Tiki Bars
Hunã
Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
Hunã, a 78-seat cocktail bar in Ann Arbor, opened on February 12th, 2026. The bar is located below the James Beard nominated Echelon Kitchen & Bar and focuses on classic tiki style drinks. This bar gives metro Detroiters an in-state escape from the frigid temperatures. That was the goal of chef Joseph VanWagner and bar manager Max Schikora. “The whole idea was to bring a space to Ann Arbor, where people can kind of escape to their own island paradise,” says VanWagner. “Whether it’s for a drink or for a whole evening, it’s another avenue for us to infuse our version of hospitality into the community.” The interior, which features warm lighting, bamboo, and greenery accents, was designed by Ann Arbor-based firm MOMUS Inc. The name Hunã means both “house” and “hidden” in Hawaiian.
The space does feature tiki decorations and carvings, but also some vague fill-in pieces that don't quite fit the theme, like their large red Mexican Diablo mask with a snake on its head (seen below).
Overall, the vibe is quite polished, however, and there have been good reports back on the quality of their cocktails.
Aviary Bar - at the Kuala Lumpur Hilton - Jalan Sultan Ismail
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Closed)
The Jungle Bird was originally a welcome drink for guests at the Aviary Bar at the Kuala Lumpur Hilton in Malaysia on its opening day in 1973. It remained a staple on their menu for decades.
It was the first five-star hotel in Kuala Lumpur, so employees of the hotel were highly regarded. The original staff remembered if there were police roadblocks, they only had to show their work IDs and they would be immediately waved off- that's the level of respect the community had for the hotel.
One of the main attractions of this incredible hotel was the Aviary Bar. Travel guides marveled, "Others may prefer something more Malaysian; in the Aviary Bar you may have your drink amidst lush tropical foliage and an aviary of exotic jungle birds. Live entertainment is furnished by a jazz quartet, a trio, or a solo singer."
The original Hilton Kuala Lumpur, at Jalan Sultan Ismail, was a landmark building designed by BEP Akitek. It was renowned for its unique multi-level lobby and Minangkabau roof designs. This iconic property was demolished after Hilton ended its management agreement in 2001, moving to the new KL Sentral location in 2004.
Like other cocktails created according to the theme of their host bar, the Jungle Bird referred to the birds that you could see from inside The Aviary Bar. The Jungle Bird was also famous for its unique glassware, as the cocktail was served in a bird shaped ceramic glass with a pineapple garnish. Sadly, none survived the later destruction of the hotel in 2013 and it was assumed most were stolen before the demolition took place. The new KL. Hilton, however, kept the cocktail that the original hotel made famous... Just not the ceramic glasses!
Recipe: 1 1/2 ounces dark Jamaican rum, 3/4 ounce Campari, 1 1/2 ounces pineapple juice, 1/2 ounce fresh squeezed lime juice , 1/2 ounce simple syrup, Pineapple wedge and leaves for garnish with Maraschino cherry.
Variant recipes abound, but a quick sub for those who do not like the cocktail as bitter as the original specs is to use 4 oz of pineapple juice instead of 1 1/2 oz. Those who like the original specs will, of course, consider this an abomination.
Hamilton Pot Still Black seems to have become the default Jamaican Rum for this recipe in recent years, but many Jamaican rums have been used.
According to Jeff Berry, when the recipe called for 'dark Jamaican rum', the most likely candidate would have been the classic molasses and caramel-heavy Myers's Original Dark, which would have been the easy choice in the 1970s.
The Jungle Bird, since its rediscovery, has been embraced by the craft cocktail community and today stands as both a modern classic and as well as the national cocktail of Malaysia.
The Aviary Bar was a tiki adjacent bar in its original incarnation with foliage and birds lending a tropical aspect, and though not full-tiki, deserves an honorable mention for this cocktail and influence on later generations.
There are many bars today named "The Jungle Bird" (a tiki bar in Sacramento, a tiki bar in San Juan, and a craft cocktail bar in New York for example), owed in no small part to this one cocktail.
The modern Aviary Bar in the new Kuala Lumpur Hilton on Sentral still serves this signature drink today. There are no birds and (as far as I can tell) no foliage in this newer, sleek, and generic dark hotel bar. However, the cocktail legacy continues.
Tiki Box Bar - Koh Samui - Thailand
Thailand
Tiki Box Bar opened in 2017 in the Koh Samui District of Surat Thani, Thailand. It was created from a converted shipping container.
