Tiki Bars
China Paradise
Wayne, New Jersey, United States (Closed)
Opened in 1968.
This location looks to have undergone a major "renovation" in the 80s or 90s that stripped it of much of its Tiki/Pop Polynesian flavor.
While the rattan chairs, some masks in one room, and at least a couple standing tikis remained, the white and pastel paint job along with the glass block host entrance and other touches transformed this into a bland and generic Chinese restaurant for the most part.
Despite this, they continued using their original branded ceramic OMC drink ware right up to the very end, with coconuts, rum barrels, and surfer girl mugs that they refused to sell to collectors, but kept in steady rotation.
Closed on Sunday, January 31st, 2016.
This space is now home to a Maggie's Town Tavern location.
Oriental Garden
Haverhill, Massachusetts, United States
This is one of those cases where a site is not closed or fallen into disrepair, but for the interested tikiphile, there's not much here worth checking out.
Oriental Gardens is a typical Chinese restaurant today but at one time it was adorned with tikis, thatched roofs and authentic looking decor.
The only thing apparently left from its tiki heyday is the rock pond/fountain as seen below in vintage photos...and a lengthy tropical cocktail menu still in effect.
It's located in a strip mall, has a small lounge and a decent size dining area. It looks as though it was remodeled around 2000 or so and doesn't really show any signs of neglect. If you are looking for a decent Chinese restaurant or tropical beverage and are in the area, it could be worth a look, but don't expect to see any tiki decor.
*NOTE: Cocktail menu is current as of 2022.
Fort Nelson Hotel & Tiki Lounge
Fort Nelson, British Columbia, Canada
First established in 1946, the hotel was remodeled and a two story addition added in 1952.
The hotel has a large indoor open pool area and lounge with several tikis.
One tiki with spear, appears to be originally from a Steve Crane Kon-Tiki location.
Hawaiian Garden
Seabrook, New Hampshire, United States (Closed)
Open under this name from about 1967-1975.
This restaurant had a lounge area with large bandstand for live entertainment. It was decorated with tikis, thatching over the bar, and served tropical cocktails. There were also motel rooms in back.
Wing Gwong Chin (1937-2018) started his long career in the restaurant business working at Trader Vics as a bartender, then later as a chef and bartender at other restaurants. He had a dream to own a restaurant so he learned the business and eventually partnered with his cousin Wing Foo Chin and others to open this location which was first named the Ye Cocke and Kettle Restaurant and Motor Inn. From the late 1960’s to 1980’s, the business changed names to Hawaiian Garden and then to the South Sea Restaurant and Motel.
In 1975 there was a big murder case revolving around one of Wing Chin's partners in a new restaurant start-up they were putting together in Marietta, Georgia. Wing Chin was President in the new partnership and his Vice President, a boyhood friend of his named John Oi, was killed by a third member of their partnership, named Armand Therrien (the Treasurer and only occidental involved -- an ex police officer who worked as the Hawaiian Garden's security and general handyman). Armand was judged to have shot John Oi and it was speculated in the trial that he did so because John Oi's death would have resulted in a $200,000 insurance payout to the partnership which would have surely helped the business and indirectly helped Therrien who wanted a higher salary and a greater role in the business. This indirect motive seems barely enough to warrant a murder, but a jury found it enough to convict Armand along with supporting evidence (gun, handcuffs, and shells). Speculation was that there were deeper motives involving gambling and the mob, but the specifics were never proven.
Shortly after this murder, the Hawaiian Garden underwent a name change to "South Sea Restaurant and Motel" and Wing Chin moved to Texas where he lived out the remainder of his life.
Kala Kai Apartments
Lomita, California, United States
This 34,356 square foot condo features 74 bedrooms and 42 bathrooms. It was built in 1963 and still has many of its original tikis in place.
Jan & Dean's Tiki Lounge - Ruby's Diner
Huntington Beach, California, United States (Closed)
Opened October 8th, 2018.
Jan & Dean’s Tiki Lounge opened on the second floor of the Ruby’s Diner on the Huntington City pier.
The lounge featured bamboo walls, carved tikis, dim lighting and artwork from Disney contributing artist Jeff Granito. The build-out was completed by Bamboo Ben.
Visitors could order from Ruby’s standard menu along with a new collection of appetizers such as Huli-Huli Wings and Mini Ahi Tacos and tropical cocktails. For dessert, there was the popular pineapple soft serve ice cream Dole Whip.
