From our friends at The Hula Girl Bar & Grill...
Mikala Brennan, the owner and operator of the popular Hula Girl food truck is pleased to announce the anticipated September opening of her first brick and mortar space in the Washington area, located in The Village at Shirlington, 4044 Campbell Avenue, Arlington. Guests can enjoy their favorite Hula Girl truck dishes in the 3,600 square foot space created by the local design firm Hapstak Demetriou. The space will have a retro vibe with seating for 100 guests, as well as an outdoor patio with seating for 25. Brennan’s goal is to create a warm and whimsical space, welcoming to everyone, including the family dog, which can join their people on the patio.
The restaurant will offer Hula Girl food truck's classic Hawaiian fare such as teriyaki, plate lunches and Spam Musubi, as well as traditional chef-driven dishes like LauLau, butterfish and pork belly wrapped in taro and tea leaves. Fans of the Hula Girl food truck will now have the option to enjoy Brennan's take on Hawaiian cocktails, as well as mix of local and Hawaiian beers. To perfect her menu, she is planning to spend time in Hawaii this summer continuing research efforts to develop new concepts and dishes for the restaurant.
Born & raised in Hawaii, Brennan wanted to bring the Aloha spirit of her youth to DC. Decked out like a 1960’s Woody, her Hula Girl truck launched in 2011 serving up authentic and grilled to order teriyaki steak, chicken and tofu and authentic tastes of Hawaii to eager Washingtonians. Featured on the Travel Channel twice - on Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre Foods American (one of Andrew’s top 5 picks) and Street Eats - the Hula Girl Truck has gained enormous momentum in DC. Hitting up the local scene through social media, Brennan has also been published in the Washington, DC - Chef’s Table cookbook and more recently in Behind the Food Carts. She was also on the Food Network competing on ReWrapped in 2014 - where she beat two contestants for the win.
Brennan is no stranger to the restaurant scene. She opened her first restaurant in 1998 in San Diego, CA, becoming one of the market leaders in a small group of women chefs & restaurateurs in the area. She sold the venture to a business partner in Canada and was tapped by Marriott International to lead their new food and beverage department, bringing her hands-on, from scratch cooking approach into this hotel giant’s corporate structure. Then in 2001, she struck out again on her own to create Evolve Consultants. Under this company, Brennan created, designed and opened over 40 concepts both domestically and internationally.
A member of Women Chefs & Restaurateurs, Brennan is a tireless supporter of Habitat for Humanity, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Ovarian Cancer, My Sister’s Place, the American Heart Association and The American Stroke Association, Wounded Warriors, and Red Cross.
Hula Girl Bar & Grill is located at The Village at Shirlington, at 4044 Campbell Avenue, Arlington, VA, 22206 and will open for both lunch and dinner. For more information please visit http://hulagirlbarandgrill.com follow Hula Girl Bar and Grill on Twitter at @HulaGirlBG; on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/hulagirlbarandgrill and Instagram at Hula Girl Bar and Grill.
