THE NIGHT STUFF
Irish pub keeps its happy hour going

By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

Enjoying Kelley O'Neil's on a recent Saturday evening were, from left, Wai'anae residents Theresa Golino, Lori Dalsky, Kathleen Casey and Desiree Villec. Photos by Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser

Jeremy Linden and Kerry Linden of Seattle and Robert Craig, right, of British Columbia were chatting at the Lewers Street pub that night. There's live music in the evenings.

Giulia Jewitt, left, of Kahala, and Chieko Matsukawa of Kailua also made the foray into Waikiki to stop by the Irish-style bar on that busy evening. The pub is open 11 a.m. to 4 a.m. daily.

KELLEY O'NEIL'S Where: 311 Lewers St., 926-1777. Hours: 11 a.m.-4 a.m., daily Live music: 9 p.m.-1 a.m. (Mondays-Thursdays); 5-8 p.m., 9 p.m.-1a.m., 1:30-3:30 a.m. (Fridays, Saturdays); irishpubhawaii.com/kelleyoneils for schedule. Live Irish music: 3-7 p.m. Sundays We'll be back for: O'Neil's Beef Stew ($4.25). Until someone proves to me otherwise, the best in town.

Sure, it was great kicking back at the Waikiki Irish pub on a recent Saturday evening, scribbling notes about its relaxed environs, mellow twenty- and thirty-something crowd and attentive staff. Expensing my altogether reasonable Kelley's tab to the company? Bonus!

But Kelley O'Neil's is a night spot best enjoyed with a cold black and tan, some bar food, a few friends and little else to think about. Even Night Stuff columns.

Kelley O'Neil's has something for every kind of barfly's after- hours taste:

• A "happy hour" that, at nine hours from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., is actually more like a "happy shift."
• Late-night live music that on Fridays and Saturdays packs Kelley's till the wee hours.
• A less-crowded pau hana hour ideal for ordering a light dinner or bar food (till 9 p.m.) and happy hour specials (till 8 p.m.).

We snuck in 'round 8:15 p.m. and found a crowd of about 50 mostly casually dressed patrons deep in conversation, drinks and food.

A trio anchoring corner stools at Kelley's large central bar debated German and Polish papacies. A group neighboring our food-loaded table — nothing on Kelley's menu was more than $8, and our selections were tasty and generously portioned — discussed fidelity and the Cruise/Holmes relationship.

The late-night crowd began arriving near 10 p.m.; tables and bar seats were already scarce. Our prime seats, no surprise, drew increasingly hungry stares.

They could wait. I was, after all, working.

Reach Derek Paiva at 525-8005 or dpaiva@honoluluadvertiser.com.

NIGHTSPOTTING ...

Opening nights

There are three to note this weekend ... Stone Groove Family's and Vertical Junkie's "Rockstar Fridays" vows to kick clubland's ubiquitous Top 40 hip-hop and R&B to the curb in favor of a more, uh, varied adult Top 40 mix. Think No Doubt, Maroon 5, Green Day, Violent Femmes, Sublime, etc., and you've got the idea. What to wear? Dress up or dress down. At the Hard Rock Cafe, tonight, from 10 p.m.; 18 and older ... Vertical Junkies hooks up with Architechs Entertainment on Saturday at Chai's Island Bistro for the debut of "NJOY." A soundtrack of smooth hip-hop from DJ Delve and XL flows indoors and out. From 10 p.m. ... And Sisters In Sound returns to a regularly scheduled night scene near you on Fridaywith its new monthly, "Sweet." Keeping the turntables happy are Sisters Marloca and Toki, and Freeform Sound Collective's K-ing. "Sweet" and the SIS crew return on the second Friday of each month. From 11 p.m. at Kai Restaurant, 1427 Makaloa St.; 21 and older. Free cover for tonight's "Sweet" debut.