Chart House Waikiki is the harbor-side steak-and-seafood place on the far western edge of Waikiki, and it was one of the first restaurants we ever tried in Hawaii, back when we were still nervous about ordering in an American restaurant. Local outlet Aloha State Daily reported that it closed for a long remodel and came back at the end of 2024. We have not been since the reopening. What we do have is a receipt from a 2018 dinner there and the restaurant’s current menus, and together they make the decision fairly easy for us: sit at the bar during the 3:30 pm happy hour, and skip the full dinner.
What changed, according to local press
According to Aloha State Daily, the renovation started in March and the restaurant reopened on Christmas Eve 2024. The article describes a 10,000-square-foot, 220-seat restaurant with nine outdoor lanais looking over the Ala Wai marina, new bar seating around a U-shaped bar top made of real monkeypod wood, a new stage and sound system, and daily live music (the press account; see the calendar note below). It also says the dinner menu stayed mostly the same.
The restaurant’s own site still leans on its history: opened in 1968 by surfer Joey Cabell, known for steak, seafood, and harbor views. The site’s heading says “Live Music Nightly,” but the live music calendar for October 2026, as we read it on October 26, lists shows only Wednesday through Sunday, with nothing on Mondays or Tuesdays, and every listed start time is 6 pm or later. That matters for timing below.
The happy hour, as posted today
Here is what the official happy hour menu says, checked October 26, 2026:
| What the menu says | |
|---|---|
| Sunset happy hour | 3:30-6 pm, “daily at the bar” |
| Last Wave happy hour | 9-10:30 pm, nightly at the bar, dine-in only |
| Exclusions | Not available during major holidays; not for take-out |
| Draft beers and imported bottles | $7 |
| Domestic bottles | $6 |
| Featured wines by the glass | $10 |
| $10 pupus | Sweet & spicy edamame, chicken lettuce wraps, fish tacos, fried rice, truffle fries |
| $13 pupus | Fried zucchini, garlic chicken, wagyu sliders, mini crab cakes, escargot, crab-stuffed mushrooms, coconut crunchy shrimp, petite steamed clams, oysters Rockefeller |
| ”Hana Hou Bites” | Kimchee calamari $16; chopped steak, poke two ways, half-rack baby back ribs $19 each |
For scale: the regular drinks menu lists the Kona drafts, including Hanalei Island IPA, at $10. So a draft at happy hour is $3 less, assuming the IPA counts as one of the “draft beers” (the menu does not name which taps are included, so ask).
When we went to the old Chart House for happy hour a few times before the remodel, the food was the surprise. Fried rice and a small steak plate came out in portions that did not feel like bar snacks, and it was easy to turn happy hour into dinner. Fried rice is still on the current menu at $10, and a chopped steak sits in the $19 section. We have not ordered either since the reopening, so we cannot tell you whether the portions held up.
What dinner costs now
The dinner menu, checked the same day:
- Joey’s Famous Garlic Prime Steak, 8 oz: $67
- Filet mignon: $49 (5 oz) or $66 (8 oz)
- 14 oz prime rib eye: $75
- Surf Break three-course menu, “All Week 3:30pm - 5:30pm”: $61 per person (starter, entrée, dessert)
- Seafood towers: $195 and $275
Two more lines affect the bill. The homepage says a 3.5% surcharge will be added to all credit card usage, and that an automatic 20% gratuity is added to split checks of 5 or more and to parties of 8 or more. Separately, the dinner menu notes that the Surf Break price does not include tax or gratuity.
Our 2018 dinner, for comparison
In September 2018, we had an unshakable craving for crab and walked in for dinner without a reservation. We got a table in the back with no view. We did not mind; we were there for crab.
We started with Primo on draft ($7.25 at the time), then switched to red wine ($7.50 a glass then). The dinner special came with a choice of salad or clam chowder, so we got one of each. Then the main event: a pound of Alaskan king crab ($84 then) and the garlic steak ($55 then). The crab was big and packed with meat. The steak had plenty of garlic, but some tough bits, and both the chowder and the steak arrived a little lukewarm.
The check came to $176.45 with tax and about $203 with tip. That felt expensive to us. For that money there are other steakhouses in Waikiki, like Ruth’s Chris, where the steak shows up sizzling. What Chart House has that they do not is the harbor right there and the breeze coming in.
Two notes on how that compares with today. The garlic steak has gone from $55 then to $67 now (8 oz, per the current menu). And the king crab legs we ordered are not on the current dinner menu as we read it in October 2026. The crab on the menu now is in the crab cakes, the crab-stuffed mushrooms, and the stuffed ahi and stuffed shrimp.
Happy hour or dinner, in dollars
Here is a rough comparison for two, using today’s menu prices, before tax, tip, and the card surcharge:
| Plan | What’s ordered | Menu total |
|---|---|---|
| Happy hour at the bar | 4 drafts ($7 x 4) + fried rice ($10) + chopped steak ($19) + crab-stuffed mushrooms ($13) | $70 |
| Surf Break dinner | 2 x $61 three-course menu, drinks extra | $122 |
| Steak dinner | 2 x garlic steak ($67 x 2), sides and drinks extra | $134 |
What we’d do
We would walk over and be on a bar stool shortly after 3:30. That leaves the whole 3:30-6 window for $7 drafts and a couple of pupus, and we would not need all of it. We would order the fried rice and the chopped steak first, see how big they are, and add crab-stuffed mushrooms if we are still hungry. Then back to the room well before the music starts.
What we would not do is book the full dinner again just for the view. The 2018 dinner was a good memory, but we paid for a back table with no view, and the food did not arrive hot. The view is at the bar too, and the bar is where the discount is.
Who should book dinner anyway: anyone celebrating, anyone who wants a lanai table at sunset, and anyone who wants the full steak-and-seafood night with live music (check the calendar for your night; the October 2026 shows were Wednesday through Sunday, starting at 6 pm or later). If that’s you, the official FAQ says reservations are “highly recommended,” especially for dinner, and that booking secures your spot “especially during sunset hours.” Our own lesson from 2018: if you walk in without one, you might end up somewhere with no view.
Before you go
- The bar is the happy hour. The menu says “daily at the bar.” The FAQ says walk-ins “may be accommodated, particularly during happy hour,” but a happy hour seat is not a reservation.
- It’s a walk. Chart House is at 1765 Ala Moana Blvd, by the Ala Wai Yacht Harbor, on the western end of Waikiki. From the middle of Kalakaua it’s a longer walk than most of our happy-hour stops. If you drive, the FAQ says validated parking at the Ilikai Marina is 4 hours for $5.
- Bigger groups: the homepage says a 20% gratuity is added automatically to split checks of 5 or more and to parties of 8 or more.
- Dress: the FAQ calls it resort casual and says beachwear, flip-flops, and swimsuits are “not recommended for dinner service.”
- Prices and hours change. Everything above was checked on the official site on October 26, 2026. The 2018 prices are from our receipt and are only there for comparison.
Details
- Chart House Waikiki, 1765 Ala Moana Blvd, Honolulu, HI 96815, (808) 941-6669
- Posted hours 3:30 pm to midnight; dinner 4:30-9:30 pm (last reservation 9 pm); Sunday brunch 10 am-2 pm (official site, as of October 26, 2026)
- Happy hour: 3:30-6 pm and 9-10:30 pm, at the bar, dine-in only, not on major holidays
- Official menus: charthousewaikiki.com/menus
We also publish a Japanese-language version of our Chart House write-up at debushofufu.com.
