Tiki Bars
Hawaiian Isle
Miami Beach, Florida, United States (Closed)
Opened December 15th, 1963.
Hawaiian Isle was in the Sunny Isles area of North Miami Beach, very near another complex, The Castaways. It had a weathered shingle-clad pyramid over the main entrance, a sort of sharp, angular, modern take on a primitive hut. The tikis on site were highly stylized (in particular a large, back-lit, glowing mask near the entrance), and many were Witco tikis.
Running at least through 1993.
It captured that tiki bar energy of mid century Florida before closing and making way for the Pinnacle condominiums (built in 1998).
Luau Larry's
Avalon, California, United States
Luau Larry's is located in Avalon on Catalina Island and has been open since 1988. It has a strong party vibe. The bar is dark, has lauhala-covered walls and lots of bamboo, and a few neon signs advertising beers. There is a "cave room" booth that has artificial rock walls. The signature drink is the strong "Wiki Wacker," which comes with a palm frond hat. Other drinks on the menu are modern tropicals, tending toward the sweet and strong end. The food offerings are of the burger & sandwich sort, with some fresh seafood including oyster shooters.
The Castaways - Miami Beach
Miami Beach, Florida, United States (Closed)
The Castaways resort complex was in the Sunny Isles part of North Miami Beach, just a short distance from another hotel/restaurant/bar complex, Hawaiian Isle. It was advertised as being at "the ocean at 163rd," in reality it was on the inland side of a thin land strip, and was just south of 163rd, occupying a small jetty of land. It opened in 1958, and closed in 1981. Demolished in 1984.
The Castaways had just over 300 guest rooms in a series of buildings with Asian-Polynesian peaked roof details. The main attraction was a dramatic structure designed by Charles Foster McKirahana square glass building with a pointed, A-frame roof at each corner. The building was up on stilts, and each of the four corners held a different establishment: the Wreck Bar (where you could watch swimmers behind giant glass portholes located behind the bar), the Tahitian Cocktail Lounge (featuring mixologist "Stanley the Entertainer" best known for balancing multiple trays of glasses on his head), the Shinto Temple Room, and possibly a coffee shop or indoor swimming pool. Many people have shared memories of a talking parrot in the dining room with sometimes salty language. The Beatles reportedly stayed at The Castaways, and an ad in the 1969 AAA travel guide promoted nude sunbathing on site.
The jetty of land that used to hold The Castaways is now the site of two tall condominium towers.
*NOTE: This Wreck Bar location is not to be confused with the other still-standing Wreck Bar located at the newly renovated B Ocean resort hotel (originally known as the Yankee Clipper) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Luau Hale
Lenox, Massachusetts, United States (Closed)
This restaurant used to be a Hu Ke Lau (opened in July 1969), a sister location to the Hu Ke Lau in Chicopee (and several others in a small chain), until the current owners bought it @ 1971 and rechristened it Luau Hale.
The Luau Hale's traditional mix of Chinese food and faux Polynesian decor was in full effect for decades, with elaborate painted murals, Orchids of Hawaii hanging lights, a scattering of tikis, and a dramatic pagoda right in the restaurant. By contrast, the exterior of the building was unassuming: a simple brick structure, with no windows. A menu of traditional tropical drinks was available, and were reportedly of high quality, and potent.
The Covid pandemic hit this business hard, according to the owners, and financially they never quite recovered despite community support. The death of co-founder Sam Woo in September 2023 made continuing the restaurant untenable and they closed several months later on March 30th, 2024.
Sam's By The Sea - Awase, Okinawa
Awase, Okinawa, Japan
Sam's By The Sea is owned by three brothers, Mark, Wyatt and Alan Payne. The trio moved to Okinawa from their original home in Hawaii when their father Ray's employer, Coca-Cola, relocated the family there. It opened in either 1970 or 1973.
Sam's By The Sea is located in an old yacht club, and still has the club's original bar. The restaurant resembles the interior of an old ship, and a long canoe is suspended over the dining room. A large Ku carving serves as a sign out front, and there is at least one big Papua New Guinea carving.
