On May 13th, 1942, Yachtsman and Bay Area Restaurateur, Frank "Skipper" Kent, opened Skipper Kent's Zombie Village in Oakland, California, right across the street from the original Trader Vic's on San Pablo Avenue. Like his predecessors, Donn Beach and Trader Vic, Skipper Kent wanted to create a South Seas inspired hospitality where patrons could be transported to paradise. Together, with his fellow host, Lucille "Hafe" Hafer, Zombie Village offered typical-of-the-time pseudo-Polynesian Chinese food, but the real star was the drink menu. The restaurant was South Seas-styled both inside and out.

Skipper described the Zombie Village in a letter written in 1953:

"...through massive driftwood doors, with huge Easter Island idols on either side, with a pause to inspect the unusual gifts from all corners of the earth which are for sale at the curio corner, then the beauty of the tropical dining room unfolds before you. Palm trees, Philodendrons, Marantas, Calatheas, and everywhere colorful Anthuriums and overhead the exotic orchid.

...In the Malayan, African, and Garden Rooms, the dining tables are made of selected Koa and Monkey Pod woods. Spears, shields, and Kris, from Africa to Malaya and the South Seas, all collected by the skipper on his many voyages, explorations, and travels, adorn the walls....."

Over the course of two decades, Skipper Kent's Zombie Village would become one of Oakland's best known tiki establishments, and he would go on to open a second outpost on Columbus Avenue in North Beach, known just as "Skipper Kent's". In 1967, a three-alarm fire destroyed the Oakland restaurant, putting an end to its 25 year reign as a Bay Area Landmark and a favorite among those who longed for a temporary escape to a tropical island paradise.

Established in 1958, the Tonga Hut is a small bar in the middle of the San Fernando Valley with some absolutely fantastic tiki decor, with a bamboo-ridged drop ceiling, lovely green booths and some great carvings. "Big Mo" the moai lurks just inside the front door. Towards the back is the "Drooling Bastard" tiki fountain which is overseen by the many placards from patrons who have passed the Loyal Order of the Drooling Bastard test to drink every cocktail in Beachbum Berry's Grog Log (at the Tonga Hut) within one year.

In May 2021 the back parking lot was transformed into a garden area with tent canopy and the back entrance was graced with a new Kirby tiki mask.

@2023, the space next door on the east side became available, and Tonga hut now leases it as well. So far, it hasn't been completely remodeled to match, but it is utilized during marketplaces and special events and they have hung some swag lamps and a few art pieces to begin the transition.

In 2013, the owners opened a second location in Palm Springs. See separate listing.

Opened 2001.

This sad and (thankfully) short-lived attempt at modern-day tiki (so modern-day, they decided to leave out anything remotely tiki) was not built to attract the Polynesian Pop audience.

In 2004, they moved on to their next concept, and Star Bar moved in. Currently, as of 2021, this location is home to Sagaponack NYC, a seafood restaurant.

This Trader Vic's was a mainstay in the Savoy Hilton from April 3rd, 1958 onward, but was demolished in 1965 to make way for the General Motors building. At that time, the restaurant moved across the street to a location in the Plaza Hotel. Both Bob Fosse and Stanley Kubrick were regulars, and in 1964, Kubrick first discussed his idea for 2001: A Space Odyssey here.

This site was a relocation of the original New York Trader Vic's, which was in the Savoy Hilton.

When the Savoy Hilton was demolished in 1965 to make way for the General Motors building, the Trader Vic's moved here, to the Plaza Hotel.

This location opened August 22, 1965.

When Donald Trump bought the Plaza in 1989, he closed the Trader Vic's.

There was a 40-foot outrigger canoe on display here that was used by Marlon Brando in the movie "Mutiny on the Bounty."

Waikiki Wally's, opened by Hayne Suthon in 2002, was a modern Polynesian restaurant with nods to Polynesian pop history. It was connected via a tunnel to Lucky Cheng's, a drag cabaret also owned by Suthon; Waikiki Wally's closed in January 2009 when Lucky Cheng's moved to a new location.

Their menu art and several promotional ad cards featured art by Richie Fahey.

Lei Bar was the downstairs, tiki-on-the-cheap themed bar below Niagara. Niagara still exists, but in 2009, the tiki theming was removed and Lei Bar was no more.

Otto's Shrunken Head opened in 2002 and is a tiki-meets-punk bar on Manhattan's Lower East Side. Live music acts play regularly in the back room. The music styles range from rock to metal to exotica, and it's often loud. The front entry of the bar has cases filled with tiki mugs and knick-knacks. Over the bar is a row of pufferfish lamps. There are carvings by Wayne Coombs and Crazy Al. Drinks are served in mugs that are available for sale, including a custom shrunken head mug.

In late 2010 a fire damaged the back room of Otto's, but repairs were able to be made swiftly.

Opened in 2000.

Located in the Hotel Intercontinental.

The Munich Trader Vic's is located in the Hotel Bayerischer Hof. It opened in time for Munich's 1972 Olympic Games. It remains a great example of the golden days of Trader Vic's design.

This modern tiki bar operated in the early 2000s.

Opened in the early 2000s and closed by 2016.

Waikiki was a small Thai/Indonesian restaurant located in a quiet neighborhood near the Schwabing district of Munich. By foot, it could be reached via a short (5 minute) walk from the Josephsplatz U-bahn station.

The decor was tropical, featuring tapa cloth wall coverings and large, carved wooden tiki masks. A backlit bookcase filled with carvings and knick-knacks also figured prominently, along with fan-backed wicker chairs. Traditional Hawaiian music was played, at a reasonable volume, and the lighting was muted.

The drink menu was extensive and the drinks themselves were clearly modeled after Trader Vic's. The bartender could mix a very reasonable fascimile of a Mai Tai and an excellent Zombie and both were priced far lower than the Munich Vic's.

The menu was reasonably priced and featured Thai staples such as spring rolls, along with curries and noodle dishes.