Tiki Bars
Alfredo's Beach Club
Long Beach, California, United States
This is a snack bar -- no liquor license. It is part of an in-line skate shop. They rent themselves out and help with private parties, sometimes luaus or other Hawaiian-themed events.
There are a couple of tikis on premises but this is by no means a full-time tiki establishment.
Cocomo Joe's
Cave Creek, Arizona, United States (Closed)
Opened 2001.
This restaurant and bar was located in a shopping complex in a suburb well north of Phoenix. It had a more Caribbean than Polynesian feel, although there were some tikis outside. It's not as if this was false advertising, though... the place was called "Cocomo Joe's," after all.
In January 2003, there was a one-man cheesy synth & guitar band playing Jimmy Buffett tunes. There were also TVs showing sports installed throughout the joint. However, the drinks were tasty, and while they didn't serve drinks in tiki mugs, there was a stack of volcano bowls at the bar.
Cocomo Joe's closed in April 2014, and as of 2021 is now the Creek Patio Grill.
Jade East - Tulsa
Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States (Closed)
Jade East was owned by Henry Jin, who also owned the Ricsha on Brookside. He passed away in 1993 (probably the beginning of the decline of the Jade East).
Jade East had two 10' tall redwood tikis in front (matched pair of male and female). These were carved by Saint Claire Homer II (Homma), a local carver, and held up the port cochere. They now reside in a private collection.
Homer was Native American and raised in Oklahoma. He served with Patton in WWII and studied art in Rome after the war. His grandfather was secretary of the Choctaw tribe at one time. His German mother taught art in Sand Springs in the 1970s while in her 70s. Homer made a living carving cigar store Indians and and selling them out of his '51 Cadillac in the Southwest of the late 1950s. His stylized bronzes have been shown at the Gilcrease Museum. He was named one of nine master artists of the Five Civilized Tribes in 1976. He signed his pieces "Homma", Choctaw for "Proud Red".
Jade East is now a restaurant called Tokyo Garden. Bamboo curtains, a rockface waterfall and the bridge over a koi pond are still there.
Leilani Lanes
Seattle, Washington, United States (Closed)
This Seattle landmark opened in 1961.
There was a large tiki at the entrance, two small tiki masks at the front desk, modern purple painted tikis on the side walls, and most remarkably, three large Witco pieces near the bathrooms on the bar side of the bowling alley. Some more Witco could be seen peering up from the offices behind the scenes. Aside from the bathrooms, there was no evidence of tiki remaining in the bar area, although there likely was at some point in time. The bar area did have a freestanding hammered metal fireplace and small operating water feature, however.
In October 2005 the alley was slated to be demolished to make way for a massive apartment & retail complex. It closed in 2006 and was demolished in November of 2007.
Luau Polynesian Lounge
Seattle, Washington, United States (Closed)
Luau Polynesian Lounge opened in 1997, and was more of a nice little neighborhood restaurant than a traditional tiki bar. The decor was bright and airy, and included more surfboards than tikis. There was, however, a rather striking carved Ku (with mouth reminiscent of Milan Guanko's carvings) serving as a hostess podium, and a number of tropical drinks were available on the menu. The food is what really made Luau stand out -- the mainland interpretations of classic Hawaiian food were quite good, and they served a can't-miss pupu platter, complete with flaming Sterno.
Luau Polynesian Lounge closed in early 2010.
Hawaii West
San Francisco, California, United States
Opened in 1969.
Hawaii West is a pool bar in San Francisco's busy North Beach neighborhood, with a couple of tikis.
Their cocktail menu only lists 4 cocktails.
The Jasmine Tree
Portland, Oregon, United States (Closed)
Open since at least the 1980s.
The Jasmine Tree was more of a Chinese restaurant than a tiki bar, but the bar area did have some very nice tikis. Notably, some of the tikis were from the Portland Kon-Tiki (which closed in 1980 or 1981), including three large cannibal tikis.
In February 2006 came reports that the Jasmine Tree would have to either close or relocate, due to an urban redevelopment plan. The Jasmine Tree had to be out of its location by the end of October 2006. In September 2006, the Jasmine Tree closed and its tiki-themed decor was sold to the owner of the Portland tiki bar Thatch, which opened in early 2007, and later became Hale Pele.
South London Pacific
London, United Kingdom (Closed)
Created by "Skipper" Josh Collins who went on to create the Hula Bula Bar in Australia.
Interior boasted a number of very large painted styrofoam tikis.
This location was described as heavy on the nightclub and while they did offer Vietnamese style "finger food", few went here simply to dine.
South London Pacific closed in 2018 after 15+ years and is now The Cock Tavern London. The new owners retained some of the tiki decor and worked it into their otherwise Georgian style theme.
La Mariana Sailing Club
Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
La Mariana Sailing Club is the last remaining bastion of true original Polynesian Pop in Hawaii. It opened in 1955, and over the years, it has become a sort of museum of Waikiki's tiki past: the tikis here came out of the Kon-Tiki in the Sheraton-Waikiki, lamps came from the Trader Vic's, and tables and chairs came from Don the Beachcomber. Original owner Annette La Mariana Nahinu ran the operation until her death in 2008. La Mariana features a lively piano bar, and guests can join in on the singing.
La Mariana's original location was 50 yards from its current location; it moved in 1973. There is an 80-boat slip attached to the restaurant which sits on Ke'ehi Lagoon.
After a 2-year-long shuttering because of COVID, La Mariana re-opened on May 31st, 2022. During the shutdowns, Gecko made many renovations and they did much to the front of the house and bar, including the addition of a new point-of-sale system. This was a soft re-open with many ongoing renovations still taking place, especially in back of house.
Rock-a-Tiki - Chicago
Chicago, Illinois, United States (Closed)
Rock-a-Tiki opened in 2002 in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood, and was the first modern tiki bar in the city.
The bar stools were carved tikis, and the room was decorated in a mix of painted murals, bamboo and thatch. A large plaster moai looked over the room.
True to its name, the music included a lot of rock in the mix, and an Elvis impersonator was there regularly.
Rock-a-Tiki closed in 2004.
As of 2021, this location is home to Black Hole Bar.
Jade Tiki
Bloomfield Township, Michigan, United States (Closed)
Jade Tiki opened in August 1977, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
By the 2000s, it had only a few tikis out front, and some tropical drinks served in tiki mugs.
This location closed in October 2011; the restaurant moved to another location in Utica, MI, but any traces of tiki (beyond the name) are now gone.
Burt's Tiki Lounge - Albuquerque
Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States (Closed)
Opened in 1999 at this smaller original location.
This was a popular bar with live music and no cover. Burt's had lots of kitschy decor, but not a lot of actual tikis.
In 2016, Burt's decided to trade this original Gold Avenue location for 515 Central NW as part of a significant expansion project. Burt’s nearly tripled in size to accommodate as many as 600-700 people for its live music shows.
The theming was kept the same but it was more sparsely decorated. After the move, the bar lost momentum and eventually closed in 2018.
There does not appear to be any connection between this Burt's Tiki Lounge and the Burt's Tiki Lounge in Salt Lake City.