Located in a surprisingly welcomed proximity of just over 3200 feet from the North tarmac of the Los Angeles Airport, the Polynesian Village Apartment complex was the epitome of primitive, space-age bachelor pad living when it opened in 1962. Designed by prolific mid-century architects, Armet & Davis, the immersive environment featured a stylishly themed atmosphere, complete with 24/7 flaming gas Tiki torches and cascading lava rock waterfalls. Made in a series of three sister developments across Los Angeles county, the dingbat cubist apartment structures were adorned with redwood carvings by the renowned sculptor team of Andres Bumatay and Richard Ellis.

Torn down in 2003. Many of the tiki carvings were salvaged and some are on display at Max's South Seas Hideaway in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Emil and Helen Chapnar's Polynesian restaurant, in Massillon, Ohio (on Lincoln Way E. in Perry Township) flourished from 1960 to 1984. This fine dining restaurant is often remembered for its landmark torches at the entrance.

Photo shows "torches out for the energy crisis" of the 1970s.

Built in 1967 at the site of the Legionnaire Clubhouse.

The hotel itself was a standard multi-story structure, but with the addition of an ornamental 6 story A-frame entrance and huge standing tiki next to it out front.

Inside was The Monkey Bar. Live monkeys were in a large cage behind the bar with a glass window.

Ownership changed hands a couple of times, and then the hotel went out of business and finally closed in 1977.

The building burned in 1986, and the lot was cleared.

The property is now part of Reed’s Bay Beach Park.

This location was originally a spinoff from the original Christian's Hut in Newport Beach from 1940s to 1953.

Later this location became the Doll House and Kona Hut.

Opened January 2018.

“Tiki’s all about escapism,” says owner and general manager Christopher Straub. “We really want people to feel like, when they come in the door, this is a portal to a new world.”

Inside the dining room, there are bright blue vinyl-seated rattan bar stools and orange-tufted vinyl banquettes, hand-painted scenes by Boston artist Joanna Ciampa, tiki masks on the walls, and a wall of scallop shells—culled by Straub’s mother in Chatham—near the restrooms.

One lounge area features several Design Toscano tiki head tables (one of which is a design based on the signature tiki from the Crown Plaza/Hanalei Hotel in San Diego, California).

The kitchen serves Polynesian-inspired food like sushi, Crab Rangoon, and barbecue skewers, with classic and proprietary tiki cocktails made with fresh juices, homemade syrups and eccentric garnishes.

Live music acts play here on occasion.

The Limbo opened softly in January of 2018.

They offered a menu of tiki cocktails, many of which gave a nod to Louisville as deep in the heart of bourbon country.

From their website:

"The Limbo is a performing arts venue disguised as a Tiki Bar. The Limbo aims to have live entertainment 7 nights a week, including live music, DJs, Burlesque, drag shows, variety acts, magicians, spoken word, string quartets, and karaoke. Supporting artists and the performing arts while being an all inclusive venue where everyone is welcome no matter their background, gender identity, or sexual orientation. The owner, Olivia Griffin, moved to Kentucky from San Francisco in 2014 and realized there was no tiki bar in Louisville. Having spent her 20’s experiencing the wonders of classic Bay Area tiki bars like Smuggler’s Cove, Forbidden Island, and Trader Sam’s, she has always sought out unique, themed bars in every city she has visited."

Closed October 29th, 2022.

Began as Auntie's Tiki Bar and then was taken over by new ownership and renamed Tikis Bar and Grill in January of 2020.

Tikis is a small but quaint tiki bar in the heart of Virginia Beach. They specialize in classic tiki cocktails and a Polynesian and Phillipino fusion based menu.

The 190-capacity Oxford site opened on April 7th, 2011 and closed on March 31st, 2017.

This location was described as a buzzing bar with Polynesian-inspired decor serving tropical cocktails, plus a DJ-hosted dance floor.

There were several other Lola Lo's in the franchise (including Bristol, Cambridge, Manchester, and Reading) with the Bristol and Reading locations the only two remaining open by late 2024.

Opened in June 2017.

Situated on the famous beach paseo of Marbella, Mahiki Beach offered a unique beach club experience with its tropical restaurant, original cocktails and luxurious beach beds – all designed in a Tiki inspired theme.

In addition to this former Mahiki Beach location, there were several other Mahiki locations but they have all closed apparently, including the original London and the Manchester locations (both closed), one in Dubai (now closed), Arab Emirates (now closed), one in the Forte Village Resort in Sardinia (now closed), and a second London location (Mahiki Kensington, closed in 2019). There was also a Mahiki club in Gothenburg, Sweden (closed).

As of @2021 this locale re-opened as John Scott's Beach.

This Tiki Iniki was a second location in Atlanta's Virginia-Highland neighborhood; a sister to the original Tiki Iniki location on Kauai. Unlike the Kauai location, this one did not have any ownership or involvement by Todd and Michele Rundgren, instead being operated by Atlanta's Supper Club Group under a license agreement. One of the partners in Supper Club Group, Bill Chapman, was an investor in the original Tiki Iniki. It opened in November 2018 and closed in September 2019, a relatively short-lived endeavor, and was re-opened as Madhouse Lounge. Madhouse appeared to still be using much of the same decor and menu items, however...until it closed, in turn, around 2020. In 2021, this space was occupied by Sea Salt Seafood Lounge, which is still running as of 2023.

Mutiny Bar was opened in Southwest Detroit in November 2017 by Dave Kwiatkowski's Detroit Optimist Society bar group. The bar's vintage wood paneling was topped with some added bamboo and thatch touches. The decor included fish nets with colored Christmas lights on the ceiling, tiki and nautical pieces hung on the walls, and a selection of framed vintage menus from the area's mid-century Polynesian restaurants.

*NOTE: A refurbishment in 2020 included new booths with Chinese jade tile separators and aqua blue Japanese fish float lights above the bar top.

The team of bartenders had been playing with tiki drinks in the Detroit area for years before opening the bar, and the menu was mainly focused on their own tiki-inspired creations.

Closed February 28th, 2026.

Jade East operated from sometime in the early 1960s until 1975. From the outside, it looked like a fairly standard Chinese restaurant of the day, but inside it was the full Polynesian restaurant experience. The restaurant seems to have particularly delighted in serving tableside flaming spectacle dishes and drinks. The tropical drink menu featured tropical standards like the Scorpion and Suffering Bastard, served with fanciful garnish. A green buddha mug with a yellow interior, marked Jade East, was a take-home souvenir.

In 1975, the bar had been sold to Bobby Boyd of the Baltimore Colts, who turned it into Hooligan's. As of 2021, the site of Jade East is occupied by Nacho Mama's, a Tex-Mex restaurant that has a particular affinity for Elvis.