Opened May of 2019.

The team at Rita placed their trust in their long-time friend Matteo Oioli. Matteo was the head set and props designer for television programs such as Friends, and global events such as the 2006 Turin Olympics, 2014 Sochi Olympics, 2016 Asian Olympics, and AIMAG in 2017. Matteo perfectly understood their desire to create an authentic tiki location with a strong visual impact. He managed to take advantage of the height of the space to fill it with elements that slowly reveal themselves to Rita’s patrons, gradually displaying the finishing details in the materials.

Woven coconut walls, hanging pots from the ceiling, ropes, bamboo chandeliers, jungle-style wallpapers, wicker chairs and tables, a terrace, vintage ceiling fans, hanging coconut leaves, juta lamps, a giant handmade canoe, and an infinite number of plants contribute to the overall setting. The bar also sports a 15 meter long oxidized brass counter with wooden finishing that snakes between the rooms and a tiki carved by specialist Paul Campese (Tiki Campese), who accurately reproduced the bar’s logo (originally designed by the Paperplane Factory).

One of the longest lived Chinese restaurants, the Ming Garden was vital to life in downtown Providence. Open from 1941 to 1986, the restaurant was located at 141-143 Westminster Street, which had entrances on Westminster Street as well as Kennedy Plaza (now #68 Kennedy Plaza). The building was 2 and a half stories tall and dates to the late 19th century.

During the 1950s, the Tows contracted a young architect named Morris Nathanson to modernize the restaurant’s interior. Mr. Nathanson was well known for hospitality design, and his portfolio includes The China Inn in Pawtucket and the Johnson & Wales Culinary Arts Museum among others.

The Ming Garden (building constructed 1903): 3-story brick building with tiled modern entrance (similar entrance on Westminster Street side of building) and large plate-glass windows on upper stories; modern interiors by Morris Nathanson (ground floor) and Ira Rakatansky (upper floor). Though architecturally undistinguished outside, the building is heavily altered.

During the 1950s, Ming Garden touted a "Bamboo Room" sort of Pre-Tiki bar space on its outside signage. Later, this appears to have morphed into a "Polynesian Room" as tiki pop culture developed. Below, are photos showing the 1950's era version during hurricane Carol in 1954, when the waters of Narragansett Bay invaded the streets. Also shown are later shots of the front and rear exterior from the 1970s.

They did serve tropical cocktails in branded mugs -- at least one of which, a branded coconut, shows up from time to time.

Luke's Chinese Restaurant opened in 1951 and was located in the Edwin A. Smith Building, in Providence, Rhode Island.

Owned by Tin Cheung Luke with his son, Henry.

In 1963, the Lukes converted the upstairs dining room into a Polynesian themed restaurant called the “Luau Hut”, which served tropical cocktails and exotic dishes. The Luau Hut was decorated with straw wall covering, bamboo polls, and gigantic shell light fixtures. Downstairs the decorations were modest. People ate in formica covered booths.

Popular in the 1970s, it started to decline in the 1980s and closed by the 1990s.

*Color photo below shows the nearly 7' long Luau Hut sign which resides in the collection of Gregory Theberge, in his beer room, since 2021.

Established in 1972.

They advertise both Chinese and Polynesian cuisine and have a large room for each -- the Oriental Room or the candle-lit Polynesian Room.

Stepping into this restaurant is like opening a time capsule. The interior of the Polynesian Room has thatching, amber-colored lauhala matting on the walls, tiki masks, several standing tikis, and many vintage Orchids of Hawaii style lamps.

They are especially proud of their egg rolls.

Their logo used to feature a tiki but was modernized to the current logo showing a silhouette of a couple eating.

Opened July 14th, 2022.

This bar was opened by the same folks behind Munktiki.

Astoria, is where the classic 1985 pirate film, The Goonies, takes place, and this mystique is woven into the location.

From Dead Man's Isle:

"Dead Man's Isle brings an immersive experience of tropical escapism to downtown Astoria, OR where you feel a history, a story, after you walk in and gaze upon the space and all its artifacts. Astoria being a coastal fishing town, we put a lot of nautical flare into the space that helps you feel as if you've been transported to a tropical island and found the long lost final resting place of the Captain, who is often spotted in the bar searching for a cocktail. Dead Man's Isle allows our guests to experience his story and collection of lost treasures."

Opened May 11th, 1956.

This location featured three cocktail lounges: The Town Pump, The Piano Lounge, and The Hawaiian Room.

