The Islander (1966-1980) was a staple of Stockton's late-night entertainment in the 70s and 80s. Tommy Lee bought The Islander from restaurateur Hop Louie, who had hired architect Warren Wong to design the building to resemble a shipwreck on a sandy beach.

Most of the Islander's mugs were manufactured by Otagiri (OMC) and included: the "Islander child's tiki" mug, more commonly called a peanut mug today, which was available in black and the more common brown; three-face bucket mugs in both a short and tall size, which Mai Tais were served in; a rare green Maori-face bucket mug; a strangely large Scorpion bowl for two with an outrigger scene on one side and palm trees on the reverse; a "surf rider" mug that was also used at the unrelated Latitude 20; a tall wahine mug in the shape of a palm tree trunk (also the same shape as a Tiki Bob mug); a tiki mug with the image of an Andres Bumatay tiki on it (this same tiki was also used for early Islander menu cover artwork); a three-tiki bowl by an unknown manufacturer, and marked as being from the Islander only with a clear sticker on the bottom; a "Hurricane" mug (more commonly called a Kon Tiki mug today, as the face was borrowed from Thor Heyerdahl's Kon Tiki); a later Hurricane mug that looked like a section of bamboo; a Wan Fu mug that is commonly called Mr. Sleepy by collectors; an unusual bug-eyed moai mug sometimes seen with white eyes; skull mugs for serving the Kona Grog, which came in black or white; a coconut mug which can be found in varying shades of brown, for serving the Coconut Punch; a pineapple mug with holes for two straws, which came with the Pi-Yi; a Suffering Tiki mug with two straw holes and a toothy grin that will be familiar to Kelbo's fans; and a Bora Bora head mug, also with two straw holes.

In the mid-90s, the building was moved to 10464 North Highway 99, and operated as the Pollardville Chicken Kitchen. The building is now demolished. The left-behind original lot is now a Tower Records.

Tommy Lee passed away at age 87 in 2002.

The Stockton Islander is not to be confused with the earlier Los Angeles Islander.

Images attribution: The Bank of Stockton Archives

La Mariana Sailing Club is the last remaining bastion of true original Polynesian Pop in Hawaii. It opened in 1955, and over the years, it has become a sort of museum of Waikiki's tiki past: the tikis here came out of the Kon-Tiki in the Sheraton-Waikiki, lamps came from the Trader Vic's, and tables and chairs came from Don the Beachcomber. Original owner Annette La Mariana Nahinu ran the operation until her death in 2008. La Mariana features a lively piano bar, and guests can join in on the singing.

La Mariana's original location was 50 yards from its current location; it moved in 1973. There is an 80-boat slip attached to the restaurant which sits on Ke'ehi Lagoon.

After a 2-year-long shuttering because of COVID, La Mariana re-opened on May 31st, 2022. During the shutdowns, Gecko made many renovations and they did much to the front of the house and bar, including the addition of a new point-of-sale system. This was a soft re-open with many ongoing renovations still taking place, especially in back of house.

Opened March 2nd, 2022.

The Luau was developed by owner/bartender Brett Rose to "stoke the masses".

Though not as lavishly decorated as some tiki palaces, tilting perhaps a touch more towards the surf bar than the tiki bar end of the spectrum with its coral painted walls and serviceable wood café chairs, there are still, indeed, several tikis throughout.

It has a live music stage in front of house and an outdoor patio in back.

Some nice decorative touches include a wall of ukuleles behind the live music stage, some Oceanic Arts style masks on the walls, lauhala matting, fish floats, and a couple of concrete tiki fountains out on the patio.

Tiki favorites are served in tiki mugs and volcano bowls. Including the Tropical Itch cocktail, with backscratchers included.

Pau Hana Lounge was a tiki bar, part of On the Hiyu, a rental facility from Seattle, Washington, based on a previously retired ferry. The 165-foot ferry, called the Hiyu, was converted into an arts space, which was available for special event rental, and which hosted some public arts events including music and cabaret acts. The ferry had two interior passenger compartments, and one contained the Pau Hana Lounge which was created by Aleks Petrovitch, a longtime member of the tiki revival scene who used to own Aqua Surf Shop in San Francisco, and Tiki Bosko of San Diego. The work started in summer 2017, and the bar opened in late 2017 or early 2018. The Hiyu was moored on the east side of Lake Union.

In May 2022, after having been temporarily closed for a time, On The Hiyu posted in social media that they moved to Cabo. As of December 2022, their boat is still posted for sale.

