Formed around 2003, House of Tiki was owned by Wes Johnson, and sold new merchandise, including aloha wear, tiki mugs, home decor, and of course tikis. A tiki-themed coffee shop, Hot Lava Java, was opened in the space adjacent to House of Tiki in late summer 2006.

In December 2008, House of Tiki moved to a new location in the same area.

Opened in 1999 at this smaller original location.

This was a popular bar with live music and no cover. Burt's had lots of kitschy decor, but not a lot of actual tikis.

In 2016, Burt's decided to trade this original Gold Avenue location for 515 Central NW as part of a significant expansion project. Burt’s nearly tripled in size to accommodate as many as 600-700 people for its live music shows.

The theming was kept the same but it was more sparsely decorated. After the move, the bar lost momentum and eventually closed in 2018.

There does not appear to be any connection between this Burt's Tiki Lounge and the Burt's Tiki Lounge in Salt Lake City.

This listing is for the Mai-Tai Supper Club's second location at 141 Grand Avenue in Schofield, Wisconsin. They opened in mid-June of 1974.

It was behind the Kenron Motel on the North end of Schofield, just on the left as you came into Schofield from Wausau. Today (as of 2024) this location is a U-Haul Moving & Storage.

Their large roof sign left little doubt as to what they served -- "Beef N' Spirits"! According to advertisements, they served a complete menu including steaks, seafood, and chops.

Matchbooks from the first location advertise the same, but with the addition of Cantonese appetizers and entrees as well. And Exotic Cocktails. It's unclear whether this second location also served Cantonese food.

However, this location's history is eclipsed by what happened to the old location!

The Mai-Tai Supper Club is shown here in 1978, the same year the original restaurant location at 1539 Rose St. in LaCrosse was sold by Rachel Skoug to Glenn Addis.

The first location on Rose Street lasted under the "Mai Tai" name at least through Mother's Day of 1980 according to newspaper advertisements in the La Crosse Tribune.

In January 1983, Addis sold the property to Arthur Lucas, who renamed the LaCrosse restaurant location "Arthur's Restaurant". The restaurant closed five months later.

Later that year, Lucas was convicted of first degree-murder. According to news reports, Lucas shot Theodore and Carlene Ann Buschkopf in a Winona, MN., hotel room; Theodore Buschkopf died from his injuries. Investigators later discovered that Arthur Lucas and Carlene Ann Buschkopf had planned the hit in order to collect life insurance money to fund the restaurant's intended reopening.

Instead, the building was razed.

Carlene died in custody in 2010. Arthur was released in 2013 after serving nearly 30 years in prison.

Club Zombie, a pre-tiki bar, opened inside the Hawley House Hotel (West St. Clair Avenue and West 3rd Street) on Thursday, December 19th, 1940. It was owned by Sammy Brin.

Club Zombie was one of the first tropical/pre-tiki bars in Cleveland and featured tropical theming that extended from its lush decor to its Polynesian drinks.

Club Zombie frequently featured local and national entertainment acts, including top-billed female impersonators. In 1946, “Boys Will Be Girls Revue,” an immensely popular and nationally-renowned female impersonator revue starring Lynne Carter, Titanic, and Del Raye, maintained top billing at Club Zombie for over seven consecutive weeks.

This club was open at least through 1946 according to newspaper advertisements, and possibly later...

Opened @ mid 1960s.

From their postcards:

"This Polynesian beach on Lake of the Ozarks offers a full range of resort facilities, including a superb restaurant with magnificent lake view, nightly entertainment in season, covered boat docks, sand beach, playground, heated swimming pool and children's pool. Mai Tai is conveniently located in the heart of the Lake of the Ozark's most active recreation and entertainment area."

Additionally, their brochure materials boasted 95 rooms in total, a cocktail lounge, liquor store, and gift shop. In season May 15th-October 15th.

Closed some time before 1972, as advertisements for the Osage House at this same site begin appearing.

The Hu Ke Lau was a tiki bar at 7 Veterans Memorial Parkway in Salem, NH and opened in about 1970, but closed in 1976 due to the owners having to run another location in Chicopee, MA. The building was built in 1967 and was originally home to The Friar & Tuck Pub, from 1967-1970. After the Hu Ke Lau's closure in 1976, it was bought and then turned into the Grand China which was a Chinese Restaurant still having most of the remaining tiki decor. The Grand China closed in 2017 after 41 years in business, was then remodeled, and now is The Lim's Sports Bar & Cafe and also Chaser's Poker Room. It is still owned by the same family who owned the Grand China.

