Opened in 1954 and closed in 2020.

Minnie's was a Polynesian restaurant with immense charm, and was deservedly beloved by many. The Chinese food was typically dressed-up (for instance, the appetizers were labelled "tidbits of delight"), but the shocker here was that the food was actually fairly good. The restaurant featured carvings and artwork throughout, most notably a large number of beautiful oil and black velvet paintings by the Leeteg-esque artist Tyree.

There were two bars at Minnie's: a vast outdoor patio bar, and a dimly lit indoor bar encrusted with dollar bills and business cards all over the walls and ceiling, left by patrons over the years. The tropical cocktails at Minnie's left something to be desired, but it was about as good as you were likely to find in Modesto anyhow.

Parking was free in the lot at the rear of the restaurant. After dinner service closed, the front door to Minnie's was locked, and you entered the bar using the rear parking lot entrance (there was no sign at the front to let you know this, unfortunately).

Minnie's was just down the road from the Tropics Motel and Tiki Lounge.

The following is according to the Modesto Bee:

Sacramento-based owner TJ Bruce and his Splash Bar, Inc., took over from Stuart Mah at the start of 2018. Mah’s family had run Minnie’s as a Chinese restaurant and tiki bar since 1962, when they bought the business from original owners Hop Louie and his wife Minnie Woo — the spot’s namesake. Bruce ran Minnie's basically as it was for a year before closing the restaurant portion in 2019. In January 2020 he decided to close Minnie's and transform it into another of his Splash Bar dance club locations.

However, according to Bruce, the site’s tiki look will not be changing. Bruce said much of its existing theme fits in with the Splash Bar concept.

“We like that it’s kitschy, and tiki is a fun thing for bars,” he said.

So expect the large wooden tiki-head totems outside to remain in place, as will much of the interior and exterior look — save for some painting and needed updating. They plan to install a dedicated dance floor in the half-partitioned space in front of the bar area, as well as more video screens throughout.

The bar’s signature velvet paintings of nude Polynesian women were taken down after it was sold, as were its large fish tanks. But Bruce said he still has them and they may make a reappearance in the new Splash Bar.

But all those old dollar bills that have lined the bar’s walls for decades are coming down.

The new Splash Bar will have drag shows every Friday night as well as themed nights for karaoke, throwback nights and more. The weekends will have video DJs spinning music.

Mark Thomas' Outrigger was located in picturesque Monterey CA, overlooking the Pacific Ocean on Cannery Row.

It started off as just "The Outrigger" and opened on Friday, May 22nd, 1959.

The Outrigger was a local favorite where families would celebrate 21st birthdays, anniversaries and wedding receptions. The menu featured an array of Polynesian items and an extensive tiki cocktail menu. Guests enjoyed The "Outrigger" for $1.50 which was “fuel for the gods only…or for the devils who do not fear the outcome.”

In 1978, a fire swept through the restaurant/bar, and it was rebuilt as Mark Thomas’ Outrigger. This lasted at least as late as 1984.

In 1994 it became a Fish Hopper which has kept a few original Outrigger tiki drinks on their menu, including the popular "Bucket of Fire" (Vodka, Rum, Gin and Cherry Brandy Mixed with Exotic Juices and Topped with 151 and Served Ablaze!) which used to cost $7.75 and served 4 guests and today (2026) sets you back $35.00 and serves 1 or 2.

Jardin Tiki opened on February 14, 1985, and was founded by Douglas Chan. Chan had worked at the Montreal Kon-Tiki, and had also opened the nearby Tiki Dor.

Jardin Tiki was a large, open, and extravagant space -- a mid-century building that had been a car dealership. It was filled with many large hanging lamps and other decor that came from the Kon-Tiki (which had closed in 1981). There were water pools complete with turtles, and bridges to cross them. Large cane chairs provided glamorous seating for all. As grand as this all sounds, its most distinctive feature was the natural light: while most classic tiki bars are dark, windowless caverns, Jardin Tiki was full of natural sunlight from the windowed ceiling, giving a bright airy feel usually avoided in Polynesian restaurants.

Jardin Tiki closed on Saturday, March 28th, 2015, and was later demolished for new development.

This restaurant, the first of the Kon-Tiki chain owned by Steve Crane and his second restaurant after the Luau in Beverly Hills, opened in 1958 and was in the Sheraton-Mt. Royal. It closed in 1981. Some of the decor from here went to the Jardin Tiki.

Opened in the early 2000s and closed by 2016.

Waikiki was a small Thai/Indonesian restaurant located in a quiet neighborhood near the Schwabing district of Munich. By foot, it could be reached via a short (5 minute) walk from the Josephsplatz U-bahn station.

