Tiki Bars
Tiki Island - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California, United States (Closed)
Today, as of 2023, this is a vacant lot.
Billingsley's Outrigger
Laguna Beach, California, United States (Closed)
Open perhaps as early as 1958.
The Outrigger was in the Surf & Sand Hotel. It was one of several restaurants owned by Glenn Billingsley, first husband of Barbara Billingsley of "Leave It to Beaver" fame.
Known for their celebrity bartender, Popo, who worked at several other locations and won some prestigious cocktail contests.
Mr. Vise Grip's Bamboo Bar
Fairfax, California, United States (Closed)
Mr. Vise Grip's Bamboo Bar was the small tiki bar within the 19 Broadway Nite Club, from 2003 until a fire damaged the space in 2009. The Nite Club remains, but the Bamboo Bar is no longer.
Jacks Sugar Shack
Los Angeles, California, United States (Closed)
This live music venue was originally located on Pico Boulevard at the old Wan-Q building at 8751 W Pico Blvd. (circa 1994), but then re-located to this second and final location. It lasted here from 1995-1999 before closing for good.
The interior had a bamboo bar and a mural in back of Thurston Howell and his wife, Lovey, from Gilligan's Island.
The Jacks Sugar Shack locations (never an apostrophe in its name) featured an eclectic mix of blues artists and American roots music. It also hosted the long-running Ronnie Mackʼs Barn Dance.
Indianola: a Tiki Resort
Palm Springs, California, United States (Closed)
The Indianola was a lovingly-restored, small 12-unit hotel in the Movie Colony district of Palm Springs. The property was originally opened as the Indianola Lodge in 1955, and had fallen into disrepair when it was purchased in September of 2001 by partners Michael Glenner and Steven Rockwell. Glenner and Rockwell turned the run-down hotel into a posh clothing-optional resort for gay men, with a retro, polynesian pop theme. It opened in 2003. Guests were greeted with a lei and a cocktail on arrival; there was a weekly cocktail party where guests were encouraged to wear costumes provided in their rooms, including sarongs and pith helmets.
The Indianola closed in 2008, and today as of 2021, it is home to the Avanti Hotel.
Skipper Kent's
San Francisco, California, United States (Closed)
Opened in 1944.
Skipper Kent's had a sister restaurant, Zombie Village, across the bay in Oakland.
This location for Skipper Kent's is now Kennedy's, an Irish pub.
The Temple Bar
Berkeley, California, United States (Closed)
The Temple Bar was owned and run by a Hawaiian family, and for a time had only been open for special events, such as visiting Hawaiian musicians, or occasional Sunday luaus. Toward the end, it began staying open five nights a week as a restaurant. It closed in 2011.
Alfredo's Beach Club
Long Beach, California, United States
This is a snack bar -- no liquor license. It is part of an in-line skate shop. They rent themselves out and help with private parties, sometimes luaus or other Hawaiian-themed events.
There are a couple of tikis on premises but this is by no means a full-time tiki establishment.
Eli Kai Apartments
Torrance, California, United States
Opened in 1965. The name "Eli Kai" translates to "Peaceful Garden" in Hawaiian.
The complex sports a nice A-frame. There is an underground parking garage and the units start on the second floor. A unique rock wall fountain, long ago turned off, still evokes the time period, and there are a plethora of tikis, from the Marquesan tiki beam holding up the ceiling outside the manager's office to the more decorative beams all throughout the complex.
Islander Motel
Santa Cruz, California, United States
Built in 1963.
The structure looks to have stayed intact and it still appears to have its original fish-shaped sign.
From postcards, it appears that the lobby once had hanging globe lights and some Witco furnishings that did not survive remodeling, but much of this motel is still very much the same.
The Lanai - San Mateo
San Mateo, California, United States (Closed)
Built in 1950.
Interior design by Clif and Lou Sawyer who are shown standing together in an interior shot below.
This restaurant at the Villa Hotel closed in 1988.
The Lanai had a dramatic neon palm tree sign, and an almost identical one stood at The Leilani in Fresno until 2014.
The Villa Hotel has now been converted to apartments -- The Villa at San Mateo.
Hawaiian Gardens - San Jose
San Jose, California, United States (Closed)
Originally, this location was named Lo Curto's Gardens in 1933.
It was renamed Lo Curto's Hawaiian Gardens in 1938 and remained so until 1966, so it spanned both the pre-Tiki and Golden Tiki Eras.
The last incarnation was Italian Gardens, a banquet hall specializing in weddings and Lockheed Christmas parties.
Today it is Italian Gardens Family and Italian Gardens Senior, two government housing projects.