MAI-KAI Restaurant and Polynesian Show

"The Mai-Kai originally opened in 1956 when brothers Bob and Jack Thornton spent $350,000 — making it America’s most expensive restaurant project that year — to bring Polynesian culture to a quiet stretch of farmland near Fort Lauderdale Beach. The ambitious venture paid off, as the restaurant became an instant hit, helping put South Florida’s dining scene on the map long before the region’s current restaurant boom. "We are not a tiki bar and don’t consider ourselves a tiki bar. We are a Polynesian venue," says managing partner Bill Fuller. "Our goal has been to honor and preserve the rich culture and traditions that the Mai-Kai has celebrated over the last 50 years. Every detail is authentic and tells a story that is respectful and appreciative of these traditions." Working with cultural arts and entertainment director Teuruhei Buchin, the venue aims to celebrate rather than appropriate Pacific Island traditions. The twice-nightly performances showcase traditional music and dance that tell stories from various island cultures, with performers representing Hawaii, Tahiti, Samoa, New Zealand, and the Philippines. The menu at Mai-Kai showcases Polynesian cuisine, blending longtime classics with new dishes inspired by Southeast Asian flavors. Classic dishes like the Mai-Kai Pupu Platter, with Shanghai chicken, crispy pork and snow crab egg rolls, cheese tangs, and crab Rangoon, return alongside barbecue ribs, Peking duck, and Shanghai chicken. New additions include a wagyu strip steak inspired by the restaurant’s former beef, broccoli, beef, and mushroom dishes and a Kona beer-glazed short rib, incorporating ingredients common in island cooking. Desserts highlight tropical influences with options like Asian pear upside-down cake with Vietnamese coffee ice cream, Mauna Loa macadamia nut pie, and the Angry Tiki Tower, with mochi, macadamia ice cream sandwiches, lychees, and grapes. At the Molokai Bar, Mai-Kai’s cocktail program has been refreshed under bartender Cory Starr, previously of Chicago’s Three Dots and a Dash. Drawing inspiration from Mariano Licudine, Mai-Kai’s original bartender and a protégé of tiki legend Donn the Beachcomber, Starr has crafted a 57-drink menu that honors the classics, including the mai tai and Black Magic, while introducing his creations to the nautical-themed bar. The space remained intact over the decades, with most of its 1950s relics still in place when plumbing issues forced Mai-Kai’s closure in October 2020. That’s when Fuller — fresh from revitalizing Miami’s storied Ball & Chain — partnered with the Thornton family, and they assembled a team of theme park veterans to modernize the space while preserving its history. The 26,000-square-foot venue’s eight dining rooms have all been restored, each themed after a different Pacific island with artifacts from its namesake region. The renovation team, led by Tom “Typhoon Tommy” Allsmiller and artists with backgrounds at Disney and Universal, preserved features like the venue’s mid-century A-frame structure while adding modern upgrades like DMX-controlled lighting that allows customized spotlights for each table. "Each guest that walks through the door will feel the energy that Bob and Jack Thornton originally created," says Fuller." - Olee Fowler

"Before Fort Lauderdale was the spring break destination we know it as today, it was a dusty rural town. As such, people were surprised when, in 1956, brothers Bob and Jack Thornton took out a hefty loan to bring South Seas flair to South Florida in the form of the Mai-Kai Restaurant.  The gamble paid off: The novelty spot was a hit, grossing $1 million in its first year. For those who couldn’t afford to fly to Tahiti or Hawaii, a tiki bar in Florida was plenty authentic. Customers were drawn into the towering A-frame structure by the warm glow of tiki torches out front. The decor and magnitude of the place really sold it. For example, a massive Tahitian canoe from the owner’s wedding was strung from the ceiling among fishing buoys and palm leaves. The bar was constructed of surfboards, lined nose to tail along the length of the numerous dining rooms. But the floor show, which still goes strong today, was the Mai-Kai’s truly unique selling point. Dancers and flame-throwers, many of whom hailed from Polynesian islands, performed nightly shows. The perceived exoticism of these performances, not to mention the fact that waitresses and bartenders alike were scantily clad in bikinis and sarongs, made the Mai-Kai’s simple dinner-and-a-show format seem like a destination worth traveling for on its own. The Mai-Kai has been placed on Florida’s National Register of Historic Places. Since its opening it has almost doubled in size. The eight dining rooms are each themed after different Polynesian Islands, though in all truth, no Polynesian Island ever looked like the Mai-Kai. It’s aesthetic is much like it was at the height of tiki culture in the late ’60s, so a visit to the Mai-Kai is like stepping into a fantasy of the past. Update as of January 2021: Currently closed indefinitely for repairs." - ATLAS_OBSCURA

"Right now, it’s Mai-Kai. Fingers crossed they’ll open again. I’m a tiki girl and that one hit hard." - Olee Fowler

"Before Fort Lauderdale was the spring break destination we know it as today, it was a dusty rural town. As such, people were surprised when, in 1956, brothers Bob and Jack Thornton took out a hefty loan to bring South Seas flair to South Florida in the form of the Mai-Kai Restaurant. The gamble paid off: The novelty spot was a hit, grossing $1 million in its first year. For those who couldn’t afford to fly to Tahiti or Hawaii, a tiki bar in Florida was plenty authentic. Customers were drawn into the towering A-frame structure by the warm glow of tiki torches out front. The decor and magnitude of the place really sold it. For example, a massive Tahitian canoe from the owner’s wedding was strung from the ceiling among fishing buoys and palm leaves. The bar was constructed of surfboards, lined nose to tail along the length of the numerous dining rooms. But the floor show, which still goes strong today, was the Mai-Kai’s truly unique selling point. Dancers and flame-throwers, many of whom hailed from Polynesian islands, performed nightly shows. The perceived exoticism of these performances, not to mention the fact that waitresses and bartenders alike were scantily clad in bikinis and sarongs, made the Mai-Kai’s simple dinner-and-a-show format seem like a destination worth traveling for on its own. The Mai-Kai has been placed on Florida’s National Register of Historic Places. Since its opening it has almost doubled in size. The eight dining rooms are each themed after different Polynesian Islands, though in all truth, no Polynesian Island ever looked like the Mai-Kai. It’s aesthetic is much like it was at the height of tiki culture in the late ’60s, so a visit to the Mai-Kai is like stepping into a fantasy of the past. Update as of January 2021: Currently closed indefinitely for repairs until June 2023. Know Before You Go Kids are welcome here. Be sure to tell them in the reservation that you have kids, and they will make sure you get an ideal table. There is also a kids menu. Get there prior to your reservation so that you have time to stroll the gardens, and pay the extra $3 for premium parking so that your car is available first when the show lets out and everyone in the restaurant is trying to get out at the same time (valet options only.)" - c ch12ow12, T Troutaddict, bryanr115, l leslipeterson, hcshannonart, ch12ow12, d dancelife27, dancelife27, j jjonesreynolds, Troutaddict, Molly McBride Jacobson, h howler4x4, leslipeterson