Was here for a private party with no host bar. Â The first drink was good and all thereafter were SEVERELY watered down. Â Don't 20 somethings know a real drink when they pour one? Â They are probably doing what they are told but, believe me, it affects their tips! Â The waitress was very helpful and worked very hard last night. Â
I agree that it could stand a "freshening" but I think the clientele coming here are more interested in each other than decor.
Good for 20 somethings but if your have good taste and want  REAL drink, forget it!
I attended the venue during a bhangra event. Â It may be a little hard to find, but its literally the door next to BambuTwo. Â The venue just reminds me of someone's basement to be honest.
I think the Venue is ok to go for some dancing, although I'd beware of the cougars that end up here. Â It's not really the best of the best nightclubs, but it def has its charm. Â The music when I went was mostly bhangra.. haven't really gone to any other time. Â I guess that says something about this place.
The bartenders I'll give 5 stars too. Â Even though the event was poppin, the bartenders didn't ignore you like most places does. Â They were on top of their game. Â
I don't think I plan on going back, but if there's another bhangra event, you'll find me turnin' my light bulbs in the front row!
The Venue is adjacent to the BambuTwo Martini Lounge next door, as in there's even a connecting door! If BambuTwo is the classy bar, The Venue is it's rowdy cousin. They both have the same happy hour menu on top of the obvious full bar at the back of the room.
They have a stage for DJs and live performances, and a wide area for dancing; although, the music they play here is sort of 50/50 as far as good/bad. There are high top tables and stools set up on the main floor, couches and coffee tables set up along the sides, and the lighting is always low colored mood lighting (which is a good thing for this place).
Most nights out of the week there wouldn't be a cover charge to get it, but if there's an event, a launch party, or it's a busy night (like First Fridays or blockparty night) then they could be charging anywhere between $5-$15 a person, no price distinction between men and women.
I've been to The Venue four times and I enjoyed it most of the time. Three of the times were on First Fridays. Â Prior to November's First Friday event I would've given this place four stars but I deducted two stars because that's how bad and mistreated I felt during my last experience.
I don't know if the same people work every First Friday event but November's bouncer was ridiculously unreasonable. I checked in, paid, had a few drinks, and danced for at least an hour or two then left to walk the streets. When I came back ALL of my friends got back in with no problem because we all had a stamp, however, the bouncer held me back because he needed to check my ID. For one, my friend (who already went in) was holding my ID and phone in her purse so I couldn't get it, two, I had a stamp, three, he let all my friends in which made me feel discriminated against, and four, the lady who collected the money and gave the stamps remembered me!! Seriously?! Finally, my friend came out with my ID and while I was standing there complaining about why this was unnecessary and stamps are useless and blah blah blah, the bouncer says to me, "you keep yappin' your mouth, I don't even have to let you in." What a terrible way to handle this situation! Â Uhhh, hello, at least what I was saying made sense. He did not provide me with any reason for having to show my ID again - even after all my yapping. Â I understand that showing my ID again is not a big deal, but what I was upset about most was why I was the only one who had to do it out of five of us. Â
Another thing that pissed me off was that the lady collecting the money asked if I was paying for just myself or my friend also, I said "myself" and waited for my change but instead she looked at my friend and said, "you're good, she was kind enough to pay for you." I didn't mind paying for my friend but for all she knew that was my only $20! Â They did this to a couple of my other friends too, that's probably they're strategy to suck money out of you because of course now your friend has to pay you back by buying you a drink. What a joke. Â If you go with someone you don't like very much and would NOT want to pay cover for, make sure you make yourself clear when you tell them, "NO, JUST ME. GIVE ME MY CHANGE!"
It will always baffle me that when I order a drink from this place like a crown and coke the bartenders always look at me and give me a diet coke and crown. Just because I'm skinny, doesn't mean I'm dieting, I work out for my sugar and calories! Give me my normal Coke!
Drinks here are tasty and cheap however the mad rush, especially on a First Friday night to get one, is kind of nutty.  This is a great late night place to get your dance on (they play lots of  mainstream hip hop) and there are lots of places to sit as well.  The Venue is definitely one of the less ghetto places to grab drinks in town with very chic furniture. Â
Be prepared for parking challenges, street parking is few and far between and the lots in the area have weird closing times. I normally park on Merchant street right in front of Harbor Court's loading zone which you can do after 6PM on weeknights!!!
