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South Seas, Honolulu, HI (restaurant) |
Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3930
From: Santa Barbara, CA
|  Posted: 2010-04-22 4:37 pm Permalink
Name:South Seas
Type:restaurant
Street:Lagoon Drive
City:Honolulu
State:HI
Zip:
country:USA
Phone:
Status:defunct
Description:
I picked up this matchbook from the South Seas restaurant located in Honolulu on Lagoon Drive by the Airport.
According to Tiki Road Trip, this was a Spenceclif restaurant.
Here is the inside of the matchbook describing the Samoan Steakhouse and the Tonga Room Lounge.
The rendering looks a lot like one of the UFO Don the Beachcombers buildings.
Would be nice to see some photos of this place, must have had some Tiki in it.
DC
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Mo-Eye
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 17, 2006
Posts: 600
From: Costa Mesa, CA
| Posted: 2010-04-22 5:29 pm Permalink
Part of the old Spencecliff chain, I love this building. It has suffered the worst fate known to tiki bars - it is now a Kia dealership.
The original structure is mostly still there, but they built a dumb wall around the front of it to try and make it look like a normal building.
Here some current pics I pulled off of Google:
I want to buy it, turn it back into a Polynesian restaurant, and call it the Kia Kai.
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[ This Message was edited by: Mo-Eye 2010-04-22 17:30 ]
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3930
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2010-04-23 3:58 pm Permalink
Mo Eye,
Thanks for the photos and information. Good news is that the building is still there! I like your restaurant idea, and what a perfect name for the new place.
Kia Kai it is!
DC
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bongofury
Grand Member (6 years) 
Joined: Oct 15, 2002
Posts: 1478
From: Ventura County
| Posted: 2010-05-06 4:56 pm Permalink
I may have some video of the interior when it was the South Seas. I will need to look for it.
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Phillip Roberts
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Sep 09, 2003
Posts: 1489
From: OAHU, Hawaii.
| Posted: 2010-05-06 7:28 pm Permalink
Aloha,
The Spencecliff Corporations, "South Seas" restaurant closed in 1985. By 1985, it wasn't popular to stay near the airport, and the restaurant were losing a great deal of money. Interestingly, it was the 3rd "South Seas" restaurant on Oahu. Here's a shot I didn't use my upcoming book "Waikiki Tiki." This was taken around 2001 when it was an "Aloha Hundai" dealership. You can see the Marquesan molding above the receptionist. There wasn't much not much left when I visited back then. I'd like to see that video, Ron!
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10562
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2010-05-06 7:42 pm Permalink
Ahaaaa! So this one that I described here was one of the three?:
"A couple of years later, during a holiday in Waikiki, I stumbled on a neighborhood Tiki Bar...don't ask me where it was, somewhere downtown, and behind the bar hung a painting just like it! It was longer than mine, and I don't remember if it varied much, but it was the same story, by the same artist!
Now I THINK this place was called the "South Seas" --but it was NOT the South Seas that you used to see coming in from the airport..."
"It was a small dive...BUT it was filled with some of the most exquisite tourist carvings: Marquesan war clubs and Tahitian Tikis and things, like I had only seen at the Hawaiian Hut --which was also a Spencecliff restaurant. Spencecliff had some direct line on quality carvings from Tahiti, you just don't see that kind of stuff anymore nowadays.
In retrospect I am thinking that this place had taken over the name and decor from the above "South Seas" Restaurant after that location closed. Next time I went looking for it I could not find it, and never found anything else about it --or saw another version of that Hina painting again. Maybe Phil Roberts knows something about that "South Seas" reincarnation? "
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aquarj
Grand Member (8 years) 
Joined: Apr 02, 2002
Posts: 1040
From: SF bay area, CA
| Posted: 2010-05-06 9:46 pm Permalink
This photo was captioned in a book as the South Seas Village, almost certainly a different place, right?
Any idea where this one was?
-Randy
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Phillip Roberts
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Sep 09, 2003
Posts: 1489
From: OAHU, Hawaii.
| Posted: 2010-05-07 02:52 am Permalink
Quote:
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On 2010-05-06 21:46, aquarj wrote:
This photo was captioned in a book as the South Seas Village, almost certainly a different place, right?
Any idea where this one was?
-Randy
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Yup, That's the "South Seas Village" restaurant in Waikiki. Also a Spencecliff Corporation run locale. Same carving as in the Hawaiian Hut. I have that same book somewhere...
As to the Spencecliff Corporation's ability to get high quality carvings from Tahiti, Sven...
Spence Weaver bought the "Les Tropiques" hotel (buying Donn Beach's half interest) in Tahiti in 1957. He spent a great deal of time there, even retiring there in the late 1980's.
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10562
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2010-05-07 08:18 am Permalink
Very interesting! So the Tahitian/Marquesan artisans that did that hotel probably supplied his Honululu establishments.
There is a whole unexplored branch of American Tiki style in Tahiti that remains to be researched, with Pete Wimberley as on of the main architects, and the Bali Hai Boys leading the way. The Hotel Tahaara and the Royal Tahitian also were built with American money, and thus were pretty Tiki-rich in their design. But because it is a primarily French "colony", and not as much in "America's backyard" as Hawaii, little is known about that. These Americans were the true Polynesiacs, between Hawaii and Tahiti, they all knew each other, but had little that still tied them to the mainland.
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bongofury
Grand Member (6 years)
Joined: Oct 15, 2002
Posts: 1478
From: Ventura County
| Posted: 2010-05-07 2:12 pm Permalink
Here are some stills from the 60 second commercial for the restaurant...
Those shirts look like mid 70s or?
It was cool to see this interior ceiling shot. Those panels are by a
company called "PanelCarve" I will share some photos of some I have
that were supposed to be from the Chin Tiki
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10562
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2010-05-07 2:48 pm Permalink
Aaaah! Outrigger beam heaven! 
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TikiG
Grand Member (2 years) 
Joined: Jun 17, 2008
Posts: 1519
From: Palmdale, California
| Posted: 2010-05-07 3:02 pm Permalink
bongofury -
Thanks for posting the pics...I've just found my future HOME! G
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TikiG
tiki since '67!
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3930
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2010-05-09 4:24 pm Permalink
Bongofury,
Cool shots, thanks for adding those. I found an ad in a Hawaiian Restaurant guide I have with a few more photos of the inside and outside.
Close up of the great entrance.
Cool that the building is still around, car dealership or not.
DC
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bongofury
Grand Member (6 years)
Joined: Oct 15, 2002
Posts: 1478
From: Ventura County
| Posted: 2010-05-12 6:06 pm Permalink
Good stuff DC....here is one of the panels we have...
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3930
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2010-05-12 10:48 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2010-05-06 19:42, bigbrotiki wrote:
Ahaaaa! So this one that I described here was one of the three?:
"A couple of years later, during a holiday in Waikiki, I stumbled on a neighborhood Tiki Bar...don't ask me where it was, somewhere downtown, and behind the bar hung a painting just like it! It was longer than mine, and I don't remember if it varied much, but it was the same story, by the same artist!
Now I THINK this place was called the "South Seas" --but it was NOT the South Seas that you used to see coming in from the airport..."
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Bigbro,
I grabbed an image of this old postcard from a different South Seas in Honolulu
And this napkin from Mimi Payne's website looks to be from the same place.
Is this the South Seas you are referring to?
DC
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