The Mai-Kai is perhaps the last of the grand Polynesian palaces still operating from when tiki was at its peak in the late '50s and early '60s. That the Mai-Kai not only still exists today, but is vibrant and thriving, is something we should all be very grateful for but not take for granted.

The Mai-Kai was opened December 28th, 1956 by two brothers from Chicago, Bob and Jack Thornton, in an age when roadside attractions were springing up all over Florida; eventually Bob took over the business. Like many of these attractions, the Mai-Kai grew over time to be quite a spectacle -- it includes eight dining rooms, a bar that on its own would stand as perhaps the best tiki bar in the world, tropical gardens with walking paths and waterfalls, a stage in the center to showcase the Polynesian floor show, and of course, a gift shop.

Today, experiencing the Mai-Kai is much as it was in the '60s. The experience begins as you listen to the wooden slat bridge you drive over to reach the porte cochere and valets. As you enter the restaurant, you are greeted by an elegant maitre'd. Be sure to bring some singles when you visit the restroom, as the bathroom has attendants on hand to assist you. The Mai-Kai's manager is Kern Mattei, who took over the position from his father.

When you're drinking at the Mai-Kai, you're drinking tiki history. The bar program here was created by legendary bartender Mariano Licudine, who came from the Don the Beachcomber in Chicago, and brought Don the Beachcomber drinks with him. Whether you relax in the main hall or the Molokai Bar or one of the other sections of the restaurant, you are sure to find just the right atmosphere to suit your mood.

Bob and Jack have passed away, and the restaurant is now run by Bob's wife Mirielle. Bob met Mirielle when she joined the Mai-Kai as a Tahitian dancer, and still today she runs the Mai-Kai's Polynesian revue. As new dances are added to the show, Mirielle first visits the island where the dance originates to ensure it will be performed properly and will be blessed by its people. All dining rooms overlook the popular show, and dinner reservations are recommended.

The enchanting nature of the female form is something that is celebrated throughout Polynesian pop, but perhaps nowhere quite so extensively as the Mai-Kai. The beautiful waitresses to this day are attired in bikini tops and wraparound sarongs. For many years, a Mai-Kai calendar was offered featuring the many beautiful women of the Mai-Kai. This worship reaches its zenith with the Mystery Drink, delivered by the Mystery Girl, an experience that must be witnessed to be fully appreciated.

In February 2015, the Mai-Kai was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

At the end of October 2020, the Mai-Kai announced what was hoped to be a temporary closure because of flooding and damage caused by heavy rains. This damage proved to be more extensive and the costs of repair more prohibitive than expected. Eventually, on January 21st, 2020, the Mai-Kai announced that it was making the business available for acquisition or joint-venture development.

On September 28th, 2021, the Mai-Kai made public that after considering numerous interested parties, the Thornton family agreed to a new joint venture with the Barlington Group, a South Florida-based real estate investment and development company focused on growing unique and eclectic legacy businesses that give their communities character, and Mad Room Hospitality, the proprietors of iconic establishments such as Ball and Chain, Los Altos and Taquerias El Mexicano.

The long close since 2020 ended with the Mai-Kai having an exclusive "Preview Opening" for select groups on November 15th, 2024. November 21st, 2024 marked the general opening and reinstatement of their dinner show performances.

During the four years the restaurant was closed due to water damage, it underwent a $20 plus million remake and re-imagination.

Perhaps the flashiest addition is a glowing 20-foot-high caldera fashioned from cement that has lights to replicate the lava glow and water jets to make the lava flow.

It also has a new Bora Bora bar, located under the port cochere, which was lovingly refurbished to look like the original. A faux bamboo finish was applied to metal supports and Marquesan-style artwork was added to the beams.

And the service bar, where all the hidden magic happened, is now visible through a window in the gift shop!

Additionally, they have re-vamped the menu (see below) with some new additions. They are also introducing some new mug designs to celebrate the opening.

Opened in 1993.

Hula Hut was for many years known as Chuy's Hula Hut, but Chuy's owners Mike Young and John Zapp sold their interest sometime around 2009.

