Tiki Bars
Tiki Rock Bar - Genève
Genève, Switzerland
Tiki Rock Bar opened in January 2019.
From Tiki Rock Bar:
"The bar is located in the American Dream Diner in the basement of the restaurant. WOW! This is the expression we regularly hear from our customers who come for the first time to the TIKI ROCK BAR. We have designed this place to take you not only to travel to the tropical Polynesian islands, but also to travel to the 1940s, 1950s, the golden age of American Tiki. Discover and taste a great selection of Rums from many parts of the Pacific and Caribbean. Max and Justine, our experienced bartenders, will be happy to prepare the best of classic Tiki cocktails as well as our delicious signature creations. Welcome to Tiki Rock Bar, a taste of paradise. Aloha, TIKI ROCK! "
Aloha Bar - Liverpool
Liverpool, United Kingdom (Closed)
This bar opened in 2010 at the Colquitt St. location and ran successfully for 9 years before closing on June 30th, 2019.
However, after a full year, they made a surprise re-opening at a new location on Caryl St., on July 6th, 2020. The Caryl St. location was very focused on outdoor space with murals on exterior walls, tables, and umbrellas to allow social distancing and air flow during Covid.
This re-opening would be short-lived, however, as Covid forced them to shutter their doors once more on October 12th, 2020.
They opened yet again for a short time but closed for good in July 2021.
Bali-Hai Polynesian Bar
Porto, Portugal
This classic Portugese tiki bar is not as highly decorated as some of the other Portugese or Spanish tiki bars, but it does have some of the familiar decor, such as amazing tile-work on walls and bar, a working fountain inside, and a plethora of porcelain Spanish-style tiki mugs. It looks to be fairly well preserved (probably opened in the 70s) and although the flooring looks new and some areas might have a fresh coat of paint, it is still much like opening a vintage time capsule.
Brass Monkey Tiki Bar
Esbjerg, Denmark (Closed)
The first Brass Monkey Tiki Bar opened at the end of 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark. In 2018, this new sister location, Brass Monkey Esbjerg, opened its doors.
From their website:
"At Brass Monkey Esbjerg, we are proud to offer one of Denmark's largest assortments of rum, consisting of selected spirits from around the world. Come by and taste some of the finest rum the world has to offer, or relax with one of our popular cocktails. We have something for everyone, and even if rum is not for you, of course we also have a small selection of other delicious and refreshing things on the menu.
If you are involved in a little party and trouble, we regularly hold small Limbo competitions. How low can you go?"
Appears to have closed some time at the end of 2021 and then re-opened in August 2022 under a new name as The Tiki Hut.
Stephen Crane's Final Resting Place
Crawfordsville, Indiana, United States
Joseph Stephenson "Steve" Crane (February 7, 1916 – February 6, 1985) was an American actor and restaurateur. A Columbia Pictures actor in the early 1940s, Crane opened the Luau, a popular celebrity restaurant in Beverly Hills, in 1953 and established a successful 25-year career in the restaurant industry. Steve also owned the Kon-Tiki chain in Sheratons, and Ports-o-Call restaurants.
In addition to his own accomplishments, Crane is often remembered as Lana Turner's twice ex-husband and the father of her only child Cheryl. Steve's first marriage to Turner in 1942 was annulled when it was discovered he was not divorced from his first wife. Turner then married Steve again in 1943 because she was expecting a child.
The Hula Hut - Tucson
Tucson, Arizona, United States (Closed)
Started some time in the 1950s.
Known as a place to hear live jazz in the 1950s, legendary performer Anita O'Day sang at the Hula Hut as did "Queen of the Boogie" Hadda Brooks in 1957.
A North Coast Journal article written by Joseph Byrd states:
"The Hula Hut's facade was bamboo, cluttered with flotsam and fishing nets; inside it was lit with torches...Primitive masks and 'tribal' carvings were prominent, and tropical-themed fabrics festooned the booths. Hula girls were languorously draped around the printed menu, which featured exotic rum drinks, sweetened with fruit juices, flavored syrups and liqueurs. Beverages were usually served in equally exotic vessels, each with its garnish of fruit and oversized straw."
The Hula Hut endured a fire in 1957 and was built back better than ever. B&W newspaper photo below shows then-owner Tony Marciane and waitress Shirley Kiltz re-decorating with masks after first re-build.
However, the bar then succumbed to a second fire in 1958 which spelled its demise.
Matiki
Wien, Austria
Matiki opened at the end of September 2017 after 4 months of construction and is the first and only tiki bar in Vienna.
The space itself is rather small, sparsely decorated, and modern-looking -- gray/white/green paint with a few cut-out wall alcoves featuring small tiki carvings and puffer fish. Accents around the room include bamboo trim and a Tahitian-patterned wood bar molding.
A few potted ferns hang in the windows.
The focus is more on the bar and drinks. The back bar displays a lot more than just rum with hundreds of spirit bottles ranging from Ardberg scotch to Don Julio tequila, so there should be a range for all tastes. Their cocktail program has received wide acclaim.
They also sculpt and manufacture their own custom tiki mugs for sale -- available online through a separate website below.
