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The Journey Is Better Than The Destination:
Disneyland is home to two of the sacred Tiki relics: The Enchanted Tiki Room and the recently restored submarine rides. For decades tikiphiles have made the pilgrimage to this site and imbibed sacrificial cocktails at one of the bar’s in the Disneyland Hotel across the street while riding the monorail between the two. The monorail was a significant link in this routine since it provided an overview of the tawdry excesses always present at Disney’s borders almost since the founding of the park and always during the life of The Enchanted Tiki Room feature. This was not an unpleasant experience because it always felt like you were traveling George Jetson-style between different fantasy worlds in a fantasy vehicle. That has changed over the last two decades. Disney has dramatically expanded its deep sea squid tentacles into the surrounding neighborhood and sunk billions into altering virtually every piece of dirt it owns and all the public property which connects it.
Approaching Disneyland from the west in the afternoon is today, a completely different experience. The tawdriness is still there, but it ends city blocks from the two theme parks and all the associated other features like the Downtown Disney entertainment zone. Once you enter the Disney campus, because that is a closer analogy, you’ve entered one of the world’s great urban formal gardens designed to suck cash from your wallet. It is a vast green oasis/jungle with massive sound and retaining walls which pushes out the various forms of uncontrollable rot past almost all your lines of sight and sound range. You are no longer going to see a crack hooker from anywhere on the monorail. The monorail experience is diminished because you’re overwhelmed by the palm forest and other massive plantings you’re roaring around in. You don’t notice the transport as much because you’re so awestruck by the greenery flying past.
Trader Sam’s, a recent feature tiki bar, replaces older bars and is part of the entirely redone pool area at the expanded Disneyland Hotel complex. It looks fantastic on the outside and drinking/eating on the terrace to absorb the landscaping is the way to go. The Simba parking lot is the closest to the bar, and will still be a 1-2 block walk if you’re not going into the park. Follow the directions of the uniformly cheerful Disney parking cast, especially when they hear you’re looking for the strongest drinks they serve on campus. Once you’re inside the bar, you’re now inside the Denny’s of tiki bars: you’ll be the only one besides the staff wearing an Aloha shirt. Much like Damon’s in Glendale, a favorite haunt of Imagineers, this is a tiki bar you smuggle your own rum into.
All goodwill not withstanding, no tiki bar is worth its name if it stocks ZERO rum from Barbados, Jamaica or the mighty Demerara; and if you’re outside the US, you also better be carrying a Cuban. This is Trader Sam’s, not Trader Vic’s, which has a simple shrine containing the holy triumvirate of El Dorado 12, 15 and 21-year rums. My Zombie-like creation consisted of Bacardi 8, Zaya and a Bacardi 151 float. It gave me a headache. Had nothing been changed besides the rums, it would’ve drank so much better: El Dorado 8 year, Appleton Estate 12 year and Lemon Hart 151 would’ve cost Disney as much. Because it’s union, seniority is everything. Experienced older barmen have to take orders from kids who are pissed off they gave up their good careers as associate managers at Burger King to become Team Disney. Barmen have to humiliate themselves by dispensing frozen slushy mixes and the interior is a poorly thought out mash-up of a tiki bar and food service joint. It succeeds at neither, although I’m sure it meets its numbers in sales generated per square foot.
The interior is remarkably cheap and unattractive; besides a few forgettable gimmicky features. This is a grave insult to Disney’s own remarkable heritage and mountain of proprietary tiki-themed intellectual property. When it is inevitably replaced, it won’t be a missed feature. You’d never guess that dozens of skilled tiki artisans live within a 20 minute ride from this place or that the ocean is ten miles away. Their business is to schlep tiki mugs and service harried parents trying to frolic in the pools below. It shows no touches from that modern tentacle of Disney which seeks to impart knowledge as entertainment ala Disney University. I guess no one thought it was worth the effort to troll through the style guides from The Jungle Book, Tarzan, Finding Nemo, 20,000 Leagues Beneath the Sea, that whole series about pirates which has made more money than any other franchise in the 21st Century, et al. to bring some proprietary themed ideas inside the bar with food service. Five minutes at the bar jostling with everyone else is enough to see it all. Music’s OK. Go outside and enjoy the magnificent plantings. You’ll be hard-pressed to find 25-30 ft. Birds of Paradise in Hawaii.