Went to the belly dancing event last Sunday 2/5/12. I have to say the $20. admission price was steep. These girls, bless their hearts, looked like they were from some kind of bad belly dancing class. Their coreography was 100% EXPECTED. Only one or  of them seemed to actually feel comfortable performing. It was pretty damn bad.
The girl hanging on the ring and doing stuff was bizarre-ly interesting, and the last act, the one who wouldn't do the hana hou even though the MC said it, was talented. She was from Portland.
So, I thought yes, it's cool we have some cool stuff like a belly dancing night at a local club. That's cool, cause I often find Honolulu lacking for cool artsy things to do... but that show should have cost $10. max.
Came here for a New Years Eve party and had a great time. We sat in the VIP section right in front of the stage and got to see the whole Moulin Rouge performance. The entertainment was great. There was champagne, bottle service, and appetizers. Since there weren't too many people there we had plenty of room to move around and dance. It was a good time.
Review Source:Came here for an improv show, there were about 4 acts performing that night. It was a good night. The place was spacious and accomodated everyone in the audience.
Overall the ambiance was hip, as a chick I dig the sparkly, beaded curtain on the way  to the rest rooms which, by-the-way, I thought was an interesting set up/layout with individual stalls and the cool hand wash basin, a bathroom without walls...an unenclosed bathroom if there is such a type.
The bar was great (martinis) and service was pretty solid. There was also a pupu menu. Staff was great. With the exception of parking...while there may be numerous municipal lots the cost varies and the closing times varies as well. Otherwise, it is the perfect spot for small venues.
Stopped by Eligh's concert here and I gotta say I love this spot. It's not too big and the performers are right in front of your face. The sounds are dope, and lots of space to get your hands high in the sky! The Venue is a great venue indeed! Makes me forget the fun times I had at rRed Elephant.....nah.....but will have NEW fun times for sure!
Review Source:Ill Hill Society's "Rap Better" EP Release Party (this event was held at The Venue):
One of my favorite hip hop groups is Ill Hill Society; they've got the swagger, dedication & talent to make them a household name. Even though, I was exhausted from a long school/work week, I couldn't sleep through Ill Hill Society's "Rap Better" Release Party; after all they did perform at my blog's 1st birthday party :D
Ill Hill Society's "Rap Better" EP Release Party was held at The Venue & they packed the house with die-hard fans who appreciate talent from the hip hop community; I've never seen such a strong following & diverse group of individuals who appreciate hardwork being manifested into reality. I love how the artists & group leading up to Ill Hill Society's performance was filled with energy, dynamic stage presence & heart; I also loved that the entire night felt like a party, with everyone dancing, screaming SWAG! & throwing up / (those are hills for Ill Hill Society).
Even though my throat is sore from cheering throughout Ill Hill's performance, my left knee hurts from dancing in heels & I broke my camera's button from taking too many pictures last night; but I wouldn't have it any other way, since Christian, Cozy & Kwalified inspire me to continue pursuing my dreams!
Congratulations Ill Hill Society! I know that this is only the beginning of bigger & better things for you & if you missed the "Rap Better" EP Release Party, then you missed an opportunity to purchase one of the 200 limited copies of their "Rap Better" EPs. Maybe if you're lucky, there's a few copies left (better cross your fingers :)
Came here this past Friday for Ill Hill Society's release party.
Excellent venue. Because it's fairly new, everything is still nice, the place does not look run-down at all which is refreshing. The sound is really great, and the stage is super spacious. Lots of seats, couches, and a big area in the front to dance.
The bartenders are very friendly and attentive.
From the photo POV, this place is really great to take photos in because you can still bounce the flash off the walls and the ceiling.
Lighting is really good too :)
Yelp 365 Challenge #29/365
We went here last night for Pixie Clay's going away party. This place is so much nicer than the usual place my friend's band, Mantra, plays at.
They have nice leather couches along the wall and tables and stools in the area in front of the bar.
