REAL Gastropub / Bent Tail Brewing Company

Such a great neighborhood brewery. We have been many times, and have always had great service. The crowd is a perfect mix of young, old, and families with kids (and dogs). It's busy, but never a hassle to get a table. They serve better-than-bar-food food. My favorites: Devil Eggs, Root Beer Braised Short Ribs, Chilled Somen. My husband's favorites: "Lechon Style" Pig Wings, Spicy "Fire" Pickles, Crispy Cauliflower.

During the COVID-shutdowns, they probably have the best value take-out menu. We tired the Meatloaf, Lau Lau, Veggie Platter, and Korean Plate. ALL of them, so tasty and great portions for $10-$12. If you are reading this before June 6, 2020, you only have until then to give their take-out menu a try.

My first 2020 review!! I remember when this place was located at Ward, and was one of the rare places on Oahu that served poutine. I was invited for dinner here and I wasn't aware that they had relocated here to the Keauhou building.
Parking is validated here when you dine in (check parking rates, if you are here more than 3 hours the cost dramatically increases)
We didn't have to wait for a table at all, there were plenty available. The staff here are very pleasant and check on you constantly.

We tried the spicy bacon chipotle appetizer, which is delicious with a kick of chipotle and a sweet glaze which complement each other. I also tried the Apple Gorgonzola Salad which was very good. It had a perfect medley of lettuce, cheese, fruits, candied pecans and onions. I also tried the pink drink "Roses All Day" which was perfect since I don't like hard drinks. The strawberry purée added the sweetness I like as well.

There was also music playing at the bar with occasional guests singing along which makes this place a positive environment with good vibes. I would definitely come back for more drinks and dessert next time.

Craft beers, great food and you can bring your dog? I'm in ! As a fan of the Ward location, I was very excited to hear from my friends that they reopened in Kakaako. After a fun pet snow day, I stopped in for lunch with my friends and our "fur children."
We ordered and loved:

Confit chicken wings
French onion hummus
Buffalo style cauliflower
Poutine fries

Bent tail char Siu red beer
Flight of bent tail beers

All of the appetizers were delish & perfect for sharing! I also enjoyed the flavors of the Bent Tail beers and I highly recommend trying a few. Our server was helpful and even brought our fur children water bowls.
It was a great place to spend a Sunday afternoon and I'll definitely be back for more drinks and delicious food!

We checked out their yappy hour (2-6pm daily).

FOOD: The food is a hit or miss here, and can be pricey for what you get.

*tempura shimeji mushrooms $8 - BOMB!!!
*crispy fried cauliflower (Mongolian style) $8 - salty and paltry
*kalbi pub steak $17 - perfectly medium rare (the way I like it) and had a nice flavor, but the meat itself was overly chewy
*pub salad $9 - my friend LOVED this salad and ended up ordering another one, but it's super small for that price
*3 cheese flatbread $7 - the flatbread lacked chew and was overly crisp like a cracker, and the flavor was solid (can't really go wrong with bacon cheese and sour cream) but didn't wow me
*chicken wings $8 - it looked like my cousin enjoyed them as they disappeared really fast
* mac n cheese $12 (not yappy hour) - ooey and gooey and delicious with fancy cheeses, though it can get one-noted after a while (and from my past experience, the add on of protein like bacon, etc., is expensive for the little amount you get).

Portions are small for the price you pay, even on yappy hour. I did notice that they have quite a few vegetarian friendly options on the menu.

DRINKS
I love that you can try so many different beers and get a flight. Also, $6 well cocktails on yappy hour.
I loved my tequila "sunrise" (they used real maraschino cherry juice instead of grenadine), and my friend loved her vodka cran (because the cran they used wasn't overly sweet) that she had to get a second one.

SERVICE
Service is usually really friendly, attentive and timely.

DOG-FRIENDLY
You can not only sit outside, but also INSIDE, with your dogs! (This literally is what bumps up my review from 3 to 4* because I have pups).

So it's the food for the price that is lacking here.

I've been here twice, and I'm definitely hooked!

My fiancé and I were going back and forth for almost an hour about where to eat that night. We had a difference of opinions, budgets and ambiances. We arrived directly to REAL Gastropub at my suggestion - I had come here once before with a friend for a girl's night out and had some really delicious food. (I'm talking about you, yummy Reuben sandwich!) So it was off to REAL Gastropub!

