This 1940s Pre-Tiki tropical bar was built inside of a WWII quonset hut with bamboo and thatch. Next to it was the Oxnard Airport where a military training squadron was and Howard Hughes kept some aircraft there.

Opened March 2nd, 2022.

The Luau was developed by owner/bartender Brett Rose to "stoke the masses".

Though not as lavishly decorated as some tiki palaces, tilting perhaps a touch more towards the surf bar than the tiki bar end of the spectrum with its coral painted walls and serviceable wood café chairs, there are still, indeed, several tikis throughout.

It has a live music stage in front of house and an outdoor patio in back.

Some nice decorative touches include a wall of ukuleles behind the live music stage, some Oceanic Arts style masks on the walls, lauhala matting, fish floats, and a couple of concrete tiki fountains out on the patio.

Tiki favorites are served in tiki mugs and volcano bowls. Including the Tropical Itch cocktail, with backscratchers included.

Opened August 2nd, 2022.

Mothership is a sci-fi tropical themed bar in San Diego, CA that is a partnership between the owner of Kindred and CH Projects (False Idol, Polite Provisions, Raised By Wolves and more).

Designed by Ignacio “Notch” Gonzalez, Mothership imagines a restaurant and cocktail lounge build from the ruins of a crash landed ship on a tropical alien planet.

From the Mothership website:

"The Ancient Astronaut Shuttle Crew, aboard the A.A.S.C. MOTHERSHIP, boldly explores the darkest, furthest edges of the tropical-flavor galaxy. Cosmic rays blast from a solar flare and blow the MOTHERSHIP’s electronics into disarray. The psycho-space marauders are left with no option but to execute emergency landing protocols on the nearest planet. Off-board, the tight-knit Crew explores the lush surroundings. They discover no sentient life, but unexplainable events occur and a lurking presence is felt. The mysterious, uncharted ecosystem has few resources to repair the ship -- but ample plant life and curious, intoxicating spirits. In time, the Crew accepts that they are marooned in a sinister, fertile paradise. They establish a colony and fashion the ship into a base camp, including quarters of leisure. Together, the fearless crew members commit to adventurous coexistence with the natural life of the planet, not in desperate peril, but on a ...PERMANENT VACATION."

This was the sister location built in the late 1950s after the first location in Laguna Beach was already thriving.

The plans were announced publicly in the Santa Ana Register on January 16th, 1957.

It was located on South Los Angeles Street and Ball Road in Anaheim, which is now re-named Anaheim Boulevard. It was a converted home previously known as the Flynn Residence.

Plans were stated to include 5 acres of tropical gardens, swimming pool, luau parties, ukulele parties, aquaria with tropical fish, and Hawaiian and Cantonese foods.

Today, this location is occupied by the Anaheim Global Medical Center.

Built in 1964.

32 units spread over 2 stories.

This apartment complex still has 14 tikis standing and they are in decent shape. This includes 12 guardians around the pool, one under a small shack to protect the map/directory, and a cool fern tiki by the pool fence.

It is located near the intersection of Garden Grove Boulevard and Brookhurst Street.

This location was built in 1962.

The theme was "pirate" with a good dose of Polynesian Pop, especially with the drinks.

This was one of the eight (at least) restaurants operated by the Specialty Restaurant company in the LA area that had various degrees of Poly Pop and Nautical themes.

Later, this site became Shanghai Red's, and then Whiskey Red's and at some point the roofline and interior were remodeled but much of the bones remain.

Most people associate Pieces of Eight with the cocktail of the same name which originated here and was later re-printed in Beachbum Berry's Re-Mixed.

Pieces of Eight: ½ oz Lime juice, 1 ½ oz Lemon juice, 1½ oz Passion Fruit syrup, and 1½ Aged Rum.

Shake or flash-blend with crushed or pebble ice. Pour unstrained into a tall glass, goblet, or tiki mug. Top with more crushed ice if needed and garnish with a lemon slice, a pineapple wedge, an edible flower – or all of the above!

Edward Kwong (1917-2006) was was one of the leading pioneers of Asian Cuisine in the West Valley.

He established House of Kwong restaurant, a favorite celebrity dining spot in Woodland Hills, CA from 1948 through 1986 when he retired.

The restaurant had a pink and green neon sign welcoming customers. Parking in the rear. Thatched reed walls on the interior with a Chinese tree painting, oriental rugs, and purple formica table-tops with glitter.

Although not resplendent with tikis and tiki decor, this Chinese restaurant had a large tiki cocktail menu and is impressive for having several (now) rare and sought-after mugs, including the Spurlin Fog Cutter and Oceanic Arts Cobra's Fang, as well as their own unique bowl, the Witchcraft Bowl, surrounded by 4 flaming demon heads (truly a crypto mug!).

Today, as of 2022, the location appears to be a vacant lot sandwiched between a cell phone repair shop and a multi-level building housing a law firm.

*Photo shows Edward Kwong on left with his brother, Don Kwong, on right -- in the restaurant kitchen.

Built in 1961.

This 70-room motel with pool sported a fantastic stylized moai head on its sign out front...but it was not meant to last.

The Bahia became the Razzmataz! for a time, which kept the moai head on the sign, but later, new owners decided to change the hotel entirely to a Pioneer theme, and re-named it the Covered Wagon with an unimaginative "CW" initials taking the place of the moai head. At this same time, the restaurant was named Columbo's Italian Restaurant (perhaps because pioneers are known for their love of pasta?). Today (as of 2022) the Covered Wagon signage is faded but a new restaurant, Cristi's Mexican, has taken the place of Columbo's.