The place was adorned with vintage lamps, bamboo poles and some tikis.

Check out ThatTikiKid's YouTube channel (@ThatTikiKidOfficial) on the "My Vintage Menu Collection!" video at 7:29 out of 12:46 for the whole menu.

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), Longmeadow, Massachusetts, a Rocky Hill, Connecticut location, and a Bridgeport, Connecticut location (which burned down in 1983) also.

Opened on March 19th, 2022 in what had been known previously as the old TheaterNOW building.

This venue bills itself as an "Adventure Bar" which incorporates some aspects of tiki decor besides just the cocktails, but also includes a Cabinet of Curiosities vibe with artifacts from all corners of the world as one would expect to find in an old-school adventurer's club.

From The Sorrow Drowner:

"Once you cross the threshold, you will be transported into the classic era of Exploration. The Lemurian Institute, a global leader in history and exploration, led by its founder, Edward Bartholomew Wheatley the Third, have assembled a team of the finest adventurers and scholars from around the globe. What happens behind the doors of the Institute has been a question for decades; however, as the old saying goes, 'When the Machairodus Kabir is away, the Indefatigable Galapagos Mice will play!'

Enter The Sorrow Drowners!

This rag-tag group of individuals, nicknamed for their near nightly revelries, keep the Institute running while the Board of Directors are out exploring! Many of these acolytes pine to be in the field but have yet to pay their dues. Instead, they stay behind to research and catalogue the variety of artifacts sent home by the Institutes elite expedition teams and partners worldwide. Due to all the doldrums of lab work, an informal vote was taken and the Sorrow Drowners have decided to open the doors of the Institute to all of YOU! (Truth be told, its mostly because theyd prefer the chance to speak to someone that isnt 2000 years old.) Just dont tell E.B.!

Once inside, you will be welcomed with open arms into 'The Grand Marae', the meeting hall in the Institute typically used for lectures, but sans supervision the dais has been co-opted into a space for members and a variety of entertainers to perform! Books and notes have been pushed into corners to make room for you in the Library and you have been granted access to the secretive Director E.B. Wheatley IIIs office to view his personal collection. Most importantly, they saved you a seat at the bar as they serve up drinks a tad bit stronger than Lemonade!

So prepare yourself, The Sorrow Drowners welcome you!

Owned and operated by The Lemurian Institute, Inc., wholly owned by North Carolina Native Alfred Brian Wheatley and designed by former Disney Imagineer Brandon Kleyla, aka Trader Brandon, whose resume includes attractions worldwide and is perhaps best known for his work on both Trader Sam's Tiki Bars in Anaheim, Ca and Orlando, Fl. You will want to spend hours here just looking at all the artifacts from around the world and to allow yourself to get lost in the story.

'People love being able to escape, to get lost in an experience, and thats what were doing here,' says Brandon. 'Were stepping out of the framework of a traditional Tiki bar and delivering a much larger experience, set in the golden age of adventure. The age of Earhart, Bingham, Carter, and Bird.'

'My whole life, I was always on the hunt for adventure! I havent climbed Mount Everest or Walked the Plains of the Serengeti, but when I couldnt there were movies that could,' says Alfred Brian Wheatley, proprietor of the Sorrow Drowner. 'It was in these films that I found myself enthralled and, when presented with the opportunity to create this experience, it was these films that guided my hand. It is my wish to bring a space permeated with that sense of adventure to Wilmington.'

The Sorrow Drowner will feature a large menu of classic craft cocktails from classic tiki faire to drinks from around the world as well as a menu of island favorites. Select Evenings, the stage will come alive with a Vaudeville Style Revue featuring a variety of acts as well as an interactive cast of wandering comedic characters. Our hope is to provide the city of Wilmington and Coastal North Carolina with an ever-changing experience that youll want to visit again and again!"

NOTE On January 8th, 2025, the owners of The Sorrow Drowner announced their intentions to re-locate their business to California, with promises to document their progress toward this goal online as the process unfolds.

The Limbo opened softly in January of 2018.

They offered a menu of tiki cocktails, many of which gave a nod to Louisville as deep in the heart of bourbon country.

