The Polynesian - Torrance

Torrance, California, United States

Opened on August 25th, 1957 and closed due to fire in 1959, but was refurbished and re-opened in 1960 to run for 4 more years before being sold in 1964.

It was festooned with tiki idols, torches and artifacts, lots of palms and other exotic flora to frame diners enjoying authentic Polynesian cuisine. They even had a miniature volcano and waterfall built in the tropical garden, which also featured an ornate bridge.

The unusual Polynesian Kava and Tiki bowls in their old menu have fueled many expeditions for these "crypto mugs", and it is thought they must have been available for only a brief time as they are not shown in the later menu version.

In 1964 the Polynesian briefly became Jamaica West (a youth-oriented dancing and nightclub spot) for a year or so, and was then purchased by Hop Louie who re-opened it as Latitude 20 in 1966. Latitude 20 ran through 1980 before being sold to developers who decided to stray from the Polynesian theme and go Country. It was a Waco's and then a Calamity's before the structure was finally leveled in 1984.

The site is now a strip mall.