If Dana Mulé (MULE-ay) had his way, he’d be a 30-year-old in the 1950s and ’60s – the era of suave, swank cocktail bars, favorite hangouts of the Rat Pack and TV’s Ad Men – swapping stories and sipping cocktails, then heading home to a mid-century modern home.
Polynesian themes were popular in the day – think vintage Trader Vic’s in San Francisco – and that’s the vibe Mulé hopes guests at his Hula’s Modern Tiki restaurants feel when they sit down for a tropical cocktail with friends.
“We have a lot of Polynesian influence, but we’re really more of a fusion tiki bar with a mid-century aesthetic,” Mulé said. “We’re trying to take people back to those cool bars and restaurants. That’s my era. I was born several years too late.”
Hula’s, originally on Central Avenue before moving to 7th Street north of Camelback in 2018, is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year. Today, there are three Hula’s in the Valley: on 7th Street, in Scottsdale’s Old Town, and on High Street north of the 101.
Mulé said he chose the 7th Street location “because it was seeing a sort of mid-century revival, with all the Haver homes. It was becoming really cool to re-do everything and make it look like it did in the ’60s. It was the perfect spot for us to play into that and be part of that revival.” (Architect Ralph Haver designed quintessentially mid-century modern single-story tract homes, many of which survive in North and Uptown Phoenix.)
The result is a large, airy main bar area, a cozy Tiki Room (think grass-cloth, lots of palm fronds and Polynesian masks and a virtual aquarium), and wrap-around patio.
Mulé came to the restaurant business after a career in entertainment security, for several years running the largest event company in the state.
“If you went to a concert and got kicked out by the guys in the Event Staff polos, there was about a 75 percent chance the guys kicking you out were my guys,” he said.
“My entry into the culinary business was a complete fluke. I had never served in a restaurant, never been in the hospitality industry at all.”
His security work kept him on the road 310 days a year, Mulé said. The career change came when he decided to get married.
“I was in Monterey, California, and realized that lifestyle wasn’t conducive to a marriage,” he said. “I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Every time I was in Monterey, we spent a lot of time in a restaurant called Hula’s Island Grill and Tiki Room. We loved it. One night in a semi-drunken state, I asked the owners if they’d like to be my business partners and open one in Phoenix. They’re still my business partners today.”
His lack of culinary background wasn’t an impediment, Mulé said.
“I wasn’t one of those guys who made good spaghetti sauce with my wife and said, ‘Let’s open an Italian restaurant.’ I had partners who had knowledge and could backstop me.
“I didn’t need a Gordon Ramsay to come in and create the dishes. I just needed someone who could execute the dishes – a really good lead kitchen guy and surround him with the best line cooks we could find.”
While he was building the restaurant, Mulé got a job as a server. “It was important to me to have that basic knowledge,” he said.
As Mulé talks about his background, a server arrives with drinks, condensation frosting the glasses: a pastel orangey-pink Tropical Itch (three kinds of rum, Jim Beam, triple sec, and passion fruit, cranberry, orange and pineapple juices), and Blue Hawaiian (coconut rum, vodka, sweet and sour, blue curacao, coconut and pineapple) arrive at the table.
Ahi tacos with black beans and rice takes center stage here, along with the Spicy Thai chicken bowl, right, and Loco Moco, left, along with a trio of menu favorite cocktails at Hula’s Modern Tiki (photo by Darryl Webb for North Central News). 
Ahi tacos with black beans and rice (photo by Darryl Webb for North Central News). 
The Polynesian influence at Hula’s Modern Tiki extends to its creative craft cocktail menu, which includes (left to right) the Old Cuban, Mermaid Water and Coco Paradiso (photo by Darryl Webb for North Central News). 
Traditional island-style poke (photo by Darryl Webb for North Central News). 
Spicy Thai chicken bowl (photo by Darryl Webb for North Central News). 
Loco Moco – white rice topped with a hamburger patty and brown gravy and then a sunny-side-up fried egg (photo by Darryl Webb for North Central News). 
Pictured l-r: Tropical Itch, Blue Hawaiian and Blood Orange Martini (photo by Darryl Webb for North Central News).
The cocktails have equal standing with the food at Hula’s – on purpose, Mulé said.
“We’re very proud of our cocktails. If you can enjoy a good tropical cocktail, you can close your eyes and pretend you’re on a tropical beach somewhere. It’s a minute of respite, and I think people need that.”
The restaurant has a large appetizer selection, on purpose. Think Hawaiian ceviche; crispy coconut rolls; poke; sliders with luau pork, spicy Thai fish cake or hamburger; pork-stuffed potstickers and more.
“You can come to Hula’s and just drink cocktails and do small plates, Mulé said. “It’s nice to come in, have a tropical cocktail or two, have some appetizers, talk to people at the bar.”
For those with larger appetites, menu favorites include Loco Moco – white rice topped with a hamburger patty and brown gravy and then a sunny-side-up fried egg (Spam is optional). “It’s so popular in the Islands,” Mulé said. Other favorites include island-style ahi poke, crispy coconut shrimp rolls with pineapple dipping sauce, and the most popular item: a spicy Thai chicken bowl.
Not all the dishes are tropical. “We take tremendous pride in our hamburger,” Mulé said. “To me a good hamburger and a good side of fries, if you do that well, is more important than the exotic dishes.”
Hula’s doesn’t have Wi-Fi for guests, an annoyance for some but a necessity for Mulé, who believes that community and conversation are integral his restaurants’ ambience.
“Take a break and try interacting. Today, a restaurant is more about community than anything else. It’s about the aloha spirit. It sounds cheesy, but it’s about spreading kindness, man. All you have to do is dig a little bit and it’s there. People just need to have it drawn out of them, and one of the best places to do that is over a table, and over a cocktail.”
Hula’s Modern Tiki, at 5114 N. 7th St., is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday and Tuesday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday; 11 a.m. to midnight, Friday; 10:30 a.m. to midnight, Saturday; and 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday. For more information, call 602-265-8454, or visit www.hulasmoderntiki.com.
