Tiki Bars
Bloody Mary's
French Polynesia
Opened in 1979.
A somewhat Polynesian Pop tiki bar and restaurant right on the main island of Bora Bora in French Polynesia.
It features a thatched roof, open sides, white sand floor, wooden slab tables and stools made of coconut stumps. Some carved tikis are on site that look like they could have come out of Oceanic Arts in Whittier, CA. Mary's has been visited by many celebrities over the years and the bar is proud to showcase their carved "walls of fame" with each celebrity's name -- some of whom have performed impromptu shows for the bar.
They also serve as a venue for traditional dance groups.
*NOTE: Bloody Mary's Bora Bora is slated for a grand re-opening in November 2025, as part of the newly constructed Hotel Bloody Mary's Bora Bora. The iconic bar and restaurant closed in September 2023 for renovations and hotel construction, but is promised to re-open with a significant upgrade while retaining its old charm.
Luau Larry's
Avalon, California, United States
Luau Larry's is located in Avalon on Catalina Island and has been open since 1988. It has a strong party vibe. The bar is dark, has lauhala-covered walls and lots of bamboo, and a few neon signs advertising beers. There is a "cave room" booth that has artificial rock walls. The signature drink is the strong "Wiki Wacker," which comes with a palm frond hat. Other drinks on the menu are modern tropicals, tending toward the sweet and strong end. The food offerings are of the burger & sandwich sort, with some fresh seafood including oyster shooters.
Trader Vic's - at the LA Live Complex - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California, United States (Closed)
This new Trader Vic's location opened in April 2009, in the new LA Live complex near Staples Center and downtown L.A.
Like most Trader Vic's restaurants, this was a franchise location.
This one was owned by John Valencia.
The large exterior tikis were carved by Tiki Diablo.
It closed in March 2014.
Sutra Tiki Bar
Old Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Closed)
Sutra Tiki Bar opened around 2000 or so in Toronto's Little Italy neighborhood, until it closed in 2012. The bar had relatively light tiki theming, was quite small and narrow, and had a sand-filled back patio.
Tiki Tom's - Oakland
Oakland, California, United States (Closed)
Tiki Tom's was a Polynesian/Caribbean restaurant, bar and banquet facility on an estuary in Oakland. This Tiki Tom's location opened in late 2008, two years after its owner, Tom Davies (Tiki Tom) sold his share of the original Tiki Tom's location in Walnut Creek; the two locations were otherwise unconnected.
Tiki Tom's burned down under "suspicious circumstances" shortly after their liquor license expired and the power was cut off, in October 2010.
The bar featured a mosaic by Laurel True (then of the Institute of Mosaic Art) 3 which survived the fire.
The location is now the aptly-named Phoenix Commons senior co-housing project.
Trader Vic's - Amman
Amman, Jordan
This Trader Vic's is in the Regency Palace Hotel, near the Sports City area of Amman. It opened in late 2007.
Trader Vic's - Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States (Closed)
This new-style Trader Vic's opened in late 2007 in the Planet Hollywood Casino (formerly the Aladdin), right across from the Bellagio fountains. The space sprawled over two floors and 11,000 square feet, leading to a much more plain and dull interior than is expected at a Trader Vic's. The management there tried to appeal to the young club crowd by catering more to the ultra-lounge, vodka-bottle aesthetic than an actual old-school crafted-drink lounge.
After struggling for two years, this Trader Vic's location closed in late 2009. The location is now a Cabo Wabo Cantina.
Trader Vic's Lounge - Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills, California, United States (Closed)
This bar was pieced together from remainders of the legendary Beverly Hills Trader Vic's, which closed in 2007 after more than 50 years. A few items from the restaurant were saved and relocated to this new lounge near the hotel's pool. The space was sleek, modern and airy - a sharp contrast to the intimate feel of the old restaurant. Tropical drinks and a few pupus were served in this small, casual space with an outdoor patio. Trader Vic's Lounge closed at the end of January 2017.
Edwin Tan's Chinese Gardens
San Bernardino, California, United States (Closed)
Edwin Tan's Chinese Gardens took over the space that was previously Trader Island, sometime around 1970. Later, it became the Imperial Palace Inn. In the mid 80s, the location operated as Mandarin Garden. In 2008, the building housed the Scorpions Sports Bar & Grill. By 2013, the building was vacant and has remained so through 2020.
The Edwin Tan's iteration of the space retained some of the tiki poles and decor but many of them were painted in much brighter colors by successive owners.
Trader Vic's - Destin, Florida
Destin, Florida, United States (Closed)
This Trader Vic's location opened in March 2007 at the Palms of Destin resort. It was a half-assed execution of the traditional Trader Vic's concept, and was viewed as a disappointment. In August 2010, the restaurant split from the Trader Vic's chain, and continued operating as Sago, retaining the tropical theming for only a short time. Sago is now closed, and currently the palms has a Bistro that serves breakfast and lunch but it's more of a coffeehouse and it's not clear if the resort has a full-service restaurant as of 2021.
Trader Vic's - at the Caribe Hilton - San Juan
San Juan Antiguo, San Juan, Puerto Rico (Closed)
This Trader Vic's was opened in the Caribe Hilton in 1961. It had a large A-frame entrance, with the front of the A-frame painted with rows of small, simple tropical-motif scenes, and an even larger, matching, swooping A-frame structure over a section of the restaurant that overlooked the ocean. The space is now called the Lemongrass Restaurant, and still has the larger, swooping A-frame structure.
Solomons Island Tiki Bar
Solomons, Maryland, United States
Solomons Island Tiki Bar opened in 1980, and is a more 80s-style tiki bar -- it's open-air, heavy on the party, and light on the tiki. There have been more additions of tikiness starting in early 2006, and of particular note is the addition of many Bosko carvings and a couple of large moai. It's open seasonally, from April through October, and opening day is a major event, drawing up to 10,000 people.
The bar started as an addition to the Island Manor Hotel, by original owners John and Kathy Taylor.
New owner, Terry Clark, removed the hotel in 2005 to expand the bar into a restaurant, and to accommodate the Tiki Bar's massive weekend crowds; and Terry was responsible for the stronger emphasis on tiki. A small store was also added that sells t-shirts, sweatshirts and mass-produced modern tiki items.
On September 19th, 2018, Terry Clarke passed away suddenly at the age of 54. There was some confusion at that point as to whether someone would continue the bar, but it worked out with new owners.
A Howard County couple, Sarah and Peter Bates, purchased the bar for $2.4 million from Terry's widow.