New Neighborhood Bar And Grill Settling Into Whitney’s Spot

Owners Molokai Lee and Tommy ‘Joe’ Lines at Mo-Joe’s Sports Bar and Grill in Kaneohe. Photo by Leah Friel, lfriel@midweek.com.

It may have been winter at the time, but Tommy “Joe” Lines and Molokai Lee decided some spring cleaning was in order, and as a result, Mo-Joe’s Sports Bar & Grill in Kaneohe is up and running.

The previous establishment, Whitney’s, was once a flourishing watering hole that country neighbors would ride their horses to after a long day’s work. As time wore on, Whitney’s garnered a rough reputation, which people believe eventually led to its closing.

Wanting to give Kaneohe a fresh place for family-friendly entertainment, Mo and Joe took over as owners, and within weeks of that move, Mo-Joe’s opened its doors in late January.

“We gutted it all out and cleaned it up, trying to really turn it into a family-environment sports bar and grill. It took us 18 hours a day for six days with eight guys working hard,” said Lee, who after years with Plumber and Fitters Union Local 675 wanted to head in a different direction.

“Tommy had 38 years with 675,” he added. “We both retired, took our money and wanted to do something different. We tried this out, and the community has been warm and welcoming.

“They are thrilled we cleaned the place up,” noted Lee.

Mo-Joe’s now hosts a Saturday Night Live at 8 p.m. each Saturday featuring local bands. There is a pool night Wednesdays and coming up is a Ladies Night once a week.

Located between two bakeries at 45-1034 Kamehameha Hwy., MoJoe’s opens at 10 a.m. and remains open until early the next morning.

For more information, call 234-6656.