Tiki Bars
Kahiki - Barcelona
Barcelona, Spain
Opened in 1977, this location is not as richly decorated as some of the other Barcelona tiki bars, but it is centrally located.
The mural figures in this bar have an unusual Indonesian themed quality to them.
As with the other Barcelona tiki bars, they serve their drinks in classic Spanish style porcelain tiki mugs.
Some tiki purists may be disappointed at times by the music selection or cocktail offerings, but as with other Barcelona tiki spots, this is an amazing time capsule worth checking out if you are in the area.
Pineapple Parlor - at Daiquiri Time Out - Galveston
Galveston, Texas, United States
Opened @ March 2024.
Pineapple Parlor is a speakeasy tiki bar inside the Daiquiri Time Out location in Galveston, Texas.
They have two huts for groups of 5-10 available to reserve. They also have limited bar seating.
Tiki Di Amore - at Casa Di Amore
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
This outside tiki bar was launched during the summer of 2018 to compliment the already thriving Casa Di Amore Italian restaurant.
The themed environment features a private hut, seating around a fire pit, a life-size deep sea diver, and a throne embraced by a giant octopus, the “Tikipus,” created by locals 3 Specialty Design Services.
The Bamboo Room - at The Country Club Hotel - Chicago
Chicago, Illinois, United States (Closed)
The Bamboo Room described itself as "Where sophisticated music complements the exotic tropical decor, has been described by patrons as the 'most intimate room in town.' Dedicated to fine liquor and exceptional food for discriminating tastes. Easy to reach -- only 20 minutes from the Loop."
Open at least as early as 1966, according to postcard postal dates.
The Royal Lanai & Attic Bar
Honolulu, Hawaii, United States (Closed)
The Royal Lanai opened @ 1962.
This site was previously occupied by the first Tropics restaurant (The World Famous Tropics at Waikiki) which was opened by Peaches & Tony Guerrero and ran from 1940 to at least as late as 1955, possibly later.
The upstairs portion was designated as a separate bar called "The Attic Bar".
This location was open at least as late as September of 1968.
It is interesting to note on their limited cocktail menu that they used Leilani brand as their house white rum. Beachbum Berry describes this as one of his favorite historical white rums for that time period. They also produced a very cool tiki-shaped bottle glorifier to set the bottles on that has become highly coveted over the years. See photos below...
Makaha
Acton, Massachusetts, United States (Closed)
Opened in 1971 and closed in 2019.
Since at least 2005, the restaurant had all of its tiki decor removed, including the mask on the front A-frame shown on postcard photos.
However, they continued serving tiki cocktails for a time.
In 2015, they had their liquor license revoked for over-serving customers -- seems there was a 24-year-old who had three scorpion bowls in a row and proceeded to become belligerent and untruly and the police got involved.
Now home to Great Road Church since March of 2020.
Holy Monkey
Lausanne, Switzerland
Opened October 5th, 2023.
Holy Monkey is located in Lausanne, Switzerland and offers cocktails and pizza.
They have outdoor seating in front and appear to have an upstairs lounge as well.
Decor includes some fun tiki carvings, including a large Tiki Bob, a fiberglass shark head, an octopus close to the bar, and skulls leading up the stairwell...
Rockaway Tiki Bar
New York, United States
Owner Amy Tichenor felt that Queens' best beach neighborhood was missing a proper tiki bar and filled that gap in April 2021 with the Rockaway Tiki Bar.
Rockaway Tiki Bar joins the other offerings of Arverne of the Sea, including Locals Cafe, Super Burrito, Cuisine by Claudettes, Vino by the Sea, Bar Marseille, Breakwater Surf Shop, Boardwalk Pizza, and Batesy’s BBQ.
The bar is located one block from the Atlantic Ocean and one of the best surf breaks in the Rockaways.
The food menu features poke bowls and dumplings. The cocktail menu is limited to a top 12, including a couple of chiller slushie drinks served from their machine.
Though small, there is some great tiki and vintage decor, including some carvings by Tiki tOny and a 70s velvet painting of a topless girl behind the bar (exposed nipple tastefully covered by a dried-out starfish).
There is also outdoor seating.
Oriental Loa
Hawthorne, New York, United States (Closed)
This restaurant thrived in the 70s as a Chinese/Polynesian smorgasboard based in Hawthorne, New York.
More recently, this site was home to Victor's Bar & Grille, which is now closed as well.
The Hawaiian & Waikiki Lounge - Boston
Boston, Massachusetts, United States (Closed)
Opened @ 1964.
From The Hawaiian:
"The Hawaiian - an island paradise situated across the Common in the heart of Boston - excels in Polynesian and Cantonese Cuisine. Leisurely atmosphere and relaxing informality, induced by a wide array of tempting island drinks served at the Waikiki Lounge, mark the Hawaiian as Boston's best Polynesian restaurant."
There was a connection between The South Seas restaurants, Anita Chue's, and The Hawaiian Restaurant. It appears Anita Chue was instrumental in starting these establishments but that she moved on after a short time and Henry Oi took over and ran them for many years.
In 1965, The Hawaiian added a discotheque area and had a free green Ku mug promotion for the opening.
Closed @ 1972.
MaiPai Tiki Bar
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Opened in February 2020.
This is a combination mash-up of Detroit style pizza restaurant and tiki bar, owned by Salar Madadi.
Salar describes his pizza:
"So with a Detroit-style pizza, they're cooked in a rectangular pan. Ideally, it's like a seasoned steel pan. It's like a hydration dough with a higher hydration. Like when you bake it off, you'll get more air into the crust and it'll come out crispier. Your sauce goes on top, if you're using a sauce, and you have cheese that goes edge to edge. So you get like a crispy cheese crown all the way around. I enjoy eating foods where each bite is different and different in texture and flavour. The crispy cheese crust was, I think like the first time I had it, I was like, 'Oh, this is awesome.'"
About the decor:
Salar spent a good amount of time sourcing Polynesian art to decorate the place. He built a considerable amount of the furniture himself. He was buying bamboo from all over Canada to carve and build some of the posts, assembling vintage lamps. There is even a booth in the restaurant dedicated to Spam and all the variations of Spam.
Tiny Tiki - Washington DC
Washington, District of Columbia, United States (Closed)
Opened in 2021 underneath a Vietnamese restaurant in DC's Adams Morgan neighborhood.
Tiny Tiki is a small, intimate bar, seating around 30 people, with 6-8 at the bar. The decor is traditional tiki, with lowered lights, statues, carvings, and Polynesian-pop decoration throughout. A very large Moai at the entrance faces a decommissioned Vespa next to the table seating. The drink menu covers the Tiki greatest-hits with a reasonably extensive rum list, organized by origin. The bartenders will take orders off menu. No food is available, but can be brought in from neighboring shops.
*NOTE: Not to be confused with the Tiny Tiki in Spokane, Washington (closed "temporarily" since 2021).
Tiny Tiki closed on 29 June, 2024.