South Seas, Honolulu, HI (restaurant)

Name:South Seas
Type:restaurant
Street:Lagoon Drive
City:Honolulu
State:HI
Zip:
country:USA
Phone:
Status:defunct

Description:
I picked up this matchbook from the South Seas restaurant located in Honolulu on Lagoon Drive by the Airport.

According to Tiki Road Trip, this was a Spenceclif restaurant.

Here is the inside of the matchbook describing the Samoan Steakhouse and the Tonga Room Lounge.

The rendering looks a lot like one of the UFO Don the Beachcombers buildings.

Would be nice to see some photos of this place, must have had some Tiki in it.

DC

Part of the old Spencecliff chain, I love this building. It has suffered the worst fate known to tiki bars - it is now a Kia dealership.

The original structure is mostly still there, but they built a dumb wall around the front of it to try and make it look like a normal building.

Here some current pics I pulled off of Google:

I want to buy it, turn it back into a Polynesian restaurant, and call it the Kia Kai.

http://www.tabooisland.com
http://tabooisland.blogspot.com/

[ Edited by: Mo-Eye 2010-04-22 17:30 ]

Mo Eye,

Thanks for the photos and information. Good news is that the building is still there! I like your restaurant idea, and what a perfect name for the new place.

Kia Kai it is!

DC

I may have some video of the interior when it was the South Seas. I will need to look for it.

Aloha,

The Spencecliff Corporations, "South Seas" restaurant closed in 1985. By 1985, it wasn't popular to stay near the airport, and the restaurant were losing a great deal of money. Interestingly, it was the 3rd "South Seas" restaurant on Oahu. Here's a shot I didn't use my upcoming book "Waikiki Tiki." This was taken around 2001 when it was an "Aloha Hundai" dealership. You can see the Marquesan molding above the receptionist. There wasn't much not much left when I visited back then. I'd like to see that video, Ron!

Ahaaaa! So this one that I described here was one of the three?:

"A couple of years later, during a holiday in Waikiki, I stumbled on a neighborhood Tiki Bar...don't ask me where it was, somewhere downtown, and behind the bar hung a painting just like it! It was longer than mine, and I don't remember if it varied much, but it was the same story, by the same artist!

Now I THINK this place was called the "South Seas" --but it was NOT the South Seas that you used to see coming in from the airport..."

"It was a small dive...BUT it was filled with some of the most exquisite tourist carvings: Marquesan war clubs and Tahitian Tikis and things, like I had only seen at the Hawaiian Hut --which was also a Spencecliff restaurant. Spencecliff had some direct line on quality carvings from Tahiti, you just don't see that kind of stuff anymore nowadays.

In retrospect I am thinking that this place had taken over the name and decor from the above "South Seas" Restaurant after that location closed. Next time I went looking for it I could not find it, and never found anything else about it --or saw another version of that Hina painting again. Maybe Phil Roberts knows something about that "South Seas" reincarnation? "

This photo was captioned in a book as the South Seas Village, almost certainly a different place, right?

Any idea where this one was?

-Randy

On 2010-05-06 21:46, aquarj wrote:
This photo was captioned in a book as the South Seas Village, almost certainly a different place, right?

Any idea where this one was?

-Randy

Yup, That's the "South Seas Village" restaurant in Waikiki. Also a Spencecliff Corporation run locale. Same carving as in the Hawaiian Hut. I have that same book somewhere...

As to the Spencecliff Corporation's ability to get high quality carvings from Tahiti, Sven...

Spence Weaver bought the "Les Tropiques" hotel (buying Donn Beach's half interest) in Tahiti in 1957. He spent a great deal of time there, even retiring there in the late 1980's.

Very interesting! So the Tahitian/Marquesan artisans that did that hotel probably supplied his Honululu establishments.
There is a whole unexplored branch of American Tiki style in Tahiti that remains to be researched, with Pete Wimberley as on of the main architects, and the Bali Hai Boys leading the way. The Hotel Tahaara and the Royal Tahitian also were built with American money, and thus were pretty Tiki-rich in their design. But because it is a primarily French "colony", and not as much in "America's backyard" as Hawaii, little is known about that. These Americans were the true Polynesiacs, between Hawaii and Tahiti, they all knew each other, but had little that still tied them to the mainland.

Here are some stills from the 60 second commercial for the restaurant...

Those shirts look like mid 70s or?

It was cool to see this interior ceiling shot. Those panels are by a
company called "PanelCarve" I will share some photos of some I have
that were supposed to be from the Chin Tiki

Aaaah! Outrigger beam heaven! :)

bongofury -

Thanks for posting the pics...I've just found my future HOME! :) G

Bongofury,

Cool shots, thanks for adding those. I found an ad in a Hawaiian Restaurant guide I have with a few more photos of the inside and outside.

