Mai Tai, Excelsior's thatch-roofed Polynesian restaurant and bar, opened in 1978 and quickly became a hot spot around Lake Minnetonka.

The Mai Tai was founded by John Logan, former head chef at the Ambassador Hotel in St. Louis Park.

Fun was the main concern at Mai Tai, and the bartenders were able to mix about 30 different Polynesian drinks. The décor was decidedly tropical and included an outrigger canoe and a 200-foot waterfall. In a May 1984 interview, some of the restaurant's founders said they had 12 varieties of seafood flown in daily along with fresh orchids from Hawaii that were placed on the tables.

Live music was part of the appeal, as was the varied menu. Dinner specials one night included a dish of beef, shrimp and scallops, veal cordon bleu and chicken kiev. Fashion shows and classic boat shows also brought in customers. With the popularity came parking problems and in 1986 a trolley service was started so customers who had to park far away could easily get to the restaurant.

Throughout most of the 1980s, Mai Tai was the go-to spot for many people, including young adults who were fond of the varied drink menu. Hangovers weren't the only headaches caused by the excessive drinking, and some city officials and residents viewed the establishment as a nuisance.

The Mai Tai closed in 1989.

As of 2021 the property was in transition. It had been home to the Bayside Grill which closed in 2017 and then appeared to have been leased out as office space to Asystec and possibly others.

As of 2024, the space is now known as the Bayview Event Center & Charter Cruises.

Opened on Thursday, November 7th, 1957. The restaurant was simply called "Restaurant 400" before it became the "Luau 400".

An example from their advertising:

"Every night is carnival night at the Luau 400. An exotic, lavishly conceived Hawaiian 'movie set' of a restaurant. The Luau 400 has brought the informality, infectious gaiety and colorful cuisine of the Islands right to your doorstep. As you step through the front door a lovely Hawaiian girl in her native sarong places a gaily colored lei around your neck...you walk through the Pu Pu Bar with its many native masks, and see walls graced with the paintings from Hawaii. Seen throughout the Tangaroa Room and Polynesian Room are masks worn by the ancient Chiefs of the islands. To reach the different dining rooms you walk over the Leilani Bridge with its colorful waterfall and tropical gardens decorated in all the islands' splendor, then by the wishing well and past the tiny Maneki Neko, the guardian of this enchanting scene."

They boasted three kitchens: Polynesian, Cantonese, and American. Other draws included their lavish painted wall murals, bird cages with live birds, dining tables with real monkeypod wood tabletops, and a constantly looped color film of island festivals and dancing playing in the dining room to set the mood.

Apparently, "Luau 400" became "Ta Luau" @1967 for a brief time. Ta Luau produced a full set of Jackson China dinnerware with the same tiki mask logo as Luau 400.

This location has been home to several businesses over the intervening years. It was home to Jimmy's Downtown restaurant from @2002-2004. As of 2024, this space is home to Stonehenge 57 Apartments.

Stefan Kéry opened Tiki Room in Stockholm on January 23, 2002, becoming the first tiki bar in Sweden, at a time when tiki bars didn't tend to open anywhere, much less in the far-flung corners of the globe. The walls are lined with tapa cloth, bamboo, and lauhala mats, and a warm glow is provided by an array of pufferfish lamps and Orchids of Hawaii lights. There are tikis aplenty, including a tiki post standing guard at every booth. The menu has a mix of classic and modern tiki favorites, including bowl drinks served in tiki-flanked volcano bowls.

Opened in the mid 90s.

The Lava Lounge was not truly a tiki bar -- it was mainly a beer joint -- but those who are into such places dug the dim lighting, booths and music. They did have a small cocktail menu, shown below.

The back bar was supported by two carved tiki posts, and there were a few great old tiki mugs among the collection of jetsam & flotsam behind the bar. That was about it.

From the late '70s through the '80s, this space was occupied by a bar called Hawaii West.

Closed January 2022 ahead of a redevelopment of that block of Belltown. Apartments directly in back of the site caught fire in June 2022, and the site remained boarded after that.

