Tiki Bars (Commercial)

Gecko is a tiki carver, artist, and mug maker based out of Honolulu, Hawaii.

Previously, Gecko'z studio space was just his garage and backyard space where he made his tiki carvings and ceramics. As of 2021, Gecko has created a polished showplace in that same studio space for visitors to admire his work...and maybe purchase pieces straight from the artist.

This studio is not open to unannounced walk-in visits. You must call or contact him ahead of time.

Opened in May of 2020, Makai Island Kitchen and Groggery on the Santa Cruz Wharf features what owner Peter Drobac describes as Hawaiian food and beyond, with flavors that draw on influences from Chinese, Thai, and Japanese cuisine.

Housed in the same space that was previously occupied by Splash.

The food, décor, and music are all themed toward a tiki bar kind of atmosphere with an upscale Pan-Asian menu.

This Chinese Restaurant was located directly across from the Kuo Wah Restaurant in San Francisco's Chinatown.

Like Kuo Wah, Imperial Palace had its own cocktail mugs, many of which were patterned after ancient Chinese serving vessels.

The Imperial Palace was in this location up through at least the mid 90s. At some point thereafter, they moved around the corner to 818 Washington St., where they are still located as of 2021.

An episode of Season 4 of Beverly Hills 90210 was shot inside the old location, called "Emily" (a.k.a. The Pink Pearl).

Chin Mon Wah (Young family patriarch) and his childhood friend, Chin Kwok Yen, purchased the building in the late 30s. Prior to placing a restaurant in this location it had at the ground floor a photo studio at 942 and stores at 946-950 Grant Avenue with the remaining two floors above being the Gum Mon Hotel.

At this time they remodeled the building to house the Kuo Wah Cafe at 942 Grant Ave which served American Style food and 946-950 to serve Chinese food. The Lions Den Nightclub was in the basement and its entrance was at 942. This is where the bar was located at that time. The Lions Den had shows featuring Chinese performers that would sing, dance and tell jokes just like all the mainstream nightclubs of the era. The Gum Mon Hotel still remained. Sometime after WW II, in the mid to late 1950s, the Lions Den Nightclub ceased to exist due to the changing times and became a dining room. Its bar was relocated from the basement to the main floor location of the Cafe which served American food. Many politicians, heads of state and other dignitaries were hosted.

In the early 60s, Chin Mon Wah's son, Andy Young, had by that time became general manager, and again undertook major construction. The Lions Den basement, main floor Kuo Wah Cafe and second floor hotel rooms were remodeled into a single restaurant called the Kuo Wah Restaurant instead of "cafe". A new bar was built in the basement, the kitchen was relocated from the main floor to the basement. A second remodel of the existing bar took place and the 2nd floor hotel rooms were cleared to make way for a 300+ person dining room. An outdoor courtyard was created at the front entrance of the building so that diners could sit out on nice days to eat or have cocktails.

Between 65' and 68' there was a nightclub in the basement called The Drag'on A' Go-Go, which featured local bands. This is when they started to offer free tiki mugs with any of their exotic Polynesian cocktails. These mugs were exclusively from Otagiri Manufacturing Co. This continued until 1975 at which time they sold the restaurant to investors who rebuilt once again to make a Hong Kong style dim sum eatery. At this time the restaurant was still called Kuo Wah. Since then the restaurant has changed hands at least two more times. Its name for the last 20 years or so has been Grand Palace.

This pre-tiki establishment was open at least as early as 1945. Before this, in 1943, it was home to the Rose Bowl.

Hy Ginnis, the original host, died in 1955. Art Adler took over soon after.

It was located on Chicago's Rush Street which was quite notorious at the time for gambling, prostitution, and all sorts of debauchery.

The exterior was marked by huge neon vertical letters spelling out "TRADE WINDS".

By the 1960s, this location housed the Whiskey A Go Go.

Owned by Herman A. Klabunde and operated 1939-1947.

This pre-tiki establishment served tropical cocktails and Chinese food.