No Bones Beach Club opened in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle in early 2016, after a few successful years operating as a food truck. The menu was all vegan, and 2% of proceeds were donated to animal welfare causes. Tiki drinks were served in tiki and tropical mugs. Brunch was served on weekends.

The walls were lined with bamboo and lauhala matting, with thatch overhead, and colorful outdoor light lanterns hang above. There were animal sculptures, made from driftwood. A large tiki with a pineapple atop its head greeted you at the front of the restaurant.

Officially closed on October 15th, 2020 as a financial casualty of the Covid Pandemic shutdowns.

A second location opened in Portland in January 2017 and closed in October 2020 about the same time as the Seattle location.

Jardin Tiki opened on February 14, 1985, and was founded by Douglas Chan. Chan had worked at the Montreal Kon-Tiki, and had also opened the nearby Tiki Dor.

Jardin Tiki was a large, open, and extravagant space -- a mid-century building that had been a car dealership. It was filled with many large hanging lamps and other decor that came from the Kon-Tiki (which had closed in 1981). There were water pools complete with turtles, and bridges to cross them. Large cane chairs provided glamorous seating for all. As grand as this all sounds, its most distinctive feature was the natural light: while most classic tiki bars are dark, windowless caverns, Jardin Tiki was full of natural sunlight from the windowed ceiling, giving a bright airy feel usually avoided in Polynesian restaurants.

Jardin Tiki closed on Saturday, March 28th, 2015, and was later demolished for new development.

Mojave Oasis was opened in Spring 2011, in Newberry Springs, by Amy Boylan (Queen Kamehameha on Tiki Central).

The concept was definitely influenced by the 1960s Lake Loreen's Blue Lagoon (which was located in Newberry Springs and was also situated on a man-made lake and had a plane called "The Tiki Bird").

Newberry Springs is a very isolated area, located 20 mi (32 km) east of Barstow, approximately 40 mi (64 km) due west of the Mojave National Preserve, and approximately 100 mi (160 km) south of Death Valley National Park.

Mojave Oasis was a private campground centered around a small pond/lake with both tent and trailer camping.

In addition to vintage trailers which could be rented, the property had paddle boats for going out on the lake, a wrecked vintage plane (The Tiki Bird), dozens of vintage tikis (some from Benzart Davis and some from Ben Wilson who ran the old El Tiki) and new carvings (like the carved mermaids by Tiki Ray for instance), a clam shell roofed bar (The Mermaid Lounge) and a hut called The Rapa Nui Roost -- both created by Danny Gallardo (Tiki Diablo), and an A-frame stage for live music performances.

Camp spaces could be rented out by appointment and Amy also held an annual Mojave Oasis event.

Financial difficulties forced the closing and sale of the property in 2016.

Opened November, 2018 in the space formerly occupied by Bonefish Grill.

This restaurant was the first sit-down-and-be-served restaurant opened by TV Star Andrew Zimmern.

Zimmern is perhaps best known to most people from his tv show, Bizarre Foods, which premiered on the Travel Channel with a pilot episode on November 1, 2006. The series has aired over 140 episodes, with Zimmern visiting dozens of countries and states.

Zimmern opened the Lucky Cricket with the stated intention to expand it out into a franchise across the midwest. His Pan-Asian Fusion menu seemed poised to offer a direct alternative to PF Chang's. The tiki bar and cocktail menu was intentionally an homage to Trader Vic's. Tiki mugs were supplied by Tiki Farm.

The main bar had a thatched-roof lined with tufted yellow swivel chairs, tiki pole supports, and two enormous tiki heads that housed frozen slushie machines. The main area had glass fish floats and fish traps hanging from the ceiling. There were also a couple of Thai tuk-tuks that you could sit in and eat your meals.

However, what started off so promising went south after Zimmern gave an interview with Fast Company where he discussed the restaurant... and drew controversy. He was accused of dismissing the contributions made by Asian American restaurants and eateries throughout the Midwest and of cultural appropriation. After opening, the restaurant received mixed reviews and struggled for a time, even shutting down at one point for a re-model (which included changing "Tiki Lounge" on the red entranceway outside to just "Lounge") a new menu change, new management, and new operating partner. How much of this poor reception stemmed from the previous bad press is hard to gauge, but as with many other restaurants, they were forced to close during the COVID epidemic in Summer 2020 and never re-opened.

