This bar was previously open at least as early as 1942 and known just as the Hula Shack, then purchased in 1943 by Harry Pike and Larry Potter who renamed it the Jade Hula Shack to match their Jade Club in Hollywood which they also owned.

This was a popular bar with servicemen.

Closed in 1946 and replaced by Pal's Corral.

In 1952 Joseph, Gaspare and Big Frank Matranga bought this bar and named it The Tropics. Prior to this it had gone by many names, starting in 1935 as Vick's Cafe, and then Vic’s Place, Vick’s Cafe, Vic’s Tropics, and finally Vic’s Tropical Nuthouse.

The Matrangas were continually under the scrutiny of San Diego Vice. Employee turnover was so great, they had a standing classified ad for cocktail waitresses in the newspaper. Daily. And by 1965, they were advertising for go-go girls.

The building was razed in 1970 and in its place developer Conrad Arnholt Smith built his United States National Bank tower. The MTS Transit Store sits now where The Tropics once was.

*NOTE: Photo below was when location was known as Vick's Tropics (March 5th, 1947).

The Tropicana Lanes was a 56 lane bowling alley with an attached cocktail lounge called the Kon-Tiki Room.

This location was opened around 1959 and closed around 1975.

The original structure has been leveled and is now home to the Crystal Inn Suites & Spas.

Former pro boxer Vince Dundee Sr. and his son Vince Jr. operated the successful Kona Kai Polynesian-themed restaurant at 3034 Foothill Blvd., and opened the equally successful Scotch Mist steakhouse across the street.

In 1977 Vince Jr. passed the torch to his sons, Vince III and Scott, both in their early 20s. The site of the Kona Kai, was transformed into a faux-Tudor styled restaurant and disco called Sherlock’s.

By 1980, the restaurant had been remodeled into an “entertainment center” which included the disco (Sherlock’s), the restaurant, renamed Café 34 Restaurante, and a retail Record World record store.

On the night of Oct. 9, 1980, the site burned to the ground.

The Aloha Club, (1950-1965) was a burlesque tiki bar on Third Avenue’s sailor’s row, under management of Gaspare ‘Jasper’ Matranga.

Along with their other clubs next door on ‘Neon Row’ (The Cuckoo Club and Club Royal), The Aloha Club stayed open until 2am nightly. Large neon signs and tropical murals graced the exterior. It featured music by Billy Jones and his Beachcombers, a five-piece combo, with sultry burlesque acts of Dorothy Eddy, Vivian Lee and Joy Damon ‘in the flesh!’

And B-Girls galore – waitresses who mingled with the sailors, enticing them to gamble, buy more drinks, and God knows what else. The city passed an ordinance outlawing the practice, giving San Diego Vice one more excuse to raid the bars.

Tom Sheng’s popular restaurant, Sheng Haw Low, was originally located on the second floor and rooftop garden patio above The Aloha Club. After the Matrangas were forced out, he leased the entire ground floor of the building. Sheng opened it up as his Aloha Room, serving exotic drinks in the tropical atmosphere leftover from the club. He even kept the big ALOHA neon on the building’s facade. Smart thinking, as his was the biggest eating establishment closest to the newly built Centre City convention hall. Sheng Haw Low was the last holdout on the block before it was razed for the new Westgate Plaza Hotel.

The Luau Room (1949-1969) was a restaurant and bar at the Hotel del Coronado.

The Hotel del Coronado was built as a seaside vacation resort in 1888 on Coronado — a natural, sandy spit of an island in the bay — now considered by many as the crown jewel of San Diego.

The Luau Room opened in the summer of 1949 in the hotel’s Ocean Terrace mall, and immediately became popular with vacationists curious to experience the Hawaiian atmosphere, entertainment and exotic drinks.

The Luau Room’s cocktail list came complete with recipes for its tiki drinks, now attributed to head bartender Ebert William ‘Bert’ Chan (1916-1974).

Bert reportedly started his career at Trader Vic’s in San Francisco before tending bar at the Hotel Del — the later position he held for over 18 years.

After the close of The Luau Room, many restaurants have occupied the space.

Currently, the space once known as The Luau Room is now home to Serẽa Coastal Cuisine.

The El Mirador Hotel operated from 1928 to 1972.

The name "El Mirador" is taken from the pre-Columbian Mayan Ruin in Guatemala but there was never a Mayan theme at this location. It just lent an air of exoticism. Built by Palm Springs pioneer Prescott Thresher Stevens at a cost of $1 million, and designed by Los Angeles architects Walker & Eisen, the hotel’s 20 acres included an Olympic-size swimming pool, tennis courts, stables, the desert’s first golf course, and a striking Spanish-Colonial Revival-style bell tower that became a city landmark.

This hotel underwent a remodel and in 1952, opened their South Pacific Room, which showcased Tahitian dancers, “Island Serenaders” and a Polynesian buffet. In advertisements, it encouraged guests to “go native” and had luaus every Thursday.

This site is now home to the Desert Regional Medical Center.

Built in 1968, this two-story apartment complex sits on just over an acre of property and has a classic mid century Polynesian roofline. The only visible tiki appears to be in the front and is quite likely one of the long-tongued Oceanic Arts fiberglass six foot tikis that you can still purchase today.

Formerly known as Hatch Bar & Eatery, local restaurateur Leonard Chan and partner Dominic Iapello went from a light beach vibe to full-Tiki, starting with the re-opening of their restaurant in December 2018.

They added 35 Tiki cocktails on the expanded cocktail menu and the rum selection grew to 70+ bottles.

Food-wise, some favorites like the Loco Moco remained, with some new Polynesian-inspired additions including a tempura-battered Spam Musubi and Chinese-five spice chicken wings. The kitchen could also accommodate gluten-free and vegan preferences – the Impossible Burger was another newer option.

Stowaway was tucked behind Blacksteel Barbershop.

Stowaway announced that Saturday, November 5th, 2022 would be its last day open at this location.

*They re-opened with a sneak preview on May 16th, 2023 at their new location -- 14401 Newport Ave, Tustin, CA, United States.

Zamboanga was a pre-tiki restaurant/bar/nightclub opened in the 1930s by Joe Chastek who was one of the very first to open a tropics themed location.

It billed itself as "Home of the Tailless Monkeys" and featured a cheeky pipe smoking monkey on its menu and other advertising materials.

Among its other pieces of decor, it featured a Frank Bowers wall mural.

"Tailless Monkeys" may have been a derogatory term for Filipinos coined during the Philippine Insurrection circa 1900. There is some debate about this. You will hear John Wayne sing this in the movie "They Were Expendable" (1945).

As of 2020, this location appears to be home to a Dollar General Store.

Originally called just the "Hula Hut" when it opened 10/30/1936. This pre-Tiki south seas inspired nightspot had little decor but plenty of music and dancing girls.

It modeled itself on the success of Bob Brooks and his 7 Seas nightclub in Hollywood.

Ken Young took over the Hula Hut circa 1940. As “Ken’s Hula Hut,” it lasted for about two years. The building was demolished in December 1965.

The site is now home, as of 2020, to the Beverly La Jolla Tower, a 6-story building with high-end office spaces for lease.

The Kona Kove Lounge was housed within the Stardust Bowl recreation center. It is unclear when it was built or closed, but it was open as late as April of 1970 as there are ads from that time for live music at the venue.

This bar is also mentioned in James Teitlbaum's Tiki Road Trip as part of the Stardust Bowling Alley and in Sven Kirsten's The Book of Tiki on page 198.