Tiki Bars
The Chief's Hut - at the Cinerama Reef Hotel
Honolulu, Hawaii, United States (Closed)
The Reef hotel was built in 1967.
The Chief's Hut was an outdoor poolside dining area at the Cinerama Reef Hotel. Circa 1969 if not earlier.
Run by Bob Maynard, they advertised "Dining Under The Stars".
The Reef, Reef Towers and Edgewater hotels were sold to the Cinerama movie company in 1969 but Roy Kelley re-purchased the hotels from Cinerama in 1982 to re-integrate them back into the Outrigger chain.
Since 2007, with the creation of the Waikiki Beach Walk, this entire area has been redeveloped and the Reef is now known as The Outrigger Reef Waikiki beach resort, with The Chief's Hut area completely gone and remodeled.
Okolehao Bar - at the Honolulu International Airport
Honolulu, Hawaii, United States (Closed)
The governor, on April 27, 1951, signed an act to change the name of Honolulu Airport to Honolulu International Airport.
There was still much construction to do, however, and the new terminal and facilities took a few years to develop, but several airlines, including Pan American Airways and United Airlines inaugurated jet service between the mainland United States and Hawaii in 1959.
Eventually, the Okolehao Bar was added to entertain guests. This was probably when the new John Rodgers Terminal was dedicated on August 22, 1962, during the annual conference of the Airport Operators Council, held in Honolulu August 19-25, 1962. The entrance to the bar can be seen in the press photo below.
This bar functioned through the 60s and into the 70s.
Eventually, in 2017, they changed the name of the Honolulu International Airport to the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.
Tiki Fala Restaurant
Arlington, Virginia, United States (Closed)
This location was functioning circa 70s - late 80s.
The interior of the restaurant was decorated with lots of decorations including Orchids of Hawaii lamps and masks.
By 1990 this location was closed and had become a Korean Restaurant named Sang Rok Su, which purportedly kept the Polynesian decor.
Today, as of 2023, any sign of Polynesian decor is gone and the location is home to The Celtic House Irish Pub.
Del Webb's Kuilima Resort Hotel & Country Club
Kahuku, Hawaii, United States (Closed)
Turtle Bay opened its doors in May 1972 as Del Webb’s Kuilima Resort Hotel and Country Club. The hotel boasted 443 ocean view rooms and a golf course. Webb was inspired by the name of the area the hotel sits on called Kuilima. In the Hawaiian language kui lima means "joining hands".
The former owner of the New York Yankees opened the resort with none other than Bob Hope as the headliner.
Webb had the vision of making Kuilima the first casino in Hawaii, however a bill that would make gambling legal that he anticipated passing died.
The resort took the Turtle Bay name officially in 1983. However, locals called the area Turtle Bay before then because turtles commonly feed in the bay.
Over the years what hasn’t changed is Turtle Bay’s untouched coastline, expansive grounds and legendary surfing. The resort rests on 1,300 acres of paradise. It is home to the stunning Kawela Bay, Kuilima Farm and the most northern tip on the island of Oahu, Kahuku Point.
The splendor of Turtle Bay has drawn Hollywood to its shores over the past 5 decades. More than 150 movies, TV shows and series have been filmed at Turtle Bay including Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Hawaii Five-0 and Jumanji - Welcome to the Jungle.
In April 2020, the hotel closed to the public in the wake of the COVID19 pandemic. Owners used the down time to completely transform Turtle Bay from the inside out with world renowned designer Dianna Wong and the architects of WCIT Architecture leading the charge.
*NOTE: It does not appear that the three tikis that stood outside in the 70s are still in place, although with all the remodeling it is possible that there may be new Polynesian art and decor somewhere on the grounds.
Flamingo Tiki Room
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States
Opened November 14th, 2022.
Flamingo Tiki is AHMM’s second project for client Humankind Hospitality, and it joins the Oso on Paseo bar in the thriving arts community of the Paseo District of Oklahoma City.
The interior features a large central bar with curved banquette seating and there is additional terrace seating outside. The new interior teams mid-century styling and materials with a tropical color palette that extends to its bright pink exterior. The tropical theme is further enhanced by the introduction of indoor planting, LED planted lighting, hanging planters and window boxes.
Although there is "tiki" in the name and they serve a number of traditional tiki cocktails, the decor and theming of this location is skewed towards "Baja Tropical" like the affiliated Oso on Paseo -- even serving the same menu of Baja tacos. The ambiance is not the traditional dark tiki room with layers of nautical and Polynesian artifacts, especially carved tikis, that originated with Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic. Rather, the exterior pink facade and subdued but tasteful interior call to mind an upscale beach resort.
They do serve drinks in a variety of tiki mugs, however, and their food and drink has garnered rave reviews since their opening. They also have a variety of swizzle sticks.
The Kona-Kai Lounge - at The Sheraton Motor Inn
Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States (Closed)
The Sheraton Motor Inn, built in 1964 at the southwestern corner of Interstate 40 and Knollwood Street, offered the traveler more than overnight accommodations. With 122 bedroom units, the inn featured a 315-seat K & W Cafeteria and the Hawaiian-themed Kona-Kai Lounge. Palmetto trees surrounded the motel and a swimming pool and putting green provided entertainment for the guests. An explosion, blamed on a natural gas leak, leveled the motel on January 18, 1988. Today, a variety of tenants occupy the 380 Knollwood Street buildings that replaced the Sheraton Motor Inn.
The Copper Galley & Castaway Village
Providence, Rhode Island, United States (Closed)
Open @1960-1972.
Created by Melvin Berry.
