Opened in 1978.

Whatever tiki elements may have once been at Pandora's are now gone. The restaurant continued to operate for many years with more of a nautical, odds-and-ends look.

In 2016 the name changed to AJ's. That restaurant still lives on, but from the point of view of a traveling tikiphile, the Polynesian Pop here is history.

This classic Southern California tiki apartment building has an unusual amount of its Polynesian elements intact. The dramatic A-frame entryway shelters a collection of waterfalls and waterways, lined with nautical chain, and guarded by tiki rail posts. There is one very large old tiki still standing out front, and there are lush, tropical plantings and a cluster of tall palm trees.

Inside, there is a tiki-themed recreation room for tenants to use, which although not a vintage feature, is nonetheless cool.

Featured on page 280 of Sven Kirsten's Tiki Pop book with an early photo of owners admiring the front tiki. The front looks very similar except the early photo shows several fish floats hanging from the front entrance as well.

Luau, along with its sister restaurant just across town, The Leilani (opened in 1951), was owned and operated by the Dunn brothers, Jimmy, Roy and Stanley.

Luau opened later in 1964.

It used to have a tiki bar, and drinks were served out of tiki mugs. The Leilani and Luau both had the same mugs printed up, with both names on each: a black moai mug, and a three-face bucket mug.

In later years, Luau didn't have much to offer to a tikiphile -- it had devolved into an inexpensive all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet, with no tiki at all to be seen inside (not even a bar!). For many years, however, its sign remained as a fabulous example of classic midcentury graphic design.

In 2013 the restaurant closed, and the sign is gone.

This Trader Vic's location supplanted the nearby original Oakland Trader Vic's, and has been the company's flagship restaurant since it opened in 1972. The Emeryville Trader Vic's is positioned near the end of a spit in San Francisco Bay, and has beautiful views of the nearby marina and city lights across the water.

The Emeryville Trader Vic's closed at the end of April 2010 for renovations, and reopened on September 28, 2010. The newly-refreshed Trader Vic's Emeryville has a stronger focus on tiki decor, and works to strike the balance between the sunny blue marina view and the moodiness of a traditional Tiki bar. Many of the carvings, lighting and other decorative elements have come from other, now-closed Trader Vic's restaurants from around the globe.

The restaurant is large, with several banquet rooms available for private parties. There is a large bar area near the entrance, and two dining rooms at the back of the restaurant.

The Hawaiian Inn opened circa July of 1965.

This Polynesian-themed resort complex is right on the Atlantic Ocean; most of its 208 spacious hotel rooms have private balconies overlooking the ocean. The hotel has a number of amenities, including a large outdoor pool, an indoor pool, shuffleboard, and a beachside 9-hole putt-putt course, and most of the rooms include small kitchenettes. There is also the poolside Ohana Tiki Bar and Grill.

The hotel has seen better days. There is no remnant of its Polynesian history in the rooms, which appear to have undergone remodels at some point in the 80s -- all of the rooms used to have Witco headboards, which can now be seen as wall hangings throughout the hotel. Outside of the rooms, there are some nice touches, including bamboo-encased garbage cans and Witco furniture.

Check for scheduling, but the resort regularly hosts a Hawaiian Luau Dinner Show.

Just up the street from Hawaiian Inn, you'll find Aku Tiki Inn and Traders Restaurant.

Originally called the Waikiki Lounge & Supper Club.

The Green Turtle Restaurant was part of the Hawaiian Inn resort complex. Teauila's (pronounced like "tequila" would sound if the q was silent) Hawaiian Luau Dinner Show took place here four nights a week. The dinner show was a package deal, including the entertainment and a Chinese-food buffet; tropical drinks were extra.

The room featured lamps from Oceanic Arts, and a very heavy use of black-light. The show itself featured a full band, male and female hula dancers, and included a dramatic use of fire. A handful of male visitors were selected from the audience to try their hand at hula-ing on stage while wearing a coconut bra and grass skirt.

NOTE: This restaurant was closed as of 2017, although the Hawaiian Inn Resort still hosts a Hawaiian Luau Dinner Show in this space, but you should check for scheduling.

Just up the street you can find the Aku Tiki Inn and Traders Restaurant.

Opened in 1995, PortAventura World is the most visited theme park in Spain and the sixth most visited theme park in Europe.

The park features five theme areas based on civilizations (Mediterrània, Far West, México, China and Polynesia), and one theme area based on Sesame Street. Mediterrània is the main entrance area of the park.