We came in on a Friday evening around 8 o'clock. We expected it to be packed, but to our delight, there were plenty of open tables. They offer parking validation in their building - it's free for the first hour, so that's a relief in an area where parking is hard to come by!

We were sat and immediately greeted by our friendly and knowledgeable server. We were given a beer list and time to explore the menu. I sampled two beers and ended up getting a Kolsch from Alaska - I'm still daydreaming about it because it was that good! My fiancé sampled a coconut porter but opted ultimately for a root beer from Maui, since he loves sweet things.

We started with a somen salad which was delightful. There were these scrumptious little mushrooms and a runny egg that made it a fantastic starter. I ordered the PLT: Pork belly, candied bacon, lettuce and tomato with their IPA aioli - holy smokes - this sandwich was delicious! Every bite was a flavor bomb. It was on the greasy/fatty side, but it was so worth it. My sandwich was served with crispy seasoned fries and their homemade ketchup. I love their ketchup - it's sweet and spicy.

My fiancé ordered their burger and fries, which was scrumptious in its own right. We couldn't pass on their bread pudding for dessert - it was made of doughnuts! While I'm more keen on a traditional bread pudding, I'm glad we stayed for dessert (especially because it was served with Tahitian Vanilla gelato!) because they had this really awesome blues musician playing live music. I felt like I was in a juke joint in the south. A seriously awesome ambiance.

What I love about this place is that it's classy enough to satisfy restaurant goers and casual enough to satisfy bar flies. They also brew their own beer, we learned, and their brew master apprenticed under the same brew master for Big Island Brewhaus. Now I know I must try their homemade beer next time I visit!

Service was top notch - we never were made to wait for refills or the removing of a dirty plate. Our server also told us the story of the name "Bent Tail Brewery" - they named it after the owner's dog who has a bent tail!

Overall, a great date night spot, happy hour place, or just a chill place to knock back a quality pint with friends!

What's there not to love about a place that let's you sample as much beer as you want!?

So the hubby and I have been wanting g to check this place put now for a while and we finally had a chance on Sunday. We got there around 7:30 p.m. and it was pretty quiet.

We sat at the bar and was greeted by the bartender Mike (love him), he gave us a couple menus and some waters.

I told him that I really enjoyed beer buy didn't know much about it. I continued to let him know that I liked the smoother taste and didn't care for anything bitter.

He gave me some great tips on what to look for on the menus to avoid what I didn't like. After a few moments of looking at the menu Mike came over with 2 different beers for me to sample (did I mention that I love him?)

Anyway...after sampling several beers and ordering a few drinks and a delicious poutine we decided to order some items to go.

We got another poutine, bacon mac n' cheese, sweet n' sour spare ribs w/polenta cakes, and fried cauliflower. Everything was so good! My favorite was the poutine and the sweet n' sour spare ribs.

I am looking forward to heading back to try some desserts and more beer.

I can't wait to go back to try some of their desserts.

Disclaimer: My visit to REAL Gastropub was in the beginning of April 2019.

its been REAL.

It was unfortunate when many businesses, including REAL Gastropub, needed to relocate due to the redevelopment of the Ward Victoria shopping area(s). Thankfully, REAL has been relocated and reincarnated in a new space in Kaka'ako.

1. Yes, the new location is much larger than the original/former Ward space. There are three main areas: bar height tables, bar seating, and table seating. The bar height tables are long, rectangular, and able to accommodate large groups. Bar seating is also extensive. The seating with the most space is the area near the main entrance (there is also a door on the opposite side closer to the bar). Our group of three was fortunate to have found available bar seating when we arrived (on a Friday night no less).

2. Yes, the bacon is still on the menu. Former patrons of the original location will understand the significance of this mention.

3. Yes, the service is terrific! We were mainly served by two people: the bartender, and a young man the bartender affectionately referred to as "The Kid" (since he was under 21 at the time of our visit). They were amazingly friendly, cordial, funny, and just very nice people.

4. Yes, we ordered food and drink. Since I was driving I ordered just 1 glass of wine (yes, that is correct. I mistakenly and foolishly ordered wine at a pub). My bar mates, younger lads than myself, made the right decision and chose beer. We shared the Greek fries to go along with our drinks (it was just ok; the fries were not crisp, quite possibly due to the many toppings covering them).