The girl's restroom was awesome! You know this is a nice place when each stall gets its own little room. Not to mention the cool sink with the rocks on the bottom. My husband walked in not realizing it was the girl's restroom, while looking for the guys'.
Only bad part is that it is in Chinatown/Downtown where there is hardly any parking.
This is about Movie Night Mondays at 7 p.m. at The Venue on Bethel Street in Honolulu, HI. Â
Must people take their dogs EVERYWHERE, including a movie venue where food and drinks are served? Â Are there no health laws about this? Â What about those of us who have allergies or who are afraid of dogs, no matter how small and well-behaved? Â They can still bite, unless muzzled. Â But no one muzzles their dogs while out and about. Â Sometimes the smelly critters are let loose to wander around The Venue room. Â I love animals, but not in every public place, including restaurants, supermarkets, and places where signs specifically prohibit them, like the beach and parks. Â But no one does anything about it. Â It's anarchy out there, with people only obeying the laws they choose. Â
And must people talk during the movie? Â I used to avoid multiplex theatres because of the talking and cell phones. Â But the last few times I've been to Ward, Windward, and Dole, the noise was far less than at smaller theatres, like The Venue or The Doris [Duke]. Â Honestly, people, OTHERS! Â Think of others. Â It's not all about you. Â
Aside from that, the movies are generally small indy flicks which are hard to find in multiplex theatres. Â Food and drinks, including alcohol, are served by staff from Bambu Two next door, which is a nice convenience. Â But the seats are hard plastic and wood, not conducive to long periods of sitting still and the AC can get cold. Â There are some cushioned couches, but they offer a distant and oblique view of the jury-rigged screen. Â The projection on the screen looks like a home movie and the sound varies from screeching loud to hardly audible. Â Any school auditorium has a better set up than this! Â
Also, there is no website to check the schedule. Â Sometimes there are last minute changes which you don't find out about until you arrive. Â I Am, the movie, has been canceled twice now. Â True, you can sign up your e-mail address for news, but I don't give out my e-mail addy. Â Â
Parking is on the street, no need to feed the meters after 6 p.m., or in nearby pay lots and Marks Garage. Â No validation. Â You would think finding street parking would be easy on a Monday night. Â NOT! Â
The "discussions" that follow the movies are often a waste of time. Â Some "experts" use it to promote their businesses. Â Most have little insight into the film. Â
And for this, you pay $10 each, sometimes for movies that last only an hour. Â For that money, plus all the hassles of other inconsiderate patrons, better to buy, rent or download it. Â In fact, one movie, Bag It!, which I missed, was shown on PBS last night along with Wasteland, one I wished I had missed. Â
BTW, the restrooms are nice enough.
As a beatboxer / human beatbox that does a bulk of his live shows, gigs and performances in Chinatown, I gotta say the Venue has one of the best customer service, sound systems, atmosphere and acoustics. I've performed for the Oahu Fringe Festival Launch (Tim Bostock Productions), Oahu Fringe Bites  (Tim Bostock Productions), Speak.Easy Poetry Slam (Real Word Magazine) and most recently the Honolulu Twestival (Hawaii Aloha Travel and Farmers Hawaii Insurance) at the Venue and will soon perform for the Oahu Fringe Festival in November.
The bartender, waitresses, bouncers are tops! The vibe at the Venue is one of the best. As Emi Hart of Yelp! Honolulu mentioned earlier it has nice restrooms (a plus), VIP section, couches on the side, open bar, outside area, indoor seating, great performance stage, great sound system and it's right next to BambuTwo. BambuTwo is another fantastic spot, but I will share more about that in a separate review. The Venue is an ideal mixture of intimacy and social openness that is welcoming. Positive vibes. The Venue is also a great spot to hang out, converse and enjoy live performances in Honolulu's Chinatown art, music and live performance scene.
"A cleaner, classier Soho."
Finally made it down to TheVenue this past First Friday and became a fan! DJ was bumping the hip-hop, rap & R&B beats from the last couple decades, with a good amount of empty space in front of the stage to get your groove on. And get your groove on, you will. "I'm sorry, Miss Jackson - hoooo! I am for reaaaaaaaal..."
