Tiki Bars
Bar Tiki - Clearwater Beach
Clearwater, Florida, United States
This bar opened in Clearwater Beach, Florida as of October 31, 2021.
It's located on the 3rd floor of the Marina Cantina by the docks.
In addition to their drinks menu, they also have a limited food menu with quesadillas, tacos, empanadas, spring rolls, etc...
LongBrow's Jungle Bar
Tuggerah, New South Wales, Australia
Opened Friday, May 12th, 2023.
From their website:
"A South American inspired Tiki Bar located in Westfield Tuggerah’s outdoor dining precinct.
Find yourself in a vibrant and tropical atmosphere, transporting you to the wild jungles of South America, complete with amazing authentic street food and refreshing tropical cocktails.
So come on down and escape to the tropics at Longbrow's Jungle Bar. Whether you’re looking for a fun night out with friends or a casual catch-up, we have something for everyone and are open till late!"
The Tiki Restaurant - at Villa Plaza - Tacoma (Lakewood)
Lakewood, Washington, United States (Closed)
Opened in 1963 at Villa Plaza, a new construction in Lakewood just south of Tacoma (although advertising materials say "Tacoma" for this location).
It was a 2-story construction with A-frame entrance and a Witco Mbulu Ugulu mask just below the roofline.
This restaurant started off life as a nicely appointed Polynesian Restaurant with decor sourced from Witco and some fern tikis sourced from the 1962 Seattle World's Fair that ended just half a year before The Tiki Restaurant opened.
Martin Denny even did a live performance back in the early days here.
However, in 1966 they decided to have topless go-go dancing upstairs and it appears to have gotten seedier/more sketchy as the years went on...
First off, the dancing was illegal. There were some arrests made and negative headlines before the bar was able to secure a cabaret license and legitimize the dancing.
Then, in 1974, a patron killed a bouncer.
Shortly after this, the restaurant was sold and became Peking Restaurant for a few years until in 1978 it was burned down in a suspected arson.
Nothing remains today.
Tiki Bar Mar Del Plata
Mar del Plata, Argentina
Opened in 2010, in Mar del Plata, Argentina.
They pride themselves on being knowledgable about tiki cocktail history and in developing their own cocktails based on local seasonal fruits and juices. Additionally, they seek to please an Argentine palate and sometimes this means a tilt towards the bitter end of the spectrum. Cynar is popular, for instance. One of their popular cocktails, the Cynar Grill, is made with Cynar 70, roasted pineapple, lime juice, rosemary, elderberry and soda.
During Covid quarantines, when deliveries became the norm, they decided to put together special cocktail kit boxes which are delivered via a person dressed up as a sea lion with a captain's hat. See last photo. Since their mascot is a sea lion, it only made sense to run with it and lend a sense of whimsy to home deliveries.
Tiki Beat - at the Newport Hotel
Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia (Closed)
Opened May 19th, 2012.
The design of this bar was a collaboration with input from renowned tiki carver, Marcus Thorn (a.k.a. Tiki Beat).
It was Perth’s only portside tiki bar, serving more than 20 different types of cocktails, as well as three of its own speciality cocktails, made with Newport Spiced Rum.
Drinks were served in green-glazed tiki mugs modeled after a carving by Marcus Thorn (seen with pinup model Masuimi Max below from a photoshoot), adding to the bar’s overall ambience.
It was located within the Newport Hotel (The Newy), on the corner of South Terrace, at the end of Fremantle’s busy cafe strip.
The Newport Hotel closed December 24th, 2021 for a major rebrand into Flight Club social darts venue. Tiki Beat was closed as well.
The Tiki Hut Restaurant & Lounge
Boston, Massachusetts, United States (Closed)
Mary Yick opened The Tiki Hut in 1961, on Tyler Street in Boston's Chinatown.
An article in February 1970, noted how “The Tiki Hut is a favorite after-show stop for many theatrical people when they’re in town.” The article mentioned how Pearl Baily, her husband, drummer Louis Bellson, co-star Cab Calloway, and other cast members of “Hello Dolly” dined at The Tiki Hut. Many theatrical celebrities dined at the restaurant when they were in town, and some of those regulars included David Merrick, Angela Lansbury, and Shakespearean actor Nicol Williamson.
Like Ruby Foo's Den and the Cathay House, the Tiki Hut was a favorite of the stage and screen celebrities, as well as stars from the local sport teams, from the Celtics to the Bruins. It was even noted in an article in February 1971, that on the theatrical circuit, Mary Yick was affectionately known as “The Dragon Lady.”
Unfortunately, Mary and the Tiki Hut ran into a serious problem in mid-1971, facing a possible ouster from her 10 Tyler Street location. The owner of the premises, the Lee On Dong Association, was attempting to conduct an “auction in the Chinese tradition of her lease.” Fortunately, Mary was able to secure an injunction to halt the auction until the owners could come forward and justify themselves to the court.
