Tiki Bars
Lost Isle Adventures & Tiki Boat
Morro Bay, California, United States
Lost Isle Adventures gives tours of Morro Bay in their "tiki boat," which is clad in bamboo and thatch, adorned with tiki masks, and has a small tiki bar aboard where they serve drinks. They also have a store in their ticket office, where they sell tiki mugs and carved tikis. They also offer boats for rental.
Tiki Grove
Indonesia
Tiki Grove is an open air tiki bar and restaurant in a coconut grove 300 meters from the beach on the tiny Indonesian island of Gili Trawangan. Visible from the island are two active volcanoes, on the neighboring islands of Lombok and Bali. Nestled in this true tropical location, Canadian-born couple Tommy and Catherine Milburn constructed a mainland American-inspired Polynesian pop tiki bar, taking full advantage of the locally available materials and carvings for decoration. Tiki Grove opened on September 15, 2017.
UnderTow - at Sip Coffee & Beer Garage
Phoenix, Arizona, United States (Closed)
UnderTow opened in August 2016, in the lower level of Sip Coffee & Beer Garage. The interior was designed by Danny "Tiki Diablo" Gallardo.
December 23rd, 2020 was the final day for UnderTow at this location, after which plans were put in place for a move inside the Century Grand building next door at 3626 E Indian School Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85018. The Century Grand also includes two other bars - Platform 18 and Grey Hen Rx.
Tonga Hut - Palm Springs
Palm Springs, California, United States
Tonga Hut opened in Palm Springs in the spring of 2013. It is the sister location of the historic Tonga Hut in North Hollywood, with the same ownership responsible for restoring that location to tiki glory.
Tonga Hut is located on the second floor of its building. The restaurant has booth seating, and a dramatic tiki bas relief wall. Tucked at the back is a phone booth with a false back, leading into a small private room with a rich, dense, golden-era approach to tiki style. Behind that room is a small private lanai with a Witco bar and stools. Opposite the restaurant side of the space, there is a good-sized bar with a tiki-tinged mid-century modern look, and a lanai overlooking Palm Springs' main drag. The interior was created by Tiki Diablo.
The Palm Springs Tonga Hut location has a full food menu, including a flaming pu-pu platter. The drink menu is a mix of classic tiki drinks and their own modern creations, and includes a flaming coconut drink and shared volcano bowls. Tonga Hut hosts special music events, with particular emphasis on Exotica acts.
Hula Hula Tiki Bar - Orange Beach
Orange Beach, Alabama, United States (Closed)
Opened in the late 2000s, Hula Hula Tiki Bar was part of North Shore Grill & Deli, owned by Joey Ward. There were tikis and bamboo, and the grill served burgers and more. It closed in 2012.
Shipwreck Tavern
Bayville, New York, United States
Shipwreck Tavern is a nautically-themed restaurant that opened in the fall of 2006. In summer 2007, they added a "Tiki Bar and Cafe" that includes an outdoor seating area with tiki poles and masks. Shipwreck Tavern is owned and operated by the same outfit that owns the pirate-themed Bayville Adventure Park next door, and also the Jekyll & Hyde Club in New York City.
The Castaways - Manitou Springs
Manitou Springs, Colorado, United States (Closed)
The Castaways restaurant, which was part of the Castaways Inns & Suites, opened in 1971. It retained its original tiki decor until it closed in early 2013. A large tiki pole from the Castaways could be seen at Liki Tiki in nearby Colorado Springs until its close in 2019.
Kon-Tiki - Zihuatanejo
Playa la Ropa, Zihuatanejo, Mexico (Closed)
This long-lived restaurant was a local hangout, known mostly for its pizzas, which were available for local delivery.
Looks to have gone out of business around 2005 or so...
Aku-Tiki
Acapulco de Juárez, Mexico (Closed)
Open at least as early as 1963.
The Aku Tiki Restaurant Club was located on the Costera Miguel Alemán, in the Club Deportivo subdivision, almost at the beginning of Icacos beach. It was designed by Dick Meyers.
This restaurant closed in the 1970s to give rise to the construction of the Torre Playasol complex, today Torre de Acapulco.
Kowloon - Saugus, Massachusetts
Saugus, Massachusetts, United States
Kowloon opened on August 22nd, 1950 as The Mandarin House. In 1958 the Wong family purchased it and changed the name to Kowloon. Over the years they have expanded the restaurant into a broad complex of rooms, and it now has room for 1,200 dining patrons. Several of the rooms have Polynesian theming, including the Tiki Lagoon Room and Luau Room.
Fun Fact: The exterior Ku tiki below the A-frame is made of foam.
The restaurant has been a landmark in the north Boston area for decades, and photos of many celebrities visiting the restaurant are proudly displayed. They have a comedy club within the complex called "Kowloon Komedy".
The food is traditional Chinese American fare, and includes a flaming pu pu platter. Tropical drinks are served in tiki mugs.
As of 2024, the owners have announced that the restaurant is going to close. However, it sounds as though they have construction plans and that the end goal is to open a smaller venue on part of the same site. See 2024 Breezeway interview episode with Spike (Matt Marble).
Islands Sushi and Pupu Bar
San Diego, California, United States (Closed)
Islands Sushi and Pupu Bar was known as the not-particularly-tiki sushi bar in the rather-tiki Crowne Plaza Hotel for many years.
In the beginning of the Covid pandemic the hotel was contracted by the city to house homeless Covid victims and this restaurant was closed since @2020 to the public. Fences and security were put up and those not registered to stay were turned away. Then, another remodeling was completed and the hotel opened back up in 2024 to show that all traces of Tiki decor had been removed from the premises, save some lava rock on some of the walls and some tiki railings.
This bar area wasn't terribly tiki before 2020, save for a few masks on the walls and some rattan furniture, but now it is totally bare of any tiki influence.
So, although you can visit the hotel now, as of 2024, it is essentially finished as a tiki point of interest, save for the memories.
The Enchanted Tiki Room - Orlando
Orlando, Florida, United States
When the Enchanted Tiki Room opened at Walt Disney World in 1971, it was a duplicate of the original Enchanted Tiki Room found at Disneyland.
In 1998 it was updated to be more "modern" with a show called "Under New Management". The new show featured the '90s-era Disney animated bird characters Iago and Zazu. The now loud, unsettling and money-focused show featured disco balls, flashing lights, and in place of the beloved water fountain, a shouting, angry tiki goddess named "Polynesia." However, even in this darkest hour, the building itself was still worth a visit, with classic Exotica tunes (such as Martin Denny) often heard playing in the lovely lanai area. The transporting paradise was not entirely lost.
Then, in January 2011, the Tiki gods had finally had enough. A fire struck the Enchanted Tiki Room, and the show room was damaged enough to shut it down. It was restored and reopened as a slightly edited version of the original Enchanted Tiki Room attraction in August 2011, and is now back to the grand, historic, relaxing escape we all love.