The LuWow - Melbourne
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
In 2019, The LuWow re-opened its doors in a prime spot in Melbourne’s cbd on Little Collins Street. It is in the space formerly occupied (fittingly) by Hawaiian-themed restaurant, Hana.
From their website:
"The LuWow has been recreated by 'Skipper' Josh Collins and Barbara Blaze Collins in a more intimate space, relax in a cosy booth or hang at the bar surrounded by an oasis of colourful kitsch with huge tiki totems, all carved by 'Skipper' Josh himself, leopard lounge suites, a jungle of plants and bamboo and a plethora of insane and wonderfully trashy souvenirs from the South Pacific and beyond. Josh & Barbara have kept to their retro OTT design ethic on this new venture. Their previous bars have been The LuWow (Fitzroy), Hula Bula Bar (Perth), Devilles Pad (Perth), South London Pacific (UK), Tikis (Belgium). Adding to the retro Tiki vibe of The LuWow the background music is hand curated from the owners’ huge vinyl collection of exotica, rhythm n blues, ska, soul, surf, 60s garage, beat & rock n roll."
Bob Loo's
Salem, New Hampshire, United States (Closed)
Bob Loo's was located in a former Howard Johnson's which was built in 1962 and closed around 1972. A steak house moved in almost immediately, but closed within a year. Then, in 1972, came Bob Loo’s, Salem’s first Chinese/Polynesian restaurant. In typical fashion, the top portion of the Howard Johnson’s cupola was removed. Likewise, the orange tile roof was replaced with a standard asphalt roof, and the trapezoid sign was taken down. Aside from these surface changes though, the building retained most of its visual lines and remained largely recognizable as a former Howard Johnson's. Bob Loo’s continued a successful operation here until late 1998, when the owners decided to retire and close the business for good.
They produced at least three collectible glasses -- a hi ball with a moai on front to serve their house Fog Cutter cocktail in, a hi ball with a Fu Manchu to serve the Dr. Funk Cocktail, and a hi ball with a Tiki Leilani on it to serve "Volcano Acid".
Robert N. Loo (Bob) passed away in 2010. He was known for this restaurant as well as the highly successful Silver Dragon Restaurant in Methuen which was started around 1962 and burned down in March of 1985.
Pier 7 Coffee Shop at the Ilikai Hotel
Honolulu, Hawaii, United States (Closed)
Pier 7 was located at the Ilikai which opened in February of 1964.
Pier 7 was a 24-hour coffeehouse restaurant for after-show, after-movie, after-shopping grinds. Or breakfast. Or lunch. Or dinner. But after hours was the time you’d see all the headlining entertainers after their last shows. This made Pier 7 a big draw for those hoping to get a candid look at Hawaiian entertainers. Although Pier 7 eventually closed, the Ilikai Hotel endures.
*NOTE: Vintage cocktail menu below seems to have covered several locations within the Ilikai Hotel, not just one.
Ula Ula Tiki Room
Saint Francis, Wisconsin, United States
This small Milwaukee tiki bar opened above Redbar, located at 2245 E. St. Francis Ave.
The lounge, whose name fittingly means "red" in Hawaiian, will only open on weekends – kind of like a pop-up bar in a permanent space.
Lee Guk, who was the proprietor of Tiki Joe's in Walker's Point, will operate the lounge, along with Carrie Wisnewski and Nick Schell, who own the building and Redbar.
"We had a very under-utilized space (on the second floor) and this seems like a perfect way to showcase it," says Wisnewski.
Friday-Saturday nights 6-12am
Cash only!
Laki Kane - London
United Kingdom
Laki Kane opened in July of 2018 and is located in the heart of Upper Street Islington, London.
Beyond the Polynesian inspired decor one typically associates with tiki bars, Laki Kane also tries to pull from other tropical areas, including the Caribbean (bongo drums) and South East Asia (elephant wallpaper and swinging chairs).
While those who frequent tiki bars may be disappointed at the lack of tiki carvings (although there are some pillar tikis) or tiki artwork, they do have several very impressive in-house tiki mugs designed by Bai of France just for this location and a very robust tropical craft cocktail menu.
The name Laki Kane comes from the lucky (Laki) sugar cane (kane) which is converted over time into the rums used in their cocktails.
The cocktail list has been designed by co-owner, Georgi Radev, a former Mahiki bar manager (11 years at that location) and author of the cocktail book, Let's Get Tropical.
The bar prides itself on being the first in the world not to use any refined sugar in its cocktails. Instead the bar is using natural sweeteners including sugar cane juice, agave, honey and a wide range of tropical sweeteners.
They also strive to use a range of fruits not commonly seen in western cocktails, including Soursop (something between coconut and peach), Cupuacu (between peach and cacao), and Wood Apple (cross between mango, peach and grapefruit).
Each table is fitted with call buttons for service, meaning that you can call on tiki-dressed waiters at any time for a re-fill.
They also have a micro distillery on premises and make their own bespoke rum in the upstairs bar, The Spiced Dry Rum Club. This area is dedicated to teaching guests Laki Kane’s unique re-distillation process.
The kitchen is helmed by renowned chef Michael Moore.