Hawaii Kai was the grand dame of New York Polynesian restaurants. The location, over the historic Winter Garden Theatre, already had a place in Polynesian Pop history: it was the location of Monte Proser's Beachcomber, a Don the Beachcomber rip-off, in the early '40s.

The dramatic space opened initially as a partnership between Monte Proser and Joe Kipness as Lanai in 1961, but by November of 1962 it had morphed into Hawaii Kai with Joe Kipness now partnered with Art Schindler, who had owned the nearby Luau 400.

The dramatic interiors were created by Frederick Fox, a scenic designer for Broadway productions. The entry was at street level, and had lush greenery, waterfalls and capuchin monkeys. After receiving a lei greeting, visitors ascended a rattan staircase to the upper level, with three rooms:

The Okole Maluna Bar (Bottoms Up Bar) had a diorama of Diamond Head at Waikiki that constantly shifted from daytime to nighttime.

Adjacent to the bar was The Lounge of the Seven Pleasures -- this room had entertainment nightly, playing until 3 a.m.

The main dining room was where the nightly luau and Polynesian revue was held, variably called Hula Wei, Place of Meeting, or The Island Huts of Oahu. The space was large, with a stage, and thatch-covered booth "huts" along the edge of the room.

Hawaii Kai had a flair for flowery naming: beyond the colorful names for the rooms and of course the drinks, they were always coming up with new exotic-sounding titles for special giveaway items. The competition for tourist dollars was likely steep in Times Square, and in order to keep up there was a steady stream of creative bonus items one could acquire: A tiki teapot set titled "Ipo Aloha Lovers Tea Set", a skull mug titled "Goddess of Love", even a simple standard bucket mug became a "Royal Ali'i Goblet". Tiki lighters, lanterns, salt and pepper shakers, and of course good old tiki mugs: they couldn't give them away fast enough. Today the items are heavily collected, and often can be found still in the box they were sent home in.

Hawaii Kai's popularity waned, but it held on through the 1980s, and through the damage of a fire. It made appearances in a couple of Hollywood films (most famously a scene from Goodfellas takes place here). Hawaii Kai finally closed sometime during or shortly after 1989.

*NOTE: Cocktail menus below show that earlier drinkware included Spurlin/Beauce designed bowls and unmarked glassware but they later converted to Otagiri designed ceramic ware and marked glassware.

The Islands Restaurant was situated in the former Hanalei Hotel, now called the Crowne Plaza. This once-elaborate mid-century Polynesian restaurant was designed by George Nakashima along with Hendrick & Mock Architects, starting in 1964. It had an A-frame entrance from the hotel's courtyard, elaborate water features and lush surrounding landscaping, and was thoroughly and richly decorated inside. The restaurant featured lovely carved railings throughout, large glass float lights, and dramatic clam shell fountains. Some of the tikis here were salvaged from Steve Crane's Luau in Beverly Hills.

Over the years, remodels of the restaurant (and surrounding hotel) gradually stripped the restaurant of its defining features. In November 2006, a six-month renovation of the restaurant began, which removed many of the waterfalls, fountains and other water features, along with nearly all of the tiki artifacts. The end result was a fairly generic hotel restaurant, though some decor in the hallway outside remained intact for some time after.

In the beginning of the Covid pandemic the hotel was contracted by the city to house homeless Covid victims and this restaurant was closed since @2020 to the public. Fences and security were put up and those not registered to stay were turned away. Then, another remodeling was completed and the hotel opened back up in 2024 to show that all traces of Tiki decor had been removed from the premises, save some lava rock on some of the walls and some tiki railings.

So, although you can visit the hotel now, as of 2024, it is essentially finished as a tiki point of interest, save for the memories.

Kowloon opened on August 22nd, 1950 as The Mandarin House. In 1958 the Wong family purchased it and changed the name to Kowloon. Over the years they have expanded the restaurant into a broad complex of rooms, and it now has room for 1,200 dining patrons. Several of the rooms have Polynesian theming, including the Tiki Lagoon Room and Luau Room.

Fun Fact: The exterior Ku tiki below the A-frame is made of foam.

The restaurant has been a landmark in the north Boston area for decades, and photos of many celebrities visiting the restaurant are proudly displayed. They have a comedy club within the complex called "Kowloon Komedy".

