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.

Opened June of 2023.

Just a few weeks after opening Slurp! ramen bar, its ownership team of Kevin Liu, Mattias Hagglund, Thomas Leggett and Brandon Peck unveiled Emerald Lounge (2416 Jefferson Ave., Unit C1), an elevated tropical cocktail bar to the neighborhood.

“We looked at the concept of island escapism,” Liu says of the concept for Emerald Lounge. The crew, also owners of The Jasper in Carytown, looked at American tiki bars from post-World War II for inspiration, but “we wanted to create our own concept,” Liu said. “It’s less tiki and more Havana.”

Soft green walls provide a backdrop for Emerald Lounge’s retro, upscale tropical vibe. Bits of subdued tropical prints peek out amid hanging planters and sleek gold accents. The centerpiece is the bar, stocked with rum, agave and brandy, with a white marble topping and pendant lights that look like pale pink flowers floating overhead.

As Liu notes, the decor is not fully Tiki -- there are no actual carved tikis. Rather, the space incorporates tiki adjacent imagery like palm wallpaper, hanging lights that would look at home in a tiki bar, and nautical elements like a hammerhead shark floating above one of the seating areas. Some tiki purists might call this a "fern bar" hearkening back to similar decorated bars from the 70s, but Emerald Lounge is its own hybrid tropical space.

All of this notwithstanding, it appears that their drinks program is "on point" and tiki cocktail enthusiasts will not be disappointed in their menu.

In Hawaiian, Ala Moana means "path to the sea" and this hotel is exactly that -- a resort located only a block away from the beach and the beginning of the Wildwood, New Jersey boardwalk.

It is known for its vintage moai neon light with flaming tiki torches.

This hotel and several others along Wildwood Crest are commonly referred to as being a part of the Doo Wop style of architecture, named after the popular music of its time, but this style is also referred to as Googie architecture in California and other parts of the country.

Built in 1977. The Polizzes took over the Ala Moana in 1999 by redesigning the interior and exterior of the motel. 18 winters were spent refurbishing the Ala Moana Motel to the modernized resort it is now.

At this same time, the Polizzes bought four adjacent houses to expand the Ala Moana Motel Resort. The four houses were turned into suites and special motel selections known as the Ala Moana Tiki House, the Quiet Cottage, the Beach House and the Coconut House.

Chateau Avalon opened in 2004 and has 23 unique rooms decorated in a variety of themes, including Mayan, Egyptian, Renaissance, and of course, Tiki (Tahitian).

There are two rooms, both on the third floor, decorated in their "Tahitian" style (although the tikis used are actually large Moai). One of the two is a two-level "Treehouse" suite.

Built in 1962. This apartment building, formerly called the Samoa Apartments, is in a row of three Polynesian-themed apartment buildings, the others being the Kapu Tiki Apartments and the Aloha Arms.

Facing them, this would be the middle location in the row with the Kapu Tiki on the left and the Aloha Arms on the right.

Built in 1962.

The Whispering Lakes Apartments (formerly an unnamed apartment complex) once featured four large Milan Guanko tikis in front.

There are still some smaller tiki influences present, including some simple stylized Tiki Bob-ish carved tikis at the entrance.

The Hawaiian Village in Florida was incorporated in 1967-1987.

It was a massive Polynesian-themed complex featuring not only 246 air-conditioned rooms and a swimming pool, but dining rooms and supper clubs, live shows, a cocktail Tiki lounge and even a golf putting green and coffee shop.

It had a great neon sign and a flaming moai out front as well.

There are also a wealth of collectibles from this location, including mugs, menus, swizzles, etc...

This location is now a Westshore Honda dealership.

Formerly the Mayo Fish Camp in the early 1960s.

Opened in the 70s and closed in 1984.

Burned down mysteriously after 1984.

This venue consisted of a restaurant, floating outrigger bar (Tiki Isle Outrigger Club), gift huts, tropical cruise ship (Tahiti Queen Paddlewheeler), canoe rental, and of course, Polynesian shows.

In 1986, Jules Undersea Lodge opened at mile marker 103.2, very close to, and probably overlapping the original location of Tahiti Village located at mile marker 103.

Opened in December 2021.

Red Dwarf is owned and operated by Russell Gardner.

This is not a traditional tiki bar, but might be described as a punk rock dive bar with a splash of tiki, and an elevated beer list, that serves Detroit-style pizza.

It has a wall of vintage concert posters and an elevated stage that hosts live music—everything from blues and ska to soul and garage rock—and doubles as a makeshift living room with a couch and mismatched chairs.

A large wraparound bartop is full of angles to encourage conversation. Netting overhead holds fish floats, flotsam, and jetsam.

There is a side cubby that feels more "Tiki" than the rest of the space, but there are still scattered tiki touches throughout the entire area.

They have about a hundred rums and a short list of funky cocktails, including a few mashups on traditional tiki classics. See menu below.

The craft beer list rotates regularly. The one constant is the Dwarf Piss, a $4 house lager brewed in partnership with Astronomy Aleworks.

The bar's excellent Detroit-style pizza is made with an airy, chewy dough that's pan-proofed and fermented in-house for up to 72 hours.

They do have some branded mugs, some of which are standards by Tiki Farm, but they also have a mascot mug of the red devil (red dwarf?).

In 2019, The LuWow re-opened its doors in a prime spot in Melbourne’s cbd on Little Collins Street. It is in the space formerly occupied (fittingly) by Hawaiian-themed restaurant, Hana.

From their website:

"The LuWow has been recreated by 'Skipper' Josh Collins and Barbara Blaze Collins in a more intimate space, relax in a cosy booth or hang at the bar surrounded by an oasis of colourful kitsch with huge tiki totems, all carved by 'Skipper' Josh himself, leopard lounge suites, a jungle of plants and bamboo and a plethora of insane and wonderfully trashy souvenirs from the South Pacific and beyond. Josh & Barbara have kept to their retro OTT design ethic on this new venture. Their previous bars have been The LuWow (Fitzroy), Hula Bula Bar (Perth), Devilles Pad (Perth), South London Pacific (UK), Tikis (Belgium). Adding to the retro Tiki vibe of The LuWow the background music is hand curated from the owners’ huge vinyl collection of exotica, rhythm n blues, ska, soul, surf, 60s garage, beat & rock n roll."

Opened May 25th, 2011.

This location was a dance club with themed parties 5 nights a week, decked out in hand-carved wood with Tiki booths. It was one of several in a chain of Lola Lo bar/restaurants (including Bristol, Cambridge, Manchester, and Reading) with only Bristol and Reading remaining after late 2024.

September 5th, 2024, the Lola Lo bar announced a change of ownership and that they would be named "Kiki's" going forward (presumably keeping the same Tiki/Hawaiian theme).

Canlis Charcoal Broiler Restaurant was opened in 1954 by owner Peter Canlis and architect George Pete Wimberly. It is known for its high-end architectural and interior design as well as the kimono-clad waitresses. It also had a large 15' tiki in the main banquet hall whose design is repeated on their logo menu art. This tiki was carved by Edward "Mick" Brownlee (a non native who was also acknowledged as a master woodcarver and became known as the "Waikiki Wood Carver". Brownlee also carved for The Waikikian, The Tahitian Lanai, The International Marketplace and the Aku Aku in Las Vegas. His story is documented in the book, Waikiki Tiki, by Phillip S. Roberts. A second Canlis' Restaurant was later opened in Seattle, Washington. The original Canlis' was razed in 1998.