The Fashionably-Forward Foodie: REAL a gastropub

Happy Hour from 2-6pm!

Gastropubs are the new "in" thing here in Hawaii. They're popping up everywhere. First there was Dash, then there was Pint + Jigger and now, I introduce to you, REAL.

So, you may ask, "I don't get the name." Because well.....I didn't get it for awhile either. But I think there should be a comma in there somewhere....just sayin'...

REAL, a gastropub.

Now that we're past that, we can get to the good stuff. If you remember the old Tropics, you remember how ghetto and dingy the place used to be. Don't get me wrong, I'm so sad Tropics closed down. They had THE BEST Tortilla Soup I've ever had. No joke. Taco Tuesdays at Tropics was where it was at, people!!!

Anyway, my point was that REAL really did the place up nice. Very nicely cleaned up, a bit crowded inside, but they still have that upstairs area open. Trust me, though, SIT DOWNSTAIRS. The service goes down a couple notches when you sit up there. We had a nice lady who was very attentive when we were downstairs, but moved upstairs because we had so many people in our party. Long story short, we regretted moving up there because our waitress was awful.

As for food, we almost tried the whole menu! Our waitress (downstairs) suggested the Grilled Cheese, stating that it was her favorite, but we passed on that and ordered Deviled Eggs, Lobster Cream Corn, Garlic Candied Bacon, Duck Confit Corn Dogs, and Poutine. Eventually our friends ordered other things later, but I didn't try any of that. I can, however, vouch for everything we ate.......except the Poutine. It wasn't one of my favorites.

Deviled Eggs were delicious with the bacon bits on top, but FYI, you only get 4 per order. I loved the crunchiness of the Garlic Candied Bacon, but again, it's a small order. The Lobster Cream Corn was rich and creamy and had big chunks of lobster in there. I really enjoyed that! No skimping there! My favorite, however, was the Duck Confit Corn Dogs. I don't really like the gaminess of Duck usually, but the duck in here was more like Kalua Pig!!! It went so well with the homemade cranberry-onion compote that also came with the dish. I highly recommend! Next time I'm back, I'll try their Grilled Cheese.

Drinks? Beer? Well, they are definitely stocked well on beer (bottled and on tap), but for ladies who prefer "girly" drinks (like myself), you won't get that here. It ain't no Pint + Jigger where you order Mango Mint Martinis all night. They do have a fully stocked bar, so you can get simple drinks like a Dirty Martini or Screwdriver. But come on, we're not at the nightclub.

Verdict? Out of all of these gastropubs, I like Pint + Jigger the best- for their food, drinks and space. Dash is next- A LOT of space, food is good, drinks good. And REAL? I like their selection of food. I'd go back for the food for sure. The amount of space in there is just too small! Plus, even if you go early (we went around 6pm), all tables were taken except ONE. Lastly, no love for the ladies who don't drink beer! I'd love to see some specialty cocktails added. That would be nice.