Mary and the Tiki Hut lasted only another year, though at least it seemed the lease ouster had been prevented, when in November 1972, she transferred the liquor license to Mai Lai Inc., managed by Kwok Man Yu, who would operate a restaurant at the same address. The Boston Globe, December 1, 1972, noted this loss in an article titled, “Chinatown loses its last Dragon Lady.” It referred to Mary Yick “of the lyrical voice and quick quips that (gently but plainly) put down amorous customers.” The article also stated, “Her departure ends, at least for the time, a tradition begun by the legendary Ruby Foo and later Anita Chue.”
Caroline's Aloha Bar
Charleston, South Carolina, United States (Closed)
Caroline's Aloha Bar and restaurant was located in the Avondale neighborhood of Charleston. It opened in early 2005 as the Voodoo Tiki Bar & Lounge.
However, Caroline Smith-Adams, the face of Voodoo Tiki Bar for 15 years, passed away, so the team at Voodoo decided to rebrand the restaurant to honor her life.
From 10/22/2020 onward, the bar was re-branded as Caroline's Aloha Bar and given a new makeover along with a new website and Facebook page.
Closed November 12th, 2022.
Toltec Tiki Room - in the Toltec Building
El Paso, Texas, United States (Closed)
Noelle Coley and Martin Armendariz opened the Toltec Tiki Room inside the Toltec building in December 2020 and it quickly become a staple in the property’s revival.
The Toltec Building is a historic structure in downtown El Paso built in 1910. Its original purpose was to be the home of a men's organization called the Toltec Club, which was founded in 1908. Members of the club were prominent business, civic and political leaders at the time. British-born architect John J. Huddart designed the building in a combination of the Beaux-Arts, Renaissance, and Sullivanesque (named after American architect Louis Henry Sullivan) styles. As such, the Toltec Building is one of the more unique landmarks in El Paso. Notable features include arched windows, geometric terra cotta decoration, and balconies in front of the second-floor windows. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, it has been used for office and commercial space since the club closed in 1930.
The bar added to an existing Peking restaurant that is open for lunch during the week and a passport business.
*NOTE: December 24th, 2022 marked the end of this bar at the Toltec Building location.
Their social media announced a grand opening at their new space at 115 Durango St D, El Paso, TX 79901 in Union Plaza for January 2023 with "Toltec" dropped from the name.
Foundation Captain's Quarters
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
The Captain's Quarters is a fully tikified vacation rental on the second floor above Foundation Tiki Bar in Milwaukee. It is owned and operated by the same folks behind Foundation, and decorated by owner Don Nelson with the assistance of Milwaukee's own Dave Hansen, a.k.a. Lake Tiki. The feel of the space is a true extension of the highly regarded tiki bar below it, with vintage mugs, pufferfish, rattan furniture, tapa cloth, and carvings by Lake Tiki. The room is rented out via AirBnb, with two beds that can sleep up to four guests.
The Tiki Hut - Yucca Valley
Yucca Valley, California, United States (Closed)
Opened in 2016.
The Tiki Hut was a vacation rental by owners just north of Yucca Valley, near Pioneertown (and its famed Pappy & Harriet's music venue), Joshua Tree National Park, and Palm Springs.
The building was on Janky Acres, a collection of three themed vacation rentals tucked into a secluded desert valley.
The Tiki Hut was able to sleep up to seven people, and was furnished with lots of bamboo, a tiki bar, a fake palm tree, and large tikis carved by CC Rider.
Seems to have closed @2020.
The Tiki Hideaway
Charlotte, North Carolina, United States (Closed)
The Tiki Hideaway was opened by owner Mike Barrea in December 2014 in the Myers Park neighborhood of Charlotte. The mid-century modern tinged space had a thatched overhang surrounding the bar, and a paneled relief back wall with stylized tapa designs and a Marquesan-esque face. Behind the bar was a towering Moai, housing the upper end of the bar's rum selection. The room was ringed with back-lit graphic tropical scenes. Orange vinyl seating contrasted nicely against the organic textures in the room. There was a small patio of outdoor seating.
The drink menu was a small, focused list of classic tropical cocktails, and there was a selection of higher-end sipping rums available. The food menu was in the form of small plate selections, and a few desserts.
After nearly a year in business, Tiki Hideaway closed in early November 2015.
Okolemaluna Tiki Lounge
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, United States (Closed)
Okolemaluna Tiki Lounge opened in November 2010, and closed in September 2012. (Okole maluna is Hawaiian for "bottoms up"; the Hawaiian "cheers".) Owners Brice and Lisa Ginardi put the focus solidly on the quality of the cocktails, serving classic tiki recipes made with locally-sourced fresh ingredients. As any cocktail lover who has visited Hawaii can tell you, this was a huge boon, a respite from the over-sweet, over-chemical drinks found everywhere in the islands. Okolemaluna's menu had about twenty cocktails, a mix of historic tiki cocktails from the great Polynesian palaces, and some new creations. The menu also had a small selection of pupus.
If you finished the entire drink menu, you could join the Okolemaluna Mug Club: you got your own custom mug kept on a special shelf behind the bar.
Beyond the drinks, Okolemaluna also sought to set a historic tone with the environment. The music was a mix of vintage and modern Exotica, and the space was filled with bamboo and lauhala matting. There was a lava rock waterfall, and some decor from defunct tiki bars.