They also had a "rain-on-the-roof" effect with lights, sounds, and running water.

Located at 327 Broadway in Santa Monica, at what is today a thriving shopping area just at the edge of the Third Street Promenade.

Opened in May 2012 by the owners behind The Sugar Cane cocktail bar in London's Clapham Junction.

According to their website:

"Kona Kai is a Tropical cocktail bar that promises to transport you to the shores of the South Pacific. Renowned for its spectacular signature cocktails made with premium spirits, home-made infusions and tropical ingredients.

Designed and built by the famous Cheeky Tiki designers, Kona Kai has become a port of pleasure for many Londoners! So why don't you come in and see for yourselves.

Typically, we play range of music, Charts, Hip Hop, House and some old school mash-ups."

Opened in 2018.

This bar boasted: "A wide array of Tiki Cocktails and Classics, One of the Largest Rum Selections in the Country, a good range of soft drinks including our Homemade Ginger Beer and a Selection of Beers!"

The interior had a long bar decorated in bamboo and with a backbar decorated with geometric clusters of bamboo end-pieces. The ceiling had several canoes suspended from the rafters. Walls were painted blue, with booths outfitted in a mix of padded blue and red benches and red/green/and white antiqued wood "captain's chairs". There was one large carved tiki on the bar at the end and several masks and other pieces of assorted tiki art spread throughout.

Closed as a result of Covid shutdowns in September 2020.

A gifted artist and cartoonist, Val Valentine worked for the Fleisher Studio in Miami in the 1930s, illustrating the cartoons “Popeye” and “Betty Boop” and the animated feature “Gulliver’s Travels.” He also was the original creator of “Casper the Ghost.”

Valentine moved to Panama City Beach in the mid 1960s after working on several other notable attractions in Florida and other states, including Silver Springs in Ocala.

In 1965, Valentine purchased a struggling roadside animal display (Ross Allen's Alligator Show) and proceeded to construct a massive concrete volcano at its center, complete with billowing smoke and faux molten lava. The attraction was renamed “Jungle Land” and became one of the premier sights in Panama City Beach.

Jungle land featured several tiki masks, including a large moai with giant boar's tusks through its nose that graced the roofline at the front entrance.

Many photos show the "natives" of Jungle Land -- pretty young blonde girls in leopard print bikinis with spears in their hands.

Not long after Jungle Land opened, the park was purchased by the owner of Miracle Strip Amusement Park, for which Valentine also shared his talents, designing such attractions as Dante’s Inferno, the Abominable Snowman, the walk-through haunted house known as the “Old House” and Shipwreck Island Water Park.

Val passed away in 2015.

Jungle Land was eventually purchased by Alvin’s Island department store and became one of their dozens of locations, however, after it became apparent that bringing up the site to code would be cost prohibitive, it was announced in 2020 that it would be demolished and a new construction built.

Aku-Aku offered Polynesian food and comedians.

They also had locations in Newton and Cambridge, MA (both now gone).

Since 2004, this site is home to a Ninety Nine Restaurant, Starbucks, and a Rollstone Bank & Trust.

This apartment complex was built in 1961.

It has 47 units and the front features a very large A-frame. There is also a smaller A-frame pool house building in back.

Traveling from north to south along Rosemead boulevard, this was a frequent stop for tiki enthusiasts before hitting other landmarks like the Kahlua Apartments and Bahooka.

It was remodeled in 2008 and re-named "Huntington at Pasadena" to cash in on their proximity to The Huntington Museum, but before this, it was known as "The Outrigger" and had a unique tiki in front that was partially obscured by shrubbery.

Sven Kirsten, when referring to Tiki Archaeology, often showed a photo of this tiki completely covered in foliage with one hand sweeping the leaves aside to reveal a tiki eye peering out.

Opened October 22nd, 1970.

Billed as a combination of Chinese, Polynesian, and Mexican art. The building was designed by Hin Fon Yip, Vancouver architect.

Created by Ken Yuen (manager), Jack Yung (president and supervisor), and Donald Chang (chef).

