Tiki Bars (Home)

Hidden deep in the jungle, somewhere near the legendary Schweitzer Falls, this small oasis provides a respite for explorers venturing far enough to discover its secrets to trade exotic liquors and forbidden potions in exchange for a few tales of adventure.

Designed and built by Notch; our main large tiki and several other elements by Tiki Diablo.

My personal home bar and display room

The 65th Street Revival is the home tiki bar of Ron and Chris Amittone. The name is a nod to the nearby vortex of early tiki in Oakland at 65th & San Pablo: Hinky Dinks, which became the original Trader Vic's, and Zombie Village. The home has been in his family for generations, and his family spent many evenings in both of those establishments.

Ron's former career as a garbage collector has given him access to incredible treasures. Every bit of the bar is covered with the most amazing rare bits and bobs of vintage Tikiana, Hawaiiana, and fun old booze stuff. Ron constructed the bar and shelves himself, he has incredible taste and great skills in bringing it all together on a scale that works just right in this space.

My basement Tiki bar includes a home theatre, game room, bar, plenty of art by SHAG and many other wonderful Tiki artists, and pandas. It also houses my home office for my day job.

A. Panda's Tiki Lounge is the home tiki bar of Andy and Jessica Montero in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. They created the lounge in the basement of their newly-constructed home in October 2006. There are three sections of the lounge: a tiki bar and game room, a home theater, and a toy train layout. Andy's interest in tiki was originally sparked by the art of Shag. A. Panda's Tiki Lounge is a pun on Andy's longtime nickname, Andy Panda.

Ahu TongEriki is the home tiki bar of Erik, created in October 2015 in Lincoln, Nebraska. It is spread across every room of his apartment. The name is inspired by Erik's admiration of the Moai; Ahu Tongariki is the largest ahu platform on Rapa Nui, and it was a short spelling hop to Ahu TongEriki.

Erik is slowly collecting objects to fill his tikified space, with each room starting to have its own focus. The bedroom has palm-print walls lined with masks. The bathroom has a nautical theme. The living room walls are filling in with old tourist art, including a black velvet piece with hundreds of small bits of bamboo constructed into a fishing village scene. Small nooks are filled with tchotchkes and small framed photos of tiki locations. The vibe of the apartment is mid-century modern, with a goal to have the walls eventually filled in with bits of the South Pacific. Wood, bamboo and rattan furniture are being collected into the space where possible, and there is a growing collection of tropical plants. There are several citrus, sea-grape, cycad growing in pots. There are 14 species of palm trees between Erik's home and his office, it all started with a single palm he bought over a decade ago.

Akau Tiki Lounge is the home tiki bar of Dave and Tonia in Windsor, Ontario, just across the US/Canada border from Detroit. They started converting their outdoor garage into a tiki bar in the spring of 2017, with a swing-out door on hinges to open the bar, and by painting the outside of the garage. The couple is continuing to add tiki items to decorate the inside. The yard has a beautiful koi pond that goes well with the tiki bar.

James first decided to devote an entire room to his expanding Tiki collection around the same time that he launched the Tiki Bar Review Pages in 1995. The unnamed room moved into its current location in 1998. After a major redecoration in late 2003, the room was finally named: Aku Hall. Said fast enough, the name is a silly pun, but it also reflects James' particular fascination with Easter Island.

The house drink, Pisco Sour, is a heavily customized versionof the drink most commonly served to tourists in Chile and on Rapa Nui.

Inspired by our trips to Hawaii, Akua (roughly translates to "Island Spirit" in Hawaiian) - is the home bar of Justin Peterson and Erin Sullivan. Work was mostly completed by April 2020. The bar area is part of the larger lounge / living room, inside our 1954 mid-century modern home in west Orlando. Featuring a hand-painted mural, custom shelves, mugs, and artwork & nicknacks from Oahu.

Aloha Lounge is the home tiki bar of Tiki Carl and his wife Debbie, in Fox River Grove, northwest of Chicago. The lounge was created in 2005 in their basement. They were inspired by several local places: Hala Kahiki, The Bamboo Room, and the Paradise Club, where the couple had their first date. They were also inspired by their trips to the Hawaiian islands. The lounge houses their collection of tiki artifacts from their travels, and is used for entertaining friends and for their own tiki evenings.

