Tahitian Lanai brought tiki culture to Waikiki

By Bob Sigall

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Dec 30, 2011

~~<p>If you lived in Hawaii in the 1960s and 1970s, you probably dined many times at the Tahitian Lanai. It was an exotic outdoor restaurant and bar with tropical drinks and tiki-torch ambience. It opened in 1956 at the Waikikian Hotel, between the Hilton Hawaiian Village and what would become the Ilikai in 1964.</p>
<p>As its name suggests, it was Polynesian-themed, with several thatched-roof huts that could hold 10 to 12 people, and tables around a pool. It overlooked the Hilton Lagoon. The cast of the TV series "Hawaiian Eye" used to hang out there. Connie Francis and the Lennon Sisters sang there.</p>
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If you lived in Hawaii in the 1960s and 1970s, you probably dined many times at the Tahitian Lanai. It was an exotic outdoor restaurant and bar with tropical drinks and tiki-torch ambience. It opened in 1956 at the Waikikian Hotel, between the Hilton Hawaiian Village and what would become the Ilikai in 1964.

As its name suggests, it was Polynesian-themed, with several thatched-roof huts that could hold 10 to 12 people, and tables around a pool. It overlooked the Hilton Lagoon. The cast of the TV series "Hawaiian Eye" used to hang out there. Connie Francis and the Lennon Sisters sang there. Login for more...