Two hand-carved doors opened to a foyer of Inca stone forming an interior wall with water feature and a pagoda theme. You then entered the Tiki Lounge and dining room area with blue domed ceiling and twinkling stars.

The second separate dining room was Oriental themed.

Closed around 1988.

Built in 1974 and last renovated in 2015, the InterContinental Tahiti Resort & Spa is set amid tropical gardens and bordering a lagoon. This upscale spa resort is 7 km from Bougainville Park and 8 km from Papeete Market. Polished rooms with balconies come with flat-screens, minifridges, and tea and coffeemakers. Suites add living rooms and terraces. Wi-Fi and room service are available, and kids age 15 and under stay free with an adult. In addition to a chic spa, amenities include 2 freshwater pools, 1 of which has a swim-up bar. Dining options include 2 posh restaurants, a lobby bar, the swim-up bar, and their Tiki Bar.

Tiki Bar is their main bar, located just next to Te Tiare restaurant. It is a popular rendezvous for hotel guests as well as local residents, and it hosts live entertainment from Wednesday to Saturday, creating a lively atmosphere.

*The Tiki Bar and the present-day InterContinental Tahiti Resort & Spa are not to be confused with the Tahara'a InterContinental Hotel which has been abandoned for many years and is much further from the airport.

Opened March 1963.

The Kon Tiki opened as part of the new La Louisiane Restaurant, owned by Rube Levine and Jimmy Sholtz -- featuring steaks, seafood, and Italian cuisine.

Rube and Jimmy retained Mr. Edward Chun, formerly of the Polynesian Room of the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago. Mr. Chun was nationally famous for his Cantonese specialties, and personally supervised the preparation of the Kon Tiki's Cantonese creations.

Later, La Louisiane became House of Chun, so presumably Mr. Chun took over the main restaurant as well.

This location was open till at least 1981.

The area, south of Linwood Boulevard to 34th Street, between Main and Gillham, was deemed blighted and ridden with crime in drugs in the late 1980s, and these buildings, as well as other homes, apartments, and commercial buildings, were demolished in the early and mid-'90s as part of the so-called "Glover Plan" to be replaced by the Midtown Marketplace development, a large commercial development anchored by big box retailers Home Depot and Costco.

Trader Ku's was a Polynesian restaurant and tiki bar owned by Peter Ku and open during the 1970s and early 1980s. It was located at 1575 Montgomery Highway in Hoover near the intersection with Braddock Drive.

The interior featured ship lights, hatch covers and other fixtures salvaged from six vessels: the U. S. S. Topeka, the Bowie, the Marvin H. McIntyre, the S. S. Grandville, the U. S. S. Sproston, and the S. S. Antares. Ku also offered furniture and home decor items crafted from hatches and other salvaged items.

The restaurant served both American and Polynesian dishes while the cocktail lounge featured various exotic drinks, including large cocktails served in earthen bowls with multiples straws for sharing. "Trader Ku's Grog" was a blend of Jamaican rum and tropical fruits served in a tall goblet.

This location is now MedCenter Hoover.

In Hawaiian, Ala Moana means "path to the sea" and this hotel is exactly that -- a resort located only a block away from the beach and the beginning of the Wildwood, New Jersey boardwalk.

It is known for its vintage moai neon light with flaming tiki torches.

This hotel and several others along Wildwood Crest are commonly referred to as being a part of the Doo Wop style of architecture, named after the popular music of its time, but this style is also referred to as Googie architecture in California and other parts of the country.

Built in 1977. The Polizzes took over the Ala Moana in 1999 by redesigning the interior and exterior of the motel. 18 winters were spent refurbishing the Ala Moana Motel to the modernized resort it is now.

At this same time, the Polizzes bought four adjacent houses to expand the Ala Moana Motel Resort. The four houses were turned into suites and special motel selections known as the Ala Moana Tiki House, the Quiet Cottage, the Beach House and the Coconut House.

Opened in 1962 by Manuel Santos. Designed and built by Lou Morey.

