Tiki Bars
Pacific Hut
Brockton, Massachusetts, United States (Closed)
The Pacific Hut was located at the Westgate Mall in Brockton, Massachusetts. Open at least as early as 1965.
There was also a sister location at the Burlington Mall in Burlington, Massachusetts.
Tiki Beat - at the Newport Hotel
Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia (Closed)
Opened May 19th, 2012.
The design of this bar was a collaboration with input from renowned tiki carver, Marcus Thorn (a.k.a. Tiki Beat).
It was Perth’s only portside tiki bar, serving more than 20 different types of cocktails, as well as three of its own speciality cocktails, made with Newport Spiced Rum.
Drinks were served in green-glazed tiki mugs modeled after a carving by Marcus Thorn (seen with pinup model Masuimi Max below from a photoshoot), adding to the bar’s overall ambience.
It was located within the Newport Hotel (The Newy), on the corner of South Terrace, at the end of Fremantle’s busy cafe strip.
The Newport Hotel closed December 24th, 2021 for a major rebrand into Flight Club social darts venue. Tiki Beat was closed as well.
RedFrog Tiki Bar - aboard the Mardi Gras Carnival Cruise Ship
Port Canaveral, Florida, United States
The new Carnival Cruise Line ship Mardi Gras set sail on Saturday, July 31, 2021, marking the first official passenger cruise from Port Canaveral since the pandemic began in 2020. The ship has a capacity of 6,500 passengers and 20 decks, making it the eighth largest cruise ship in the world. The Mardi Gras is also the first ship in North America powered entirely by liquefied natural gas.
Note, there was also a much smaller Mardi Gras ship launched in 1972... but this one dwarfs it in comparison.
The 2021 Mardi Gras specializes in Caribbean cruises. It is docked and leaves out of Port Canaveral, Florida, United States.
The RedFrog Tiki Bar is located on the 5th level Lido deck and is the first of 3 RedFrog Tiki Bars planned, with the Carnival Celebration and Carnival Jubilee next in line.
Carnival Celebration's Red Frog Tiki Bar opened when the ship was completed on November 2, 2022.
These Red Frog Tiki Bars are distinct from the Red Frog Pubs or Red Frog Rum Bars on other ships in this line.
The Carnival Mardi Gras' bar is 2 stories tall and has both bar and dining table seating. They have extensive themed decoration including some Oceanic Arts style lights and some Oceanic Arts Papua New Guinea masks and other hangings.
The bar features a wide array of rums listed by region but the bar name reflects their line of beers which is served on tap. They do have unique branded tiki mugs and mai tai glasses available for sale as well as other merch.
The Grass Shack
Columbus, Ohio, United States (Closed)
This was the precursor to the famous Kahiki Supper Club. It was located on the same spot and was also owned by Bill Sapp and Lee Henry.
This much smaller venue burned down in 1959, shortly before the planned construction of the Kahiki. Before this, the owners used it as a testing ground for planned menu items at the larger tiki palace they were planning.
After the Kahiki was bulldozed, this location became home to a Walgreens, which (as of 2022) is also closed.
Kona Gardens Apartment Complex
Garden Grove, California, United States
Built in 1964.
32 units spread over 2 stories.
This apartment complex still has 14 tikis standing and they are in decent shape. This includes 12 guardians around the pool, one under a small shack to protect the map/directory, and a cool fern tiki by the pool fence.
It is located near the intersection of Garden Grove Boulevard and Brookhurst Street.
Cocomama
San Miguel de Cozumel, Mexico (Closed)
Located across from the Cozumel ferry terminal, Cocomama Tiki Room Bar was started in 2020 as a mocktails only concept, but then later they associated with the Casa del Habano bar which allowed them to make drinks with alcohol as well.
The bar had bamboo decor and featured tropical-inspired cocktails served in locally made tiki mugs as well as food dishes such as guacamole, ceviche, and fish tacos.
It was well received both by the islanders, as well as by the tourists who cross from Playa del Carmen and those who arrive mainly on cruise ships.
House specialty cocktails included the Cocomama, Thousand Special, and the Astral Trip.
*NOTE: According to Spike's Breezeway (see their youtube tour in links below), Cocomama's is now closed. They appear to have been open through February of 2025.
The Ma-Kiki Club - at the Holiday Inn
Huntington, West Virginia, United States (Closed)
Opened in 1965.
The Ma-Kiki Club was owned by Harold Lawrence Frankel and his wife Dodi.
They advertised "authentic Polynesian Food and drinks", with Live entertainment nightly. Located in the Holiday Inn.
The Holiday Inn was their first hotel.
