Tiki Bars
High & Dry Rum Bar
Houston, Texas, United States (Closed)
Opened in February 2018.
This was a very modern bar without all the layers that one usually associates with traditional tiki bars. It had a sort of industrial look with lots of exposed brick and open space.
Then, again, they were not trying to be a "tiki" bar but a "rum" bar that happened to be tiki-friendly.
There were several nice carved tikis on display behind the back bar area and in a few other niches.
They were also true to their name with 200+ rums to select from.
In addition to rum, they had a selection of other spirits and offered a tight list of ten cocktails focusing exclusively on "upgraded" takes on classic rum cocktails like the Mai Tai and Hurricane.
The bar took pride in using house-made orgeat and other tinctures and prepared ingredients.
Closed @ November 2023.
House of Kwong
Los Angeles, California, United States (Closed)
Edward Kwong (1917-2006) was was one of the leading pioneers of Asian Cuisine in the West Valley.
He established House of Kwong restaurant, a favorite celebrity dining spot in Woodland Hills, CA from 1948 through 1986 when he retired.
The restaurant had a pink and green neon sign welcoming customers. Parking in the rear. Thatched reed walls on the interior with a Chinese tree painting, oriental rugs, and purple formica table-tops with glitter.
Although not resplendent with tikis and tiki decor, this Chinese restaurant had a large tiki cocktail menu and is impressive for having several (now) rare and sought-after mugs, including the Spurlin Fog Cutter and Oceanic Arts Cobra's Fang, as well as their own unique bowl, the Witchcraft Bowl, surrounded by 4 flaming demon heads (truly a crypto mug!).
Today, as of 2022, the location appears to be a vacant lot sandwiched between a cell phone repair shop and a multi-level building housing a law firm.
*Photo shows Edward Kwong on left with his brother, Don Kwong, on right -- in the restaurant kitchen.
Polynesian Room - at The Chow Family Restaurant
Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada
Established in 1972.
They advertise both Chinese and Polynesian cuisine and have a large room for each -- the Oriental Room or the candle-lit Polynesian Room.
Stepping into this restaurant is like opening a time capsule. The interior of the Polynesian Room has thatching, amber-colored lauhala matting on the walls, tiki masks, several standing tikis, and many vintage Orchids of Hawaii style lamps.
They are especially proud of their egg rolls.
Their logo used to feature a tiki but was modernized to the current logo showing a silhouette of a couple eating.
Tiki Apartments
Covina, California, United States (Closed)
Built in 1963, this apartment complex features two A-frames in front and an A-frame pool house in back. Original name unknown...but labeled "Tiki Apartments" on blueprints.
Features 14 units and 2 stories.
Oceanic Arts was consulted about decor for this location, so it's quite possible it once had tikis or other decor on grounds.
As of 2022, this location was closed, but not demolished, possibly awaiting refurbishment or re-development.
Dr. Funk
San Jose, California, United States
This tiki bar soft opened in San Pedro Square in downtown San Jose on Monday, December 13th, 2021. Opened to the public on Thursday, December 16th.
Located in the former site of Peggy Sue’s 1950s-style diner.
Designer Notch Gonzalez transformed the venue with thatched-roof booths, bamboo railings and blowfish lights hanging from the ceiling. There are tikis everywhere, including a six-footer that Gonzalez carved in about a week.
Notch hearkened back to classic tiki carver Milan Guanko with his own versions carved in the recognizable Guanko style.
They serve Dr Funk's namesake cocktail (of rum, absinthe, lime, lemon, demerara syrup, grenadine and seltzer) alongside 12 original tiki tipples and eight classics.
There is also a limited food menu with coconut shrimp, Hawaiian ribs, burgers, chicken sandwiches, etc...
Kona Kai Restaurant
Panama City Beach, Florida, United States (Closed)
This bar and restaurant appears to have been opened in the late 60s (1967?) and only flourished for a short time, possibly into the early 70s.
Many people, especially younger visitors, remember they had paddle boats for rent as well.
As can be seen in the pictures, they had a couple of large moai outside and at least two large tikis and at least two carved poles. The roofline is very distinctive and has stayed basically the same at this location and into the present (2021).
At some point this restaurant was re-christened as Pompano's (later as Pompano Key) and was open at least through 2018, after which it was closed and remained vacant, possibly awaiting land redevelopment.
The poles and carvings migrated to an Alvin's Outpost store in town and have been painted several times over in different color combinations. See last photo.
Kanaloa - Houston
Houston, Texas, United States (Closed)
Opened September 5th, 2018.
Appears to have no connection to the chain of English Kanaloa bars that flourished from @2009-2020.
The exterior of the 2-story brick building was painted all-black.
