Grand opening: New 12th Avenue Grill

A larger, newly remodeled 12th Avenue Grill will open Tuesday in the former Victoria Inn space — across the street from the former location. To celebrate, owner Kevin Hanney and his wife, Denise Luke, held a grand opening party Friday evening, allowing invited guests a peek of the chic dining room and bar and spacious kitchen.

The new 12th Ave. is double the size of the old eatery, with a bar and lounge that offers craft beers, cocktails and wine. Although the menu remains the same, a new late-night menu will be offered after 10 p.m. The restaurant also, for the first time, will be open on Sundays.

It took Hanney and crew several months to complete the $1 million renovation, but the payoff is huge. The old Victoria Inn diner now has a New York-esque look and feel, with its dimly lit, open dining room with large windows and long wood bar.

So what happens to the old 12th Ave space? Later this fall, Hanney plans to turn that into a hip breakfast place called Luke’s that will specialize in dishes like homemade corned beef hash and utilize an abundance of local ingredients for its gourmet breakfast and brunch offerings.

Looks like Kaimuki soon will have two great new eating destinations.

12th Avenue Grill
1120 12th Ave.
808-732.9469