A stabbing inside a longtime Chinatown nightspot forced Honolulu police to shut the bar down and cordon it off as a crime scene overnight, with firefighters and paramedics called to the scene early Sunday. Officers surrounded Bar 35 on North Hotel Street around 12:30 a.m. after the attack as investigators worked the property.
The stabbing was first reported by Hawaii News Now, which confirmed that Honolulu Police Department officers responded to the overnight incident and cordoned off Bar 35 as an active crime scene. EMS treated the 23-year-old man for minor cuts and wounds, and he declined hospital transport. HPD detained and arrested a 21-year-old man identified by the victim at the scene, while police have not disclosed what led to the attack, according to the outlet's report.
Bar 35 sits at 35 North Hotel Street, and Dave Stewart, who runs the venue, publicly advocated in late 2025 for preserving neighboring historic establishments along Hotel Street, according to KHNL / Gray News. The Hotel Street strip has seen businesses change in recent years.
A Corridor in the Middle of a Nightlife Revival
Just steps away, neighboring lounge Tchin Tchin Bar at 39 North Hotel Street was set to reopen as a whiskey and cigar venue on September 4, part of an effort by new operators to bring more foot traffic to the historic arts district, as Hoodline previously reported. That planned reopening reflects a broader push to revive the commercial block even as violent incidents periodically rattle the area.
Hotel Street has been the site of other alarming attacks in recent years. In August 2025, Honolulu police investigated a nighttime sulfuric acid attack near Hotel Street involving a restaurant cook, an assault that heightened safety demands among Chinatown business leaders.
Despite these high-profile incidents, violent crime in a Chinatown police beat was down, according to Honolulu Civil Beat.
Surveillance Network Could Aid the Investigation
Investigators may have a technological edge in piecing together what happened at Bar 35. The city reached the halfway point of an upgrade to Chinatown's security-camera system, according to the Office of the Mayor.
Whether footage from Chinatown's camera network captured Sunday's stabbing outside or inside Bar 35 has not been disclosed. As of publication, Honolulu police have not explained what led to the attack.
