Buho Cocina y Cantina sits on the open-air rooftop of the Waikiki Shopping Plaza, perched five floors above Kalakaua Avenue with sweeping views across Waikiki toward Diamond Head. The room is a swirl of string lights, painted skulls, and live mariachi-meets-DJ energy, serving locally sourced Mexican plates and tequila-forward cocktails where, as the marquee puts it, hola meets aloha. The signature draw is Taco Tuesday: from 5 p.m. the kitchen pours $3 tacos and $11 margaritas, the room fills with a mixed crowd of off-shift Waikiki service workers, military, visiting mainlanders and locals up from town, and at 9 p.m. the DJ takes over and the dining room flips into a full rooftop party until 2 a.m. Expect a younger, dressed-to-go-out crowd by midnight, plus serious cocktail and ceviche lovers earlier.
"The food was fun, flavorful, and such a tasty blend of Hawaiian and Mexican flavors. A must-try for a fun and delicious dining experience."
Tuesday is the headline: $3 tacos all night, $11 classic and li-hing margaritas, $9 Pacifico drafts from 5 p.m., DJ from 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Arrive before 10:30 p.m. for no cover and a normal walk-in; after 10:30 p.m. there is a $10 cash cover that includes a complimentary taco and a wristband for the rooftop party, and the line down to the elevators can hit 30 minutes on holiday weekends. Thursdays add all-day happy hour pricing plus a DJ; Friday and Saturday run late with bottle service from $250. Order the al pastor and birria tacos, the elote, and the smoked-pineapple mezcal cocktail.