Built in 1968-1969.

Mahi Mahi had decor from Oceanic Arts, including an unusual item -- an Oceanic Arts-designed mug of their signature logo. Mahi Mahi was later purchased by Jim Walls in 1970. Jim was owner of the nearby Omni Hut, which closed in 2018.

Walls brought in Eli Hedley from California. Hedley is quoted, saying: "In 1971 I remade the Mahi-Mahi in Nashville with unlimited funds, which is how I like to work."

Whether it was the extravagant re-build or other expenses, however, the Mahi Mahi's day's were numbered.

Walls also took on the Mahi Mahi's debt, and despite efforts to improve the menu, the new Mahi Mahi closed after just a year. The Mahi Mahi later became Blue Hawaii. The building, which had an unusual wide A-frame, has been torn down.

Mission Tiki Drive-In was originally the Mission Drive-In, which opened in 1956. De Anza took it over and started work on turning it into a tiki drive-in in 2005. The tikification was primarily performed by carver and artist Tiki Diablo, and includes plenty of tikis and Polynesian-themed decor. Ticket booths have A-frame tops with thatch, and the refreshments area has plenty of large tikis and tiki masks, and bamboo-lined walls. Mission Tiki's logo tiki is holding a box of popcorn. In addition to the regular schedule of drive-in movies, Mission Tiki hosts special events similar to those that have proved popular at the the De Anza-owned (but non-tiki) Starlight Drive-In in Atlanta.

Closed January 23rd, 2023. Sold and cleared for industrial development.

Owned and operated by Charles Chang and family, Fiji Island was around for at least thirty years, and at one time had a sister location in a Holiday Inn in Charlottesville, VA.

Food was typical Chinese, and drinks were served in tiki mugs (one of the bartenders here once worked at Trader Vic's).

There were tikis throughout, but they were of the brightly-painted variety that appears to be more common in that part of the country.

The basement of Fiji Island hosted a sometimes loud dance club, called the Club at Fiji.

Closed August 2016.

Opened in early February 2004.

Tiki Tanning was, as the name cannily suggests, a tanning salon.

It was located in the strip mall behind the Anglo building. Tiki had nine tanning beds and a high-pressure bed where you could tan in 12 minutes.

The owners were Wendy Burr and Jason Fielder. Wendy's mother, Ann Burr, was the manager.

Old dive of a tiki bar in Phoenix which opened in 1947, and has historically served beer but not tropical drinks. In recent years that's been changing, with a small selection of tropicals on offer. Since current owner Matt Tomb took over, he’s made an effort to preserve the bar’s history and bring in more tiki elements, including décor and custom mugs as well.

The Field Museum opened its current building in 1921. Its history began at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, and it was officially founded in 1893 as the Columbian Museum of Chicago. The museum was renamed the Field Museum of Natural History to honor its first major benefactor, Marshall Field.

The Field Museum has a large collection of Oceanic artifacts, including an entire Maori meeting house.

The Royal Tahitian, built in 1960, and opened June 24th, 1961, claimed to be the world's largest Polynesian restaurant, with 250 acres of tropical landscaping and "lagoons" -- however, this was simply a reference to the Ontario National Golf Course next door. The main floor was the restaurant, with a bar downstairs, and a show area outside. It featured a dramatic asymmetrical swooping A-frame entrance.

In later years, after the Royal Tahitian closed in 1967, its building became the club house for the golf course. In 2003, the building was set to be demolished, but it lingered for several more years and was torn down some time after 2010.

Just down the street there is an apartment building built in 1962 (now the Whispering Lakes Apartments) that once featured some large Milan Guanko tikis, and still retains some Polynesian influence.

Before becoming Latitude 20°, this was The Polynesian (1957-1964).

The Polynesian opened in 1957 and closed due to fire in 1959, but was refurbished and re-opened in 1960 to run for 4 more years before being sold in 1964.

Hop Louie re-opened it as Latitude 20° on July 15th, 1966. Latitude 20° ran through 1980 before being sold to developers who decided to stray from the Polynesian theme and go Country. It was a Waco's and then a Calamity's before the structure was finally leveled in 1984.

This location is now a strip mall.

The Hawaiian Luau was located in The Fontainebleau Motor Hotel and opened on May 21st, 1963. It was known as a great place to enjoy an evening of Polynesian foods and exotic tropical drinks. The South Pacific motif featured tapa cloth from Samoa, Japanese net floats & peacock chairs. In Skipper Vince’s bar, you would find Idol images decorated with imported hapu tikis that were hand carved from giant ferns.