I got the chance to go there a handful of times before they closed. They had the best General Tso's I've ever had. And I've had it in over 20 states.

TIKI TUESDAY! happens here the first Tuesday of every months from 7-9PM. Bring your own tiki mug and all drinks are just $5. Join the folks of Pittiki and hear fabulous tunes provided each month by Lucky. Two years running, the only tiki night in Pittsburgh!

Looking at the website for the power plant live complex, it looks like Tiki Bob's is no longer listed as a venue on their map. I'm thinking it's closed but I'm not certain. I'll try to drive by the next time I'm near Baltimore.

Great food, decor, and history... and the only thing quite like it for hundreds of miles.

Had no clue it was in a dry county when I walked in, but even if you're a die-hard drink enthusiast, don't let that stop you. It easily makes up for the lack of alcohol in it's drinks with the food and ambiance (bring your own alcohol if you like). The food is fantastic! We dove into the Tahitian Feast (a little bit of everything), and loved every bit of it. The presentation was fantastic (pu pu platter with fire in the middle, skewers sticking out, food piled on top of food)

The decor is great. Clearly they've been collecting for a while. The only part that I wasn't a huge fan of were the black-light style murals... but that was a minor issue for sure. The music was exactly what I want out of a tiki restaurant... classic exotica, vintage hawaiian... the real deal.

I'm definitely going back, I can almost taste those Tahitian Tidbits now.

We visited Kealoha's on our way back from Palm Springs and loved this place. The service was great, the food was really good and they had a really good Mai-Tai (the owner said he won a competition in Hawaii for his recipe). It wasn't a true tiki-ophile artisian drink list but for a family-friendly restaurant we were pleasantly surprised.
They had an authentic Hawaiian band playing and many of the patrons were up dancing in the traditional manner.
They did serve the Mai-Tai in a tiki mug (but not for sale). And they hold regular luau's with flame dancing et al.
More Hawaiian then Tiki but a great place

I go to Chin's quite often, so I figured it was time I write a review. I'm a native Detroiter, but I've gone on several tiki pilgrimages to the point that I like to think I've seen a fair number of establishments in this genre (over half on the top 25 on this site).

TikiBill's description and the photos give you a good idea of what you're getting into. Much like Frankie's Tiki Room in Las Vegas, the outside is generally unassuming. The sign is a beautiful googie-style callback to a bygone era, and the tikis out front hint at what you'll find inside. Step inside and you go back in time. Bamboo matting, thatch, jade tiles, a rock wall, a few large tikis and a beautiful (and unused) bar tucked into a corner. To make life easy on the staff it seems, you are asked to sit on one particular side of the restaurant (jade tile and bamboo divider down the middle), and aside from the annual christmas tiki show, the far side seems to go unused.

Friends of mine who are less enamored with the tiki sub-culture don't like going there because the food is unremarkable. And for the most part, I can't disagree with them. It's not "bad"... but it's not "great" either... it's just generic, bland chinese fare with a few americana items for the less "adventurous".

You'll also notice the music falls in that same "bland" and non-themed category (generic top-40 radio)... you'll notice it because there will be no other noise... because there's usually only a smattering of folks. I'm usually there on a Friday or Saturday night, but it may as well be a Tuesday afternoon. 5-8 patrons tops usually. It's not exactly in a popular restaurant/shop area, so there's not any foot-traffic to be had, and not likely that you'd happen across it while you're out shopping, etc. They seem to do a decent carryout business though.

And it kills me that it's not more popular. Realistically... Chin's could be on that list in the top 25 with a few changes. It's got the history and ties to tiki's golden past (20 years older than Chef Shangri-La in Chicago)... and it's got the decor. It seems like what holds it back could be some conscious decisions. For example, turn the lights down a touch, swap out the top-40 radio music with exotica/hawaiian, swap over to the bar-side of the restaurant (where some of the more interesting decor is), and put the servers in aloha shirts. That is a 0-day, near-zero cost change that could have a huge impact on presentation/feel.

Beyond that you'd be looking at incorporating some new menu items (a la Grass Skirt Tiki Room in Columbus or the Omni Hut in Smyrna)... for some more traditional polynesian tastes. Or build out the bar a bit more to cater to that end of the spectrum. I'm not saying a "cook from scratch" type menu. But find a supplier with more polynesian offerings that can be prepared with the same effort.

