Tiki Bars
Trader Sam's Grog Grotto
Orlando, Florida, United States
Trader Sam's Grog Grotto opened at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort in 2015. It is the sister of Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar, found at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, California. Like the bar in Anaheim, the Grog Grotto is a twin tribute to both the Enchanted Tiki Room and Jungle Cruise attractions. It is densely decorated and intensely themed, just as you would hope to find in a Disney tiki bar.
Like the Jungle Cruise, the crew members at the Grog Grotto are trained to give you a theatrical, goofy, fun experience. Some drink orders trigger special effects around the room (order a Polynesian Pearl and watch your bartender retrieve your pearl from a large clamshell), and several drinks are served in souvenir mugs. The decor is a mix of tiki and nautical, with some nods to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and also includes pieces left over from the old Adventurer's Club that used to be part of Downtown Disney in Orlando. The menu is limited, with several small plates. There is also outdoor seating at the adjacent, relatively lightly-themed Tiki Terrace.
The Grog Grotto was added as part of a big refresh of the Polynesian Village Resort in 2015.
Children are welcome at the Grog Grotto during the day, but after 8pm it is only open to those 21 and older.
Lost Lake
Chicago, Illinois, United States (Closed)
Lost Lake opened in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago in January 2015. It was a partnership between Paul McGee, formerly of Three Dots and a Dash, and development group Land and Sea Dept. Martin Cate, owner of Smuggler's Cove, was also involved in Lost Lake, particularly helping with their selection of sipping rums. Its design was less tiki, and more of a nod to the early, streamlined bamboo-focused Pre-Tiki era of Polynesian Pop escapism. Colorful fish floats hung in the front window, and one whole wall was wallpapered with a bold banana leaf motif. Fish trap lamps wrapped the bar area, and the canted ceiling was covered with lauhala and bamboo. There was green vinyl booth seating toward the back, and a rock wall. The beverage program was developed by McGee, with a mix of classic tropical cocktails and his own inventions. Land and Sea Dept. also owned the connected upscale Chinese take-out restaurant, called Thank You.
After an 18-month down-time due to Covid, Lost Lake re-opened in August 2021 with a cocktail menu focused on "Tropical Drinks" (i.e., Margaritas, Pina Coladas, Mojitos, and Daiquiris) instead of "Tiki Drinks" (Zombies, Mai-Tais, etc.) as a concession to concerns that "Tiki" is racist and colonialist in nature. The decor was already fairly sparse by Tiki standards, but they went further by removing several pieces, including the glass fishing floats hanging in the front window, the fishing basket light fixtures over the bar, and the pufferfish chandelier. A picture of a woman in a grass skirt was also taken down, a rock wall was covered with a curtain, and fake skulls were removed from the fish tank.
This closure and re-vamping of their image still proved not enough to combat the difficulties of operating during Covid, however, and Lost Lake's Closure was announced for January 15th, 2022.
Aku Aku - Orlando
Orlando, Florida, United States
Aku Aku opened at the beginning of 2014 and is a sister property of the adjacent mid-century-themed Stardust Lounge (Aku Aku's name is a nod to the relationship between Las Vegas' Stardust Casino and its Aku Aku). The back wall of the space is one large shelving unit full of rectangular cubbies of varying dimensions, filled with little bits of Polynesian Pop decor. A large Moai overlooks the room from a corner. A small selection of classic tropical drinks are available, and a longish rum list has some nicer sipping rums (and a lot of unfortunate flavored rums).
Tiki Tolteca
New Orleans, Louisiana, United States (Closed)
When Tiki Tolteca opened in May 2013, it was the first tiki bar to operate in New Orleans in decades. It sat within a Mexican taqueria called Felipe's, and as such was a blend of Tiki and Latin American influences. They made their own syrups and used fresh juices, and incorporated south-of-the-border spirits like mezcal, pisco and cachaa beyond the expected rum. Food was available from Felipe's below.
The space blended exposed brick with bamboo and thatch, and there were many beachcomber lamps. Drinks were served in tiki mugs, or in the heavy, blue-rimmed glasses that are familiar in Mexican restaurants.
Beachbum Berry's Latitude 29 is located right next door.
On September 27th, 2021, Tiki Tolteca announced their permanent closure... with the caveat that they might still host private events on occasion within the space.
