Tiki Bars
The Pacific
Glasgow, United Kingdom (Closed)
The Pacific opened in February 2014, and was a sister location to The Tiki Bar & Kitsch Inn, also in Glasgow. Tropical cocktails were served in unique tiki mugs made by Garnet McCulloch of Fireworks Studio. The food menu was a mix of American and Thai. The space was small and not densely decorated, but a small bar was trimmed with bamboo and lauhala matting, and there were pufferfish lamps hanging from the ceiling.
Closed December, 2017 and rebranded as a new restaurant called Honu -- serving a medley of exotic foods (for Glasgow) including Thai, Korean, hamburgers, etc...and a craft cocktail menu... but all the tiki and kitsch has been stripped away.
The Beachcomber - Vancouver
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (Closed)
The Beachcomber was a Canadian chain of elaborate Polynesian restaurants in the same vein as other popular chains like Kon-Tiki, Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic's. Aside from this Vancouver location, there were also locations in Calgary, Edmonton, Victoria and Winnipeg.
This location opened in 1960, and was briefly closed in December 1961 after a fire. The restaurant was also called The Hawaiian Village during part of its time of operation. It eventually closed in 1981.
This space has been occupied since 1984 with the newly constructed Grosvenor Building at 1040 West Georgia St.
The Bamboo
Shreveport, Louisiana, United States (Closed)
Open at least as early as 1965.
The Bamboo was a Chinese restaurant that had a Tiki Room lounge. The Tiki Room was decorated with float lights, tiki masks, and of course lots of bamboo.
A Family Dollar Store is currently in this location.
Franklin Lanes
Franklin, North Carolina, United States (Closed)
Franklin Lanes was a well-preserved midcentury bowling alley, with a newer addition of a Tiki Lounge, created relatively recently by the owners, who were Fort Lauderdale transplants and Mai-Kai fans. The tiki lounge featured lots of thatch and bamboo.
The bowling alley closed Wednesday December 27th, 2017.
The Beachcomber - Winnipeg
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (Closed)
The Beachcomber was a Canadian chain of elaborate Polynesian restaurants in the same vein as other popular chains like Kon-Tiki, Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic's. Other restaurants in the chain were located in Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Victoria.
The Beachcomber was located in the Carlton Motor Hotel in Winnipeg; the motel opened in 1961, and the Beachcomber was open at least as early as 1962. The restaurant had a "star-lit sky" ceiling, and had thatched huts, and an open "steak pit" area where patrons could see chefs at work. An alcove dining area had floats, tapa and beachcomber lamps.
The Beachcomber was open until 1990.
The Carlton Motor Hotel became the Carlton Inn, and the then non-Polynesian restaurant on site was called Paragon.
The building was torn down in 2012 when what is now the RBC Convention Centre expanded.
The Beachcomber - Calgary
Calgary, Alberta, Canada (Closed)
The Beachcomber was a Canadian chain of elaborate Polynesian restaurants in the same vein as other popular chains like Kon-Tiki, Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic's. Other locations were in Edmonton, Vancouver, Victoria and Winnipeg.
The Calgary location was open at least as early as 1967, judging by newspaper advertisements.
However, it burned down on April 19th, 1972, and there is now an office building where it once stood.
Zombie Hut - Sacramento
Sacramento, California, United States (Closed)
The Zombie Hut was a Hawaiian/Polynesian-themed restaurant, nightclub and Tiki bar located on Freeport Blvd. between Florin Road and Sutterville Road in Sacramento, California that originally opened in 1945 after the end of WWII and continuing for 45 years until its closing in 1990.
It was known for its dance entertainment, including the Samoan Fire Knife Dance and Slap Dance.
This location is now a strip mall.
Trader Nick's Restaurant
Pismo Beach, California, United States (Closed)
Opened around 1972.
Until 1999 when it closed, this restaurant was part of the adjacent Kon Tiki Inn.
The Inn was then home to a seafood restaurant called Steamers from 2000 to 2016. From 2017 to 2020, this location was home to a restaurant called Flagship, which appears to have been unable to withstand Covid closures. Flagship was replaced by Vista Steak and Seafood (current as of 2024).
South Seas Cocktail Lounge - at The Coast Inn - Laguna Beach
Laguna Beach, California, United States (Closed)
The Coast Inn was built and opened in 1929.
The South Seas was established in 1936 as a pre-Tiki bar and most of its decor shown in photos below was in place by 1941.
There were actually two bars at the Coast Inn location. Part of the charm of both bars was that tropical aquarium fish tanks were used for the bar counter tops. The upstairs bar, known as the Tap Room, was quiet, dark and sophisticated. But the downstairs bar, called the South Seas, with its Polynesian atmosphere, invited customers to let down their hair.
The location, according to past owners, started with military servicemen and local young people, surfers, and more of a "straight" crowd, but began to see more and more of a gay crowd in the 70s until it became known as more of a gay bar by the mid 1980s. This coincided with a change of the name to the "Boom Boom Room" in 1978 by the new owner.
The "Boom Boom Room" shut its doors in 2007.
However, the Coast Inn endures as of the present time (2024)...
LongBrow's Jungle Bar
Tuggerah, New South Wales, Australia
Opened Friday, May 12th, 2023.
From their website:
"A South American inspired Tiki Bar located in Westfield Tuggerah’s outdoor dining precinct.
Find yourself in a vibrant and tropical atmosphere, transporting you to the wild jungles of South America, complete with amazing authentic street food and refreshing tropical cocktails.
So come on down and escape to the tropics at Longbrow's Jungle Bar. Whether you’re looking for a fun night out with friends or a casual catch-up, we have something for everyone and are open till late!"
Strange Bird
Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
Opened in November 2019 by Neal Warner and his brother Paul Warner in partnership with Love Handle’s Chris and Ally Benedyk and Flatland Kitchen designers Eric and Rebekah Nolan.
This is yet another newer bar that eschews the title of "Tiki Bar" but reaches deeply into the genre/category, borrowing much of its atmosphere and, of course, its drinks. The owners prefer to call Strange Bird a "Rum Bar" or "Landlocked Exotica" and acknowledge the tiki-leanings but state that they have purposefully kept things a bit more spare with what they consider "cleaner" and more "minimalist lines".
While there may be no tiki carvings on display, there is a ton of lauhala matting behind the backbar which is overseen by a taxidermied wild boar who looks like he would be right at home at a Hawaiian luau. Some contrasting walls are wall-papered in a large banana leaf print. Nearby booths are bordered with variated bamboo. The roof is blanketed with loose thatch panels that give a nice hut-like feel. Fish trap lamps, and round capiz shell lamps give plenty of mood lighting. This is contrasted with white painted boards on the front of the bar and white modern barstools, but this use of white calls to mind not so much a spare modern aesthetic as it does the sides of a white-painted boat's hull, and plays off all the nautical rope looped about.
Kapu Bar
Petaluma, California, United States
Opened January 21st, 2023.
Owner Michael Richardson is a longtime tiki bartender and co-author of the Frankie's Tiki Room (Las Vegas) cocktail book, “Liquid Vacation.” Chef Mike Lutz helms the kitchen, serving Hawaiian-inspired dishes.
Interior design was done by Bamboo Ben.
April 19th, 2025, the building was sold and rumors about the bar closing spread quickly. Still waiting on the final word to see if this bar will continue or shutter its doors for good.