Humphrey's Half Moon Inn is a large hotel (two stories, 182 rooms) on Shelter Island, built in 1960 with Polynesian touches in accordance with the Harbor Department's requirement that all structures on the artificial island be Polynesian in appearance.

It is an upscale hotel, sporting a dramatic A-frame porte cochere and many well-maintained and unusual tikis throughout the grounds. In the summertime, Humphrey's plays host to national music acts during their very popular Humphrey's Concerts by the Bay series.

Humphrey's is one of several great vintage tiki locations on Shelter Island in San Diego, the others being Bali Hai Restaurant and Trader Mort's Liquor.

The Imperial Luau was part of the Harris Imperial.

It opened in 1959 and was 20,000 square feet in size.

The stone was supplied from Cuba for the wall treatment in the Kon Tiki Lounge and the American style grill room. Germany supplied the antiqued gold mirrors which covered the entire 2-story front section of the building. Japanese craftsmen built seven bamboo panels for the Polynesian dining room in the Imperial House. Each panel was 6' by 8' with 18-inch sections of bamboo cut to give the impression of various sized circles. The bar was entirely of stained cypress wood.

James B. Kirby was the builder.

At one time this restaurant was the most popular restaurant in the area (45 minutes north of Miami).

Luckily, several of the floor to ceiling tikis were salvaged by local collectors before it was torn down. There were 10 in the restaurant and Max’s South Seas Hideaway in Grand Rapids, Michigan has three of them. The first two guard the entrance to their Atomic Lounge bar and a third is mounted on the wall in the Atomic. A fourth one resides at the Tabu Tiki Room, the home bar of Duke and Amy Carter.

The Imperial Luau appears on page 24 of Sven Kirsten’s “The Book of Tiki.”

Closed in 1990.

Toucans opened in 2002, and is a tiki bar nightclub catering to Palm Springs' large gay population. The earlier theming was more tropical-light, but over the years the tiki angle has intensified, and now it is full of beautiful vintage lamps, hut structures, bamboo, thatch, and large tikis. Toucans offers fairly standard nightclub drink fare, but they do have a Mai Tai. Toucans' specialty is drag shows.

Opened by Johnny Ramos in April of 1964.

The Tiki Cocktail Lounge was situated essentially in the parking lot for the Tropics Motel (now re-named Tiki Lodge), the Modesto entry in the midcentury Kimes Tropics Motels chain. The Tiki Cocktail Lounge fared a bit better than the barely-operational motel--and while it became more of a beer joint (despite its full bar), it managed to retain some of its tiki charm.

They did a remodel in later years and removed the bamboo and thatched roofed booths inside. Probably to open the space up for dancing.

There was still some bamboo behind the back bar, a sometimes-lit pit fireplace and a small outdoor patio with a smattering of tikis.

The old velvet paintings were removed although there was a framed mural in back that was left.

In recent years, the Tiki Lounge became a LGBTQ focused site, and they stated on their Facebook page that: "We feature an open lifestyle environment where people of all sexualities and genders can feel free to get together, have a few good cocktails and have a great time. Gay, Straight, Lesbian, Bisexual or Transgendered all are welcomed at the Tiki!"

The Tiki Lounge was just down the road from Minnie's Restaurant (not walking distance, however).

Closed suddenly without much warning on July 1st, 2025 by owner Tammy Maisetti.

The Royal Hawaiian opened in 1947. It was owned by the Cabang family. The Cabangs were originally from the Phillipines and were friends with both of the Fillipino Tiki carvers in L.A. at the time, Milan Guanko and Andres Bumatay. These talented artists both supplied Tikis for the restaurant. The prominent Andres Bumatay tikis outside the restaurant became weathered and destroyed and were later replaced by modern carvings.

The Royal Hawaiian also had a sister location located in Anaheim in the 1950s.

The Royal Hawaiian has been through several iterations. It originally had several small dining rooms with glass-walled dioramas filled with tikis and plants, great lamps, bamboo, thatch and sea grass matting, and a bar with a fireplace and pufferfish. There were lovely oil paintings throughout, including a large piece hung directly above the hostess stand.

In spring 2006, the restaurant was sold to a new owner, who gutted it. The newer, tiki-stripped version closed for good in 2012. In 2016, the space reopened, again with the name Royal Hawaiian, this time by people who wanted to bring back its rich tiki history. The new owners, Mo Honarkar and daughters Hasty and Nikisa, worked to bring back a fully-decorated Royal Hawaiian with the help of Bamboo Ben.

However in January-February 2019, the restaurant was closed for yet another remodel and then re-opened under the auspices of chef Mariano “Maro” Molteni. Honarkar’s company remained as landlords, while Molteni owned and operated the restaurant which he rebranded as the "Royal Hawaiian Fire Grill". Molteni's remodel (which came as a surprise to the landlords) removed much of Bamboo Ben's decor, especially natural materials like lauhala matting and thatching in favor of dark blue painted walls and a "cleaner" and "less cluttered" look. There were still tikis and accent pieces, but the interior was much reduced from its former full tiki glory.

On July 15th, 2022, Royal Hawaiian Fire Grill announced its closure for the end of that same month, on July 31st, 2022.

