Hawaiian cuisine is coming to downtown Shreveport

A new restaurant is coming to downtown Shreveport in an iconic spot. The Shreveport Regional Arts Council (SRAC) announced Friday afternoon in a buzzing crowd that Ono's will be coming to Artspace.

"It's something I have dreamt about for a long time," said Sione Maumalanga, Owner of Ono's. "For the first time it feels right."

Artspace has been home to several restaurants over the years, but starting early August the traditional Hawaiian Cuisine restaurant-- Ono's will call that space home.

Henry Price, SRAC board president said, "anything that is successful is about relationships. We have worked diligently to try to make sure that the next tenant in this space that it's a good relationship in order to be successful."

Ono's initially started as a food truck in 2016 and opened a brick mortar restaurant in Broadmoor in 2018. In February 2020, Ono's closed its doors and since then has been running its food truck business.

Rebecca Bonnevier, SRAC Executive Director said that there were several restaurants that were very interested in Artspace. She said, "we really considered a lot of things, and we believe in this partnership. We believe in the food, the service, and the culture and the variety. And we are so honored to have you here and so honored to work with you."

This partnership makes Ono's the exclusive caterer for Artspace. Bonnevier said, "Artspace is an area that we rent out often for weddings, reunions, parties and things like that."

According to Maumalanga, Ono's will open its doors in early August 2024.

Makenzie Boucher is a reporter for the Shreveport Times. Contact her at mboucher@gannett.com.