Tiki Bars
Tiki Tap House
Centralia, Washington, United States
Tiki Tap House was opened by Cindy and Jordan Peabody in Centralia, Washington in July 2013. It is an "island inspired" pizza restaurant -- not a tiki bar. There's only beer and wine available, so no tiki cocktails. The decor is spare, but there's a clear love for tiki here. There is a wall with tiki mugs, tikis adorn the thatch-topped bar (which has 18 rotating beers on tap), and some tiki art is on display -- including impressive tikis carved by Cindy's son, restaurant manager Anthony Dijos. The pizzas incorporate lots of unusual island flavors, going beyond the expected Hawaiian pizza, with Spam, mango, macadamia nuts and coconut.
The Islander Apartments
Santa Ana, California, United States
The Islander Apartments were built in 1962, in the Riverglen neighborhood of Santa Ana, California. The entry is a swooped A-frame structure, with a tiki underneath. More tikis can be found supporting a second A-frame structure by the pool area. The apartment complex has a carved wooden sign. More free-standing tikis likely existed and have long since rotted away or been removed, but the tiki poles for the A-frames still remain.
The community consists of 63 one-story units in 1, 2, and 3 bedroom arrangements. The property sits on 5 landscaped acres.
Volcano Bay
Orlando, Florida, United States
Volcano Bay is a Polynesian-themed water park in the Universal Orlando Resort in Orlando, Florida. It opened on May 25, 2017.
The 53-acre park includes many rides and attractions, and restaurants and bars. The centerpiece of the park is the towering 200-foot-tall "Krakatau" volcano, which holds the Krakatau Water Coaster. There is a large wave pool, and a lazy river that passes through the volcano.
Universal has invented a fictional Polynesian culture, the "Waturi," and there are tikis, thatched huts, and more faux-Polynesian-tinged elements throughout the property.
Though there are tikis everywhere, the 2 bars on site (Dancing Dragons and the Kunuku Boat Bar) currently do not offer a particularly tiki drink experience, the offerings are more of a Florida-style tropical beach bar variety.
Foundation Captain's Quarters
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
The Captain's Quarters is a fully tikified vacation rental on the second floor above Foundation Tiki Bar in Milwaukee. It is owned and operated by the same folks behind Foundation, and decorated by owner Don Nelson with the assistance of Milwaukee's own Dave Hansen, a.k.a. Lake Tiki. The feel of the space is a true extension of the highly regarded tiki bar below it, with vintage mugs, pufferfish, rattan furniture, tapa cloth, and carvings by Lake Tiki. The room is rented out via AirBnb, with two beds that can sleep up to four guests.
Tiki Chateau
Madrid, Spain (Closed)
Tiki Chateau was a modern tiki bar in the Malasaa neighborhood of Madrid. It was owned by Miguel Escobedo (Señor Castaway), and opened in November 2016.
The space was very small, and the decoration was spare, but heartfelt; Escobedo has a genuine love of tiki. The wall coverings were not organic matting, but instead a damask wallpaper, but small tiki touches were peppered throughout, and a framed piece of tapa cloth was at the end of the wooden bar. Unlike most of the Spanish tiki destinations, the focus at Tiki Chateau was on creating great tiki cocktails, including the use of housemade syrups and appropriate rums.
Closed December 1st, 2022.
Lono
Los Angeles, California, United States (Closed)
Lono opened in June 2017. It was a large restaurant and bar in Hollywood, themed to Hollywood's yesteryear of tropical glamour, the pre-tiki era of nearby restaurants such as Bob Brook's Seven Seas and Don the Beachcomber. The restaurant's target era was closer to the '30s and '40s than the '50s and '60s, and as such the look of the space was more tropical-lite than truly tiki. The drink menu was a mix of classic tiki drinks and modern takes on tiki, carefully crafted and presented. The food menu was mainly small plates of flavors from around the world, or on the other end of the food spectrum, you could reserve a complete "luau" experience.
NOTE: Was listed as "Temporarily Closed" throughout 2022-2023 with no clear date to re-open but then listed for lease on Loop.net in 2023...which says it all...