Not feeling like drop-drop-dropping it low (yet)? Chill for a bit on a couple lounge couches on the right, high stools & couches on the left or the barstools & tables towards the back area and start feeling the music flow through you.
REALLY not feeling like dropping it low, but gotta babysit friends? There's some outside seats to chill out at and enjoy some fresh air before jumping back in the party.
Bartenders are awesome - much love for Gretchen and Jara (sp?)! One of the guy bartenders that mixed up a shot on the spot based on "what kinda stuff you normally drink?" - I know, might be standard, but still, it's good when the bartender's willing to help out.
Drawbacks: not too big a space, so can get packed pretty quick; music's heavy on the hip-hop, so if you're a fan of house/anything else, buyer beware; it's basically a box, so can be stuffy (but there is A/C)
Positives: Music's good, venue's clean & good; crowd & vibe - good; no cover?!
It's a good respite from the crazy lines of First Friday  - much love, B35, but apparently, so does everyone else. TheVenue's got that *perfect* mix of wild, chill and basically, a good time.
Attended a philanthropic event at the Venue over the holidays, having never seen the inside of the space. They set up hightop bar tables near the rear where the bar was located, and several cozy little tables closer to the stage. And while I liked the intimate feel of the small tables, they actually reminded me of tables for toddlers @ 2 ft tall and with enough space for a 8X11 piece of paper. On one side they arranged the same comfy couches Bambu 2 has in the window area and on the other side of the room is a space that could easily be converted into a VIP area, raised and set apart from the main floor. The small bar was located in the rear of the space and a stage was in the front of the room for performances. The staff were very accommodating to us allowing us to bring in a 15 foot Christmas tree and donated the space and staff gratis. We appreciated their hospitality and I look forward to attending other events here in the future.
Review Source:I recently held an event here for Cary Tagawa.It's hip, it's modern, it's super clean and great restrooms. Â Yes great restrooms! Â I was impressed with several things but namely, Ryan the event coordinator who was on hand the entire time for questions and support, the Venue itself for providing a large event area capable of holding 200 people with a stage. Â Amazing sound system, fantastic bartender who offered his iPod when ours failed... Â It's clean, convenient, great drink prices and they're very flexible. Â Highly recommend the Venue to anyone planning a significant event when they want to impress.
Review Source:Great place to come for good DJs and all around good and fair priced drinks. Â Personally love their huge dance floor as well as lounge and those tables they have set up without the typical bumping into everyone like every other venue in Chinatown. Â Helps knowing too that The Venue isn't a sweat box like everywhere else, cheers for air conditioning.
Review Source:Dropped in on a Thurs night to catch Hawaiian music - for free, no cover! Â We were thrilled to enjoy the vocals of Hoku Zuttermeister. Â He is awesome & we couldn't believe there was no cover for his performance. Â Crazy!
I loved The Venue's set up. Â Good sized cozy room - not huge & cavernous. Â Seating is a mix of round tables w/chairs, high bar tables w/chairs & a couple couches. Â
Kudos for the well planned chick bathrooms. Â 4 toilet rooms w/separate sink & mirror area outside. Â So you don't have to wait for gals to do their business & redo their looks.
Drinks were hella (SF slang) stiff (Seattle slang) brah (HI slang)!
I went here last week for First Friday. Â No line. Â No cover. Â No dresscode. Â Easy to get drinks. Â Big dancefloor. Â AC! Â And believe or not, the girl/guy ratio was about 50/50. Â
The DJ was playing all the cuts from classic LLcoolJ hits to Tupac and Biggie hits. Â Love it!
The Venue is currently tied with Manifest for first place for First Friday spots to hit up. Â In fact, I might even go here on the regular before it gains more steam and they start charging folks entrance fees. Â boo. Â
checkit checkit out.
One star docked because my friend observed a bartender sneezing into a drink glass ... because of this, she ended up purchasing me an expensive $5 bottle of water vs. getting a free water (plus $1 for tip, maybe). Â
Not able to find a sign outside of this venue, so small kine played "Where's Waldo?" with the place.
