Honolulu, HI
The final Hard Rock city I visit in the U.S.A. (at the time this was written) should have been the first. On my first trip to Hawaii, I went by the HRC here four times. At the time, I had no idea what a Hard Rock Cafe was, and wouldn't find out until three days later in Maui! In the several trips I made to Hawaii since, I never got back to Honolulu... but finally made a point of it this time. While I enjoyed the property quite a lot, it is definitely less laid-back than either Kona or Maui (probably due to the higher volume of people passing through its doors). The location is hard to miss as you drive to Waikiki from the airport, but quite a hike from the beach once you get there. Even so, it's well worth the trip, and shows how larger properties can still be interesting with a little planning.

Kona, HI
I missed making it to the Aspen cafe before Hard Rock Corporate decided to close it unannounced, so this is the smallest of all the properties I visited. But what it lacks in size, it more than makes up for in personality. The dining room sits above the merch shop, providing fantastic sunset views from the front deck, or a day & night volleyball court from the side tables. Most all Hard Rocks I've been to have a hard-working staff, but the crew here was killing themselves the night I showed up, giving great service while very understaffed! The small size and open decks make memorabilia somewhat lacking here, but they do make the most out of what little wall space they have. While Maui remains my favorite Hawaiian property, Kona comes highly recommended.

La Jolla, CA
I visited this property many times when it was formerly known as the San Diego Hard Rock Cafe. When San Diego got its own cafe, La Jolla was renamed to reflect its actual location. A big personal favorite, I never miss an opportunity to visit here. The location in La Jolla (one of the most beautiful cities in the US) is perfect, and makes a great restaurant even better. I usually get a chocolate milkshake whenever I visit the Hard Rock and, for some inexplicable reason, the shakes here are consistently the best!

Lake Tahoe, NV
Located inside Harvey's Casino in Stateline Nevada, the Tahoe cafe is a beautiful example of design reflecting location. Much like the now-closed (and equally cool) Whistler HRC, this property is designed to look like a mountain lodge, complete with wooden fixtures and (ugh!) deer-rack lighting. A seperate merch shop is at the opposite end of the casino, but was closed when I visited. This is easily one of the loudest Hard Rocks in recent memory, due to both the high-volume music and the rowdy customers!

Las Vegas, NV
This property is gravely overshadowed by the Hard Rock Hotel directly behind it, but should not be bypassed on your way to the Hard Rock Casino. Standard Hard Rock cuisine is on the menu, and the atmosphere is a nice change from the tacky glam that is Las Vegas (though the homage to Elvis will not let you forget where you are). I had the best tomato soup of my life while eating here in March, 2000! This cafe made the big screen when its giant guitar was destroyed in the movie "Con Air."

Las Vegas, NV
Forget Disneyland, the casino in the Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel is the happiest place on earth… beautiful women bringing you free drinks all the time, great gaming tables with entertaining dealers, and hey… it is a Hard Rock after all! Both times I've been here, the hotel had no vacancies, so I can't vouch for the rooms (yet), but I can say that this is my favorite casino in Vegas and well worth a visit (even though it is a ways off the Strip).

Los Angeles, CA
Located in the Beverly Center Shopping Mall just outside of Beverly Hills, The L.A. Hard Rock is pretty much typical for the chain. The layout is open and spacious, making it easy to view the expansive collection throughout the restaurant. The World Population Counter, and World Rainforest Acre Countdown on the front of the building are sobering statistics viewable from all streets of this very busy intersection. Elvis' Caddy is embedded in the roof.

Maui, HI
Hands-down one of my favorite Hard Rocks (probably because it was my first to visit!), the Maui HRC is easily the most laid-back of the chain which I have visited. The layout (especially the open bar area) is varied and interesting, and the location (at the end of Front Street in Lahaina) is perfect... past all the crowded shops, yet easy to access. The food is the BEST... be sure not to miss Maui Onion Rings!

Newport Beach, CA
CLOSED! Despite the fact that it was built at Fashion Island, the location, surprisingly, is one of the best of the chain (even though I would probably like it more if it were actually located NEAR the beach!). The architecture is a pleasing mix of both California Classic and more modern design styles. I ate here before the "standardized" menu hit, and had some of the best food I've ever eaten at a Hard Rock.

Sacramento, CA

I'm still reeling from the fact that Sacramento got a Hard Rock Cafe before Seattle (how in the heck did that happen?) but have to admit that this is a nice back-to-basics property. My favorite features are the now-standard dome mural above the bar (making good use of the local scenery) and the stained glass artwork (that isn't Elvis, for once!). If you can get over the fact that there are several other cities more deserving of a cafe, this is a classy Hard Rock that's worth the short drive from San Francisco (or Tahoe, if you're coming from the East).

San Diego, CA
From the beginning, the San Diego Hard Rock was located in nearby La Jolla, but finally got its own restaurant in the Summer of 1998. It's a nice property with a great location in the gas lamp district, but adds yet another "standard" restaurant to the chain, with nothing terribly unique or interesting to really justify the move from La Jolla. Given Sea World and the amazing San Diego Zoo, why in the heck couldn't they have planned a more extravagant location/architecture? "The Zoo of Rock" or something could have been really cool.

San Francisco, CA
MOVED. Though the exterior is subdued, a renovation in 1996 has made the interior something special. Unfortunately, the location is terrible... far away from downtown and any San Francisco atmosphere. Getting there is such a chore, I often pass on visiting despite numerous trips to the city. They really should have found something on the wharf or, better yet, now that Planet Hollywood's closed their San Francisco property... Hard Rock should buy it and move in! UPDATE: Apparently somebody heard me! They moved to Pier 39 in the Summer of 2002!

San Francisco, CA 2
San Francisco finally has a cafe where people can find it... right at the entrance to Pier 39 (one of the city's most popular attractions)! The interior is nicely appointed and very "classic Hard Rock" (thankfully!), with memorablia highlighting the numerous bands the Bay Area has produced over the years. Unfortunately, the exteriror is a bit of a missed opportunity, and adds nothing to the wharf atmosphere. It could have been a fantastically themed nautical-style entrance, but instead we get a big red wall. Boring, uninspired, and typical of the newer HRC properties. Where has the imagination gone that made the cafes such amazing destinations?

Universal Hollywood, CA
This is supposedly a "key property" which is setting the look for future Hard Rocks added to the chain. I certainly hope not. The exterior tries to be interesting, but comes across sterile. The interior is fresh and interesting, but makes viewing the collection seem planned and pedestrian (the "dome" interior, however, is very cool!). Initially, this was referred to as the "Hollywood" Hard Rock, but it has recently been renamed to "Universal" (assumably to better reflect its actual location on the Universal CityWalk in Universal City).