Business Monday: Kona Brewing’s historic Kona Pub creating beer garden entrance to make waiting enjoyable

For the past 31 years, customers needed to navigate a concrete jungle of parking stalls to get to the Kona Brew Pub, which is tucked at the back of a parking lot on Pawai Place in the Old Industrial Area of Kailua-Kona.

But after entering the pub, customers stepped into a shaded tropical paradise where outdoor tables are surrounded by greenery.

Now, the owners of Kona Brewing Hawai‘i are planning to expand that oasis to the front of the pub with the goal of making it a more inviting space for guests to enjoy a beer while waiting to be seated.

Several phases are planned for the entire pub. The first is an estimated $2 million project focusing on the eatery’s curb appeal. This will include a new outdoor beer garden serviced by an updated Growler Shack, refreshed retail shopping with rotating merchandise and gifts, and a new host stand.

Nathalie Carisey, president of Kona Brewing Hawai‘i, said while the popularity for the pub has not dwindled, the space has started to show its age through chipped paint, a small bar and outdated restroom fixtures.

“What we want to do is really invest in making it relevant for the next 30 years,” Carisey said.

Founded in Kailua-Kona in 1994, Kona Brewing Hawaiʻi has grown from a small island brewery into one of Hawaiʻi’s most recognized craft beer brands, sold in stores across the United States.

Its state-of-the-art, 30,000-square-foot brewery opened in 2020, adjacent to the pub. Before that, beers were brewed at the pub behind the kitchen.

That old brewery, Carisey said, has been untouched for years so the team is going to figure out how to safely remove the old tanks and other equipment.

Matthew Godfrey, hospitality specialist of Kona Brewing Hawai‘i’s Pub Division, said the area, which is known as the Brew Block, confuses people.

“When you come into the Brew Block, it says ‘brew’ on this big, beautiful new building, and guests find themselves walking around trying to figure out where the pub is,” he said.

Adding to the confusion, the entrance to the pub looks like a brewery with its large brewing tanks on display. It was the site for the old brewery.

By removing those tanks, Godfrey said, they’ll be creating a beer garden atmosphere as “an area where it doesn’t suck to wait.”

“We want to give people an access area where they can still have a beer, they can play games, they can hang out and talk story,” he said.

The Kona Pub will remain fully open throughout the renovation process. All construction activities will be scheduled during non-operating hours.

Once the front is done, Godfrey said they will submit plans to the landlords for renovations planned for the bar and other parts of the restaurant, including the restrooms.

Construction timelines are still being finalized, and Kona Brewing Hawaiʻi will continue to share updates as the project progresses.

To learn more, make a reservation, order takeout, or book a brewery tour, visit konabrewinghawaii.com.