Ken Young's Hula Hut, Hollywood, CA (restaurant)

Name:Ken Young's Hula Hut
Type:restaurant
Street: 8204 Beverly Blvd.
City:Hollywood
State:CA
Zip:
country:USA
Phone: YORK 9583
Status:defunct

Description: Originally was "The Hula Hut" and later became "Ken Young's Hula Hut."

[ Edited by: tattoo 2012-10-20 08:24 ]

Not much information on this tropical restaurant. Great looking die cut menu with a cover featuring a cute semi nude Wahini in front of a tropical hut. The back features a list of traditional tropical Tiki drinks including the Zombie, Doctor Funk, Cobra's Fang and their own Hula Hut Rum Punch. The main menu leans mostly towards Chinese food.

From the Los Angeles Public Library Images, I hope it's the same place? :roll:

I nabbed this image from ebay a few years ago.

I've been wondering about this place for awhile.

Archive Tropika has an old Hula Hut bar menu as well. Not sure if it's the same place though either.

The Ken Young menu states it's in Hollywood and I don't know if 8204 Beverly (and Crescent Heights) is exactly Hollywood proper although it is close to it. And York 9583 was not a "Hollywood" phone number. Not sure how they would have categorized that address back then. Who knows, it would be interesting if it was the same place and sure would make a lot more sense. Too bad the Ken Young menu has no address.

[ Edited by: Tattoo 2012-10-18 22:34 ]

Tattoo, Great menu, love the die cut. I think your assumption on being the same is correct. I gleaned these from the web...Ken's Hula Hut....

I know many places "borrowed" menu names, but a Hula Hut Special, Tahitian Punch, and a Diamond Head Punch (cooler) on both menus is something. I believe it opened in 1938 and was quite a jazz hot spot. It would seem Ken was the second owner as that menu has slightly higher prices. IMHO. Thanks for the post...OGR

I have two of the matchbooks, one with Ken's and one without Ken's.

Ken obviously bought the place and put his name on it.

DC

Great images from everybody and some nice detective work! I did a little more research and found that in the late 50s the restaurant had become the Grand Prix Restaurant. From a sports enthusiast web site:

"The super active Sports Car Racing community in Southern California would hang out at the Grand Prix Restaurant (8204 Beverly Blvd.) in Hollywood that was owned by the beautiful Mary Davis (top contender in the Ladies Races). Bobby Drake was the gracious host and Bar Tender at the Grand Prix Restaurant and he would race one of the very first Birdcage Maseratis for Joe Lubin in the first half of 1960."

A late 50s early 60s sports car themed restaurant sounds pretty amazing! I wonder if they had race themed drinks - The Checkered Flag, the Le Mans...

On 2012-10-18 22:14, Bora Boris wrote:
From the Los Angeles Public Library Images, I hope it's the same place? :roll:

Those are a couple of heavy hitter Hawaiian musicians of the day!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Iona

Andy Iona also headlined The Hawaiian Room in NYC

http://hawaii-aloha.com/blog/2012/08/page/2/
(scroll down to Aug 22, 2012 listing of Hawaiian Room exhibit)

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=32416&forum=2&start=15&hilite=hawaiian%20Room

Sam Koki played with The Polynesians - the house band at The Polynesian restaurant

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=4379&forum=1&start=15

and played in the house band at the 7 Seas

and also recorded with Louis Armstrong
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfgNwopir7A#t=14

I acquired these two matchbooks together and notice that one is the Hula Hut version while the small version is exactly the same except... it now says Ken's Hula Hut!

Better shot of the Hula Hut napkin as seen on ebay.

DC