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In March 2020, a Honolulu original closed its doors forever. The Home of the Brave Museum and Brewseum was a one-of-a-kind repository for American military history. Located in a 1920s horse stable and once called Honolulu’s best-kept secret by the city’s mayor, the museum was the passion project of Glen Tomlinson and family. The collection included thousands of WWII relics, from Army-issue Jeeps and Harleys to model bombers that circled overhead on a rope and pulley system. The best part? This family business served up frothy mugs of homemade beer for you to imbibe while marveling at the Pacific’s largest collection of military memorabilia.

Sadly, the Home of the Brave Museum shuttered during the COVID-19 lockdowns, though the Tomlinson family are currently raising funds to reopen in Durango, Colorado. In the meantime, we’ve brought you news of Honolulu’s other “brewseums” where you can savor a drink while imbibing the islands’ rich culture and history.

The Hangar Café at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum
The Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum’s longstanding watering hole, the Lankiakea Café, has recently rebranded as the retro-chic Hangar Café, a charming, throwback oasis in the middle of one of our many military museums. The Café is located inside historic Hangar 37 on Ford Island, an active military base. As civilian travel around the base is restricted, you can expect to catch a free shuttle from the visitor parking straight to the museum’s front doors. Just inside, you’ll find the Hangar Café: a perfect beginning or end—or middle—to your museum visit.

https://www.pearlharboraviationmuseum.org/news/blog-home/refuel-hangar-cafe/

The Hangar Café is open from 11am to 4pm and serves up a selection of domestic and imported beers, as well as wine by the glass. You’ll also find a menu of classic diner fare alongside signature Hawaiian and fusion dishes like Kalua pig wraps, proud bird chicken bites, bulgogi sandwiches, and fried rice.

Pro tip: military members and kamaaina (residents of Hawaii) get 20% off at the Hangar Café.

The Café and Coffee Bar at the Honolulu Museum of Art

Hawaii’s finest fine art museum is also home to one of its most-overlooked drink spots. The Honolulu Museum of Art, or HoMA, preserves more than 50,000 works in its collection. And for more than 50 years, its Café and Coffee Bar has been lifting the spirits and quenching the thirst of art patrons. The open-air café offers light sandwiches and other café goodies alongside coffees, craft beers from Kona, spritzes, and a collection of wines. On Sundays, the café serves a special brunch that adds mango mimosas, bellinis, and micheladas to the mix. The coffee bar is nearby in HoMA’s Palm Courtyard and has a similarly diverse menu.

The HoMA café is open Wednesday-Saturday, 11am-3, and it serves brunch on Sundays from 11-3. The coffee bar serves on Wednesday-Thursday from 10am-5pm, Friday from 10am-8pm, and Saturday-Sunday from 10am-5pm.

Pro tip: Visit HoMA from 6pm-9pm on Fridays for HoMA Nights, a buzzing after-hours event with live music, dinner, drinks, educational programs, and, of course, art. Beer, wine and cocktails are served until 8:30pm, and dinner is available until 7:30pm.

Written by Chris, a local expert guide for Waikiki Crawling. A historian on the lam from the world of academia, Chris enjoys gardening, hiking, and playing at open mic nights after one too many beers. Want to learn more about Honolulu’s hidden history? Join us on an Aloha Pub Crawl!