Tropical Bistro took over a space in a strip mall that was previously a rather typical Chinese buffet. It had many connections to the Kahiki Supper Club in nearby Columbus, which closed in 2000. The owners were Ngo and Soeng Thong; Ngo was a general manager at the Kahiki, and Soeng was a chef there. The Thongs tracked down many former employees for their new restaurant, including the Kahiki's Executive Chef, Mickey Cheung. Tropical Bistro still felt much more like a Chinese buffet than a tiki bar, but there were Orchids of Hawaii lamps from the Kahiki, monkey pod tables, and even a few tikis.

What Tropical Bistro was able to offer was the same food and drink menu as the Kahiki. Drinks were served complete with dramatic dry ice, and in tiki mugs. Those who missed a particular drink or dish from the Kahiki were excited at the arrival of Tropical Bistro.

Over time, with the help of dedicated locals, the Tropical Bistro built up its tiki level (including the addition of a scaled-down replica of the Kahiki's famous signature tiki fireplace).

Tropical Bistro closed for "minor remodeling" in January 2008. The closure was supposed to last for only one week, but Tropical Bistro never reopened.

The Bamboo House began its life in 1965 as the Outrigger Restaurant.

The Outrigger closed in 1976, but was soon resurrected as Bamboo House.

The indications are that the place had retained much of its tiki charm. The building was a very tall A-frame, with very large lamps hanging from the ceiling.

Bamboo House was demolished on December 15, 2009. One of the exterior tikis along with an exterior mask went to a local museum, The Exploration Place, (shown with curator below and as part of their installation).

The Outrigger was opened by Jack Lee in 1965, with a tall A-frame roof, lava rock exterior walls, a tiki support post near the entrance, and lots of bamboo and tiki masks inside.

It closed in 1976.

The building lived on for many years as the Bamboo House Restaurant with much of its decor intact, until it was bulldozed on December 15, 2009. One of the tikis and a mask from the restaurant's exterior went to a local museum, The Exploration Place, (shown with curator below and as part of their installation).

This Trader Vic's location is the original. It started out as Hinky Dink's, opened by Victor Bergeron a few years earlier in 1934 and had its name changed in 1937. Hinky Dink's had some great atmosphere and cocktails, but wasn't Polynesian until Bergeron was inspired by a visit to Hollywood, where he experienced Seven Seas and Don the Beachcomber.

In 1949, Bergeron opened a second location, initially called The Outrigger but later becoming Trader Vic's, in Seattle. In 1951 a location opened in San Francisco that was considered a powerhouse in the restaurant scene for decades. From there, it exploded into a number of restaurants that still pepper the globe today.

Bergeron is credited with being among the first to incorporate actual tikis into a tropical bar/restaurant concept. Bamboo bars and tropical restaurants had been around for a long time, and folks like Eli Hedley and Don the Beachcomber had created a more gritty, flotsam & jetsam inspired "beachcomber" look, but Bergeron took that a step further into look that was both refined and primal at the same time. But most of all, he brought in the tikis. He also brought a focus to the food, innovative for its time, blending the exotic tastes of many ethnic cuisines and presenting them for the still-developing American palates.

In the mid-1990s, many Trader Vic's locations in the United States closed, including the San Francisco and Seattle locations. International locations, including many in the Middle East, continued opening. In more recent years, the number of Trader Vic's locations in the United States have been growing again, with mixed results.

The original Trader Vic's location closed in 1972, when the company shifted its flagship location to Emeryville.

Built in 1970.

Hawaiian Gardens began as a large apartment complex, and now is mostly a retirement community.

The grounds remain well maintained, with water features, palms and flowers in the landscaping.

Many tikis were on the site as of the mid 2000s, still in good shape, including a few likely Witco pieces. However reports of theft and huge sweeping renovations may have disposed of what once was.

This was the original location for The Tiki Terrace; it opened in 2005 and closed in December 2007 and then opened four months later in a new, improved location in nearby Des Plaines.

This restaurant and entertainment venue was the realization of a dream of the Zuziak family, whose A Custom Production supplies the Chicago area with Polynesian and tropical decor and props.

Around 20 tikis were carved for the Tiki Terrace, other decor included rock formations and moai. The restaurant was divided into three dining rooms and a bar: Rapa Nui Row, The Ali'i, Kapa Nui Kove, and the Tiki Cocktail Bar. Cocktail waitresses doubled as hula entertainment, courtesy of a partnership with Gwen Kennedy of local luau organizer Barefoot Hawaiian.

This was the second location for the Luau Room in Louisville. It was originally located at the airport and was a Dobbs House Luau location. The restaurant was sold by Dobbs House to Vern Ferguson in 1983 as the airport expanded, and Ferguson relocated it to this spot near the University of Louisville.

Their logo sketch of a hut exterior with moai on the side was stolen directly from the Mai-Kai in Florida and appeared on ads and stationary.

Amazingly, much of the decor from this large paradise (9,000 sq. ft.) remained intact over the years, surviving incarnations as a Mexican restaurant, a Salvation Army (that's right -- imagine walking into a thrift store and being surrounded by tikis you can't buy!), and a nightclub. The owner of the property reportedly insisted the decor remain, and had more in storage. As of summer 2005, the space was for lease again.

Most recently, in 2018-2020, the property was leveled and incorporated into the 2400-2420 site for the new Marshall Louisville student housing complex intended to house students at the University of Louisville.

Sneaky Tiki opened on the site of a former Hamburger Mary's in summer 2005. Early reports were lackluster; the restaurant was not actually particularly tiki by a tikiphile's standards -- more modern upscale nightclub. Pan-Asian food and mixed cocktails, tikis on the swizzles & napkins, but not a Polynesian Pop environment.

Sneaky Tiki closed in spring 2006.

From 2013 through 2022, this location has been home to The Willows, a bar and hamburger establishment.

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 1976.

For some reason, this gem of a restaurant often gets forgotten... likely because Chicago is a relatively tiki-rich city. Chef Shangri-La deserves a visit, as its drinks are spot-on, and the food is predictably and somehow appropriately mediocre. The place has a sort of almost neglected, run-down feel, but the bones are there, and there are tikis everywhere. The bar in particular has recently undergone a rare remodel that has improved the feel of the place.

Chef Shangri-La himself, owner Paul Fong, could often be found there before his passing in 2012. Before opening his own Polynesian restaurant, Fong was the chef at the now-defunct Shangri-La restaurant in Chicago.

The restaurant has a few Witco pieces, including a very large Ku that greets you immediately upon entry. These pieces are some of the last Witco items produced; Witco went out of business one year after Chef Shangri-La opened.

They also have a small gift shop.

As you will glean from their social media, the bar hosts a number of tribute singers/bands (Elvis, Olivia Newton John, Billy Joel, Rod Stewart, Michael Jackson, etc...).

New Zealand Maori-inspired restaurant and bar, next door to the Best Western Orchard Inn just off of Highway 99, appealed to the early-20s set of Turlock. Whanga Rei featured an outdoor patio with a sand volleyball court and a mechanical bull, but there were tiki touches inside, with a few large carvings, and an interesting seating area with a wave overhead. Whanga Rei opened in July 2004 but, by mid-2005, it was converted to a sports bar, and the tikis were removed.