Dirty Dick
Paris, France
Dirty Dick is a tiki bar, opened in February 2013 in a former brothel. Barman Scott Schuder is an American expat, originally from southern California. The menu is a mix of tiki classics and their own creations. Menu graphics by Bai.
Brass Monkey Tiki Bar
København V, København, Denmark (Closed)
Brass Monkey Tiki Bar opened at the end of 2009.
The bar had a rockabilly-tinged flavor to it, but was solidly tiki, too. Carefully-constructed cocktails were served in tiki mugs. The decor was relatively spare for a tiki bar, but there were a few pufferfish lamps, and a bamboo-covered ceiling. There was also frequent live music.
In 2018, a new sister location, Brass Monkey Esbjerg, opened its doors, but 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.
The Brass Monkey Tiki bar in København (Copenhagen) appears to have closed @2023.
Aku Aku Tiki Bar - Oslo
Grünerløkka, Oslo, Norway (Closed)
Aku Aku Tiki Bar opened in May 2007, in the Grnerlkka neighborhood of Oslo. Some of the decor was on loan from the Kon-Tiki Museum, including a large canoe hanging from the ceiling. The walls were lined with straw matting. Classic tiki drinks were served in tiki mugs, and the music was a mix of Hawaiian and Exotica tunes.
Closed April 6th, 2024.
Kokomo Tikibar & Room - Helsinki
Helsinki, Finland (Closed)
Kokomo Tikibar & Room opened in February 2011 in the Punavuori neighborhood of Helsinki. They had many karaoke nights, and later at night it become a DJ nightclub. The decor included bamboo and carved war clubs and masks, with some large carved tikis, but with stark white chairs and a white-and-black checkerboard floor. On Saturdays daytime brunch was served from noon to 2:30pm.
Closed January 20th, 2018.
There was also a sister bar, the Kokomo Tikibar in Lahti, but it closed in January 2015.
Hula's Modern Tiki - Central Avenue - Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona, United States (Closed)
This first Hula's Modern Tiki opened on Central Avenue in Phoenix in late 2009 and was re-located to uptown Phoenix in 2018. It came from the same minds behind the hit Hula's restaurants in Monterey and Santa Cruz. The concept with the Central location (and later iterations of the "Modern Tiki" concept) was a bit different -- while the Monterey and Santa Cruz locations have more of a surf-meets-tiki feel, the aesthetic here was a mix of midcentury modern and tiki.
The dominant feature of the space was a massive, hexagonal window that looked straight out of a '70s sci-fi film set (the building actually dated to 1965). The interiors were all sleek, but executed with a variety of organic materials to bring a sort of barely-primitive feel. The indoor area featured a large bar, and there was outdoor dining.
There was at least one large Tiki tOny tiki. Tiki mugs, especially from Munktiki, filled cases around the restaurant. Volcano bowl drinks were available, and drinks were served in glassware with the Hula's tiki logo. Like the other Hula's locations, it won rave reviews for its food.
The Central Avenue location is now currently home to a new restaurant called Persepshen as of October 2019.
In addition to the uptown Phoenix location since 2018, two other Hula's Modern locations have opened in Arizona: a Scottsdale location opened in early 2014 and a third location opened in High Street in 2020.
Tahiti Joe's
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States (Closed)
Tahiti Joe's opened in 2007 as the on-site restaurant for the Tahiti Village Resort & Spa. This restaurant was more heavily tiki than the surrounding resort, with some large, modern carvings, and more traditional carved wall pieces. It closed in May 2014.
Tiki Brett
Berlin, Germany (Closed)
Opened in 2008.
Tiki Brett was a small bar located underneath Classic Tattoo, a tattoo parlor featured on a German reality show inspired by Miami Ink, called Tattoo - Berlin sticht zu. The manager of the tattoo parlor, Thomas Fender, ran the bar. Much of the decor came from Berlin's beloved Tabou Tiki Room.
Closed in 2009.
Bora-Bora Polinesian Bar - Lisbon
Lisbon, Portugal
Opened in 1982. This bar north of downtown Lisbon serves tropical drinks and has Polynesian art on the walls. There was another Bora Bora on Rua da Madalena in Lisbon. Next door you can see the A-frame remains of the entrance to the now-closed Tangaroa Hawaiian Bar.