Aotearoa Tiki Lounge is the home tiki bar of Brian (Mr. LDT) and JoAnne (KeKona) in Columbia, Missouri. It was built in the backyard of their home in November 2016; the first iteration of their home tiki bar opened in 2005. They've pulled inspiration from their travels to tiki bars around the world, and especially from their travels to New Zealand, the Land of the Long White Cloud.

Atomic Lagoon is the home tiki bar of Richard Ridley and Steve Bultemeyer in Phoenix, Arizona. The bar was created in April 2017. The name is a nod to their house: "Atomic" for its mid-century modern design, and "Lagoon" for its original 1963 lava rock fountain and pond. The mid-century modern bar has a built-in glass case used to display tiki mugs. There is a liquor cabinet which is able to rotate to display the content either outdoors behind the bar, or inside the interior of the house. The lava rock fountain is surrounded by 50-year-old Mediterranean palms. Atomic Lagoon is used for tiki parties, lounging during the warm Phoenix evenings, and gives them an oasis in the desert.

This is a super secret speakeasy home bar version of the much beloved Bahooka which used to exist in Rosemead, CA.

It was designed by Adrian Eustaquio (a.k.a. "Polynesian Pop"/Host of Inside the Desert Oasis) and is owned by Jeff Godbold.

The home bar features some of the original props from the original Bahooka, with a full bar, separate lounge, a game room, and a private theater.

Murals by Rarabird, two aquarium booths, a sliding jail bar door, plastic parrots, and much more!

Located in Monrovia, California.

A tiny tiki hut on the shore of a mysterious pond. A place with good drinks for good people.

Balhi Ha'i is the home tiki bar of Critiki and Ooga-Mooga creator Humuhumu. Her original home tiki bar, The Humuhumu Room, closed when she moved away from Seattle in 2003. Balhi Ha'i made its debut in 2011.

Balhi Ha'i occupies half of the lower level of Humu's home, roughly six times the size of the Humuhumu Room. Visitors pass through a dark jungle area, with nighttime wildlife sounds, before entering the main area, which plays an Exotica soundtrack. The room includes a built-in wet bar (vintage circa 1968) upholstered in avocado green vinyl in tribute to the green upholstery found in golden era Trader Vic's locations. There is a good amount of vintage rattan seating, and the room has its own bathroom. A rain lamp birdcage, decorated in tribute to Disneyland's Enchanted Tiki Room, hosts a bird named Mimi. A large, firelit shelving unit showcases highlights from the mug collection. A dramatic, towering rattan chair with a scooped "wave" top has a hanging lit pufferfish named Jack. A floor-to-ceiling dimly-lit panel is covered with tapa cloth. Most of the carved pieces in the room are in a traditional style. Highlights include several large authentic Papua New Guinea pieces, a Maori-style plaque carved by Basement Kahuna, and a couple of Witco tikis. One wall has an arrangement of smaller pieces of art, including carved Maori plaques, some Coco Joe's "lava" pieces, and a few pieces of modern Tiki art. Balhi Ha'i has its own logo, imprinted on custom zombie glassware. Stemmed drinks are served in vintage Noritake Bamboo pattern coupes. A rotating selection of tropical drinks is presented on a carved Marquesan-style tiki drink menu. There is a growing selection of sipping rums available. She hosts a party on the second Saturday of every month.

When not in use for bar entertaining, a projector screen comes down and the space becomes a home theater with surround sound.

Opened in 2005.

Balis' Hai'deaway is the home tiki bar if Mr. Bali Hai and his wife. It features carved tiki poles, masks and thatch from Oceanic Arts, bamboo stools, pufferfish lamps, and a vintage 1973 Bally pinball game, Bali Hai.

Barnacle Brian Tiki Bar is a home tiki bar created in 2017 in Beaverton, Oregon. Half of the home's garage has been converted into a tiki bar/surf shack.

In a galaxy far far away called Florida I search for Tiki, good grub, Disney Adventures, geek fun and a shot of Rum/Whiskey 😎👍🗿🌴🍹

Bloody's is my home tiki bar. I started small versions of it in 2006, but I'm currently finishing a more permanent home on my deck. It over looks a small subtropical garden and koi pond, and has a smaller tiki hut for watching the fish and sipping beverages.

