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Mai Kai
Fort Lauderdale, FLFull review and history of the Mai Kai
available in Tiki Road Trip
Note: this is an edited version of my original review which was posted in June, 2000
Perhaps it is good that it took me so long to get to the Mai Kai in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
I have been reviewing Tiki Bars for six years, and enjoying them for quite a bit longer than that. Some of the Tiki Bars I have visited have been absolutely wonderful, and others have kind of sucked. Hence, the point of reviewing them. If they were all great, there'd be no need to compare and contrast them.
The Tiki Quest has disappointed me on many occasions. I can remember driving all around Baltimore on a pleasant summer evening in 1997, only to find a boarded up sub sandwich shop in a ghetto. I have visited more stinky mildewed shite-holes than I really want to tell you about. But for every bad lead, there has been a gem waiting too.
I have been thrilled by places like the Hala Kahiki, The Kona Kai, Jardin Tiki, The (old) Islands Room, and our recently lost Kahiki. These are the places that define the Tiki Bar/Polynesian Restaurant genre. These are the places that are worth driving hours out of one's way to visit. These are the inspiration for my writings, the topic of my web site, and the template for an entire room in my own home.
But had I visited any of these places after my recent visit to Mai Kai, none of them would have seemed as spectacular as they did during my initial pre-Mai Kai visits.
You see, after visiting Mai Kai, all of the other Polynesian Restaurants you might venture to will pale in comparison. It is for this reason that I strongly recommend a visit to Ft. Lauderdale... after you make one last trip to the Kahiki, after you make the trek up to Montreal to visit Jardin Tiki, and after you experience some of the remaining Trader Vicâs locations. Otherwise, you just won't be impressed by all of these other great locations. The Mai Kai is that cool.
So lets get to it.
I lived in Florida for 15 months in 1992-1993. This was shortly after the dawn of my Tikiness. While a trip to Daytona to see the big Moai outside of the Aku Tiki Inn was worth my time back then, the significantly longer drive to Lauderdale, at that time, wasn't. I had heard of the Mai Kai, but I guess I didn't really realize what it was all about. After all, we had the Bubble Room in Orlando if I wanted to treat my date to a place both expensive and campy. Little did I know...
Seven years have drifted by, and I have visited dozens of Tiki Bars worldwide. Over time, the neglected Mai Kai become #1 on my list of places to experience next. But when was I going back to Florida? No time soon.
No time soon, that is, until I found myself with a layover in Miami after my epic trip to Easter Island. Why not make that layover a full day, I decided. So after racking up $81 for a car rental (they charged me for two days, the bastids), and $40 for a hotel room, I was $121 in the hole, but I was also finally on my way to the Mai Kai.... where I would spend another $150.
Driving down the flat and ugly highway through the scorching Florida sun, past endless strip malls, lunatic Latinos with sub woofers in their trunks, and ugly corporate office buildings, the Mai Kai springs out at you like an oasis in this concrete wasteland. Words cannot do it justice; have a peek at some of the pictures (below) if you want details. But to be brief, the effect is of a small village on a perfect tropical island. There are multiple small huts, supported on bamboo legs over lush tropical foliage, and waterfalls flowing into ponds and streams. Several huge Tikis watch over the scene, almost as tall as the high-arched roof with the proud Mai Kai sign perched on top.
So - what did we find inside?
How was the food? The drinks? The show?
When was this place built, and by whom?
How does one get there?
Well, you're going to have to read Tiki Road Trip to find out...
But we will say that the Mai Kai has, without a doubt, bumped the Kahiki and the Jardin Tiki out of the top spots for the best architecture and decor of any Polynesian Restaurant/Tiki Bar that I have experienced. It also has a killer floor show, decent food, and great drinks. If you want a small cozy lounge, the sort of place that immediately springs to mind when listening to your Arthur Lyman records, the reposeful Hala Kahiki is still #1 in my book (weak drinks nonwithstanding). But if you are looking for a full-blown experience - the custom designed building, the floor show, the food, the whole package - Mai Kai is doubtlessly the best establishment of it's kind.
