This is a fun little local dive bar spot on Nuuanu (same parking lot as Walgreens). As you walk in, you will immediately see smiley faces. Happy customers that you feel you know forever. They are all enjoying the food, drinks and the singing. Food is mostly local pupu menu. I highly recommend the pork chop and the poke. The poke is very fresh and seasoned well with sesame oil. Song books are not totally up to date but available by titles and artists. Everyone there seem to be old timers but they always encourage you to sing. It is $1 per song. When I leave, I feel like I am part of the old timer! The place is so fun and homey, I would go back there again! read more

This is a quaint place, not very big maybe 6 booth/tables and a bar for 8 or so. They have karaoke if there are any singers in your group. They offer food from a small kitchen but everything tasted great. We had the poke, pork chops, fries and soy beans. It reminds me of Cheers, while it was my first time, clearly everyone at the bar knew each other and the services was friendly. If you are in the neighborhood, it's worth the visit. read more

ShinshoTei - Bars Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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I gave this place 3 stars because of the space area. We came here to celebrate one my of bffs birthday on a Saturday. This area is located on nuuanu; same area where Walgreens, SB, super cuts shopping area. By 7ish the place is pretty packed. We are talking about a space of a regular bedroom size only narrower. There is a bar seating area and probably 4-5 booths. This place is very small. Walking inside, I immediately felt constricted. They have a pretty good karaoke selection and the food was pretty good. Not greasy, decent amount portions (gotta order probably 3 of everything for bigger parties) and really cheap. We ordered the chicken gizzards, poke, fried noodles, shrimp, & steak. The crowd is made up of older men and women - mostly men tho. I assume the regulars. Not my crowd lol but it was alright. Don't mind ordering food for take out, probably wouldn't go back to hang out and drink though. read more

Just oddly overpriced. Just look at the menu. $9 for fries hahahaha. Bar food thats decent but just way too expensive.

Neighborhood bar near my friend's house. Most neighborhood bars are really dark inside and not too welcoming, this was not the case here. Arrived during happy hour before the crowd came and got a table. Pupus was fresh, beer was ice cold, AC was blasting, karaoke was going. Place was hella chill. Ordered lychee shots and they dangerous, taste just like lychee and you like order more so be careful. read more

ANYONE KNOW WHERE I CAN GET 1,000,000 HELIUM BALLOONS? Because I need to save Shinsho Tei! Just like in the movie "Up", it's only a matter of time before the bulldozers move in and knock this place down to build a Walgreens. With the right amount of balloons, I'm sure we can float this place to safety. Auwe! It's too bad, because this place is great. Nu'uanu is seriously lacking in neighborhood bars and I'm going to miss this place. The staff is super friendly, the drinks are cheap, they have a good karaoke songbook, and the food is supposed to be great. Check this place out before it's too late! read more

Just your friendly neighborhood bar where everyone knows your name. It even has its own version of Norm. Only his name is Alvin. Of course it has to have good food for me to love this place. String beans w/opae-ono Pork chops-ono Steamed fish-ono Poke-ono Surume- da bestest I heard this whole complex (where Hungry Lion is) is going to be torn down and replaced with Walgreens. What a shame. I hope you guys open up somewhere else. Otherwise where will we go? read more

A friend of mine came home from the mainland on vacation. His family loves hanging out at Shinsho Tei and he invited me to join them recently. The bar is located in the complex where Hungry Lion was once located. There is a Wal-Greens, Supercuts, and some other businesses in the area now. The parking lot was very nice. It was well-lit and seemed fairly new and not the bumpy, full of potholes type of parking lot. The bar itself was on the small side. It was narrow with one table on the left followed by the bar. On the right were two tables and then 4 or 5 booths. Bathrooms were located in the back. The ladies bathroom was clean. There were two servers that came around very frequently. They were both friendly. We had the pork chops, steak, teri cheeseburger, and fries. Would have tried more off the menu, but we were still full from a party we went to earlier that day. Fries: those fat, crinkle-cut ones that provide lots of potato in every bite! I was happy to see that they served that type because it's my favorite. The fries were nice and crispy and not too salty. Ketchup was served on the side. We actually ended up ordering a second plate of fries. Pork Chops: Sliced for pupu style eating. Nicely seasoned and not dry. Steak: Same as the pork chop. Teri Cheeseburger: Two cheeseburgers cut in half. Tasted like May's brand teri burgers. Was ono even if it wasn't a freshly-made (we suspect) burger. My friends and some other patrons sang karaoke until the bar closed at 2 a.m. I didn't look at the song list myself, but one of the books was really thick. I assume then, that they had quite an extensive selection of songs to choose from. All in all, we had a good time here. I would definitely return for the pupus. Just wish there were more tables! read more