This motel had a wonderful lava rock wall front entrance with neon signs and tiki torches.

It was commonly referred to as being a part of the Doo Wop style of architecture, named after the popular music of its time, but this style is also referred to as Googie architecture in California and other parts of the country.

Before closing in the early 2000s, the owners appeared to be trying to restore things back to their original 1960s look.

Demolished in January of 2006.

The Ala Kai Motel was opened in 1963. Its original owners were Kurt and Gertrude Burghold.

It is commonly referred to as being a part of the Doo Wop style of architecture, named after the popular music of its time, but this style is also referred to as Googie architecture in California and other parts of the country.

It still has its cool neon sign with a surfing hula girl and the basic structure is the same. Fake full-size palm trees adorn the exterior. It also has a large pool.

However, other than these details, it is a basic family-style motel.

This Polynesian themed bar and restaurant was located within The Oaks hotel. The Oaks was a family business -- apparently two large 3-story houses joined together in the middle -- and resembling a boutique Bed and Breakfast -- but was gradually developed into a larger construction.

Olu Oaksu was a single room within the hotel -- it had lava stone walls, spears, masks, and other decorations and apparently was considered quite swanky when it opened.

Their menu logo was taken directly from the Kon-Tiki Montreal menu cover Tiki from 1958 -- a popular image later used by the Tiki-Ti in Hollywood and a few others.

Also about 1958, The Oaks started accepting long-term guests and this signaled a decline.

The property was sold a few years later, and leveled, and in 1962 the site welcomed a new Travelodge motel. Sometime in the 80s or 90s, the Travelodge was re-named as the River Inn, which later devolved and became a crash pad for drug users and an eyesore for the neighborhood.

The River Inn was then torn down in 2013 and a few years later the property was turned into a Pride Convenience Store location.

"Malahini" translates to "stranger" or "newcomer" in Hawaiian. However, despite the Hawaiian name and several Hawaiian touches, this is primarily a Chinese Restaurant. It is located in a strip mall and the interior's white drop ceiling, white walls, and green glass pub shades over the bar do little to enhance the island feeling either. However, it does have some nice touches, including some vintage Orchids of Hawaii swag lamps, some tiki masks on the walls, and several frosted glass panels that show palm trees and other island images.

Opened in January 2020.

This is a very sparsely decorated location without the large carvings and layers that you would expect from old school locations like Trader Vics. They do have some jungle monkey and hula girl wallpapered accent walls, some rattan furniture, and a few rattan ceiling fans. However, the peach-painted exterior, poured concrete bartop, and simple white globe lights in the front windows could call to mind any of hundreds of other differently themed gastropubs around the country.

Drinks are served in appropriate glassware or in generic tiki mugs and their drink menu offers an equal distribution of classics, signature cocktails, and machine-blended slushie drinks. They also have an extensive catalogue of rums and other spirits.

Their food menu offers fried chicken sandwiches, spam, and hots dogs among other things.

By all accounts their food and drinks are on point (and although the Pickle Painkiller is questionable, the restaurant's owner is Jacob Hadjigeorgis, the man behind Upper West Side’s wildly popular southern comfort food restaurant Jacob’s Pickles, so it gets a pass). Despite the interior theming leaving a bit to be desired, it's still a very pleasant place to spend an hour or two in the city.

Opened July 28th, 2020.

There are 2 Tiki Docks locations -- this one in St. Petersburg and another one in Riverview, Florida.

This St. Petersburg location is a 5,000-square-foot spot and includes an indoor dining area with retractable doors leading out to a large outdoor space that consists of two sprawling patios and a bar overlooking the marina.

Opened September 10, 2020.

There are 2 Tiki Docks locations -- this one in Riverview and another one in St. Petersburg, Florida. Both locations have indoor and outdoor waterfront dining.

The Riverview location is 15,000 square feet and has tiki murals on the exterior. The interior is a huge open space with blue painted support beams and blue floors, a large central bar with lots of televisions stacked upwards, and several Bosko carved masks behind the host area in front. The bathroom hall features a mural of an octopus that extends into both the men's and women's restrooms.

