Expanding the Spirit of Aloha: A Conversation with Chef Luis Pous of El Ta’Koy

El Ta’Koy, the brainchild of acclaimed chef Luis Pous, brings the vibrant flavors of Hawaii infused with Latin and Asian influences to audiences around the world. From its roots as a humble pop-up to permanent locations in London, New York City, Riyadh and Vale do Lobo in Portugal, the brand has become a symbol of cultural fusion and global adaptability. In this Q&A, Chef Luis shares his journey, the evolution of El Ta’Koy, and the role of collaboration in building a truly international brand.

1. What inspired you to create El Ta’Koy, and how did the concept come to life?

My inspiration for El Ta’Koy started when I was tasked with opening a restaurant on the small island of Kauai in Hawaii. Living there for three years, I immersed myself in the local culture – from traditional luaus on the beach to farmers’ markets and food truck events.

I discovered that Hawaiian food is a melting pot. The islands have influences from Polynesia, of course, but also from Mexican ranchers, Filipino plantation workers, Europeans, and more. For example, Hawaiian kalua pork (roasted in banana leaves) and the Mexican al pastor (spit-roasted pork with pineapple) both fascinated me, and I saw an opportunity to weave these threads together.

I began to curate a menu that blended these influences – Hawaiian street food with a Latin twist. That’s how El Ta’Koy got its name (a playful nod to “taco”) and spirit.

During my time in Hawaii, I even established a five-acre farm to grow fresh pineapples, chili peppers, jicama, and more for the restaurant.

This farm-to-table approach meant we had incredibly fresh ingredients and underscored the importance of authenticity. When I later developed the El Ta’Koy concept, I carried forward that dedication to freshness and quality. We also reinvented the typical tiki bar vibe: instead of a flip-flop casual shack, I envisioned a cool tiki bar where you could be in a suit enjoying a craft Mai Tai. The first El Ta’Koy pop-up came to life with that ethos of warmth, vibrancy and storytelling, setting the stage for the brand’s journey ahead.

Read the full El Ta’Koy Case Study here

2. How does El Ta’Koy celebrate and communicate Hawaiian culture?

We celebrate Hawaiian culture by embracing its “spirit of aloha” in everything we do – from the food to the décor to the hospitality. Rather than replicate traditions verbatim, I honour them by blending my global experiences with Hawaii’s heritage.

For instance, I learned the traditional way of making poke (just fresh ʻahi tuna, Hawaiian sea salt, local soy sauce, seaweed and Maui onions), and I respect that simplicity. But I also create variations influenced by other cuisines, because Hawaii itself is a crossroads of cultures.

I might take lomi-lomi salmon (a cured salmon salad introduced by early Western sailors) and reimagine it as a topping for a taco or a component of a vibrant salad. In this way, El Ta’Koy’s menu both preserves authenticity and adds a new twist, showing that cultures can converse on a plate rather than remain static.

Equally important is the atmosphere and design in communicating Hawaiian culture. Stepping into El Ta’Koy is meant to feel like entering a tropical oasis away from the city bustle.

In our London location, for example, you head down into a vibrant green cellar filled with hanging foliage, bamboo and rattan furnishings, and a lively tiki bar. Guests feel as if they’ve been transported from rainy Covent Garden to a beach in Polynesia.

We incorporate playful tiki-inspired décor and cocktails (plenty of rum and fresh tropical juices, or creative mocktails in our dry markets) to immerse guests in island vibes. The pineapple, a symbol of hospitality and Hawaii’s iconic fruit, is a recurring motif – you’ll find it in our logo and even in some of our dish presentations.

Above all, we communicate aloha through the warm welcome and convivial spirit our staff radiate. El Ta’Koy has been praised as “embodying the true spirit of Aloha with its warm welcome, tropical ambience, great service, and delicious, vibrant food” – and that is exactly the feeling we strive to achieve every day.

3. You’ve opened locations in London, New York and Riyadh. El Ta’Koy has shown incredible versatility, flexing between formats — from an elevated modern luxury hotel F&B destination to a modern food hall counter. How do you adapt the brand for different markets and formats while ensuring a consistent guest experience globally?

Adaptability has been central to El Ta’Koy’s journey. We operate in two core formats: a full-service restaurant with a tiki bar, like in London and New York, and a more casual food hall version, like in Riyadh.

