Sam's Seafood/ Don the Beachcomber, Sunset Beach, CA (restaurant)

thanks for the pics.
Ojaitimo, good work man,

Jeff(bigtikidude)

Went to Kona's last Friday night for dinner. Glad to see everything pretty much the same as it's been. They still need to get some help from Beach Bum Berry. The Navy Grog tasted like a Marriott Mai Tai.... I'm willing to guess that that is how the Zombie tastes and the scorpion tastes and all of the other drinks taste. How do these places screw that up so badly?? Can we donate a book from Berry to them? Also, stay away from the seared ahi.... I've had it twice there and both times I haven't finished it.

Other than that, it's still good to have the place standing. The wait staff were friendly and there was some reggae band in the bar playing... I'll go back.

Oh, and the Sam's letters are off the Marlin now. It's just painted a solid blue. Looks strange without it saying "Sam's"...

Thought you guys might like this..the changing of the guards....err uuhh changing of the signs.
Tikiyaki, Squid and I stopped by for some food just at the time they were changing the sign

Sam's Seafood officially becomes Kona:

On 2008-08-10 12:40, Digitiki wrote:

Is the dot after the A in KONA the fish eye, or a registered trademark? Looks odd. I'll have to drive by tonight and check it out.

On 2008-08-11 14:38, Jason Wickedly wrote:

On 2008-08-10 12:40, Digitiki wrote:

Is the dot after the A in KONA the fish eye, or a registered trademark? Looks odd. I'll have to drive by tonight and check it out.

Oh no, it's an eye for sure.

Funny, whomever measured the sign, mismeasured, cos the letters are bigger than the fish.

Just found a photostream of the old Sam's before the remodel.

http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3DSam%2527s%2BSeafood%26ni%3D18%26ei%3DUTF-8%26fr%3Dyfp-t-501%26xargs%3D0%26pstart%3D1%26b%3D109&w=500&h=375&imgurl=static.flickr.com%2F111%2F288081707_d2205ed48a.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2F13536285%40N00%2F288081707%2F&size=110.5kB&name=Sam%27s+Seafood%2C+Seal+Beach%2C+Monticello+Apts.%2CHuntin...&p=Sam%27s+Seafood&type=JPG&oid=8d608cbfcb5d22b8&fusr=3+Strikes&tit=Sam%27s+Seafood%2C+Seal+Beach%2C+Monticello+Apts.%2CHuntin...&hurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2F13536285%40N00%2F&no=118&tt=491&sigr=11kqsnu2a&sigi=11eeh4cmv&sigb=13htkdhhr&sigh=11aa21hdu

Showed up to Kona for the happy hour. Prices were good, but the mixed drinks were terrible. Syrupy sweet that made me want to switch to beer immediately. Someone needs to help them with their mixology skills. AFTER switching to beer, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The cheeseburger sliders were insanely delicious. The "kalua" pork sliders were good, but nowhere in Hawaii will you find kalua pig with bbq sauce.
The biggest plus for this place is the decor and friendly staff. I really hope it survives 'cause there were only two tables in the dining room occupied.

Drinks are always the hardest part is seems.
why won't some old places do the homework and make some real, old school tropical drinks?

the books are out there.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

I've had mixed feelings about this place but the people are trying hard and doing a great job on a lot of things.

I know a few people here live close...how about asking to work a couple days a week behind the bar? I'd give that person the largest tips ever!

I sure do love looking at all the eye candy in these old photos of Sam's Seafood. The patina on all the old Tikis, Tapa, Matting and Bamboo looks so cool and really seems to transport you back in time to a truly authentic Tiki establishment!

I love this photo of Sam's:

It almost sums up the whole experience!

I didn't see too many pieces (if any) of specific Sam's Seafood collectible items on here. I am missing another thread? I see them spread out in Collecting Tiki sometimes. Maybe we could get some people to post pictures of their items here. Anybody got a GOOD picture of the Tiki mug that they used to sell in the old gift shop?? If anybody has anything specifically from Sam's, it would be cool to get it on here.

