Tiki Bars
Kon Tiki - Temple City
Temple City, California, United States (Closed)
Served "Authentic Cantonese Food". Also offered "Dining, Dancing, and Cocktails".
This location is now apparently Temple Liquor.
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.
Tiki Inn Motel
Palo Alto, California, United States (Closed)
In 1982 this became the Stanford Terrace Inn, an independent, non-Polynesian hotel.
*Background rendering is by John Nicolini for Electrical Products Corporation but the sign he drew was not built. Note that Gene Costa was appearing at the piano bar. Gene was another one of the illustrators at EPCO. He and John were close friends. They both shared a love of art and jazz...and probably dancing girls.
The Tiki House
San Diego, California, United States (Closed)
Opened in 1980 and closed in 2013.
This location did have a bamboo trimmed bar and some tiki decor but it had more of a roadhouse atmosphere and was known for being a live music venue.
They closed due to rising rent.
Tiki Room Bar & Restaurant - New York
New York, New York, United States (Closed)
Opened 2001.
This sad and (thankfully) short-lived attempt at modern-day tiki (so modern-day, they decided to leave out anything remotely tiki) was not built to attract the Polynesian Pop audience.
In 2004, they moved on to their next concept, and Star Bar moved in. Currently, as of 2021, this location is home to Sagaponack NYC, a seafood restaurant.
Aku Tiki Inn
Daytona Beach Shores, Florida, United States
Built in 1968.
The Aku Tiki Inn features an imposing moai at the entrance, complete with glowing red eyes. Some nice Witco pieces can be seen in the lobby. Connected to the Aku Tiki Inn is the Traders Restaurant (with the Aku Tiki Bar).
The Hawaiian Inn can be found just down the street.
In 2004, the oceanfront hotel sustained some damage from Hurricane Charley. The signature moai at the front of the hotel was damaged beyond repair. By 2005 the hotel had been repaired, with a new signature moai built with the help of Florida tiki artist Wayne Coombs.
Tribal Island Tiki Adventure Golf
Little River, South Carolina, United States
Open since at least 2012.
Tribal Island Tiki Adventure Golf is a mini-golf facility in Little River, South Carolina. It features two 18-hole courses, Tiki Bay and Volcano Valley, with tropical scenery, waterfalls, lakes, and caverns.
Waycaster Tiki
South Lyon, Michigan, United States
Soft opening on December 1st, 2024 and officially opened December 10th, 2024.
This is a traditionally decorated tiki bar with art, tiki carvings, flotsam and jetsam, swag lamps, and dim lighting for a mysterious twilight experience.
They serve a menu of traditional tiki cocktails (see below).
They have merch on their Etsy store (see below).
Tiki Chick
New York, New York, United States
Opened in January 2020.
This is a very sparsely decorated location without the large carvings and layers that you would expect from old school locations like Trader Vics. They do have some jungle monkey and hula girl wallpapered accent walls, some rattan furniture, and a few rattan ceiling fans. However, the peach-painted exterior, poured concrete bartop, and simple white globe lights in the front windows could call to mind any of hundreds of other differently themed gastropubs around the country.
Drinks are served in appropriate glassware or in generic tiki mugs and their drink menu offers an equal distribution of classics, signature cocktails, and machine-blended slushie drinks. They also have an extensive catalogue of rums and other spirits.
Their food menu offers fried chicken sandwiches, spam, and hots dogs among other things.
By all accounts their food and drinks are on point (and although the Pickle Painkiller is questionable, the restaurant's owner is Jacob Hadjigeorgis, the man behind Upper West Side’s wildly popular southern comfort food restaurant Jacob’s Pickles, so it gets a pass). Despite the interior theming leaving a bit to be desired, it's still a very pleasant place to spend an hour or two in the city.
Burnt Ends Tiki Bar - at Dr. BBQ Restaurant
St. Petersburg, Florida, United States (Closed)
Burnt Ends opened in March 2021, above the Dr. BBQ Restaurant, located in the EDGE District of St. Petersburg.
Frank Simontics, known as the Tiki Rancher, was called on to blend classic tiki design with Dr. BBQ’s smokehouse roots in the second-floor bar. Design elements included charred end cuts of wood with red backlighting, and simulating glowing embers. There was also a thatch and bamboo awning and an 8-foot moai-like figure of Ray “Dr. BBQ” Lampe greeting guests at street level.
Closed December 2022. Though quite popular, the restaurant was only leasing the space and the owners were offered a deal to sell the property which they could not turn down.
Water Witch Tiki Bar
Savannah, Georgia, United States
Opened February, 2020.
The interior is notable for two large moai statues on the way to the front bar where hanging basket lights provide a warm glow. Rattan seating throughout. At least a couple of different seating areas in back, including one with bright leaf print wallpaper in peach and tan beachy tones and another with a tiki fountain and blue-painted walls with a chandelier made from netting, a puffer fish, and glass fish floats.
The name Water Witch is an homage to the Navy’s USS Water Witch that was taken by the Confederates during the Civil War. Eventually, the Water Witch was burned to prevent recapture and still remains underwater off the Savannah coast.
The bar serves classic and original tiki cocktails and does have a small food menu also, including a pupu platter.
Taha'a Twisted Tiki
St. Louis, Missouri, United States (Closed)
Taha'a Twisted Tiki opened in December 2013, in the Grove neighborhood of St. Louis. The decor was simple, and there was an outdoor patio. There was a menu of tropical drinks available, served in tiki mugs, and a Volcano Bowl.
*NOTE: Blue menus shown are circa 2015.
Closed @ December 2024 - eviction was approved after the building's owner filed suit in September 2023 seeking past-due rent and possession of the space.