Luau 400, New York City, NY (restaurant)

Name:Luau 400
Type:restaurant
Street:400 E. 57th St.
City:New York City
State:NY
Zip:
country:USA
Phone:
Status:defunct

Description:
Thought that the Luau 400 deserved it own spot on Locating Tiki. I hope some TC members can throw in some information about this place as it is very hard to come by. I believe it was opened in about 1957 by Harry Bloomfield. The curious name comes from the restaurants address (400 E. 57th St.) The Luau 400 had a Hawaiian themed floor show as late as 1972 as far as I can tell. One of the notable performers was Hal Aloma who also recorded an album at the 400. Here is a small mention in a New York magazine article from 1958.

The Luau 400 at 400 E. 57th St., is another example of what we think the South Seas should be like. To enhance the atmosphere, owner Harry Bloomfield has employed all his theatrical skill to present tropical trees, waterfalls, and exotic birds as a background for the sloe-eyed waitresses, ukulele players, etc. A favorite with show people, especially for private parties, and one of the last ports of call for upper East Side theatregoers on the way home.

With both an iconic menu and mug design this location has always made me curious as to what else may be found. here is an ad I found on the net and a mug from the collection of Scaraba Tiki.

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2009-05-21 14:25 ]

i lost an auction for a feature matchbook from the luau 400 on ebay about a month ago....so at least we know those existed too...

Here are some Luau 400 items from the Tiki Gallery

A nice brochure with interior photos

Matchbook

Menu

DC

[ Edited by: Dustycajun 2009-05-21 16:28 ]

never knew about this place, very cool!

Here's the LP:

ch

I got the following note forwarded to me ages ago from an Asian-American woman I met at a party, but completely forgot to post it:

"I was talking to my mom today and remembered to ask her about that place in NYC I was telling your friend [me] about. As it turns out, I remembered the story all wrong. The place was called Luau 500 (or Luau 400). She thinks it was on E. 28th or so. My Uncle Tommy (Nishimura) was a bit of a local celebrity who sang on occasion when he was there. (Uncle Tommy was the one who had also had a bit of an acting career - an episode of Sanford & Sons, a couple of episodes of Hawaii 5-0, and the big movie he was in was called "Wake Me When It's Over" (1960).)

"Anyhow, I said that my mom won a beauty contest at the Luau 500. That's the part that was wrong. She did win a beauty pageant - Miss Niisei Sino - but it was not at the Luau 500. It was a local Asian/Hawaiian organization's beauty pageant."

I wish her mom or uncle had saved me a mug or 12....
F

Love the stylish simplicity of the logo. Always struck us as particularly unique. Love it so much we recently made a handful of these pendants.

Here is a fun little souvenir photo from the Luau 400.

DC

It's Barbie in Tikiland! :)

Barbie with the one-piece Zebra suit no less!

DC

from oogamooga - tiki clean
all white vers

I came across this Luau 400 menu on ebay from the opening night in 1957.

A classic example of the pre-Tiki period where they had not yet incorporated the Tiki mask figure that later became their signature.

DC

Not an easy mug to find.Found this one several years ago .

Saw this very early menu from the Luau 400 featuring a pair of Leeteg paintings on the cover on ebay a while back.

And a nice story of the restaurant on the back

Some interior photos and drinks on the menu inside.

Also spotted this cool matchbook with the unusual center opening style.

DC

Another souvenir photo showing a handsome couple at the Luau 400 I found online. You can see the corner of the menu on the table.

DC

Classic. Nice find.

how about thanksgiving at the luau 400, from the NYT, november 24, 1959?

I remember this place well. They had a Sunday all you can eat buffet for the low price of $4.95! This was in the 60s. They also had a great drink called the "Skindiver" which I would consume many of. The food was very good and fresh as it was crowded and there was a turnover of all of the items.

Miss it.

On 2013-07-22 19:57, Johnny Dollar wrote:
how about thanksgiving at the luau 400, from the NYT, november 24, 1959?

It sounds wonderful. And look at the cute tiki-drink-sipping turkey with the little napkin tied around his neck! I love it when advertising anthropomorphizes the food items being sold. It's very weird if you think about it, and yet it's such a common practice. I bet someone could write an entire book just about that topic.

So who’s going to tell Mr. Turkey that he's a little mistaken about this Thanksgiving dinner invitation?

