This short-lived restaurant opened in October 2008 and closed just a year later. There is no connection between this restaurant and Beverly Hills' famous The Luau, created by Steve Crane in the 1950s although the Steve Crane signature tiki was represented in a framed painting and a small carved version was prominent in the front of the restaurant.

Bamboo Ben was hired to do the decor, particularly the pufferfish lights, but they restrained him from going all-out.

Rather than the nod to historic Polynesian Pop that the name choice might suggest, this upscale restaurant was sleek and more Asian than Polynesian in design (with carved Gyan Mudra Yogic Buddha's Hands all over the restaurant and as their logo).

However, the drink menu had some classic tiki drinks, and was developed with input from Beachbum Berry.

Kona opened in 2007 in the space that had been Sam's Seafood for decades. Much of the decor was retained and refreshed, with improvements being made most notably in the quality of the food offering and some softened lighting. They adapted the exterior Sam's swordfish sign by changing the lettering.

Kona had several dining rooms with slightly different decor. The "Hidden Village" back rooms were available for special events, and had the most elaborate Polynesian theming, with huts, a fountain, and a bar. The dining room at the front had painted murals and a fountain.

In 2009, Kona closed and reopened under new ownership as Don the Beachcomber (no connection to the historic chain). Don's closed in 2018.

The Beachcomber was a restaurant on the historic Malibu Pier. The restaurant itself was not tiki but rather was designed to look like a 1930s restaurant. However the restaurant's bar, the Malibu Pier Club, had a special nook with a round table that seated about ten available for special reservations. This nook was called the Tonga Lei Room, and it was decked out as a tribute to the Tonga Lei restaurant, which was located across the street.

The bar and restaurant opened in 2008, and for the Tonga Lei Room the owners enlisted the assistance of Bamboo Ben, Tiki Farm and Tiki-Ray to help deck the place out. The Beachcomber closed in 2012.

Ming's is a Chinese restaurant with an attached bar area that is semi-Polynesian themed. There is a heavy use of lauhala mats, and all the lamps are made of tapa & bamboo and look like they are probably from Orchids of Hawaii. There are dark wooden masks throughout, but they look like generically-exotic Indonesian imports of recent manufacture. Tiki mugs are behind the bar. The restaurant has a dramatic Chinese facade that looks like it has been there for many decades; the bar feels like it acquired its Polynesian bent in the late '60s or mid-'70s. The restaurant itself apparently dates back to the 1880s.

And now the sad news: Ming's was purchased by a new owner around 2002; this new owner's immigration status precludes him from having a full liquor license, and now Ming's serves only beer and wine. The bar area is still intact, but no longer in active use.

The Sneaky Tiki, or Joe's Sneaky Tiki, was a Hawaiian bar in San Leandro that operated in the 1970s and until at least the '80s. At some point it was run by Joe Denton and Don Groom; Don was a bartender. After it closed, the space later became Tabou Lounge, and Club Caliente.

Mar Vista Lanes was built in 1961, and was designed by famed Googie-riffic architects Armet & Davis. It once housed a bar called the Makai Cocktail Lounge, which had a spare, modernistic take on tiki. The Makai Cocktail Lounge closed some time during the 70s.

One lone tiki stood outside for many years until July 5, 2014 when it was reported stolen outside the Pepy's Galley Diner (which was the attached eatery until later in 2014).

Soon after, Bowlero purchased the property when AMF went bankrupt.

The new Bowlero version opened in April 2015 and is still current as of 2020. They have a long mural along the side of the building which touts its history since 1961 and sports a couple of tikis. They have also added at least one new carved tiki outside as well.

Hawaiian Bill's was the reincarnation of the Reef Bar at the Caliente Tropics hotel in Palm Springs. The Reef Bar had been remodeled by Bamboo Ben when it was still operated by the hotel; in 2006, the bar was transferred to independent owners, and the name was changed to Hawaiian Bill's. Traditional Hawaiian food was served, with live musicians playing Hawaiian music on Fridays and Saturdays.

Hawaiian Bill's closed in the summer of 2008. Today the space is again The Reef Bar.

Not a lot of photos around from Hawaiian Bill's today, but below is a photo showing Rory Snyder, Doug Horne, and Hawaiian Bill at Hawaiian Bill's circa 2006 (holding brown Doug Horne Tiki Farm Grog mugs).

This bar was pieced together from remainders of the legendary Beverly Hills Trader Vic's, which closed in 2007 after more than 50 years. A few items from the restaurant were saved and relocated to this new lounge near the hotel's pool. The space was sleek, modern and airy - a sharp contrast to the intimate feel of the old restaurant. Tropical drinks and a few pupus were served in this small, casual space with an outdoor patio. Trader Vic's Lounge closed at the end of January 2017.

Xanadu Gallery was owned by one of the owners of the nearby Palo Alto Trader Vic's; he was responsible for many of the Papua New Guinea artifacts on display there. This gallery, on the southwestern end of Santa Cruz Avenue, had a wide array of different Oceanic artifacts, including tikis, masks, drums, war clubs and canoes. Most were from Papua New Guinea, but there were a few other pieces from other islands. After the passing of the owner, much of the Oceanic art was sold, and this location was closed. There was also a remaining second Xanadu location in San Francisco at 140 Maiden Lane, but it closed later in 2015.

The Outrigger was a Polynesian-themed restaurant in the Lafayette Hotel. The Lafayette is a historic building dating back to the '20s; it was operated by Hilton when the restaurant opened in 1958.

The Outrigger was one of four themed restaurants in the hotel that were opened at the same time: The Ivanhoe Room with the medieval splendor of King Arthur's court with tunnels, torture chambers, fireplaces, shields and lances; steaks, seafood, cocktails and piano bar. Outrigger Room off Broadway entrance has South Seas tropical decor, exotic drinks, "Polynesian" waitresses, Cantonese appetizers and dinners. The Gaslight Room on corner of First and Linden has Roaring 20s theme with banjo and piano music by TV personality Jad Paul. Fife & Drum has Revolutionary War period decor, lunch buffet.

It's not known exactly when the Outrigger restaurant closed, but probably around 1967.

The building was converted to condominiums in 1968.

Edwin Tan's Chinese Gardens took over the space that was previously Trader Island, sometime around 1970. Later, it became the Imperial Palace Inn. In the mid 80s, the location operated as Mandarin Garden. In 2008, the building housed the Scorpions Sports Bar & Grill. By 2013, the building was vacant and has remained so through 2020.

The Edwin Tan's iteration of the space retained some of the tiki poles and decor but many of them were painted in much brighter colors by successive owners.

Trader Island was opened by Lula Herrera in 1965. It was originally graced with large tikis around the exterior that were carved by Tahitian native and ex-pat Al Kalani (age 28). Al was also a featured dancer in the Trader Island dance ensembles that entertained there regularly.

By 1970, the site had become Edwin Tan's Chinese Gardens. Later, it became the Imperial Palace Inn. In the mid 80s, the location operated as Mandarin Garden. In 2008, the building housed the Scorpions Sports Bar & Grill. By 2013, the building was vacant and has remained so through 2020.

These photos below show the roof support beams when they still retained their irregular edges and before they had been planed smooth in later versions. Other than this and successive painting on the exterior, the building has remained remarkably the same over the years.