The Hawaii Kai opened in 1962 in New York’s Times Square and was optimistically billed as ‘the world’s greatest Polynesian restaurant.’

Located on Broadway, in the heart of Manhattan’s theatre district, it had previously been a Monte Proser Beachcomber restaurant, a take on the original tiki bar and restaurant Don the Beachcomber.

Waitresses in sarongs served customers in dramatic interiors created by Broadway set designer Frederick Fox (1910-1991), who also consulted on the design for Honolulu International Airport.

There was lush greenery, waterfalls and tropical flowers and every customer was greeted with a lei before being shown upstairs to three separate entertaining areas. The Okole Maluna Bar (Bottoms Up Bar) had a three-dimensional diorama of the volcanic tuff cone Diamond Head at Waikiki that shifted from daytime to nighttime.

There was another bar called the Lounge of Seven Pleasures and the main dining room, with thatch-covered ‘huts’ or booths, was called the Hula Wei or Place of Meeting.

Hula dancers instructed tourists who flocked to the Hawaii Kai on the techniques of native dances, and diners hoping for a quiet meal must have been horrified by the conga lines formed on the dining-room floor as music blared and guests sang along.

The restaurant also did a flourishing trade in tiki souvenirs and was featured in a scene in the film Goodfellas.

After nearly three decades, its popularity waned (perhaps because of those conga lines) and the Hawaii Kai closed in 1989.