Harry's Pacific Bar & Grill, Temecula, CA (restaurant) - Locating Tiki

BK big kahuna59 Member Temecula, CA Joined: Jan 21, 2007 Posts: 7	BK big kahuna59 Posted posted on Sun, Jan 21, 2007 9:47 PM Name:Harry's Pacific Bar & Grill Type:restaurant Street:Promenade Mall City:Temecula State:CA Zip:92591 country:USA Phone: Status:operational Description: Opened summer of 2006, restaurant & lounge serving South Pacific/Asian style fare & drinks. Interior looks like a restaurant you'd find in Hawaii. Very nice, well appointed, no tikis (gasp!) but still a nice polynesian atmosphere. Reminds me of the old John Dominis Restaurants that used to be in Newport Beach & Honolulu. Owned by Honolulu Harry's, but way better. Drinks are great, (MaiTais knocked me on my butt!) & the food is the best! How did Temecula get so lucky? Average to mid priced, entrees $9-24 & drinks average $. Get here early on weekends, very popular, long wait times.
K kenbo-jitsu Tiki Socialite Southern CA Joined: Jul 27, 2011 Posts: 367	K kenbo-jitsu Posted posted on Wed, Aug 7, 2013 9:49 PM Here’s a quick history of Harry’s Pacific Grill. It was started by the same company that owned the Honolulu Harry’s restaurants in Chino and Corona California. The first Harry’s Pacific Grill opened in April 2006 at the Bel Villaggio center in Temecula. 41577 Margarita Road, Suite 101 Temecula, CA 92591 It initially did very well and was followed by a second location in December 2007 at the open-air Victoria Gardens Mall in Rancho Cucamonga. 8009 Day Creek Boulevard Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739 The original Honolulu Harry’s restaurants were not full-on tiki but they did have a nice tropical/Hawaiian vibe that included elements of tiki. Their bar menus also featured tropical drinks. Deservedly so then, they generated at least some degree of interest among Tiki Central members. The same cannot be said of Harry’s Pacific Grill. Although the cuisine was similar, the bar and décor were both devoid of anything one would call tiki. Columnist David Allen writes in his review of the Rancho Cucamonga location; I’ve been to Honolulu Harry’s, owned by the same chain, but this is virtually nothing like that. It’s a more upscale experience, without the tropical gimmickry (which is fun, by the way). How do you like that expression, “tropical gimmickry”? Thanks a lot. I hereby declare David Allen to be NOT tiki. OK, I take it back. He at least said it is fun. Some more reviews: http://tasteoftemecula.net/2010/10/harrys-pacific-grill-where-east-meets-west http://www.insidesocal.com/davidallen/2008/02/01/restaurant-of-the-week-harrys http://ieweekly.com/2007/12/eats/eats-reviews/harrys-pacific-grill http://www.workingauthor.com/harrys-pacific-grill-review In April 2008 it was announced Harry’s Pacific Grill would expand outside California for its third location to be opened at The RIM shopping center in San Antonio, Texas. It doesn’t look like it ever happened. The Temecula Harry’s Pacific Grill closed its doors in October 2011 with Rancho Cucamonga following three months later in January 2012. If you’re interested in what happened to the vacated spaces, a restaurant called CellarZ93 opened October 2012 in the former Temecula location. Although not as prestigious as Napa Valley, Temecula is known for its vineyards and wineries. Just in the past few months a Slater’s 50/50 opened in the former Rancho Cucamonga location. Slater’s 50/50 is a Southern California burger sports-bar chain. Tiki Central has some threads on the original Honolulu Harry’s restaurants. http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=15998&forum=2 http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=9348&forum=2 And, of course, the Chino Honolulu Harry’s lives on as Kealoha’s Taste of the Islands and Mai Tai Lounge. http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=41804&forum=2 http://www.kealohas.com
T tobunga Tiki Socialite Joined: Apr 12, 2008 Posts: 1235	T tobunga Posted posted on Wed, Aug 7, 2013 10:10 PM How do you like that expression, “tropical gimmickry”? Thanks a lot. I hereby declare David Allen to be NOT tiki. OK, I take it back. He at least said it is fun. Ha! That made me laugh! Twice! Ha & Ha! Mahalos!

