This Kahunaville was one location in a nationwide chain of restaurants.

It was located in Wilmington, Delaware from 1995 - November 27th, 2006.

Like the others in the chain, this restaurant featured a synchronized water fountain show, waterfalls, caves, talking idols, a sophisticated sound system, an arcade, and a variety of tropical drinks. Their eclectic food menu featured about 90 items, which included "Kahunaville-sized" sandwiches, salads and entrees with American, Mexican, Cajun and Asian influences.

This location was well known for its 65' volcano outside which was visible for far around. It was also a well-known dance club location which was fine in the early days, but after later condos and residential development, the new neighbors complained about the noise and traffic from the still-thriving nightclub.

The parent company of Kahunaville, Adventure Dining Inc., once operated nine nationwide locations, including homes in Delaware, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Michigan and Tampa. The Las Vegas, Nevada "Party Bar" (2001-2016) was their last holdout before the chain folded.

This type of corporate chain typifies what many tikiphiles dislike most about corporatizing the Tiki aesthetic -- bending the decor more towards a Chucky Cheese buildout (or perhaps Rainforest Cafe if one is being kind) with cheaply molded and cartoony fiberglass and plastic decorations in primary colors, dumbing down the cocktails of Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic into chemical-tasting slushy boat drinks (but served with "flair"), offering a big scattershot food menu in hopes of appealing to every American tourist palate, and supplying loud video games and animatronics to entertain the kids. For those that grew up with these, there is some nostalgia, but they were not terribly mourned by fans of traditional tiki bars and restaurants.

This Wilmington, Delaware location was closed by the owner for several reasons, not the least of which was the death of his father which caused him to prioritize things differently. The space remained vacant for a bit and a fire broke out, causing some damage.

Later, the space was became home to the Delaware Children's Museum, which is still in operation as of 2025.

Details

Type

Bar & Restaurant

Address

Wilmington, Delaware, United States

Closed?

Yes (Permanently)