Hawaii’s oldest bar closes in Chinatown after 92 years

News admin June 2, 2026 0 Comments

Hawaii’s oldest bar closes in Chinatown after 92 years

Editor’s note: An initial version of this story aired on Dec. 16, 2025. This post has since been updated.

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Hawaii’s oldest bar, which sits on property owned by a prominent Chinatown landlord, is officially closed.

Smith’s Union Bar on N. Hotel Street locked its doors for good on Monday, June 1, after 92 years in business.

The bar was established in 1934 after the end of prohibition and has seen decades of Hawaii’s history.

It was a popular spot among sailors, survived the bombing of Pearl Harbor and World War II, and became known as the “official watering hole of the USS Arizona.”

“I think in the military veteran community, it means a lot,” said Jim McCoy of Pacific Historic Parks. “I know it’s changing times but it’s also history, and it’s history that we don’t want to forget.”

Employees were told last December that landlord Allen Stack Jr. decided not to renew the bar’s lease for reasons that were not disclosed.

Stack’s attorney did not respond to Hawaii News Now’s request for comment.

“It’s been a long run,” Chris Asuncion, manager of Smith’s Union Bar, said. “The landlord decided it’s time to close.”

News of the impending closure drew longtime patrons and newer customers hoping for one last visit.

“I came down because I read the newspaper this morning that the bar was closing. We had lunch across the street and thought it would be perfect to come here afterwards,” said Judie Malmgren, who stopped in with friends.

Neighboring business owner Dave Stewart, who runs Bar 35, was upset with the news and said last December he planned to speak with Stack.

“I’m devastated. I’m on my way to see the landlord right now,” Stewart said. “It can’t close. It’s the oldest [expletive] bar in the whole of Hawaii. So no, it can’t close. It’s got to be saved.”

In December, Asuncion said that the bar’s closure depended “on how long it takes us to sell whatever liquor we got left… Till the liquor runs out — ride it till the wheels fall off.”

With the bar’s doors now officially closed, the future of the space remains unclear.

In a social media post, the bar wrote: “Upon leaving the City will be locking up the building. The landlords will have to bring the building up to State Code before anything can ever go into that space. Since Smith’s is 92yrs old we are grandfathered in. Meaning electric, plumbing, floor, roof, foundation will all have to be done to bring it up to Code.”