I saw this drink menu probably from the 1980's the other day:

Here is an old postcard from the 1950's which is pre-tiki but does show the location on the Pacific Coast Highway and their great original sword fish sign:

Here are two matchbooks I have. The one on the left is pre-tiki which is from the 1950's and before the remodel which I think was done in 1960. The one on the right is from the 1960's:

Notice that you can see the addition of "Hawaiian Village" and the Tiki in their artwork on the booklet on the right. This is the same Tiki logo that was there mug and on their bowls.

Here is a great postcard from Sabu The Coconut Boy of Sam's Gift Shop:

You can see the very rare Tiki mug that may have been exclusively available at Sam's Seafood. Also, the even rarer matching Tiki Bowl with 3 Tikis and a volcano in the center which appears on the bottom left of the photo. These were probably made by a Ceramic company called Spurlin which is known for other custom ceramic pieces.

And here they are on their menu:

A little closer shot:

Here is a picture of the brown Fogcutter shaped mug almost in the center of that photo:

Mahalo, TabooDan

[ Edited by: TabooDan 2010-06-20 16:05 ]

I wanted to get these mugs on here as they are cool designs and represent an old Tiki establishment.
Not an old Sam's Seafood item, but still one not the least, is this Tiki mug that was designed by Sam Gambino and produced by Tiki Farm:

A great Marquesan style Tiki with the cool sword fish on the reverse. This mug was debuted on August 4, 2007.

Sam's also had this mug which is a Maori design and was based on the old mug that was shown in the previous post. A great design!!

TabooDan

addios Sam's, and Kona,
Here's to a bigger and Better Place.
Don the Beachcomber.

Jeff(btd)

Yeh Jeff, you are right!! Don's is great and it's awesome that Sam's was pretty much saved (building and collection wise) by Don's, but Sam's sure had been a huge part of the scene and culture for many years and probably inspired alot of other Tiki themed restaurants over the years.
We gotta remember it for what it was and had been.

Here's another shot of a matchbook cover:

Mahalo, TabooDan

Long Live Sam's Seafood !

A few more items from Sam's Seafood from my collection.

Here is another postcard, an even older version than the one Taboo Dan posted.

A few more matchbook types.

This one is interesting in that it advertised franchises and the back of the matchbook has a new place called Sam's Treasure Chest restaurant.

The full picture of the gift shop postcard.

I love the quote on the back of the card: If it swims, we have it!

And finally the souvenir menu.

Such a great thing that Don's is there now.

DC

Absolutely fantastic historical artifacts DC. Well done. I especial like the "Sea Burgers 19 cents" sign and the first post card. It almost looks a little art decoish.

Here is another really old pre-tiki matchbook from Sam's Seafood from ebay.

DC

Check out this great, full-page newspaper ad from 1967. I wish I had the original paper or the original photo, but this still isn't too bad. I love the view of the old multi-tiered sign in front of Sam's and the fact that they had actual nails in the tiki's mouth for teeth:

:up: I think the original Sam's forgot its original Creed.

I think if more Tiki Restaurants followed that Creed, they'd probably be more successful.

Long Live Sam's Seafood !

Great looking ad Sabu, the newspaper time machine is working overtime. That pic of the sign is great, different than the sign shown on the matchbook renderings. Thanks for posting.

DC

Thanks DC,

I also notice that the Swordfish sign is completely different than the current one. Wonder when they replaced it and wonder what happened to the older more realistic one?

I loved this place when I was a kid. Does anyone remember the bar across the street from Sams? It was at the base of a large water tower? My folks knew someone that worked there so we would go across the street and have a shirley temple while my mom had a Singapore Sling and my dad a draft while we waited for our table. Fun times.