Like TikiBill said though... the grand shot in the arm would be opening something up in Ann Arbor or Royal Oak where you have a higher concentration of people "out and about" who want somewhere to go or something to do. But that's opening up a new restaurant more than it is "just moving"... and at that point, you lose the "historical" part of the attraction to Chin's. Don't get me wrong... I'd love to see an A-Frame tiki-revival here in Michigan... but I'm not sure who has the money to do it.

... until then. We have Chin's, and that's something to be proud of.

My wife and I visited here on our vacation in mid-December 2012 and it was the perfect end to our day. The bartendress was friendly and attentive, we met her mom who was there to pick her up after her shift and had a blast getting to know her too. We've been to most of the tiki places in the LA area, and this is our new favorite.

I've visited here in the last few years off and on. They are located in a strip mall,,, but hey, they are pretty Tiki inside and are purposeful about it and that beats a Tiki bar that claims to be, but isn't. The drinks are served in tiki ceramic mugs, bonus! They are sweet, but they have a punch to them. The food isn't too bad and the interior is full of Tiki visuals...more like Disney than nostalgic, but again and A for effort. They have the Barefoot Hawaiian Dancers that perform some nights, but never had the pleasure to enjoy. You should make it to Tiki Terrace at least once if your in proximity!

Whats to say, A Chinese restaurant with a Tiki flair in the decor. The drinks were so-so, the food was ok and the people working there seem oblivious to the designation of Tikiness. But, I had to go there and do that.

I really like this place. I thought the drinks were great, though Happy Hour is busy and the bartenders take awhile to return. They offer a few collectibles... the Dr. Funk standard from China and the signature glasses in two colors. I got these and really like them in my collection! I'll be back!

I like this apartment complex. Thought it was very cool. Tikis out front with lava rock waterfalls and nine tropical foilage. Has a A-frame mailbox for tenants which is a nice touch.

Went to the Bahooka for the last time on friday to pay my respects and say farewell and Aloha to this magical Tiki Est. So many people have memories here. So I am glad to be a part of what everybody was talking about. You will be missed Bahooka and Rufus.

I'm sorry to report that Trader Vic's in Hamburg has closed for good. At least I managed to visit once...

It will be missed. A perfect kid's entry into Tiki. The Chinese locals aren't hostile. The land is worth far more for whatever the Chinese will do with it than what it was currently generating. The food was icky-sticky sweet and the tanks weren't that well maintained. However, Go-Go and her flaming drinks were worth every dime.

An embarassment to the spirit and name of Trader Vic. Uninspired rum selection. A manager who thought nothing of haggling with a supplier for even cheaper prices on the low quality swill rum they seem to serve with everything. Horrible location. It faces to the north, so never any sun and fronts a 7-lane wide road that is a primary thoroughfare for downtown LA. So you get to suck exhaust fumes and tremendous traffic noise with your Mai Tai. Poorly maintained with several features broken and way too grubby for such a new place: can't believe it's within a stone's throw of a Ritz-Carlton. Strictly for tourists who hate LA and loaded businessmen and their hookers looking for something exotic. It will be closing soon enough. What a disaster.

Much ado about not much. This is a rum bar pretending it’s a tiki bar. Minimal swag, indifferent service which is mostly focused on, ‘You’re not worthy of our bartending expertise’, second-rate attire all wrapped up in a smoked-glass modernist box. The ONLY thing special about the place is its custom blend of El Dorado. Everything else is just hype. Trader Vic’s and Forbidden Island treat this place like Lord Nelson did the French & Spanish fleets during the Battle of Trafalgar. Whomever voted this place the tops sure don’t know much about good tiki bars or tiki drinks. Strictly for drinking rum straight as the drinks tend towards watery or thrown together with premixes. The rum list promises all kinds of goodies they apparently only stocked whenever the list was created; which was clearly a long time ago. Desktop printers are cheap and you’d think someone that close to Silicon Valley could print a current list up instead of forcing a customer to keep asking for rum after rum only to find out they’re “out of it”. That’s an understatement. I’ve given this place several tries now over several months and it’s clearly ‘All hat, no cattle’ as they say in Texas.

My wife and I still laugh about the bartender yelling, "the ship is going down!" For those of you who have been, you know what I mean. Great fun!

This place makes me want to add a room onto my house.

