Opened May 12th, 1967 at 12125 S. Lakewood Boulevard in Downey.

The exterior with its rough wood exterior and heavy plantings of palms could easily be mistaken for the old Bahooka in Rosemead or, maybe because of the A-frame opening, the old Don The Beachcomber's/Sam's Seafood in Huntington Beach. But it is neither.

The Sandpiper's logo porthole can be seen on the front door in one of the photos below. Looks like the top of a tiki head sticking up right behind the engine of the drag racer but hard to tell.

They served steak, seafood, and European dishes.

The space was immense, but the interior was carefully divided into more intimate dining areas for a labyrinth effect that those who are familiar with the old Bahooka in Rosemead probably remember getting lost in.

The main dining room was designed like a 19th century whaling ship with a massive mast and yardarm. Its walls, like those throughout the restaurant were covered in brightly varnished yellow woods, including Pecky Cypress containing numerous holes which resemble those pecked by birds. Pecky Cypress is hard to come by in the modern era and when you spot it somewhere (like in the interior of The Tonga Hut in North Hollywood) you can rest assured you are in a vintage interior.

The sandpiper also had a gigantic outdoor luau garden which accommodated 200 and had 20-foot waterfalls.

Black and white photos below show a drag racer posing outside the Sandpiper circa 1967, the year the restaurant opened.

The old Sandpiper building is no longer there anymore. Looks like the closest commercial property would be Bill and Steve's Foreign Auto at 12121 Lakewood.

The Royal Hawaiian opened in 1947. It was owned by the Cabang family. The Cabangs were originally from the Phillipines and were friends with both of the Fillipino Tiki carvers in L.A. at the time, Milan Guanko and Andres Bumatay. These talented artists both supplied Tikis for the restaurant. The prominent Andres Bumatay tikis outside the restaurant became weathered and destroyed and were later replaced by modern carvings.

The Royal Hawaiian also had a sister location located in Anaheim in the 1950s.

The Royal Hawaiian has been through several iterations. It originally had several small dining rooms with glass-walled dioramas filled with tikis and plants, great lamps, bamboo, thatch and sea grass matting, and a bar with a fireplace and pufferfish. There were lovely oil paintings throughout, including a large piece hung directly above the hostess stand.

In spring 2006, the restaurant was sold to a new owner, who gutted it. The newer, tiki-stripped version closed for good in 2012. In 2016, the space reopened, again with the name Royal Hawaiian, this time by people who wanted to bring back its rich tiki history. The new owners, Mo Honarkar and daughters Hasty and Nikisa, worked to bring back a fully-decorated Royal Hawaiian with the help of Bamboo Ben.

However in January-February 2019, the restaurant was closed for yet another remodel and then re-opened under the auspices of chef Mariano “Maro” Molteni. Honarkar’s company remained as landlords, while Molteni owned and operated the restaurant which he rebranded as the "Royal Hawaiian Fire Grill". Molteni's remodel (which came as a surprise to the landlords) removed much of Bamboo Ben's decor, especially natural materials like lauhala matting and thatching in favor of dark blue painted walls and a "cleaner" and "less cluttered" look. There were still tikis and accent pieces, but the interior was much reduced from its former full tiki glory.

On July 15th, 2022, Royal Hawaiian Fire Grill announced its closure for the end of that same month, on July 31st, 2022 .

This current version of the Royal Hawaiian opened May 27th, 2023.

Following the 2022 closure of the last iteration of the Royal Hawaiian, the space was turned over to Boulevard Hospitality for a complete transformation. The new build-out was completed by Ignacio “Notch” Gonzales, famous for building spaces like Smuggler’s Cove in San Francisco and Inside Passage in Seattle.

The exterior tikis were replaced with brand new reproductions of the Andres Bumatay tikis that originally graced the restaurant.

A huge clam shell was added for people to sit in for photo ops (similar to the one used at the Golden Tiki in Las Vegas).

The display case was filled with a number of headhunter skulls which were fabricated by Reesenik.

The bathroom was wallpapered with large overlapping versions of the botanical drink recipe prints that Eric October has been making for several years.

To round out the new experience, the Royal Hawaiian’s owners have brought on famed barman Dushan Zaric of Employees Only to build a bespoke cocktail menu that riffs, weaves, and rethinks the rum-forward staples of tiki lore.

*NOTE: For the 1947-2006 version or for the 2006-2022 version see separate listings.

Opened @ February 2023.

This small place is run by a Chamorro family that also runs the adjacent JJ's Island Grind restaurant. You can bring in food from there (which is mostly Hawaiian, Chamorro and Filipino style foods). The bar is a mix of what one might call modern Island style, and a lot of the decor is standard, mass-produced stuff (masks, fish floats, signs, etc.). There are several TV screens, but they seem to mostly play Chamorro music videos.

Opened in 1918.

