Aloha ‘Oe, Hiro’s ‘Ohana Grill

By Léo Azambuja

For the last eight years, Hiro’s ‘Ohana Grill was a picture-perfect venue for locals and visitors to relax to live music, have a pau hana drink with friends, enjoy a family dinner, take someone on a date, host special events or simply just have some good food. 

“I’m feeling emotional in a sense, because the support of our people has been astounding,” Cameron Hiro said on the last day the restaurant opened its doors. He co-owned the beachfront bar and restaurant along with his brother, Raymond Hiro, and their friend John Pele. 

On July 17, a special dinner buffet and poolside entertainment marked the final day Hiro’s ‘Ohana Grill served its customers. It was also a way to thank the community for supporting the business throughout the years.

“We just wanted to celebrate our closing and have one last night. This is the actual day of opening. This is eight years to the day,” Pele said. “So, we thought it would be appropriate to do a grand closing party and recognize our community and thank them for everything they’ve done.” 

The full house made the night seem more like a celebration rather than a farewell bid. Locals and visitors dressed up for the evening. 

Different musicians on the poolside stage included Lono, Eddie Tanaka, Benny Deluna, Moke Kamealoha, Keaka Kaiama, Vince Saures, Paa Pono, Justin Mamuad and Keven Perry. Co-owner Raymond Hiro, an accomplished musician, also took the stage. 

The buffet line kept moving quickly. The extensive offering of ono pupus kept people coming back over and over to grab more food. There was shoyu ahi, spicy ahi and tako poke, shrimp tempura, egg rolls and calamari strips. 

Down the line, an employee carved roast beef for the sliders. But people also had a choice of mahi mahi sliders. Kalua pork nachos were available, as well as a variety of vegetables with ranch dressing dip.

The joyful atmosphere only denounced how much locals will miss Hiro’s.

“I’m just thankful and blessed that God has allowed us to be here and share our spirit with the community,” Raymond Hiro said. “Hopefully this place can be designed for the next upcoming family, and they can bless the community themselves.”

Cameron Hiro said there might be a potential buyer for Hotel Molokai — and the sale comes with the restaurant — but as far as he knows, nothing has been signed yet.

He said he expects the new owners “would really rub shoulders with the local people” to find out what they really want for Molokai and make it accessible for them. You can have tourism and visitors, but the base of the restaurant, he said, is being able to support and cater to locals. 

“We tried to cater to the local people — the music, the food and the celebrations they had,” Cameron Hiro said. “We would shut down the restaurant for specific events if we had to.”

As the restaurant’s general manager, Cameron Hiro said business was tough during the COVID pandemic; the restaurant was on the brink of shutting down, but government help was crucial to stay afloat. Over the years, he said, between challenges in retaining employees and managing expenses, local ownership and community support were key to continue operating.

Pele also wasn’t shy of words to express his gratitude for local support.

“We are so thankful for the community,” Pele said, adding local residents kept the restaurant going through difficult times. “Our Molokai community has always kept us strong.” 

Also grateful to local support and saddened by the restaurant’s closure, Raymond Hiro said he hopes the next owner will continue to serve the community.

One of the best things about owning the restaurant, Cameron Hiro said, was providing employment to residents, because there aren’t many job options on Molokai. He was also thankful for being able to offer a place for locals to enjoy fresh seafood and celebrate special occasions. 

“There are a lot of things that we are thankful for, that we are definitely going to miss,” Cameron Hiro said.