The Hawaiian Luau was a Polynesian paradise but the hotel also featured the Empire Room, The Chandelier Lounge and the Fontaine Coffee Shop.

The Fontainebleau Hotel opened on April 27th, 1959, just 4 years before the Hawaiian Luau. Its long name was treated to an equally long sign -- one of the largest illuminated signs in the city at the time -- spelled out in 8' tall blue & white letters.

The hotel was a key part of "The Miracle Mile," a bustling commercial thoroughfare that was the main route from Jefferson Parish into the city until the 1970s. That's when the expressway was built and the decline began.

The hotel was closed in the 1990s and Roland Von Kurnatowski converted the Fontainebleau to apartments and units that could be used for storage. A Burger King also sat on the lot.

Most recently, in December 2020, businessman Sidney Torres purchased the property. He said he plans to re-name the apartment complex Pelican Apartments and to open a drive-through chicken operation where the Burger King once operated to maintain the license while searching for a permanent tenant.

The Beachcomber restaurant opened in July 1960, in the historic May Fair Hotel in Berkeley Square in Mayfair, London. It was created under the direction of the Danziger brothers Harry and Edward, American film producers who had moved to London and bought the hotel. The Beachcomber was the first introduction of the American Polynesian restaurant phenomenon to London, opening a few years before the London Trader Vic's. (The whole concept and name were nicked by the Butlin's chain of holiday camps for their Beachcomber Bars.) It was the apex of upscale themed dining, with rainstorms over a pond of caimans, parrots in and out of cages, and oceanic art all around. Storm and lighting effects added a theatrical feel to the space. Tableside flaming coffee grogs were served, and beautiful custom mugs, bowls and other serveware were used. The restaurant closed in 1985, and it was turned into the Crystal Room.

There is a modern-day bar in Notting Hill also called The Beachcomber, it has no connection to this historic restaurant.

Opened in 2004.

From the Badger Herald:

"Nestled among the more mainstream University Avenue bars like Wando's and Brothers is the Lava Lounge (461 W. Gilman St.), an out-of-the-way hangout that offers a refreshing break from the usual campus scene.

The Lava Lounge has a little something for every type of bar-goer. The jukebox includes everything from Andrew W.K. to Johnny Cash, the drink specials are some of the best in the downtown area, and the clientele seems to be different every night. One evening the bar might be filled with tattooed, pierced patrons of the upstairs business, The Piercing Lounge and Blue Lotus Tattoo. On another night, you'll find hockey or basketball fans, fresh from a game at the nearby Kohl Center.

The Lava Lounge specializes in tiki drinks, tropical concoctions blended to perfection and served in pint glasses. Among the best of these is the Lava Lounge Punch, which tastes a lot like Sweet-Tarts candy. If a tiki drink isn't your style, sample the extensive lineup of beer, bottled and tap, ranging from Old Style in 16-ounce cans to Great Dane German pilsner.

With a long bar, several tables and plenty of standing room, the décor of the Lava Lounge is nothing to scoff at, either. Pictures of surfers and tiki memorabilia abound, and the bamboo posts and wall coverings near the tables provide a kind of ’50s vintage atmosphere."

Closed in 2014.

The Tropics opened on June 19th, 1941.

It was located in the Hotel Wolverine and was "Michigan's most unusual night spot and cocktail lounge," as a postcard called it. A huge sign on top of the red brick building blazed "Tropics Room." Inside, bamboo fixtures, fake trees and papier mache animals transported Detroiters to the South Pacific.

The club was made up of the Native Village and the Cocktail Lounge. The former was a replica of a South Pacific island village that "skillfully captured all the beauty and charm of far-off tropic lands. A romantic atmosphere is added by the exotic music of a fine dance orchestra atop America's only traveling band stand," a postcard boasted.

The Native Village offered nightly dancing in air-conditioned comfort. The Cocktail Lounge was authentic right down to the pitter-patter of rain on the roofs of the Rainfall Bars. A waterfall tumbled down behind the bar. Orchestras lured couples out onto a large dance floor that was lighted up in colors.

As a result of financial decline in later years, the Hotel Wolverine was turned into federally subsidized senior housing in 1968.

By 1985, the building had degenerated and was closed by the city where it stood vacant for another dozen years before being demolished in 1997. Today it is a parking lot.