David Tallichet's Ports O' Call Restaurant, housed in a Polynesian longhouse and surrounded by a forest of tropical foliage in pure Adventureland tradition, opened February 8th, 1961 and proved an immediate success. A lagoon at the entrance, ringed jungle-thick with tropical plants, had a Chinese sampan boat partially sunken in it. Rooms inside were themed to Hawaii (Waikiki), Tahiti, the Hong Kong Yacht Club and a Japanese "Tea Room" - a concept lifted wholesale from Steve Crane's Kon-Tiki Ports chain in Hiltons across the country.

The restaurant sat in the larger Ports O' Call Village -- a seaside plaza that featured souvenir and gift shops, along with restaurants, sweetshops, fish markets and quick-bite eateries. This New England-style seaside village encompassed 15 acres of shops, restaurants and attractions. A meandering promenade of cobblestone streets connects the specialty shops.

More than 40 surrounding merchants were in place when the entire complex held its grand opening on July 13, 1963. When the Whaler’s Wharf section, south of the restaurant, opened in 1967, there were 85 businesses operating in Ports O’ Call Village.

The village drew a good number of people who passed through San Pedro to visit Marineland, a high-profile aquarium/theme park attraction next door, in Rancho Palos Verdes, that closed in February 1987.

By the late 1970s and early 1980s, village merchants began to complain about their leases and the upkeep.

By 1984 Tallichet was forced to make some changes and address concerns. The Ports O' Call Restaurant was given a new look and they added a second level with banquet facilities, although the Polynesian theme was done away with almost entirely. Described as "Nautical Victorian", photos of the place which survive online resemble more an 80s retirement home recreation room with bits of tropical decor here and there.

The refurbishments weren't enough and the village continued a slow decline over the years...

The Ports O' Call Restaurant hung on until 2018, when it was forced to close.

Currently, as of 2022, this area is scheduled to be re-developed and has been re-branded as West Harbor (with restaurants, shops, and fresh markets). The $155 million project is scheduled to complete in three phases, with the first phase introducing new restaurants, shops and bars with a finish date of 2024.

Opened in January 2020. This space boasts that it is Dublin's only Tiki Bar!

Taken from Third Mind Design, who designed the space, which holds 200 people and is divided into 5 separate sections:

"Ohana Tiki Bar is located on Harcourt Street in Dublin, Ireland. The colour palette is a combination of teal, crystal blue and natural bamboo. Oversized palm leaves and pineapples are printed onto custom wallpaper and cover sections of the walls. The exterior is defined by a block colour of crystal blue, wayfinding strip from steps to entrance. The exterior walls and floor are painted black with bamboo cladding and live bamboo plants to bring a softer element. The entrance into the bar begins with a vortex style transition - characterised by mirror panels and neon-style lighting. The reception hallway uses a volcanic effect wall with a vibrant pink ‘Aloha’ greeting. The key design features of the venue are colour block sections, bamboo cladding and a mixture of contemporary and tiki furniture. Tiki heads and Easter Island style statues adorn the corners of the teal colour block rooms. The cove takes on a Caribbean element and the colour palette changes to a monochromatic tan and black. The walls are bedecked with black skulls and a hanging bamboo feature. The copper port lanterns and premium rum feature cabinets complete this look. The outdoor area features an ‘Ohana’ sign made completely from natural bamboo and decorated with soft green foliage."

The bar boasts over 200 rums, and also has a DJ booth across from the bar, so can go from lounge to nightclub space as needed.

After their initial opening, they had barely found their footing when the Corona Virus hit and they had to close for 2 years, opening once again at the end of February 2022.

Opened in February of 2024 in Calgary's Chinatown by Nhi Tran and Tanner Ennis.

This is the same team behind Paper Lantern (a Chinatown speakeasy opened mid 2020).

While Paper Lantern is considered a "Tropical Bar", Prosperity is "Full Tiki" although they state that they have tried to avoid pitfalls of over-sexualization and cultural exploitation that many point to as disturbing elements of the Tiki Aesthetic. Basically, this seems to mean they have stayed clear of actual tiki carvings or artwork depicting sexy hula girls, but most other expected tiki elements are fair game.

The new spot is on the site of the Golden Inn, which closed its doors in 2022.

The main area is lined with bamboo walls and large roomy green curved booths.

Swag lamps line the perimeter, and continue into the bar area, along with thatching and other natural materials to complete the island look.

The tiki cocktail menu is relatively short, but profiles many classic standards that Tiki fans are sure to love.