Sun Hung Heung was by all accounts a traditional Chinese Restaurant without Polynesian Pop decor, however they did offer tropical cocktails on their menu and served them in mugs made by OMC.

Sun Hung Heung was erroneously called Sam Heung in famous Beat Author Jack Kerouack's Desolation Angels, which was published in 1965, just a few years before their grand 50th anniversary. Kerouack often looked forward to having a midnight meal here, at this modest family-style restaurant. He wrote that he wanted to walk around the city for hours with a pint bottle, then sit in a booth in this "marvelous old restaurant."

Later incorporated in 1978 and dissolved in 1997.

Today, as of 2023, this location is now Chinatown Restaurant.

The Palm Springs Hotel was one of the city's earliest hotels, although there is little information left about it today. It was located at 265 N. Palm Canyon Drive and appears to have been around since at least the 40s. Probably before.

Through the 1950s, it was known for its Coral Tree Restaurant, which featured French-inspired food, and whose interior featured coral-colored booths with lots of tropical plants and a leaf-patterned carpet.

The Luau Restaurant looks to have been a 1940s pre-tiki establishment that was replaced by the Coral Tree. Difficult to say. Only the occasional menu turns up but judging by The Luau prices, it was probably before the Coral Tree and perhaps there are some traces of the old Luau when looking at interior shots of the Coral Tree below.

Today, this space has been entirely rebuilt and nothing of the old venue remains. It is now home to the Hyatt Palm Springs (the half which also has public self-parking).

However, you can still walk across the street from the Hyatt to where the current Tonga Hut Palm Springs offers Pop Polynesian escape to today's customers.

Built in 1957, Coffee Dan's was designed by Architect William Krisel of the firm Palmer and Krisel.

Coffee Dan's was a chain located throughout Southern California, Arizona, and New Mexico.

This location was special, though, because of its architecture and the inclusion of the Outrigger Room bar.

Today, as of 2023, the entire corner has been re-built and this location houses a Subway Sandwich shop.

This apartment community was built in 1957 and has 2 stories with 159 units.

The lush 10 acre estate in the heart of Sherman Oaks has 120 Palm Trees, Fountains, an 18 Hole Par 3 Golf Course, a recording studio, Health Spa, 4 Pools, Tennis Courts Singles, 1 & 2 Bedroom Apartment Homes Plus 15 Individual Family Homes.

They also have a party/banquet room, the Aloha Room, which can be rented for special events. The Aloha Room Rental Office can be reached at (818) 995-6827.

NOTE:

• First black & white photo is dated April 12, 1963 and is of Horace Heidt, owner-developer of the Magnolia Estates and new Hawaiian Village apartments and homes in Van Nuys showing actress Joan Huntington the entrance to his colorful new apartment complex.
• Fourth image attribution: Adsausage Archives - https://www.adsausage.com

Opened in 1951 by George Lim and Joe Ho.

The Los Angeles Times gives several accounts of Kowloon in the 1960s. Joan Winchell and Lois Dwan wrote articles or snippets about different aspects of the popular Cantonese restaurant. The restaurant’s impact was clear, and impressive to many. Joan Winchell praised the restaurant for its reputation and appearance and suggests Kowloon is the best Cantonese food in California. Lois Dwan explains the origins of George Lim’s restaurant, and how he originally understood French cooking and went to China to learn Cantonese cuisine. Dwan explains how Lim originally owned Normandie but decided that French cuisine was not what he wanted to pursue in life.

Much of their background is, indeed, covered in their quite voluminous menus (almost like scrapbooks), which included newspaper clippings and certificates celebrating their time with the restaurant.

The restaurant also had an extensive tiki cocktail menu and offered a prix fixe "South Seas Supper" dinner menu that was served each evening from 10PM to close.

Appears to have lasted into the 1970s.

Opened in 1964 as part of The Tropics (now the Caliente Tropics Resort) by Ken Kimes.

In its '60s heyday, the Congo Room steakhouse and underground Cellar bar, attracted celebrities. The Congo Room later became the Reef Bar.

The second attempt to establish a Don the Beachcomber in San Diego was just as short-lived as the first.

It opened in 1980, replacing the Barefoot Bar that had been there since 1962.

After Don the Beachcomber closed in 1983, the space once again became the Barefoot Bar.

Today, The Vacation Village Hotel is now called Paradise Point Resort & Spa.

Opened in 1954.

The Polynesian tiki restaurant and bar featured an interior modestly decorated with bamboo, fishing nets, rattan furniture and tiki lamps. Besides tropical drinks, it also served Cantonese food, and charcoal-broiled and teriyaki steaks.

Closed in 1974.

The location is now a parking lot.

Opened in 1946, the Hula Hut was a Hawaiian-themed bar located where the Tropic Cafe had previously been. It closed in 1965 and the whole block was raised to make way for the Westgate Hotel.