Opened circa 1957 and closed some time around 1975.

The Hukilau was located on the second deck of The Captain's Inn, on the South Shore of the Long Beach Marina.

Description of the location from the May 14th, 1961 edition of Southland Magazine:

"A WATERFALL shimmering under colorful lights . . . A broad, red-carpeted stairway, gently curved . . . Luxurious tropical furnishings. . . .

These are some of the sights which greet visitors to the new Hukilau Polynesian lounge at the Captain's Inn, 215 Marina Drive, on the south shore of the beautiful Long Beach Marina.

Located on the second floor of the greatly-enlarged Inn, the Hukilau lounge provides its guests with fascinating views of the yacht fleet, smooth blue waters and tall palms. Furnished with polished monkey pod wood tables, bamboo, nettings and other authentic tropical touches, the lounge offers delicious island appetizers, such as rumaki, pua pua, Hong Kong won ton, Hawaiian barbecued ribs and fried sui gow. The beverages, prepared by Popo, an award-winning Polynesian mixologist, include such exotic creations as Tahitian Tiki Punch, Scorpion Bowl, Montego, Flaming Virgin, Yacht Club Special, Tiger Shark and Mai Tai. They are served in bowls, cups, glasses or even statuary designed to accentuate the charms of each.

HOST GEORGE Heinrich and his large staff also supervise the activities of five other dining rooms and lounges, which brings the total seating capacity of the Inn to 325. Most of these have picture windows overlooking the yacht anchorage. The rooms include the Commodore's Lounge, where Adrian is featured at the piano bar, the Corinthian Room, Marine Room, Captain's Bar and Captain's Grill.

The Hukilau lounge, open from 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, is reserved Mondays and Tuesdays for special parties (to 80 persons.)"

After 1975, the building was a Charthouse restaurant for many years prior to it becoming the Crab Pot Restaurant (current business as of 2022).

This location had a fantastic back-lit plastic-faced sign. The sign's tiki head stood over 8' tall with gas-burning tiki torches on either side.

Located at Western & 186th St., Torrance, CA. Open at least through the 1970s, but saw redevelopment in the 1980s.

Now home to (as of 2022) Kansha Creamery.

South Seas Cafe (1937-1977) was San Diego’s first large, Tahitian-themed restaurant, home of ‘rain on the roof’ just like at Ray Haller’s Seven Seas (1935) in Hollywood (later Bob Brooks Seven Seas).

The South Seas Cafe not only had the distinction of being the first large Tahitian/Pre-Tiki restaurant in San Diego — it was a woman-owned business. Opened Saturday night July 10, 1937 by Ruth W. Becker and Charles Thomas, South Seas Cafe was located across from the San Diego Marine Corps Recruit Depot on Pacific Highway.

“We feel sure that the atmosphere of the ‘South Seas’” said co-owner Charles Thomas to the press, “in which we produce lightning, thunder and the beating rain of a tropical storm, will delight seekers of the unusual. The South Seas illusion will be enhanced by Tahitian portraits and figure studies, done by Leeteg. The haunting rhythms of Hawaii will be produced nightly by steel guitars and ukuleles in the capable hands of Stone’s Hawaiians.”

Consolidated Aircraft Corporation’s newly-built production facility nearby provided a busy lunch crowd. And the novelty of an indoor rainstorm with thunder and lightning drew in as many patrons as could fit in the Tahitian-inspired restaurant. Their collection of ‘figural studies’ by painter Edward Leeteg certainly didn’t hurt, either.

Along with the Leeteg paintings down in the bar, they prominently featured an 11-foot-tall black velvet nudie by Morris Levine in the upstairs dining area, and on their menus. The Levine was reportedly won in a Las Vegas dice game bet by Wilbur Clark.

Top it off with thick steaks. Fried shrimp. Rum drinks. Entertainment by Stone’s Hawaiians, Teddy ‘K’ and his Hawaiians, Benny Kealoha and his famous ‘Echo Song.’ Comedy by Our Gang actor Spec O’Donnell. All this made the South Seas Cafe a destination spot.

The South Seas closed in 1977 and was replaced by a ladder store. For years it was a GolfMart, and later was part of an AMVETs thrift store properties. Most Recently, as of 2021, the property was vacant and up for lease.

Del Webb's hotel Ocean House was located on the Pacific Coast Highway on Mission Bay.

Del Webb was an American real-estate developer, and a co-owner of the New York Yankees baseball club. He also built the Kuilima Hotel & Resort (now known as the Turtle Bay Resort) in Hawaii.

Opened in 1962, with design by Las Vegas architect Martin Stern, Jr. (1917-2001).

The complex sat on several acres, had 200 rooms in the hotel, a dining room, coffee shop, the Jolly Roger cocktail lounge, and banquet and convention facilities to accommodate up to 1,000.

The most notable tiki features were several impressive carvings around the pool area. There were also brightly painted tiki mask faces along one exterior wall -- shown in the Jerry Lewis film, The Big Mouth (1967).

The cocktail lounge was not a tiki bar, but was a deeply immersive nautical themed space.

It was sold two years later to become the Hilton San Diego Inn, becoming the Hilton San Diego Resort & Spa, renovated in 2007.

Currently (as of 2022) owned by Noble House Hotels & Resorts and branded as the San Diego Mission Bay Resort. No trace of the tikis today...