New Restaurants Open at HNL Airport

Big Island residents traveling though the Daniel K. Inouye Airport (HNL) on O‘ahu have more eateries to choose from while waiting for flights.

PC: Sammy’s Beach Bar & Grill website.

Sammy’s Beach Bar & Grill is now welcoming travelers with a lively beach and rock ’n’ roll atmosphere at HNL and HMSHost has expanded access to premium fresh food for Ewa Terminal travelers with a gourmet marketplace called “Makai Plantation.”

Global restaurateur HMSHost, with joint venture partner GRL Corporation, and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Sammy Hagar, opened Sammy’s Beach Bar & Grill to share Hagar’s love for great food, beach living and rock ’n’ roll with travelers using Hawaiʻi’s busiest airport.

HMSHost and the airport will celebrate the new opening by holding a traditional Hawaiian blessing ceremony on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2017.

Located in the airports’ Ewa Concourse Terminal next to Gate 28, this is the fourth Sammy’s Beach Bar & Grill that HMSHost has opened in a U.S. airport.

“What a blast it is to open a new restaurant with our great partner and rock ’n’ roll legend Sammy Hagar!” said HMSHost Vice President of Business Development Anthony Alessi. “Travelers love Sammy’s Beach Bar & Grill for its delicious food and fun atmosphere, and people flying in and out of Honolulu can now experience the unique vibe of dining at Sammy’s. HMSHost is proud to operate in Honolulu’s airport and we are very excited to have the opportunity to partner with the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation to continue bringing new and exciting dining options to travelers.”

The menu at the airport’s Sammy’s Beach Bar & Grill focuses on approachable, high-quality food to offer something for all travelers, from the vacationer to the businessperson and even locals jumping islands just to visit family.

The Tex-Mex and tasty traditional American cuisine for which Sammy’s Beach Bar & Grill is known is fused with Hawaiian influences to offer dishes like the Baja Style Beer-Battered Mahi Tacos, Kalua Pork Sliders, Beach Fish & Chips and Red Rockin Haleakala Wings.

The drink menu naturally features Sammy’s own Cabo Wabo Tequilia and Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum, which is used in the restaurant’s signature Mint Macadamia Mule.

“Hawaiʻi is one of my favorite places in the world and it’s where my Beach Bar Rum was born so HNL is the perfect fit for the newest Sammy’s Beach Bar & Grill location,” said Hagar. “Mai ‘ai and cheers to my fans and travelers who dine there and I look forward to starting the circle of giving back to the community of Honolulu like we’ve done in our other locations.”

The restaurant’s interior is a vibrant tribute to Hawai‘i’s beach-going aloha lifestyle, while also showing a significant appreciation for rock music. A beach party mood is set with the brightly painted walls, surfboard lighting, Hagar autographed guitars, handwritten song lyrics, and framed records of smash hits from the musical glory days of Hagar and Van Halen.

“There are a lot of positive improvements happening now at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport and the opening of the new Sammy’s Beach Bar & Grill and Makai Plantation are both exciting additions that will enhance the customer experience,” said Ross Higashi, Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation Airports Division deputy director. “HMSHost has delivered a fun atmosphere for passengers to enjoy a meal, grab a beverage and relax.”

Hagar will donate some of his proceeds from this restaurant through the Hagar Family Foundation to benefit local children’s charity HUGS (Help, Understanding & Group Support).

HMSHost’s Makai Plantation gets its name from the Hawaiian term for “toward the sea,” as it is located on the seaward side of the airport while also paying homage to Hawaiʻi’s history of pineapple and sugarcane cash crop farms that dominated its 19th and 20th century economy.

With sit down, bar and fast, casual dining options available, Makai Plantation offers a range of locally sourced and inspired dishes including Market Style Ahi Poke, Furikake Crusted Ahi Salad and Char Siu Chicken Bahn Mi. There is also fresh local specialty rolls, maki and nigiri/sashimi from a made-to-order sushi bar.