The restaurant has been a regular destination for American servicemen stationed in Okinawa for decades. It is a Teppanyaki-style restaurant. The female waitstaff are dressed in sailor outfits. Drinks are served in souvenir mugs.
There are seven restaurants in the Sam's chain in Okinawa; all are nautical, and four (including this one) have strong tiki/Polynesian elements. The other three tiki locations are Sam's By The Sea in Gushi/Naha, Sam's Maui in Kumoji and Sam's Maui on Kokusai street.
Sam's By The Sea - Gushi, Naha, Okinawa
Gushi, Naha, Japan
Sam's By The Sea is owned by three brothers, Mark, Wyatt and Alan Payne. The trio moved to Okinawa from their original home in Hawaii when their father Ray's employer, Coca-Cola, relocated the family there.
The restaurant has a large, full-color King Kamehameha statue out front. The dining room has a long canoe hanging over the diners' heads. The ceiling is painted an unfortunate white, but the walls are covered with elaborate Papua New Guinea-style carvings. The restaurant serves steak and seafood.
There are seven restaurants in the Sam's chain in Okinawa; all are nautical, and four (including this one) have strong tiki/Polynesian elements. The other three tiki locations are Sam's By The Sea in Awase, Sam's Maui in Kumoji and Sam's Maui on Kokusai street.
Sam's Maui - Kokusai Street, Naha, Okinawa
Naha, Japan
Sam's Maui is owned by three brothers, Mark, Wyatt and Alan Payne. The trio moved to Okinawa from their original home in Hawaii when their father Ray's employer, Coca-Cola, relocated the family there.
This is a Teppanyaki restaurant with strong Polynesian decor. There is an elaborate mix of large and small bamboo, tiki masks, pufferfish lamps, float lamps, war clubs and other carvings throughout.
There are seven restaurants in the Sam's chain in Okinawa; all are nautical, and four (including this one) have strong tiki/Polynesian elements. The other three tiki locations are Sam's By The Sea in Awase, Sam's By The Sea in Gushi/Naha and Sam's Maui in Kumoji.
Sam's Maui - Kumoji, Naha, Okinawa
Kumoji, Naha, Japan
Sam's Maui is owned by three brothers, Mark, Wyatt and Alan Payne. The trio moved to Okinawa from their original home in Hawaii when their father Ray's employer, Coca-Cola, relocated the family there.
Sam's Maui is a Teppan yaki restaurant with strong Polynesian influences in the decor. The walls are lined in bamboo, there are war clubs and other carvings throughout, and two large Papua New Guinea tikis greet you at the interior entrance to the main dining area.
There are seven restaurants in the Sam's chain in Okinawa; all are nautical, and four (including this one) have strong tiki/Polynesian elements. The other three tiki locations are Sam's By The Sea in Gushi/Naha, Sam's By The Sea in Awase and Sam's Maui on Kokusai street.
Headhunters
Austin, Texas, United States (Closed)
Built in the same space that used to be Ocean's 11 in 2001-2002.
In 2006, the space finally reopened as Headhunters, a punk dive bar renowned as a live music venue. The lighting was dark, the decor mixed tiki and headless Barbie dolls.
Headhunters fell on hard times and was cleaned up and re-branded in 2012 as Metal and Lace: Steampunk Lounge by Host Jon Taffer of the Bar Rescue television show.
However, the changes didn't stick and the bar went back to its old name and ways and closed in 2014.
Kon-Tiki - Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States (Closed)
This was the seventh restaurant in the Kon-Tiki chain, owned by Stephen Crane. It opened on August 23, 1965. It was located in the Sheraton-Gibson Hotel, on the edge of Fountain Square in downtown Cincinnati.
Closed February 1974.
The Sheraton-Gibson Hotel was demolished in 1977.
High Commission of Papua New Guinea
Yarralumla, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
The High Commission of Papua New Guinea is PNG's embassy to Australia, and is located near Australia's Parliament House in the Yarralumla section of Canberra. The main building is in the style of a PNG longhouse, with painted artwork adorning the A-frame ends of the building. There are several carved pieces on-site, and there is an Exhibition Centre.