South Seas Cafe (1937-1977) was San Diego’s first large, Tahitian-themed restaurant, home of ‘rain on the roof’ just like at Ray Haller’s Seven Seas (1935) in Hollywood (later Bob Brooks Seven Seas).

The South Seas Cafe not only had the distinction of being the first large Tahitian/Pre-Tiki restaurant in San Diego — it was a woman-owned business. Opened Saturday night July 10, 1937 by Ruth W. Becker and Charles Thomas, South Seas Cafe was located across from the San Diego Marine Corps Recruit Depot on Pacific Highway.

“We feel sure that the atmosphere of the ‘South Seas’” said co-owner Charles Thomas to the press, “in which we produce lightning, thunder and the beating rain of a tropical storm, will delight seekers of the unusual. The South Seas illusion will be enhanced by Tahitian portraits and figure studies, done by Leeteg. The haunting rhythms of Hawaii will be produced nightly by steel guitars and ukuleles in the capable hands of Stone’s Hawaiians.”

Consolidated Aircraft Corporation’s newly-built production facility nearby provided a busy lunch crowd. And the novelty of an indoor rainstorm with thunder and lightning drew in as many patrons as could fit in the Tahitian-inspired restaurant. Their collection of ‘figural studies’ by painter Edward Leeteg certainly didn’t hurt, either.

Along with the Leeteg paintings down in the bar, they prominently featured an 11-foot-tall black velvet nudie by Morris Levine in the upstairs dining area, and on their menus. The Levine was reportedly won in a Las Vegas dice game bet by Wilbur Clark.

Top it off with thick steaks. Fried shrimp. Rum drinks. Entertainment by Stone’s Hawaiians, Teddy ‘K’ and his Hawaiians, Benny Kealoha and his famous ‘Echo Song.’ Comedy by Our Gang actor Spec O’Donnell. All this made the South Seas Cafe a destination spot.

The South Seas closed in 1977 and was replaced by a ladder store. For years it was a GolfMart, and later was part of an AMVETs thrift store properties. Most Recently, as of 2021, the property was vacant and up for lease.

Joseph Stephenson "Steve" Crane (February 7, 1916 – February 6, 1985) was an American actor and restaurateur. A Columbia Pictures actor in the early 1940s, Crane opened the Luau, a popular celebrity restaurant in Beverly Hills, in 1953 and established a successful 25-year career in the restaurant industry. Steve also owned the Kon-Tiki chain in Sheratons, and Ports-o-Call restaurants.

In addition to his own accomplishments, Crane is often remembered as Lana Turner's twice ex-husband and the father of her only child Cheryl. Steve's first marriage to Turner in 1942 was annulled when it was discovered he was not divorced from his first wife. Turner then married Steve again in 1943 because she was expecting a child.

Fong's Pizza opened in January 2009 as a partnership between Jeff Bruning (part owner of several other Des Moines bars) and Gwen Schlepphorst. Bruning had dreams of opening a tiki bar, Schlepphorst had dreams of opening a late-night pizza joint. Fong's Pizza took over a space vacated by King Ying Low, a Chinese restaurant that had operated for over one hundred years.

Fong's is a funky mix of Chinese, Polynesian and uniquely American touches. Tiki drinks are served in tiki mugs from Tiki Farm (when secured with an appropriate deposit). Pizza is available by the slice until well past midnight; during lunch and dinner service a wider menu is available with some traditional Chinese and Polynesian offerings.

Three more Fong's locations followed after this first one, starting in 2015, but the expansion did not last and each of the three closed shop until only the original remained by 2023.

The second location in the District at Prairie Trail in Ankeny opened 2015 and closed in 2023, a third location in Cedar Rapids NewBo entertainment district opened in 2018 and closed in 2022, and a fourth location in Des Moines on Forest Avenue opened in 2019 and closed in 2021.

Opened June 23rd, 1963.

This attraction in the Adventureland section of Disneyland was Walt Disney's first use of Audio-Animatronics for an attraction, and has over 225 fully automated, moving figures. It was originally developed as an attraction for the New York 1964 World's Fair, but when the sponsor fell through, the show was changed and planned for Disneyland instead. An early development concept was that this would be a Polynesian restaurant, but when the attraction was still in design, it was decided that turnover in the restaurant would be an issue -- the fear was that patrons would be so fascinated with the moving and talking birds and tikis that they wouldn't ever leave their table. Instead, the attraction was made into the 17 minute seated show you see today.

The attraction had fallen into poor condition in recent years. Due to pressure from online campaigns and the attraction's sponsor, Dole Pineapple, the Enchanted Tiki Room underwent some much-needed repairs, but continued to be in a state of decay. Fortunately, in 2004 and 2005 the Enchanted Tiki Room was closed for an extensive restoration, and today is looking beautiful, and attendance has increased substantially. Enchanted Tiki Room merchandise has been a big seller for Disneyland in recent years.

Enchanted Tiki Rooms with different shows can also be found at Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland.

From the early '60s into the early '90s, Adventureland also had the Tahitian Terrace, a restaurant with a dinner show, located next to the Enchanted Tiki Room. This was replaced by Aladdin's Oasis, but in December 2018, Aladdin's Oasis was replaced by a new Polynesian themed food counter, named Tropical Hideaway.

