There’s some good news for hungry travellers driving along Highway 17 north of the Sault.
The restaurant portion of the Lani Kai Restaurant and Hotel reopened on June 26.
“We closed the restaurant in 2023 but gave it a facelift this spring,” said Bob McLean, the owner, in a phone interview with SooToday.
The restaurant, located 70 kilometres north of the Sault, is known for its fresh, locally sourced food and homemade dishes.
“We have locally caught whitefish and lake trout from Agawa Fishery. We get our pasta, sauce and meatballs from Giovanni’s.
"We make our own hamburger buns, dinner rolls and soups. We cut our own potatoes for french fries because we don’t like frozen stuff. We have chicken wings and pizza as well,” McLean said.
And that’s just a sampling of the menu.
McLean purchased the restaurant and hotel 14 years ago.
“I called it the Lani Kai because I used to stay at the Lani Kai Island Resort at Fort Myers Beach in Florida. I used to have so much fun there,” McLean said.
Lani Kai is an Hawaiian phrase meaning ‘heavenly sea.’
The Lani Kai restaurant is currently open Thursday, Friday and Saturday but will change its hours from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday beginning Wednesday, July 16 and continuing to the end of September.
Located at 11382 on Highway 17 in Batchawana Bay, the restaurant and hotel has its regulars, McLean said.
“People like it because it’s independently owned while a lot of other places have gone corporate with no atmosphere. We have a beautiful deck and dining room. We have music playing on the speakers and the TVs are playing videos. It’s a lively place.”
McLean is a Sault-based entrepreneur who owns several businesses but enjoys the restaurant industry and the Lani Kai location.
“I like serving. I used to be a flight attendant when I was younger. I like socializing. We have a fire going out in front of the hotel.
"People come out after dinner and sit by the fire. It's just like a camp for everybody,” McLean said.