I try to be selective in places that I give 5 star ratings for, and I also try to rate accordingly by category. In it's category of Simple, Local, Karaoke bar I have to give Shinsho Tei a 5 star rating. I've only been here a handful of times but I've always had a great time. The workers are friendly, Our server (I believe his name is Guy) is attentive with drinks and friendly enough to let us try some food on the house once in a while. The Patrons are fun as well, seems like a lot of regulars and just locals having good fun and encouraging others to sing. For food I haven't tried everything but the fried tofu with chives is good, a little on the spicy side which I like. We've had a few other things here and there, fried fish, boiled peanuts, etc, but I still have yet to venture on to most of the menu. As for drinks and songs, it's as expected, decent song selection, $1 songs and a pretty standard bar. Shinsho Tei doesn't look like much but I've had nothing but good times here and looking forward to more! read more

It's a hole-in-a-wall joint with an older crowd, but my friends love going here. They have karaoke which is $1 per song sung. You sing publicly in front of everyone in the bar. I don't think I heard anyone get boo'd but there's always someone applauding after someone finishes his/her song. As for food/drinks, my friends love getting the dirty fries. The fries are soaked in a special sauce. My friends always order that and drink beer. Occassionally they'll get "beautiful" shots and other drinks. I forgot what the other things I ate were called, only because I just ate off of what was handed to me lol. Overall, they have good appetizers and some real food food. Can't forget this moment: They have locals who will buy you drinks. One time when my friends and I were there, we were full off drinking and wanted to finish up and leave. We had a gentleman buy our table drinks. So we stayed and tried to finish it up so we can leave. But when we were almost done, another gentleman did the same! It was funny. We said thank you to them and hand a young lady join us at our table. read more

What a perfect balance of ol'school Karaoke bar and delicious hole in the wall eatery! The Poke was off the chain, the string beans were to die for and the music/karaoke selection and system top of the line! read more

ShinshoTei - Shinsho Tei by Paul Klink 6/14/10 - Bars Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

My favorite is their deluxe string beans. I have learned that I need to call before I get there if I am craving it. It's so delicious and popular with the locals that they often run out. The sashimi is also bomb; however, I was disappointed with the portion size for the $19 steak they serve. read more

This is your laid back, moms and pops old school kind of bar, sort of like a hole in the wall. You'll prob only know about this place if you live in the area or hear about it from a friend because this place ain't really advertised, and it doesn't really need to be! You'll feel right at home when you get it. They have friendly staff that treat you like their ohana. They have a few tables, about 5 booths and open bar seating. It's not that big so it can get busy quick, which is usually is during the weekend. I even found it poppin on a Thursday night. My friends and I usually go to have a few beers and to sing a few songs. Everyone's raging about there String Bean Deluxe for a reason, because it's so good! They have a lot of other pupu selections as well that can accompany your night so order up! The bar is simple, basic spirits and beers so don't go in expecting to get a fancy cocktail or craft beer. But this hasn't prevented me from leaving all buss! Definitely gotta stop by if you and your friends are around the area! Great staff, food is awesome, fairly priced drinks, clean atmosphere, and they have a really large selections of songs to choose from! read more

Everyone was just so cool here... a bit more cozy and relaxing that Imua Lounge or 8FatFat8. Service spot on so nice, comfortable booths, nice bar counter, great crowd of friendly people and they have Karaoke~. Oh and so clean! Its a small narrow bar with about 5 booths along the right with a long bar counter to the left. Lots of TV monitors for Karaoke. Our waitress couldn't have been nicer. read more

Wow what a great find! Got invited to this place because some friends were gonna drink here (who came over an hour after they said). But it didn't matter to us because we were having fun and the aunties that work here were all so sweet to us. Never at one point did we ask each other "why are we here". It was just all laughs and talk. Be warned it is a karaoke place so if you want somewhere quiet this is definitely not for you. But if you like good pupus and great company, then go ahead and take a seat. This place would definitely be good for big parties. When we arrived there was a big party taking up half the place and they seemed like they were having a blast! Lol. read more

This was my first time there... The place is quite small but it was good fun. The AC is perfect the place wasn't hot at all. The FOOD WAS GREAT, I wasn't able to take any pictures because everyone ate it before I could take any. Pork Chops, String Beans with Tofu, and Cold Tofu was the bomb. The only thing was that the orders were placed and we didn't get our food until almost a hour later. We would order and have to wait for a while. Nice place to go out with friends and chill. read more

