Royal Hawaiian Orange County to Reopen for Tiki Fans With New Owner | Eater LA

"Tucked at 331 N. Pacific Coast Highway in Laguna Beach, the light green building has long been a local mainstay and a conversation magnet — people literally tug on the cracked heavy wooden door to ask if we’re 'really bringing back the Royal Hawaiian.' First opened in 1947 by Philippines-born Francis Cabang and World War II veteran Harold “Hal” Hanna, the restaurant was an important hangout for tiki obsessives and families for decades, its earliest menus leaning on roasted meats and Japanese–Pacific Islander flavors while embracing the boozy, semi-sweet cocktails associated with Trader Vic and Donn Beach. After a pared-back modern iteration closed in 2022, Boulevard Hospitality Group took over and hired legendary fabricator Ignacio “Notch” Gonzales to restore and reimagine the 10,000-square-foot space — you can spot Gonzales darkening thatched roof strands by hand, burnishing bamboo-framed palapas, and installing glass blowfish and a hula-wiggling antique lamp, alongside totems, masks, and other carved ephemera as the team tries to balance historical accuracy with modern concerns about cultural erasure and appropriation. The relaunch will pair a bespoke, rum-forward cocktail program by Dushan Zaric with a menu led by Guam-born chef Jae Hee Lee that draws on Korean, Filipino, Japanese, and Chamorro influences — expect battered and fried shrimp, curry pineapple fried rice, and a grilled ribeye among other dishes — and, if plans hold, the Royal Hawaiian should reopen in early summer (hopefully by early June) as an immersive, family-friendly tiki hangout that aims to honor the Cabang family’s wish that the space live on as an island-infused home for hospitality." - Farley Elliott