Established in 2015 by co-owners Justin Park and Tom Park, Bar Leather Apron provides an intimate bar experience in Downtown Honolulu. Located on the mezzanine level in the lobby of the TOPA Financial Center, our bar offers finely crafted cocktails and Hawai’i’s most extensive whiskey selection.
Inspired by their international travels, Justin and Tom sought to bring home, under one roof, the aspects they admired most from some of the best bars in the world. Every element of the Bar Leather Apron experience has been carefully considered. A good cocktail is a wonderful thing, but the moments that surround each sip are what make it truly memorable.
Co-founders Justin Park and Tom Park share more than just a last name (though they are not related to each other). They also share a passion to create the best bar experience for their guests.
*Bar Leather Apron is the 2023 Winner of the James Beard Award for Outstanding Bar.
Justin Park is Bar Leather Apron’s Head Bartender and Brand Ambassador. With almost two decades of experience behind the bar, Justin has long fostered a dream of operating a bar dedicated to the highest level of customer service, superior cocktails and surprising details. His approach to cocktail creation sees the drink as merely one component of the entire bar experience—presentation, service and setting are equally as important as what is in the glass.
Competing on national and international levels has provided Justin with the opportunity to experience some of the best bars around the globe and learn techniques from the world’s top bartenders. He is the only three-time winner of the Don the Beachcomber Mai Tai Festival “World’s Best Mai Tai” competition (2012, 2015, and 2018); Bombay Sapphire/GQ’s “Most Inspired Bartender” (2012); Technical Champion of the Campari & United States Bartenders’ Guild (USBG) Apertivo Competition (2013); Best Technical (2014, 2015) and Overall First Place winner (2014) of the “Shake It Up!” Cocktail Competition; USA representative and Best Garnish/Decoration winner in the International Bartenders Association (IBA) Pan American Cocktail Competition (2014, 2017, 2018); and the USA representative and Fourth Place Fancy Cocktail winner in the IBA World Cocktail Competition.
Tom Park is Bar Leather Apron’s Business and Brand Manager. He is the founder and owner of Leather Soul, a retailer of premium men’s shoes and accessories, and the Director and Head of Brand of Hawaiian heritage brand, Kahala, the original manufacturer of aloha shirts since 1936 and is widely known as the pioneer of the Hawaiian garment loved throughout the world. It may seem a far leap from fashion to cocktails, but Tom doesn’t see it that way. The two, he believes, have much in common. Both require attention to detail in order to achieve the best of their craft. Both acquire passionate devotees. And both have a tradition of revered classics inspiring continuous reinvention to keep things fresh.
Tom is a past Small Business Administration (SBA) Young Entrepreneur of the Year (2008) and Hawai‘i Korean Entrepreneur of the Year (2012). Leather Soul has been named one of the top men’s stores in the U.S. by GQ and Esquire magazines to name a few. Tom carries over the Leather Soul philosophy of dedication to customer service and fine details to Bar Leather Apron.