Guests should always recognise the brand’s DNA: bold fusion flavours, warm island hospitality and playful presentation whether they are grabbing a quick bite in Saudi Arabia or sipping cocktails in Soho.

The Hawaiian fusion flavours, the laid-back aloha spirit and the sense of fun remain constant while the way we express them changes from market to market. In London and New York, we create refined dining and cocktail experiences, while in Riyadh, within a social dining hall, the pace is faster, the presentation more casual and the drinks list features inventive non-alcoholic tiki mocktails to match cultural norms without compromising on creativity.

We also adapt our menu to local expectations while staying true to the brand’s identity. Pork, which features in some Hawaiian dishes, is replaced with a slow-cooked spice-marinated lamb prepared in the style of lechón in the Middle East to bring familiar flavours in a halal-friendly way. In New York the rooftop setting at The Dominick lends itself to lighter dishes, so we introduced seasonal farm-fresh salads alongside our signature street-food plates. In Miami, where Cuban heritage runs deep, we served croquetas filled with Hawaiian-style roasted meats as a nod to local tastes.

Across all markets our signatures like spicy ahi tuna taquitos and sweet-savoury huli huli chicken remain anchors of the menu but we fine-tune spice levels, sides and even the way dishes are served. A Riyadh food hall customer might receive their meal in bold grab-and-go packaging while a London diner enjoys the same dish plated on hand-crafted ceramics.

Through these kinds of thoughtful adjustments in menu, service style, presentation and format, El Ta’Koy resonates with each audience while delivering a consistent global experience.

4. How has your partnership with TGP International helped El Ta’Koy scale and stay true to its identity?

Frankly, expanding El Ta’Koy internationally would have been impossible without the partnership of TGP. As a chef, you can pour your energy into one kitchen, but scaling a concept across cities and countries is a whole different challenge.

TGP brought the expertise in branding, concept development, interior design, F&B master planning, and pre-opening support that allowed my vision to take flight globally. They have been with me every step, from refining the logo and visual identity (they helped shape our iconic pineapple emblem and ensured our brand guidelines were solid), to designing the restaurants and even navigating local business landscapes.

I had first met the TGP team years ago, and when the opportunity came to open at The Dominick in New York, I knew I needed their support to present El Ta’Koy as a fully realized brand. TGP helped create a polished presentation – they put together professional pitch decks, secured contracts, and essentially gave structure to my concept.

Their design team, led by Creative Director Gabriel Murray, understood that El Ta’Koy wasn’t just about food; it’s an experience. They ensured that experience translated seamlessly in London, New York, Riyadh and beyond, without diluting what made it special.

TGP’s global network and local insights have been invaluable. For example, when entering the Middle East, they knew the market, the right locations, and how to adjust operationally to fit the culture. They also excel in storytelling – helping to weave my personal journey and Hawaii’s lore into the brand narrative that gets communicated to guests and potential franchise partners.

In essence, TGP allowed El Ta’Koy to scale up without losing its soul. We’ve remained true to that original aloha spirit even as we’ve grown, and that’s largely thanks to TGP’s guidance in staying authentic while appealing to international audiences.

5. How does the design of each El Ta’Koy location reflect its identity and enhance the guest experience?

The design of each El Ta’Koy is crucial to transporting guests to our little slice of paradise. We like to say each location offers a “polished yet playful tropical escape” – and that’s by design.

Take our London venue as an example. It’s set in the cellar of a historic townhouse in Covent Garden, so we transformed that basement into a hidden tiki refuge. There are palm fronds and vintage travel prints on the walls, bamboo accents, and big rattan pendant lights hanging from the ceiling like you’d find in a Hawaiian beach bar. Yet the seating is plush leather banquettes, and the finishes are quite refined – it’s an upscale spin on the tiki lounge.

The result is an intimate, escapist atmosphere; one reviewer said it’s like being whisked from cold, damp London to beautiful Polynesia. That vibe of an island getaway is intentional and core to the El Ta’Koy identity.

In New York, our location is on the 7th-floor terrace of The Dominick Hotel. The design there takes advantage of the open-air setting – it’s more of a rooftop cabana style. Guests sit under string lights and umbrellas with a view of the Soho skyline, sipping cocktails from tiki mugs.