I came here to attend the goth beauty pageant that was Miss Vamp Hawai'i 2010 that was hosted by DJ Nocturna. Â They had a stage set up along with a runaway and 3 rows of chairs in the middle of the venue. Â A VIP area was located to the right of the stage (if you stood in front of it) and there were a full bar in the back along with some sofas tucked into 2 alcoves to the left of the stage.
Clean, well-maintained space that's utilized for all kines of events that include live music, DJ's, and more. Â I dig the wahine's bathrooms, though; they were cherry! Â Instead of having, like, maybe 2 stalls tucked into a closet .... they had "rooms" for their restrooms. Â Each "room" had a toilet, trash can, unit dispensing paper liners for the toilet, and a hook on the door to hang your purse. Â The hook is lower to the ground. Â The wash area had faucets with a bamboo-inspired them to them and the bottom of the black basin/sink was covered in pohaku of varying sizes (smooth, oval stones that look like da ones used in Hawaiian hot stone massage). Â Akin to a riverbed and a very nice touch. Â Da entrance to da restrooms has a "beaded curtain" consisting of a very small and light metal chains.
AC worked great, enough elbow room, and chic, modern decor. Â I was very comfortable moving around and would love to come back to events that are hosted here.
This place is huge and plenty of space to cram in for first Friday goers.
We walked through from BambuTwo and it was so pleasant and cool in here. Â
This is just like a club setting, with a stage, live DJ spinning tunes, nice bar directly across the other side of the room. Â There were scattered tables with bar stools, but the best part is the lush section, in the back, which offered a lot of privacy away from the dance floor. Â Â
The restrooms were nice and clean and there were 3 individual stalls. Â The ladies restrooms were nicely sectioned off with metal curtains, just like Uncle Bo's. Â
We had a waitress that was pretty consistent in running back and forth for our drinks. Â Meeting up friends for first Friday and scoring seats like this was amazing. Â They offered special martinis for $6 a glass. Â After hopping to all the other bars in downtown, I'm settling back here next time.
So here's what took me to theVenue. Â There was a 2 night run of performances by some of Honolulu's talented female artists. Â I'm a big fan of live music and had heard rumors that this woman could sing. Â So I listened to her cd and was impressed. Â Impressed enough that my friend and I decided to see her sing last night. Â And Emi Hart did sound great live! Â She strums a mean guitar too.
I like this place. Â Whether it was MC Bridget Gray commanding the attention of the audience with her poetry or musicians belting out songs, the overall quality of the sound was excellent. Â Â The space itself felt updated and clean and the sight lines are good in the main room area. Â A variety of acts can perform here too. Â Last night's schedule included live music, spoken word/poetry and even pole dance/fitness. Â I wasn't expecting the latter on the second night of the run but the Fit for a Goddess team made an appearance. Â The ladies did indeed seem fit and had everybody's attention. Â And that's with them performing their moves while wearing more standard workout clothes too. Â
While the main floor had tables and chairs last night, I could easily see theVenue keeping the floor completely clear to increase the overall capacity when necessary. Â I didn't check for mixed drinks but their beer selection was fine. Â No 5 stars until I see another performance or two but a really good start.
Played a gig at theVenue last night and this is one of my new favorite live music bars! For those of you who know the space from when it was the Red Elephant, theVenue is a polished version with a full bar and an array of seating. It's right next door to BambuTwo so you can still enjoy those $3.50 martinis and hop over to watch some live music.
As a performer, what I particularly enjoyed about theVenue was:
-It wasn't a dirty raunchy bar that smelled like feet. This is a definite plus!
-It has an excellent lighting and sound system. Trust me when I say this is not the case at 90% of venues around town.
-It has tables and seats in front of the stage as well as a VIP style section on the side with couches.
-It's a place that's actually built for live music, which is usually not the case at most places I've played at.
-Attentive service and nice waitresses.
-An actual "Green Room." I almost fainted.
-It's an intimate venue so 250+ would probably feel really crowded, which is a good thing.
-Nice clean bathrooms. You don't think this is important until you're stuck in one that isn't.
Finally! A place that was built for music and is honestly an enjoyable place to watch and play live music. I'm really excited to come back and play again at theVenue, and I hope it just keeps getting better...
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