, opened in 1951 and was owned and operated by the Dunn brothers, Jimmy, Roy and Stanley. Luau used to have a tiki bar, and drinks were served out of tiki mugs. The Leilani and Luau both had the same mugs printed up, with both names on each: a black moai mug, and a three-face bucket mug. In later years, Luau didn't have much to offer to a tikiphile�it had devolved into an inexpensive all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet, with no tiki at all to be seen inside (not even a bar!). For many years, however, its sign remained as a fabulous example of classic midcentury graphic design. In 2013 the restaurant closed, and the sign is gone.

Comments

Monster A GoGo

Monster A GoGo has visited Luau.

March 2, 2016, 4:54 PM

The Luau is, as you said, nothing but an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet now. I visited it one time several years ago, just to see the tiki-ness of the place. It was almost non-existent. While the sign is cool (and I'm not even sure it's still there. I'll have to go back and make sure), I did get a glimpse of the former bar area. At the time (nearly 20 years ago) it was being used as a storage area. The bar looked untouched and gorgeous---just not a room for the public to use any more. It was curtained off from the dining area. There was also a door on the street to the bar area that read, at the time, "tiki room" or something like that. It's too bad this place didn't last or make a cool comeback now that tiki is much more en vogue than it was when i visited all of those years ago.

Regulars & Visitors

Humuhumu
Monster A GoGo
MichaelSaul

View all 3 Luau regulars & visitors