The food is traditional Chinese American fare, and includes a flaming pu pu platter. Tropical drinks are served in tiki mugs.

As of 2024, the owners have announced that the restaurant is going to close. However, it sounds as though they have construction plans and that the end goal is to open a smaller venue on part of the same site. See 2024 Breezeway interview episode with Spike (Matt Marble).

The Leilani opened in 1951, and for many years was most famous for its beautiful palm tree neon sign, almost identical to the one that stood in front of the Lanai restaurant in San Mateo. The Leilani was owned by the brothers Jimmy, Roy and Stanley Dunn, who also owned Luau across town; they ran the two restaurants for 35 years. The Leilani used to serve drinks in tiki mugs with both its name and Luau inscribed on the back (and used at both restaurants): a black moai, and a three-face bucket mug. In its final years, it no longer had any tiki whatsoever, and was just an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet (later "Pho Galaxy"); sister restaurant Luau met a similar fate. The restaurant closed in 2005, and the building and sign were demolished around 2014.

The Hawaiian Inn opened circa July of 1965.

This Polynesian-themed resort complex is right on the Atlantic Ocean; most of its 208 spacious hotel rooms have private balconies overlooking the ocean. The hotel has a number of amenities, including a large outdoor pool, an indoor pool, shuffleboard, and a beachside 9-hole putt-putt course, and most of the rooms include small kitchenettes. There is also the poolside Ohana Tiki Bar and Grill.

The hotel has seen better days. There is no remnant of its Polynesian history in the rooms, which appear to have undergone remodels at some point in the 80s -- all of the rooms used to have Witco headboards, which can now be seen as wall hangings throughout the hotel. Outside of the rooms, there are some nice touches, including bamboo-encased garbage cans and Witco furniture.

Check for scheduling, but the resort regularly hosts a Hawaiian Luau Dinner Show.

Just up the street from Hawaiian Inn, you'll find Aku Tiki Inn and Traders Restaurant.

Owned by the Yee family, whose patriarch, the late Jung Tai “Johnny” Yee, first opened the Hu Ke Lau on April 6, 1965.

Hu Ke Lau was reported to be a little light on true tiki details, but they did offer custom mugs, and a rather long Polynesian floor show.

Closed April 6th, 2018.

This Hu Ke Lau was the first in a small chain of restaurants. Johnny Yee partnered with Frank Chin and Robert Lew to open other locations, including: Lenox, Massachusetts (re-named Luau Hale in the 70s), Longmeadow, Massachusetts, and Rocky Hill, Connecticut. There appears to have been a Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Salem, New Hampshire, and a Bridgeport, Connecticut location (which burned down in 1983) also.

This location opened before July 1969.

Closed on January 17, 2016.

*Notes: Frank (Frankie) Chin, Jung Tai (John/Johnny) Yee, and Robert (Bobby)Lew were the original owners.

The Yee family, which owns the Chicopee location and a number of other area restaurants, sold the Longmeadow restaurant in 1976, allowing the new owners to retain the name. Bobby Lew died February 16, 1996.

This Hu Ke Lau was also one in a small chain of restaurants. Johnny Yee partnered with Frank Chin and Robert Lew to open other locations, including the first in Chicopee, and others in: Lenox, Massachusetts (re-named Luau Hale in the 70s), Salem, New Hampshire, Rocky Hill, Connecticut, and Bridgeport, Connecticut (which burned down in 1983).

A.F. (Gus) and Loreen Raigosa were a couple of Los Angeles area entrepreneurs who bought property in Newberry Springs (situated in the Mojave Desert about 150 miles from Los Angeles and 20 miles east of Barstow on Highway 66) and built a 7 acre lake (later expanded to 45 acres) at the beginning of 1960.

Next came docks, cabanas, and barbecue pits. Tetherball and volleyball courts and a nine-hole golf course as well as swings for the children followed. Trees and shrubs were planted and a scattering of carved Tiki gods. They stocked the lake with bass, channel catfish, and bluegill and operated the site as a tropical campground with luaus.

The "Tiki Bird" plane with a tiki paint job and tropical pin-up art was another interesting draw.