Blue Ka-Tiki is the home tiki bar of Dwayne & Kelli in Salida, California, just northwest of Modesto. The bar was created in their backyard in April 2016. The name was inspired by a visit to Trader Sam's at Disneyland. They loved the blue drinks they'd enjoyed there, but could not quite recall the drink's name ("Ka-blue-ie") when they got home. The couple referred to it as "the Blue Ka-Tiki drink" and the name stuck. They used the name for their home bar, and created their own blue drink to match.

The tiki bar is a four post modified A-frame design. It is filled with their collected antiques and other items that blend into a full tropical, tiki feel. They designed or modified all of the lighting to make the nighttime at Blue Ka-Tiki come alive, with music to bring it all together.

Other parts of the yard hold a large waterfall with a raised planter of tropical plants, a shipwrecked pirate on black lava rock, a barbecue in a structure that looks like a boat house, and the highlight is a bed of burning lava rocks you can walk across near the bar, lit with buried LEDs. The couple host friends and family on a regular basis, and would love to share with others who are into tiki culture.

Bob's Bamboo Lounge is the home tiki bar of Bamboo Bob and Luau Lori in Long Beach, California. It is located in their 20'x28' garage, and was built in July 2007. The walls are covered in thatch and bamboo from Oceanic Arts, and despite the space's origin as a garage, there is both heating and air conditioning. There is a full bar with 125 different rums, and a large selection of other spirits. There is a fountain hula girl lamp, a large collection of over 200 tiki mugs, plus a large number of Disney tiki pieces. There are two flat screens and surround sound, a pool table, and a popcorn machine. The bar has its own lighted sign, and custom t-shirts.

Bootlegger Lounge is the home tiki bar of Jim and Jewel Donahue in Novato, California, just north of San Francisco. The bar is in a large detached garage building behind their house, which has been converted entirely over to a tiki lounge. The couple did all of the work themselves, including the reed-lined ceiling, walls lined with bamboo and lauhala, a water feature, and a large number of beachcomber lamps and floats with controlled LEDs. There is a large, functional bar on one side, and a pool table at the other end of the space, and a seating area. The couple takes drink-making seriously, pulling inspiration from modern-day craft cocktail publications and making drinks using their own syrups. Most striking is the abundance of carved trim throughout the building, all done by Jim and Jewel, which blends traditional Polynesian motifs with nods to the Bay Area and to their hobbies, including local landmarks, bits of sci-fi, and outrigger canoe racing (the couple's many outrigger racing medals hang from the rafters). The name was chosen by Jewel, and was inspired by the use of old rum crates in constructing the bar.

This is probably the earliest fully realized home tiki bar still in existence. Amazingly, it is still in pristine original condition and open to the public.

Nestled in the basement of this 1886 Queen Anne mansion is a delightful surprise. Upon moving into the home in 1937, Howard Hall sought to create a space to entertain friends and business partners. At a time when life in America was becoming less formal and basements were utilized as living spaces, Howard created the Tahitian Room. Decorated with a bright South Seas theme, the room features a map of Tahiti’s location on the floor and dioramas. With the flip of a switch, the sound of a Tahitian rainstorm is simulated through water dripping on the tin roof ceiling (just like Don the Beachcomber had at his venue when Howard had visited it in Hollywood).

Howard’s fun-loving personality can be seen throughout the room, as can his business sense. The room was used not just to entertain, but to make a lasting impression on his business associates who came to visit his Cedar Rapids home.

The Tahitian Room continues to make an impression on Brucemore visitors today and is open to public tours.

Brunstiki is the home tiki bar of Victor Guinto in Brunswick Hills, Ohio. Since its inception in 2006, the bar has expanded to 1,000 square feet of tiki obsession. The bar houses a large collection of souvenir coconut monkeys procured from the Virgin Islands, Mexico, Hawaii, the Bahamas, Honduras, Florida and North Carolina.

This is the home bar of Rob Ripley, in Orlando, Florida.

Logo lettering by Ivan Castro.

Paradise Cove is the bedroom of Castaway Clemens. The Cove has an emphasis on decorative clutter and detailed lighting design, which serve as effective camouflage of the room's main restriction: it is in fact a temporary-by-necessity installation in a rented apartment, limiting the construction possibilities. Despite the limitations, Castaway Clemens has created a thoroughly enveloping tiki environment.