I made a stop here for the last time this week. When it opened, I'm sure the location was perfect. Now, it's surrounded by Chinese immigrants who, according to the bottom line, don't care for Tiki themed establishments. In fact, many establishments in the San Gabriel valley are now Chinese. Many of them don't even have an English sign in the window which exludes those of us who can't read the language... Mandarin or Cantonese. Tiki is not dead but Tiki in this area seems to be dead, for now.

My first visit here was great. I just loved that I was walking into Tiki history. Drinks, music, ambience, and decor are all great. Mid-century Tiki beckons at this establishment. For it is one of the original and oldest Tiki bars in CA.

Yup, Bahooka is closing down. The owner did a quick sale due to an illness in the family. The new owner will retain the building and fish, but not the name or decor. It will become a Chinese restaurant. Their last day in March 10th.

I love Forbidden Island. Its a incredible Tiki bar. Drinks, music, ambience are all top notch. Another Tiki gem for the revival.

The Tiki ambience of the Tonga Room is amazing. This is a historic gem. I will say that the drinks are not very good. If you know your exotic cocktails, there will be disappointment. But it is what it is. But hey! Your at Tonga Room. :)

Being that I have not been to SF in a very long time, as in Smuggler's did not exsist yet. So I just went for the first time and this was one of the best bar experiences I ever had. Drinks are incredible and decor and ambience are incredible. Cant wait to go back. Mahalo Martin for this true gem. :)

I just heard via Charles Phoenix that Bahooka is CLOSING ITS DOORS on March 10, 2013. Can anyone confirm? Such sad news!!

Having gone to Vegas to visit my sister who was vacationing there (I live in Los Angeles), I had to stop into Frankie's before joining the party. I'd never been but heard great reviews. Frankie's did not disappoint. WAY better than I had hoped. Great atmosphere, perfect Cocktails and friendly crowd. Being open 24hrs can't hurt either the next time I'm in town. I loved it so much I stopped by at the end of the weekend to enjoy another couple Cocktails before heading out. This place ROCKS!

Oh! And it is perfectly dark in there. So dark in fact I couldn't tell the men's from the ladies restroom...and when I walked out THEN I noticed the bright red lipstick on the mask. OOPS! Men's room is on the left, fellas. THE LEFT! Sorry about that ladies, I'm glad none of you walked in while I was in there!

HIGHLY recommend it, and worth any distance to enjoy a perfect Cocktail in the perfect place.

This bar was hidden in the front corner of the Venetian hotel. The bartender was schooled on many of the mugs on display and, looking back, I'm impressed because few bartenders know about mug makers / history. It was an oddly out of the way spot in the mammoth hotel but with great decor and the passionate bartender. I feel it could have succeeded If it were on the canal inside the main hotel. Better yet, in the better suited Mirage or Treasure Island.

Anyone with memorabilia for this place they'd like to sell, please e-mail me at hotelcharlie@live.com. Mahalo!

My experience here was great! The decor is more than I expected and the bartender, cute and attentive. I only wish that they played exclusive tiki music. My problem with most tiki bars in SoCal is that there are more beer and vodka drinkers than tiki drink fans, including DTB, Tonga, and Trader Vic's. The TikiTi is the only spot where folks come for the drinks but smoking is allowed. = \ I still love these spots.

No official tiki bar but a Mai Tai at the poolside bar is pretty darn good. Walk the grounds/outdoor mall after your drink(s) for a glimpse of the occasional tiki with an Asian architectual flair. It's one of the few spots on Waikiki that hasn't ever seemed to change.

The original bar was a fantastic escape to the past. Never tried the food but having Lapu Lapu's with friends on the low red chairs was the best. The re-do was the beginning of the end. Miss the original!

Very easy to get to from O'Hare International and absolutely worth a visit if you're going to be at the airport longer than a couple of hours...maybe 10 minutes from the airport car rental offices, so it's super-easy to get to. You're not likely to find much better decor anywhere within a 100-mile radius of this place. While the exterior of the building may leave a little something to be desired on a tiki 10-scale, the interior is wonderful. There were, by the way, NO plastic white chairs that I could see anywhere on the grounds during my visit in January 2013, and I looked the place over front to back.

