Food · Today in Vegas · November 7, 2026
Aloha Specialties Outlasted 41 Years of Downtown Change. It Closes at The Cal on Nov. 22, and Nobody Has Said Why.
Aloha Specialties Restaurant at the California Hotel and Casino will serve its last plate on November 22, according to Vital Vegas. The closure was announced in a statement on social media signed by the restaurant and the Yamagata ohana, and Vital Vegas reported that the statement did not give a reason.
The business started in 1980 as a beef jerky company founded by Herb Yamagata, and the restaurant followed in 1985, Vital Vegas reported. It was led by the late Larry Yamagata, a former Sheraton executive chef in Hawaii who also opened Ross J's Aloha Grill in Henderson in 2001. The restaurant got a major renovation in 2016 as part of a wider overhaul of The Cal, which is owned by Boyd Gaming. The menu ran to saimin, Spam musubi, loco moco, teriyaki plates, kalua pork, curry and rice bowls.
Earlier this year the restaurant was temporarily closed after a Southern Nevada Health District inspection that resulted in 31 demerits, Vital Vegas reported; it passed a later inspection and reopened about a week later. No replacement for the space has been announced.