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.

Details

Type

Bar, Hotel, and Restaurant

Address

Omaha, Nebraska, United States

Closed?

Yes (Permanently)