Tiki Bars
Sugar Cane
London, United Kingdom
This tiki bar in South London's Clapham Junction, with decor by Cheekytiki, opened in 2007. It has an impressive amount of decor, including an A-frame style entrance, plenty of tiki carvings, a cave-like area, ceilings covered in netting and glass fish floats, and a series of individual huts with booths for patrons.
Aku Aku - Toledo
Toledo, Ohio, United States (Closed)
Aku Aku was a "Polynesian Room" located in the Town House Motel, and hosted major acts between its opening in 1960 and its closure in 1970. Performers included Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Count Basie, Buddy Rich, Duke Ellington, Henny Youngman, and Phyllis Diller. The Glen Covington Trio was the house band in the early 1960s. The club was owned by Irving "Slick" Shapiro, a bookmaker with a number of arrests under his belt by the time the Aku-Aku opened. The club was popular with both city leaders and the mob.
While the Aku Aku has an impressive history, and some stunning use of tiki iconography in its menu and advertising, the room itself was actually streamlined modern, and not the themed, immersive faux paradise more commonly aspired to in the '60s.
Hula's Island Grill & Tiki Room - Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, California, United States
This is the second location of Hula's Island Grill & Tiki Room, the first being down the coast in nearby Monterey. This newer location, which opened in late 2006, goes even further with the tiki theme than the original spot. The owners got assistance with the decor from Bosko, 'Onatiki, Tiki Tony, Polynesiac, Oceanic Arts and Munktiki, and consulted with Forbidden Island's Martin Cate in developing the bar. The space is warm, lined with lauhala matting and filled with carvings, floats and tapa lamps.
Then, Hula's Modern Tiki opened in Phoenix (2009-2018) followed by Hula's Modern locations in Scottsdale (2014) and High Street (2020). The first Hula's Modern Tiki in Phoenix re-located on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018 to a new location on Seventh Street north of Camelback Road, less than a mile away from the original.
The Beachcomber - Winnipeg
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (Closed)
The Beachcomber was a Canadian chain of elaborate Polynesian restaurants in the same vein as other popular chains like Kon-Tiki, Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic's. Other restaurants in the chain were located in Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Victoria.
The Beachcomber was located in the Carlton Motor Hotel in Winnipeg; the motel opened in 1961, and the Beachcomber was open at least as early as 1962. The restaurant had a "star-lit sky" ceiling, and had thatched huts, and an open "steak pit" area where patrons could see chefs at work. An alcove dining area had floats, tapa and beachcomber lamps.
The Beachcomber was open until 1990.
The Carlton Motor Hotel became the Carlton Inn, and the then non-Polynesian restaurant on site was called Paragon.
The building was torn down in 2012 when what is now the RBC Convention Centre expanded.
Pago Pago Club - Burbank
Burbank, California, United States (Closed)
The Pago Pago Club was reportedly a hangout for staff at the Disney Studios, which were located across the street. Exact dates of the operation of the club are not known, but it was open as early as 1947 (per a postcard drawn by a Disney artist). Guitarist Paul Page played off and on at the Pago Pago for ten years.
Not a lot remains aside from the occasional drink token that pops up from time to time...
Mahiki - Dover Street - London
London, United Kingdom (Closed)
Mahiki opened in November 2006 in London's Mayfair District. Mahiki was designed and decorated by London-based tiki outfitters Cheekytiki, with menus designed by Tiki Racer. More of a nightclub than a simple lounge, Mahiki quickly became a celebrity destination once word got out that Prince William and Prince Henry were semi-regulars. Rihanna celebrated her birthday here in 2009.
In late 2011, a second Mahiki location opened in Dubai, located at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, and closed in 2018, due to “unforeseen circumstances during the renovation” of the hotel, as stated by the owners at the time.
In 2017, Mahiki's owners further expanded and franchised the brand. In the course of that year, Mahiki Clubs opened in Marbella, Spain (Mahiki Beach/open), in the Forte Village Resort in Sardinia (now closed), in Manchester in collaboration with Gary Neville's company GG Hospitality Management Ltd. (closed in 2018, but re-opened in 2019, and closed again in 2020) and at a second London location (Mahiki Kensington, closed in 2019). There was also a Mahiki club in Gothenburg, Sweden (closed).
This flagship location in London's Mayfair District closed in July 2021, due to COVID shutdowns.
Tiki Room - Arvika
Taserud-Arvika Östra, Arvika, Sweden (Closed)
Reputed to have burned down and then re-built and re-opened in 2006.
Tiki Room was a nightclub, and it does not appear to have had any connection to the Tiki Room in Stockholm. Some evenings, live bands performed, other nights were DJed music nights. There were some pieces by Bosko on the walls.
Appears to have closed @2009.
The Castaways - Manitou Springs
Manitou Springs, Colorado, United States (Closed)
The Castaways restaurant, which was part of the Castaways Inns & Suites, opened in 1971. It retained its original tiki decor until it closed in early 2013. A large tiki pole from the Castaways could be seen at Liki Tiki in nearby Colorado Springs until its close in 2019.
Kon-Tiki - Kuwait City
Kuwait City, Kuwait (Closed)
Opened in 2004. Kon-Tiki was a Polynesian restaurant in the Radisson Blu Hotel in Salwa, a sort of suburb of Kuwait City. It is right on the Persian Gulf. Alcohol is illegal in Kuwait, and so this was a restaurant only. The design of the restaurant was very unusual, in that it actually sat directly beneath an authentic Kuwaiti dhow, the Al Boom, which is in permanent dry-dock; the hull of the ship formed a dramatic curved wall and partial ceiling for the restaurant. It did appear to have some tikis.
Closed in 2008. Replaced by Rangoli Indian Restaurant. As of 2019, The Kimchi Korea Grill occupies this location.
Polynesian Room - at the Yankee Clipper - Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States (Closed)
The Polynesian Room was in the Yankee Clipper hotel, which opened in 1956. The hotel still stands, but has been re-named the B Ocean Resort and the Polynesian Room closed sometime in the mid-'70s. The Polynesian Room had seating for 300, and a full Polynesian floor show. The architect for the Yankee Clipper also designed the nearby Mai-Kai. The hotel still has a nautical-themed bar, the Wreck Bar, that dates from the same time as the Polynesian Room. The Wreck Bar has a window that looks into the hotel's swimming pool, and originally the hotel had "mermaids" swimming there to entertain guests of the bar. The mermaid shows were discontinued in 1965 but returned in 2006, when Marina and the Aquaticats brought back the shows as an homage to the past.
Don the Beachcomber - Oxnard
Oxnard, California, United States (Closed)
This Don the Beachcomber opened at the former Trade Winds around 1976 or so. It operated for a few years and closed in the late '70s. In later years, this location briefly became Coconut Joe's Warehouse and Hawaiian Cowboy, and the building was demolished in 1984.