In an advertisement in the Boston Globe, October 14, 1982, Bob Lee’s restaurant, Islander, posted the claim, “We invented The Pupu Platter.” Did they invent it? If not, what is the truth behind the origins of the Pu-Pu Platter?
There is no question that the term “Pu-Pu” derives from the Hawaiian word, “pū-pū”, which refers to “appetizers.” Originally, pū-pū only referred to shellfish, but was eventually expanded to include a variety of other foods as well.
During the 1950s, a number of Hawaiian newspapers mentioned pu-pu. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, while describing a restaurant called Ginza, stated, “.., there’s a tempting array of pupu—LOVE that word!—chasers in the form of shrimp tempura, sashimi, abalone, and umpteen varieties of Japanese pickles and vegetables,” on April 10, 1954.
In 1933, Don’s Beachcomber, likely the first Polynesian “Tiki” bar, opened in Hollywood, CA. A few years later, in 1937, the bar moved across the street and became a restaurant as well. Around this same time, Victor Bergeron Jr. would open his own Polynesian bar and restaurant, which would become known as Trader Vic’s. It would seem to make sense that maybe one of these restaurants, which popularized Polynesian-Chinese cuisines, invented Pu-Pu platters. However, the evidence on behalf of Don the Beachcomber seems to be lacking. IAfter examining three menus from 1954-1965, there is no mention of Pu-Pu Platters.
As for Trader Vic’s, there is a menu from the 1950s for their Honolulu location, and it contains a category titled “Hot Pupus: Polynesian Hors d’Oeuvres.” There is also a listing for a PuPu Platter, with fried shrimp, egg rolls, wontons and spare ribs. With such, this might be the first restaurant documented to have served a Pu-Pu Platter.
In 1957, a couple locations of the Luau 400, a Polynesian restaurant opened in New York City and Pennsylvania. On December 5, 1957, The Daily News mentioned that the menu at Luau 400 included a Pu Pu Platter, with tim sam, shrimp vela (fried shrimp with coconut), egg rolls, barbecued spare ribs, and rumaki. This may be the first newspaper mention of a restaurant serving a Pu-Pu Platter.
So what about Boston’s Bob Lee’s Islander? Around 1951, Bob Lee, a native of Canton, China, opened Bob Lee’s Lantern House on Tyler Street in Boston’s Chinatown. At first, it only had seven tables, although it would grow over the years, with its first expansion starting around April 1952. At this time, the restaurant served only typical Cantonese cuisine.
It would not be until 1961, that Bob Lee’s Lantern would add Polynesian cuisine and cocktails to their repertoire. The Boston Daily Record, on January 2, 1961, noted the opening of the new Aloha cocktail lounge at Bob Lee’s Lantern House. An article published on May 15, 1961 in The Boston American, mentioned that at this new Aloha lounge you could find, “tasty Polynesian-Chinese food and cocktails.”
By September 1961, the name of the restaurant was changed to Bob Lee’s Islander, embracing the Tiki mystique. The Boston American, on September 18, 1961, had an advertisement for this name change, noting that they served, “exotic Polynesian drinks” and the “finest Chinese food.”
The December 20, 1961 issue of the Boston Record American in, had a full page advertisement for the restaurant, noting that the decor included, “Thatched roofs, Polynesian masks, ceramic figures and symbols, lush broadleaved foliage and a handsome tropical mural.” One of the items you could order was the “intriguing Pu-Pu Platters heaped with shrimp puffs, fried wontons, rumaki, barbecued spare ribs, fried shrimp and barbecued chicken wings.”
It is important to note that at this time, Bob Lee’s Islander did not claim to be the inventor of the Pu-Pu Platter. It was not until 1982 that the restaurant made its first documented claim to have been the inventor, However, while Bob Lee’s Islander did not exist until 1961, there had already been documented references to Pu-Pu platters in the previous decade.
At this time, the first documented reference to a restaurant serving a Pu-Pu Platter seems to be Trader Vic’s during the 1950s, although I have not seen any claims that they invented it. During the later 1950s, the Luau 400 restaurants were also offering Pu-Pu Platters. During the early 1960s, other restaurants, including Bob Lee’s Islander would also start offering Pu-Pu Platters. It’s clear though, that Bob Lee’s claim cannot be true.