BK

big kahuna59 Posted posted on Sun, Jan 21, 2007 9:47 PM

Name:Harry's Pacific Bar & Grill
Type:restaurant
Street:Promenade Mall
City:Temecula
State:CA
Zip:92591
country:USA
Phone:
Status:operational

Description:
Opened summer of 2006, restaurant & lounge serving South Pacific/Asian style fare & drinks. Interior looks like a restaurant you'd find in Hawaii. Very nice, well appointed, no tikis (gasp!) but still a nice polynesian atmosphere. Reminds me of the old John Dominis Restaurants that used to be in Newport Beach & Honolulu. Owned by Honolulu Harry's, but way better. Drinks are great, (MaiTais knocked me on my butt!) & the food is the best! How did Temecula get so lucky? Average to mid priced, entrees $9-24 & drinks average $. Get here early on weekends, very popular, long wait times.

K

kenbo-jitsu Posted posted on Wed, Aug 7, 2013 9:49 PM

Here’s a quick history of Harry’s Pacific Grill. It was started by the same company that owned the Honolulu Harry’s restaurants in Chino and Corona California. The first Harry’s Pacific Grill opened in April 2006 at the Bel Villaggio center in Temecula.

41577 Margarita Road, Suite 101
Temecula, CA 92591

It initially did very well and was followed by a second location in December 2007 at the open-air Victoria Gardens Mall in Rancho Cucamonga.

8009 Day Creek Boulevard
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739

The original Honolulu Harry’s restaurants were not full-on tiki but they did have a nice tropical/Hawaiian vibe that included elements of tiki. Their bar menus also featured tropical drinks. Deservedly so then, they generated at least some degree of interest among Tiki Central members.

The same cannot be said of Harry’s Pacific Grill. Although the cuisine was similar, the bar and décor were both devoid of anything one would call tiki. Columnist David Allen writes in his review of the Rancho Cucamonga location;

I’ve been to Honolulu Harry’s, owned by the same chain, but this is virtually nothing like that. It’s a more upscale experience, without the tropical gimmickry (which is fun, by the way).

How do you like that expression, “tropical gimmickry”? Thanks a lot. I hereby declare David Allen to be NOT tiki. OK, I take it back. He at least said it is fun.

Some more reviews:
http://tasteoftemecula.net/2010/10/harrys-pacific-grill-where-east-meets-west
http://www.insidesocal.com/davidallen/2008/02/01/restaurant-of-the-week-harrys
http://ieweekly.com/2007/12/eats/eats-reviews/harrys-pacific-grill
http://www.workingauthor.com/harrys-pacific-grill-review

In April 2008 it was announced Harry’s Pacific Grill would expand outside California for its third location to be opened at The RIM shopping center in San Antonio, Texas. It doesn’t look like it ever happened. The Temecula Harry’s Pacific Grill closed its doors in October 2011 with Rancho Cucamonga following three months later in January 2012.

If you’re interested in what happened to the vacated spaces, a restaurant called CellarZ93 opened October 2012 in the former Temecula location. Although not as prestigious as Napa Valley, Temecula is known for its vineyards and wineries. Just in the past few months a Slater’s 50/50 opened in the former Rancho Cucamonga location. Slater’s 50/50 is a Southern California burger sports-bar chain.

Tiki Central has some threads on the original Honolulu Harry’s restaurants.
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=15998&forum=2
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=9348&forum=2

And, of course, the Chino Honolulu Harry’s lives on as Kealoha’s Taste of the Islands and Mai Tai Lounge.
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=41804&forum=2
http://www.kealohas.com

T

tobunga Posted posted on Wed, Aug 7, 2013 10:10 PM

How do you like that expression, “tropical gimmickry”? Thanks a lot. I hereby declare David Allen to be NOT tiki. OK, I take it back. He at least said it is fun.

Ha! That made me laugh! Twice! Ha & Ha!

Mahalos!