Aloha, South Hingham, MA (restaurant)

Name:Aloha
Type:restaurant
Street:198 Whiting Street
City:South Hingham
State:MA
Zip:02043
country:USA
Phone:(781) 749-6957
Status:defunct

Description:
I couldn't find out how long Aloha was around. Tikibars mentioned that it had closed back in 2005. My internet research still showed the name attached to the same address and phone number, but those could be old listings. I checked, and the phone number is no longer in service. Googlemaps didn't have a street view, so I couldn't verify what the building looks like now.

Any of you Massachusetts folks know about this place or it's history?

Here's my matchbook from Aloha.

How did you find a matchbook, from a place in my backyard, that I've never heard of?

Rick,

Your backyard! It was one town over from where I grew up. I think I was in there once or twice in the late 80's, but I really don't have any memories. I remember there were a few tikis in the entrance way, but that's about it.

It had a great location, not far off the highway, on the way to the beach and was open probably twenty years or so.

Cheers!

Rick

This is what it looked like in 2004

There was a sign on the door indicating it had closed. My grandparents used to take me there in the 70's. I don't remember much about the interior, other than it being kind of dark, and some brightly painted flat tikis (or masks) on the walls.

TT

I'm certainly no authority on this long gone location, but I did frequent it quite a bit with family and friends back in the 70s and 80s. Located on the edge of busy 5-way intersection in Hingham MA, The Aloha Restaurant featured Chinese and Polynesian food served in my favorite of the tiki-themed restaurants in the area (The Eurasia in Braintree, Kam's Garden in Abington and The Aloha made up what I refer to as The Golden Triangle of Chinese/tiki restaurants on the South Shore of Massachusetts). Boasting a subtly ornate entrance, patrons would open the front door and walk down the steps to be greeted at the host station. To the left, another couple of steps down would lead you to the dimly lit cocktail lounge where one could enjoy various tiki drinks while gazing at the gigantic aquarium that lined the back of the bar. Various colored lights would add to the ambiance of the lounge. Returning to the host station, visitors would then be led to the dining room which had giant tiki masks along the walls with multi-colored lights beaming from beneath. To the right of the dining room was the "Party Room", a separate dining area that could be reserved for large parties. The food was generally good, serving all the American Chinese standards as well as a few exotic Polynesian dishes. I remember their spare ribs being particularly tasty. The music that played there didn't get too adventurous, but it did have the classic 70s/80s Asian-tinted Muzak styled versions of popular songs of the day. So while it didn't exactly transport one to any faraway land, The Aloha certainly provided a unique dining experience for many years and was sadly missed when it finally shut down in the late 80s. I visited it shortly before it closed and the lounge aquarium had been taken down, the colored lights gone, and it had a generally sad feeling that the end was near. RIP Aloha and mahalo for all the good times!

[ Edited by: cuckookachoo 2019-06-04 06:10 ]