Tiki Bars
Don the Beachcomber - Oxnard
Oxnard, California, United States (Closed)
This Don the Beachcomber opened at the former Trade Winds around 1976 or so. It operated for a few years and closed in the late '70s. In later years, this location briefly became Coconut Joe's Warehouse and Hawaiian Cowboy, and the building was demolished in 1984.
Rummy's Polynesian House
Douglassville, Pennsylvania, United States (Closed)
Rummy's Polynesian House was located in Berks County. The menu from this Polynesian restaurant features imagery lifted from other restaurants, including the Kon Tiki, and the Hilton Hawaiian Village. The restaurant had tikis, a large fish tank, and plenty of bamboo and pufferfish lamps. The restaurant probably opened some time in the '60s (open at least as early as 1968), and closed in the early 1980s when its owner (Warren "Rummy" Steinle) passed away. The building was unused for a few years, later re-opening as a bar; today (as of 2024) it is a strip club called "Utopia Cabaret Diva's Gentleman's Club." Menus and matchbooks from Rummy's list its location as simply being on Route 422 in Monocacy; today's modern address for this spot is 395 Ben Franklin Highway in Douglassville. A menu also lists what appears to be a second location, in nearby Douglassville (so nearby that the "Monocacy" location today is in the now-grown Douglassville), on a nowhere-to-be-found Route 2.
Cacao Coffee House
Los Angeles, California, United States (Closed)
During the '90s and into the early 2000s, Cacao was a retro-themed coffee house decorated with a variety of kitschy items with a Hawaiian & tiki emphasis, combined with sci-fi. Cacao had a typical laid-back coffeehouse atmosphere, serving high-quality coffee beverages. Being a coffeehouse, there were no alcoholic beverages, and the food menu was limited. Cacao provided free wireless internet access, and periodically featured musicians and poetry nights.
Cacao was opened in 1990, but didn't get its sci-fi/tiki theme until new owners Bobby Green and Alastair Newbery took over in 1993. Bobby Green went on to own The Lucky Tiki in Mission Hills, and a thriving group of beautifully themed bars throughout the Los Angeles area. Jeremy Bell, a longtime Cacao patron, took over ownership of Cacao in 2000. Some time around the end of 2017 or in 2018 the name was changed to Good People Coffee Co.
Today, no tiki theming remains.
Coconut Joe's
Bakersfield, California, United States
Opened in 1987.
Coconut Joe's is a fast casual restaurant with an elaborate build-out that tilts more towards a surfing theme, but does have quite a bit of Hawaiian and tiki decor.
Known for their fish & chips and mesquite grilled chicken and beef.
They also have a rental banquet hall at 4000 Easton Drive and do catering as well.
Hawai'i General Store
Seattle, Washington, United States
Opened in 1998 by Gail Stringer.
A medium-sized store in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood, which seems to be targeting the homesick among Seattle's Hawaiian community. It's not unusual to hear the lilting tones of pidgin english spoken here. There is a food section, and leis can be ordered straight from Hawai'i. Tiki Farm mugs and other tiki and party supplies can be found here.
They also run a travel agency out of the store as well.
The Seacomber
Malibu, California, United States (Closed)
Frank Kerwin's restaurant, The Seacomber, “America’s Tropical Showplace,” opened at 22725 Pacific Coast Highway on April 4, 1946.
This pre-tiki showplace included dining and cocktails within The Royal Hawaiian Room, the Coral Sea Cocktail Bar, the Princess Pupule Room, the Marine Deck and the Grand Salon.
Kerwin, a former boxing announcer and sports promoter, had previously managed the Club New Yorker in the basement of the Hotel Christie on Hollywood Boulevard, and The Merry-Go-Round cocktail lounge in the CBS Radio Playhouse on Vine Street.
This venue must have lasted at least through 1950, since newspaper ads proclaim the opening of a sister location on November 1, 1950, when Frank Kerwin opened the Wilshire Seacomber at Wilshire and San Vicente.
It is not clear when these two locations closed.
Today, the original Malibu location is home to a McDonalds.
Trader Dave's
Placentia, California, United States
This store is run by David Condon and opened on June 14th, 2025.