Even through the darkest days of tikidom, The Alibi remained popular and busy -- probably due to the frequent karaoke nights. The Alibi is full of beautiful lamps and decor from Oceanic Arts, and has been cared for very well. The drinks for many years were on the weak and sweet side; that changed when new management took over in 2017, and the menu is now solidly-constructed classic tiki drinks and originals.

The Alibi has a long history that predates tiki. It began in the late 1800s as the Chat-n-Nibble, a horse & buggy stop along a dirt road. In later days it became a tavern called Max Alibi. The third owner, Roy Ell, took over the tavern in 1947 and renamed it The Alibi. Ell had travelled to Hawaii, and is responsible for changing the decor to reflect his own Polynesian tastes. The tavern was expanded to include the restaurant in the 1950s. The Witco-inspired rails and 3D hula-girl mural were 1970s additions. In the 1980s, Ell leased The Alibi with the agreement that the decor must stay as is. From 1992 to 2017 The Alibi was run by the White family. In 2017, well-regarded local historic bar managers Marcus Archambeault and Warren Boothby took over with a light restoration and a re-focused bar and food menu, including a flaming pu-pu platter.

Just across the street is The Palms motor hotel. While not strictly tiki, it does have a fantastic neon sign, and is within stumbling distance.

King Yum was a classic example of the style of Chinese-meets-Polynesian Pop restaurants that have peppered the U.S. Northeast for decades. It was opened in 1953 by the Eng family, and was still run by the Eng family today until its closure in August 2016.

The entrance had a rock wall waterfall, and there were tiki poles and tiki masks throughout the restaurant... painted in unfortunate primary colors. The restaurant had broad A-frame details over the dining room, and bamboo was used heavily. There was an awful lot of white on the walls, though. Lamps were old classics from Orchids of Hawaii. There was a second dining room with more traditional Chinese decoration rather than Polynesian. The exterior of the building had no Polynesian influence, but did have a beautiful green tile roof.

The food was good old American Chinese, and a number of tropical drinks were served, some in tiki mugs or coconuts.

As of 2021, this location is now home to One Banquet Hall, a wedding hall rental location.

Opened @1960s and closed @ December 2000.

Later re-named Paco's Hukilau in its final years.

Background photo and first two photos show Hukilau during the 60s and final photos (circa 2005) show the site after its closure, when much had been removed.

The structure appears a bit ramshackle with lots of additions. Heavy tropical plantings around the exterior hid much of the structure, even in the early years. The center bar was in a round room with heavy beams and poles supporting a very high ceiling.

60s interior shot shows they once had Witco Tiki barstools and tables held up by nautical chain as well as Orchids of Hawaii swag lamps. The bar front side slants inward at the base, which can be matched with the later color photo of the interior after the bar closed.

The site has been re-developed and no signs of the Hukilau exists. In its place are condominiums.

The Tropics Motor Hotel was located in Seattle by the Space Needle.

It was built in 1958-1959 and opened in 1959.

It served as the host hotel for the 1962 World's Fair. It was once the only luxury hotel in downtown Seattle.

The masonry, five-story hotel cost approximately $1,750,000 to erect.

The Island Room had a mix of island decor - including Polynesian as well as Caribbean.

The pool area of the hotel also had a lava rock waterfall feature with clamshells and a tile mosaic of Hawaii's Diamond Head.

Closed some time shortly prior to 1991, when the iconic sign was taken down.

It then became a Quality Inn and Suites, and continues under that name today (as of 2024).

Opened in 1972 under the ownership of David Tallichet with a Polynesian vibe and cuisine as well as a panoramic patio overlooking the City of Miami.

The overall impression of the place was dark and cozy with a mostly nautical vibe accented with some tiki touches. It featured rough hewn dark wood boards, nautical rope, some small carved tikis throughout, fishing nets, lit glass fish floats, strands of cork floats, shell lamps and pebble lamps, lauhala matting, and some brightly colored Orchids of Hawaii lamps.

The original menu featured favorites like a teriyaki-glazed sirloin steak, Chicken Kona Kai (grilled chicken served in a pineapple with sweet and sour sauce), and Cherries Jubilee (simmered cherries, vanilla ice cream, and Chantilly liquor).