5. Yes, there is a restroom available......outside the building: exit the door by the host stand and its the first set of doors on the left. Don't forget to ask one of the staff for the code.

6. Maybe there's parking? The new location is on the first level of a building/complex in Kaka'ako. Not sure at all about the parking arrangement(s) within the building. We had walked over from Hi Brau Room where we had found street parking nearby.

BOTTOM LINE:
This new location is REAL nice with REAL great staff. The space is much larger which is a definite improvement over the former location. I hope to return.

Easy parking at Keahou and very large venue. Very similar feel to the old location at Ward... IMO it feels more hipster than before and the service is not as efficient but could be because it was a Wednesday night.

Pros:
-Awesome selection of beer!
-It's dog friendly and patrons' dogs are super cute.
-Irish Car Bomb... YES!! GET THIS DESSERT!!

Cons:
-Bathroom key is tough to use... I had trouble opening the door.
-Half-hour wait after we ordered our food our serve came back to take our drink order after flagging her down.. so we ended up staying over two hours.

I had this place bookmarked since it's new location opened up. I actually never went to the old one because it was packed all the times I went. The new location is great. It's spacious with ample seating, high ceilings and plenty of beer kettles to brew on site.

We came in for a late dinner, I ordered an old pali Highway, a spin on an old fashioned and some fish and chips. Good portion, crispy batter and tasty fries. Tried a piece of their special which was a roast beef grilled cheddar cheese french dip sandwich. So good. They have an extensive menu of food and drinks. My wife who is really picky and not much for brewery atmospheres likes it as well. I'll definitely be coming back.

Yippee for REAL Gastropub redux after being gone from Hawai'i's craft beer scene for nearly a year and a half and for coming back with its own brewing arm, Bent Tail Brewing. Located in Kaka'ako's Keauhou Lane (same strip as Down To Earth - Kaka'ako), they offer ONE HOUR validated parking in the adjacent condominium parking lot.

This new and larger gastropub has not lost its edge from its original site. It features a rotation of 30+ taps of hard-to-get brews, several wines, vodkas, rums, tequila/mezcal, bourbons, whiskeys and non-alcoholic beverages. Its new gastropub menu features delicious eats that pair so well with whatever you're drinking and its expanded menu offers full size meals that will make this place an additional lunch option for downtown workers or after work stop with friends.

The soft opening hours are only 11:00 am - 9:00 pm during the week of March 8 - 17th. However, starting March 18th, they'll be in full swing with hours 11:00 am - 11:00 pm.

When we stepped in this afternoon, Kris, the bartendress, greeted us and told us that we could take a seat anywhere but we chose to sit at the bar. At the time, there were only 2 other customers and they were about to leave so we felt like Kris gave us exceptional service and conversation. She was very easy to talk to and made us feel comfortable.

I ordered a pint of North Coast Old Rasputin (Nitro) stout ($10) for myself and a pint of Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier Hefeweizen ($9) for my husband. We chatted a bit with Kris while sipping on our beverages then placed our food order.

FOOD:
-"Lechon-style" Pig Wings: Pig wings? Sorry to burst the bubble, these are actually part of the fibula from the pork shank. 3 fried pork wings were served on a bed of local tomato, chopped cabbage, onion, green onion and patis. Each wing was tender, flavorful and juicy pork wings were served as an appetizer. Don't expect crispy pork skin that's usually associated with lechon kawali as these wings are skinless. A must-try if you're a porkaholic. $17

-Chorizo Griddled Cheese: chorizo, arugula, manchego and panela cheese, lemon/garlic IPA aïoli between griddled buttered bread. This sammie appealed to our Spanish/Latin flavor seeking taste buds. Wow! Bring out the castanets as the flavors of this sammie was like a flamenco in our palates. I wished that I had ordered a glass of rioja or their Cabernet Tempranillo to sip on to accompany this sandwich but hadn't thought about pairing when we ordered our beverages. $15

These and other gourmet bar fare come from the creative mind and talent of REAL's sister pub, Brew'd, chef. Given the quality ingredients, flavors and presentation of their menu items, we're also looking forward to REAL's first brewing arm, Bent Tail, to start producing beers on-site. Bent Tail has tapped an award-winning brewmaster as consultant.

We welcome REAL Gastropub & Bent Tail Brewing to Kaka'ako and we'll surely be back!