Waikiki has plenty of bars, but most of them are at street level — packed into hotel lobbies, tucked behind storefronts, or crammed into ground-floor spaces with no windows and no airflow. If you want a drink with a view, open air, and a breeze instead of air conditioning, you need to go up. Skybox Taphouse sits on the third-floor Grand Lanai of International Market Place, and it's one of the best rooftop bar experiences in Waikiki.
Open Air on the Grand Lanai
Skybox isn't technically on a rooftop — it's on the third-floor open-air lanai of International Market Place, which in practice feels like a rooftop bar. The venue is open to the sky, surrounded by palm trees, with panoramic views of Waikiki's skyline and the mountains behind it. You can see the tops of the coconut palms swaying at eye level while you eat and drink. It's a completely different atmosphere from the closed-in bars at street level.
The venue seats 275 across indoor and outdoor sections with two full-size bars. The outdoor seating puts you right in the open air with the Waikiki breeze, while the indoor area has the main bar with the big screens and sports memorabilia. Most people move between both throughout the night — catching a game at the bar, then stepping out to the lanai with a cocktail.
Not Just Drinks — Real Food Until 1 AM
A lot of rooftop bars in Waikiki are cocktail-only spots with maybe a bowl of nuts on the bar. Skybox has a full kitchen running until 1 AM every night. This isn't an afterthought menu — the food is a genuine reason to come here, even if you didn't know about the rooftop setting.
The menu includes hand-crafted pizzas (whole pies and by the slice), Upper-Cut jumbo wings in Buffalo, Honey Sriracha, or Hawaiian BBQ, All-Star fish tacos with scratch taco sauce, Triple Play nachos for the table, Kalua smoked pork sliders, Wisconsin golden cheese curds, burgers, and more. The late-night menu kicks in at 10 PM, so you can eat well past midnight when most Waikiki kitchens have shut down. It's one of the only open-air bars where you can get a full meal after midnight.
20+ Screens in the Open Air
Here's what makes Skybox different from every other rooftop bar in Waikiki: it's also a serious sports bar. Over 20 TVs with state-of-the-art picture and sound are spread across the venue — including the outdoor areas. You can watch the game with the trade winds blowing and palm trees overhead. Try getting that at a mainland sports bar.
Sound is on for the big games — NFL, NBA, UFC, World Cup, March Madness, MLB, and more. Whether it's a casual afternoon watching baseball or a packed house for a playoff game, the combination of live sports and open-air tropical setting is something you won't find anywhere else on the strip.
Happy Hour with a View
Happy hour at Skybox runs Monday through Friday, 3-6 PM. At that time of day, you've still got sunlight, the breeze is at its best, and the views across Waikiki are at their most scenic. The deals are solid: $5 domestic pints, $7 local Hawaiian drafts (Kona Longboard, Maui Big Swell, Skybox house beers), and $11 signature cocktails that normally run $16.
The cocktail menu leans tropical without being gimmicky. The All Tai'd Up is a proper Mai Tai with a dark rum float. The Goddess Pele brings habanero vodka with pineapple and strawberry. The Passion Play Margarita with passion fruit and lime is an easy crowd-pleaser. All of them taste better on the lanai with a view than they would in a dark bar at street level.
For groups, pitchers and towers keep the drinks flowing. Domestic towers at $37 and local towers at $41 — split four ways, that's hard to beat anywhere in Waikiki, let alone at a rooftop bar.
Karaoke Under the Stars
Karaoke runs every single night from 9 PM to 2 AM — and doing karaoke in an open-air venue hits differently than doing it in a closed room. The combination of the night sky, warm air, a crowd that's into it, and a cocktail in hand makes for the kind of night you'll actually remember. Wednesday nights start with trivia at 7 PM and roll into karaoke at 9.
The Sunset Spot
Timing matters at a rooftop bar. The sweet spot at Skybox is arriving between 4 and 6 PM — you catch happy hour pricing, the afternoon light across Waikiki is beautiful, and you get to watch the sky shift through golden hour from the lanai. By the time the sun sets, you're a couple drinks in and the evening crowd starts filtering in for karaoke. It's a natural progression that turns a late-afternoon drink into a full night out without ever leaving your seat.
How It Compares
Waikiki has a handful of rooftop and elevated bars — mostly hotel bars with premium pricing, limited food, and a formal dress code. Skybox is the opposite: come as you are, full kitchen, sports on TV, karaoke, and prices that locals actually find reasonable. It's the casual rooftop bar that Waikiki needed — a place where you can show up in board shorts, watch the game, eat real food, and enjoy the open-air setting without paying resort prices.
Getting There
Skybox Taphouse is at 2330 Kalakaua Ave #302, third floor of International Market Place. Take the escalators up from the ground floor — you'll feel the breeze as soon as you step onto the lanai. Open daily 11 AM to 2 AM, kitchen until 1 AM, karaoke from 9 PM. Walk-ins welcome, or save a table if you're coming during happy hour or for a big game. Parking available in the International Market Place garage.