Hula Hut describes their food as "Tiki-Mex," and the location has more of a focus on general tropicalia than classic Polynesian Pop.

The restaurant is located right on Lake Austin and has a pier going out over the water.

Down below is a giant fish sculpture whose head pivots and spews water and bubbles (designed and manufactured in 1995 by Bob Daddy-O Wade).

There is also a newer sister location Hula Hut which started in 2015 at Little Elm on Lake Lewisville.

Both Hula Huts were sold independently @ January 2023 and are now operating as independent family-owned businesses with no association between one another.

The Hula Hut in Little Elm "closed temporarily" in September of 2024 for "renovations".

Opened June of 2023.

Just a few weeks after opening Slurp! ramen bar, its ownership team of Kevin Liu, Mattias Hagglund, Thomas Leggett and Brandon Peck unveiled Emerald Lounge (2416 Jefferson Ave., Unit C1), an elevated tropical cocktail bar to the neighborhood.

“We looked at the concept of island escapism,” Liu says of the concept for Emerald Lounge. The crew, also owners of The Jasper in Carytown, looked at American tiki bars from post-World War II for inspiration, but “we wanted to create our own concept,” Liu said. “It’s less tiki and more Havana.”

Soft green walls provide a backdrop for Emerald Lounge’s retro, upscale tropical vibe. Bits of subdued tropical prints peek out amid hanging planters and sleek gold accents. The centerpiece is the bar, stocked with rum, agave and brandy, with a white marble topping and pendant lights that look like pale pink flowers floating overhead.

As Liu notes, the decor is not fully Tiki -- there are no actual carved tikis. Rather, the space incorporates tiki adjacent imagery like palm wallpaper, hanging lights that would look at home in a tiki bar, and nautical elements like a hammerhead shark floating above one of the seating areas. Some tiki purists might call this a "fern bar" hearkening back to similar decorated bars from the 70s, but Emerald Lounge is its own hybrid tropical space.

All of this notwithstanding, it appears that their drinks program is "on point" and tiki cocktail enthusiasts will not be disappointed in their menu.

Opened Wednesday, September 14th, 2022.

The owners of Tigerlily restaurant in Ferndale converted a former office space in the building into a tiki-themed “speakeasy”-style bar called Mai Tiki.

The narrow, 900-square-foot room is accessible via a “semi-concealed” door on the side of Tigerlily’s dining room, which the restaurant describes as “a portal to an island getaway” with a wraparound mural, thatch canopy, and “island relics,” including gold skulls. Mai Tiki is also accessible via a rear door on the Troy Street side of the building.

In addition to their cocktails (see menu below), the spot has a food menu with small plates like crab rangoon, robata-grilled pineapple, pork belly bao, and fish tacos. The menu was developed by Tigerlily chef Chris Vasquez, a metro Detroit native who has worked at Maru Sushi and Nippon Sushi Bar who returned to Michigan following a stint as head sushi chef at Chicago’s acclaimed Momotaro.

When you book Mai Tiki you get the whole place to yourself! The room seats about 51 guests including 12 bar seats and has a capacity of 60 Guests.

Tiki Tomb opened in Cape Town, South Africa on October 6th, 2023.

It was next to and shared space with Boma on Bree (bar & restaurant), in their basement, through a carved tiki face door on street level.

The bar was designed by Fabricant Design Studio.

It had a large open space for dancing with a long bar and DJ booth on one side and booth and table seating around the opposite perimeter which was decorated with tons of carved masks that looked to have been greatly inspired by Bosko's work at False Idol in San Diego.

Closed March 29th, 2025.

Opened in December of 1975.

Located at the Northland Shopping Center. Mrs. O'Hara was the original Manager.

One of their main dining areas was the "Banyan Tree Room".

This restaurant hosted lots of live pop music entertainment, but also included Polynesian groups such as "The Aloha" Polynesian dance review and "Roselani and Her Royal Tonga Islanders" (from the Polynesian Village in Disney World).

There were several Hu Ke Lau locations across the East Coast. This may or may not have been a part of the family chain which included several under this same name but it's a good bet it was since it has the same logo and drink menu.

On June 21, 1979, this location began offering Italian food. It closed July 16th, 1981 for re-modeling, to reopen as the Luna Key.