Circa 1960s.

This unexceptional 2-story hotel complex had a truly spectacular sign out front with a tiki head atop the main support pole and two spears on the secondary support poles. The hotel was located off highways 87 and 287 S in Dumas, Texas.

Built in 1967 at the site of the Legionnaire Clubhouse.

The hotel itself was a standard multi-story structure, but with the addition of an ornamental 6 story A-frame entrance and huge standing tiki next to it out front.

Inside was The Monkey Bar. Live monkeys were in a large cage behind the bar with a glass window.

Ownership changed hands a couple of times, and then the hotel went out of business and finally closed in 1977.

The building burned in 1986, and the lot was cleared.

The property is now part of Reed’s Bay Beach Park.

Previously at Sip Coffee & Beer Garage next door, Undertow closed their first location in December 2020 and re-opened in this larger location at The Century Grand in March 2021.

This larger space allowed Undertow to enhance the experience by adding more audio and visual effects, decorations, and a little bit more seating.

They've added six more seats to the bar, a second six-person booth, an additional two-person table, more portholes, and cinema-quality sound.

Some of the newest decorations include a new hand-carved bar by Tiki Diablo (Danny Gallardo) and "Emily," a real figurehead that was salvaged from the bow of a ship

House of Ming was a much venerated tiki bar and Chinese style restaurant located in Madrid, Spain. It opened around 1965 and is said by many to be the first tiki bar in Spain.

Some of the oft touted perks of visiting House of Ming were its: -Uninterrupted Hawaiian music -Tapa cloth from floor to ceiling -Incredible index of tikis per square meter -Drinks served in custom OMC vintage mugs -Waiter with jacket -Absence of TV

Closed in September of 2007.

Apparently the owners had three separate Chinese restaurants at one time, including one called China Doll.

In 1954, Charles Wood invested $75,000 on five acres on the east side of U.S. 9 between Lake George and Glens Falls, launching Storytown, U.S.A., an amusement park themed by the Mother Goose rhymes. It closed in 1983 and is presently known as Six Flags Great Escape.

Jungleland was a walkthrough attraction at Storyland that was supposed to show the African jungle complete with animals, warriors, chiefs and temples. They incorporated South Pacific Style huts, bamboo fencing, and Witco carvings into their front entrance.

As the years went by other attractions were added.

Some of the exhibits would be considered politically incorrect by today's (or any) standards -- like the white explorer being cooked in a cast iron pot by caricatured African natives.

Eventually through multiple remodels, neglect, and a change in ownership, the attraction was in need of a major overhaul.

Eventually, Six Flags Great Escape took over and turned Jungleland into “Elmer Fudd’s Rabbit Seasoning”. A revamp to make Jungle Land fit into the Looney Tunes National Park children’s area. There is very little little left that resembles the old Jungleland.

Opened as early as June 2014. The Radisson Blu hotel is 6 km from Bahrain International Airport and 7 km from Seef Mall. There are also Kontiki restaurants at other Radisson Blu locations, including the island of Malta.

Opened in 1979 by Helen Yue and her husband (Cheeda).

They previously had opened Yue's Cantonese Restaurant in Gardena in 1957.

A prominent Barney West tiki sat out front of Lahani Haloha.

The restaurant was short-lived, however, and they sold the property about a year later. Helen and her husband retired in 1983 and closed their other restaurant as well.

The Lahani Haloha octagonal building went through at least one name change. One photo shows a sign out front advertising "Beach Garden" around 1980-1983.

The Barney West tiki appears to have remained for a time but was relocated to the Polynesian at some point.

Then the pier suffered a fire in 1988. Luckily the octagon building wasn't damaged but as a result of the fire, the area was getting a lot less foot traffic which hurt business. The owner of the octagon building wanted to be compensated for their losses. In the end the taxpayers ended up footing the bill and the city took ownership of the building. Over the years the building stood abandoned. There were countless ideas for what to do with the building but they couldn't agree on anything. It was referred to as Parcel 10 from this point forward in city discussions.

