Aloha, as they say on the islands, is a way of living. And a way of treating each other with love and respect. The deep meaning of aloha starts by teaching us to love ourselves, and spread that love to others.

For 26 years, you could feel and embrace the aloha at Tommy O’s restaurant in the Camas and Vancouver area.

When asked what brought him to Downtown Camas, founder Tommy Owens said, “We love how food brings people together.” It’s true, food is a universal language and when folks gather together to share in good food, it doesn’t matter when or where you are, people from any part of the world can relate and enjoy.

“We love what we do and we love our guests, and when they come in they can immediately tell that, and it keeps them coming back,” said Ozzie Lopez, co-owner of Tommy O’s, downtown on Fourth Avenue.

Ozzie actually started at Tommy O’s in Vancouver as a dishwasher eight years ago, put in the hard work, and is now co-owner of the Camas location. He’s been in the restaurant business for more than 12 years now and together, the they turn out delectable flavors!

As it’s new to the downtown Camas landscape, Tommy said they knew they had work to do to make it succeed. “This building has been many restaurants prior to us in the past few years, so we knew we had to fit the Downtown Camas demographic better in order to thrive,” Tommy explained. And while the new space in the hotel has its challenges, Tommy said they are “excited to be in Camas serving a smaller version of our food menu and cocktail menu. As always served with quality, consistency and love!”

Ozzie said the small space puts out big flavor, and big smiles. And they are constantly adapting to the times. “We are always growing and evolving. Recently, we have added our ohana meals and sushi platters for take out as well as specialty cocktails in mason jars and cocktail kits. We have started back up with off-site catering and have started selling our famous kalua pork to other local restaurants.”

Some will remember that Tommy O’s served its brand in Camas before. “It’s been more than six years since we closed the restaurant on 192nd,” Tommy said. “And in my wildest dreams, I never thought I would be taking on another challenge of opening another Camas location. Well, never say never. I’m proud to be part of this community and honored to be bringing the Tommy O’s brand home.”

Follow Tommy O’s at The Camas Hotel for updates on what Tommy O’s is doing next. And, don’t forget to spread the aloha!

401 NE4th Ave.