Miami Beach's Luau was created in 1955 by owner Jerry Brooks, who hired nightclub designer Franklyn Hughes (sometimes spelled Franklin Hughes) to create a space full of Polynesian spectacle. The entry to the restaurant was a thatched hut with an exaggerated pointed peak, and the sign was a towering rock wall with large blue letters vertically spelling LUAU. The front landscaping was dense with palm trees, and in the '60s also included stylized white moai by Lewis Van Dercar. Van Dercar also sculpted some unusual pieces inside the restaurant, including a dayglo-painted shipwreck scene behind the bar, with elaborate lighting to transition the scene from daytime to nighttime. By the '60s, Luau was owned and run by "Trader Syd" Mass. Each table had a large rattan queen chair at its head. Luau served a full menu of glorious tropical drinks and "Polynesian" cuisine typical to the era.

There was a sister location, "Luau II" at the nearby Marco Polo Hotel. After the demise of Luau, its name changed to "Gold Coin."

Luau closed around 1974, and the location is now an empty lot.

Established in 1997.

Outre Gallery is a modern, low-brow art gallery that has a history of showing tiki art, including Derek Yaniger, Mark Ryden, Bosko, and Shag.

Shag designed a mug for Outre that was produced by Munktiki.

This 1940s pre-tiki establishment featured "Drinks From The Romantic Tropics".

Now home to Aurora Environmental Services in a newer brick building as of 2021.

Opened in 1997.

Located in La Alcazaba, a resort/luxury apartment complex in Marbella, Spain. It changed from Trader Vic's to simply "Polynesians" in 2009, and operated under that name until 2013. It is now closed.

Opened in 1998.

This restaurant serves Hawaiian style comfort food.

They do not serve tiki/tropical cocktails (beer & wine only) and the decor is minimal. They have some beach scene wallpaper murals and a small carved tiki at the front check-in stand which has a small thatched roof.

The focus is more on the food than the atmosphere, but the food appears to be very good and authentic Hawaiian style.

There was also a second version in Manhattan Beach, CA that ran from 2002-2013.

Opened in 1999 at the Ritz Carlton Bahrain Hotel & Spa.

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/

Opened in 1999.

Connected to the Tahiti Restaurant (same address).

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.

Opened in 1959 by Bernard and Janet Tohl, this polynesian-themed dinner spot served around 1,000 people a night in its heyday.

The spare ribs, rumaki, and unique tropical drinks were always a hit. They also had 3-4 rickshaws in front at all times and people lined up for the experience of being driven around the block in one. The big sign out front with flaming torches also caught lots of attention. The building was elevated one floor above the sidewalk so to enter you had to cross a bridge over a lagoon, then go up a ramp decorated with shells, tiki gods, and palm trees. There were also capuchin monkeys and toucan birds living in a "controlled" environment. Additionally, there was artificial thunder and lightning periodically and nightly entertainment with fire dancers and hula dancers.

This site was transformed into an Acapulco chain restaurant in the 80s and then completely demolished in summer 2012.

Collectors covet the tiki mugs from The Los Angeles Islander, as they were made by Spurlin Ceramics (Stella Bodey) and represent some of the earliest and most innovative tiki souvenirs from that era. The Los Angeles Islander is not to be confused with the Stockton Islander (1966-1980).

Opened in 1999 by owner-chef Tony Di Lembo.

The interior featured leopard skin patterned booths, a map of the Pacific Ocean on the dining room floor, and there was one small tiki at the entrance.

This location is currently (as of 2021) home to Mercado Mexican Restaurant.