Tabou Tiki Room opened in July 2004, with carvings by California artist Danny "Tiki Diablo" Gallardo, and artwork by German artist Moritz R.

Logo and signature tiki mug designed by Tiki tOny.

There was a change in ownership in 2006, and the Tabou Tiki Room closed some time shortly after that.

Some of the decor from the Tabou Tiki Room wound up at Tiki Brett.

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.

Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa, is a beachside resort hotel at the Ko Olina Resort in Kapolei, Hawaii, on the island of Oahu. Alongside Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort and Disney's Vero Beach Resort, Aulani is Disney's third "stand-alone" hotel located in an area without any adjacent theme parks.

Aulani was opened to the public on August 29, 2011, with 359 hotel rooms and 460 time-share villas on 21 acres. A November 2018 report stated that, at that time, there were 351 rooms (in two 15-story towers), including 16 suites and 481 villas, most being "2-bedroom-equivalent." In an October 2018 review, it was noted that there were three restaurants with seating (Makahiki, Ulu Cafe, and 'AMA'AMA) as well as smaller outlets providing snacks, including the 'Off the Hook' poolside lounge. The bars (including The ‘Ōlelo Room adjacent to the Makahiki, Off The Hook, and the Wailana Pool Bar) offer a small selection of a dozen or so tropical cocktails. See menus below for Off The Hook and Wailana poolside dining/cocktails.

*NOTE: In 2011, when Aulani opened, Critiki chose not to include it in their directory and, indeed, mytiki.life held off from including it for some time as well. This is not because it isn't a wonderful resort, but because its very concept was outspokenly anti-Tiki in concept design. It was conceived as a love-letter to the Hawaiian people and they wanted to be as respectful of local culture as possible by downplaying Disney and tiki concepts and elevating Hawaii's historical and cultural aspects (lowercase "d" and upper case "H" as some designers put it). They did not want to overwhelm visitors with conflicting themes from other Disney IPs or draw criticism for including Enchanted Tiki Room/Rolly Crump style fantastical elements that were more of an Imagineer's dream than anything rooted in Polynesian culture.

Of course, being Disney, and a corporation with a need to synchronize properties and merchandise, they immediately began breaking their own rules, but even at that they were studiously rigorous about keeping things contained. A tiki-like Stitch statue from the film Lilo and Stitch, was placed prominently. Character actors portraying Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Stitch, and Moana interacted with visitors. Tiki-like menehune statues dotted the grounds, especially in child-friendly areas. These seemed like fairly unobtrusive and tasteful inclusions.

But no tiki mugs to be found...until Fall of 2023 when some elegant and restrained pieces showed up as part of a large set in their gift shop -- and not labeled as tiki mugs, but as "serveware".

So, with these "serveware" pieces in circulation, we've finally decided to add this resort to the listings. It may not embrace the Tiki Aesthetic as much as Disney's Polynesian Resort in Florida or other locations, and may remain more "tiki adjacent" than truly "poly pop tiki" but Aulani has definitely set foot into the mug collectors realm with their 2023 gift shop offerings.

Opened in Fall 2020.

Located in a secret lounge above the Downtown Grill.

You needed a reservation to go and they only sat 8 people at a time.

The Monkey's Paw closed their Downtown Grill location and re-opened at a new location in the basement of Pearl Passionate Cuisine & Cocktails (which closed June 23rd, 2024).

The Pearl venue became a new location called The Monkey's Paw Tropical Tapas on July 11th, 2024 with tapas dining upstairs and the Monkey's Paw Tiki Lounge downstairs.

Attempted to open March 13, 2020 just as the COVID shutdowns started sweeping the country. The grand opening was scuttled until late May 27, 2020, but the wait was worth it when tikiphiles began flocking to this immaculate space.

Website Description:

"For those who are seeking a tropical escape in Historic Savannah, look no further than The Bamboo Room Tiki Bar above Sorry Charlie's. Your worries melt away as you enter. When visiting our little oasis, expect to be transported to a den of exotica where you will enjoy delicious tiki cocktails, frozen drinks, island-inspired snacks, friendly people and funky vibes.

The Bamboo Room is an immersive, exotic tropical hideaway nestled in the heart of Downtown Savannah. The design of The Bamboo Room features a collection of artifacts sourced from around the globe, personal collections, and hand-carved one of a kind items and trim. The interior construction, custom carvings, hand painting and fit and finish was headed up by Dave “Basement Kahuna” Wolfe and Jim “Woodland Giant” Stacey. Additional carvings in the bar are from the talented Dave Hansen, Leroy Schmaltz and Glen Barefoot.

Our tiki drink menu shines with classic tiki drinks, modern tropical cocktails, and an extensive rum selection from around the world. Our cocktails are made to order, using fresh juices, premium spirits and house made syrups. The creation of our drink menu was overseen by mixologist Scott Marshall. Scott is well-known around Savannah as having been instrumental in the launch of the Alley Cat Lounge.

You’ll feel your worries slip away as you sit back and sip one of our handcrafted tiki or tiki-inspired cocktails or frozen drinks, while you enjoy the carefree and authentic tiki vibes."

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.