From their website:

"The Limbo is a performing arts venue disguised as a Tiki Bar. The Limbo aims to have live entertainment 7 nights a week, including live music, DJs, Burlesque, drag shows, variety acts, magicians, spoken word, string quartets, and karaoke. Supporting artists and the performing arts while being an all inclusive venue where everyone is welcome no matter their background, gender identity, or sexual orientation. The owner, Olivia Griffin, moved to Kentucky from San Francisco in 2014 and realized there was no tiki bar in Louisville. Having spent her 20’s experiencing the wonders of classic Bay Area tiki bars like Smuggler’s Cove, Forbidden Island, and Trader Sam’s, she has always sought out unique, themed bars in every city she has visited."

Closed October 29th, 2022.

Barney West (1919-1981) was a tiki carver during the golden age of midcentury Polynesian Pop.

West, a native of Seattle, came to the Bay Area as a boy when his parents moved to Oakland. His father was chief engineer for the steam schooner Wapama which is now part of a San Francisco waterfront museum. During World War II, West joined the Merchant Marine and served as a steward on Liberty ships in the South Pacific. During his 15 years at sea, West became interested in the native art of Easter Island, Tahiti, Bora Bora, and Hawaii, an infatuation that later had a great influence on his art. West moved to an ark on Corte Madera creek shortly after the end of World War II. To set himself up in the woodcarving business, he drove spikes and laid heavy rails for a railroad crew. West’s first wood carving came from redwood pilings he floated to his home from San Pablo Bay. His first major customer was restaurateur Trader Vic Bergeron who purchased many pieces of West’s early art.

After establishing himself as a wood carver, West opened a studio in Sausalito ("Tiki Junction") on land lent to him by Zack’s by the Bay owner (Zack’s became Margaritaville, then Paradise Bay, now Salito’s Crab House), Sam Zakessian in 1963. The tiny studio soon became engulfed by tikis and other assorted tropical carvings and vegetation. West began his carving career with conventional carving tools but soon progressed to a chain saw. He shipped in mammoth redwood logs by rail and shipped his commissioned works on flatcars all over the country. West’s art can be found in London, Hawaii, and Cuba. West’s business thrived well in Sausalito and at one time he had five apprentices working with him.

The Royal Hawaiian opened in 1947. It was owned by the Cabang family. The Cabangs were originally from the Phillipines and were friends with both of the Fillipino Tiki carvers in L.A. at the time, Milan Guanko and Andres Bumatay. These talented artists both supplied Tikis for the restaurant. The prominent Andres Bumatay tikis outside the restaurant became weathered and destroyed and were later replaced by modern carvings.

The Royal Hawaiian also had a sister location located in Anaheim in the 1950s.

The Royal Hawaiian has been through several iterations. It originally had several small dining rooms with glass-walled dioramas filled with tikis and plants, great lamps, bamboo, thatch and sea grass matting, and a bar with a fireplace and pufferfish. There were lovely oil paintings throughout, including a large piece hung directly above the hostess stand.

In spring 2006, the restaurant was sold to a new owner, who gutted it. The newer, tiki-stripped version closed for good in 2012. In 2016, the space reopened, again with the name Royal Hawaiian, this time by people who wanted to bring back its rich tiki history. The new owners, Mo Honarkar and daughters Hasty and Nikisa, worked to bring back a fully-decorated Royal Hawaiian with the help of Bamboo Ben.

However in January-February 2019, the restaurant was closed for yet another remodel and then re-opened under the auspices of chef Mariano “Maro” Molteni. Honarkar’s company remained as landlords, while Molteni owned and operated the restaurant which he rebranded as the "Royal Hawaiian Fire Grill". Molteni's remodel (which came as a surprise to the landlords) removed much of Bamboo Ben's decor, especially natural materials like lauhala matting and thatching in favor of dark blue painted walls and a "cleaner" and "less cluttered" look. There were still tikis and accent pieces, but the interior was much reduced from its former full tiki glory.

On July 15th, 2022, Royal Hawaiian Fire Grill announced its closure for the end of that same month, on July 31st, 2022 .

This current version of the Royal Hawaiian opened May 27th, 2023.

Following the 2022 closure of the last iteration of the Royal Hawaiian, the space was turned over to Boulevard Hospitality for a complete transformation. The new build-out was completed by Ignacio “Notch” Gonzales, famous for building spaces like Smuggler’s Cove in San Francisco and Inside Passage in Seattle.

The exterior tikis were replaced with brand new reproductions of the Andres Bumatay tikis that originally graced the restaurant.

A huge clam shell was added for people to sit in for photo ops (similar to the one used at the Golden Tiki in Las Vegas).

The display case was filled with a number of headhunter skulls which were fabricated by Reesenik.

