Kona Brew Pub begins $2 million facelift in Kailua-Kona

Kona Brew Pub has started the first phase of a $2 million facelift in Kailua-Kona, and the restaurant is staying open as crews work on the front entrance. For residents and visitors passing through the Old Industrial Area near Pawai Place, the change is immediate: the pub is shifting from a dated brewery look toward a more welcoming arrival with a new outdoor beer garden, refreshed retail space, an updated Growler Shack and a new host stand.

The work began June 22 and is focused first on curb appeal, a telling move for one of West Hawaii’s most visible hospitality landmarks. Kona Brewing Hawaii has said the goal is to make the entrance feel more inviting and more in line with the tropical, relaxed atmosphere guests find inside. That matters in Kailua-Kona, where the look and flow of a place can shape whether a visitor stops in, stays longer or moves on down the road.

The pub opened in November 1998, giving the makeover a late-20s reset at the original home of Liquid Aloha. The company, founded in 1994 by Cameron Healy and Spoon Khalsa, says it raised its first glass of Liquid Aloha on Valentine’s Day 1995. Inside the pub, the historic character remains part of the draw, with a community-style bar, indoor dining, an outdoor lānai, Backyard Batch beers available only at the pub, a Merch Hut and the Growler Shack still part of the lineup.

The renovation also comes as Kona Brewing’s broader footprint has grown well beyond the brewpub’s front door. In 2021, the company opened a new 30,000-square-foot sustainable brewery with annual brewing capacity of up to 100,000 barrels. That makes the Kona Pub less of a production site than a brand showcase, a place where locals, regulars and tourists still encounter the company’s most visible identity at street level.

Kona Brewing Hawaii says the pub will remain fully open throughout construction, a practical sign that the company does not want to lose business while the front entrance is rebuilt. Katie Lefsrud, vice president of sales and marketing, said the changes are intended to better serve guests while honoring the history and sense of place that made the Kona Pub special to the community. Several more renovation phases are planned, extending the project beyond a simple cosmetic refresh and into a longer effort to keep one of Kailua-Kona’s best-known gathering spots relevant for the next generation.