Probably most notably it was used as the exterior location of "The Bait Shop" in Season 2 of The O.C. television series.

In 2013, after a storm caused extensive damage, the city voted to have it demolished.

As of October 2020, a $110,000 skatepark was approved for Parcel 10.

Inside Passage opened on June 25th, 2021 after a long delay because of the COVID pandemic.

It is owned by Pike Street Hospitality Group (the group behind Rumba, Agua Verde Café, and Tango Restaurant).

The interior was designed by Notch Gonzalez — and is more nautical than "tiki" in nature -- mixing tropical aesthetics (thatching, lighting, drink mugs) with Pacific Northwest seafaring history (including the name). That’s reflected in the rubber-and-foam octopus (which the bar nicknamed Kiki), as well as rustic wood accents throughout that recall an old ship.

The bar very pointedly tackles the concept of "tiki" on their website and declares that they are not a tiki bar but an "immersion bar". They have tried to resist using any depictions of tikis, weapons, or native wahines (but topless mermaids and ship figureheads are nautical and okay apparently).

Despite this, if you are a fan of tiki bars, you will probably find much of their decor and their cocktail menu VERY familiar...

This grab-'n-go style Trader Vic's "Outpost" opened in the San Jose Airport in May 2021.

Kona Lei opened on March 27th, 2013.

Miguel Escobedo (Señor Castaway) and his partner, Eduardo, opened this bar at what was previously Bar Hernán Cortés.

Kona Lei appears to have closed around 2015.

Miguel is now the owner of Tiki Chateau in Madrid.

As of 2021, the location of Kona Lei is now home to La Hummuseria, a vegan restaurant.

For a number of years during the mid-1970s, the Tanela Restaurant was a fairly popular location for local people to get some Polynesian cuisine.

The Tanela was known for its large Moai statue and Polynesian-themed décor on the outside of the building. The business added several motel-like apartments at the rear of the property, but soon fell on hard times, the restaurant closing down, but the motel units remaining in operation.

During the early 2000s, an attempt was made to revive the location, and it re-opened as a heavy metal-type venue called “Trance Buddha.” That didn’t work out either, and soon closed. Within a few more years, the apartments were closed.

The building, along with the large Moai statue, remains intact at the Rt.e 20 location, although they are deteriorating. The property appears to be abandoned.

Caroline's Aloha Bar and restaurant is located in the Avondale neighborhood of Charleston. It opened in early 2005 as the Voodoo Tiki Bar & Lounge.

However, Caroline Smith-Adams, the face of Voodoo Tiki Bar for 15 years, passed away, so the team at Voodoo decided to rebrand the restaurant to honor her life.

From 10/22/2020 onward, the bar was re-branded as Caroline's Aloha Bar and given a new makeover along with a new website and Facebook page.

Opened in 2018.

The restaurant and bar is from Charleston restaurateur Karalee Fallert, who is also behind Taco Boy, The Park Cafe, and The Royal American, and her business partner April Bennett.

Executive Chef Jason DuPree has created a menu that offers slow-cooked meats accompanied by sides including rice, macaroni salad, greens, and starchy root vegetables.

Dishes include the grilled kona kampachi, a variety of poke bowls, a pu-pu platter, Southern-fried coconut shrimp, and Spam sliders.

Wiki Wiki Sandbar resides in a 6,500-square foot space that incorporates local artists’ work that embody the facets of tiki culture.

The four dining rooms have different themes including: the Octopus Bar featuring the work of Jeff Kopish; the Sunset Room featuring a sunset mural by Suzanne Allen; the Wave Room featuring a massive sculpture made of Japanese glass floats by KHA; and a traditional tiki bar that resides on the top floor with views of the Atlantic Ocean and dioramas by artist Hirona Matsuda.

Fallert recruited her partner from the Park Cafe, Xan McLaughlin, to develop the cocktail program with help from national rum connoisseur Daniel Parks of San Francisco’s Pagan Idol.