One whole exterior screen wall is made of bamboo and the back bar is painted black with a repeated stencil pattern of sea turtles, tikis, and volcanos.
While the decor is not the immersive collection of artwork and lighting and curated materials one might wish for from old-school authentic tiki bars like Trader Vics, considering this started as a shipping container, they are doing pretty well...
They appear to have a robust drinks program with made-in-house syrups. They're also known for being a dance venue at night.
Diamond Head - Wichita
Wichita, Kansas, United States (Closed)
Opened in 1975. Lasted through the mid 1980s.
This restaurant offered Polynesian style food and drinks.
The Old Hangout - at McMenamins Elks Temple
Tacoma, Washington, United States
McMenamins Elks Temple in Tacoma opened on April 24, 2019. The historic 1916 building was restored by McMenamins following its acquisition in 2009, transforming the former lodge into a 45-room hotel with multiple bars, restaurants, a brewery, and a concert venue.
The Old Hangout, opened along with the rest of the venue in April 2019. Located on the ground floor, this tiki-themed bar features bamboo & rattan decor and a waterfall, but in keeping with other McMenamins venues it is fairly eclectic and incorporates a number of other vintage and found items that aren't normally found in tiki bars.
You will spot a Papua New Guinea mask and a Hawaiian carved Ku but there are also Balinese and African pieces, and other eclectic pieces of flotsam and jetsam.
They do have a tiki tropical drinks menu and serve cocktails in tiki mugs.
House of Bamboo
Camarillo, California, United States
Soft opening was on February 7th, 2026.
Official general opening was February 11th, 2026.
Owned by Jamie McBride.
This tiki bar is a labor of love, named after the 1958 song by Andy Williams. The lyrics go "It's a made of sticks, Sticks and bricks, But you can get your kicks, In the house of bamboo." However, this build-out took far more than just sticks and bricks. They couldn’t start until after city and county approvals, removing the concrete floor to run gas, water, electrical, drains, framing of walls, HVAC, wiring for sound and special effects, pouring a new concrete floor, purchasing new bar and kitchen equipment and more. Because they added on to the back of the building, they were required to install a fire sprinkler system.
Many hands have had a part in its development, including Ron Ferrell who came onto the project early-on to give guidance, Darrell Clark the bar manager, Notch Gonzalez who led the final build-out, and Kirby Fleming who added many signature touches like tiki sconces and table lamps.
The final result is a bar that is over-the-top in all the best ways possible and that also honors history -- especially the Old Trade Winds bar in Oxnard that ran during the 60s and was operated by Martin "Bud" Smith. Lots of details and a few original pieces came straight from this early precursor.
The building itself was a perfect choice with its iconic mid-century zig zag roof (often termed a "folded plate" or "accordion" roof). Colored fish float lamps accentuate this roofline and large Marquesan Tikis by the legendary Tiki Diablo (passed away in 2026) flank the front entrance. Black lava rock trims the front entrance and wraps around the base of the building.
Beyond the exterior and the front entrance is like entering another realm entirely...
For those who have seen Notch's other finished bars (like The Royal Hawaiian in Laguna Beach, Smuggler's Cove in San Francisco, or Max's South Seas in Grand Rapids) they will recognize and appreciate the detail of his craftsmanship which executes the concept of classic tiki bar design perfectly. The interior has more lauhala matting and thatching than you can shake a stick at, along with routered and carved trims and panels to complete tha "native hut" look. In the seating area, more carved tikis guard each of the booths which also have Chinese jade tile screen dividers. And, the bar itself is lit by old fashioned Orchids of Hawaii style shell swag lamps and stocked with a plethora of rums.
But this is only the beginning. Animatronic bamboo spikes with impaled skulls menace customers and immersive sound effects lend an air of danger and mystery -- making patrons feel like they have entered an Indiana Jones adventure, rather than just stopping to get a quick drink...
And, if you are in the area for the day and want to check out all the tiki sights, two blocks away is 999 Tiki Bar. House of Bamboo had setbacks during the construction phase (see the city and county approvals listed above) and even though Jamie McBride's project was started much earlier, 999 Tiki Bar was a relatively easier build-out and seized the title of "Camarillo's First Tiki Bar". There seems to be room for both concepts as 999 Tiki Bar caters to a family crowd looking for quick drinks and pizza and House of Bamboo is a much larger traditional tiki bar aiming for an adult audience who is looking for a more immersive experience. What is clear is that Camarillo has become, very quickly, a major tiki destination!