Charlie's Bar is a home tiki bar near downtown Los Angeles. It is named after the owner's 1936 Packard automobile, which in turn was named after the owner's father. The bar is a cozy section of the home's main living space, with Maori bark art, tiki signs, and hand carved reproductions of tiki-themed hotels.

Based in Eagle Rock, the Cocoanut Canteen is the home bar of Trader Sampson (Chase Sampson).

Sampson started, bit by bit, building a tiki bar in his spare room, influenced equally by LA’s tiki culture and the Disney version of it. The Cocoanut Canteen comes from Sampson and his wife Alexis’s mutual love of art deco and an iconic Disney character. “I love the Indiana Jones influence on Trader Sam’s,” he explains. “It’s pulling in a lot of adventurey, 1940s vibes in the decor and the postcards on the walls. It feels like you’re in a different time. That’s the vibe I wanted for the home bar.”

Sampson wanted his bar to feel more like an organic extension of the art deco vibe in their home. “All of my decor is pre-1945,” he says. “Everything on the walls, all the photos, they’re meant to evoke the feeling of being in a different time, whereas in a lot of tiki bars you’re just in a different place.”

The Cosmic Coconut is the home tiki bar of Angela and Jason Tor, created in July 2015 in the basement of their Northampton, Massachusetts home. The bar incorporates Angela's love of coconuts and Jason's love of astronomy. The idea to convert their basement to a home tiki bar came during a 2014 visit to Three Dots and a Dash in Chicago.

The Tors have aimed to create an immersive experience that stimulates all the senses, with thoughtful lighting, and small discoveries to be made on each visit. The couple hold a party in the bar on the first Friday of every month, and have impromptu parties with friends who drop in as well.

My Tiki Bar is an elaborate annual pop-up re-skinning of my basement bar. Each year, I add new features and details to the build. I cover major surfaces with real bamboo panels, bring out my mugs, etc. for Tiki decor, and set up huge amounts of real and (mostly) silk tropical flowers and foliage. I install a rock fountain, working volcano, and my two talking robot parrots. I finish the effect with Phillips Hue lighting to bring it all together, as well as to facilitate special effect scenes coordinating with wind machines, the parrots, or the volcano.

Private home tiki bar in the northern suburbs of Chicago.

Nestled on a tranquil private cul-de-sac just steps from the prestigious Langham Huntington Hotel & Spa, lies a unique estate property with two amazing turnkey structures. One is an exquisite 12,300sf residence designed by two of America’s top architects, Myron Hunt (Huntington Library, Langham Huntington Hotel, Rose Bowl Stadium, Hollywood Bowl) and Gordon Kaufmann (Caltech Athenaeum, Los Angeles Times Building, Hollywood Palladium), and the other structure is a unique and exceptional 20,500sf entertainment gallery designed by noted architects Kelsey and Ladd (Norton Simon Museum).

Set on 2.5 acres of gated park-like grounds. It is most definitely a trophy house and a trophy museum sited on trophy grounds in a trophy location.

The adjoining entertainment gallery, built in 1973, boasts a 50-seat movie theater, an authentic Tiki bar, game arcade, card room, gym, lounges, conference rooms, screening atrium, five bathrooms, plus a guest apartment with fireplace and catering kitchen; and is a lavish extension of the exceptional personal residence. A private underground passage, served by commercial elevators, connects the two buildings.

The Tiki bar was designed by Bamboo Ben and features two bartender stations, speed racks, under-counter refrigerators, beer taps, ice-maker, freezer, and a back-bar of rough hewn wood shelving. Twin tiki poles hold up the thatching over the bar. A lava rock waterfall in corner and mood lighting from the soft glow of a massive shell lamp overhead also set the mood.

Not the least, this bar has its own house tiki mug, created by Tiki Farm.