Here you will find tiki related items, collectible tiki mugs, misc.
The store also carries vintage Hawaiiana, Elvis memorabilia, fountains, artwork, and an epic Titanic display.
Movie memorabilia for sale also, as well as sports cards, vintage Hawaiian shirts, and a bit of Disney.
Adding cool finds daily!
Alofah - Mexico City
Ciudad de México, Mexico
Opened March 3rd, 2023.
Customers praise the unique neon decor, Hawaiian necklaces given to guests, and interactive experiences like impromptu karaoke.
The drinks are reportedly on-point, especially the Mexican Mai Tai and Painkiller.
Tipsy Hippo - Singapore
Singapore, Singapore (Closed)
Opened December 7th, 2022 at UE Square, bringing Tipsy Collective’s animal kingdom concepts to a total of six.
This gastrobar was located in a mall and offered Hawaiian cuisine and tiki inspired craft cocktails.
Layout was open, offering half indoor and half outdoor seating.
Opened by co-founders David Gan and Derek Ong, and located along one of the most popular nightlife areas in Singapore.
Closed July 28th, 2024.
Saxony South Seas
Bayside, Wisconsin, United States (Closed)
The previous restaurant had a bad fire in 1954, killing 2 employees, then another fire on January 28 1961, which destroyed the building during the end of a Polynesian themed remodel of the previous restaurant.
They kept going, however, with their original plans, and the Polynesian remodel was completed. Saxony South Seas opened in early September of 1961.
From an October 25th, 1961 review:
"The Saxony South Seas boasted authentic South Seas decoration, including 48 carvings of various sizes from exotic places such as Samoa, Tahiti and Hawaii. Behind the bar stood a massive 1300 pound Tiki idol, while the back bar was inlaid with mother of pearl - 3000 pieces - all hand inlaid, weighing 65 pounds. The manager Richard Tierney said the restaurant incorporates what the management considered the best elements of famous Polynesian restaurants throughout the country. 'We used native materials, imported trough a San Francisco agent, then refined the atmosphere to what we thought would be attractive to our Milwaukee patrons.' The restaurant sat 170.
Leon Garces was the Filipino chef who came from the Beachcomber's in Chicago. 'The forte of the bar, of course, is rum drinks. Most come in exotic containers, such as the Tonga, called a sorcerer's blend and served in a ceramic miniature Easter Island figure. The Volcano is served in a real coconut and consists of gin, brandy, rum and pineapple juice, garnished with an orchid.'"
This elaborate South Seas theme only lasted 3 years until 1964 when the restaurant changed back to serving "American" cuisine...
Today, as of 2023, this site appears to be home to The Shul Center, a synagogue.
Kahala Terrace
Northbrook, Illinois, United States (Closed)
Opened in 1974.
From the August 22, 1974 Chicago Tribune:
"A Polynesian restaurant tucked away in a little shopping center called White Plains. Unusually good food in the Chinese-Cantonese tradition accented with an occasional American touch such as steak with salad and french fries. Soft and soothing background taped music of Hawaii. Interior design, overall ambiance remindful of all the other Polynesian restaurants that you've visited in the States, including Hawaii. But why Northbrook for so many restaurants? Isn't there a satiation point? ECHOING comments of many other restaurateurs of the area was Wally Chin's emphatic 'This is a going community! New homes are going up; new industries coming in.' Mr. Chin, who is co-owner of Kahala Terrace with his brother, Bob Chin, points to a developing industrial park across the highway from the Kahala. Easy access to Northbrook via Edens Expressway, and elimination of parking problems also are positive factors. FARTHER NORTH at County Line and Lee Roads in Northbrook, a proposed courtyard of nationality restaurants in a prestigious shopping area that will include Neiman-Marcus and Lord and Taylor specialty stores and a Sears Roebuck department store, is scheduled for completion in the fall of 1975. Blueprints for the p r o j e c t Northbrook Court also call for parks, small lakes, and condominiums on the 130-acre property. Although many of the residents of the area are vehemently protesting the mammoth project, construction presently is continuing.
