Christian's Hut began its life as a bar for the crew working on 1935's Mutiny on the Bounty, which was filmed on nearby Catalina Island; the bar was located right under Clark Gable's room. After filming was completed, the bar was moved to this location. Christian's Hut quickly became a very popular spot with Hollywood's stars of the day. The mascot for Christian's Hut was "the Goof," whose genesis is not known; it was basically just a funny-looking head that topped the building. The Goof can now be seen atop Bali Hai in San Diego. There were a handful of other locations that were never as popular as the original. This Christian's Hut is often referred to as being in Balboa. Christian's Hut burned down in 1963. The site is now home to the Newport Towers condominiums.

Built in 1961, this is one of five Polynesian-themed Tropics motels once owned by Ken Kimes. The most elaborate of the chain was in Palm Springs, now called the Caliente Tropics Resort.

This motel was previously connected to the next door Tiki Cocktail Lounge. Further down was a Sambo's restaurant (which now houses Modesto Car Toys).

Most recently, the Tropics Motel has been renamed the Tiki Lodge. The pool area is fenced off and is opened seasonally only. The four tikis carved by Ed Crissman around the parking lot now have lighting on their chests/foreheads and solar powered batteries on their heads.

There is now a fence between the motel and the next door Tiki Cocktail Lounge which has separate owners and has branded itself as a gay bar.

This Tropics location was built in the mid-1960s. There is still a half-tiki that is probably original under the porte cochere, and three tiki masks that are likely later additions. Inside the lobby there are a tiki mask and war clubs hung on a rock wall.

The Tropics is of five Polynesian-themed Tropics hotels built by hotelier Ken Kimes. The most elaborate of the chain was in Palm Springs, now called the Caliente Tropics Resort.

One of five Polynesian-themed Tropics motels owned by Ken Kimes. The most elaborate of the chain was in Palm Springs, now called the Caliente Tropics Resort.

The motel is still here as of 2024, but stripped of all Tiki influences, re-named "America's Best Value Inn".

BEFORE:

When it originally opened (@2005-2006), this bar had a great cartoonish logo tiki (and matching mug) that were designed by Squid. However, the overall feel of the place had more of a dive college beer bar vibe -- accentuated by the televisions turned to sports shows, the Corona beer pennant banners strung around the white ceiling, and the neon bar signs for Pacifico beer. Vodka (much more than rum) took up a substantial portion of the back bar and while they did have a menu of tiki drinks, they skewed towards the sweet concoctions typical before the craft cocktail revolution. There was some bamboo on the pillar room supports and bar itself, but this was still more of a beach bar and grill with its yellow and light blue painted walls. In fact, their sign logo used to read "Hukilounge" but was changed to "Bar and Grill" which made more sense.

SIDE NOTE:

The original owner, Tom Davies (Tiki Tom), sold his share in 2006. That original owner then opened another Tiki Tom's in nearby Oakland in 2008 which subsequently burned down. The two restaurants were otherwise unconnected.

CURRENTLY:

The new logo is now an outrigger canoe as seen on the front entrance.

Tiki Tom's had a huge tiki makeover, courtesy of Bamboo Ben, and re-opened on August 24th, 2021. The interior decor is much improved and now several walls have been covered in nautical style planks (caulked with black pitch), the ceiling is festooned with amazing tiki lamps, nets, flotsam & jetsam, and select tiki artwork that can be seen in every nook and cranny. The interior is much darker and mysterious with multi-colored mood lighting as well.

The cocktail menu is also more in line with what discerning tikiphiles have come to appreciate from craft cocktail tiki bars.

Opened in 1987.

Coconut Joe's is a fast casual restaurant with an elaborate build-out that tilts more towards a surfing theme, but does have quite a bit of Hawaiian and tiki decor.

Known for their fish & chips and mesquite grilled chicken and beef.

They also have a rental banquet hall at 4000 Easton Drive and do catering as well.

In 1952, Jack Sutton opened Dutton's Jungle Gardens, which sprawled across 7-acres at the intersection of Orangethorpe and Raymond Avenues.

The property was covered with more than 500 palm trees and crawled with assorted megafauna: an alligator, bear, lion, three elephants, orangutans and more. One of the biggest attractions was Jerry, a chimpanzee who was toilet trained and could dress himself and brush his own teeth. Admission to the jungle was free and large paths led people through the dense canopy where they could get close to the animals, which inevitably caused liability issues.

