La Mariana Sailing Club
Honolulu, Hawaii · Mid-Century & Modern · Est. 1957 · Open today
Since 1957
Annette La Mariana Nahinu began building a marina at Keehi Lagoon in 1955 so sailors would have an affordable place to tie up, and opened the sailing club's bar and restaurant in 1957. A 1960 tsunami damaged the original site, and after receiving notice to vacate in 1975 she relocated the club about 50 feet upshore to a former junkyard site, recreating the restaurant where it has stood ever since. As Hawaii's legendary tiki bars closed in later decades, Nahinu bought up their furnishings — carved tikis from the Sheraton's Kon Tiki Room, rattan chairs from Don the Beachcomber's, pufferfish lamps from Trader Vic's — turning the club into a de facto tiki museum. Nahinu died in 2008 at age 93; the club's staff carried on her traditions, and a 20-year state lease extension approved in 2019 secured its future. It remains Honolulu's last original tiki bar, and with Smith's Union Bar's June 2026 closure it is arguably now the oldest bar operating in Hawaii.
The bar is a working tiki museum: founder Annette Nahinu salvaged decor from Honolulu's shuttered golden-age tiki bars, so drinks are served among carved tikis from the Sheraton Kon Tiki Room, chairs from Don the Beachcomber's, and pufferfish lamps from Trader Vic's.
What to order: Classic tropical cocktails — Mai Tais and Zombies — served amid original 1950s tiki decor with live piano entertainment.
How solid is the claim?
Hawaii’s oldest bar — the evidence
La Mariana Sailing Club in Honolulu is our featured pick for the oldest bar in Hawaii, with a claimed founding year of 1957. La Mariana (1957) is well documented as Hawaii's original and last old-school tiki bar, but the Business Insider 'oldest bar in Hawaii' billing was inaccurate when published: Smith's Union Bar (est. 1934) was widely recognized as the state's actual oldest bar until it closed June 1, 2026, when its landlord declined to renew the lease. With Smith's gone, La Mariana arguably inherits the title, though it relocated to its current spot in 1975.
Competing Claims
Other Hawaii establishments with a stake in the title:
Sources
- 1. La Mariana Sailing Club — official website
- 2. National Trust for Historic Preservation — Honolulu's La Mariana Sailing Club Tiki Bar and Restaurant
- 3. Hawaii News Now — Hawaii's oldest bar closes in Chinatown after 92 years (June 1, 2026)
- 4. Honolulu Star-Advertiser — Honolulu's longest-running bar has 'last call' (June 1, 2026)
- 5. Alcohol Professor — La Mariana Sailing Club: Honolulu's Last Old School Tiki Bar