Owners of Kahala Terrace are not newcomers to the suburbs. After a year as maitre d' at Kon Tiki Ports in the Sheraton-Chicago. 505 N. Michigan Av., Wally Chin operated Chan's Tea House in Highland Park for 10 years. Bob Chin continues as owner of the House of Chan, a catering establishment in Wilmette, and now manages catering facilities for the Kahala also. Barmaids at the Kahala, which specializes in exotic mixed drinks, are Wally's daughter, Judy, and Bob's daughter, Marilyn, fresh from bartending school. Restauranteuring, in fact, is a way of life for the Chin family. Wally and Bob's brother, Henry, is proprietor of the House of Chinn, an excellent Cantonese restaurant at 6355 N. Western Av. A FOURTH brother, Howard, operates New Wilson Village, a surprisingly good restaurant in a shabby old block at 1120-22 Wilson Av., established by the brothers' parents some 40 years ago.
Evening specialty of the house is the Kahala version of a Polynesian Iuau at $7.50 per person, beginning with soup or juice and a platter of appetizers egg rolls, crab rangoon, shrimp, barbecued ribs, pineapple in chicken. Six main courses that change daily, always including beef, chicken, and seafood dishes, are arranged at an elaborate self-help buffet."
Despite this overall good opening review and the bonafides of Wally as a maitre d' at Kon Tiki Ports, the interior of the restaurant screams 70s tiki devolution with the lack of decor, the 70s flower print cushions on the rattan chairs, the exposed brickwork, and the cedar shingles in lieu of proper thatching.
Ads show that Kahala Terrace was open at least as late as 1983.
NOTES:
*Bob Chin lived to be 99 and died April 15th, 2022. His biggest and best known restaurant was Bob Chinn's Crab House in Chicago, which he started in 1982. It would be his 14th restaurant and the longest lasting. He served the same mai-tais there that he did at the Kahala Terrace location.
**As of 2022, the location of Kahala Terrace is now home to a FastSigns print shop.
Hotel Tahiti
Fa'a'ā, French Polynesia (Closed)
Once the residence of Princess Pomare, daughter of the last King of Tahiti.
Hotel Tahiti was celebrated as the largest hotel in French Polynesia at the time it was built in 1960. The double bungalows provided 18 deluxe suites and two 2-story plantation type buildings, each with 24 veranda suites, provided a total of 66 units on 53 acres bordering a blue lagoon 1 mile from the capital, Papeete. The interior of the original Hotel Tahiti's cocktail lounge bar had many floor-to ceiling tiki poles, a wood canoe hanging from the ceiling, and a thatch roof over the bar with lots of bamboo and other decorations familiar to fans of Mid-Century Poly Pop. This hotel was demolished in 1997.
Some key dates in the property timeline:
May 1960, Inauguration of the Hotel Tahiti, owned by Spencer F. Weaver (of SpenceCliff Corporation, who did so much building in Hawaii especially)
1997, Demolition of Hotel Tahiti
July 1999, Opening of Outrigger Hotel, owned by Mr. and Ms. Wane
2000, Outrigger becomes Sheraton Hotel Tahiti
2009, Sheraton becomes Hilton Tahiti
July 2010, Closing of Hilton Tahiti
November 2021, Grand Opening of Hilton Tahiti Resort
Today, the Hotel Tahiti site is home to a luxury resort, just opened in 2021 by Hilton. Hilton’s extensive renovations have transformed the property, with an emphasis on open-air public spaces, natural light and ocean views. Design details feature light woods, a neutral color palette and a modern take on island-inspired decor. The re-imagined property offers 200 rooms, a boutique spa, the largest pool in Tahiti and three dining venues. Additional new features include cabanas and a poolside restaurant with views of Moorea Island. The hotel has two bars: the Heiva Lounge in the open-air lobby, offering spectacular ocean views and a bespoke collection of wine; and the Vaipuna poolside bar that offers unique, tropical libations as well as traditional cocktails. There are a few tikis on the grounds and some generic mugs used at the bars, but, Hilton, as one would expect, is more interested in offering a luxury resort experience than catering to Mid-Century Poly Pop fans.