Dutton offset the cost of running the animal attraction with this swanky Polynesian joint known as the Palms Restaurant. Serving exotic gourmet food, it hosted parties of up to 1,000 people. Menus housed in the Anaheim library show Lobster dinners were served for $3.50; Hawaiian dinners such as Barbecued Pork and Opae Teriyaki were served for around $5 a plate. Guests included such glitterati as actor Dale Robertson (Dynasty) as well as Catwoman Eartha Kitt. The brochure below shows that the bar was known as the "Lantern Bar" and featured a ton of swag lamps! There was also a "Terrace Room" and a "Gold Room".

But ultimately the operation was too much for Dutton to handle. In 1974 thieves raided the jungle making off with two flamingos, two silver pheasants, a Ghigi Golden pheasant and other birds totaling a loss of $1,200. In 1976 police responded to reports of an unruly party of approximately 700 guests at the Palms. According to the Santa Ana Register a “free-for-all” broke out with people launching rocks and bottles at police forcing cops to use mace and batons to break up the throng. Three people were arrested for assault on a police officer and one lawman was hospitalized.

On May 17, 1976 the Palms closed. It stood vacant for two years and succumbed to a suspicious electrical fire in 1978.

The Palms restaurant was right next door to the Akua Motor Hotel, now known as the Akua Motor Inn.

The Islands was a Polynesian restaurant just south of Camelback Road in Phoenix, operating from July 4th, 1958 through at least the '70s. It had four rooms: the Tapa Bar, the Tiki Room, the Cannibal Room, and the Waterfall Room, which was available for private events when it wasn't used for live music and dancing,

The building had two swooping A-frames, facing in opposite directions, covered in thatch, and two cone-shaped thatched huts to the left of the main building. The exterior sides of the restaurant were decorated with oversized, graphic tapa-style designs. The restaurant was fronted by two large rootball tikis that were sometimes used as logos for the restaurant.

From 1977 onward, it was known as Tommy Wong's Island Restaurant after being purchased by Wong, who had worked at the Chicago Don the Beachcomber and at the Aku Aku in Las Vegas before becoming a successful restaurateur in his own right. Tommy Wong also had an Island Restaurant (or "Islands Restaurant" depending on the advertisement) in Colorado Springs and Denver, Colorado.

Some time in the '80s, The Islands/Island Restaurant building in Phoenix was razed. The rest of the chain in Colorado also went under in the 80s.

The Aku Aku was a Polynesian restaurant inside the Stardust Casino, at the north end of the Las Vegas strip. The restaurant opened in 1960, and closed in 1980. Some of the interior carvings were done by famed carver Edward Brownlee. The iconic moai statues that stood guard over the Aku Aku were carved by Eli Hedley (grandfather of Bamboo Ben). These statues became famous symbols not just for the restaurant or the Stardust Casino it resided in, but Las Vegas itself. One of these statues can be viewed today at Sunset Park in Las Vegas.

Started in the 1960s (1967?).

The Tikis was a massive entertainment complex, elaborately landscaped with tikis and volcanos, and featuring a Polynesian show. The Tikis could accommodate groups up to 1,500, and was able to entertain up to 3,000 people in one night.

The Tikis had caves, waterways, waterfalls, mermaids, an 80’ exploding volcano, 15 bars, up to 5 bands would perform each night, there was a petting zoo with exotic animals, and a handmade (!) roller coaster. Each night culminated in a Polynesian extravaganza and ended when a gorilla swooped down via a zip line, often knocking over guests’ beverages, and grabbed one of the maidens for a sacrifice.

Sometime after 1970, owner Danny Balsz divorced his wife, Doris Samson, and The Tikis closed in 1979.

Balsz attempted to recreate The Tikis in nearby Lake Elsinore, but he was never able to reopen.

Early menus and other items are labelled "120 Via Lola," which maps to the south face of the site rather than the east face. The Palm Springs location site dates back to at least 1941, but this Don's was opened there on March 2nd, 1953.

Frank Sinatra was a regular here, and was reportedly a big tipper, but also a demanding customer. He liked the Navy Grog.

Today, this same spot houses Bootlegger Tiki.

The now restored rooftop tiki torches from the old Don the Beachcomber's now form the logo for the adjacent Ernest Coffee Co., which opened in June 2014. The two entrepreneurs behind this independent coffeehouse, photographer Jaime Kowal and designer Chris Pardo, also paid tribute to the history of this site by calling it after Don the Beachcomber’s real name: Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt. (They also own neighboring bar Bootlegger Tiki, a nod to Don’s occupation before he essentially invented the tiki bar.)

Opened July 23rd, 1959 and was popular through the 1960s.

The Tiki-Jo was in the Miramar Hotel (now the Fairmont Miramar), and featured a tiki carved by Eli Hedley, grandfather of Bamboo Ben.