The Java Lanes bowling alley opened in 1958. It had a large bar area called the East Indies Room (later "Lava Lounge"), where live music acts performed. At its peak, Java Lanes had two acres for parking. The Java Lanes were demolished in 2004 to make way for new development.

The "East Indies Room" was the original name of this space at the Java Lanes bowling alley when it was built in 1958. Over the years, business at Java Lanes cooled somewhat, but enjoyed a revitalization in the ’90s when the East Indies Room with its space-tropical vibe was re-branded as the "Lava Lounge". Mark DiPiazza reactivated Java Lanes’ long-dormant entertainment license and put together years of high-energy music shows in the Lava Lounge, nurturing tons of local bands and playing host to touring acts like Weezer, Rocket From The Crypt and Lit, who filmed the video for their hit “My Own Worst Enemy” at Java Lanes.

The Java Lanes and Lava Lounge were demolished in 2004 to make way for new development.

Created by "Skipper" Josh Collins who went on to create the Hula Bula Bar in Australia.

Interior boasted a number of very large painted styrofoam tikis.

This location was described as heavy on the nightclub and while they did offer Vietnamese style "finger food", few went here simply to dine.

South London Pacific closed in 2018 after 15+ years and is now The Cock Tavern London. The new owners retained some of the tiki decor and worked it into their otherwise Georgian style theme.

When the London Trader Vic's opened at the London Hilton in 1963, it was the first expansion outside of North America. In 1978, Warren Zevon immortalized the London Trader Vic's in his song "Werewolves of London" from his Excitable Boy album: "I saw a werewolf drinking a pina colada at Trader Vic's... his hair was perfect."

In July 2011, a fire in the hotel caused some minor damage, requiring a short closure and a bit of remodeling in the dining room.

As of November 27th, 2022, the General Manager of Trader Vic's London stated that their lease was not renewed by Hilton and this location would close on December 31st, 2022.

There was a petition and much sadness in the tiki community, but this location did, in fact, shut its doors at the end of 2022.

There are three very large moai in the shark tank.

More of a Chinese restaurant than a Polynesian one, Chin's Chop Suey was opened in 1955 by Marvin Chin, who opened the very Polynesian Chin Tiki in Detroit 12 years later -- Chin Tiki closed in 1980.

Marvin's son Marlon nows owns and operates Chin's in Livonia, and some of the tiki decor from Chin Tiki has been relocated here.

*NOTE: Uncle and son team, Marlon and Steven have announced that the restaurant will close at the end of April 2025. The restaurant will be kept intact, but not open for business.

The Hawaiian Hot Luau was a Polynesian dance show and luau held seasonally from 1991 to at least 2009 at the Imperial Palace (1979-2012). The Imperial Palace started off as the Flamingo Capri (1959-1979). The location later became the Quad Resort and Casino (2012-2014) and then The Linq (2014-Present).

Taboo Cove opened in the Venetian casino in 2001, and was the first of the tiki revival bars to have been done with a large budget. There was fantastic decor, but in order to draw patrons, they played rotten music. The artist Bosko provided many carvings, and there were some great classic light fixtures. In December 2004, Taboo Cove was gutted for a remodel, and reopened as a non-tiki bar. Just across the hall from Taboo Cove's former location is Venus, a retro lounge-themed bar with artwork by Shag.

This restaurant, which is only open in July & August, is connected to The Tiki, a resort hotel. There are polynesian dinner shows nightly.

The Tiki was another brainchild of Lake George legend, Charles R. Wood. Wood was an innovator, philanthropist, and all around fun guy. He opened Storytown USA (now Great Escape) a Disney-esque theme park in 1954; a full year before Walt himself opened Disneyland. Wood also beat Walt to the punch with his version of Polynesian paradise the The Tiki. Why mention Disney's Polynesian Resort when discussing the Tiki? Because they are the last two themed full service resorts with Polynesian dinner show still operational in the continental United States.

The Tahiti Lounge at The Tiki Motor Inn opened on July 15, 1965.

The original lobby area remains relatively unspoiled and is currently Paradise Island Lounge. The original gift shop is now the Garden Cafe.

This hotel was run by Howard Johnson for many years, but it hasn't been stripped of its character like so many others that have been bought by hotel chains. Connected to the Waikiki Supper Club, which has Polynesian dinner shows nightly during July & August.

The Tiki also hosts Ohana: Luau at the Lake each year, bringing tons of tikiphiles to enjoy a celebratory weekend comparable to other major regional tiki events like Tiki Oasis or Tiki Caliente in California, Tiki-Kon in Oregon, or the Hukilau in Florida.

Built @1979-1980.

After the original The Tikis in Monterey Park closed, owner Danny Balsz attempted to reopen at this new location in Lake Elsinore with some of his old set pieces and tikis at the newly built-out location, but it never happened. It is now a paintball park, Jungle Island; all the landscaping and (now paint-splattered) rock formations remain, but the tikis are long gone.

The Royal Hawaiian opened in 1947. It was owned by the Cabang family. The Cabangs were originally from the Phillipines and were friends with both of the Fillipino Tiki carvers in L.A. at the time, Milan Guanko and Andres Bumatay. These talented artists both supplied Tikis for the restaurant. The prominent Andres Bumatay tikis outside the restaurant became weathered and destroyed and were later replaced by modern carvings.

The Royal Hawaiian also had a sister location located in Anaheim in the 1950s.

The Royal Hawaiian has been through several iterations. It originally had several small dining rooms with glass-walled dioramas filled with tikis and plants, great lamps, bamboo, thatch and sea grass matting, and a bar with a fireplace and pufferfish. There were lovely oil paintings throughout, including a large piece hung directly above the hostess stand.

In spring 2006, the restaurant was sold to a new owner, who gutted it. The newer, tiki-stripped version closed for good in 2012. In 2016, the space reopened, again with the name Royal Hawaiian, this time by people who wanted to bring back its rich tiki history. The new owners, Mo Honarkar and daughters Hasty and Nikisa, worked to bring back a fully-decorated Royal Hawaiian with the help of Bamboo Ben.

However in January-February 2019, the restaurant was closed for yet another remodel and then re-opened under the auspices of chef Mariano “Maro” Molteni. Honarkar’s company remained as landlords, while Molteni owned and operated the restaurant which he rebranded as the "Royal Hawaiian Fire Grill". Molteni's remodel (which came as a surprise to the landlords) removed much of Bamboo Ben's decor, especially natural materials like lauhala matting and thatching in favor of dark blue painted walls and a "cleaner" and "less cluttered" look. There were still tikis and accent pieces, but the interior was much reduced from its former full tiki glory.

On July 15th, 2022, Royal Hawaiian Fire Grill announced its closure for the end of that same month, on July 31st, 2022.

Following the 2022 closure of the last iteration of the Royal Hawaiian, the space was turned over to Boulevard Hospitality for a complete transformation and a grand re-opening in May 2023. The new build-out was completed by Ignacio “Notch” Gonzales, famous for building spaces like Smuggler’s Cove in San Francisco and Inside Passage in Seattle.

To round out the new experience, the Royal Hawaiian’s owners have brought on famed barman Dushan Zaric of Employees Only to build a bespoke cocktail menu that riffs, weaves, and rethinks the rum-forward staples of tiki lore.

*NOTE: For the 2006-2022 version or from 2023 onward see separate listings.