Tiki Bars
MaiPai Tiki Bar
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Opened in February 2020.
This is a combination mash-up of Detroit style pizza restaurant and tiki bar, owned by Salar Madadi.
Salar describes his pizza:
"So with a Detroit-style pizza, they're cooked in a rectangular pan. Ideally, it's like a seasoned steel pan. It's like a hydration dough with a higher hydration. Like when you bake it off, you'll get more air into the crust and it'll come out crispier. Your sauce goes on top, if you're using a sauce, and you have cheese that goes edge to edge. So you get like a crispy cheese crown all the way around. I enjoy eating foods where each bite is different and different in texture and flavour. The crispy cheese crust was, I think like the first time I had it, I was like, 'Oh, this is awesome.'"
About the decor:
Salar spent a good amount of time sourcing Polynesian art to decorate the place. He built a considerable amount of the furniture himself. He was buying bamboo from all over Canada to carve and build some of the posts, assembling vintage lamps. There is even a booth in the restaurant dedicated to Spam and all the variations of Spam.
Tiki Hut - Billerica
Billerica, Massachusetts, United States (Closed)
This was a restaurant in Billerica, MA serving Chinese food and tropical drinks in tiki mugs.
Incorporated in 1981 and dissolved in 1994.
Currently (as of 2022) and since at least 2016, this site is home to Garrison's Bar & Grill.
Tiki TNT
Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Opened in December 2018. Tiki TNT is the side-bar attached to the Potomac Distilling company at the Washington D.C. Wharf complex.
3 levels of seating for over 250 people. The decor is more modern island vibe than dark and forbidding classic tiki lounge -- with extremely high ceilings painted a light blue, pink walls, plate-glass windows, and bright Edison bulbs hanging over the central bar.
There are several tiki drinks, both classic and new, along with some food options on the menu. Potomac Distilling Company is Todd Thrasher's rum distillery, and the rum is available for purchase.
Porco Lounge & Tiki Room
Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Porco Lounge & Tiki Room opened in Cleveland's historic Tremont neighborhood in October 2013. Owner Stefan Was let his passion for tiki lead him into the hospitality business. Porco Lounge is the first tiki bar in Cleveland since the Kon-Tiki closed in 1976. Was used elements from the Kon-Tiki in the decor for Porco, including some lamps and bamboo from the restaurant. Also used for decor are Was' collections of swizzle sticks and tiki mugs. Was hired Shannon Smith to lead the bar program, bringing his background in craft cocktails with him, resulting in a menu of finely crafted tiki drinks.
Trader Frank's
Indian Rocks Beach, Florida, United States (Closed)
Trader Frank's restaurant was part of the Tiki Gardens theme park started by "Trader" Frank Byar in 1964. The restaurant sat 450 people and had a tall A-frame structure.
The head chef for many years since its beginning was "Papa Lee" who, along with his wife, Chui, and several other Chinese cooks worked to turn out all the varied menu items. They lived on premises from 1976 onward after a hit-and-run driver killed Papa Lee's cousin, Lawrence Lee, who had just moved from New Jersey to work at the restaurant and was living in an apartment just over a quarter mile away. To prevent this hazard in the future, a 2-bedroom apartment was built on premises for the Lees who had also been walking a short distance to and from the restaurant each day.
Trader Frank's and the rest of the Tiki Gardens complex was sold and closed in 1988.
Kon-Tiki Museum
Oslo, Norway
Opened in 1950.
The Kon-Tiki raft used in Thor Heyerdahl's 1947 expedition across the Pacific is on view here, along with artifacts and information from all of Heyerdahl's many explorations. Associated with the museum is the Institute for Pacific Archaeology and Cultural History, which continues Heyerdahl's research.
Thor Heyerdahl passed away in April 2002.
Rock-a-Tiki - Chicago
Chicago, Illinois, United States (Closed)
Rock-a-Tiki opened in 2002 in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood, and was the first modern tiki bar in the city.
The bar stools were carved tikis, and the room was decorated in a mix of painted murals, bamboo and thatch. A large plaster moai looked over the room.
True to its name, the music included a lot of rock in the mix, and an Elvis impersonator was there regularly.
Rock-a-Tiki closed in 2004.
As of 2021, this location is home to Black Hole Bar.
Mai Tiki Bar - at Tigerlily
Ferndale, Michigan, United States
Opened Wednesday, September 14th, 2022.
The owners of Tigerlily restaurant in Ferndale converted a former office space in the building into a tiki-themed “speakeasy”-style bar called Mai Tiki.
The narrow, 900-square-foot room is accessible via a “semi-concealed” door on the side of Tigerlily’s dining room, which the restaurant describes as “a portal to an island getaway” with a wraparound mural, thatch canopy, and “island relics,” including gold skulls. Mai Tiki is also accessible via a rear door on the Troy Street side of the building.
In addition to their cocktails (see menu below), the spot has a food menu with small plates like crab rangoon, robata-grilled pineapple, pork belly bao, and fish tacos. The menu was developed by Tigerlily chef Chris Vasquez, a metro Detroit native who has worked at Maru Sushi and Nippon Sushi Bar who returned to Michigan following a stint as head sushi chef at Chicago’s acclaimed Momotaro.
When you book Mai Tiki you get the whole place to yourself! The room seats about 51 guests including 12 bar seats and has a capacity of 60 Guests.
Tiki Hideaway - at the Mean-Eyed Cat Bar - Liverpool
Liverpool, United Kingdom
In March of 2023, Tiki Hideaway opened this second location at 71a Seel Street, Liverpool, L1 4AZ. This new location is dubbed a "lair", hidden within the existing Mean-Eyed Cat Bar, though with its own exterior and entrance.
The first location is in Leeds.
Cheeki Tiki Bar
Cala d Or, Spain
The Cheeki Tiki Bar in Cala d'Or is mostly outdoor but there is also room inside. You will be entertained by some parrots in a chilled atmosphere surrounded by nice decor. It is a classic Tiki bar with a lot of bamboo but green and blue lights keep it bright. Cocktails are pretty good and they come in mugs from Spanish production.
*NOTE: Only open in summer season.
Tiki & Co.
Kralendijk, Caribbean Netherlands (Closed)
Opened in 2020.
Offers tropical drinks and food with a Creole twist.
From their site:
"Sir Eddy Trenidad is an island man. Last year he returned to Bonaire, where he grew up, to open a brand new cocktail bar: Tiki & Co. An unforeseen but exciting adventure that allows the ‘master of tailor-made drinks’ to pursue his ultimate goal, enter the top 100 best bars in the world, and educate a new generation of bartenders."
Closed @ 2023.
Tiki House Key West
Key West, Florida, United States
Opened in August 2017 in the location formerly occupied by Rumor lounge.
This two-story white-painted structure may resemble a large fraternity house made over for a luau weekend on the outside, with its brightly painted tiki masks and Corona beer ads and banners/pennants strung across the balconies, but on the inside they appear to have something for everyone.
The bar offers classic and house cocktails in tiki mugs. They also have two full pages in their menu devoted to rum tasting notes on their large selection should you prefer to sip your spirits neat.
Additionally, they have a large selection of vodka, tequila, and beers on tap.