The advertisement for the opening of The Hawaiian Room invites patrons to “Visit our Driftwood Well, the Singing Stairway, and see our Massive Charcoal Fireplace.” Live music and dancing were a fixture, and in July 1959, the lounge played host to the newly crowned Miss Hawaii, less than a month before Hawaii’s statehood.

The Hawaiian Room featured several original cocktails as well as a long list of tropical classics such as the Zombie, Navy Grog, Planters Punch and more. The original drinks, such as the Molokai Monsoon and Tarantula Bowl were created by “Mixologist” Melvin Santos, an experienced professional bartender who had previously been employed by The Shangri-La and Don the Beachcomber in Chicago. It can be assumed that Santos based his cocktails off the drinks he’d been slinging at Don’s, as many of them (such as the Hilo Diver and Maiden’s Downfall) appear to be riffs on classic Don creations, with a few Trader Vic inspired recipes for good measure.

The Hawaiian Room continued to serve Cantonese food and tropical cocktails until its closure in April-May 1972.

The building was destroyed by a tornado in 1975.

This was a restaurant in Billerica, MA serving Chinese food and tropical drinks in tiki mugs.

Incorporated in 1981 and dissolved in 1994.

Currently (as of 2022) and since at least 2016, this site is home to Garrison's Bar & Grill.

Built in 1961.

This 70-room motel with pool sported a fantastic stylized moai head on its sign out front...but it was not meant to last.

The Bahia became the Razzmataz! for a time, which kept the moai head on the sign, but later, new owners decided to change the hotel entirely to a Pioneer theme, and re-named it the Covered Wagon with an unimaginative "CW" initials taking the place of the moai head. At this same time, the restaurant was named Columbo's Italian Restaurant (perhaps because pioneers are known for their love of pasta?). Today (as of 2022) the Covered Wagon signage is faded but a new restaurant, Cristi's Mexican, has taken the place of Columbo's.

After House of Ming closed, this was the oldest surviving tiki bar in Madrid, for a short time...

The house cocktail, the mythical WAWALAG TESTAMENT, combined rum, cognac and gin and was served in a huge bowl with side pockets for dry ice. The bowl (of the same name as the cocktail) was designed by C. Martinu and later produced by Porcelanas Pavon as well.

Closed in 2007, shortly after the closure of House of Ming.

Opened in 2019 by Nando Córdova in San Isidro, Lima, Peru.

San Isidro, towards the west center, is one of 43 districts in Lima, Peru.

They have been on Calle Santa Luisa #250, San Isidro district since 2022. (It had a previous iteration at Manuel Bonilla 170 for a few months but shuttered due to COVID pandemic lockdown.)

Nando is a renowned Peruvian bartender, educator and promoter involved in the beverage, education and entertainment industry for over 20 years, specializing in branding, rum and tropical cocktails. In 2016 he was recognized for his track record as “Best Rum Bartender” by the International Rum Conference in Madrid, considered one of the benchmarks for rum and Tiki cocktails in Latin America.

His passion for rum led him, since 2017, to organize and direct Kontiki Lima Tiki Fest, a festival that brings together bartenders from the region and influential characters dedicated to the education and promotion of Tiki culture, as well as the Lima Rum Festival, a space within KLTF that brings together industry experts and the best rum brands in the local market, in order to promote the consumption and value of sugar cane distillates.

From The Parrot Shadow's Facebook:

"Somos un bar de culto al ron, influenciada por la coctelería Tiki, Tropical y Tradicional caribeña. Rescatamos y mantenemos el legado de sus protagonistas y la historia."

"We are a rum cult bar, influenced by Tiki, Tropical and Traditional Caribbean cocktails. We rescue and maintain the legacy of its protagonists and history."

Opened at least as early as 2020.

This restaurant offers a fusion menu of Mediterranean food and other cuisine. They do have some tiki decor and use generic tiki mugs to serve cocktails, but the overall vibe is of a mid-luxury resort restaurant that with very little effort could change themes if necessary. What this location has going for it is the spectacular ocean view -- it is built out on stilts over the Al Bandar Marina -- so great for sunsets.

This location appears to have thrived in the 70s and into the 1980s (at least as late as 1981).

Located at the 11th floor of the St. Louis, Missouri Executive International Inn.

Later, the Executive International Inn became a Howard Johnson's, and Polynesian World became India Palace.

India Palace retained the lava rock and much of the lamps and decor from Polynesian World until its closing, after which the entire place was gutted and remodeled.