Royal Hawaiian, Laguna Beach, CA (restaurant) - Locating Tiki

B Basil Member OC and LA, California Joined: Feb 17, 2008 Posts: 1	B Basil Posted posted on Sun, Feb 17, 2008 9:33 PM Good, bad, or ugly...the Royal Hawaiian just doesn't feel like a tiki bar anymore. The kitsch factor is gone. Its true that the place had seen better days before the renovations - it was dank and had a peculiar smell that I wouldn't exactly call "pleasant." Still - the pufferfish lamps over the bar and the drinks made it worth while. It bums me out, because it was one of my favorite places for drink when I lived in Laguna Beach. Every visiting friend from LA, NorCal, or the E. Coast had to come to the Royal Hawaiian for a Lapu Lapu, because it felt like an authentic bit of old SoCal. Unfortunately, that's just not the case anymore. Oh, well - at least I can say I remember it as it was.

Good, bad, or ugly...the Royal Hawaiian just doesn't feel like a tiki bar anymore. The kitsch factor is gone. Its true that the place had seen better days before the renovations - it was dank and had a peculiar smell that I wouldn't exactly call "pleasant." Still - the pufferfish lamps over the bar and the drinks made it worth while.

It bums me out, because it was one of my favorite places for drink when I lived in Laguna Beach. Every visiting friend from LA, NorCal, or the E. Coast had to come to the Royal Hawaiian for a Lapu Lapu, because it felt like an authentic bit of old SoCal. Unfortunately, that's just not the case anymore. Oh, well - at least I can say I remember it as it was.

Post #361804 by Basil on Sun, Feb 17, 2008 9:33 PM