This Hawaii Hotel Is Trying To Bring Some Modern-Day Culture To Waikiki
The Surfjack Hotel, alongside its restaurant, Mahina & Sun's, are trying to break the status quo in Waikiki. The Surfjack Hotel in Waikiki, Hawaii, is trying to bring some modern-day culture to its properties. The hotel is focusing on creating a more engaging culture that represents the present, not the past, according to the author. The bar and restaurant, Mahina & Sun’s, features martinis, barrel-aged negronis, piscola, aquafaba, and more adventurous options such as the a’u crudo. Christian Taibi, the Executive Bar Czar of the restaurant, said that while it is easy to find a restaurant in Waiki, it was difficult to find one that wasn't latching on to some eras past ideas of what tourists want to eat, drink, and experience when coming to Hawaii. The Surfjack's quest to create a more contemporary Hawaiian experience also includes a weekly cocktail menu and event calendar featuring live events.
Published : 2 months ago by Will McGough in Travel
Many hotels in Hawaii are intensely focused on bringing more traditional Hawaiian culture to their properties. But one Waikiki hotel is focusing on a different kind of culture - one that represents the present, not the past.
You can tell that The Surfjack Hotel on Lewers Street is different from its corporate counterpoints in Waikiki just by walking inside its front entrance.
The boutique property shines with distinct personality and color, its front desk located adjacent to its pool, or Swim Club, as its called.
But dive in, and the story gets more interesting.
One evening, after a long day of guiding a group around the island, I meet up with an old friend at Mahina & Sun’s, the Surfjack’s pool-side bar and restaurant.
Perusing the drink menu, I’m surprised both by what I see - martinis, barrel-aged negronis, piscola, aquafaba - and also by what I don’t see. I make a comment to our server that I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a drink menu in this neighborhood that didn’t include a classic mai tai.
“That’s by design,” he tells me.
Turns out the server is Christian Taibi, the “Executive Bar Czar” of the restaurant. We start to chat a little bit, and he tells me he’s from New York City originally. Big change, I say, do you miss it?
“Only when I’m hungry,” he says.
It was an odd comment for a man that works in the heart of Waikiki, where one can walk to dozens of restaurants in a matter of minutes.
Upon further prodding, Taibi says that while it is easy to find a restaurant in Waikiki, it’s difficult to find one that isn’t latching on to some kind of status quo, some eras past idea of what tourists want to eat, drink, and experience when coming to Hawaii. Think blue-colored cocktails, or a cheeseburger in paradise.
“When we looked around at our community [of Waikiki], there seemed to be a void – not many spots were considering the little details as much, [things like the] lights, music, atmosphere, cocktails, or even the food,” Taibi said.
“When I dug deeper, I felt that not much was organic. Concepts weren’t created by the local talent and talented bartenders existed, but weren’t utilized. Why was this? My thought was that there were different agendas at play not focused on creating culture, and instead focused on beach front experiences holding on to the status quo,” he said.
In other words, not many places had “heart,” he said. And so when he came to work for the Surfjack and Mahina & Sun’s, he and his team had strong convictions of wanting to create something different - something that showed Waikiki could evolve past the preferences of the 70s, 80s, and 90s.
That’s not to say they are doing away with Hawaiian traditions entirely. Rather, the idea is to mold them into something that honors the tradition, but doesn’t get lost in it. The Coconut Pork Shoulder Luau, for example, spices up a traditionally bland dish by adding coconut, tomato, onions, and other house-made accoutrements.
The Mahina Family Feast is a family-style option that serves a whole fish alongside house-made sides like sesame bok choy, cucumber ume salad, pickles and rice - once again, a modern way of featuring a traditional Hawaiian meal.
There are also more adventurous options, like the a’u crudo, the local name for Blue Marlin - a fish you don’t typically see on local menus.
“We take pride in moving these Hawaiian culinary traditions forward by presenting a dish that not only respects its roots, but also evolves for the palates of tomorrow,” Taibi said.
The cocktail menu is where even someone who has been around the block in Waikiki will really see the difference.
The Kahiko cocktail is “a New York Old Fashioned that embarked on a one-way trip to Hawaii,” stirring local whiskey, cinnamon syrup, and tiki bitters over a coconut water ice cube. And the “deconstructed” martini menu is truly something unique.
The Surfjack’s quest to bring some modern-day culture to Waikiki also entails a loaded programming and event calendar, including live nightly music, themed dance parties, markets, and penthouse events (affordable at just $10 for guests and $25 for non-guests).
All take place around the lobby adjacent pool, or Swim Club. During these events, locals and visitors come to enjoy the type of vibe you might find in trendy cities on the mainland, but not so much in Waikiki.
All align closely with Taibi’s vision for “offerings that sing Hawaiian songs on a New York microphone.”
If you don’t stay at the Surfjack, stop by for a meal - or at least a drink - and ask for Taibi. He won’t be shy about sharing his story, and you will, in turn, see if not a different side of Waikiki, then at least an honest, passionate project that clearly comes from the heart.