The Royal Hawaiian — Restaurant in Laguna Beach

If I can recall, this is the 4th or so iteration of this classic spot. So you may see very different reviews from across the years pop up. But as of June 10th 2023, it’s under new ownership and has gone through another remodel, a throwback to the original Francis Cabang historic location.

All that aside, what a comeback! There are very few places you walk in and feel completely immersed and transported that are not some kind of theme park ride or resort location. Notch of Top Notch Customs was brought in to overhaul the space and you automatically get that authentic lived in island feel. It’s absolutely gorgeous. From the bar, booths, dining tables and outdoor spaces, every wall, corner and ceiling area is covered with tropical ephemera.

But what about the food and drinks?! None of this matters if that’s no good right? Well I went with a huge thirst and big appetite and while I couldn’t order a ton, what I did was absolutely delicious. They have a classic cocktail menu featuring tiki staples from the best along with modern cocktails to balance in the new. I tried a few on each side and I was impressed with how balanced (though still boozy) they were. Be sure to order a lot of water and eat something while you’re at it!

Food wise I had to eat the classic Loco Moco and Spam Musubi. These are traditional dishes that continue to last the test of time and they were both very good. A bit pricier than most for the Loco Moco but a really good portion of food. Typically this dish is a fried egg over gravied hamburger (though many places will use spam as well both good) meat over a bed of rice. But this dish comes with a few sides and not with rice off the bat. So if you’re wanting that classic setup make sure to ask for the rice. Though I think that’s something they should tell you upfront. Otherwise your options are Mac salad, fries, salmon poke, and one more thing. I love this dish because it’s the perfect entree to soak in all the alcohol you’ll be imbibing!

There’s a bunch of other delicious staples on the menu that I hope to try on repeat visits. But for now I highly recommend you check it out if it interests you. Seating for tables are by reservation only but bar walk-ins are welcome anytime.

One last highlight; the staff. They’re a great bunch of people who are very accommodating and welcoming and just so fun to talk to. I personally love dining at the bar to get to know them and everyone I talked to was a pleasure to...

My wife and I travel all over the US to tiki bars and restaurants. We have enjoyed everything from Tiki Ti in LA, to Three Dots in Chicago to the Mai Kai in Ft Lauderdale. We went to the Royal last Saturday not expecting much whatsoever after reading some of the reviews.

No, Royal Hawaiian isn't a tiki bar at all but more of a polynesian style restaurant. I used to go there when I was just a child with my grandparents 30 plus years ago. You could write your name in the dust on the fake plants that adored the place and it was run down but very charming. I missed it for years and now I got to go back. Yeah, the Lapu Lapu doesn't use the best rums available, but it was a value for the size and ours was definitely alcohol forward as well as the Mai Tai; which they should be. We thought they were pretty darn good and at 12.00 a complete bargain.

The food was great. We were there during happy hour and everything seemed pretty reasonable for where this restaurant is located. I thought the flavors were great, nice plating and decent size portions. My wife ordered the grilled octopus which was not on the happy hour menu. It was the best we have had in years!

The service was great! Everyone was super nice and tentative to our needs.

The look of the place still has some nice tiki vibe, semi modern and airy. The restaurant was spotlessly clean and they really made a point to have little touches everywhere with nods to tiki and Polynesia. We were happy with it as we didn't go there expecting black seven foot ceilings with fish net and red lamps everywhere. The place is not kitsch as many people are expecting and then they are disappointed. It is a restaurant that is more well rounded for the majority that goes there. It's not in a dark alley on some off street in Santa Ana or Long Beach it's a in an expensive area in Laguna Beach and I think they hit the mark looks wise.

The only things they could really change to make our experience better would be to offer a cool tiki mug or two and maybe offer a slightly better selection of rum. They did a great job with the Appleton and Myers they used. The drinks were not syrupy or too sweet. Other than that, we loved it and...

Went there around 12:30 on a Saturday. Nearly dead empty. Staff standing around the bar, uninterested and uninviting. We got there before the rest of our party, so when our server came up for food orders, we said we're waiting for them to arrive before ordering food but could do some drinks...she quickly said "oh well I'll come back" and walked away before we could order or ask her to stop. Drink prices are horrible, and the quality is worse. We had the zombie, royal Hawaiian, and painkiller. All of which either tasted like cheap liquor and gasoline, or some incredibly overly sweet and unbalanced slurry of fruit juices. They "ran out" of the maiden and deep sea diver, which I'm assuming they didn't want to do their prep for the puree and cream that were supposed to go into these. And for $18-22 each that's insane. As someone else stated, they only served brunch. Extremely limited menu. Had the popcorn chicken and fries. Way overpriced for not only the quantity, but the quality. Clearly not fresh. Tasteless. Also for it being nearly empty, waited a long time for food to come through. Overall a pretty dismal experience. We had 6 people total, 4 appetizers, 2 entrees, and 11 drinks. Tab was around $370. No one seemed overly impressed or satisfied with the meal and drinks. When the server came back, we tried splitting based on what we had, to which we then realized we had been double charged for items we didn't order. Tried clarifying the orders multiple times, never getting it right. I hate to be rude, but our server was absent minded. Just didn't seem to want to be there. So out of frustration, we just paid so we could leave. We paid probably $40 bucks more than we were supposed to...but at this point we just wanted to leave. Sadly, we had a feeling this place was over hyped and overpriced, considering there's loads of Hawaiian BBQ places around socal that are great food at a great price. So...we ate a small meal before coming. Thankfully we did. Unless you love drab decor in a tired, dark room with an equally unenthusiastic staff...this is not your place. This place should've stayed closed with a...