A charming tiki restaurant, where employees and customers alike are treated like family. The Omni Hut's creator, Jim Walls, started the Omni Hut after taking up cooking as a hobby and second job while stationed in Honolulu as a pilot before World War II. The military took him all over the world, and he picked up culinary tricks wherever he went, and it when it came time to retire, he decided to open a restaurant. He chose this location in Smyrna, near Ft. Stuart, and opened a restaurant called "Chinese Cuisine," which soon became the Omni Hut. Walls also owned the nearby Mahi Mahi
for a short time. The Omni Hut suffered a fire in 2000, but luckily the restaurant has been able to reopen with the decor largely intact.
The Omni Hut does not have a liquor license, but customers are encouraged to spike their own drinks—the Omni Hut has a "Hawaiian Tea" drink that is perfect with a little rum added. They serve a Fiery Pu-Pu Platter, and a Volcano ice cream dessert which arrives on fire.
To celebrate 50 years in business, the Omni Hut had two special souvenir mugs created by Tiki Farm, and they can be purchased at the restaurant (their special teriyaki sauce, too!).
The hours posted here are wrong. We are in Nashville on vacation and just tried to go today but called before we left and we're sad to find out they are only open tues-thurs 11am-2pm
The Omni Hut is a special kind of tiki find. They do not, nor have they ever, held a liquor license, but you are permitted to byob, and add your favorite rum to any of their tropical juice laden offerings from the menu. The food is outstanding, and you get plenty of it to boot. The decor is about as authentic as you'll find anywhere.
I'll start by saying this is a restaurant and not a bar. You can bring your own bottle in to doctor up their drinks, but you can't really hang out for hours like you can in a bar. That being said....THIS PLACE IS AWESOME!!!!! OMG it is so tiki I almost couldn't handle it. The walls, chairs, aquarium, bathrooms, lobby....it's all decked out. They have their own mugs for sale and even sell Tiki Magazine. Their Hawaiian tea is $4.95 with free refills and is served in a tiki mug. It would go great with rum. The food selection is extensive and very tasty. This restaurant is a must. There is no restaurant like it in Nashville so make the 20 minute drive to Smyrna and don't miss it. This place is top 5 on my list. Totally awesome.
disneymom69@yahoo.com is a semi-regular at The Omni Hut.
June 26, 2016, 7:15 PM
I've been a regular since 1965.... this is the best food I have put in my mouth, and when Polly closes this place my entire family will be devastated. I wish she would publish her recipes ( i.e., Jim's recipes). they are simply the best food you will ever eat
We hit the OH at least once a month. It's my favorite restaurant in Middle Tennessee, and owner Polly Walls is the embodiment of Aloha. Polly's brother has begun carving tikis, and the place is bursting with them. We are so fortunate to have such badass tikery so close to home. FYI, it's byob, so break out your copy of Beachbum Berry, and roll your own. Aloha!
I had heard great things about the Omni Hut over the years, and I'm glad to say that they were all 100% accurate. For atmosphere, it can't be topped (outside of Trader Vic's or the Mai Kai), and our meal was spectacular. The bacon-pineapple bits on the puupuu platter are amazingly tasty, and made a believer out of me. We want to go back to get the steak, one day. It's also a great art destination, as they have an extensive collection of authentic Polynesian carvings & modern Poly-Pop additions, some carved by the owner's family. Do yourself a favor and take that road trip with the family: there's something at the Omni Hut for all ages to be amazed by.
Great food, decor, and history... and the only thing quite like it for hundreds of miles.
Had no clue it was in a dry county when I walked in, but even if you're a die-hard drink enthusiast, don't let that stop you. It easily makes up for the lack of alcohol in it's drinks with the food and ambiance (bring your own alcohol if you like). The food is fantastic! We dove into the Tahitian Feast (a little bit of everything), and loved every bit of it. The presentation was fantastic (pu pu platter with fire in the middle, skewers sticking out, food piled on top of food)
The decor is great. Clearly they've been collecting for a while. The only part that I wasn't a huge fan of were the black-light style murals... but that was a minor issue for sure. The music was exactly what I want out of a tiki restaurant... classic exotica, vintage hawaiian... the real deal.
I'm definitely going back, I can almost taste those Tahitian Tidbits now.
Tiki D is a regular at The Omni Hut, and is usually there as much as I can.
November 22, 2011, 9:14 AM
My wife and I have lived in Nashville, TN for 14 years..but didn't discover this Tiki legend til 2009. Owner Polly doesn't do much advertizing except in Tiki Magazine, but when you've been in buisness for 51 years, there's a ton of 'word of mouth' and life-time regulars to fill the place every night.
We sure have made up for lost time though! The Omni Hut reminds us of a Tiki spot in San Francisco long gone...South Pacific. It has all the great Tiki items you'd expect...great Tiki Gods, tapas, neat light fixtures, the whole nine yards. You can easily forget you're land-locked in TN really fast when you step into the atmosphere of the Omni Hut.
We normally dive into the Bora Bora (bacon wrapped pineapple chunks), and the incredible Tahitian Tid Bits ( little rib pieces cooked in the Omni Hut's own teriyaki sauce which you can buy...we take home the gallon size...no kidding!). Then you get a great salad, soup, bread,and a nice entree that comes with a baked potato and veggies. I promise you won't go home hungry! It's a ton of food and the pace is nice and relaxing...they do 2 setting a night...so service is very good and paced, so you can enjoy the meal and the awesome piped in Hawaiian and Exotica music.
Polly is the best hostess, too...an evening visit to the Omni Hut is a step back in time, and a fantastic dining experience, too. I think I'll make a reservation right now!