Tiki Bars
Hula Hut - Austin
Austin, Texas, United States
Opened in 1993.
Hula Hut was for many years known as Chuy's Hula Hut, but Chuy's owners Mike Young and John Zapp sold their interest sometime around 2009.
Hula Hut describes their food as "Tiki-Mex," and the location has more of a focus on general tropicalia than classic Polynesian Pop.
The restaurant is located right on Lake Austin and has a pier going out over the water.
Down below is a giant fish sculpture whose head pivots and spews water and bubbles (designed and manufactured in 1995 by Bob Daddy-O Wade).
There is also a newer sister location Hula Hut which started in 2015 at Little Elm on Lake Lewisville.
Both Hula Huts were sold independently @ January 2023 and are now operating as independent family-owned businesses with no association between one another.
The Hula Hut in Little Elm "closed temporarily" in September of 2024 for "renovations".
Port O' Three
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, United States (Closed)
Port O' Three was a very short-lived restaurant that lasted only a couple of years. It opened in 1971. The facility was big, seating approximately 500 people and with 140 workers/crew with 3 different themed dining rooms...a Polynesian Room, Japanese Room and a Ship/Nautical Room that had a 19th century schooner ship inside. The Ship Room was designed to give the feeling of being on a top deck of a sailing vessel. In-between the main dining rooms was a tiki bar with hand painted (black light) murals on the walls. The property, a site of the former landmark, Devon Gables, was acquired by Marvin Chin, (CHIN TIKI) Dr. Walter Thom, and Rourke Haas in May of 1971 and they re-opened it as Port O' Three in September of that same year. Since Marvin Chin, owner of the Chin Tiki, was also co-owner of Port O' Three, its menu, swizzles, and signage used many of the same graphics (and same drink list) as the Chin Tiki.
Dobbs House Luau - Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee, United States (Closed)
Dobbs House had been operating as a steakhouse, but after the Dobbs family purchased the Luau in Atlanta, they were inspired to transform this Memphis location into a Polynesian restaurant. The transformation into Dobbs House Luau happened in 1959. Polynesian food was served buffet style, and a menu of tropical drinks was available -- but only if you brought in your own rum and stored it in your own rum locker at the restaurant, a typical practice of the time and area.
This landmark restaurant was particularly notable for the extremely tall, narrow concrete Moai in the parking lot.
This location closed in 1982.
Upon closing, the concrete moai head was moved to Tiki Pools, a shop on Getwell. When the pool business also closed in the 1980s, the head remained behind. One customer of the store, Bill Cunningham, bought it with plans to convert it into a barbecue pit that would smoke out through the ear holes. But it never happened. One day Cunningham brought over a big crane, and workers began to hoist the head onto the back of a flatbed truck but the head snapped in half and shattered during the attempt.
Other Dobbs House Luau locations were in Birmingham, Charlotte, Dallas, Miami, Orlando, Lexington, Houston, and Louisville.
Lost On 111 Grill & Art Lounge
La Quinta, California, United States (Closed)
Lost On 111 Grill & Art Lounge was a small breakfast cafe and art store in La Quinta, outside of Palm Springs. There were many pieces of tiki art and carvings for sale by modern-day tiki artists.
Lost On 111 Grill was originally called Scramblez Cafe & Grill and was not tiki. Tiki art and decor was added gradually, and the new name and identity was forged by owner Damen Perry in January 2015.
Closed as of 2019.
The Polynesian Room at the Waldorf Hotel
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
The Polynesian Room (now called The Tiki Bar) is located in the Waldorf Hotel.
The hotel was established in 1947 and is one of the most renowned tiki-themed hotels in North America.
For much of the '90s and '00s, it was available only as a rental hall for private events. The Waldorf came under new ownership in late 2010, and the new owners have re-emphasized the Polynesian Pop angle. The Polynesian Room was renovated and restored, and a new era-appropriate analog sound system was installed. It reopened to the public in early November 2010.
It is made up of three rooms, the Polynesian Room (now the Tiki Bar), Tahitian Room (now the Tabu Room), and Menehune Room (now the Hideaway). The Polynesian Room has a large collection of black velvet paintings by Edgar Leeteg, collected by one of the original owners of the hotel, Bob Mills. One of these, The Tahitian Drummer, was used on much of their early advertising, especially on their swizzle sticks.
Aloha Polinesian Bar
Barcelona, Spain
Opened in 1976, this is a very large bar with a 250 person capacity and bills itself as the largest tiki bar in Barcelona.
It still has all of its original decor, including an amazing front bar area with a bundled rattan/bamboo bar railing, several Gaugin inspired nude Tahitian girl murals, and tikis throughout. There are several small rooms and alcove areas for more intimate smaller groups.
There is an anachronistic large television at the end of the front bar-- probably as an obligatory nod to sports fans. There is also a large table soccer game (foosball to North Americans) by the emergency exit.
Porcelain style signature Spanish tiki mugs are used, although many show signs of chipping or cold paint loss and have been in rotation a number of years.
Tiki purists may not always approve of the music or cocktail authenticity, but this is common with many of the Spanish tiki bars. Despite this, the ability to experience such an early time capsule of a tiki temple should not be missed.
Collage Cocktail Bar
Barcelona, Spain
Opened in 2012. This is a rum and craft cocktail bar that makes, by all accounts, fantastic tiki cocktails.