Hawaiian Lounge - at Conley's Motel
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States (Closed)
This was one of a local chain of motels and inns, originally built by Robert Conley in 1952, and associated with the Best Western chain.
They had a Hawaiian Lounge from 1965 onward, but this greatly expanded in 1972.
This location added a 12,000 square-foot recreational mall March 17th, 1972 which included an indoor-outdoor swimming pool, health club, putting green, and brick-patioed entertainment area with a large tiki bar, open table seating with rattan chairs, and a large 7' tall tiki at the street entrance which was flanked by tiki torches and accessed by a bamboo bridge. A second large carved tiki regarded visitors at the opposite end of the patio space as they passed into the interior of the motel. The roof over this area was a retractable dome of sorts that could be adjusted for the weather.
Conley's was known for their Polynesian revue in this large semi-outdoor Hawaiian Lounge space, which continued at least until the 1980s even though newspaper ads show a range of other entertainment advertised as well, including disco of traditional Thai dancers, etc...
This location is now a Home Depot.
Ye Olde Sea Chest - Marina Del Rey
Marina del Rey, California, United States (Closed)
Newspaper advertisements show this business ran from 1964 - 1981, first selling nautical and Polynesian goods and in later years becoming a night club.
They initially opened in 1964 at 4042 Lincoln Boulevard and then moved to 4110 Lincoln Boulevard @1969.
However, 1970s era matchbooks using the same logo advertise that this location was a nite club that offered dining and dancing as well.
They made the transition to a night club in 1971, operated by Rudy Onderwyzer, former manager of 'Shelly's Manne Hole' in Hollywood (a renowned jazz club).
A cheesecake photo from the Marina Del Rey Historical Society marked "1972" (background and below) shows a girl in cut-off jean shorts on a bamboo bridge with mounds of glass fish gloats piled to the side, a shell swag lamp and other lamps above her head with sales tags, and, in the shadows beyond it looks like band equipment and a tapa cloth hanging on the wall.
The question remains as to whether this was a store that became a night club or a store that moonlighted as a night club. With the piles of tagged merch, it doesn't look as though this was the cleanest transition...
This location later became Hop Singh's in 1981 (and ran until 1987).
Today, as of 2026, there is nothing left save some storage facilities behind industrial fencing.
Tropic Thunder
Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Opened January 22nd, 2026 on Roosevelt Row in downtown Phoenix.
Tropic Thunder is a concept developed by prolific Valley nightlife entrepreneur Julian Wright.
Part tiki lounge, part punk rock dive bar, the 50-seat space is located near the northwest corner of Roosevelt and Second Street, not far from Wright’s other downtown concepts, Pedal Haus Brewery, Sake Haus, and Luckys Indoor Outdoor.
Tropic Thunder’s dark decor – courtesy of architect Wesley James, who collaborated on Wright’s Devil’s Hideaway and Idle Hands in downtown Tempe – features a skull-shaped photo-op throne, murals of tigers and pin-up girls, netted glass fish float lights, and animal faced carved tiki poles.
The extensive drinks menu ranges from classic tiki cocktails and daiquiris to shots and ‘‘industry grog,’’ described as ‘‘rums, other stuff, cooked up by our bartenders.’’
Surf City Tiki Hut
Gilbert, Arizona, United States
Opened February 1st, 2026, in Gilbert, Arizona.
FIG (Paul Figliomeni), is the owner. He is a longtime surfer, chef and founder of Surf City Sandwich.
The interior design was overseen by Tiki Diablo (Danny Gallardo) and the build-out is gorgeous classic tiki styling with spectacular hanging lamps, routered wood trim pieces carved with Polynesian designs, tiki carvings, thatching, nautical touches (a shark's head, ship's wheel, and vintage buoys), a mug display case, and much more.
The bar also features their own branded mugs and their house cocktail menu features both classics and signature cocktails.
Beachcomber - at the Hotel Quarteira Sol
Quarteira, Portugal (Closed)
The Beachcomber was located inside the Hotel Quarteira Sol, a 9-floor hotel built in 1972.
The Beachcomber likely did not last beyond the last major renovation to the property which happened in 1987, and quite possibly was closed well before then.
The hotel is still operating today, as of 2026 but with no signs left of the Beachcomber.