Tiki Bars
Glenlani Tiki Apartments
Los Angeles, California, United States
The Glenlani Tiki Apartments were built in 1960.
They are an example of dingbats -- boxy two-story apartments supported by stilts, with open stalls below for parking. (Their name is likely to have been coined by architect Francis Ventre while he was lecturing at UCLA in the early '70s.) Thousands of the inexpensive 16-unit structures were built in the late '50s and early '60s to accommodate the huge number of people moving to Southern California. Dingbats are being demolished by the dozen to make way for multi-story complexes with underground parking, so they are doubly ephemeral when paired with a tiki theme and tiki imagery.
The Glenlani has apparently lost its sign, reading "Glenlani Tiki" and possibly the swag lamps as of 2021, but the whitewashed standing tiki on the other side of the structure is still there.
According to Redfin, the space has 11 units as of a 2020 assessment, so it was either slightly smaller than the normal dingbat or 5 of those original 16 units were incorporated into the remaining units to make them more spacious, probably now considered as condo conversions.
Kala Kai Apartments
Lomita, California, United States
This 34,356 square foot condo features 74 bedrooms and 42 bathrooms. It was built in 1963 and still has many of its original tikis in place.
The Monkey's Paw - at Downtown Grill
Macon, Georgia, United States (Closed)
Opened in Fall 2020.
Located in a secret lounge above the Downtown Grill.
You needed a reservation to go and they only sat 8 people at a time.
The Monkey's Paw closed their Downtown Grill location and re-opened at a new location in the basement of Pearl Passionate Cuisine & Cocktails (which closed June 23rd, 2024).
The Pearl venue became a new location called The Monkey's Paw Tropical Tapas on July 11th, 2024 with tapas dining upstairs and the Monkey's Paw Tiki Lounge downstairs.
Canoe House
South Pasadena, California, United States
Previously Wild Thyme Restaurant, Canoe House opened in January 2012.
The restaurant design layout features a canoe hanging from the rafters as you would expect. They also have several very nice tiki lamps throughout the building, paddles, Hawaiian art prints, and at least one large Papua New Guinea tiki mask.
Big screen TVs at the bar and throughout the restaurant kill the island ambience somewhat but it brings in a sports crowd.
Food is sort of Hawaiian fusion -- not as high-end as a Roy's -- although you can get herb crusted mahi mahi -- but with a wide variety of sandwiches, burgers, and tacos it feels more like a Hawaiian-styled Applebees.
They have a very limited cocktail menu and don't feature traditional tiki cocktails, but do have an island style mai-tai made with Gosling's and Malibu rum as well as pineapple and orange juice.
The restaurant also has a very nice outdoor patio with a fire pit.
Lava & Tonic
Wichita, Kansas, United States
Lava & Tonic opened in Spring 2019 in Wichita, KS.
The front is rather plain and unmarked in true speakeasy fashion. Look for the Donut Whole and the Hopping Gnome Brewery, it is sandwiched in between.
The Polynesia Apartments - Canoga Park
Canoga Park, California, United States
The Polynesia was built in Canoga Park in 1962 by Mr. Max Resnick, a Southern California apartment builder.
The property measures 25,840 square feet on a total lot size of 29,992 square feet with 27 units with a total of 49 Beds and 28 Baths.
Unlike most tiki apartment complexes, The Polynesia did not have an A-frame at the entrance. Instead, it had an interesting arrangement of large beams decorated with exotic patterns to provide an entrance canopy.
The Polynesia still stands and the mural on the front of the building remains.
However, the decorated canopy beams have long since been removed, about the time of the Northridge Earthquake (1994 or so). Beams on the other side of the building give some idea of what was there.
Del Rosa Isle Apartments
San Bernardino, California, United States
This site is right next door to the Del Rosa Palms Apartments at 2640 Del Rosa Ave and they were probably two sides to the original complex which was envisioned as a sort of Hawaiian Village. They are often mentioned together or interchangeably in apartment listings or other posts.
Opened on May 3rd, 1964, the complex advertised itself as having 71 one, two, or three-bedroom and efficiency units, a putting green, badminton and shuffleboard court, and 2 swimming pools.
This was also the former home to 15 large tikis, some weighing up to 5000 pounds, by local tiki carver Ramar, but they are now long gone. Little is known of Ramar beyond this location.
The Del Rosa Palms has an A-frame entrance in front, but the Del Rosa Isle has an even more impressive A-frame building back by the pool, that is HUGE, with 10-12 original lucite swag lamps hanging from the rafters (the flower blossom variety in multiple colors). This A-Frame was probably meant to be more of an open entertainment area or pool house before, but today the lower half has been walled off to use as a laundry facility and there is a stairway leading up to the top which is a rather bare patio area.
Del Rosa Palms Apartments
San Bernardino, California, United States
This site is right next door to the Del Rosa Isle Apartments at 6262 Del Rosa Ave N and they were probably two sides to the original complex which was envisioned as a sort of Hawaiian Village. They are often mentioned together or interchangeably in apartment listings or other posts.
Opened on May 3rd, 1964, the complex advertised itself as having 71 one, two, or three-bedroom and efficiency units, a putting green, badminton and shuffleboard court, and 2 swimming pools.
This was also the former home to 15 large tikis, some weighing up to 5000 pounds, by local tiki carver Ramar, but they are now long gone. Little is known of Ramar beyond this location.
The Del Rosa Palms has an A-frame entrance in front, but the Del Rosa Isle has an even more impressive A-frame building back by the pool, that is HUGE, with 10-12 original lucite swag lamps hanging from the rafters (the flower blossom variety in multiple colors). This A-Frame was probably meant to be more of an open entertainment area or pool house before, but today the lower half has been walled off to use as a laundry facility and there is a stairway leading up to the top which is a rather bare patio area.
Mona Kai Apartments - Culver City
Culver City, California, United States
The Mona Kai Apartments were built in 1965 on Sawtelle Boulevard in Culver City, CA. They feature a large A-frame entrance.
It doesn't appear that there is any other surviving tiki decor.
There is also a Mona Kai Apartments in Goleta, CA but it is not clear if there is any connection other than the use of the name.
Mona Kai Apartments - Goleta
Goleta, California, United States
This apartment complex features 4 A-frames in front and is 2 stories with 21 units.
Other than this, it doesn't appear to have any other tiki decor.
There are also Mona Kai Apartments, originally built in 1965, at 4600 Sawtelle Blvd., Los Angeles 90230 (Marina del Rey), CA. It is not clear if there is any connection to the apartments in Goleta other than the name.
Tiki Bar - Grau i Platja
Grau i Platja, Spain
Opened in 2010, this is a tiki-themed bar and nightclub in Gandia, Spain.