Tiki Bars
Bora Bora Pub - Santa Cristina Beach - La Coruña, Spain
Spain (Closed)
Opened in 1975.
Jesús García and Ramón Tourís closed the premises in February 2011, due to retirement, after 36 years of history.
This pub was one of the few that still remained from the golden age of Santa Cristina Beach in La Coruña, Spain.
The Luau - San Diego
San Diego, California, United States
Opened March 2nd, 2022.
The Luau was developed by owner/bartender Brett Rose to "stoke the masses".
Though not as lavishly decorated as some tiki palaces, tilting perhaps a touch more towards the surf bar than the tiki bar end of the spectrum with its coral painted walls and serviceable wood café chairs, there are still, indeed, several tikis throughout.
It has a live music stage in front of house and an outdoor patio in back.
Some nice decorative touches include a wall of ukuleles behind the live music stage, some Oceanic Arts style masks on the walls, lauhala matting, fish floats, and a couple of concrete tiki fountains out on the patio.
Tiki favorites are served in tiki mugs and volcano bowls. Including the Tropical Itch cocktail, with backscratchers included.
Lotus Lounge - at Soji Modern Asian
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States
Soji opened July, 2018 and Lotus Lounge opened April 16th, 2022.
Before opening Lotus Lounge, Soji had regular tiki nights and tiki-themed events, but finally decided to make a dedicated bar area that was specifically tiki-themed.
When bar-goers come to Lotus Lounge, they have the option to drink at the bar, a table in the lounge or a larger VIP table seating eight to 10 people.
The ceiling is covered in lauhala matting and illuminated by a long panel of blue lights, Bosko masks decorate the wall next to the booths, and a wall across from the bar is covered with fake tropical foliage and a "LL" monogram in neon. Large paintings of wahines in a tropical setting flank either side of the bar which hosts an impressive array of rums.
The cocktail menu has several classic and original cocktails and they have a rotating menu of plates from the regular Soji kitchen next door.
The Grass Shack
Columbus, Ohio, United States (Closed)
This was the precursor to the famous Kahiki Supper Club. It was located on the same spot and was also owned by Bill Sapp and Lee Henry.
This much smaller venue burned down in 1959, shortly before the planned construction of the Kahiki. Before this, the owners used it as a testing ground for planned menu items at the larger tiki palace they were planning.
After the Kahiki was bulldozed, this location became home to a Walgreens, which (as of 2022) is also closed.
Salon Bar Bali Ha'i
Roberval, Quebec, Canada
Opened in 1978.
There may once have been more tiki decor in the 70s, but today it has a fairly common bar/roadhouse interior with a pool table and karaoke being the biggest draws.
Still, they have a pretty cool exterior front roofline and vintage looking logo sign still in use.
Nalu Hawaiian Surf Bar & Grille - Dewey Beach
Dewey Beach, Delaware, United States
Nalu Hawaiian Surf Bar & Grille was opened in Dewey Beach, DE on April 24th, 2008 by Regan & Kim Derrickson.
Nalu is an open air family restaurant with a "Pacific island fusion cuisine".
The interior features several artificial palm trees and tiki poles that hold up both the thatched bar roof and that extend from floor to ceiling in the main area.
There is an outside patio and a live music stage area as well.
They have a food menu ranging from tacos to pad thai. Their drinks menu has an island style "Tonga Mai Tai" and an assortment of house tropical cocktails (that use Captain Morgan Spiced rum quite a bit) as well as frozen slushie drinks.
Nalu opened a second location in the adjacent town of Rehoboth Beach on April 9th, 2019.
Gecko'z South Sea Arts Studio
Kapolei, Hawaii, United States
Gecko is a tiki carver, artist, and mug maker based out of Honolulu, Hawaii.
Previously, Gecko'z studio space was just his garage and backyard space where he made his tiki carvings and ceramics. As of 2021, Gecko has created a polished showplace in that same studio space for visitors to admire his work...and maybe purchase pieces straight from the artist.
This studio is not open to unannounced walk-in visits. You must call or contact him ahead of time.
Tiki Docks - St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg, Florida, United States
Opened July 28th, 2020.
Tiki Docks Bar and Grill has three locations currently: Riverview, Port Orange, and St. Petersburg, FL.
This St. Petersburg location is a 5,000-square-foot spot and includes an indoor dining area with retractable doors leading out to a large outdoor space that consists of two sprawling patios and a bar overlooking the marina.
Tiki Apartments - Seattle
Seattle, Washington, United States (Closed)
The Tiki Apartments were an example of dingbats -- boxy apartments, usually supported by stilts, with open stalls below for parking. (Their name is likely to have been coined by architect Francis Ventre while he was lecturing at UCLA in the early '70s.) Thousands of the inexpensive 16-unit structures were built in the late '50s and early '60s to accommodate the huge number of people moving to the West Coast. Dingbats are being demolished by the dozen to make way for multi-story complexes with underground parking, so they are doubly ephemeral when paired with a tiki theme and tiki imagery.
Other than the sign, there doesn't appear to have been any other tikis or tiki features about this property.
Permits were issued for demolition in 2019 to build a 6-story, 56-unit new complex called Lake City Apartments.
Trade Winds Motel - Spokane
Spokane, Washington, United States (Closed)
When the Trade Winds Motel was first opened in 1962, it was considered modern and vibrant with its amazing moai sign flanked by two tiki torches, unique curved structure, kidney-shaped pool and bright colors perhaps more reminiscent of Los Angeles or Miami than Spokane.
The plan of the 4-story building is a graceful curve, with rows of rooms with balconies which face an inner court. It was designed by Donald E. Neraas, a prolific local architect who was noted for his many Mid-Century Modern designs for buildings throughout the Pacific Northwest. The building displays characteristics of the International Style.
But the motel fell into serious disrepair later on its life, languishing for years as an eyesore and shadow of its former glory. The sign was taken down and replaced and the pool filled in.
In 2018, this location underwent a badly needed renovation that improved the property a great deal. As of November 2018, it opened as the Baymont by Wyndham Spokane.
There are several historic Trade Winds features that developers kept intact. Those include the outline of a kidney-shaped pool (now just a filled-in patio), a parking garage, two elevators and the balconies. They appreciated the bones of the structure and have commented publicly that they just don't make them like this anymore. It may not have been restored to its tiki glory but is now a nice modernized hotel on the order of a Holiday Inn.
Bam-Boo Steakhouse - Polynesian Restaurant
Québec, Quebec, Canada (Closed)
The Bam-Boo Steakhouse - Polynesian Restaurant was located at Place Ste-Foy, Boulevard Laurier, Quebec, Canada.
Place Sainte-Foy is an upscale shopping mall located in the former city of Sainte-Foy of Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. It was built in 1958.
Bam-Boo had an entryway built-out into the main hallway of the mall with tiki railings and lots of foliage.
There were also several Witco pieces throughout.
Adventure Island Mini Golf - Stoke-On-Trent
Stoke-On-Trent, United Kingdom
This mini golf course opened in 2020. It is the second location, the first having opened in Star City, Birmingham several years earlier.
The location at Star City closed on January 19th, 2023. However, this Stoke-On-Trent location remains (at least as of 2024).
The indoor course features lots of faux rock work, bamboo, artificial palm trees, and many tikis and moai. There is a "tiki bar" that serves light refreshments and a selection of bottled drinks.