Tiki Bars
Lingba
San Francisco, California, United States (Closed)
Lingba opened in 2001, in the same space that used to be Lilo Lounge.
Executive Chef and owner Cody Robertson combined local ingredients with traditional spices to create contemporary southeast asian cuisine. Lingba also featured tropical cocktails and nightly DJs, to a backdrop of palm trees and hanging plants.
Lingba closed in 2010 after a steep rent increase.
Hawaii West
San Francisco, California, United States
Opened in 1969.
Hawaii West is a pool bar in San Francisco's busy North Beach neighborhood, with a couple of tikis.
Their cocktail menu only lists 4 cocktails.
Islands Sushi and Pupu Bar
San Diego, California, United States (Closed)
Islands Sushi and Pupu Bar was known as the not-particularly-tiki sushi bar in the rather-tiki Crowne Plaza Hotel for many years.
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.
This bar area wasn't terribly tiki before 2020, save for a few masks on the walls and some rattan furniture, but now it is totally bare of any tiki influence.
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.
Trader Mort's Liquor & Deli
San Diego, California, United States
Trader Mort's is a liquor store, in operation since 1964 when it was opened by Lance "Mort" Morton. It serves as a sort of gateway to tiki-heavy Shelter Island, where you can also find Humphrey's Half Moon Inn and Bali Hai Restaurant. This is a small liquor store, and the selection isn't fantastic, but its vintage feel makes it charming nonetheless. An iconic tiki outside at the corner was carved by Eli Hedley. The upstairs wine area is easy to miss, but features a few more tiki artifacts. The store has had their own tiki mugs for sale off and on over the years.
Humphrey's Half Moon Inn
San Diego, California, United States
Humphrey's Half Moon Inn is a large hotel (two stories, 182 rooms) on Shelter Island, built in 1960 with Polynesian touches in accordance with the Harbor Department's requirement that all structures on the artificial island be Polynesian in appearance.
It is an upscale hotel, sporting a dramatic A-frame porte cochere and many well-maintained and unusual tikis throughout the grounds. In the summertime, Humphrey's plays host to national music acts during their very popular Humphrey's Concerts by the Bay series.
Humphrey's is one of several great vintage tiki locations on Shelter Island in San Diego, the others being Bali Hai Restaurant and Trader Mort's Liquor.
Bali Hai Restaurant
San Diego, California, United States
When Bali Hai first opened, it was called The Hut (1953-1954), and was a subsidiary of Christian's Hut in Newport Beach. The business didn't do well initially, until the manager Tom Ham took it over and renamed it Bali Hai. Atop the building, you can still see "the Goof," a funny-looking guy who was the mascot for Christian's Hut. Bali Hai developed their own mascot, Mr. Bali Hai, whose droopy-lidded face can be seen at the front door, and on the tiki mugs. Today, Bali Hai remains a popular Polynesian restaurant, with many fine examples of Polynesian art both indoors and out.
Bali Hai is located on Shelter Island in San Diego, along with Humphrey's Half Moon Inn and Trader Mort's Liquor.
Hula Beach
San Clemente, California, United States (Closed)
Hula Beach was a store specializing in Hawaiian-style products and home furnishings. It closed in early 2010.
Burt's Tiki Lounge - Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, Utah, United States (Closed)
A local-music dive bar that served the SLC Ska/Punk set. There does not appear to be a connection with the Albuquerque Burt's Tiki Lounge. It closed in 2014.
Maleville's Coral Reef Lodge
Sacramento, California, United States (Closed)
Maleville's Coral Reef Lodge was next to the Coral Reef Restaurant. It was demolished in June 2002 to make way for a new County Department of Human Assistance building.
Coral Reef - Sacramento
Sacramento, California, United States (Closed)
Coral Reef was owned by Buddy and Roberta Maleville in 1949. It had seven "enchanting" dining rooms, one of them being the Outrigger Room; the restaurant could accommodate groups of up to 150. This was the restaurant for the nextdoor Maleville's Coral Reef Lodge. Coral Reef was a Polynesian restaurant landmark for Sacramento, operating for decades until it closed in 1994 and was later demolished.
Before opening this location, the Malevilles also opened a Coral Reef location in Millbrae that only lasted until 1953.
A massive tiki from the sign for the Coral Reef today resides at Bamboo Hut in San Francisco.
Bahooka Ribs & Grog - Rosemead
Rosemead, California, United States (Closed)
This was the second Bahooka location (opened in 1976), and the one that lasted into the new millennium. The original location in West Covina operated from 1967 until 1980.
The exterior was decorated with pier pilings and long lengths of thick nautical chain strung between them. Also on display was an anti-aircraft cannon. The chain and cannon were painted white.
The interior of Bahooka was lit quite dimly, which contributed to its labyrinthine feel. The building was appraised at 8,598 square feet and had seating for 350 patrons and a banquet room that served 80. Aquariums were everywhere -- over 100. The decor could perhaps be described as more nautical than truly tiki, with many items salvaged from the same Navy scrap yard in Long Beach where they obtained the chain and anti-aircraft cannon outside.
Some of the more eclectic items included an old set of post office boxes flanked by Marquesan tiki poles in the front lobby, a vintage standing visible gas pump with glass cylinder at top, and an old set of sliding metal jail cell doors that could "lock up" patrons eating in the "jail booth".
Tikis could be found throughout Bahooka. Some of them were vintage pieces and some by more modern carvers.
They would make any drink a flaming drink -- even non-alcoholic ones.
Near the entrance was an aquarium holding a rather large, decades-old fish, a Pacu named Rufus, who ate carrot sticks. The pacu is a close relative of the piranha, and has become known as "the testicle-eating fish" after some unfortunate incidents in Papua New Guinea's Sepik River. Rufus was much beloved, however, and stuck to carrots.
Bahooka was also featured briefly in the film Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas.
At the beginning of 2013, it was announced that the owners of the building had sold it to a group intending to gut it of all decor and turn it into a Chinese buffet. The decorations were sold, with much of it winding up at Clifton's Pacific Seas (the jail cell doors, the gas pump, the largest tiki on premises...).
The current whereabouts of Rufus are unknown, despite a massive fundraising to re-home him and an offer by Damon's in Glendale. The new owners of the building were unwilling to produce him, however, leading to speculation that Rufus did not survive the transfer from his old tank.
The Bahooka closed in March 2013.
After the building's remodel, it was home to at least one or two short-lived Chinese restaurants. As of July, 2022, it is home to a Boston Lobster restaurant.
Hala Kahiki
River Grove, Illinois, United States
Hala Kahiki was opened in 1964 by Stanley and Rose Sacharski when they decided they wanted to get out of the funeral home business, and is still run by their family. Tucked away in a quiet suburb, Hala Kahiki is a beautiful classic tiki bar. The layout is sprawling but feels subdued and intimate. Witco carvings are featured heavily throughout the dimly-lit bar. The extensive drink menu tends toward the sweet and low-octane... consider bringing a flask to perk your drinks up a bit. The gift shop is large and includes a section of vintage clothing. Hala Kahiki was one of the stops during Exotica 2003, where Sven Kirsten gave a presentation on the art of Witco. The bar is currently run by Rose & Stanley's grandson, James, and his wife, Kerrie.