Long-time Charleston resident Roderick Groetzinger added his touch as bar manager.

Opened in August 2017 in the location formerly occupied by Rumor lounge.

This two-story white-painted structure may resemble a large fraternity house made over for a luau weekend on the outside, with its brightly painted tiki masks and Corona beer ads and banners/pennants strung across the balconies, but on the inside they appear to have something for everyone.

The bar offers classic and house cocktails in tiki mugs. They also have two full pages in their menu devoted to rum tasting notes on their large selection should you prefer to sip your spirits neat.

Additionally, they have a large selection of vodka, tequila, and beers on tap.

This location was originally a spinoff from the original Christian's Hut in Newport Beach from 1940s to 1953.

Later this location became the Doll House and Kona Hut.

Noelle Coley and Martin Armendariz opened the Toltec Tiki Room inside the Toltec building in December 2020 and it quickly become a staple in the property’s revival.

The Toltec Building is a historic structure in downtown El Paso built in 1910. Its original purpose was to be the home of a men's organization called the Toltec Club, which was founded in 1908. Members of the club were prominent business, civic and political leaders at the time. British-born architect John J. Huddart designed the building in a combination of the Beaux-Arts, Renaissance, and Sullivanesque (named after American architect Louis Henry Sullivan) styles. As such, the Toltec Building is one of the more unique landmarks in El Paso. Notable features include arched windows, geometric terra cotta decoration, and balconies in front of the second-floor windows. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, it has been used for office and commercial space since the club closed in 1930.

The bar adds to an existing Peking restaurant that is open for lunch during the week and a passport business.

This bar & restaurant opened April 21st, 1961 in Echo Lake/East Stroudsburg (Pocono Mountains area).

It became the Bamboo House and lost most of its tiki decor at that time. The Bamboo House is still running as of 2021.

This early pre-tiki establishment used a headhunter as its logo.

In January 1941, Jack Mitchell opened the South Ocean Club. It was situated north of the Lake Worth Casino when Ocean Boulevard ran directly along the beachfront, extending from the ocean to the lake. For its gala opening, Don Ferrara’s Latin American orchestra kept guests on their feet with congas and rumbas.

The lower floor of the South Ocean Club’s two-story West Indies-style building served as the beach club with colorful cabanas aligned along the shore. Highlighted by a circular teak dance floor, the upper-level restaurant and lounge overlooked the ocean and lake. A colorful mural of big game hunters and headhunters by R. Bushnell Hyman added to the exotic atmosphere.

But World War II deferred Mitchell’s club life. He served as a naval submarine commander from 1942 until 1946, before returning to Palm Beach and building his own club legacy, the Coral Beach Club.

The South Ocean Club was destroyed by fire in 1956.

Opened December 2016.

From their website:

"Kawenzmann means in sailor slang "Monsterwelle" (Monster Wave) and thus alludes to the origins of the Tiki culture of the ancient seafaring peoples of Polynesia. For us, Tiki means one thing above all else: exotic, completely casual and also a little ironic bar and drinking culture - so don't be too serious. In addition to iconic Tiki drinks, our own cocktail creations and some Colada variants, we also serve you over 60 types of rum from all over the world to enjoy."

The Hawaii restaurant opened in 1967. Together with the old-timer train, the Santa Fe Western Express, the fairy tale forest, the pony riding track, the puppet theater as well as the rowing and pedal boats, it was one of the first attractions in Phantasialand.

The Hawaii restaurant was the first culinary stand in Phantasialand. It offered space for up to 500 guests who could choose between exotic and local cuisine. In addition to the indoor seats, there was also an outdoor snack area. Outside the thatched houses, guests who did not want to eat were also entertained: a playground was set up for the children, while hula dancers provided live entertainment from time to time.

The Hawaii restaurant was demolished for the 1993 season and replaced by the children's area. The reason for this lay in several comments from many parents, who complained that the park had little to offer for the youngest visitors.