The Polynesia area of the park is populated with many tiki statues, a Kon-Tiki wave ride, and features live shows with large Polynesian dance groups.

This tiki bar opened to much fanfare in 2001, but it reportedly closed for "renovations" in November of 2002. In reality, it shut down after running into some governmental crankiness over unpaid back taxes.

Their theme was Rat Pack meets Tiki. They also had a number of early Tiki Farm mugs branded with their location.

In 2006, the space finally reopened as Headhunters, a punk dive bar renowned as a live music venue.

Headhunters fell on hard times and was cleaned up and re-branded in 2012 as Metal and Lace: Steampunk Lounge by Host Jon Taffer of the Bar Rescue television show.

However, the changes didn't stick and the bar went back to its old name and ways and closed in 2014.

Opened January 29th, 2018.

Little Nickel is a neighborhood restaurant. The cuisine could best be described as "tropical diner"- a splash of coastal flair & spirited twists on mid-century American classics alongside thoughtful & funky cocktails.

The main bar definitely feels like a classic diner counter, but there are other mid-century and tropical nods. Tretchikoff's Green Lady hangs adjacent the bar. Palm leaf wallpaper abounds. The hanging lamps are made of cane/rattan materials. Repeated round brass mirrors have a nautical porthole vibe. Some seating areas are shaded by palapa thatched overhangs. What is missing are actual tiki carvings to truly make this a "Tiki Bar" and, without carvings or more tiki-themed art, the decor hovers ambiguously in the middle of "Diner" or "Fern Bar".

They do not attempt to call themselves a "Tiki Bar", but rather, call themselves a "Tropical Diner". But if you are in the area and looking for good tropical cocktails, this looks like it may be the spot!

Opened in November 2023, next to the Orinda Theatre. The bar is the brainchild of the cinema’s manager, Derek Zemrak, who previously managed a wine bar in the Boo Loo Lounge’s location. The wine bar had been closed since the COVID-19 outbreak, during which time Zemrak received a full liquor license from the county and decided to rethink the potential of the intimate space.

The venue is small; there’s room for just over 20 inside with additional seating on the patio.

Decor is dark and classic tiki with heavy nods to Pirate and Creature from the Black Lagoon themes as well.

Boo Loo’s GM is Maxton Kennedy (Tiki Tolteca, Kon-Tiki, Forbidden Island), and reports so far are that the drinks are top notch.

Opened in 2022 by Zach Marsh.

This barbershop may not serve cocktails, but they play exotica and other tiki-friendly music while you have a relaxing shave in a tiki-themed atmosphere decorated with Bac Bac on the walls, tiki artwork, masks, mugs, tapa cloth, and all the other details that would make a tikiphile right at home.

Featured in pages 4-6 of Exotica Moderne, Issue 24, 2024.

Opened May 20th, 2021.

This modern interior may look a bit spartan next to old school Trader Vic's style venues with their intensely layered and darkened interiors packed with carvings and artwork. Instead, the Ark Royal has lots of white wall space behind the bar and another brick wall painted in white as well -- both reflecting light from high-ceilinged windows in the day time.

However, at night, with swag lamps and other ambient lighting, the interior is moodier, and if it is available, one can always retreat to their "Taboo Room" with its couches, swag carpet, and lauhala matting on the ceiling for a more intimate visit.

The Ark Royal's Mission Statement:

"The Ark Royal is a modern Tiki lounge in Downtown Raleigh, though our name comes from an old ship commissioned in 1586 by Sir Walter Raleigh.

Raleigh, the man, was a scholar, an explorer, and truthfully, he was a pirate. Much of his later life was spent hunting for the fabled City of Gold; El Dorado.

Raleigh theorized, studied, searched and struggled to that mythical city, though the poor bastard was beheaded by King James before he could discover it.

Our lounge is not an ode to Sir Walter Raleigh, rather it is an ode to exploration, adventure and discovery. Our exotic cocktails feature ingredients from many cultures from many regions around the world. This blend of spices, spirits, sweeteners and liqueurs offers fascinating insight into a whole world of history, tradition and flavor.

The style of cocktails we offer are known as Tiki, but originally, they were known as exotic drinks, or as Don the Beachcomber called them; 'Rhum Rhapsodies.'

Tiki is exploration. It is adventure. It is discovery. It is The Ark Royal."