The lounge’s name paid tribute to pioneering surf music duo Jan and Dean, which included Huntington Beach resident Dean Torrence and is known for hits such as “Surf City,” “The Little Old Lady from Pasadena” and “Dead Man’s Curve.”
This Ruby's site closed, along with the lounge in February 2021.
Dug's West Indies
Carson City, Nevada, United States (Closed)
This location was opened by Captain Dug Picking in the 1960s. A former Merchant Marine, Captain Dug found himself landlocked in Carson City and established a tiki bar serving Polynesian food and tropical drinks.
The restaurant was decorated with tikis and sailing paraphernalia: fishing nets, ropes, anchors, nautical flags, seashells. It boasted a “Shark-Infested Men’s Room.”
The following is from a former employee and was posted on Tiki Central:
"Dug would address all adult males as, 'Governor'.
He loved telling stories to the clientele, and I remember them bellying-up to the bar just to hear a good story. I never heard him repeat one. He did have a little fun with the tipsy, 'know-it-all' clientele: he kept a bridge compass near the middle of the bar area and a nautical map behind the counter. He would bait and bet the uninitiated by telling him that Carson City was farther West than Los Angeles. (He explained to me later that, since Los Angeles is actually on the Pacific and Carson City is east of the Sierras, we create a spatial error. After a few flabbergasting moments, out would come that map and the incredulous client would have to buy rounds.
He said that he and Victor Bergeron went 'way back,' and told ever-growing, ever more embellished stories of their years of carousing and drinking their way around the Pacific Rim, and how he got the best of Victor sometimes and sometimes not.
I got to watch Dug earning his fame with his 'Blue Mai Tai,' from-scratch Pina Coladas, grogs and flourish drinks (he cheerfully did five and seven-layered Pousse cafes on-demand.) He didn’t water-down or scrimp on anything for the guests. Nothing in the place was inexpensive, and, conversely, nothing was cheap. …except for the endless tape loop of Hawaiian music that he had wafting through the place every night."
Starting in 1974, Dug also created a series of liquor decanters themed after Nevada brothels. These decanters have turned out to be very popular with collectors. At least a couple of the decanters focused on Dug's West Indies for the first two years (a clipper ship design the first year in '74 and a sailboat with man and woman the second year in '75).
This location was sold by Dug in the late 70s or early 80s because of financial problems brought about because of his investment in another location that failed -- the Windjammer.
Dug's West Indies persevered for a time as just "The West Indies" but it eventually closed. Today the site is home to a Burger King fast food restaurant.
The Conch House Marina Resort Restaurant & Lounge
St. Augustine, Florida, United States
This is a very large complex which includes a marina, a restaurant, a lounge, a long pier-side walkway lined with carved tikis, and a motel.
For over 70 successful years, the Ponce family has owned and operated the Conch House Marina Resort. The Ponce family is one of the oldest families in the United States and has been in St. Augustine for over 400 years. The property was purchased in 1946 by Jimmy Ponce and his wife Jackie, and was once the Coast Guard gunnery station. The business started as a 4 room hotel, called Ponces By The Sea in which the family lived in one room and rented the other rooms to guests.
Their Lounge Tiki Bar was built in 1976 and sits out 300 feet over the water.
Tonga Apartments
Ventura, California, United States
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.
4 Kahunas Tiki Lounge
Arlington, Texas, United States
4 Kahunas Tiki Lounge opened in June 2018 in Arlington, Texas, between Dallas and Fort Worth. The bar is topped with thatch, and backed with four large carved tikis, caricatures of the four "kahunas" who run the bar.
The Islander Apartments
Santa Ana, California, United States
The Islander Apartments were built in 1962, in the Riverglen neighborhood of Santa Ana, California. The entry is a swooped A-frame structure, with a tiki underneath. More tikis can be found supporting a second A-frame structure by the pool area. The apartment complex has a carved wooden sign. More free-standing tikis likely existed and have long since rotted away or been removed, but the tiki poles for the A-frames still remain.
The community consists of 63 one-story units in 1, 2, and 3 bedroom arrangements. The property sits on 5 landscaped acres.
Restaurant Waikiki - Yachiyo, Japan
Yonamoto, Yachiyo, Japan
Open since at least 2012, if not earlier.
Restaurant Waikiki is in the Yonamoto area of Yachiyo in Chiba prefecture. Two large tikis flank the entrance.