[ Edited by: kenbo-jitsu 2013-08-02 11:06 ]

The Flamingo in Santa Rosa "appropriated" the Luau 400 mask for their menu. HA!

TTT

DC

DC, what is the date and source of that image?
The Flamingo is still operating and in fact I stayed there several years ago and it is awesome. Highly recommended to anyone who is staying overnight in that area (northern california one hour north of SF)

The Flamingo in Santa Rosa is awesome! I was there in November...I don't recall seeing any tiki anything on property...we did check the place out quite a bit too.

Found another old ad for the Luau 400 on flickr.

They borrowed that Wahine image from the South Pacific menu from Florida.

DC

Well, I finally managed to track down one of those cool Luau 400 menus with the Tiki mask cover.

The menu has some photos of the interior with decor, entertainment and food shots.

I like this one of the entrance with the doorman dressed in the Hawaiian jacket and the lei greeter. What a sense of arrival that must have been.

The illustrated drink menu.

The story of the decorations tied to Broadway sets.

And a story about the Luau ceremony.

I also found this photo online on the Fraternal Order of Moai site showing happy New York couples dining at the Luau 400.

Cool man.

DC

This is awesome Dusty. You never cease to amaze with your finds.

A few more images from the Luau 400 clipped from the web. First up a souvenir photo with a "Ladies Night Out" scene. You will note the Leeteg black velvet painting in the background.

And the custom mugs in full display.

Next up a matchbook comparison - the restaurant was simply called Restaurant 400 before it became the Luau 400.

Nice features in both.

Last up and early matchbook and later ad. You can see the Hawaiian theme that started with the image and logo, it changed from a Hawaiian Paradise to a Polynesian Paradise when it adopted the Tiki logo.

DC

I'm searching for a thread with information on the Luau 400 album we found today while thrifting.

Wendy

Wendy,

The album is covered briefly in a few old threads on TC. Here is a little bio information on Hal Aloma:

Harold David Alama began his career with his brother Sam Alama at the Alexander Young and Moana hotels. He went to New York with Lani McIntire and played at the Hotel Lexington's Hawaiian Room for nearly four years. He played at New York's Luau 400 for seven years and joined Tommy Dorsey's band for several years. He moved into television with Arthur Godfrey, Perry Como and appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and To Tell the Truth. He toured extensively and was the band leader at the Polynesian Village for the grand opening of Disney World. He appears with Tommy Dorsey in the MGM film Ship Ahoy.

Looks like he started at the Hawaiian Room before 7 years at the Luau 400.

And while we are on the Luau 400, here are some photos of a more modern menu I spotted on ebay a while back.

DC

Dustycajun you are the best. I miss seeing you at Don's. We haven't been down there for a very long time. Dan's collecting days have slowed to thrifting only and taking what I make. This "find" was a thrill and you made it even better. Wendy

Retroactively: that is a rad menu. Thanks DC!

Kevin

Noticed another case of "appropriation" of Luau 400's unique logo on a matchbook for the "Aku Aku" of Toldeo. It was from a lot of matchbooks on eBay

This Luau 400 mug is on eBay right now with a $100 starting bid with less than 2 days left in the auction.

Based on the below bio, I am surprised Hal Aloma does not have his own thread here. I found some great footage from the 40's of Hal playing and singing with Lani McIntire and Polynesian dancers.

https://youtu.be/tg-rI8ZWGwM

On 2017-10-13 08:43, Dustycajun wrote:
Wendy,

The album is covered briefly in a few old threads on TC. Here is a little bio information on Hal Aloma:

Harold David Alama began his career with his brother Sam Alama at the Alexander Young and Moana hotels. He went to New York with Lani McIntire and played at the Hotel Lexington's Hawaiian Room for nearly four years. He played at New York's Luau 400 for seven years and joined Tommy Dorsey's band for several years. He moved into television with Arthur Godfrey, Perry Como and appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and To Tell the Truth. He toured extensively and was the band leader at the Polynesian Village for the grand opening of Disney World. He appears with Tommy Dorsey in the MGM film Ship Ahoy.

Looks like he started at the Hawaiian Room before 7 years at the Luau 400.

And while we are on the Luau 400, here are some photos of a more modern menu I spotted on ebay a while back.

DC