Bartender Jimmy (the Greek) was very friendly and attentive, serving me up several tasty drinks during my 2-hour visit during a layover. Drink menu was deep and varied, and the drinks themselves were sufficiently strong and tasty. Of the drinks I had, the Zombie was about a 6 or 7, the Suffering Bastard was a 7 or 8, and the Surf Rider (of which I have no basis of comparison) was probably about a 6. There are no hot food items served here, and what was on offer (exotic chips and some canned salsa w/ pineapple/mango added) was nothing special, but better than no food at all.

Background music was 90% Hawaiian (and all of it fine), 10% "other" (when the jukebox kicked in). The "other" music seemed oddly out of place, but was thankfully very sporadic. Overall, it cast off enough of a tiki vibe to greatly enhance the overall mood.

The gift shop was cluttered and kitschy, yes, but isn't that the way it should be? I would rate their gift shop as on par or slightly better than the gift shop at the Mai Kai. The tour of the gift shop that I received was maybe a bit too exhaustive, but was nonetheless appreciated. There was very little in the way of "branded" merchandise, which to my way of thinking was just fine. Very decent selection of clothing and a wide variety of mugs, jewelry and decor.

If I lived in Chicago, I would definitely be a regular at the Hala Kahiki.

This place is Awesome!!!! the food was great, I went there with one of my friends for a holiday meal and it was amazing decor, food, service.

I grew up around the large round family table in the back near the kitchen.

Don May, my grandfather, was the owner of the Leilani. He was the honorary mayor of Belmont Shore. His other claim to fame for the love of his new-found home was he started the floating Christmas trees in the Colorado lagoon which are still around as a tradition 63 years later.

This is my favorite tiki bar. They play great music, have great food and you can sit out on the deck across the street from the ocean. How does life get better than that?

This place is always a party. I have a great time every time I go here.

Went there for the first time. Awesome place. Great tasting drinks and the decor is incredible. Really dark when you first get there and takes a while for your eyes to get adjusted. It looks like they get a bit of a local crowd there and you need to take a taxi to find it.

I have been here a bunch of times. I think the place is great. Awesome atmosphere, great crowd and the music floating in the pool while it rains is incredible. The drinks are good, not as good as Trader Vic's, but what can you do. The only think I don't like about this place is the food. It is really bad. It is a shame that such a great place has less than mediocre food. Anyway, I come back for the drinks.

This place is the original so it is great. They have redecorated and gotten rid of some of the old stuff. The place looks great and I cannot find a better Mai Tai then the ones here. I use to bartend here and I think the drinks here are great.

Pretty cool. I am not into museums but I was impressed with this place. They have the real deal here. They have some real cool dinosaurs also.

The Hong Kong Inn closed on Nov 30, 2012:

"After 48 wonderful years, 100,000 Scorpions and Mai Tai's, 3,600 Polynesian revues, 10 children, and 15 grandchildren, the Hong Kong Inn of Ventura will be closing its doors on November 30, 2012. We're retiring!"

http://www.yelp.com/biz/hong-kong-inn-ventura

I love this bar because I didn't expect to find a tiki bar in Kenosha, and therefore it exceeded all expectations! I forget which bowl drink I had but it was tasty. Don't expect the most authentic recipes handed down through generations, but decent drinks. And I love that its a no smoking bar- Frankie's Tiki Room in Vegas is my all time favorite place but your clothes reek for days after leaving.

Gaaa! I've moved across the country and now I can't take any updated pictures! It is 10 times the place it was when these pics were taken. Long Live Suzie!

Was there for the first time two weeks ago for their 4th birthday bash, and who sits down next to me at the bar but none other than Bamboo Ben! Needless to say, I enjoyed the evening. Good drinks, great mugs, fabulous decor, and a chance to chat with the guy who helped make it happen. I took home a Tiki Bandit (slot machine) mug. What a great night!

Solid room, good decor, good service, all around GREAT place to be!! Slot machine mug is a must have!!

6850 East Main Street, Scottsdale, AZ; part of hotel Valley Ho.
They re-opened in 2006, and closed again July, 2011.
Haven't been by in awhile, there may be some vestiges of Tiki
still about.

ADDRESS?????

Sorry folks, this is not a tiki bar. Don't waste your time unless you enjoy being around loud music, twenty-somethings with bleached hair trying to act rich, and lots of cheap bad beer.

When I was there they had a young woman with a guitar for the musical entertainment. She started her set with Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues. At first it seemed out of place for a Tiki Bar. But after a while it somehow seemed to work.