One step into the jewel-like Bar Podmore will transport you from the heart of downtown Honolulu to a swanky European bistro, which is exactly what British chef Anthony Rush—of Senia fame—intended. Chef Rush opened Podmore with his wife, Katherine Nomura, in mid-2021 after a decade of planning the perfect cocktail bar. “Podmore is very different from Senia, but we like to think of it as a complement to our first restaurant, not a reaction to it,” says Nomura. “Senia was created to have a sense of place. Podmore is meant to be transportive.” Just as mainland tiki bars evoke the tropics, the glossy Podmore conveys the luxury of distant metropolises for local clientele. The stunning interiors made of emerald green velvet, wisteria wallcovering and brass fixtures—courtesy of Kana Lathrop of design firm WRNS Studio—were inspired by private member’s clubs of London and iconic hotel bars. Its location in the historic Joseph W. Podmore Building, built in 1902 by an English sailor, is fitting. So too does the menu of elevated bar snacks recall chef Rush’s British provenance. The roasted pork bun is inspired by a sandwich served at the Cheltenham Racecourse in the U.K., while The Chung Chow is the Instagram-friendly version of a Pimm’s cup originally made popular at Senia. A welcome escape indeed. 202 Merchant St., Downtown Honolulu, 521.7367, barpodmore.com