Duke's is Waikiki's most popular restaurant, I'm sure it's safe to say. Located inside the Outrigger Waikiki hotel and directly on the shore of Waikiki Beach, Duke's is named after Hawaii's most revered waterman and Olympic athlete Duke Kahanamoku. [Break it down by syllable and speak every letter: kA-hA-nA-moe-koo!]
When you live in Honolulu it's rare that you actually go into Waikiki, land of tourists, hotels, and ABC stores. Chances are that when you have friends or relatives in town - you'll end up at Duke's!
Duke's a rite of passage and home to many firsts in my own life:
- In 2007 I drank my very first mai tai at Duke's "Barefoot Bar!"
- Just over a year later I spent my first warm weather birthday (January 15) at Duke's
- This was just after enjoying my first sunset booze cruise and first pineapple mimosa - now my favorite and the beverage that Bryce stashed in his backpack on the day he proposed to me!
The singing aunties are always around and on that particular night, my 23rd birthday, my friend accidentally tipped them $20 instead of $5! Those sweet ukulele tunes went on and on...
