Kahiki Supper Club

I adored this place. We were from eastern Ohio, south of Steubenville, but we occasionally got to Columbus. In the sixties, my parents took us there. In the seventies, as young adults, we made trips to Columbus with friends, just to go the Kahiki. In the eighties, I took my own kids there. In the nineties, I went whenever I was in Columbus on business. In the mid-2000's my daughter moved to Gahana and I was so excited because it was so close to the Kahiki. Then she told me it had closed. The food was good, but the atmosphere has never been equaled by any other restaurant. To me, this was the Red Ryder BB Gun of restaurants. The greatest restaurant I ever went to or will ever go to.

My dad used to be a valet at Kahiki in the 1960s. Back then everyone wore formal attire and it was very classy. Over the years it became more of a family-style restaurant.

My family had numerous birthdays, anniversaries and celebrations there. Any time we had visitors in from out of town we'd take them to Kahiki. My husband and I even had our wedding rehearsal dinner there in 1999.

Like most other locals, we were really sad to see Kahiki go. It was a very special place for us. Thankfully we have some pictures of our fun times there and lots of great memories.

Thanks for sharing the information and photos you have on Kahiki. It was such a unique place and I'll never forget it.

I grew up in Whitehall, the town just east of the railroad line that ran past the Kahiki (the tracks are gone, too). My family only went there a few times when I was a kid. Wish I'd kept the tiki charms they gave out to younger guests.

Sad to say, I didn't stop by as an adult when I had the chance. I couldn't imagine it wouldn't always be there. I used to commute to downtown Columbus by bike and passed it scores of times. Its exterior never failed to impress; the roof line alone was visible for blocks in either direction.

I was living in Cincy during the demolition. I didn't even know about it. The hole it left in the sky is still there. . . .

My parents were invited to the Grand Opening by one of the three original owners who they knew from the Jong Mea. My son refuses to shop at ANY Walgreens to this day. I miss the torches when I drive pass.

When a job transfer put me in Columbus in the autumn of 1999, I leased an apartment not too far from East Broad Street where the Kahiki was located. One day, while checking out the area, I drove past the Kahiki and did a double-take. I immediately turned around, determined to see what exactly this place was all about. As soon as I approached the front door I was in love! I especially enjoyed the Mystery Drink with the long straws and "smoke" coming out of the them. lol

I was shocked and saddened when I found out it was closing in 2000 and going to be razed for a Walgreens, of all all things. I was glad I kept a paper menu and the leis from our visits. I had to be out of town the day they sold things to the pubic so I could not get another souvenir. So sad. So my love affair with Kahiki was brief, but I think of it often.

I'm working on a poetry collection about the Kahiki Supper Club in Columbus, Ohio. Trying to find people who purchased artifacts from the restaurant before it was razed. Please contact me at rikkirs@hotmail.com Thanks.

For anyone interested, the Hills Market in Columbus,OH is hosting a "Kahiki Day" on Saturday, May 1st. Details in the link below. It should be a ton of fun!

http://www.thehillsmarket.com/inside_the_hills_market/2010/04/kahiki-day-at-the-hills-market.html

I completly agree with PackmanWSU01. I too visisted for birthdays when I was a kid and likewise have since lost a peice of my soul to it's closing. My favorite part was the simulated rain storm that would hit. You would hear a clap of thunder and rain coming down then streams of wated would pour over the windows you were sitting next to. I was quite happy when I seen something opening near Gahanna area but then found out it was just a store for there products and not a reincanation as I had hoped.

I used to go there for my birthday as a kid. A part of me died when it closed. I still think of the Kahiki ten years after it closed.