Enchanted Treehouse High on the Hooch is the home tiki bar of Michael and Desiree' Maurice in Atlanta, Georgia. The space is in the basement level of their home, which sits over the Chattahoochee (The Hooch) River, like a treehouse. The bar top wraps and extends from inside to outside through the clever use of a sideways-mounted door that opens and hangs from the ceiling. There is a chalk art mural behind the bar, created by Desiree'. They serve an extensive drink menu, inspired by the menus of both Trader Vic's (they're regulars at the nearby Atlanta location) and Don the Beachcomber. The space is used for entertaining neighbors, family, friends, and they also host an annual fundraising tiki party for their kid's schoolraising over $5000.

"Somewhere deep on a Tropical Island in North Texas lies a Forbidden Paradise where Legends of Fact and Fiction merge. Those lucky enough to find it come seeking Adventure, others the Perfect Drink, but BEWARE the inhabitants. Some claim to have seen a MAN that walks like a FISH, others a Voodoo Witch. Those that do make it out have written stories worthy of Hollywood Lore..."

The Forbidden Relics Bar by John Goins is located in Allen, Texas.

John was a Rumpus Room regular and member of the Los Angeles Tiki Scene for several years before moving with his family to Allen.

In the Forbidden Relics Bar, John has a wide space to showcase his collections and interests which combine tiki with adventure, nautical, pirate, and horror themes for fantastic effect!

This is the monster-themed tiki bar belonging to Jorge and Liz Romero.

Frankenstein will be your bartender and the head-hunting witchdoctor as you walk in will be your bouncer if you don't watch out!

Fred's Tiki Bar was created in April 2013, in Herndon, Virginia. Fred created the bar in a family room addition on his home, a long labor of love that he was finally able to complete during a 6-month period of unemployment; he credits the bar with keeping him sane during his job search.

The bar is home to a menagerie of animals, including four dogs, a cat who thinks he's a dog, and 27 freshwater fish living in a 29-gallon aquarium. The decor includes an authentic oil landscape painting from Jakarta, Indonesia, a pufferfish, a lava lamp, and other unique items.

My tiny (9' x 11') bit of paradise here in San Francisco.

Our home bar in Orlando, FL. Heavily inspired by Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.

Hale Manu is the home tiki bar of Mo and Justin Bird. They created the bar in their Nashville, Tennessee home in April 2012. The room had a major upgrade in 2016 when they covered the walls and ceiling around the bar with bamboo, reed and lauhala matting. In addition to the actual bar, the room houses their tiki mug collection and a seating area. The bar itself began as an ordinary bar that the couple stripped down, clad in bamboo, and added carved tiki corners by Lake Tiki. Lake Tiki also made a Hale Manu sign for the room's entrance. The couple found a Witco bar with matching stools and wall hanging on Craigslist, which now serve as a buffet. Craigslist also yielded three Witco knockoff tiki head stools which are used at the bar.

Things are always changing, however...most recently they acquired a giant Papua New Guinea mask and some of the mug shelving had to come down to accommodate it -- but totally worth it!

The Birds love to make drinks for themselves and their friends (favorites are Navy Grog and Jet Pilot), play records, and have an impromptu dance party now and again.

Years of memorabilia collecting led Alan Smart and Michael Uhlenkott to turn their basement into an island shrine.

THERE'S AN underlying sense of levity and playfulness in the Echo Park house that Alan Smart and Michael Uhlenkott designed. Then there's the basement.

Head downstairs, turn right at the bottom of the steps and you enter Smart and Uhlenkott's re-creation of a 1950s tiki bar -- the HaleKahiki (or "Tahitian Room"), as they have dubbed it, which rivals the best Polynesian room you've seen.

"Michael and I have been going to swap meets, collecting Hawaiiana and surfing things for years," Smart says. "I figured, if you don't have a room for it, there's only so much you can collect."

Completed in 2006 after four months of construction, practically every surface of the HaleKahiki is covered with memorabilia. "We wanted old stuff, so we did our research to see how tiki bars were built in the old days," Smart says of the 1950s and '60s, when Polynesiana was popular in Southern California.

Beach signs and other artifacts are layered over block-printed and tapa-papered walls. Lauhala-style woven matting is overhead, between the ceiling joists. A faux roof made of bamboo and palm leaves is suspended above the bar; a raised platform at one end of the room accommodates vintage rattan seating in front of an exotic black-lighted volcano lagoon mural that Uhlenkott painted.

