Small old tiki bar, tucked back in a 60s-era strip mall on the Pacific Coast Highway. The decor inside is a mix of great old tiki decorations and horrid modern sports pennants.

Among other items, they have a concrete "Droopy Tiki" just as you enter on the right, also featured on page 229 of The Book of Tiki by Sven Kirsten. Named for the droopy eyelids, less than 10 are still known to have survived in various collections.

The bar keeps irregular hours, but if you do happen to stop by when they are open, their Scorpion Bowl comes highly recommended.

Polynesian restaurant in the '70s, reportedly had two very large tikis outside, and a volcano inside. There was a nightly "Polynesian Revue." This location was originally Mahi Mahi (1968-1970).

According to newspaper advertisements, it was open at least through 1978.

Later became the Golden Dragon restaurant. Currently home to Sushi Train since 2012.

There was also a Blue Hawaii in Wildwood, New Jersey and in Lafayette, Louisiana. No known connection between any of the three.

Blue Hawaii was a popular name. There was also a mini chain of three Blue Hawaii Restaurants (Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and Portsmouth).

There have been several unaffiliated Blue Hawaii restaurants over the years.

This one, located in Lafayette, Louisiana was owned by Lionel Barrilleaux Jr. and was opened in the late 60s or early 70s.

In 1974, it underwent a name change to become the "Royal Hawaii Restaurant." Richard Kao became the new part-owner-general manager.

Not long after this, the property was acquired by Don Landry Sr. He adapted it to become one of the locations in his Don's Seafood chain, and the location is still part of that chain today (as of 2025).

There have been several unaffiliated Blue Hawaii restaurants over the years.

This one was located in the Janaf Shopping Center in Norfolk.

They took their logo tiki from Ren Clark's Polynesian Village at some point as well.

It was part of a chain of three locations (Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and Portsmouth).

There have been several unaffiliated Blue Hawaii restaurants over the years.

This one was located at the Midcity Shopping Center, Portsmouth, Virginia.

It was part of a chain of three locations (Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and Portsmouth).

Thrived during the 70s and the exterior photo can be seen in footage of the mall dated 1977.

Opened September 11th, 2024.

This large space measures 500 m2. Seating for 100. Secluded location close to the center with free parking. Outdoor grill and bar & lounge. Can be rented out for group or corporate events.

In addition to Hawaiian scenes, the walls are covered with other exotic scenes as well, with Aztec pyramids and Cambodian ruins, etc...

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 @ 1964.

From The Hawaiian:

"The Hawaiian - an island paradise situated across the Common in the heart of Boston - excels in Polynesian and Cantonese Cuisine. Leisurely atmosphere and relaxing informality, induced by a wide array of tempting island drinks served at the Waikiki Lounge, mark the Hawaiian as Boston's best Polynesian restaurant."

There was a connection between The South Seas restaurants, Anita Chue's, and The Hawaiian Restaurant. It appears Anita Chue was instrumental in starting these establishments but that she moved on after a short time and Henry Oi took over and ran them for many years.

In 1965, The Hawaiian added a discotheque area and had a free green Ku mug promotion for the opening.

Closed @ 1972.

Opened in the 80s and continued as late as perhaps 1996.

Located in a strip mall and converted to a Roche Brothers and later an Outback Steakhouse.

Today, as of 2023, this location is home to a Five Below retail store.

This was the sister location built in the late 1950s after the first location in Laguna Beach was already thriving.

The plans were announced publicly in the Santa Ana Register on January 16th, 1957.

It was located on South Los Angeles Street and Ball Road in Anaheim, which is now re-named Anaheim Boulevard. It was a converted home previously known as the Flynn Residence.

Plans were stated to include 5 acres of tropical gardens, swimming pool, luau parties, ukulele parties, aquaria with tropical fish, and Hawaiian and Cantonese foods.

Today, this location is occupied by the Anaheim Global Medical Center.

Nalu Hawaiian Surf Bar & Grille was opened in Dewey Beach, DE on April 24th, 2008 by Regan & Kim Derrickson.

Nalu is an open air family restaurant with a "Pacific island fusion cuisine".

The interior features several artificial palm trees and tiki poles that hold up both the thatched bar roof and that extend from floor to ceiling in the main area.

There is an outside patio and a live music stage area as well.

They have a food menu ranging from tacos to pad thai. Their drinks menu has an island style "Tonga Mai Tai" and an assortment of house tropical cocktails (that use Captain Morgan Spiced rum quite a bit) as well as frozen slushie drinks.

Nalu opened a second location in the adjacent town of Rehoboth Beach on April 9th, 2019.

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 on April 3rd, 2019 under the auspices of chef Mariano Maro Molteni. Honarkars 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.

Following the 2022 closure of the last iteration of the Royal Hawaiian, the space was turned over to Boulevard Hospitality for a complete transformation and a grand re-opening in May 2023. 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.

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 photos of original location prior to 2006, or newly opened version from 2023 onward, see separate listings.