Pics and mail about the Mai Kai...
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Kevin writes: My name is Kevin and I live just about 45 miles north of Ft. Lauderdale ( W Palm Beach). The Mai Kai has been open as long as I can remember. I have been here since the early 50's. I know it was a tradition that many went to the Mai Kai for prom night. I hope it is around for many years to come.
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Scott writes:
Really enjoyed your review of the Mai-Kai. I have always been a lover of classic Tiki, but never quite became an expert. I grew up in Ft. Lauderdale and moved to New York City a few years after high school in the mid '80s. I still live in NYC and visit my family in Ft. Laud a couple of times a year. I ALWAYS GO to the Mai Kai when I'm back there. ALWAYS! That place is f'in insane! Believe it or not, when I was living there I never went. I think maybe once I went when I was a kid. But my parents always thought of the place as another Florida tourist rap, so we never went. I rave to my NYC friends about the Mai Kai, but they can't seem to get jazzed by anything located in Ft. Lauderdale. I can't say I blame them, but if they only knew, they would change their minds I'm sure.
As I mentioned I haven't delved into the Tiki world as deeply as you have, but I am not surprised by your review of the Mai Kai and how everything else takes a back seat to it.
Dean Curtis adds:
Last week I traveled to Florida from Oakland, CA, mainly to visit the Mai-Kai. I thoroughly enjoyed my experiences there, so much that I actually visited for three nights, once for dinner and the show, and twice for drinks only. I think your review was great and I think it accurately described the sheer size and awesome decor of the place. The only slight difference of opinion I would have is on the drink quality. My Mai-Tai was one of the best I've ever had. It wasn't red (it was more reddish-orange) and it had a real complex flavor (I noticed a licorice flavor in addition to the usual almond flavor). I also especially enjoyed the Cobra Kiss, the S.O.S., the Black Magic, and the Kona Coffee Grog. They all had lots of spicy, interesting, flavors, unlike the Rum Barrel and the Mara-Amu, which were more like basic rum punches. I thought the drinks were fairly strong and it seemed that they were by the level of intoxication of many of the patrons. The prices are very high but not much higher than they are at the Tonga Room and Trader Vic's. I come to expect that the better the decor and atmosphere, the more expensive the drinks are. Also, I would pay more for a Mai Tai with good Martinique rum than one made with cheap rum and Whaler's (what they use at Trader Vic's unless you specify otherwise when ordering). Finally, they have a Mai Kai club card that costs $10 that saves you 25% off food and drinks as well as 50% off the show price for two people. I used the card on two of the three nights we went there (it's only good Sundays through Thursdays) and I saved at least $50.
Lisa Marie writes:
Thanks for writing the review on the Mai Kai in Ft. Lauderdale. My husband and I are going there tomorrow night for our 1st wedding anniversary. The last time I was there I was 2 years old (1972) but it is one of my most vivid memories. I hope they have mugs for us tomorrow night.
Another comment... If any of you want an authentic "Eisenhower Era" Polynesian nightclub, there's only one - repeat, ONE - left in the country. The Mai Kai in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Wonderful place. At least one of the musicians - Toti Terorotua, a friend I've known since1957 at Don the Beachcomber's in Waikiki - is still playing there like a 20-year-old.
Megan writes: I lived directly across the street from the Mai Kai as a kid from 1972-82 and loved to watch the tiki torches lit up at night. I had my kindergarten birthday party there - my preferred place of celebration! I remember intentionally knocking my little purse off the back of my chair and crawling under the table to get it when the flame twirlers came around. I had very long hair and was afraid they would set it on fire! I had a virgin daquiri in a huge coconut mug with what seemed like a two foot skewer of fruit. Good Times. Still collecting tiki after all these years and planning a trip down to the old haunt soon. Just a happy tiki memory I thought I would share.
First six photos courtesy of David Carter
Last eight photos by James Teitelbaum
Matchbook courtesy of Tiki Mike
Mo' Pics...