We brought in tropical foliage and pops of Hawaiian print on the cushions yet kept it sophisticated to match the luxury hotel environment.

The New York Times noted our “Asian-inspired Hawaiian cuisine in a vibrant open-air setting,” which even earned us a feature in the Michelin Guide’s list of top rooftop spots in NYC. That tells me the design successfully created a destination vibe in tune with the city.

Now, Riyadh was a different context – inside a high-end mall’s social dining hall. There, we had a smaller footprint and a kiosk-style counter. The challenge was to still stand out and convey the brand’s character.

TGP helped by incorporating bold Hawaiian visual elements into the kiosk design: our section of the food hall pops with a colourful tropical mural and the flamingo-pink and pineapple-gold colour scheme of El Ta’Koy’s branding.

Staff uniforms feature Hawaiian floral patterns, and even the digital menu boards play little animations of hula dancers and tiki graphics. We couldn’t recreate a full island decor in the open hall, but these touches, along with the aroma of our grilled meats and spices, attract people over. Even in a quick-service format, the essence of aloha comes through.

Crucially, TGP ensured that the guest experience remains cohesive. In each location, there is a narrative thread: you’re not just grabbing food, you’re on island time. The music is upbeat Hawaiian-reggae and surf rock.

The plating of dishes is fun – in London, poke is served in bento-style trays for sharing; in Riyadh, they package it in convenient bowls but still garnish with tropical flair.

Small details like pineapple-shaped glassware or using banana leaves as placemats all add up. Guests can watch dishes come to life at our sushi and ceviche bar or enjoy our signature tacos and fried rice in vibrant, shareable presentations.

By tailoring these presentation and design details to each venue, we enhance the experience while keeping it undeniably El Ta’Koy. Guests have told us that no matter which city they’re in, they immediately recognize the vibe – a balance of warm, welcoming island hospitality and a trendy, urban edge. That’s the power of thoughtful design in reinforcing our brand identity.

6. How do you approach menu development and ingredient sourcing for international venues?

My approach to menu development is to hold onto the Hawaiian heart of the menu while embracing local opportunities. We have a core menu – think of it as the greatest hits of Hawaiian-inspired street food: a variety of fried rice, tacos and poke bowls alongside our sushi and ceviche bar, crunchy tuna taquitos, our famous Huli Huli chicken, island-style tacos and savoury lumpia spring rolls. Those items form the backbone, and they travel with us everywhere, because they represent what El Ta’Koy is all about.

For example, the Huli Huli Chicken, a staple dish in Hawaii, is one of our signature offerings – it’s chicken marinated in a sweet-soy pineapple glaze, grilled to caramelized perfection, and we serve it with coconut rice and a side of Hawaiian macaroni salad. A plate of Huli Huli chicken instantly gives guests a taste of authentic aloha, so we make sure it’s on the menu whether you’re in London or Riyadh.

When we enter a new region, we research what ingredients are abundant or valued there and see if we can incorporate them without losing the Hawaiian essence. Sourcing is a big part of it – freshness is non-negotiable.

During my time in Kauai, since we had that farm, I got used to insanely fresh produce. Now, in our global locations, we partner with quality suppliers to get the best fish, meats and tropical produce. We’re actually pleasantly surprised by how globally accessible many ingredients are nowadays – even in the Middle East, we can find most of the Asian and Latin spices we need, and items like sushi-grade tuna or coconut milk are imported routinely.

In some cases, we’ll adapt: if a certain fish isn’t locally available, we’ll feature a similar local fish in our ceviche or sushi roll. In Portugal, where we did a summer pop-up, the local catch of the day often made its way into our poke bowls, which the Portuguese diners loved.

Our philosophy is to celebrate regional produce while maintaining the Pacific Island flavour profile. In New York, that meant incorporating some seasonal farmers’ market veggies, like an heirloom tomato salad with a yuzu dressing – a little NYC meets Honolulu. In the Middle East, dates and local spices have inspired a special dessert taco we tried out.

These additions keep the menu feeling relevant to the locale. But we’re careful that the core taste is consistent – our teriyaki glazes, our furikake spice mix, our wasabi mayo – those we standardise and train each kitchen to execute exactly, so that an El Ta’Koy taco will satisfy you in the same way no matter where you order it.