Opened December 5th, 2018.

This was the third in the chain of No Bones Beach Club locations, with the previous two on the West Coast in Portland and Seattle.

Due to Covid shutdowns, the first two brick-and-mortar locations were forced to close. The Chicago location is still listed as "temporarily closed" as of May 2021.

However, their website doesn't highlight any brick-and-mortar locations and seems to be simply a promotional page for their frozen wholesale food, so the Chicago location may be closing for good as well.

The No Bones Beach Clubs are (were) known for their all-Vegan menu paired with tropical cocktails in a beachy/tiki-light environment.

Lono Cove opened in Chester, United Kingdom, in September 2018, in the space formerly occupied by Zanzi Bar.

The bar is operated by Luke Edge and Carlo Guy, who formerly managed Red Door on St John Street, and who wanted to create a cocktail bar that, "takes elements of everything we've learned over the past few years and everything Chester requires from a cocktail bar."

Drinks are served in CheekyTiki (now known as Little Grass Shack) tiki mugs similar to what you might find at Lola Lo's or other UK tiki establishments.

The bar is intimate, decorated with palm wallpaper, trimmed in bamboo, and with an arched ceiling featuring a blue sky with magenta clouds and tropical birds winging overhead.

Like many tiki bars in recent years, it is a bit thin on actual tiki carvings, masks, or objets d'art such as one might expect from venerable forebears like Trader Vic's or Don the Beachcombers. The focus is mostly on the cocktail experience.

Originally built in 1953 as a meager 40-room roadside lodge, Town and Country is now a bustling, full-service resort with a nostalgic and playful celebration of its mid-century roots.

It is located 5 miles from the San Diego Zoo and Balboa Park.

The Tiki Hut (aka Tiki Pavilion, Tiki Room) is an event space built on the grounds. The octagonal shake-covered building was designed by Hendrick and Mock (also designers of the Islands Restaurant and Hanalei Hotel -- at the site of the current San Diego Crowne Plaza) as part of a 1962 expansion project that brought 80 more rooms to the hotel complex. The pavilion was topped with a William Westenhaver Witco Mainlander carving named “Riki Tiki.”

On special occasions, Tiki torch flames or fireworks would be set off from his head. Riki caught fire a couple of times even though he was protected from the flames via a sheetmetal dulì (Chinese farmer’s hat).

San Diego Fire Department officials soon put a stop to that, and Riki Tiki was relocated to good ol’ terra firma. The pavilion and Riki Tiki have survived under various names to this day.

Starting in 2021, the Town and Country became host to the growing Tiki Oasis event, previously hosted at the Palm Springs Caliente Tropics (2001-2005), then at the San Diego Crowne Plaza (2006-2019), and briefly at San Diego's Paradise Point (2020).

The Samoa Beach Restaurant was located in Cocoa Beach, Florida, off of Highway A1A and one block south of the Cocoa Causeway.

It was located in a strip mall with Causeway drugs and other shops on either side but stood out because of a grass thatched A-Frame entrance that jutted out from the otherwise normal-looking rectangular building.

Created by Mr. and Mrs. Guy Hovia. Opening date is unclear.

Nani Maka, the Hawaiian star and dancer (who also performed at the Yankee clipper and Mai Kai among others) often performed here during their early years -- doing the "Tahitian Twist".

The restaurant caught fire in 1960 due to a short-circuited flood light that caught the thatching on fire, but this did not apparently harm operations.

In later years, hula dancing seemed to be less of a draw and ads from 1968-1970 show that they brought in magicians and topless Go-Go dancers...which together with their house band formed quite a nightly bill of entertainment.

Unclear when they eventually closed...

Today, the site appears to be home to Ron Jon Surf Shop.

The Pitcairn's neon sign was designed by Heathcote in 1961 and built by California Neon Products.

The hotel was demolished in 1998 as part of the City of Anaheim's "beautification" project.

Today, as of 2021, this location appears to be a parking lot in-between the Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant and Hampton Inn and Suites.