The bathroom was wallpapered with large overlapping versions of the botanical drink recipe prints that Eric October has been making for several years.

To round out the new experience, the Royal Hawaiian’s owners have brought on famed barman Dushan Zaric of Employees Only to build a bespoke cocktail menu that riffs, weaves, and rethinks the rum-forward staples of tiki lore.

*NOTE: For the 1947-2006 version or for the 2006-2022 version see separate listings.

Long before Waikiki was developed as a tourist destination, it was a favorite residence and recreational center for Hawaiian kings and chiefs. King Kamehameha I had his home where The Royal Hawaiian stands today, and Queen Kaahumanu’s Summer Palace was previously located on what is now the resort’s Coconut Grove.

The opening of The Royal Hawaiian on February 1, 1927, ushered in a new era of luxurious resort travel to Hawaii. The resort was built with a price tag of $4 million, and was completed in 18 months. The six-story, 400-room structure was fashioned in a Spanish-Moorish style, popular during the period and influenced by screen star Rudolph Valentino. The first general manager of the hotel, Arthur Benaglia, presided over a staff of 300, including ten elevator operators and lobby boys dressed in “Cathayan” costume. At the grand opening’s black-tie gala celebration, members of the Honolulu Symphony entertained over 1,200 guests at the $10-a-plate event-of-the-year. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin described the newly opened Royal Hawaiian as “the first resort hostelry in America.” Built on 15 acres of beautiful beach frontage, the luxurious hotel with its distinctive Moorish-style architecture, painted pink, was promoted world-wide as a premier visitor destination. Elaborate opening ceremonies and festivities included dinner and dancing, concerts, and pageants.

The era of opulence came to an abrupt end on the morning of December 7, 1941 when Japanese planes flew alongside Waikiki Beach on its way to the US fleet berthed at Pearl Harbor. The Navy recreation and morale office leased The Royal Hawaiian, transforming the resort into a major rest and relaxation center for the Navy personnel. The resort was restored to its pre-war elegance in 1947.

Since then, the Royal Hawaiian has always remained pink, but has nonetheless undergone many changes over the years.

One such change is reflected in the quiet removal of the hotel's one and only tiki statue. This cement tiki was moulded by Homer Merrill, an island artist, and was a representation of the Shark God Kamuualii or Kamohoali'i, brother to Pele and known as the Fisherman's Friend. This mammoth version, six feet high on a three-foot base, stood on the lawn of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel since the 1910s, although in his final years the hotel was embarrassed about the sculpture and allowed vegetation to grow around it -- then finally ordered a contractor to knock it over one night and dispose of it during a round of renovations in 2009. Today, only the feet of the tiki remain, hidden behind some plants. The full and original tiki can be seen below...

Another change is the closing of the famous Surf Room - replaced by the Surf Lanai on the same footprint.

After passing through the colonial-style Royal Hawaiian lobby, one will find the property's Mai Tai Bar nestled in back, the bar itself a small hut sitting against the ocean. The Mai Tai bar was once a large outside dance floor back in the day. You'll still have to watch your footwork, though, especially if you work your way through all the menu's mai-tai variations!

Jimmy Wong's was located at 426 S Wabash Avenue in Chicago. Although it was a Chinese restaurant, it was quite famous in its day and extremely "tiki adjacent".

Eventually 2 other locations were opened. One of them was at 3058 West Peterson. The third was at 423 S Clark (Nan Yan).

Jimmy Wong's was known for its Cantonese cooking, Hong Kong Steak, and whole fish dishes. It was also known for celebrity sightings.

The two-floor restaurant had an impressive neon sign out front, a pagoda-like skylight, Chinese green tile divider screens along the booths, bamboo trim on the walls, and a bubbling Buddha fountain.

Although it was marketed as a Chinese restaurant, like so many other Chinese restaurants of this period, they borrowed classic tiki elements that were all the rage in the 60s. Waiters wore flowered Aloha shirts and there was a Polynesian cocktail menu with take-home mugs marked for Jimmy's. All five shown in their menu are represented in this site's collections. See menu below…

This original Jimmy Wong's opened in 1959 and stood for nearly 40 years under the Wabash El between Van Buren and Jackson. The building was closed and torn down in 1997.

As a South Loop restaurateur, Jimmy Wong was best known for his Hong Kong Steak and the opportunity to spot celebrities at his restaurants -- see him with Sammy Davis Jr. in the photo below.

Mr. Wong passed away in 2001 -- a beloved entrepreneur of Chicago's 50's & 60's.