Logistics-wise, we’ve learned to be flexible. If a specialty Hawaiian item can’t be sourced, we either find a high-quality substitute or we innovate around it. For instance, fresh hearts of palm from Hawaii are fantastic – we managed to get them for a seasonal salad in New York, but in other places we might use young coconut shoots or artichoke hearts to mimic that crunch.

Our goal is always to deliver an authentic taste of Hawaii’s diverse cuisine using the best ingredients we can get locally or internationally. By doing so, we ensure consistency in quality and also ingratiate ourselves with local producers and tastes. It’s a balancing act, but one that keeps our menus both authentic and unique in each market.

7. What’s next for El Ta’Koy? 

We’re very excited about the future. Next on the horizon is expansion – but done thoughtfully. We have a few new locations in the pipeline. For one, we are opening a full-fledged El Ta’Koy at the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia, within a new Hyatt resort, which will be a spectacular beachside iteration of the concept. That’s going to be our first resort location since the original inspiration in Hawaii, so it feels like coming full circle – imagine tiki cocktails under the stars by the Red Sea.

We’re also looking at growing our presence in the Middle East via the food hall format, since our Riyadh outlet proved that model can be incredibly successful. When Al Mamlaka Social Dining in Riyadh launched, people were initially unfamiliar with Hawaiian street food, but within a few months El Ta’Koy became one of the most popular vendors there.

The entire food hall saw a significant jump in foot traffic after introducing new global concepts, including ours. That told us we’re on the right track. We’re considering new food hall locations in places like Qatar and the UAE, where a fast-casual version of El Ta’Koy could thrive in malls or mixed-use developments.

Beyond physical locations, franchising is a major component of our growth plan. We’ve partnered with TGP to create a franchise program – we have a full franchise pack with brand guidelines, training programs and recipe manuals ready to go.

The idea is to find the right partners in different regions who love the El Ta’Koy concept and can help us introduce it to new cities, under our guidance to keep it consistent. There’s been interest from Asia and Europe, and we’re exploring those opportunities carefully. We want to preserve the quality and vibe as we grow, so it’s about choosing partners who share our passion for the brand story.

Finally, we’re always evolving the concept itself. The chef side of me has a million ideas – maybe a food truck version for festivals or bottling our signature sauces and spices for retail. We’re open to these avenues down the line. But at its core, what’s next is taking El Ta’Koy to more people while keeping that aloha spirit shining.

Whether it’s through new restaurants, food hall stalls, or experiential events, the goal remains the same: share this unique blend of Hawaiian hospitality and fusion cuisine with the world. The journey from a single pop-up to a global brand has been incredible, and it feels like we’re just getting started.

8. What have been your proudest moments and key learnings from El Ta’Koy’s journey so far?

There are a few moments in El Ta’Koy’s journey that stand out for me, each teaching an important lesson. The first was our humble pop-up in Miami after the pandemic, where I launched the concept with borrowed equipment, handwritten signs and marinades blended in a Ninja.

Seeing people queue for Hawaiian tacos and poke despite the lack of polish proved that if a concept has heart and flavour, people will respond. It taught me the value of adaptability and persistence, lessons that shaped everything that followed.

Opening at The Dominick Hotel in New York was another defining milestone. Transitioning from a scrappy pop-up to headlining at a luxury rooftop venue felt like graduation. Serving a packed house against the Manhattan skyline and later being recognised among the city’s top rooftop dining spots was a powerful reminder of how collaboration and relentless quality can elevate a brand. It showed that El Ta’Koy could delight both casual diners and critics alike.

Our success in Riyadh is perhaps the most rewarding. Introducing Hawaiian fusion to a market unfamiliar with it was challenging, and the early weeks were slow. We stayed patient, offered tastings, and built trust by adapting to local needs, from halal menus to creative mocktails, without losing authenticity.

A few months later, we became one of the busiest outlets in the 21-kitchen Al Mamlaka Social Dining hall, drawing a mix of locals and expats. Watching guests embrace dishes like Spam musubi and Huli Huli chicken reaffirmed my belief that people are open to new experiences when presented thoughtfully. Riyadh now feels like a second home for the brand and stands as proof of El Ta’Koy’s global appeal.