Fong's Pizza opened in January 2009 as a partnership between Jeff Bruning (part owner of several other Des Moines bars) and Gwen Schlepphorst. Bruning had dreams of opening a tiki bar, Schlepphorst had dreams of opening a late-night pizza joint. Fong's Pizza took over a space vacated by King Ying Low, a Chinese restaurant that had operated for over one hundred years.

Fong's is a funky mix of Chinese, Polynesian and uniquely American touches. Tiki drinks are served in tiki mugs from Tiki Farm (when secured with an appropriate deposit). Pizza is available by the slice until well past midnight; during lunch and dinner service a wider menu is available with some traditional Chinese and Polynesian offerings.

Three more Fong's locations followed after this first one, starting in 2015, but the expansion did not last and each of the three closed shop until only the original remained by 2023.

The second location in the District at Prairie Trail in Ankeny opened 2015 and closed in 2023, a third location in Cedar Rapids NewBo entertainment district opened in 2018 and closed in 2022, and a fourth location in Des Moines on Forest Avenue opened in 2019 and closed in 2021.

Established in 1934.

The Galley is Santa Monica's oldest bar and restaurant, and features decor from 1935's Mutiny On the Bounty (the production of that same movie also inspired the legendary Christian's Hut in Newport Beach).

The Galley is more nautical than tiki, but features a South Seas Bar with lots of bamboo and pufferfish lamps.

Another highlight of The Galley is a large collection of World War II era propaganda posters.

The Castaway was a nautically themed restaurant overlooking the San Francisco Bay from Coyote Point Recreation Area. While not strictly tiki, it had many tropical and flotsam-and-jetsam elements, like float lamps, netting and monkeypod tabletops.

The Castaway closed in 1997 for major repairs, but the repairs never happened. After standing in increasing disrepair for over a decade, the building was bulldozed in February 2008.

This location had a sister restaurant at 66 Jack London Square in Oakland, California.

Trailer Happiness is a retro-California lounge in the Notting Hill section of London, opened by John Downey in 2003.

Rather than finding its inspiration in midcentury Polynesian restaurants, it aimed for the feel of an American, kitsch-heavy, basement rumpus room.

The tiki-heavy drink menu was developed with a helping hand from famed cocktailian Dale DeGroff.

They proclaimed over 300 rums behind the bar.

The bar changed hands and has been owned by Sly Augustin since 2012.

For many years, patrons were greeted by Bianca the topless hula girl statue in the front window, but it appears Bianca has gone on vacation for parts unknown in recent years...

Augustin has made changes and updates since the early years, and especially after a disaster that happened to the bar right on the heals of Covid...

On July 12th, 2021, the location was flooded, but since then, they've been able to deal with the damages, do extensive remodeling, and re-open thanks in great part to help from the bar and spirits industry who have been very supportive and consider the location to be an iconic part of the bar landscape.

This tiki bar/nightclub on the south side of London opened in 2008 and closed just a few months later in 2009. The bar had three levels, the main level had a dance floor, while the upper level had a lounge with karaoke.

Converted to Fish & Chip Shop -- now Goddards at Greenwich Pie & Mash.

Kukui was a modern tiki nightclub in Oxford, England, opened in 2008. Being a nightclub in a college town, its target audience was a young crowd, and was set up for music and dancing rather than lounging and conversing.

To give one example, they invited controversy at their first ever Halloween party in 2008, when an online listing promised “one of the naughtiest nights of the year” with “KY Jelly wrestling — naked” and “fetish snake shows involving a 12ft albino python”.

Capacity was set for 800 persons.

The space was an unusually successful melding of sleek, modern lines with Polynesian Pop. This same combination has been attempted many times before, and usually lands with a thud; in the hands of interior design firm CheekyTiki and graphic designer TikiRacer (responsible for the interior and graphics for Mahiki in London), the result was beautifully proportioned and worked well.

It was divided into six distinct areas, including the private blue-domed Castaway Room, seating 35 and sealed off from the main space by a 4m tropical fish tank. Alternatively, you could book the Californian Room, with a 15m tropical rainforest wall screen.

'Hula Hula Girls' and 'Honolulu Hunks' served the keenly priced cocktails, designed for sharing.

Kukui closed in May 2011.

A second Kukui location opened in Bournemouth in 2010 and then closed 6th February 2012, re-opened as Lola Lo Bournemouth on the 9th February 2012, before closing once more in July 2014 only to be re-opened as a non-tiki themed establishment afterwards.

Frankie's Tiki Room opened December 4th, 2008.

It is open 24 hours a day, every day. The basis is a traditional Polynesian Pop environment, with beautiful tapa cloth and intricate carvings, with an unusual overlay of crass nods to Las Vegas hedonism.

Interior decor by Bamboo Ben. They also feature both house cocktails and traditional tiki cocktails. Unique signature tiki mugs made by Tiki Farm for purchase.

They do allow smoking inside premises, so non-smokers beware.

Frankie's published a cocktail book, Liquid Vacation, in 2013, if you want to make their cocktails at home.

In December 2022, Ken Ruzic, Big Toe (Tom Laura), and Doug Horne painted a mural around the curved front entrance, helping to celebrate Frankie's 14th Anniversary Celebration.

Tiki Tom's was a Polynesian/Caribbean restaurant, bar and banquet facility on an estuary in Oakland. This Tiki Tom's location opened in late 2008, two years after its owner, Tom Davies (Tiki Tom) sold his share of the original Tiki Tom's location in Walnut Creek; the two locations were otherwise unconnected.

Tiki Tom's burned down under "suspicious circumstances" shortly after their liquor license expired and the power was cut off, in October 2010.

The bar featured a mosaic by Laurel True (then of the Institute of Mosaic Art) 3 which survived the fire.

The location is now the aptly-named Phoenix Commons senior co-housing project.

The Tiki Terrace is a rare treat: a modern-day Polynesian restaurant with a floor show. This second location opened in April 2008; the original location was in nearby Prospect Heights.

This new location is much larger, and the decor is even more elaborate than before. The walls are lined with tapa cloth, lauhala and bamboo, and many massive moai guard the perimeter of the room. The dining room seats 90 in a number of cozy booths separated by bamboo and tall, carved tiki poles.

The restaurant is owned and operated by the Zuziak family, with traditional floor shows performed each weekend by its sister company, Barefoot Hawaiian productions.

House of Tiki was owned by Wes Johnson, and sold new merchandise, including aloha wear, tiki mugs, home decor, and of course tikis. This was the second location for House of Tiki, having moved from its original location (used from 2003-2008) to this location within a WWII quonset hut in December 2008. House of Tiki closed in September 2009.

This sadly short-lived Trader Vic's location opened in late 2008, struggled, and finally closed in 2011. It was on the ground level of the Newberry Plaza Building.

The new location used much of the decor from the legendary old Chicago Trader Vic's, which was in the Palmer House Hilton until it lost its lease in 2005.

As of 2021 the Newberry Plaza location is now a Morton's Steakhouse.

Opened in 2008 and closed in 2018.

Brooklyn's Tiki Bar was a dive bar with little tropical decor to speak of.

However, they did offer a menu of traditional tropical drinks, and had special tiki cocktail spotlight nights.