A word to the wise. This bar bills itself as a concert venue. Don’t be fooled. The concert part is an afterthought due to the confines of the space and the crazy crowd factor. The Pipe is long and very narrow. The stage is at one of the narrow ends. The net effect is a concert held in a railroad car with the performers cavorting at one end and more than half-the audience squinting.

The resulting acoustic impact is, likewise, not optimal. All of this said, the Pipe remains a premier party stop for the pre-30s set. It’s a little fratboyesque, for sure, but the denizens come to party and play hard. The flesh on display is often extremely on display and locals definitely like to show it off. The drinks are not terribly pricey so the pocketbook impact once you get past the door is relatively modest. Happy hours are dirt cheap and can get down and dirty.

The Pipeline Cafe

805 Pohukaina St /
Map /808-589-1999.

—Alex, 12/21/06