Great environment & atmosphere. Family owned business and they are wonderful people! Awesome food, literally EVERYTHING on the menu is ono. Highly recommend the pork chops & lumpia. read more

ShinshoTei - Perfect spot to meet up & catch up with friends. - Bars Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Hole in the wall karaoke ball. It's exactly what you think it will be. Do yourself a favor and don't order the steak. Ordered it medium rare (to go) it came out gray, borderline beef jerky. You can tell it's frozen by the color of it. For $17 a steak here you can get 3 plates at blazin steaks with a better outcome.....lol read more

Superior food -- if you get local plantation-style culinary traditions then apply those to the best traditions of urban dive bars without anykine hipster pretentiousness. Very smart menu, in a quietly low-key way. The prices seem high, but you're paying for the quality of chefly expertise, not shiny bells and whistles or volume. Pay attention to the details, then you'll see. On our last purchased sit-down meal of the year, we got: * STRING BEANS DELUXE. $15, thin and fresh-tasting slivers of haricort vert--not the cheap canned or frozen fatter greenbeans--stir-fried with a savory trinity of 'opae ( crunchy Hawaiian freshwater shrimp, dried, then flavored like bacon), Chinese lap cheong, and good ol' Spam, cooked in a spicy oil that's similar to a buffalo chicken wing sauce sans butter (they use vegetable oil instead?). OMG this came first and felt like a throwdown. At this point, my hubs, who hates how I drag him around town trying everything on my "list" (and this place has been there for about 15 years), started to relax. 'Cuz delicious. He took one bite and chilled. We're in good hands. * PORK CHOPS. $14, comes with small cup of ketchup, cut into rectangular bite-sizes. This tasted twice-cooked, as if they'd flash-fried it to get most of the meat done, then deep fried the pieces; it was breaded with panko or some other fat crumb, and what Alton Brown of Food Network calls GBD (golden brown and delicious). Husband is THE pork guy and extremely happy. Compared to places like Side Street Inn, this was a little drier, but more crispy and tasty, less oily and unnecessarily busy. Perfect snack--not a heavy meal despite its fried form. If we drank, this would be great with beer or hards. * SHRIMP. $11 (? I think...maybe $14?). Garlic fried, sweet in the way that fresh(ish) shellfish can be, nicely plump, served in a wonderful sauce that's buttery without being actual butter, garlic-and-seabrine-savory, slightly spicy, and sweet. You will want to order rice at this point, to mop in the long groove of a dish these are served in, to highlight their size (around 12/13s, I'd guess) and perfectly rounded fat forms. Shell and tail on, but of course, you'll eat it. 'Cuz daily required calcium. Yeah, that's the reason. * SPICY FRIES. $9. Crinkle cut, soaked in the same sauce that the String Beans Deluxe came in; in other words, a buffalo wing type preparation. You have to like your fries wet, versus dry and crisp, to enjoy this, but it's not mushy or anything--still holds its hardness on the outside and soft potato flakiness within. Came with an herby dressing that seemed almost a ranch at first, but also also resembled a dill-cucumberish sauce? We brought this home, and its spiciness was nice. Not the strongest entry, but demonstrated a clear point of view in terms of menu design and culinary style. What everyone else said about good service and friendly climate was spot-on. This is one of those bars where everyone doesn't just know your name, but the bartender runs by your table with the karaoke mike and lyrics book, asking if you guys want a turn at choiring the room for a song or two. It's very intimate and local, in the best of ways, with its regulars sitting at the bar and said barkeep holding capable and efficient court. Friendly waitstaff who will recommend the house specialties (they didn't have the chix gizzards, which seemed popular, when we went, so we'll have to return some time) and come to refill your waters, sodas, and drinks with capable timing. Clean place, well run. A perfect last date of the year! read more

Randomly stopped in and probably won't be back. Nothing towards the bar itself. It's small and dim and there's no real theme or cleanliness to the place. It's a bit old fashioned and more like a "hole-in-the-wall" type of bar. They do not have a full bar and I don't believe any specified waitress. I must say the bartender seemed to bothered when we ordered drinks through her. More as though she expected us to sit at the booth and wait for the busy waitress to eventually come by. I guess there was nothing to really criticize but it just wasn't my cup of tea or what I'm used to. If you do stop in, come early and please post a review so maybe I'll redeem my visit read more