Beyond its views and fare, Rusty Pelican gained even more notoriety after being featured in the 1980 blockbuster Caddyshack, starring Bill Murray and Chevy Chase.

In 1984, however, disaster struck and the restaurant burned to the ground. It was rebuilt and re-opened in 1987 with a large second floor space, but other than the added space, it appears they tried to rebuild along the same theme.

Then in 2011, all the tiki decorative elements went away in a brand new remodel...

The restaurant reopened in December of 2011 after a five-month, $7 million top to bottom renovation. Additions to the massive restaurant included a swanky cocktail bar; floor-to-ceiling bay windows; outdoor tables flanked by fire pits; a glass-enclosed wine corridor, mid-century style furniture, wood paneling and cushioned booths creating a Mad Men vibe.

Today, the venue is associated with weddings and other events that can make use of its floor space and fantastic views.

Although no longer tiki in its decor, they have been known to serve tropical drinks in tiki mugs from time to time as can be seen below...

Located at Route 3, Service Road East at Plaza Center in Secaucus, New Jersey 07094.

The South Seas was a Chinese & Polynesian fusion restaurant, similar to many others on the East Coast, that owed much of their decor to Orchids of Hawaii -- featuring a plethora of Orchid hanging lamps and a goodly amount of tiki masks both on the interior and exterior. It had a separate bar and a large open dining space lined with bamboo paneled booths lit by different colored puffer fish lamps.

Not much history to be gleaned on this location, but it appears to have been active in the late 60s - early 70s (at least as late as 1974).

This was perhaps one of the biggest pre-tiki locations on the West Coast.

The location has a long history, but its pre-tiki history began in 1933 with its first incarnation as Club Kamokila.

Club Kamokila was located at 960 Bush St., in San Francisco. Founded in 1933 by pineapple heiress Alice Kamokila Campbell, it was originally called Kamokila's Temple to Art. The temple was the auditorium, as the building was a former church that became a speakeasy. Legal issues arose after the club was raided for unlawful liquor sales, and Campbell closed the club in April of 1934, & moved back to Hawaii. It was then taken over by Kamehameha Corporation, and renamed the Royal Hawaiian.

The Kamokila mascot was a pineapple wearing a top hat and monocle (very similar to the Planter's Peanuts mascot from a distance) and the pineapple mascot was kept for the new location for a time as well.

At some point, this location was connected to the Hawaiian Gardens in San Jose, which was considered for a time to be a sister location.

Closed and then re-opened in 1943 as the Bush Street Music Hall.

The Roosevelt Hotel opened in 1930, named after the 26th U.S. president, who’d visited Seattle in 1903. Its architect, John Graham Sr., was one of the city’s most prominent: the firm he'd founded was behind iconic city structures like the Seattle Exchange Building, the Frederick & Nelson department store (now the downtown Nordstrom), and, under his son’s leadership, the Space Needle. Graham’s designs account for the hotel’s distinctive, modernist Art Deco style. The 18-story building remained Seattle’s tallest hotel for decades, with 234 rooms and an ornately furnished lobby detailed in the French modern style. In contrast to the hotels that catered to residents (the norm at the time), the Roosevelt Hotel positioned itself as a traveler-oriented hotel.

The Lanai or Lanai Room as it was called, flourished in the 1960s. It was known for its "musical fountains" seen in photo below and their cocktail menu is notable for sharing tiki mug designs seen at the Kalua Room in Seattle and commonly associated only with the Kalua Room. In 1962, both the Roosevelt Hotel (the Lanai) and Windsor Hotel (Kalua Room) were managed by Gwynne Austin. Gwynne Austin had previously managed Hawaii's Kona Inn, the Halekulani and opened Kaisers Hawaiian Village... he left Hawaii to take over the Windsor in 1954.

In 2015, Provenance Hotels purchased the hotel, and began floor-by-floor renovations, spearheaded by Seattle-based Susan Marinello Interiors. Fully refreshed, the hotel reopened in 2017 under the name Hotel Theodore, a nod to its historic namesake.

*NOTE: Exact dates on the opening and closing of the Lanai are unknown but it was definitely open from 1962-1965.