The restaurant, itself, was decorated in "authentic Tahitian decor" and had two separate dining areas with red carpets, trimmed in bamboo, with Tiki masks, and a large carved tiki overlooking a waterfall effect. The bar served traditional tiki cocktails.

Eventually, the couple sold the property in 1972 and moved to the Bahamas.

The El Mirador Hotel operated from 1928 to 1972.

The name "El Mirador" is taken from the pre-Columbian Mayan Ruin in Guatemala but there was never a Mayan theme at this location. It just lent an air of exoticism. Built by Palm Springs pioneer Prescott Thresher Stevens at a cost of $1 million, and designed by Los Angeles architects Walker & Eisen, the hotel’s 20 acres included an Olympic-size swimming pool, tennis courts, stables, the desert’s first golf course, and a striking Spanish-Colonial Revival-style bell tower that became a city landmark.

This hotel underwent a remodel and in 1952, opened their South Pacific Room, which showcased Tahitian dancers, “Island Serenaders” and a Polynesian buffet. In advertisements, it encouraged guests to “go native” and had luaus every Thursday.

This site is now home to the Desert Regional Medical Center.

This location opened in 1962 and closed in 1990.

It was well-known for, among other things, the large Barney West Bird Man carving in front. This carving was auctioned off after the close, donated by the new lease-holder of the building, Eric Denk, to the Scottsdale Junior Arts Forum as a fundraiser for their annual masked ball.

Eric re-named the location "Eric's Tradewinds", in an attempt to continue the Polynesian theme, but his effort was short-lived. Remaining interior decor was reportedly given to the Scottsdale Conference Resort for luaus.

As of 2021, this location is Citizen Public House, an upscale gastropub.

Opened May 12th, 1967 at 12125 S. Lakewood Boulevard in Downey.

The exterior with its rough wood exterior and heavy plantings of palms could easily be mistaken for the old Bahooka in Rosemead or, maybe because of the A-frame opening, the old Don The Beachcomber's/Sam's Seafood in Huntington Beach. But it is neither.

The Sandpiper's logo porthole can be seen on the front door in one of the photos below. Looks like the top of a tiki head sticking up right behind the engine of the drag racer but hard to tell.

They served steak, seafood, and European dishes.

The space was immense, but the interior was carefully divided into more intimate dining areas for a labyrinth effect that those who are familiar with the old Bahooka in Rosemead probably remember getting lost in.

The main dining room was designed like a 19th century whaling ship with a massive mast and yardarm. Its walls, like those throughout the restaurant were covered in brightly varnished yellow woods, including Pecky Cypress containing numerous holes which resemble those pecked by birds. Pecky Cypress is hard to come by in the modern era and when you spot it somewhere (like in the interior of The Tonga Hut in North Hollywood) you can rest assured you are in a vintage interior.

The sandpiper also had a gigantic outdoor luau garden which accommodated 200 and had 20-foot waterfalls.

Black and white photos below show a drag racer posing outside the Sandpiper circa 1967, the year the restaurant opened.

The old Sandpiper building is no longer there anymore. Looks like the closest commercial property would be Bill and Steve's Foreign Auto at 12121 Lakewood.

Opened in February of 2018.

From their website:

"Hades Hula House is Adelaide's Premier tiki bar and restaurant. Exotic flavours and liquid libations await those who dare!

Owned by entrepreneur and powerhouse Abby Roennfeldt 'Just Abby', Hades Hula House was birthed to life from her love of tiki culture and good drinks. Never one to shy away from the limelight Abby and her team of hospitality guns have been pushing this small bar from strength to strength. This beachside hideout boasts impressive breakfast and dinner menus, as well as an in-house cocktail list featuring over 20 boutique classic and modern takes on tiki, with some Hades exclusives thrown in.

From the decor to the drinks, meals, music, and service, this slice of new-built history has something for everyone. People come to Hades to get away. If only for a few hours they can be anywhere their Polynesian dreams desire. The bar is warm and littered with palm trees, carvings, bamboo and vintage trinkets."

*NOTE: This location for Hades Hula House closed its doors for good on Saturday May 28th, 2022. They re-opened on Friday, August 12, 2022 with an opening luau at their new home at 128 Hindley Street, Adelaide 5000.