Though the interior design is not tilted as heavily toward tiki aesthetics as some of its more immersive cousins, they do have tiki decor, including several small tikis behind the back bar, tropical fern wallpaper in areas, and vintage prints that often find themselves inhabiting both home and commercial tiki bars -- such as Vladimir Tretchikoff's Green Lady (a.k.a. Chinese Girl) in the lounge and J. H. Lynch's Tina (1964) by the front bar.
They also serve drinks in tiki mugs and glassware and have several collectible mugs on display in their cabinets.
From Collage:
"Since its foundation in 2012, in the Born district of Barcelona, the Collage cocktail bar has opted for signature creations. Creativity, research and respect for raw materials are the pillars on which we base our work. Always looking for new techniques, flavors and ingredients to provide a unique experience. We are specialized in rum and our sources of inspiration are in classic cocktails, in the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and in the Tiki universe.
In our Born Cocktail Bar we have a curated selection of almost two hundred rums of different origins and styles. We travel around the world looking for old treasures hidden in bottles and barrels of rum. We have achieved a collection of Rums that could almost be a museum. We value unique collection pieces and limited editions. Let yourself be guided by our team of bartenders who are passionate about rum, if you want to travel through this wonderful world."
Kona Kai - London
London, United Kingdom
Opened in May 2012 by the owners behind The Sugar Cane cocktail bar in London's Clapham Junction.
According to their website:
"Kona Kai is a Tropical cocktail bar that promises to transport you to the shores of the South Pacific. Renowned for its spectacular signature cocktails made with premium spirits, home-made infusions and tropical ingredients.
Designed and built by the famous Cheeky Tiki designers, Kona Kai has become a port of pleasure for many Londoners! So why don't you come in and see for yourselves.
Typically, we play range of music, Charts, Hip Hop, House and some old school mash-ups."
Mahiki - Manchester
Manchester, United Kingdom (Closed)
This location opened in 2017 (in collaboration with Gary Neville's company GG Hospitality Management Ltd., closed in 2018, then reopened in 2019 before being forced to temporarily close once again because of COVID. It re-opened once more in July 2020 but was forced to shut down for breaking the rules in August 2020 (and had its license taken).
From their website:
"Mahiki [London] was opened in October 2006 as the brainchild of Piers Adam, David Phelps and Nick House, and has grown to become one of the world’s most famous night spots as well as an institution, with an array of fabulous awards behind it. Named after the Polynesian path to the underworld.
The bar is famed for its ‘Tiki’ Polynesian themed interiors, including a beach styled lounge… lit with an atmospheric glow. The cocktails, which are world renowned, attract rum enthusiasts from all over the globe to come down and party in either our Lanai Lounge or Aloha Party Room.
Mahiki is a celebrity hotspot that has attracted media attention from royal favourites such as Princes William and Harry, as well as other public figures like Kate Middleton, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Kelly Rowland, Paris Hilton, Kate Moss, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Kim Kardashian and many other A list celebrities.
At Mahiki Manchester, The Polynesian, Party Palace of The North West, we provide a unique themed service for all your party and event needs, with a wealth of Nightclub events on offer, spread across our Bar Room & Night Club Room, to give some of the best and hedonistic parties that Manchester has to offer."
In addition to the original London and the Manchester locations, the Mahiki franchise has spread to several other venues. Mahiki Clubs have opened in Dubai, Arab Emirates (now closed), Marbella, Spain (Mahiki Beach/open), in the Forte Village Resort in Sardinia (now closed), and at a second London location (Mahiki Kensington, closed in 2019). There was also a Mahiki club in Gothenburg, Sweden (closed).
KonTiki - Nürnberg
Mitte, Nürnberg, Germany
KonTiki is a restaurant and bar located in the Old Town section of Nrnberg, in old fishermen's houses along the Pegnitz river. It originally opened in 1978; a fire in January 2002 forced the KonTiki to close, after replacing some of the damaged furnishings with new replacements it reopened in the summer of 2002. KonTiki features a restaurant (Polynesien World), and two bars (Sea Bar and Tiki Bar). The space is elaborately decorated, with beachcomber lighting, rock walls, bamboo and plenty of carved details.
Tahitian Terrace - Hong Kong
New Territories, Hong Kong SAR China
The Tahitian Terrace is a restaurant in Adventureland at Hong Kong Disneyland that opened in 2005. It is somewhat different from the original Tahitian Terrace, which was in Disneyland's Adventureland for many years. It does have tikis cast from the originals at the Enchanted Tiki Room in Disneyland.
Hukilau Restaurant and Lounge - Key West
Key West, Florida, United States (Closed)
Opened @1960s and closed @ December 2000.
Later re-named Paco's Hukilau in its final years.
Background photo and first two photos show Hukilau during the 60s and final photos (circa 2005) show the site after its closure, when much had been removed.
The structure appears a bit ramshackle with lots of additions. Heavy tropical plantings around the exterior hid much of the structure, even in the early years. The center bar was in a round room with heavy beams and poles supporting a very high ceiling.
60s interior shot shows they once had Witco Tiki barstools and tables held up by nautical chain as well as Orchids of Hawaii swag lamps. The bar front side slants inward at the base, which can be matched with the later color photo of the interior after the bar closed.
The site has been re-developed and no signs of the Hukilau exists. In its place are condominiums.