The decor was tropical, featuring tapa cloth wall coverings and large, carved wooden tiki masks. A backlit bookcase filled with carvings and knick-knacks also figured prominently, along with fan-backed wicker chairs. Traditional Hawaiian music was played, at a reasonable volume, and the lighting was muted.

The drink menu was extensive and the drinks themselves were clearly modeled after Trader Vic's. The bartender could mix a very reasonable fascimile of a Mai Tai and an excellent Zombie and both were priced far lower than the Munich Vic's.

The menu was reasonably priced and featured Thai staples such as spring rolls, along with curries and noodle dishes.

This modern tiki bar operated in the early 2000s.

Otto's Shrunken Head opened in 2002 and is a tiki-meets-punk bar on Manhattan's Lower East Side. Live music acts play regularly in the back room. The music styles range from rock to metal to exotica, and it's often loud. The front entry of the bar has cases filled with tiki mugs and knick-knacks. Over the bar is a row of pufferfish lamps. There are carvings by Wayne Coombs and Crazy Al. Drinks are served in mugs that are available for sale, including a custom shrunken head mug.

In late 2010 a fire damaged the back room of Otto's, but repairs were able to be made swiftly.

Lei Bar was the downstairs, tiki-on-the-cheap themed bar below Niagara.

Open at least as early as 2000.

Niagara still exists, but in 2009, the tiki theming was removed and Lei Bar was no more.

Waikiki Wally's, opened by Hayne Suthon in 2002, was a modern Polynesian restaurant with nods to Polynesian pop history. It was connected via a tunnel to Lucky Cheng's, a drag cabaret also owned by Suthon; Waikiki Wally's closed in January 2009 when Lucky Cheng's moved to a new location.

Their menu art and several promotional ad cards featured art by Richie Fahey.

Opened 2001.

This sad and (thankfully) short-lived attempt at modern-day tiki (so modern-day, they decided to leave out anything remotely tiki) was not built to attract the Polynesian Pop audience.

In 2004, they moved on to their next concept, and Star Bar moved in. Currently, as of 2021, this location is home to Sagaponack NYC, a seafood restaurant.

Established on June 18th, 1958, the Tonga Hut is a small bar in the middle of the San Fernando Valley with some absolutely fantastic tiki decor, lovely green booths and some great carvings. "Big Mo" the moai lurks just inside the front door. Towards the back is the "Drooling Bastard" tiki fountain which is overseen by the many placards from patrons who have passed the Loyal Order of the Drooling Bastard test to drink every cocktail in Beachbum Berry's Grog Log (at the Tonga Hut) within one year. Black velvet nude paintings by Jason Sallin grace several of the booths.

In May 2021 the back parking lot was transformed into a garden area with tent canopy and the back entrance was graced with a new Kirby tiki mask.

@2023, the space next door on the east side became available, and Tonga hut now leases it as well. So far, it hasn't been completely remodeled to match, but it is utilized during marketplaces and special events and they have hung some swag lamps and a few art pieces to begin the transition.

In 2013, the owners opened a second location in Palm Springs. See separate listing.

On May 13th, 1942, Yachtsman and Bay Area Restaurateur, Frank "Skipper" Kent, opened Skipper Kent's Zombie Village in Oakland, California, right across the street from the original Trader Vic's on San Pablo Avenue. Like his predecessors, Donn Beach and Trader Vic, Skipper Kent wanted to create a South Seas inspired hospitality where patrons could be transported to paradise. Together, with his fellow host, Lucille "Hafe" Hafer, Zombie Village offered typical-of-the-time pseudo-Polynesian Chinese food, but the real star was the drink menu. The restaurant was South Seas-styled both inside and out.

Skipper described the Zombie Village in a letter written in 1953:

"...through massive driftwood doors, with huge Easter Island idols on either side, with a pause to inspect the unusual gifts from all corners of the earth which are for sale at the curio corner, then the beauty of the tropical dining room unfolds before you. Palm trees, Philodendrons, Marantas, Calatheas, and everywhere colorful Anthuriums and overhead the exotic orchid.

...In the Malayan, African, and Garden Rooms, the dining tables are made of selected Koa and Monkey Pod woods. Spears, shields, and Kris, from Africa to Malaya and the South Seas, all collected by the skipper on his many voyages, explorations, and travels, adorn the walls....."

Over the course of two decades, Skipper Kent's Zombie Village would become one of Oakland's best known tiki establishments, and he would go on to open a second outpost on Columbus Avenue in North Beach, known just as "Skipper Kent's". In 1967, a three-alarm fire destroyed the Oakland restaurant, putting an end to its 25 year reign as a Bay Area Landmark and a favorite among those who longed for a temporary escape to a tropical island paradise.