For their last 11 years, they hired Chinese chef, Ming Eng, who proved extremely popular and after The Ma-Kiki closed, he opened his own restaurant in the former Elephant Walk Club of the Frederick Hotel. There, Ming’s became a popular eatery that served a combination of Chinese and Polynesian dishes. In 1998, Ming’s relocated to the Stone Lodge Motel, where it operated for another ten years before closing in 2009.
The Ma-Kiki closed in 1980. Today, it appears the Holiday Inn is now an EconoLodge.
The restaurant/lounge area of the old Holiday Inn complex looks to have been demolished at some point and replaced with a Sonic drive-in.
Beachcomber - at the Shanklin Hotel
Shanklin, United Kingdom (Closed)
In January 1956 the Shanklin Hotel was advertised for sale at an auction in Southampton. The purchaser was Ben Brown, formerly a purser with P&O Cruises.
He is said to have got the idea for creating the hotel’s Polynesian Beachcomber Bar, complete with live alligator pool, from his world travels.
However, there is a great similarity between this bar and others in the Butlin's chain of Beachcomber bars and many suspect he just grabbed their idea, wholesale, spinning yarns about his travel experiences in the grand old Trader Vic tradition. The first of the Butlin's Beachcomber chain opened in 1960 at about the same time Brown opened his version.
The Beachcomber at the Shanklin Hotel closed in the late 80s (around '86). Much of the decor went into long-term storage.
The bar has been replaced by indoor grass bowling.
Pieces of Eight
Marina del Rey, California, United States (Closed)
This location was built in 1962.
The theme was "pirate" with a good dose of Polynesian Pop, especially with the drinks.
This was one of the eight (at least) restaurants operated by the Specialty Restaurant company in the LA area that had various degrees of Poly Pop and Nautical themes.
Later, this site became Shanghai Red's, and then Whiskey Red's and at some point the roofline and interior were remodeled but much of the bones remain.
Most people associate Pieces of Eight with the cocktail of the same name which originated here and was later re-printed in Beachbum Berry's Re-Mixed.
Pieces of Eight: ½ oz Lime juice, 1 ½ oz Lemon juice, 1½ oz Passion Fruit syrup, and 1½ Aged Rum.
Shake or flash-blend with crushed or pebble ice. Pour unstrained into a tall glass, goblet, or tiki mug. Top with more crushed ice if needed and garnish with a lemon slice, a pineapple wedge, an edible flower – or all of the above!
High & Dry Rum Bar
Houston, Texas, United States (Closed)
Opened in February 2018.
This was a very modern bar without all the layers that one usually associates with traditional tiki bars. It had a sort of industrial look with lots of exposed brick and open space.
Then, again, they were not trying to be a "tiki" bar but a "rum" bar that happened to be tiki-friendly.
There were several nice carved tikis on display behind the back bar area and in a few other niches.
They were also true to their name with 200+ rums to select from.
In addition to rum, they had a selection of other spirits and offered a tight list of ten cocktails focusing exclusively on "upgraded" takes on classic rum cocktails like the Mai Tai and Hurricane.
The bar took pride in using house-made orgeat and other tinctures and prepared ingredients.
Closed @ November 2023.
Dairy Queen
Grove City, Ohio, United States
Opened circa 2005.
This is a tiki interior-themed Dairy Queen. Otherwise the menu and exterior are the same as other Dairy Queens.
There is a big tiki god water fountain when you walk in. There are 3 large fish tanks, one is salt water and there is a thatched roof over them. Two of the corner booths are grass huts and the chairs are all bamboo. The walls have a bamboo wall paper with different Kahiki items, a 6-foot tiki god, nets, surf board, islands of Hawaii made by a Hawaiian friend of the owners, shells, etc.
The employees wear hawaiian shirts and leis.
Tropicana Motor Hotel
Tucson, Arizona, United States (Closed)
Built in 1960. This location went into a downward slide despite its fantastic neon sign and took a very sleazy turn, around 1995, when it was converted into a porn theater, adult bookstore and sex-prop shop.
The site eventually fell into such repair that it was condemned in March 2004 and demolished later that year.
The sign was salvaged though, and eventually restored in 2011.
This sign and several other salvaged 1950's era neon signs (the Magic Carpet Golf, Arizonan Motel, and Medina's Sporting Goods signs) were installed along Drachman St. on the north edge of Pima Community College's downtown campus at The Neon Mile: Sock Hop on April 27, 2012. The re-lighting of the signs, donated to the college by the Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation, was celebrated on the night with a vintage car show, a fashion show, kids' games and some 1950's style dancing and music.
These signs are still here for viewing as of 2022.
The Tropicana Motor Hotel's original location was leveled and a concrete wall/fence construction built around it, but it is still basically vacant as of 2022.