Tiki Bars
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.
The Tiki Lounge - at The Heart O' Denver Motor Hotel
Denver, Colorado, United States (Closed)
The Heart O' Denver Motor Hotel (1960-1975), featured a bar called the Tiki Lounge. Eli Hedley, the man who popularized the beachcomber aesthetic, designed this lounge.
The site is also historically noteworthy for being located on Colfax Avenue, the longest commercial street in the United States of America.
Later, this hotel became a Ramada and in 2005-2006 the Tiki Lounge space was home to a new tiki bar called Tiki Boyd's.
It appears, as of 2021, the space is now home to Ahuevo Cantina Kitchen.
Twisted Tiki
Santa Ana, California, United States
Opened in 2019.
This small tiki bar is located behind a nondescript sliding bamboo door and curtain inside the McFadden Public Market -- sort of a speakeasy vibe. It probably can hold about 30 people.
Among the interior decorations is a large octopus chandelier on the ceiling (created by David Outline of Outl1n3 Island), fish floats, ukuleles, tiki masks, palm & monstera leaf wallpaper, and lots of bamboo. Dimly lit with lots of purple and blue and red mood lighting.
Word on the street is their drinks are well made and dialed in to what the tiki crowd likes also.
Glenlani Tiki Apartments
Los Angeles, California, United States
The Glenlani Tiki Apartments were built in 1960.
They are an example of dingbats -- boxy two-story apartments supported by stilts, with open stalls below for parking. (Their name is likely to have been coined by architect Francis Ventre while he was lecturing at UCLA in the early '70s.) Thousands of the inexpensive 16-unit structures were built in the late '50s and early '60s to accommodate the huge number of people moving to Southern California. Dingbats are being demolished by the dozen to make way for multi-story complexes with underground parking, so they are doubly ephemeral when paired with a tiki theme and tiki imagery.
The Glenlani has apparently lost its sign, reading "Glenlani Tiki" and possibly the swag lamps as of 2021, but the whitewashed standing tiki on the other side of the structure is still there.
According to Redfin, the space has 11 units as of a 2020 assessment, so it was either slightly smaller than the normal dingbat or 5 of those original 16 units were incorporated into the remaining units to make them more spacious, probably now considered as condo conversions.
Kon Tiki Motel - Costa Mesa
Costa Mesa, California, United States (Closed)
Built in 1958 with 46 rooms.
Costa Mesa’s Kon Tiki Motel was the New Harbor Inn for a time up until about 2017/2018 but is now the Mesa Motel.
Kahuna Tiki TU
Los Angeles/Valley Village, California, United States
This is the newer sister location to the first Kahuna Tiki in North Hollywood (now closed), owned and operated by Carey Ysais.
It features sushi and Polynesian style food and tiki cocktails.
Opened in December 2020, the Kahuna Tiki TU is located at the site of the historic and former Mikado Sushi Bar in Valley Village.
The Kahuna Tiki TU and the adjacent Mikado Hotel were both built in 1957. They are under separate ownership.
This location has a full liquor license and a full range of cocktails featuring hard alcohol, whereas the first Kahuna Tiki location had a limited liquor license and featured beer and wine, and a more limited range of tropical cocktails made with sake and soju and the like.
You can sit at "The Jungle Bar" (a more intimate area with three thatched booths and velvet paintings), the sushi bar, the main hall with tables or booths, the "Party Room" (complete with jukebox and windows overlooking the pool), or sit outside on the patio next to the pool itself.
Check their calendar for burlesque shows, karaoke, hula performances, ukulele performances, or other live entertainment.
Casa Tiki
Miami, Florida, United States
Opened October 2020.
From their website:
"Homecookin’ Hospitality Group, the team behind Foxhole, Drunken Dragon, and rácket, brings a trending, yet one-of-a-kind, concept to Little Havana. Casa Tiki bar and lounge is a Latin-style take on the traditional Polynesian culture, catering to an escapist longing for travel. Located in the heart of Calle Ocho, the hideaway haven allows guests to create their own tropical escape from reality. From the rum-making and shaking to the interactive personalized experiences, surrender all your worries and let Casa Tiki whisk you away."
Casa Tiki is also entwined with The Dead Flamingo Pop-Up.
Tarantula Tiki Lounge
Fort Worth, Texas, United States
Opened in June 2020.
This is the first tiki bar in Fort Worth since Ren Clark's Polynesian Village closed in 1969.
Co-owned by Autumn Brackeen, who’s also co-owned The Boiled Owl on Magnolia Avenue since 2012. She and fellow co-owner Jason Alford worked together to bring forth this concept which combines classic tiki with nautical and a touch of the macabre.
Fuchsia Tiki Bar
New Paltz, New York, United States (Closed)
Opened in 2019.
This small tiki bar was a bit eclectic -- it had some traditional tiki decor (large tiki carving in corner and masks, mugs, and art on the walls) blended with nautical (netting on ceiling with beach cottage lanterns), as well as a large pirate flag and palm fronds wallpaper. The tufted green Victorian couch, chrome barstools and stacked stone walls may have felt slightly at odds with the other themes, but the overall vibe was clean and cozy and tropical.
They had a healthy selection of tiki cocktails (classic and contemporary) and rums to peruse, as well as a large menu of sushi (or appetizers if you just needed something to snack on).
The owners announced that September 30th, 2023 would be their last day of business at this location. Their lease was not renewed. They hope to secure another lease nearby in the future and re-open if possible.
Kokomo Tikibar - Lahti
Lahti, Finland (Closed)
This was the sister location to the Helsinki Kokomo Tikibar and Room.
This was a smaller venue.
It opened about the same time as the sister location in 2011, but closed in January 2015.
Maka-Maka Tiki Bar
Maldegem, Belgium
Mobile Tiki Bar from Belgium, est. 2019. Cocktail workshops and rum tastings at our home Tiki bar.
Snowbird Tiki Bar
Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
Snowbird Tiki Bar opened on April 7, 2017, in Montreal's Little Italy, in the space that used to hold Cafe International.
It closed in late 2018, but re-opened in what had previously been known as Idole Bar.
The new space has stone, brick, and some green-painted walls, with float lights, and lots of vintage pieces in the decor. The bar incorporates some elements from the now-closed Jardin Tiki, including tables and chairs that were originally at the Kon-Tiki in Montreal. There is a large tiki that came from somewhere in Ontario.
They continue to add more and more to their decor, including a number of vintage hanging lamps over the bar.
There is also outside seating.