We came in spontaneously on a Tuesday night and the place was a PARTY! The string bean dish is super yummy and the people there are so friendly. We sat at the bar and sang some karaoke. The whole atmosphere makes you feel welcomed. This place is as good as a dive karaoke bar can go. read more

My friend took me to this place and I really enjoyed singing karaoke. The bartender and people there are so friendly. This is very cosy place. read more

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Shinso Tei is saved!!!!! Supposedly the Diamond Head side of the shopping center will be retained due to the tree growing in the now defunct Hungry Lion. This is according to the waitstaff, so only time will tell. In the meantime, get over here pronto just in case the developers decide to level the lot! $3 domestic beers all night, tons of Karaoke songs, and a lively crowd of aunties and uncles that all seem to know each other from hanabada days make this an ultra authentic example of a honolulu hole in the wall pub. Must eat: Green beans with dried shrimps... to DIE for - have yet to leave a single morsel on the plate. Sarume - best I've ever had at a bar, very soft and not too chewy. Tasted fresh. I've eaten the chicken gizzards, pork chop and more on previous occasions. Everything is always good. Warm up a capella in the car on the way over cuz these patrons can really belt out some tunes. read more

Sometimey kine place, a solid 3.5. Sometimes good, sometimes meh. Wish it was more consistent. Noteworthy items are spicy fries, poke, green beans with shrimp--over somen noodles always. The fried fish, which was ahi is oftentimes winnahs. Service is usually good. Drinks are low-key. Super local pub kine, get plenty regulars. I'm a stop in every few months kine customer. Earlier in the day mo' bettah, as weekend nights are pretty busy. Small seating areas and an L shaped bar. Not a lot of room for big groups. My most recent experience was not so good, patchy service and food was just ok. Super salty fish and fries were soggy. Hate that, 'cuz had stated that they were supa good to my friend. Not so on that Friday night. So the take away is, go early and go weekdays. Weekends are more for hardcore regulars who own their mikes during karaoke. read more

Went here last Sunday to watch football. It was comfortable, terrific service and ono food! The poke is da bomb!!!! Definitely will go back again. Gotta have the chicken gizzards and fried saimin too!!! read more

Always a happy and fun place! No need to say more. Lotta love here. Great food! Don't be shy!! Come share your karaoke talents!!

I have passed here so many times and always thought it was a Japanese restaurant. It sounds like one and the name is deceiving. So when my friend told me to meet her there and told me it was Indeed a bar and not a restaurant I immediately thought... Hole in the wall dive. But when we got there I was so pleasantly surprised that it's a mellow local bar where everyone including the people there seemed to be very friendly. You could tell there were definitely regulars because people would walk in then everyone would tell them hi! And I gotta say I love those kinds of places. Being from a small town where "everybody knows your name".. I am drawn to places in Oahu where it has that small town feel to it. And it's rare to find that here. Now the drinks were standard prices, and the place is very limited in booths and tables and I didn't really get to try the food except for this bite of some kind of tofu in sauce that was absolutely YUM... But I will definitely be back and try some grub the next time because I heard it was good. Yelp 365 challenge: 33/365 read more

We had a made a reservation for Super Bowl Sunday, and had received a reconfirmation call advising of a $20.00 per person charge, then a second call correcting the charge to $15.00 per person to cover pupus throughout the game. While visiting there yesterday, our friend who had made the reservation received a third call advising that our reservation had been cancelled as the owner said there would be too many people. WHAT? Unbelievable! This is definitely no way to run a business, but I guess the owner doesn't really care as the bartender had told us earlier that they are always busy with their "regulars". So we proceeded to Any Place which welcomed us, and where we happily spent $100+ for Happy Hour drinks, friendly staff, and ono pupus at better prices. read more

OPAE STRING BEANS ON SOMEN NOODLES. That is all you need to know. (Oh, and the waitstaff is super friendly--always a plus.)

My go to karaoke spot. Its small and intimate kind of like a cheers vibe. The spicy fries are a must everytime.

String beans, with Shrimp, and tofu... Winning! Parking is free. Love this little hole in the wall to enjoy a Pau Hana drink! Karaoke for days! read more

One of Honolulu's hidden gem bars. Fun atmosphere and great local food! Try the pork chop and the string beans.