Stonehenge II
Ingram, Texas, United States
Stonehenge II is a public art installation that includes two massive moai. It was the creation of Al Shepperd and his neighbor Doug Hill. It was originally created in 1992 on Shepperd's land eight miles away in Hunt, Texas. It all started with a large granite slab, which inspired Shepperd to build a replica of Stonehenge around it, mainly out of faux rock, using plaster on wire mesh frames. After his Stonehenge II was completed, he kept going, adding the two large fabricated moai to his property.
Shepperd passed away in 1994, and by 2010, the land was being sold and the attraction needed a new home. The Hill Country Arts Foundation stepped in, and had the whole thing moved to a riverside park location eight miles away in Ingram, Texas, where it stands today. The park is open free to the public every day, from dawn until nightfall.
The Upstairs Bar
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States (Closed)
Opened in May 2017.
The Upstairs Bar was a tiki-themed hideaway, above The Franklin Bar, which is a speakeasy-style craft cocktail bar.
The walls were lined with lauhala matting and thatch, with private booth seating and a bar. There were a few tiki masks on the walls. The menu was a mix of classic tiki drinks and newer creations, served in the craft cocktail style.
As of July 2019, this bar changed its menu and decor and became a tequila and mezcal bar. Permanently closed as of April 2022.
Lost Isle Adventures & Tiki Boat
Morro Bay, California, United States
Opened @2016.
Lost Isle Adventures gives tours of Morro Bay in their "tiki boat," which is clad in bamboo and thatch, adorned with tiki masks, and has a small tiki bar aboard where they serve drinks. They also have a store in their ticket office, where they sell tiki mugs and carved tikis. They also offer boats for rental.
The South Seas Tiki Lounge - Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina, United States (Closed)
The South Seas Tiki Lounge was a tiki bar in Charleston, South Carolina, opened in July 2017.
The small space had outdoor seating, with an interior lounge. The menu included tropical drinks and small plates.
Owner Jonathan Buckley (owner of the nearby Scarecrow & Co.) is a longtime tikiphile with a large tiki mug collection that was displayed in the bar.
They received rave reviews for their cocktail program and seemed to be doing vey well. However, on January 3, 2019, South Seas posted on Instagram that they were closing up their Ann Street spot, which included both the tiki lounge and sushi bar.
Their IG caption read, “Thanks Charleston, it’s time to wrap things up here and move our Tiki Collection to a New City."
Buckley later stated that the section of the building they were in was always defined as a space for semi-permanent pop-ups and that the plan was always to eventually close down and move to a new location outside of Charleston.
Don the Beachcomber - at The Queen's Royal Gardens
Honolulu, Hawaii, United States (Closed)
Ernest Beaumont-Gantt, who legally changed his name to "Donn Beach," opened this Waikiki version of his popular stateside restaurant chain in 1947 on Kalakaua Avenue after finishing his service in WWII. All other mainland Don the Beachcomber locations were actually owned by his ex-wife and business partner Sunny Lund, but this location was owned by Beach.
The designer, Paul Wimberly, built three main grass huts for Don, including The Crossroads Bazaar, The High Talking Chief's Hut, and The Tahitian Dining Hut -- all centered around the Queen's Royal Gardens.
This was across from the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.
This first Hawaii incarnation lasted 10 years which is how long his original lease was for.
Don the Beachcomber moved to the International Market Place, a short distance away, after it was built sometime in 1957, and this was on a new lease of 17 acres.
Duke Kahanamoku's moved into the Don The Beachcomber building at the International Marketplace at some point and Don moved to another nearby location (circa 1971), although this final location was named The Colonel's Plantation Beefsteak and Coffee House. This location burned in a fire in 1966, due to outdated and faulty wiring.
Don the Beachcomber - at the San Diego Sheraton
San Diego, California, United States (Closed)
This short-lived location of the Don the Beachcomber restaurant chain opened in a Sheraton Hotel in 1970 and lasted for a few years before closing in 1973. Legendary bartender Tony Ramos, who had worked at the flagship Hollywood Don the Beachcomber, worked here when it opened.
After Don the Beachcomber closed, the spot housed an El Torito restaurant, and in 2006 the space was a Mediterranean restaurant called Alfiere.