor and time it would take to make the smoothies from scratch seemed to sink the idea.
So she simplified things instead, opting for bottled Naked Juice and Sambazon organic smoothies.
Matsumoto's regular visits to the farmers market at Kapiolani Community College resulted in a partnership with Pacific Kool Ginger to provide homemade ginger ale for NextDoor. Big Island Organics Agave Lemonade is also on the menu.
Other healthy options include Kombucha Asian Pear Ginger Blend, which Matsumoto describes as a liver-cleanser, and three different flavors of Zico Coconut Water, which Kahunahana says it his own personal favorite. And Matsumoto insists that Yerba Matte is her new energy drink of choice.
"It makes you more buzzed than a Red Bull," she said. "My security (staff), they split it ... they don't even drink a whole bottle. It's amazing."
For those who must have some alcohol in their cup when they're in the club, NextDoor's SMARTbar features four cocktails that utilize healthy ingredients. The menu will change periodically.
Gotta love "Next Door".
My first time there, I ran into everyone I knew in town there. How is it that everyone knew about this place but me?
So now I'm telling you. Go to Next Door. Go to their 80's night on Wednesday nights. You WILL have a good time. Unless you're THAT person. Don't be THAT person.
First Fridays or guest DJ appearances always finds me outside basking in the hipster glow of it all, debating with black clad anti-glams whether this is the new that or if the Malaysian place down the street is SO.
And at some point, while slurring rejection stories with some homies, I will inquire about the time and be absolutely blown away that it's only 11:30pm. It's like clockwork.
So we head back inside to roam amidst chill genuine party people. Do make your way to the front of the dance floor and watch the craziness. Do explore the "flexible" unisex bathrooms. Do not take the candles ensconsced ever so creatively in the wall. Do position yourself in front of the industrial sized fans and strut with hair all up there. DO lose yourself in beats.
Ups for way cool security and totally agreeable bar service. All in all, big ups for this place for spinning bangin HOUSE music and bangin vibe.
I absolutely, positively HATE this club. As a resident of downtown who thoroughly enjoys the bar scene here, I'm always thrown for a loop when people invite me to this club.
Admittedly, this review might be skewed considering I generally have a distaste for clubs, but this club is one of my LEAST favorite places to go downtown.
It's basically a glorified warehouse space with a dance floor. Their drink specials are usually REALLY crappy. There's oftentimes a cover which is rarely advertised. The bathrooms, though, are pretty cool and generally not as dirty as they could be. They do host an 80's night which is also pretty cool, but it gets so busy that it's difficult to get drinks at the bar. There are a few couches but they are always taken and in weird dark corners so you're sort of separated from the fold.
Expect lots of house music, except for nights with live bands which are sometimes on the more rock-ish side of the music scene. The Cherry Blossom Cabaret is known to perform here but I've seen them and wasn't all that impressed. The girls are pretty and the numbers are.... unique.
Also, there's a mysterious room upstairs which I think may be the VIP,but I've never seen anyone enter or exit... only sometimes loiter and look down which is SUPER annoying because I want to know what's going on up there... why is it SO secretive!!!!!
Anyway, if you enjoy bad or maybe fair music that's WAY too loud, dark warehouse-inspired clubs and pricey beverages, this is definitely the place for you. If you're looking for more of a fun or relaxed BAR experience, stop off at 39 Hotel or Bar 35 instead.
ANYTHING can happen here.
What happens here...
hopefully
Stays here...
This is my WEDNESDAY nights when I am in town!
Drinks, bartenders the PEOPLE are AWESOME!
Helllooo Hotel Street!!
At first I was unsure about this spot, being on Hotel St. and all...but it's actually a nice little gem in the heart of Chinatown..
I really do love this place...and that's a lot coming from a gal that does NOT drink. =D
I saw Carlos D. of Interpol at NextDoor, spinning music...how cool is that!??
Great atmosphere, interesting people, and friendly djs....just an awesome place to go and dance the night away.
I have yet to find a nightspot here in the Bay Area that comes close to the NextDoor experience....I sure do miss Hawaii!
It was so refreshing to find a place like this after I moved back to the islands a couple years ago.
The venue is spacious, and has a kinda "underground" feel too it. For these reasons, I think that it has made it both a trendy and 'have-fun" atmosphere. For the same reasons, it has made the venue very versatile to housing many diverse, and wildly popular, events. These venue has everything from indie bands, electronic music DJs, hip-hop acts, reggae events, and even houses some cinema/performance art events. I would go so far as saying that it's the closest thing we've had since the old After Dark; which used to be out on Nimitz.
Besides being a great versatile venue, the club brings in some notable talent from across the nation. Every week has a new act coming down.
I love love this spot. I have come to terms with the fact that many of my photos from the weekends will have a brick backdrop (from the brick walls at Nextdoor)
Next Door Rocks!!
Probably my favorite place to see / dance to music (when I'm wasted, of course -- I don't dance sober!) -- in the 2.5 years I've been hear I've seen some absolutely awesome DJs (Z-Trip, King Britt & Derrick Carter to name a few) and some stellar live acts as well (reggae, dub / "alternative hawaiian"-type musics).
The place is an old, brick, hollowed-out movie theater, which provides for some interesting accoustics, and most of the space is reserved for the dance floor. This can be a good thing, as Next Door's little-to-no-covercharge policy tends to attract swarms of locals that pour in from all around the island.
