This modern tiki bar and restaurant opened in 2016, but it's carrying on a strong tiki tradition in Laguna Beach. It occupies the same site as local tiki landmark Royal Hawaiian
, which was entirely gutted in 2006. The new owners, Mo Honarkar and daughters Hasty and Nikisa, are working to bring back a fully-decorated Royal Hawaiian with the help of Bamboo Ben
I suspect this place might have undergone yet another change of ownership.
We only had one tiki drink, their signature Lapu Lapu.
It was watery and uninspired. I think maybe the Hawaiian ice (which seemed to just be pebble ice) watered it down maybe, but for a signature drink, it was pathetic and almost insulting. Not the way to end an otherwise wonderful two weeks of tiki bar wandering in California.
We were told they had no souvenir mugs (like the previous owners).
We had no food, but it looked good, if pricey. Might be nice as an upscale Polynesian restaurant , but its only marginally tiki.
Looks like this local gem is getting a upgrade. Whether that is tiki or not remains to be known. However, word on the street, is that it will be a local vibe, all about the food, with a reverence and respect for the historical landmark location...
I stopped by today only two find a sign on the window saying the Royal Hawaiian would be closed until March. Anyone know why it's closed for two months?
I suspect this place might have undergone yet another change of ownership.
We only had one tiki drink, their signature Lapu Lapu.
It was watery and uninspired. I think maybe the Hawaiian ice (which seemed to just be pebble ice) watered it down maybe, but for a signature drink, it was pathetic and almost insulting. Not the way to end an otherwise wonderful two weeks of tiki bar wandering in California.
We were told they had no souvenir mugs (like the previous owners).
We had no food, but it looked good, if pricey. Might be nice as an upscale Polynesian restaurant , but its only marginally tiki.
Looks like this local gem is getting a upgrade. Whether that is tiki or not remains to be known. However, word on the street, is that it will be a local vibe, all about the food, with a reverence and respect for the historical landmark location...
I stopped by today only two find a sign on the window saying the Royal Hawaiian would be closed until March. Anyone know why it's closed for two months?
The re-do of the re-do works well. The only issue I have is that there are large windows in the bar area looking onto PCH that blow the whole tiki vibe. There are also TVs, bummer. When the TVs are showing Gilligans Island and big surf, Its fine and dandy. I tilt high, however, because of the work by Bamboo Ben, cool mugs, great Lapu Lapus, and great Loco Moco.
We enjoyed a great meal and drinks at the Royal Hawaiian. Food and decor was fabulous. The current owners really have upgraded the restaurant, versus the last owners. Drinks were excellent, I watched the bartenders during a slammed Saturday evening, and they each dedicated the time necessary to create great tiki drinks.
Service was middle of the road, we were on a high top in the bar, and it took a while to get the attention of our server, who was not aware that she was assigned the table. I would tend to write this off as the product of a busy Saturday with one or two staff off sick.
We had a great time at the Royal Hawaiian. Our reservation was for dinner and we were seated right away. The interior of this place is amazing! I am a Hawaii fan and they have a very good Hawiian/Tiki fusion in the decor of the restaurant. Be sure to check out the display case with tiki mugs and other paraphernalia from the Royal Hawaiian and other tiki bars. The bar does have several TVs, and played Surf competition as well as the baseball playoff game (no sound). Music here was truly outstanding with an excellent mix of classic and new Exotica songs, plus some Surf and more Lounge-y songs. Lots of laughter and energy especially from the bar area.
This place is definitely more your Trader Vics style upscale restaurant. Our food was outstanding, including the Coconut Fried Shrimp and the Shrimp & Scallop Spring-Rolls. Very tasty but for sure not inexpensive. Our main courses were on the smaller side but also very good quality. Service was attentive including a waitress and other staff taking plates, refilling water glasses and such. We had a coupon for free appetizer or desert and the waitress was very helpful at explaining how the coupon worked and how to get the maximum value.
The drink menu is expansive and covers some of the key tropical drink genres with some non-alcoholic options as well. The drinks here are on the high-end of typical (Mai Tai = $15.75) and unfortunately I didnt feel the quality was worth the price. Both my Mai Tai and their signature Lapu Lapu had a funny taste. Perhaps it was the Rum Agricole (which isnt my favorite type of rum), but I felt the drinks werent anything special in terms of taste and so not such a great value considering the price. The Blue Hawaiian was better, though again not so outstanding for $15.50.
Its well worth going out of your way to patronize The Royal Hawaiian in Laguna Beach. There is a valet lot right next door which is easy to use (be sure to get it validated). The team at the Royal Hawaiian has turned this place around and the vibe inside is great.
I never saw the Royal Hawaiian's original incarnation, but let me say that it looks awesome. It has a great vintage look and feel, even though sharp-eyed tikiphiles will know the interior isn't old.
I have a friend who has been coming here since she was a child. She assures me that ALL of the drinks on the menu are strong (as with Trader Sam's, there are also a few mocktails for the non-drinkers). The food is a mix of tiki and Asian.
This place is so small (and popular) that reservations are a VERY good idea. We were lucky to get in without one by going early, but next time we'll call ahead.
If you park in the valet lot, bring in your ticket - they'll validate!
Coming in to the new version of the Royal Hawaiian was the highlight of our trip to SoCal and of the 9 Tiki spots we visited. It is our new favorite. We had several drinks and all were just great. Our service was attentive, friendly and excellent overall. The food from appetizers to desert was delicious and well priced. There was great music. The decor was a mix of modern and classic tiki, open and bright not dark like a cave. The volume even when it was full was comfortable so that you could have a pleasant conversation and hear the music at the same time. We would be in every night if we lived nearby.
TookieMonster is a semi-regular at Royal Hawaiian.
May 18, 2017, 5:40 PM
Recent speaks with the bar hint at better bar tending to come. They really are trying to get a Tiki rep started, and doing quite well. Beware!! Summer Parking Will Be An Issue!! Valet or park and walk.
I live in the area and went to the Royal Hawaiian for dinner and a few drinks. The ambiance is more Hawaiian but for South Orange County its "tiki" enough to surly get your tiki fix. The staff was great and the manager Chris was truly a professional in restaurant management. The food menu has a little something for everyone and the drink menu has a few standard tiki drinks but mostly they have their own concotions. I am kind of a Mai Tai snob so let me just say you should ask for their "Classic Mai Tai" that is not on the menu as opposed to their Royal Mai Tai. Overall a good time for sure!!
I really like the cocktails. VERY GOOD classic mai tai. I wish there wasn't sports on the televisions. (I wish there weren't any televisions). Pupus were fine, maybe a little small. Friendly staff but they're not familiar with the tiki scene. I'm not into reggae music but it fits with the surfer vibe in the surrounding area. I would come back for another mai tai. :)
Just wanted to let you know, The Royal Hawaiian will be re-opening its doors this Summer 2016! We hope you will join us in some LapuLapus, and wanted to say we are happy to join the Tiki Community :)
We only had one tiki drink, their signature Lapu Lapu.
It was watery and uninspired. I think maybe the Hawaiian ice (which seemed to just be pebble ice) watered it down maybe, but for a signature drink, it was pathetic and almost insulting. Not the way to end an otherwise wonderful two weeks of tiki bar wandering in California.
We were told they had no souvenir mugs (like the previous owners).
We had no food, but it looked good, if pricey. Might be nice as an upscale Polynesian restaurant , but its only marginally tiki.