Close up of the great entrance.

Cool that the building is still around, car dealership or not.

DC

Good stuff DC....here is one of the panels we have...

On 2010-05-06 19:42, bigbrotiki wrote:
Ahaaaa! So this one that I described here was one of the three?:

"A couple of years later, during a holiday in Waikiki, I stumbled on a neighborhood Tiki Bar...don't ask me where it was, somewhere downtown, and behind the bar hung a painting just like it! It was longer than mine, and I don't remember if it varied much, but it was the same story, by the same artist!

Now I THINK this place was called the "South Seas" --but it was NOT the South Seas that you used to see coming in from the airport..."

Bigbro,

I grabbed an image of this old postcard from a different South Seas in Honolulu

And this napkin from Mimi Payne's website looks to be from the same place.

Is this the South Seas you are referring to?

DC

On 2010-05-12 22:48, Dustycajun wrote:

Is this the South Seas you are referring to?

DC

Cannot be. That was on McCully Street and was closed long before Sven's adventure. However, This was the 1st "South Seas" I was referring to.

[ Edited by: Phillip Roberts 2010-05-13 15:19 ]

After a quick e-chat with Phil, we narrowed it down to a place called the SOUTH PACIFIC now, which was in Kahili, Honululu. My memory IS really foggy about this place...but our chat brought back one other dim memory: Peaking out the open back door into the back alley, I saw a really nicely carved, big Tiki leaning against the wall. I don't think I had a camera with me that day, but I should check my 90s photo boxes...

On 2010-05-14 11:03, bigbrotiki wrote:
After a quick e-chat with Phil, we narrowed it down to a place called the SOUTH PACIFIC now, which was in Kahili, Honululu.

Well maybe. The area, Sven described as a industrial-ish area near downtown. Sounds like Kalihi, or perhaps outer downtown (nearer to where Restaurant Row is today) Kalihi was the home of the "South Pacific restaurant and cocktail lounge." The only evidence I have of it's existance is this picture by Eric Yanagi from a book I own. I cannot even be sure of the location as being in Kalihi. I have never been able to locate the sign myself, nor find more information about the venue.

I did have some other thoughts on the mystery, but like Sven says, it was a "quick e-chat."

Rocks glass from the South Seas Village Restaurant...

Piano player, Johnny Saclausa

http://www.bottomgun.com/bbs2/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=1943&start=1

[ Edited by: HOUSE OF KU 2010-05-19 01:53 ]

I spotted this matchbook on ebay from the South Seas Village which is almost identical to the one I have from the South Seas.

Also grabbed images of a matchbook and menu from the original South Seas in Waikiki.

DC

[ Edited by: Dustycajun 2011-01-08 06:20 ]

From today...

Souvenir photo cover and photo from "The South Seas at Waikiki, Kalakaua and McCully, Waikiki Hawaii.

Later,

PTD

PTD,

Great score on that old photo album. Very cool to get an inside look at such an old establishment. That guy on the left has to be Matt Dillon's dad or grandad, right down to the wicked smile!

Here is another matchbook from the South Seas with a nice rendering of the building from ebay.

DC

Aloha,

Mighty Good stuff DC!

I picked up an old tourist photo from the South Seas in Waikiki.

They had one of those big ship's vent pipes on the roof like Bahooka.

DC

Here is a great photo of the exterior of the South Seas Village restaurant located on Kalakaua Ave. This is from a 1970s era Spencecliff restaurant guide book.

Some impressive Tiki poles and torches out front.

The restaurant description.

Glad to finally see a photo of the front of this location.

DC

Yes indeed.

[ Edited by: HOUSE OF KU 2013-02-23 20:00 ]

On 2013-02-12 02:33, HOUSE OF KU wrote:
Saw this at a collector show a few years ago....

UGH! my heart just skipped a beat.

wish that was still available. :(

OK, first off all, this thread encompasses Hawaii restaurants called "South Seas" - NOT "South Pacific".

Second, I have seen those South Pacific plates many a time.

I had always assumed they were related to a restaurant, but looking at that photo it is clear that they came from a home set and not a restaurant.

DC

I missed that plate on eBay a few years back. Seeing the place makes me wish I'd bid more, Wendy

DC....MYYYY Bad.... Tiki police out in force Again! Scheesh

Looks like I found the same item

Wait, confusion just set in...

DC, help...
:)
Jon

Worst sound ever, slurp of an empty tiki mug through my straw!!!

[ Edited by: Hang10tiki 2013-04-27 17:18 ]