Tucked into a stubby little alley off Saratoga Road since 1992, Arnold's Beach Bar is the dive bar Waikiki almost lost — a hole-in-the-wall tiki shack with bamboo walls, mismatched stools, free self-serve popcorn, and a TouchTunes jukebox that pulls everything from Jimmy Buffett to old-school hip hop. The Mai Tai is built honest at $10 — premium light and dark rum, lime, orgeat — and customers consistently call it a fair fight against the $20 versions at Duke's and the Royal Hawaiian. By 9 pm the bar fills with a friendly mix of off-the-clock locals, surfers, and travelers, and live music plays most nights of the week. The bartenders are warm, the prices are the lowest on Waikiki, and the vibe is exactly the casual old-Hawaii surfer dive that's gotten almost impossible to find on this strip.
"By far the best dive bar in Waikiki — friendly bartender, cheap booze, and a Mai Tai for ten bucks that holds its own. Prices are the best on the strip and the vibe is everything Waikiki used to be."