Artist John Bok created the bar's rattan panels and hammered rusty-tin-can edging (sealed in a clear resin). The bar top features tiles designed by Uhlenkott, inspired by traditional Marquesan patterns. Tiki Tony, a Camarillo artist, carved several palm-wood posts and skull poles.

Hawaiian music drifts through the space; the dim lighting and candles set the mood. Smart plays bartender, serving up vintage martini glasses full of fruity cocktails ("known to cause bigger hangovers than less sugary drinks," he warns).

This tiki shrine is a favorite party destination.

"It is used fairly often," Smart says. "I have friends who threaten to come over every week."

The Haole Roller's Tiki Room is the home tiki bar of Andrew Staff, built in May 2015 in Carbondale, in southern Illinois. The bar is located in the front room, a converted front porch, of his 1920 bungalow. Staff is a pastor, and a non-Hawaiian, and a lover of puns, which inspired the bar's name. Staff was heavily influenced by Foundation Tiki Bar in Milwaukee, and a Polynesian-Chinese restaurant from his childhood, Aloha in Dale City, Virginia.

The tiki room houses a collection of new and vintage tiki mugs, lights and lots of artwork. There is also some artwork from Lake Tiki Woodcrafts, vintage pieces, and pieces created by Staff himself. Staff plays lots of vintage Exotica records in the Tiki Room, and the room gets used by friends and family for hanging out and relaxing. Staff's children love the room, and he hopes they feel the same way that Aloha made him feel as a child.

The Hapa Haole Hideaway is the home bar of Tim "Swanky" Glazner and his wife Stephanie Romer, in Knoxville, TN. The bar is full of authentic Papua New Guinea artifacts, and has a webcam to allow viewers from around the world to enjoy an evening with him and his guests.

Swanky and Stephanie also own a tikified beach condo called Follynesia in Folly Beach, South Carolina that is available as a vacation rental.

Harold's Tiki Lounge is a home tiki bar, created in February 2001 in Scottsdale, Arizona, in a covered, screened patio near the home's pool. The 325-square-foot space is accessible from the kitchen, family room, and master bedroom. It has seating for 14, houses a collection of tiki mugs numbering over 175, and has many carvings, pieces of artwork, and Polynesian decorations from the owners' travels. The owners love to entertain and make tiki drinks for friends, and have over 20 rums and other tiki drink ingredients on hand.

Ho'i Hou Ke Aloha is the home tiki bar of Trey and Tammy Goodwin in Maryville, Tennessee, just south of Knoxville. The bar and living area is a 2000 -square-foot space and was created in January 2015 in the basement of their home. The name means "let us fall in love all over again" in Hawaiian. The couple also host on Airbnb. Look us up. We have three rooms Disney Haunted Mansion, Place of Refuge Hawaii room and Stranger Things an 80's themed room.

Hon O' Lulu is the home tiki bar of Chris and Joanna B. in Chestertown, Maryland. This is the third incarnation of their home tiki bar, built in October 2014, in the previously unfinished basement of their home. The name pays tribute to their location near Baltimore: "hon" is a popular term of endearment in Baltimore, "O'" for the Baltimore Orioles, plus a nod to the beloved Honolulu Restaurant in nearby Alexandria, Virginia, which closed in 2004.

The couple arrived at tiki in the early 2000s, when the then-newlyweds were considering a theme for the bar in their new home. Since that time, they have gone seeking what tiki they can in the area, making new friends, and spreading their love of tiki and Polynesian pop culture. They spend their winter months perfecting their mixology skills down in the Hon O' Lulu.

Built in 2010.

Hubert's Huli Huli Haus (a.k.a. The 4-H Club) is the home tiki bar of Suzanne Couture and Bruce Woodbury. Hubert is their monkey (a Macaca soccus, I believe). Hubert used to be a ski instructor in the Swiss Alps, and Suzanne sometimes moonlights as a chicken. But make no mistake: with all this barnyard tomfoolery, this space is all tiki.

The Haus is a barn-like structure behind the main house, but the inside is a tapa and lauhala dream. An a-frame sits above the bar, and the room is ringed with vintage rattan seating. Both Bruce and Suzanne have been big tikiphiles for a long time, and have saved up an impressive collection of unique items. Suzanne is an interior designer, and naturally the space is beautifully executed.

Home bar in North Whittier Ca.