Little Hawaiian Restaurant in Downtown Loveland May Have Closed for Good

Running any restaurant in Colorado is challenging; between food/labor costs, attracting customers and putting in all the long hours, it can make or break you. Taking a chance on your own spot is inspiring, up until that dream has to be put on hold, for an unknown amount of time.

It was in the fall of 2023 that the family team behind a successful Hawaiian food truck in Berthoud, Da Big Kahuna, opened up their own brick-and-mortar location in Downtown Loveland along Lincoln Avenue near 5th Street. The spot had previously been a combination Irish/Mexican bar, Mex O'Malley's.

Da Big Kahuna Tiki Bar & Grill's location is a tough one, being in-between 5th and 6th Streets, it's kind of tucked away; though Sushirito across from Da Big Kahuna has managed to keep its doors open. Of course, neither spot has/had seen the incredible success of Doug's Day Diner, which is very nearby.

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I have a good friend whose father is from Hawaii, so I was eager to get in and check out Da Big Kahuna; I really liked the layout, the food and the overall "beach" vibe of the place. In the time that it had been open, I'd been in at least a few times, if only to get a drink. Now, it's hard to say if anybody will be going into Da Big Kahuna again.

The restaurant announced in late August of 2025 that they were closing the place down "temporarily" and had returned to focusing on their food truck operation. There is the chance that they open the doors to that Tiki Bar again, but in the ever-changing economy, these days, it seems like a longshot.