Moani Island Bistro & Bar Will Debut at Ka Makana Ali‘i this June

The family-owned restaurant weaves aloha into everything from their heart-filled cooking, island music, inviting environment and new mural by local artist Kamea Hadar

KAPOLEI, HI (March 13, 2019) — Ka Makana Ali‘i is excited to welcome Moani Island Bistro & Bar to the Center for West Oahu. The newest family-owned restaurant is located near Center Court between Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton and Victoria’s Secret. It is set to open in June with a newly constructed stage, shareable entrée items, full-service bar, local musicians, happy hour specials and a new mural by Kamea Hadar.

For owners Micah G & Caleb Keolanui, Moani has been a dream that is finally coming to fruition. Inspired by their backyard family parties, the brothers plan to fill the eatery with local comfort food, live music and an inviting family feel. Growing up in a large, close-knit and musically driven family, the Keolanuis got their start in the local music industry in 2002 when they started The Next Generation with their cousin JP Kennedy and help from Uncle Danny Kennedy of The Mana‘o Company. Since then Micah G pursued a solo career while Caleb and JP formed The Green. Music is a huge part of the Keolanui family and they plan to fill Moani Island Bistro & Bar with live music every day by friends and through their relationships with local musicians.

“With our dad’s entrepreneurial experience, we’ve been hoping to open something like this for years,” Micah G said. “It’s our first full-service restaurant venture that developed with a great team of servers and partners.”

For the mural outside of the restaurtant, the Keolanuis called on Pow! Wow! founder and childhood friend Kamea Hadar. Before the family could finish explaining the concept, Hadar was in. All of the Keolanui family, including the keiki, came out with rollers and paint brushes in hand to help paint the blue gradient background.

“I’m always grateful to be given opportunities to create public art, especially in my hometown of Hawaii by organizations that support Hawaii,” Hadar said. “I wouldn't be where I am today

without the support of friends and families like the Keolanuis and organizations like Ka Makana Ali'i who provide me canvases to express myself!”

The mural is a portrait of Hadar’s wife Shanna, who he has used as a model for the past decade on the album covers for The Green. The name “Moani” means gentle breeze in Hawaiian, which can be taken literally or figuratively like the feeling of a good song or a memory of a loved one. The wall is located in a space where wind blows straight through the Center. She leans to the right looking up to the sky with the her hair blowing in the breeze.

“I’m excited for Moani Island Bistro & Bar because I know that it will be an authentic experience,” Hadar said. “I am also a big fan of good food, drinks and live music — and with that winning combination I am sure Moani will be an amazing place!”

The menu is filled with dishes that pay homage to their family. For example, Micah’s favorite oxtail luau stew is based on a recipe adapted from their Grandma. Another menu highlight for Caleb is Uncle Tom’s smoked meat. With 20 years of restaurant experience, Chef Michael Leslie was able to take the Keolanui’s famous family recipes and adapt it to fit into a restaurant with his own unique spin.

With heart-filled cooking, island music and aloha infused into everything, the Keolanuis care deeply about the community and hope customers leave feeling like family. Moani Island Bistro & Bar will be open on weekdays until midnight and on weekends until 2 a.m.

Visit our website at www.kamakanaalii.com for more details about upcoming promotions and exciting center events. For the latest news and updates, follow Ka Makana Ali‘i on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, all with profile name @kamakanaalii.

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About Ka Makana Ali‘i
Ka Makana Ali‘i offers residents and visitors a family-friendly, mixed-use center in the heart of Hawai‘i’s fastest growing community. The 750,000-square-foot Macy’s-anchored center features more than 100 exciting stores, restaurants, a state-of-the-art Consolidated Theatres and the state’s first Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton located on property. The newest development, The Grove at Ka Makana Ali‘i, creates an additional 109,000 square feet of space with lifestyle retailers, eateries and services, such as 24 Hour Fitness, Foodland Farms, Straub Clinic and Urgent Care, and PetSmart. Serving as the premier gathering place in Kapolei, Ka Makana Ali‘i fulfills the shopping and dining needs of the ever-expanding community. Its convenient location offers excellent highway access, ample parking and public transportation for shoppers. A partnership between DeBartolo Development and the State Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, Ka Makana Ali‘i will financially support programs benefiting Native Hawaiian interests statewide for decades to come. For more information, please visit www.kamakanaalii.com.

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