Opened May 11th, 1956.

This location featured three cocktail lounges: The Town Pump, The Piano Lounge, and The Hawaiian Room.

The advertisement for the opening of The Hawaiian Room invites patrons to “Visit our Driftwood Well, the Singing Stairway, and see our Massive Charcoal Fireplace.” Live music and dancing were a fixture, and in July 1959, the lounge played host to the newly crowned Miss Hawaii, less than a month before Hawaii’s statehood.

The Hawaiian Room featured several original cocktails as well as a long list of tropical classics such as the Zombie, Navy Grog, Planters Punch and more. The original drinks, such as the Molokai Monsoon and Tarantula Bowl were created by “Mixologist” Melvin Santos, an experienced professional bartender who had previously been employed by The Shangri-La and Don the Beachcomber in Chicago. It can be assumed that Santos based his cocktails off the drinks he’d been slinging at Don’s, as many of them (such as the Hilo Diver and Maiden’s Downfall) appear to be riffs on classic Don creations, with a few Trader Vic inspired recipes for good measure.

The Hawaiian Room continued to serve Cantonese food and tropical cocktails until its closure in April-May 1972.

The building was destroyed by a tornado in 1975.

Built in 1968, the Merrillwood Mall had 30 exclusive shops on the first and second levels as well as the luxurious Merrillwood Arms Apartments on the upper four levels.

One of these exclusive shops was Hale Hawaii, which was located on the second level and sold sportswear, swimwear, leisure wear, jewelry, perfume, luau accessories and exotic gifts.

Today, as of 2022, this site is known as the Merrillwood Collection Apartments but still appears to be the same building construction.

Operated during the 1970s (circa 1969-1975?).

This was once the ONLY Polynesian restaurant located in Cape May County.

Blue Hawaii was once the Bavarian Inn and after being the Blue Hawaii, it would become The Thunderbird Inn.

Sadly, the whole property would become townhouses.

A restaurant of the same name and using the same logo graphics was also located in Nashville, Tennessee. There was also a Blue Hawaii 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).

Long before Waikiki was developed as a tourist destination, it was a favorite residence and recreational center for Hawaiian kings and chiefs. King Kamehameha I had his home where The Royal Hawaiian stands today, and Queen Kaahumanu’s Summer Palace was previously located on what is now the resort’s Coconut Grove.

The opening of The Royal Hawaiian on February 1, 1927, ushered in a new era of luxurious resort travel to Hawaii. The resort was built with a price tag of $4 million, and was completed in 18 months. The six-story, 400-room structure was fashioned in a Spanish-Moorish style, popular during the period and influenced by screen star Rudolph Valentino. The first general manager of the hotel, Arthur Benaglia, presided over a staff of 300, including ten elevator operators and lobby boys dressed in “Cathayan” costume. At the grand opening’s black-tie gala celebration, members of the Honolulu Symphony entertained over 1,200 guests at the $10-a-plate event-of-the-year. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin described the newly opened Royal Hawaiian as “the first resort hostelry in America.” Built on 15 acres of beautiful beach frontage, the luxurious hotel with its distinctive Moorish-style architecture, painted pink, was promoted world-wide as a premier visitor destination. Elaborate opening ceremonies and festivities included dinner and dancing, concerts, and pageants.

The era of opulence came to an abrupt end on the morning of December 7, 1941 when Japanese planes flew alongside Waikiki Beach on its way to the US fleet berthed at Pearl Harbor. The Navy recreation and morale office leased The Royal Hawaiian, transforming the resort into a major rest and relaxation center for the Navy personnel. The resort was restored to its pre-war elegance in 1947.

Since then, the Royal Hawaiian has always remained pink, but has nonetheless undergone many changes over the years.

One such change is reflected in the quiet removal of the hotel's one and only tiki statue. This cement tiki was moulded by Homer Merrill, an island artist, and was a representation of the Shark God Kamuualii or Kamohoali'i, brother to Pele and known as the Fisherman's Friend. This mammoth version, six feet high on a three-foot base, stood on the lawn of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel since the 1910s, although in his final years the hotel was embarrassed about the sculpture and allowed vegetation to grow around it -- then finally ordered a contractor to knock it over one night and dispose of it during a round of renovations in 2009. Today, only the feet of the tiki remain, hidden behind some plants. The full and original tiki can be seen below...

Another change is the closing of the famous Surf Room - replaced by the Surf Lanai on the same footprint.

After passing through the colonial-style Royal Hawaiian lobby, one will find the property's Mai Tai Bar nestled in back, the bar itself a small hut sitting against the ocean. The Mai Tai bar was once a large outside dance floor back in the day. You'll still have to watch your footwork, though, especially if you work your way through all the menu's mai-tai variations!

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.

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 the 2006-2022 version or from 2023 onward see separate listings.

The Hawaiian was located at 4645 E.Pacific Coast Highway and opened for business on Thursday, July 28, 1955.

It replaced the Golden Drumstick restaurant and operated throughout the 1960s.

The Hawaiian was owned/operated by Don May who also owned Leilani Hut on 2nd Street where Legends is now located.

The Hawaiian closed on June 27th, 1969.

In 1970, the building was repurposed as a Datsun dealership.

Today, a Pep Boys now stands at this location.

This restaurant, along with Johnny's Tiki Hut in Salt Lake City, was owned by Johnny Quong.

The Hawaiian was Quong's masterpiece and it thrived from 1961 through 1983 or a little later...

Among other details, customers remember its periodic monsoon thunderstorm special effects.

While he owned the building, Quong didn't own the land underneath it. When his lease came up, he decided he needed to close it, due to health issues stemming from diabetes. The restaurant was eventually converted into a Veterans Of Foreign Wars hall.

Exotical has been serving Southern California's aloha wear needs since 1964, more than 40 years. Owner Paul Orloff still runs the shop today, which is open six days a week, Monday through Saturday. Exotical carries a wide array of nice aloha wear -- some of it is vintage, but has never been purchased and worn. Prices can be on the high side, but the uniqueness of what you can find here, combined with the uniqueness of the shopping experience, can make it worthwhile. Exotical used to carry a lot of tropical import items like bamboo and furniture. They still carry a few tropical items beyond the aloha wear, including vintage albums, furniture and coconut monkeys. Orangethorpe Avenue has been their location since 2020.