Probably the only thing wrong with Next Door is sometimes it tends to be too loud! And I don't mean "on the louder side", I mean to the point where you can feel pain in your ears, as they beg you for respite. I've seen the police interrupt a DJ on two separate occasions to tell him to turn it down -- apparently the music wakes up people who live blocks away!
If you're a serious dance music fan, check out the listings at the Next Door & you'll probably find something worthwhile.
some guy once told me that:
bar 35 is the bar.
thirty nine hotel is the lounge.
next door is the club.
uh... bar 35 and next door look exactly the same to me! next door has a bigger dance floor and a live dj (sometimes.) that's it. the same crowd stumbles back and forth between all 3 of these venues, so the crowd is exactly the same. if you blindfold drunk me and move me back and forth between bar 35 and next door, i would have no clue as to which venue i was in. they are one and the same.
the bathrooms in here are a little creepy. really dim lighting and confusing bathroom stalls. it kind of brings me back to 8th grade and makes me want to say bloody mary three times in the mirror while doing circles with my eyes closed. but i won't. because she might appear and i'll be too drunk to run away!!!
True story:
So one Wednesday evening, a girl is driving down Hotel Street, hollas at her girls in line at Next Door telling she'll meet them soon, and makes a right to find parking. Miraculously, there is a space right on the corner, and as she gets ready to parallel it, only then does she realize a cop car is right behind her. The blue light is on.
Mother fuck.
Wondering if it's illegal to slow down next to a club in order to say hi to your friends, she parks (quite smoothly I might add, thank you San Francisco) and rolls down her window. The officer comes to her door.
Po: I need to see your license and registration.
Girl: Ok...
Po: I'm stopping you because you made an illegal turn onto Hotel Street. There are signs that clearly state the lane is for buses only.
Girl: Oh. Um, I'm sorry... I didn't see them, I'm unfamiliar with this area.
Po: (looking at CA license) It doesn't matter, I don't care if you're from San Francisco or what, street signs are the same everywhere. You need to be more careful. Are you planning to drink tonight?
Girl: I'm just meeting up with some friends, sir (but wanting to say THAT'S NONE OF YOUR FUCKING BUSINESS, sir!)
Po: (chuckling) I know that EVERYONE that comes into this area is planning to drink. Now you are a CRAZY woman if you're thinking of getting into this car after drinking. You heard about Matsumoto, right?
Girl: Yes, I did, it was very very sad.
Po: Just goes to show that bad things can happen to even the best women, huh? So don't even think about it. Got me?
Girl: Um... sure. Yes. (YOU CONDESCENDING ASSHOLE!)
Po: All right, that's your warning. Have a good night.
Girl: Bye...
And the whole time driving there, she was worried about traversing the area by herself because of homeless people on crack. But NO, apparently women driving down a bus only lane are the REAL threat to look out for in Chinatown at night!!!!!!
WELL. This was my second time going to Next Door, and I gotta say that it's really great to see a place like this thriving in Honolulu. When I stopped by a year and a half ago on one of the Art Walk nights, the place was just as swanky but probably only a 1/4th as crowded as it was tonight.
Disco ball reflecting off high warehouse-like ceilings and exposed brick walls, DJ on high stage against an ambiant red projection screen, Asian inspired art, and beautiful people bumping to poorly mixed 80s music...
If I didn't know any better, I'd say Hawaii is turning hipster!
I never thought I'd see the day. And I made all those observations completely sober. Said girl thanks you a lot, officer.
Can't understand why people flock here. It's ghetto. It's basically a warehouse like someone stated earlier and they need a new air condition system. That place is hot and humid. As crowded as it gets coupled with the bad ventilation, this place starts to smell. The music is so so and they stuff they play on the large projection screen borders on cheesy.
impossible to not have fun at this spot
live events vary so check the website but the atmosphere at this venue is the best on the island as far as i'm concerned.
intelligent, fun, trendy, but not pompous. no dress code, but not scummy. friendly staff, innovative parties.
Very cool place!!! No attitudes here! People from all walks of life. Bathrooms are kinda confusing after a couple of drinks, love the couches and the New york style loft feel.....Has some great events throughout the week like fashions shows and different kind of DJ's. Can get kind of packed on weekends, specially First Friday's.
I Love Kaleidoscope Tuesdays & Acid Wash Wednesdays!
Always a fave! Super nice cocktail waitresses and diverse crowd. Primo on tap. Dance floor was hot as balls last Friday nite though!
If I still lived in Hawaii I'd probably have made this my spot. I was impressed the first time I came here. It was the night Busdriver came out to perform. Very cool atmosphere, I mean, I felt like I gained 100 cool points just for walking into the place. Hipster dark mood with lit candles. They got couches on raised platforms so if you didn't come specifically for the show you could comfortably chill with friends in the background. From the floor you can see out the raised window to the top of the surrounding buildings.. it was like you were still outside looking at the city lights. The bathroom was unisex.. I think (I can imagine dropping deauces being a nerve racking ordeal if it was!) Bartenders were awesome because it didn't seem like they were working under any rules.. it was just whatever you wanted however strong you wanted it. The only pain was the parking, which really isn't surprising, and the distance from an ATM matchine. I had to go on a twenty minute inner city journey on foot to find an ATM machine that actually worked after 8 PM.
