MALIBU— On March 12, the management announced the reopening of Duke’s Restaurant located at 21150 Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). In January 2025, Duke’s was one of the 6,800 structures in the area that was affected in the Palisades fire.
In February 2025, the rain and mudslides caused extensive internal damage to the restaurant. It took fourteen months of restoration and renovations and of course, the traditional Hawaiian Kahu Blessing.
New operating hours begin March 13th and continue Thursday-Sunday from 12:00 to 8:00 p.m., welcoming guests back to both the main dining room and the Barefoot Bar.
Duke’s is one of seven restaurants in the T S Family of restaurants that include Jake’s in Del Mar, Hula Grill, Sunnyside Restaurant and Lounge, Leilan’s on the Beach, Keoki’s, and Kimo’s. The following came directly from Duke’s webpage.
“It all started at our first T S Restaurant, Kimo’s on Maui. Long ago Kimo’s Original Hula Pie® recipe was created and coined as, ‘What the sailors swam ashore for in Old Lahaina Town.’ From there, it was history, our famous Hula Pie has been surprising even t the most adventurous of dessert eaters ever since.
Duke Kahanamoku, Ambassador of Aloha, was born August 24, 1890, in Honolulu, Hawaii, the first of six sons and three daughters of Duke and Julia Kahanamoku. He grew up in carefree Waikiki with the ocean as his playground, doing what he loved, mostly swimming, surfing, canoeing, and bodysurfing.
At the age of 21, he won his first Olympic gold medal, then went on to represent the United States in the Olympics for 20 years, winning not only medals but the hearts of the people all over the world.”
The website says they are reopening with the true, “Aloha Spirit.” The information below came directly from Hawai‘i Law of the Aloha Spirit from Chapter 5 of Hawai‘i Revised Statutes.
§ 5-7.5 “Aloha Spirit”. (a) “Aloha Spirit” is the coordination of mind and heart within each person. It brings each person to the self. Each person must think and emote good feelings to others. In the contemplation and presence of the life force, “Aloha”, the following unuhi laulā loa may be used:
“Akahai”, meaning kindness to be expressed with tenderness;
“Lōkahi”, meaning unity, to be expressed with harmony;
“ʻOluʻolu” meaning agreeable, to be expressed with pleasantness;
“Haʻahaʻa”, meaning humility, to be expressed with modesty;
“Ahonui”, meaning patience, to be expressed with perseverance.
These are traits of character that express the charm, warmth and sincerity of Hawaii’s people. It was the working philosophy of native Hawaiians and was presented as a gift to the people of Hawaiʻi. ”Aloha” is more than a word of greeting or farewell or a salutation. ”Aloha” means mutual regard and affection and extends warmth in caring with no obligation in return. “Aloha” is the essence of relationships in which each person is important to every other person for collective existence. ”Aloha” means to hear what is not said, to see what cannot be seen and to know the unknowable.
