The Lanai, San Mateo, CA (restaurant)

Thanks for posting Ikele76 and Jurneeka. It's always fun to read recollections from people who were patrons of fabled Tiki restaurants/bars during their heyday!

[ Edited by: TropicDrinkBoy 2014-03-02 09:08 ]

Maybe, maybe not?

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/atq/4453930332.html

PTD

Another souvenir photo from the Lanai.

A Tiki toast.

DC

Good one DC, looks like they're having a Navy Grog and a Side Winder's Fang.

This is unlikely, but the guy on the left with the Navy Grog reminds me of Robert Young (many movies, Father Knows Best, Marcus Welby, and Sanka).

-Randy

5 match covers with slight variations

Another style with 2 variations inside

Our pest control guy gave me this bowl and two menus from the Lanai in San Mateo. Him and his father used to work there back in the day. His father was one of the bartenders there and he also helped out behind the bar (even though he was under 21 at the time). Next month he's going to bring me his fathers drink recipes.

Drink recipes from The Lanai? That's gold!

On 2015-02-12 12:25, Fez Moai wrote:
Drink recipes from The Lanai? That's gold!

Gold or not I thought it was cool of him to share it with me.

Does the bowl have Lanai markings?
Love to see the inside of menu.

Let us know if the drinks are any good.

Great find.

On 2015-02-11 21:08, Tiki501 wrote:
Our pest control guy gave me this bowl and two menus from the Lanai in San Mateo. Him and his father used to work there back in the day. His father was one of the bartenders there and he also helped out behind the bar (even though he was under 21 at the time). Next month he's going to bring me his fathers drink recipes.

....and....you'll share aforementioned recipes with your tiki bretheren......please??? (begging on bended knee).

howlinowl

Tiki501,

Soooo, did you get the drink recipes yet? Very excited to see what turns up. In the meantime, lets head back to the grand opening of the Lanai Liquors.

There was a Tiki behind the counter.

So how does one become a "Party Chairmen"? I want that on my next resume!

DC

On 2015-03-22 15:45, Dustycajun wrote:
Tiki501,

Soooo, did you get the drink recipes yet? Very excited to see what turns up. In the meantime, lets head back to the grand opening of the Lanai Liquors.
DC

Not yet. He comes out to spray every two months so probably sometime in April. I'll be nice and share the recipe(s) once I get them.

Thanks DC for the new Lanai content! Fun to see the inside of the original Lanai Liquors.

And Tiki501, hope it pans out to see some of those recipes. 13-14 years ago I met one of the bartenders from the Lanai. He talked about his shoebox full of drink recipes, as well as the production process they had for making ice shells and all that stuff in the back. Unfortunately I am a bozo and dropped the ball, and never got more detail from him.

-Randy

This photo in a book comes from a friend's book with vintage automobile ads. This was taken sometime in the 60's with a Corvair in front of The Luau. Thanks to Sven for identifying the location and to Haka for the suggestion to share it here.

Cheers!
:drink:

I remember the Lanai all to well. If you lived in the mid peninsula and you turned 21 the first stop was the Lanai. I have a friend of mine Alvin, who worked at the Villa Hotel for many years, and his mother worked in the coffee shop probably since it opened. There was a question about the new Lanai that opened in San Mateo after the original closed; my friend Mitchel Haake bought all the interior decor and opened the new Lanai, it was in a small shopping center across from the Fish Market and was built in the former B of A bank. I remember helping Mitchel build the inside of the new restaurant with the decor he bought and put it together as closely as possible to the original. I especially remember that the walk in cooler was the old bank vault.

Mitchel also owed T&B's in Belmont next to 101 at Ralston behind the gas station there. He now owes and operates Cilantro's down the Peninsula some, I think it's in San Carlos or Redwood city; been there but it's been a while

Full-page ad from the 1959-60 San Francisco Guest Informant.

Kinda late to chime in, but thanks for the additions above, finky099, gjgonzalez, ErichTroudt, clayfran! It's great how these stories and images add to the picture.

-Randy

A pre-opening 1950 Playgoer ad, during the run of "South Pacific" in San Francisco

Some old photos from the Lanai from ebay a while back.

DC

Barney West and a Lanai Tiki.

DC

Just got off the phone with a guy who was in the military with Jack Thronton, co-founder of the Mai-Kai. He said they went there often when stationed at Camp Roberts. Jack would get the Sidewinder's Fang and once they got to know the bartender, sometimes he'd let him have 2 of them a night.

He said Jack was inspired by the place and always said he'd open a place just like it one day. One day was about 3 years later!