Inside, the bar was decked out with a ton of multicolored fish floats hanging from the ceiling, a long bamboo bar stocked with a slew of top shelf rums and liqueurs, blue padded booths, polished koa wood tables, and large tiki murals painted on the walls. Outside the back was a patio seating area as well.
Barrera and his business partners Keith Doyle and Roland Keller, the team behind Wicklow Heights, wanted Kanaloa to be a place that would — like any great tiki bar — take drinkers out of the real world and into a kind of Polynesian fantasia. They called on Tiki Bosko to carve the tikis flanking the front doors and the wooden tabletops. Māk Studio, the firm behind EaDo’s Chapman and Kirby, created the tiki face wall murals. The stylish interiors, with deep blue hues, were the work of Leticia Ochoa’s Clover Design Studio.
By all accounts their drinks were fantastic. The food was supplied by Houston food truck Oh My Gogi which was given free rein in the kitchen. Menu items included a series of “tiki tots” including jerk chicken (seasoned grilled chicken, mozzarella cheese and pineapple pico de gallo) and Baja Shrimp (mozzarella, pico and guacamole). For vegans, there was “Beyond Baja Tots” made with plant-based protein, mozzarella, pico de gallo, cabbage and guacamole. There was also both grilled and fried shrimp tacos, a Korean salad and a Korean rice bowl.
Closed June 15th, 2021 -- another victim of the Covid pandemic shut-downs.
Secret Island
Long Beach, California, United States
Opened September 30th, 2021.
This bar is underground, below Shannon's on Pine. The build-out was completed by Bamboo Ben.
Some features include a poured resin bartop with a "stream" of resin running along the middle of the wood surface, a "lava" throne for photo ops, a floor with bright orange/red "lava" rivulets painted where you might normally see grout lines, and plenty of thatch and tikis.
This is also a live music venue.
The entire building is under one owner, so they are able to utilize several different levels and areas of indoor space for marketplace events as well (beyond just the bar). They started their own marketplace in June 2022 -- held roughly at quarterly intervals throughout the year.
House of Ming
Madrid, Spain (Closed)
House of Ming was a much venerated tiki bar and Chinese style restaurant located in Madrid, Spain. It opened around 1965 and is said by many to be the first tiki bar in Spain.
Some of the oft touted perks of visiting House of Ming were its: -Uninterrupted Hawaiian music -Tapa cloth from floor to ceiling -Incredible index of tikis per square meter -Drinks served in custom OMC vintage mugs -Waiter with jacket -Absence of TV
Closed in September of 2007.
Apparently the owners had three separate Chinese restaurants at one time, including one called China Doll.
Inside Passage
Seattle, Washington, United States
Inside Passage opened on June 25th, 2021 after a long delay because of the COVID pandemic.
It is owned by Pike Street Hospitality Group (the group behind Rumba, Agua Verde Café, and Tango Restaurant).
You enter by going through Rumba.
The interior was designed by Notch Gonzalez — and is more nautical than "tiki" in nature -- mixing tropical aesthetics (thatching, lighting, drink mugs) with Pacific Northwest seafaring history (including the name). That’s reflected in the rubber-and-foam octopus (which the bar nicknamed Kiki), as well as rustic wood accents throughout that recall an old ship.
Initially, the owners of the bar very pointedly tackled the concept of "tiki" on their website (in a section entitled "The Tiki Thing" which has subsequently been removed) and declared that they were not a tiki bar but an "immersion bar". They have tried to resist using any depictions of tikis, weapons, or sexualized native wahines (but topless mermaids and ship figureheads are nautical and okay apparently).
Despite this, if you are a fan of tiki bars, you will probably find much of their decor and their cocktail menu VERY familiar...
The Breakers Hotel
Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
A two-story relic in the heart of Waikiki. The Breakers' close proximity to local attractions and its bargain rates make it a popular spot that is often fully booked. Relatively unchanged since it opened in 1954, the hotel is broken into six low-rise buildings centered around an outdoor sundeck and pool.
No tikis on this property but the mid-century, Japanese/Polynesian architecture is still intact, with shoji screens over the sliding doors and classic wood louvres covering the windows.
The property is walking distance to everything in central Waikiki, including the beach, which is a three-minute stroll away.
Hawaiiana Hotel
Honolulu, Hawaii, United States (Closed)
Built in 1955.
This location has 40 units and is 2 stories. It closed in 2009 and was Beachwalk Student Suites Apartments for a time. As of 2020, the property was purchased and renamed Pagoda, matching the other hotels in this mini hotel chain that is expanding to have a location on each island.
This Honolulu location and the nearby Breakers Hotel are possibly the last of the 1950s era smaller hotels remaining in Waikiki. The Hawaiiana was a little less well-maintained over the years, but it has tikis throughout the grounds and is definitely worth a look. The Hapu'u fern tikis are especially fragile but appear to have survived.
*1958 tri-fold brochure map background shows original layout.