This establishment overlooked "Millionaires Row," a panorama of expensive yachts along the Providence waterfront, and featured Castaway Village where (the menu promised) your dreams of "white beaches and dusky hula maidens, tantalizing foods and exotic drinks" could come true.
The centerpiece restaurant was the maritime-themed Copper Galley, decorated with antique ship models and a collection of vintage copper ware. The Beachcomber Lounge featured picture windows overlooking the Shipyard Marina.
Berry created his own Waikiki Beach by spreading tons of super fine beach sand along the waterfront and dotting it with rattan chairs and Hawaiian-style huts.
Guests entered the complex through "fountains of fire" and then crossed the bamboo "bridge of joy" with drum accompaniment.
The drink menu featured around 20 classic tiki cocktails, including a Zombie ($1.75) but the most expensive cocktail, the Royal Ceremony of the Islands with the Beachcomber's Gong would set you back $7.50!
Much of the decor was taken from the New York World's Fair of 1964-65 -- including the entire artificial jungle for the Ford Pavillion, a pineapple garden, thatched huts, and an artificial volcano!
Berry eventually sold all of his waterfront property and it was re-developed, with little, save menus, to prove it ever existed...
The Jet Set
Newburgh, New York, United States (Closed)
Opened September 2nd, 2022.
A collaboration between the team behind Liberty Street Bistro—chef/owner Michael Kelly, his wife Alex, and executive chef Maggie Lloyd—along with designer Pat Nunnari and beverage director Jessica Gonzalez. Located in the old Blue Martini space, next door to Primo Waterfront.
Inspired by a visit to the Fuschia Tiki Bar, who also did consultation on the initial cocktail list.
The name "Jet Set" harkened back to the glory days of air travel, with bartender as pilot.
Although there was decor you would normally see in a tiki bar, with lots of tropical foliage and thatch, fish floats, and tiki mugs, there were no carved tikis and the tiki decor was rather sparse by traditional standards set by Trader Vic and Don the Beachcomber.
“Tiki itself has its origins in post-war escapism,” Nunnari says. “These guys who came back wanted to think back on paradise. It’s an Americanized sort of thing—it’s kind of fake in that respect, which leaves a lot of room for you to put your own twist on it.”
“It’s very hard to talk about tiki history without the appropriation of cultural iconography, specifically tiki gods, coming up,” says Alex Kelly, another partner in the project. “We get that, acknowledge it, and are not looking to add to the fetishization of Pacific Islander culture with The Jet Set. We have leaned heavily into the idea of mid-century modern air travel. What we aim to do at The Jet Set is focus on the quality of the cocktails our guests will be drinking.”
Best intentions aside, the bar did use plenty of mugs with tiki iconography and one of the most prominent pieces of bar art was a flip-up gate with a western-style painting of a cartoony pin-up native with a bone stuck in her hair (and holding a tiki mug). So, there was a little inconsistency in the application...
There was lots of stuff to love, though. The Jet Set had a very cool 30' aluminum jet fuselage with lit-up passenger windows in their dining area and a large outdoor patio as well. Unlike many tiki bars, they also had a great deal of space to work with and there was plenty of seating.
As time went on, they added to their decor with vintage style lamps and other details. They also became known for their live music presentations.
Unfortunately, they closed September 28th, 2024. No official reason given for closing...
Stowaway - Newport Avenue in Tustin
Tustin, California, United States
Formerly at Park Avenue in Tustin, they moved locations to Newport Avenue and re-opened with a sneak preview on May 16th, 2023 and did their grand re-opening on June 6th, 2023.
This appears to be a much roomier space.
Tiki Hideaway - at the Mean-Eyed Cat Bar - Liverpool
Liverpool, United Kingdom
In March of 2023, Tiki Hideaway opened this second location at 71a Seel Street, Liverpool, L1 4AZ. This new location is dubbed a "lair", hidden within the existing Mean-Eyed Cat Bar, though with its own exterior and entrance.
The first location is in Leeds.
Tiki Bar Na Plyazhe - Minsk
Minsk, Belarus
"Na Plyazhe" translates to "On The Beach".
This is a busy nightclub and tiki bar.
They have rope swings in front of the main bar, but also tables and outside seating.
While they look to have a dearth of tropical materials, they have adapted with rough-hewn poles and arrangements to mimic bamboo and thatch.
The bar features at least one large Tongan style standing tiki. The menu features several classic tiki cocktails and they serve them in tiki mugs.
Kiki's Tiki Lounge
Douglas, Isle of Man
Established November 12th, 2020.
Formerly Peggy's, which appears to have been a divey but beloved disco nightclub.
This new Kiki's bar concept was developed to use the under-utilized space within Peggy’s. The team behind Kiki's promise “higher end” cocktails, a private entrance and a table-service only policy, and tell patrons of the former club to think of it as Peggy’s more sophisticated big sister.
The bars owners say they take inspiration from the legendary tiki bars such as Trader Vic’s and Don the Beachcomber. Visitors can expect that traditional tiki bar feel, coupled with a soundtrack of reggae, motown and disco classics.
Alex Lewthwaite, General Manager of Peggy’s and Director of Extra Fancy Limited said; “When we were brainstorming ideas for a new cocktail bar, we thought a tiki paradise in such troubling times where it’s no longer as easy to hop off on holiday would provide the Manx public with some much needed ‘sunshine’ and escapism!”
*NOTE: All that said, the interior design of this bar is still closer to a dive tiki bar than to early Trader Vic's or Don the Beachcomber. There is some thatch and natural fiber on the ceiling and walls, some inexpensive Indonesian style masks, and some tropical pillows strewn about, but it appears a bit thrown together. The cocktail menu does look well thought-out and has some tiki classics on it that look very promising, however.