Stats Sports Bar

I have far too many Seahawks fans as friends.  Because of this, I have been hearing about Stats Sports Bar for quite some time now since apparently it is a Seahawks bar.  Finally found the opportunity to check this place out when I caught a glimpse of their Taco Tuesday menu that included nachos for this one night ONLY.  They have a pretty awesome Taco Tuesday that goes from 6:30pm until closing with all kinds of drink and food specials.  The regular menu looks super delicious too.  But we were there for one reason: NACHOS!

Stats Sports Bar is on Kapiolani, right there by the 7-11 on the corner of Kalakaua and Kapiolani and even has some parking behind the bar.  Happy hour happens all week from 2pm to 6pm with Taco Tuesday specials beginning at 6:30pm.  They also have live music on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. 

Inside there are a mixture of tables and booths in the dining area and a two piece band was playing local style music including a cover of our favorite John Cruz song, “Island Style.” Our waitress, Keiki, was friendly and patient with our never-ending questions and trickle of friends that showed up. A couple people ordered the $1 tacos to get something in their ravenous bellies while we waited on the rest of the gang to arrive.  Tom ordered a margarita. Since I am participating in this wellness thing at work, I abstained from a cocktail…that was until I saw the epic mustachio straw that the margarita came with.  Damn it!  Must get margarita with mustachio straw.  If there is one thing our group loves almost as much as nachos, it is mustachios.  This was nacho night heaven, reminiscent of the night Chelsea sent us a box of fun to open at a nacho night after she moved and it was packed with a plethora of mustachio fun.

We caught a glimpse of the nachos and they looked big enough to split among two.  After partnering up, each pair ordered a different meat option so we would be able to try them all.  They came out fairly quickly and were loaded with toppings.  The queso had a surprising and super welcomed spicy kick to it.  I found out from Keiki that it is house-made with Kona Longboard and jalapenos.  Nom nom nom nom nom.  I did not think I was very hungry and the next thing I knew Tom and I were divvying up the last couple chips.  We ate every single bite. 

I often ask people if they like nachos when I meet them.  It's rare, but occasionally people will reply, "No." I do not trust these people.  Even bad nachos are good nachos.  Tonight was an especially rare night because we actually had a friend join us that had NEVER eaten nachos before.  So we totally busted her nacho cherry and had a wonderful time doing it.  #nachovirgin 

#nachobesties

Ground beef nachos - $15

Chicken nachos - $15

Kalua pork nachos (cheese on the side) - $15

Superstache margaritas come with this rad straw...the cheaper and smaller margaritas come with a paper straw

trifecta of nacho awesomeness

Tango Tango (4) – PRESENTATION: A large platter serves to make the portion seem bigger than it actually is.  Good color palette with yellows, red, green, white. RAD: MUSTACHES!  This is actually nacho (liquid) cheese I enjoyed.  It was a spicy liquid cheese!  Chips were crunchy and thin.  The superstache margarita gives you a glorious mustache.  LAME: It is still liquid cheese… For $15 I expected a larger portion, given the ingredients.  Margarita is loaded with ice. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 3.99, Very good overall ratio, however some score loss for uneven distribution.  Also points lost for lack of guacamole and using liquid cheese.  I want to revisit and explore more on the menu.  Other items look good too.  Live music, chill, entertaining, and not too loud.  Parking behind bar, good service.  Mustache straws!

Nacho Libra (3.5) – PRESENTATION: Big plate covered in nacho cheese!  Tons of jalapenos…not a fan…so I will give those to the jalapeno lovers. RAD: There are 3 meat options.  The chicken is nice, big pieces. LAME: Missing some freshness - a fresh salsa would have been awesome! TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 4, chips are covered well, but could use more variety, maybe some beans and fresh tomatoes…oooh and guac!  If they were an option while I was here watching a Seahawks game, I would order again! Staff was friendly and so helpful.  Loved having live music to sing along with.  Those mustache straws were great!

 

Shananigans (3.5) – PRESENTATION: Large portion, not sure about the cheese sauce…is it house-made or blah.  RAD: Mustachio straws are awesome.  Taco Tuesday lasts forever!  The queso is spicy and totally not just your average nacho cheese sauce. LAME: Everything served in plastic cups. So much plastic waste.  Margaritas are $15, a little pricey.  Nachos are average, but way better than some I have had. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 4.5, pretty perfectly distributed probably because of the nice long plate. Ground beef had nice flavor.  The chicken was so-so.  The kalua pork was delicious. Average ingredients, average nachos, but overall a winner.  Super friendly service.  A little hard to hear anyone that isn't sitting right next to you.

Nanouille (3.5) – PRESENTATION: It looks delicious.  Lots of topping!!! It is as good as it looks. RAD: No cheese on top, as ordered.  Perfect for a no cheese lover like me.  Waitress very attentive to customers need.  BRAVO!  Awesome mustache straws. LAME: It's long! TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 3.5, lots of meat and jalapenos but a little bit more meat would have been perfect.  Very tasty pork!!  Really perfect Hawaiian music but too loud to hear conversations.

Piggy (2) – PRESENTATION: Presentation is like where I would see everywhere.  Delicious looking kailua pork sitting on top, waving at me.  We had the cheese on the side.  I thought it's nice to control the amount of cheese. RAD: Kailua pork is "on point" and very soft & juicy. LAME: More onion would make this dish better.  I also prefer real cheese. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: A bit too much toppings.  I think olives taste a bit too bland.  It would be nice if the salsa and sour cream are evenly distributed over the plate instead of lumping at the middle.  I like the music!  Very relaxing. Server is cute….shhhhhh!!

Nacho Brew (3.75) – PRESENTATION: Big square plate with lots of toppings and nacho cheese.  Looks like it will feed two people nicely with a side of beers. RAD: The spicy nacho queso was really good.  Lots of spicy without being on fire. LAME: Chicken nachos didn't have much chicken.  It all disappeared in the first few bites. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 3, the ratios of the toppings were pretty spot on, except for the lack of chicken on the chicken nachos.  Overall rating would have been higher if it wasn't sparse on the chicken too.  I'd order again, but I would get a different flavor.  Staff was friendly, helpful, and very accommodating.  Live music was fun too.

the aftermath