When Hunã opened below Echelon Kitchen and Bar in February 2026, it promised more than rum drinks and bamboo décor. It offered a transportive culinary experience shaped by Chef/Partner Joseph VanWagner, who has led Echelon for two years and four months and brings a résumé that includes Alinea, Blackbird and Daniel.
Hunã is a tropical escape in atmosphere, service, drinks and food that make you feel like you are on vacation in Hawaii for the evening.
Translating Tiki into taste
“For the menu, we thought about all of the things we would eat if we were on an island getaway for a day,” VanWagner said. “Bright flavors, cooling elements with spice, balances of acidity and fat all came to mind. So, we incorporated all those components in formats that we thought were both fun and relaxed eating.”
That sense of escape extends beyond flavor to atmosphere. “For me personally, that means creating a space where I can come with a bunch of friends, order a bunch of things to be shared, and just get caught up in the moment,” he said of Hunã’s communal dining focus. “The menu should be a supplement to the evening, which means the food actually has to be so good that it enhances the vibrancy and energy of the night.”
Fine dining detail, relaxed setting
VanWagner’s fine-dining pedigree shapes even the smallest plate. “The detailed orientation that high-level fine-dining restaurants have instilled in the team can be seen everywhere in Hunã,” he said. “Every single detail matters. You can see that in the knife cuts, the sauce work, the textures, the balance of seasoning. Intentionality is at the core of what we do, and we do it in the name of the guest experience.”
We shared and loved the coconut shrimp, galbi ribs, bao buns and lettuce wraps. The galbi ribs were our favorite, with a Korean flavor and perfectly cooked. The lettuce wraps and bao come in crispy chicken, pork belly and vegan maitake mushroom. All are succulent. For dessert, we had their rum cake, which was thoughtful and like a deconstructed piña colada.
A Global Island Perspective
“Tiki culture isn’t tied to a place, rather an idea; tropical retreat from everyday life,” VanWagner explained. “Our team is a group of people from all over the planet, and many island cultures are represented. We used their experiences, combined with our own experiences of travel, to draw on flavors that we know and love.”
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The menu reflects those travels — from poké bowls inspired by months spent living and cooking on Oahu’s North Shore, to bao buns that nod to Hawaii, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico, and Korean galbi prepared with house-made doenjang crafted from repurposed sourdough scraps.
Their drink menu is impressive as well. We shared “The Bermuda Triangle,” with dark rum and fruit juices in a fish-shaped glass. We also shared the “Fog Cutter,” with pisco, gin, rum, sherry, and accented with citrus juices.
Food, beverage, and belonging
The synergy between kitchen and bar is constant, with VanWagner working closely with Bar Manager Max Schikora to balance bold flavors and complex tiki cocktails. But beyond technique and flavor, inclusion is central to Hunã’s ethos.
“When developing Hunã, we really dove into the notion of food, beverage and hospitality as inclusion,” VanWagner said. “If you’re sober, not drinking this week, vegan, gluten-free, have a religious or customary diet, or you simply just want to be yourself, we are here to meet you where you are at in a delicious and life-nurturing way.”
In the end, VanWagner hopes guests leave feeling transported. “I hope that they can be transported to their own delicious and nurturing tropical island; one that can only be found in a small bar below Washington and Main Streets in Ann Arbor, Michigan, named Hunã.”
Donna Marie Iadipaolo is a writer, journalist, and State of Michigan certified teacher, since 1990. She has written for national publications like The Village Voice, Ear Magazine of New Music, Insurance & Technology, and TheStreet.
She is now writing locally for many publications, including Current Magazine, Ann Arbor Family, and the Ann Arbor Independent. Her undergraduate degree is from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where she graduated with an honors bachelor’s degree and three teacher certificate majors: mathematics, social sciences, English. She also earned three graduate degrees in Master of Science, Master of Arts, and Education Specialist Degree.