Been going to this bar for about 3 yrs or so. Me and bf would go bc we live right up the road from there and it's less of a drive and so convient for us cuz home was so close just to have a few. Their food is ono, staff is awesome and we always have a great time everytime we go. They only have karaoke and seats are first come serve basis unless you call ahead to reserve a table bc They do fill up very fast sometimes it does come packed. Bathrooms are clean, their food I'm telling you is ono if your planning on visiting for the first time ask for the some noodles with the spicy string bean opai mixed those together and you won't ever regret it!!!! read more

This goes to the owner and hopefully you show it to the chef!!! So me and my wife are both servers, we get home starving and because this place is close by and actually recommended from someone I know I decide to get in thinking it would be fast. I order a coke and I get a coke in a small cocktail glass. It's ok, I just hope refills are free.. Then order fried chicken, mandoo and vegetable plater. All good so far, server was nice and nothing special going on. 15 min go by and the server comes and says, I'm so sorry we only have half order of the chicken and we are out of the mandoo! Alright, not happy but I told her to bring anything they have. I didn't said anything else or was rude. I'm a server and sometimes shit happens. Now picture this! Chef comes to the table super insulted, saying that the girl as nothing to do with it to not go down on her!!!! Witch I said I didn't went down on the girl but I've been waiting 15 min to be told that you don't have the food. That's when I goes stupid and yells at me!!! Wtf you think you are??? Out of know where coming to a table insulting a guest that didn't even cause or made any trouble! Dude whatever problems you have in the kitchen it's only your problem not your guest. If you're disorganized and can't count or give 86 to staff that's your fault. Don't come out of the kitchen ever because that's embarrassing to the people giving their faces to the guest. Needless to say I ask to close the check and still was charged for 4oz of coke!!!!!! Ridiculous situation. Never have I had this experience and I'm a server and Believe me I have seen a lot of shit! This is my second yelp review. Take your conclusions and think about your asshole attitude. read more

Great local bar for pupu's and karaoke. Have one of my favorites chicken gizzards. Just as good as ones at Side Street Inn. Wine is jug wine but that's ok. Service good and fun atmosphere. Shrimp was good too. Will try sashimi next time looked good. read more

For my 60th BD I wanted to go here - so WE did....it's a bit small but it's very nice N clean, the staff there R friendly! It's a nice neighborhood hang-out (I should have come here sooner), I C that they have regulars who stop by 4 an evening of fun N enjoyment. While WE were there I saw a variety of age groups come in N what surprised me was that they were some younger people there enjoying the atmosphere along w/ everybody else! It was fun N very relaxing NO pressure! It's a "MUST STOP HERE" place! So, Shinsho Tei get's a thumbs up N must stop by! They staff is friendly & their food is pretty darn good (loved the spicy string beans & I mixed the somen noodles w/ it so it was "mo" better). Bathrooms super "clean" (love this when the bathroom's R clean but than it also helps when the patron's themselves keep the area neat as well). Parking is good! Location: Nuuanu Shopping comples where Hungry Lion was located ~ Wal-Greens is located here too, SuperCuts, RadioShack etc.... Mahalo nui Shinsho TEI .............. read more

I look for two things in bars. 1) I want there to be a decent crowd so I don't hear the crickets chirping. 2) I don't want it to be so loud or so crowded that I can't sit or hear myself speak. Shinsho Tei was perfect for this! I'd never been, even though I live just up the street, but my boyfriend needed to kill time while I was walking home from work, so he stopped in here for a beer. I ended up joining him at the bar where we both had two beers and were served complimentary potato chips. The place was small, but very clean, and had a wonderful atmosphere. Before going in, I had heard karaoke from the sidewalk, but when I came in, the karaoke craze seemed to be dying down. The crowd was a group of mostly locals, a bit older than I am (I'm in my 20's), and everyone seemed to know everyone. As a Haole, I'm sometimes not comfortable crashing what feels like a "local" bar because it can either go 1 of 2 ways. You can feel completely alienated and unwelcome, or you can be greeted with warmth and appreciation. Shinsho Tei offered the latter. The bartender was kind and very fast to serve me. The waitress asked me if I wanted to do any karaoke (nope, wasn't feeling it that night), but then she took a few moments to chat with me and tell me about the bar and food. She was very nice and genuine. Overall, all the customers seemed to be happy, comfortable, and having a good time. Aside from service & atmosphere, however, the food is just okay. read more

Gina is the best!!!!!! Alway go if she is there! Food amazing, drinks on point! Karaoke for days :)

So happy I walked into Shinsho Tei!! They have regulars that are welcoming and the environment is perfect! Great food, karaoke and service! This is where everybody will know your name! I'm hooked!! Thank you to the CEO Phyliss!! read more

Terrible! Terrible to have to write a wonderful review for my favorite spot! Truly wanna keep dis place all to myself! Dont order the green beans w shrimp bumbye they make um more pricey! read more