Opened in 2019 by husband and wife team Martin and Sara Stayer of Nobie’s Restaurant fame.

This venue swings more tropical than tiki with its decor, although you might spy a small tiki or two hanging out at their water fountain feature.

Primarily a restaurant known for its food, The Toasted Coconut also has a full listing of tropical cocktails sure to please most tikiphiles.

Hotel Lankershim was a landmark hotel located at 7th Street and Broadway in the Broadway Theater District in downtown Los Angeles's historic core.

Hotel Lankershim was designed by Robert Brown Young for James Boon Lankershim, whom the building was named after. Construction started in 1902 and was completed in 1905. Prior to construction, the land was the site of a vineyard owned by Judge Wilson Hugh Gray.

The hotel had 200 servants, 250 rooms, and 160 baths at its opening, and was considered far superior to the other hotels in Los Angeles at the time.

In 1979, the Broadway Theater and Commercial District was added to the National Register of Historic Places, with Hotel Lankershim listed as a contributing property in the district. Despite this, the building was largely demolished in the early 1980s following structural damage caused by the 1971 Sylmar earthquake. Post demolition, a six-story parking structure was built on the building's remaining first floor, which was converted to retail, and the building was removed from the register in 2002.

The Driftwood Room was a pre-tiki bar and lounge located inside the hotel which flourished in the 1930s.

The Driftwood Room menu below is dated from 1936.

There are no known photos of the Driftwood Room from the time, but photos of the interior lobby of the hotel, probably adjacent the entrance of the Driftwood Room give a sense of the opulence of the time.

Hunã, a 78-seat cocktail bar in Ann Arbor, opened on February 12th, 2026. The bar is located below the James Beard nominated Echelon Kitchen & Bar and focuses on classic tiki style drinks.⁠ ⁠ This bar gives metro Detroiters an in-state escape from the frigid temperatures. That was the goal of chef Joseph VanWagner and bar manager Max Schikora.⁠ ⁠ “The whole idea was to bring a space to Ann Arbor, where people can kind of escape to their own island paradise,” says VanWagner. “Whether it’s for a drink or for a whole evening, it’s another avenue for us to infuse our version of hospitality into the community.”⁠ ⁠ The interior, which features warm lighting, bamboo, and greenery accents, was designed by Ann Arbor-based firm MOMUS Inc. The name Hunã means both “house” and “hidden” in Hawaiian.

The space does feature tiki decorations and carvings, but also some vague fill-in pieces that don't quite fit the theme, like their large red Mexican Diablo mask with a snake on its head (seen below).

Overall, the vibe is quite polished, however, and there have been good reports back on the quality of their cocktails.

Opened @ February 2018.

This bar and restaurant has a large A-frame shaped roof with grassy thatching. One side is taken up with a long bar whose backbar is formed by boat-shaped shelves. The other side of the room has a large tiki mural with some Aztec/Mayan influence. This mural often serves as a backdrop to their live music performances. Movable tables and chairs fill the space between.

Tiki decor is a bit sparse and there is a dearth of actual carved tikis. However, they have a strong cocktail menu with both classics and signature drinks -- all served in tiki mugs.

Opened May 18th, 2023 for soft opening.

Permanent Vacation is a speakeasy tiki bar inside the already established Copper Rocket Pub.

When you enter Copper Rocket, you'll look for a door on the far right stating "Employees Only". Push that open and you'll check in before stepping inside Permanent Vacation.

The bar is decorated with fish floats in netting on the ceiling, a large standing fiberglass Ku tiki behind the backbar, walls of skulls, even more skulls on spears, tons of bamboo, and vintage Witco bar stools.

The complete buildout was completed by Headhunter Ray (Headhunter Props & Fabrication out of Orlando).

Dark tiki mood lighting is also accentuated by sound and fog effects periodically during your visit.

They have a full cocktail menu (shown below) and serve food as well.

Opened in 2002.

This brightly colored bar features tropical birds and serves drinks in tiki mugs.

This bar has no cocktail menu, but you order the "cocktail of the day" and they serve you from a pre-mix.