SFG State Guide

Hawaii Dive Bar Guide

Because you know what, eventually the beach gets old, right, right?

The Dive Bars A Block From Paradise

Should this whole Scoundrel’s Field Guide thing somehow explode in popularity, traffic and revenue, we’ll make the immense sacrifice to do a better job of covering Hawaii with more on-the-ground dive bar investigation. Until that time, the recommendations below serve as beacons to those who need a quick, air conditioned layover between beach and volcano.

Conventional wisdom continuously points to Smith’s Union Bar in Honolulu as the state’s best dive bar representative, making the December 2025 news that the bar would close after 91 years when its ‘supplies ran out’ all the more depressing. Even still, Smith’s Union Bar is the prototypical Hawaii dive bar, just far enough out of the unrelenting spotlight of the state’s tourism industry to cater to true Hawaii locals. 

Nevertheless, it is worth wedging a slice of what actual Hawaiian life is like into a trip to one of the state’s islands and the local neighborhood dive bar is of course our preferred mechanism to do just that. Honolulu hosts its fair share of divey drinking options, but the recommendations below will grow (we promise) to provide a better, more well-rounded set of cross-island destinations to include in any Hawaiian vacation itinerary.

Hawaii Dive Bar Map

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Recommended Hawaii Dive Bars

We have not had the great pleasure of getting to every possible dive bar (life goals), so inevitably there are great bars that we simply haven't been able to get to yet. The list below includes noteworthy dive bars that by all accounts look amazing but do not have a review associated with them just yet.

Smith's Union Bar

Honolulu, Hawaii

19 N Hotel St, Honolulu, HI 96817

(808) 538-9145

Alaska

Top Rated Dives

3 Dive Bars

California

Top Rated Dives

85 Dive Bars

Washington

Top Rated Dives

11 Dive Bars

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What did we miss? Where should we go? We'd love to hear your ideas, your favorite spots, your profound disappointments and anything in between.


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