Kahiki Supper Club is a legend in the tiki world � a massive polynesian palace in the frozen land of Columbus, Ohio. Kahiki founders Bill Sapp and Lee Henry started work on the Kahiki after their bar, the Grass Shack, burned down on this site in 1959. Sadly, I never got to see Kahiki, it closed in 2000. The Kahiki's building was a classic example of midcentury polynesian pop architecture, and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. Despite this, Walgreen's purchased the building and bulldozed it. The Kahiki company now is focused on selling a line of frozen foods.

Some of the interior decor had been stored in a warehouse, and there was talk of the restaurant reopening in a new location. The potential for that seems to have ended: some of the decor was installed in the frozen food factory; the Kahiki's last owner, Michael Tsao, has died; and many of the remaining artifacts appear to have been sold at auctions.

However, the Kahiki has not entirely died... in 2006, former employees opened a new restaurant in a strip mall in nearby Hilliard, called Tropical Bistro

history

Tropical Bistro

Hilliard, OH

Bar & Restaurant

7.7

. It doesn't have the Kahiki's grand looks (much of the decor comes from the space's earlier, typical Chinese buffet incarnation), but the food and drink recipes remain the same, and drinks are served in tiki mugs.

Comments

NicholasB

NicholasB has visited Kahiki Supper Club.

July 5, 2017, 3:30 PM

Wow, Thanks for this great site. My grandmother used to take me to Kahiki in the 1980's. I loved the place. You might mention that at that time it also featured thunder sound effects, simulated lightning, a restaurant length fish tank on the left hand side and a bird-filled "tropical rainforest" on the right. I used to always want to site on the side with the birds and the rain that used to come down the glass. For a kid it was magical! I am 41 now and tell my daughter and wife about the place and the great memories I had from the place. Thank you so much for keeping this up. I never know what happened to it until I saw your site. Thank you!

Alsol

Alsol has visited Kahiki Supper Club.

January 25, 2017, 12:25 PM

I adored this place. We were from eastern Ohio, south of Steubenville, but we occasionally got to Columbus. In the sixties, my parents took us there. In the seventies, as young adults, we made trips to Columbus with friends, just to go the Kahiki. In the eighties, I took my own kids there. In the nineties, I went whenever I was in Columbus on business. In the mid-2000's my daughter moved to Gahana and I was so excited because it was so close to the Kahiki. Then she told me it had closed. The food was good, but the atmosphere has never been equaled by any other restaurant. To me, this was the Red Ryder BB Gun of restaurants. The greatest restaurant I ever went to or will ever go to.

laurieb

April 28, 2015, 1:05 AM

My dad used to be a valet at Kahiki in the 1960s. Back then everyone wore formal attire and it was very classy. Over the years it became more of a family-style restaurant.

My family had numerous birthdays, anniversaries and celebrations there. Any time we had visitors in from out of town we'd take them to Kahiki. My husband and I even had our wedding rehearsal dinner there in 1999.

Like most other locals, we were really sad to see Kahiki go. It was a very special place for us. Thankfully we have some pictures of our fun times there and lots of great memories.

Thanks for sharing the information and photos you have on Kahiki. It was such a unique place and I'll never forget it.

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