Following the 2022 closure of the last iteration of the Royal Hawaiian, the space was turned over to Boulevard Hospitality for a complete transformation and a grand re-opening in May 2023. The new build-out was completed by Ignacio “Notch” Gonzales, famous for building spaces like Smuggler’s Cove in San Francisco and Inside Passage in Seattle.

To round out the new experience, the Royal Hawaiian’s owners have brought on famed barman Dushan Zaric of Employees Only to build a bespoke cocktail menu that riffs, weaves, and rethinks the rum-forward staples of tiki lore.

*NOTE: For the 2006-2022 version or from 2023 onward see separate listings.

This is the location that started it all. (Well, actually it started across the street at 1722 McCadden on December 5th, 1933, and moved to this spot on May 26th, 1937.) Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt, later and more widely known as Donn Beach, created what we think of today as a "tiki" or "Polynesian" restaurant. Bamboo-lined tropical themed night clubs had been fashionable for some time, but this was where it became more immersive. Donn's greatest innovation was surely the drinks. His travels throughout the world (and especially the Caribbean) gave him deep knowledge about rum, which in this post-prohibition era had become inexpensive. His blends of rums with fruit juice and spice flavors created exotic drinks that appealed to the masses. Backed up with Cantonese cuisine and a richly decorated environment complete with tikis, it was a hit.

Many of the most beloved tiki drinks were born here, including the Zombie, Navy Grog, Demerara Dry Float, 151 Swizzle, Shark's Tooth, Cobra's Fang, Dr. Funk. The original bartenders knew the recipes (Including Ray Buhen, who served them at his own Tiki-Ti. The recipes have been passed down to Buhen's son and grandsons and you can taste history there yourself.). Soon Donn learned to keep the recipes secret, even from his own staff, by using a system of codes and pre-mixed syrups. It didn't stop the competition from attempting to poach his staff or attempt his drinks, with mixed success.

Beyond the drinks, the entire themed-restaurant concept that Don the Beachcomber created was copied widely; perhaps first and most notably, it inspired Victor Bergeron to transform his Hinky Dinks into the first Trader Vic's.

Donn was the creative genius, but the business brains of the operation belonged to his wife, Cora Irene "Sunny" Sund. When they divorced in 1940, she retained the rights to the Don the Beachcomber name and concept in the mainland United States. She grew Don the Beachcomber into a successful chain of restaurants that flourished for decades.

Donn took his work to Waikiki (beyond the range of the deal with Sund, as Hawai'i was not yet a state) where he opened his own Don the Beachcomber restaurant, and became a major fixture in the booming Hawai'i tourist scene. He owned the Waikiki Don the Beachcomber until his death in 1987.

Thanks to many years of hard work (harder work than he would lead you to believe), drinks historian and author Jeff "Beachbum" Berry has been able to successfully decode and document many of the original Don the Beachcomber liquid masterpieces. His work has ensured that quality tropical drinks are back and here to stay, and are now being served all around the world.

Lava Lounge opened in December 1993. This non-traditional tiki bar in a tiny strip mall in Hollywood attracted a steady flow of hipsters. Appropriate to the name, the interior had lava-dark walls, with a smoke-heaving, water-dripping wall in the rear, and pin-point lights across the ceiling. The design was sleek, with a heavy use of bamboo and Oceanic Arts lighting. There were a few tikis near the front. Live music was often featured here, almost always of the non-tiki-friendly variety. Tropical drinks were served, but not in tiki mugs. Lava Lounge closed in February 2007.

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.

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.

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.

Opened August 4th, 2023.

The bar is owned by partners Melissa and Nate Yungvanitsait, owners of Northern California restaurant chain University of Beer.

Tiki purists will declare this is more of a pirate themed bar than a true tiki bar, and they may have a point, but there are also enough of the trappings of tiki bars that we all know and love to make this a worthwhile visit if you are in the area.

As has been pointed out time and again, tiki bars thrive on layering more and more details as the years go on with the "more is more" effect. So if patrons clamor for more tiki, then perhaps each successive visit will unveil more tiki.

As it stands now, here is what you will encounter:

The entrance is a beach-themed area with some tables, huts, a few very cheap tikis (including some plastic ones). You can order at the bar from here.

Going down the hallway, there’s a lounge section that’s nautical-themed including a nice photo op stop, giant squid arms made from metal, and some granite tiled walls.

The last section is a series of booths that are nominally themed as pirate jails, plus more pirate decor including a room with artifacts.

*NOTE: In 2024, Melissa and Nate opened another Shipwrecked in Sacramento. This sister location has less of a pirate theme and more of a Balinese Island Jungle Explorer theme -- think Tomb Raider or Rainforest Cafe for adults...

Opened in early 2021.

The Royal Tot is named for the most delicious tradition of the Queen’s Navy: The Daily Portion of Rum.

The decor is modernist/minimalist with lots of tropical leaf wall paper and some interesting use of routered & painted Chinese breezeway tile patterns around the bar area.

While they do make use of tiki mugs to serve cocktails, there doesn't appear to be any actual carved tikis or tiki-themed art in the bar.

That said, the rum inventory appears to be bursting at the seams and they appear to have been a host for at least one season of the annual Beachbum Berry Sippin' Santa event.