Even through the darkest days of tikidom, The Alibi remained popular and busy -- probably due to the frequent karaoke nights. The Alibi is full of beautiful lamps and decor from Oceanic Arts, and has been cared for very well. The drinks for many years were on the weak and sweet side; that changed when new management took over in 2017, and the menu is now solidly-constructed classic tiki drinks and originals.

The Alibi has a long history that predates tiki. It began in the late 1800s as the Chat-n-Nibble, a horse & buggy stop along a dirt road. In later days it became a tavern called Max Alibi. The third owner, Roy Ell, took over the tavern in 1947 and renamed it The Alibi. Ell had travelled to Hawaii, and is responsible for changing the decor to reflect his own Polynesian tastes. The tavern was expanded to include the restaurant in the 1950s. The Witco-inspired rails and 3D hula-girl mural were 1970s additions. In the 1980s, Ell leased The Alibi with the agreement that the decor must stay as is. From 1992 to 2017 The Alibi was run by the White family. In 2017, well-regarded local historic bar managers Marcus Archambeault and Warren Boothby took over with a light restoration and a re-focused bar and food menu, including a flaming pu-pu platter.

Just across the street is The Palms motor hotel. While not strictly tiki, it does have a fantastic neon sign, and is within stumbling distance.

When the Enchanted Tiki Room opened at Walt Disney World in 1971, it was a duplicate of the original Enchanted Tiki Room found at Disneyland.

In 1998 it was updated to be more "modern" with a show called "Under New Management". The new show featured the '90s-era Disney animated bird characters Iago and Zazu. The now loud, unsettling and money-focused show featured disco balls, flashing lights, and in place of the beloved water fountain, a shouting, angry tiki goddess named "Polynesia." However, even in this darkest hour, the building itself was still worth a visit, with classic Exotica tunes (such as Martin Denny) often heard playing in the lovely lanai area. The transporting paradise was not entirely lost.

Then, in January 2011, the Tiki gods had finally had enough. A fire struck the Enchanted Tiki Room, and the show room was damaged enough to shut it down. It was restored and reopened as a slightly edited version of the original Enchanted Tiki Room attraction in August 2011, and is now back to the grand, historic, relaxing escape we all love.

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.

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.

In Santa Ana Square, the unassuming front doors of Mauna Loa Bar Hawaiiano lead to exotic decor that stretches across three floors of the venue.

The front bar has a large bird cage on one end with several live birds. Bartenders are happy to prepare drinks in the ornate porcelain tiki vessels found in Spain.

The successive grotto-like floors below are mostly taken up by small intimate booths, some sporting fish aquariums. It is common for couples to come here and share a tiki bowl -- perhaps a dry ice smoking volcano as pictured in their logo.

To be warned, some tiki purists used to traditional Don The Beachcomber or Trader Vic's recipes may not find the cocktails to their liking, but as with many tiki bars in Spain, the focus is less on craft cocktails than the ambience, and this bar is a true classic time capsule that is not to be missed.

Lee's Hawaiian Islander is a Chinese restaurant that opened in 1974 (building was built in 1962). There are tiki masks mounted on rock-lined walls with a weeping water effect, an outrigger canoe hangs from the ceiling, and there is a special hut booth. An upper balcony holds more tables with bamboo framing. Drinks are served in mugs, and there is a flaming pu-pu platter. Mr. Lee can be found there often, happily playing host and greeting patrons.

There is another Lee's Hawaiian Islander location in Clifton, but it closed due to a fire in 2003.

In 2023, the property with liquor license was put up for sale. However, as of late 2024, there have been no takers and the restaurant is still open.

https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/768-Stuyvesant-Ave-Lyndhurst-NJ/31574898/

The space that Shangri-La occupied began as the Three Deuces nightclub, which operated during the '20s and '30s, until a fire in 1940 destroyed the nightclub. The space was briefly the Rhumba Casino, until Shangri-La opened in 1944.

Shangri-La operated for more than 20 years, closing in 1968. After the restaurant closed, the space was converted into a movie theater showing pornographic films. In 1981, the entire block was demolished, and the site is now the Chicago Renaissance Hotel.

Shangri-La's chef, Paul Fong, went on to his own restaurant, called Chef Shangri-La.

The Hawaiian Hot Luau was a Polynesian dance show and luau held seasonally from 1991 to at least 2009 at the Imperial Palace (1979-2012). The Imperial Palace started off as the Flamingo Capri (1959-1979). The location later became the Quad Resort and Casino (2012-2014) and then The Linq (2014-Present).

La Mariana Sailing Club is the last remaining bastion of true original Polynesian Pop in Hawaii. It opened in 1955, and over the years, it has become a sort of museum of Waikiki's tiki past: the tikis here came out of the Kon-Tiki in the Sheraton-Waikiki, lamps came from the Trader Vic's, and tables and chairs came from Don the Beachcomber. Original owner Annette La Mariana Nahinu ran the operation until her death in 2008. La Mariana features a lively piano bar, and guests can join in on the singing.

La Mariana's original location was 50 yards from its current location; it moved in 1973. There is an 80-boat slip attached to the restaurant which sits on Ke'ehi Lagoon.

After a 2-year-long shuttering because of COVID, La Mariana re-opened on May 31st, 2022. During the shutdowns, Gecko made many renovations and they did much to the front of the house and bar, including the addition of a new point-of-sale system. This was a soft re-open with many ongoing renovations still taking place, especially in back of house.

Tiki's Grill & Bar opened in 2002 in the heart of Waikiki, in the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel. It offers a modern take on Polynesian Pop, with lots of art by modern pop artists and carvings. There is both outdoor and indoor seating.

Opened in 1958.

This government-owned restaurant used to be a Trader Vic's.

It was barely finished when Castro took over, and only open for a few months as Trader Vic's.

It's located in the Tryp Habana Libre hotel, also known as the Cuba Libre Hotel. It's been reported that the decor is still in decent shape. Decor borrowed from the Havana Trader Vic's can be seen in the 1964 film "I Am Cuba."

There is another El Polinesio in Cienfuegos.

Opened in 1958.

The Havana Trader Vic's opened at a volatile time -- just six months after the restaurant opened, its American manager was shot while running to catch one of the last airplanes out of Cuba back to the US.

This location is still open and Polynesian, but it is no longer a Trader Vic's -- it is run by the Cuban government as El Polinesio.

The 1964 movie "I Am Cuba" used decor, notably some birdcage lamps, from this Trader Vic's.

Trader Vic was stuck with a ton of useless Havana labeled menus, so signed each one with a note calling Fidel a "stinker" and sold them off as collector's items. See below...