It is, unfortunately, rare today to find a restaurant that has been in business for 40 years and still thriving. I'm sure we all have had a favorite restaurant close their doors when a new, snazzier competitor opens up just down the street.
Set back from the road and easy to miss as you drive down Alii Drive in Kailua-Kona on Hawaii's Big Island, you'll find Huggo's restaurant and its casual sidekick eatery, Huggo's on the Rocks. It was 40 years ago this week that Hugo and Shirley von Platen Luder opened a "casual gathering spot where you could get a good steak, a slab of fresh fish and pile it on at the salad bar."
"Good Food and Good Fun"
From its first night has had one primary goal and it’s been their motto ever since, "good food and good fun." Today, 40 years later Huggo's is managed by the founders' son Eric who, over the past 27 years has added his own touch to one of Hawaii's most honored restaurants.A fourth-generation Chinese-Hawaiian, Eric has worked in every capacity at Huggo's starting as a bus boy when he was just eleven during summer school breaks.
Million Dollar Views
You can't really appreciate Huggo's location from their parking lot off of Alii Drive. In fact, Huggo's is actually located on a small street named Kahakai Road which sits between the parking lot and the entrance. Once you enter the restaurant, however, you realize that you're in a very special location.Huggo's literally sits right on the shoreline. If your table is by the open air oceanside, you can watch and hear the waves hitting the rocks. Sunsets at Huggo's are special indeed with one of the best views on the Kona Coast. Huggo's is so oceanfront that its casual sidekick eatery is aptly named Huggo's on the Rocks.
With today's zoning and setback laws, you won't find many restaurants perched right on the ocean's edge, but having acquired this spot in the late 1960's, Huggo's is not about to move anywhere.
Great location, great views and a long family tradition are parts of what makes a great restaurant, but it really comes down to the food and the service. Fortunately, Huggo's offers both excellent service and superb food with their ever-evolving menu.
Freshest Fish and Seafood Daily
The Big Island's Kona coast is the deep sea fishing capital of the world. After doing business for 40 years, Huggo's enjoys the benefits of a unique relationship with many local fishermen. This relationship gives Huggo's the opportunity to serve fish that is often caught just hours before it is served to their customers.
Executive Chef Scott Montejano
Executive Chef Scott Montejano prepares an inspiring Pacific Rim sampling of fish: Opakapaka, Monchong, Kampachi, Moi, Onaga, Swordfish (Shutome), Sea Bass (Hapuupuu) and Moon fish (Opa). Huggo's signature seafood dishes include Crab-crusted Ono, Mahimahi with pineapple beurre blanc and wasabi macadamia nut mashed potatoes and the ever popular, seared Ahi.Chef Montejano was raised on the Central Coast of California. A graduate of California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo, Montejano went on to attend and graduated from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco in 1994.
His career as chef began on one of the busiest nights of the year – Valentine's Day. Undaunted, Scott continued to work in San Francisco for several years. Chef Scott worked with the Kimpton Group based in San Francisco. He managed the Grand Café in the Hotel Monaco and also worked at the renowned Café Pescatore located at Fisherman's Wharf.
In 2004, while visiting his sister on the Island of Hawaii he extended his vacation. As fate would have it Huggo's had an opening position for Sous Chef allowing him to remain permanently. Today, Montejano has effortlessly assumed the position of Executive Chef at Huggo's.
Huggo's is known for its Hawaiian regional foods with a Pacific Rim flair. Where does Chef Scott find his inspiration for creating the daily and monthly specials? "The menu ideas come to me in my sleep. I go to bed and wake up with an idea from an herb or fish I've seen during the day and before you know it I have the entire entree."
Huggo's serves nearly 3,500 pounds of fresh fish each month, a little over 100 pounds a day, which equates to 42,000 pounds of fresh fish a year!
Award Winning Restaurant
Huggo's was the recipient of the 2006, 2005 and 2004 Hale Aina Award for Best Big Island Restaurant by Honolulu Magazine.
Chef's Recipe
We are pleased to offer Huggo's recipe for Maui Onion Crusted Ahi Steak with Mushroom Ragout.So, next time you're on Hawaii's Big Island and want to try something different from one of the restaurants at your resort, take a drive down to Kailua-Kona for sunset and dinner at Huggo's.
