Kahala, Nashua, NH (restaurant)

Name:Kahala
Type:restaurant
Street:350 Amherst
City:Nashua
State:NH
Zip:
country:USA
Phone:
Status:defunct

Description:

I decided to post the Kahala restaurant and Paradise lounge located in Nashua, New Hampshire, after seeing a few folks comment on a Hukilau restaurant that was also located in Nashua.

Here is a matchbook I have with a nice Tiki/volcano graphic

And a link to the Hukilau thread.

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=41891&forum=2&1

Interested to see if anybody remembers this one as well. Maybe the same place with a change of names?

DC

I remember the Kahala which only closed down and auctioned off their stuff about 10 years ago or so. It was right before I started collecting and a local antiques guy told me how I just missed the auction. I never knew of the Hukilau the other thread speaks of but I'll ask the locals. The Haluwa, which is just one exit away is still open but they don't have any Tiki decor left.

Granite Tiki,

Thanks for the info. Have not been able to find anything on the Hukilau in Nashua.

The Kahala opened in 1977. The second ad shows a pic with a nice A-frame out front.

And was run by the Louis and Chan families.

Looks like in closed around 1992 and had a few run ins with City officials!

Looks like Nashua had some other Chinese/Polynesian places like the Singapore

And Cathay Island.

DC

OK one more post for tonight. Everything you wanted to know about Nashua but were afraid to ask.

The Kahala added the Paradise Lounge and claimed to have "the most exotic decor in New Hampshire".

The obviously had never been to Keene to see the Keentiki!

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=39090&forum=2&hilite=keene

The Cathay Island and Singapore restaurants look like they were more oriental and less Tiki.

DC

Nice stuff! My brother used to play gigs at the Singapore. There's a Barmakian jewelers roughly where it used to be, but the access road to the nearby mall they put up is called "Dan Chan Way" after the owner of the Singapore.

The Kahala was gutted and replaced with a China Buffet with no character at all.

[ Edited by: The Granite Tiki 2012-01-11 23:23 ]

And yeah they had troubles. I used to play gigs at the Haluwa up the street from there, and I remember when the Kahala closed, and their clientele started coming to the Haluwa, it was rough.

It's awesome to see the matchbook cover and other info about this place! Dustycajun & The Granite Tiki, thanks so much for solving this mystery for me!! Kind of sad to see how it looks now, it was pretty cool in it's day!! Should I make a correction in my previous post?

Dan Chan opened his first restaurant (Dan Chan's) in the early 1960's in Fitchburg, Mass. Some time in the 1970s he sold "Dan Chan's" to create a larger much nicer restaurant on the Fitchburg/Leominster line - "Singapore" which featured a large bar and lounge as well as the restaurant. Though I know it was the same Dan Chan who opened the Singapore in Nashua, I don't know if he opened the Nashua one before or after creating the one in Fitchburg.

A fire claimed Dan Chan's on December 26, 1996 and the Fitchburg Singapore is still going strong (though no longer owned by the Chan family).

Though tiki in drinks only, Singapore is well worth a visit should you be passing by on Rt. 2 (I think it is Exit 30). Very good classic New England style Polynesian food and a very good Mai Tai. Bonus, there is a supermarket sized Kappy's liquor store practically next door which has a superior rum selection.

Grand opening, August 5, 1977.

DC