Perhaps Turc's? Here's a photo from last March of PCH during the extreme high tide where Dons (former Sams) is located and the water tower you were refering to.

[->>King Bushwich 33rd

This weekend, I found a whole bunch of vintage Sam's Seafood stuff when it looks to have been 'pre-tiki'. Maybe '40s or '50s judging by the prices? The turtle steak dinner is only $1.50!! ....wait a minute...turtle steak dinner??

And cocktails (no tiki drinks on the menu yet) are all around $.30.

$.15 for a beer?!

This envelope was also in the collection (which explains the fold line down the menu). Maybe it was a mailed promotional thing to drive business? Did they do that back then??

Business cards and matches were included as well

This was seperate from the collection and really cool, though I didn't end up buying it....yet.
Hand painted, camera ready art for some sort of promotional use.

Pretty cool to see Sam's before it underwent the tiki transformation. Even back then, the swordfish was on the roof!

WOW! Great score, Spike. Definitely Pre WWII, judging by the cars.

Spike,It looks like it's from the 30's judging from the prices & photos!!!!
And knowing the location was not Sam's til after Prohibition,Very nice find indeed.

Thank you both!
I guess there was a Sam's in Corona del Mar too??

Sea turtle was legal meat in the US until the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) of 1973. I remember seeing the huge sea turtles captured by fishermen on the Sea of Cortez in the early 70s. Current price for farm raised sea turtle steaks in the Cayman Islands is $35/lb, $1.50 wouldn't get very much.

On 2012-07-06 11:24, Luckydesigns wrote:
This weekend, I found a whole bunch of vintage Sam's Seafood stuff when it looks to have been 'pre-tiki'. Maybe '40s or '50s judging by the prices? The turtle steak dinner is only $1.50!! ....wait a minute...turtle steak dinner??

And cocktails (no tiki drinks on the menu yet) are all around $.30.

$.15 for a beer?!

This envelope was also in the collection (which explains the fold line down the menu). Maybe it was a mailed promotional thing to drive business? Did they do that back then??

Business cards and matches were included as well

This was seperate from the collection and really cool, though I didn't end up buying it....yet.
Hand painted, camera ready art for some sort of promotional use.

Pretty cool to see Sam's before it underwent the tiki transformation. Even back then, the swordfish was on the roof!

Totally killer score Spike,
congrats!

Spotted these amazing photo's of Sam's Seafood on ebay a while back. This must have been right after the fire rebuild. Those beautiful Guanko Tikis!

Here is the walkway to what is now the Dagger Bar.

What is really interesting is the outdoor photos that show some sort of Luau grounds in what now is the expanded parking lot.

And for good measure, a photo posted on Facebook by Bigbro showing the exterior A-Frame and sign. Same image that Sabu posted on the newspaper ad.

Some pretty cool historical stuff!

DC

VERY cool stuff DC!

LOVE THAT MID MOD SIGN.

Dig it!

On 2016-05-26 10:42, Dustycajun wrote:
...

What is really interesting is the outdoor photos that show some sort of Luau grounds in what now is the expanded parking lot.

...

Wow! This is significant!

This photo was sent to me with the following description:
"Here's an old snapshot (early 1960's) taken in front of Sam's Seafood. It appears to be taken during an ad shoot for Kanvas by Katin and it features famous surfers Corky Carroll and Mike Doyle. Little known facts: Corky grew up across the street in Surfside and helped Nancy Katin develop trunks that were specifically designed for surfing, creating the first board shorts."

1966 Surfside

Great photos, King!

Comprehensive history of Sams Seafood/Don the Beachcomber by RandomLand

YouTube: Don The Beachcomber - A Final Farewell & The History of Sam's Seafood

There's another Sam's Seafood menu currently available on e-Bae that has a fun little artifact attached to it. The menu seems to be from around 1943 and would therefore appear to predate the restaurant's tiki phase. Here's the listing: https://www.ebay.com/itm/vintage-SAMS-SEA-FOOD-HOUSE-MENU-seafood-East-Seal-Beach-California/192617796469?hash=item2cd8ea5375:g:LvQAAOSwqj5bZdAv. From the price increases, it looks like this one post-dates Luckyd's menu from earlier in this thread: http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=4914&forum=2&vpost=643006.

