Jimmy Buffett's at the Beachcomber

Now open: Jimmy Buffett's at the Beachcomber

By Dave Dondoneau, TGIF Editor

Jimmy Buffett is mixing business with pleasure on his latest trip to Honolulu. While he's playing concerts on Maui and O'ahu, he's also here to help promote his newest restaurant.

Jimmy Buffett's at the Beachcomber opened earlier this month, and last night Buffett surprised patrons with an impromptu concert to christen the joint.

And it is some joint.

Located in the Ohana Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel (2300 Kalakaua Ave.), it's an over-the-top Parrothead paradise. It cost $15 million to build, is 22,000-square-feet big and can seat 400 patrons.

But you ain't seen nothin' yet.

The restaurant takes up the spot where the late Don Ho used to play at the Blue Hawaii showroom and also where the former Hibiscus Cafe restaurant sat. It's an area large enough for Buffett's surf museum and its walls are molded to look like lava rock. When you enter, you'll see fake lava oozing from the ceiling, tables laminated with island scenes and booths with different themes, like waves breaking overhead.

Live music and bars are inside the restaurant.

Margaritas will be served. Spongecake, we're not sure about yet.

Jimmy Buffett Opens the Beachcomber in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Buffett Opens Waikiki Restaurant with Concert

By Dave Dondoneau, TGIF Editor

Jimmy Buffett christened his new Jimmy Buffett's at the Beachcomber restaurant in Waikiki in style last night, putting on a nonstop two-hour concert for invited guests and VIPs.

"I refuse to participate in this recession," Buffett told a cheering crowd, many of whom wore balloon animals in the shape of shark fins and parrotheads.

Dressed in his trademark yellow T-shirt, red board shorts and standing in bare feet, Buffett brought out old standards like "Come Monday," "Cheeseburger in Paradise" and "Margaritaville," played "Dukes on Sunday" with local favorite Henry Kapono and jammed all night alongside ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro and most of his Coral Reefer band. He also premiered some new songs, basically putting on a full concert preview for fans who also came to town for Buffett's concert tomorrow night at the Waikiki Shell. Lawn seat tickets still remain available.

Buffett talked to the fans throughout the show on several topics, including the fact that the Beachcomber is his first business venture in Hawaii. Though he's known for his Margaritaville restaurants, the Beachcomber at the Ohana Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel at 2300 Kalakaua Ave. is one of a kind. It cost $15 million to renovate the area where legendary Waikiki performer Don Ho called home for decades. It is now a 22,000-square foot spectacle complete with Buffett's own surf museum next to the second-floor entrance.

The hotel itself is across the street from the beach and has no ocean view, but Buffett played on a stage with two large video screens and palm trees as his backdrop. Ocean scenes from across Hawaii played on the big screens throughout his performance and will continue for patrons during restaurant hours. The restaurant walls look like lava rocks, and each table top has hand-picked photo scenes from the Islands. The glass bar tops have flowing waters cascading through them, and booths have either a wave breaking overhead or are surrounded by lava rocks. As he played, restaurant servers passed out free food and beverages, ranging from mini cheeseburgers and margaritas to beer, tacos, shrimp and other pupus.

"The restaurant is now open!" Buffett said before he walked off stage a final time.