What's unique about this particular listing is that it also includes a personal letter dated November 19, 1943: https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/pfkAAOSwlQ5bZdBz/s-l1600.jpg. As you can see from the letter, the writer and some friends took a little eating and drinking tour of Long Beach/Seal Beach and wound up hitting four different spots: Sam's, The 307 Club, The Port Hole, and Talbert's (Tolbert's? it's in cursive so I'm not sure).

The reason I found this of interest is that at least three of the four spots either already had or would later adopt a tiki/pre-tiki theme. As I understand it, Sam's Seafood seems to have "turned tiki" around 1960 ( https://www.ocweekly.com/revisiting-the-legacy-of-sams-seafood-seal-beachs-original-polynesian-palace/ ). The 307 Club opened the South Seas ( http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=52658 ) sometime before June 25, 1948 (the first mention I could find in the local news, by which time it was already "famous" according to an article entitled "Pike Barmaids Allowed To Pour Patrons' Whisky" in the Long Beach Independent). Finally, the Port Hole (aka the "Port Hole Café"), opened a tropical-themed "Palm Room" no later than the time this ad appeared in the Independent on September 7, 1945:

Tried to work my googol-fu on "Talbert's" or "Tolbert's", the barhoppers' last stop, but came up empty.

[ Edited by: HotelCharlieEcho 2018-09-28 14:54 ]

Next to Sam's Sea Food (and Don the Beachcomber's) was Katin Surf Shop which also has a long interesting history.

Katin Apparel

Here is ad with renown skateboarder Russ Howell

Sam's Seafood is not in these photos but these 1966 Sunset Beach pictures show the areas that are just across the street from it.

...aaand its an Indian food restaurant.
Photos to come, as the story develops...

My first thoughts are at least the building is still being used... then I think about what may come of all of the decor. We’ll see...

Last I saw from Bamboo Ben, the place was tagged up with graffiti. I was given the impression that nothing was going to move in because of the rent ordeal and future plans for demolishing the grounds.

According to the property owner, Himalayan Grill will be there temporarily for 6 months while their building at Peter's Landing next door is being remodeled.

Yup, at the very least, maybe we’ll get one more opportunity to have a beer in there.

repost @pintikipins
・・・
?I just got the “inside” scoop on Don’s. I was able to get in and get a firsthand look at what’s going on inside the old Don the Beachcomber in Huntington Beach. As you may have heard, it’s going to be reopening as the Himalayan Grill sometime in a few weeks.
So here’s the story. The guys from Himalayan Grill are going to be moving into Don’s temporarily while their current location is under construction. I got to walk around inside Don‘s for a few minutes while they were there and took a few pictures so you can see what it looks like inside.

A lot of the stuff is still there - the Dagger Bar, all the area in the back and the Coconut Bar, etc. They told me they would mainly be using the front restaurant area and that they don’t have a full liquor license so they will only be serving wine and beer - not sure if they will be using the Dagger Bar. They’ve got a lot of cleaning to do before this place will be ready to open as a restaurant again.

So come back toward the end of the month and check it out for yourself when they reopen. Remember it’s just going to be temporary and they will probably only have the place open until around February. That’s it for now Mahalo

PinTiki's pictures are bittersweet and can be found here:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2QJb5hAV1P/

To keep everything on the thread for historical value, here are those images:

I wish someone would take those Christmas lights off of that big Guanko.
...at the same time, at lease it's still there!

Spike
http://www.facebook.com/thehulagirls
http://www.thehulagirlsmusic.com

[ Edited by: Luckydesigns 2019-09-17 13:14 ]

What depressing photos.