Kon Tiki Restaurant, Boston, MA (restaurant)

Name:Kon Tiki Restaurant
Type:restaurant
Street:Sheraton Hotel
City:Boston
State:MA
Zip:
country:USA
Phone:
Status:defunct

Description:
I thought I would start this post to see if anybody out there has information on the Kon Tiki in Boston. I have postcards from every other Kon Tiki except this one. The card that Tiki Kate posted recently showing the interior shot is from the Chicago location even though it says Boston on the back.

I have a lone matchbox

And the mug that lists both Chicago and Boston locations

There is an Alien mug from Boston and some swizzles.

Could find no pics or other info, nothing, nada, zip, zilch.

This looks like a research job for Uncle Trav, Mo-Eye and Abstractiki.

DC

Ta Dah!

[ Edited by: Big Kahuna 2009-11-25 21:35 ]

Big Kahuna,

As I said at the start, that postcard is from the Chicago Kon Tiki and not Boston.

Here is the Chicago Kon Tiki brochure from Mimi Payne's website:

I think that the restaurant chain must have got lazy and used the same picture for the postcard at both locations. Given that it is featured in the Chicago brochure, that's where its got to be from.

Thanks for posting the Alien mug.

Looking for something showing the inside of this one.

DC

DOH! That postcard was even made in Boston! Lazy bastards! Offending image removed. Please forgive my indiscretion. Thanks, as always, DC for another tasty bit of Poly Pop history!

[ Edited by: Big Kahuna 2009-11-25 21:38 ]

Big Kahuna,

Thanks for posting. Your observation about the card being made in Boston made me pause for a second there. I looked at the other Chicago Kon Tiki Ports postcards and they were all made in Boston as well, so I'm sill going with Chicago.

I'm also thinking that Boston did not have the 4 or 5 different restaurants like Chicago and Dallas, but rather was a single Kon Tiki like Montreal, Cleveland, etc.

DC

I have this guy that was used at both locations -

Bora Boris,

What, no swizzle?

DC

I dug this up.

WEEKEND VACATIONS AT DOWNTOWN HOTELS
by RALPH BLUMENTHAL REPORTER FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES.
Published: January 25, 1981

“...our complimentary brunch was awaiting us so we returned to the Sheraton-Boston.
It was not going to be your average Sunday brunch, we realized as we were directed into the hotel's Kon Tiki Ports Restaurant and Lounge. We were handed leis to throw around our necks and seated in high-backed cobra chairs under the stern visages of Polynesian masks and totems. Then, sipping mai-tais, we breakfasted on Hawaiian eggs, beef ding, pork luau, chicken wings, a fish dish called mahi-mahi, fried bananas and watermelon...” “we counted the luau brunch as part of our weekend bargain.”

Borrowed images...both supposedly Boston, although the green swizzle says Sheraton Hotel.
Pick-

Swizzle-

OGR,

Thanks for the swizzle images, here are a couple that you can actually read. These were posted by Tikisgrl on Tiki Finds.

We really need to find a picture of this place.

DC

On 2009-11-26 08:31, Dustycajun wrote:
Bora Boris,

What, no swizzle?

DC

Sorry, here you go -

I picked up some matchbooks from the Kon Tiki Ports in Boston.

The matchbooks advertise four "Ports", the usual Papeete, Saigon, and Macao. They also include a new one that was not at the Chicago or Dallas locations -

The Bangkok.

I still have found no photographic evidence from this place. It is odd that they used the Kon Tiki Ports logo like Chicago but also had the Kon Tiki logo from Hawaii.

I wonder if the restaurant morphed from the ports concept to the Kon Tiki concept. It would seem so if you read the clip posted by Abstractiki.

Here is the back of the matchbooks.

What's weird about this is the one on the left would seem to be older as it does not include the newer Crane restaurants called the Californian and the 9000, but it includes the Kon Tiki in Waikiki. The one on the right does not have the Waikiki location listed... did it close before the others?

This location is still a bit of a mystery, someone has to have some photos or postcards or something.....

DC

This is an excerpt from a Boston Globe on-line article by Christopher Muther May 24, 2007. It seams as thow he saying that these photos are of the Boston Kon Tiki Ports but are they really of the Boston location or more of the stock photo's used for multiple locations?

Tiki Style and Drink Recipes.

"... Back in the day, Boston was bursting with tiki restaurants. Beach Bum Berry (aka Jeff Berry), shared these photos with me..."

"...And here a couple of shots from the late Kon-Tiki Ports.. also in Boston. I would pay good money to hang out in a place like this..."

Here is the link to the whole article.
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/fashion/stylephile/2007/05/tiki_style_and.html

Abstract,

That would be too easy! I have those cards, they are from the Ports o Call in Dallas, although they were made in Boston.

Maybe that's why people get confused, many of the Kon Tiki postcards were published by the International Hotel Supply Company located in Boston. Kind of ironic that this company never made a card for the Kon Tiki that was actually located in Boston! Wonder if they are still around with a vault of negatives?

DC

At long last I have unearthed a photo from Kon Tiki Ports in Boston!

Featuring a dapper couple with all of the cool table lamps, plates, napkins and condiment jars on display (not to mention a great clam wall lamp).

DC

Wow
Great photo D

That really IS a great photo. How do you know it's from Boston? There is so much confusion in the rest of this thread.

On 2016-03-30 18:21, kenbo-jitsu wrote:
That really IS a great photo. How do you know it's from Boston? There is so much confusion in the rest of this thread.

Because I am DC, know-er of all Tiki, do you doubt my powers young one?

Kidding aside, the dapper gentleman in the photo is Jerry Williams who was the famous talk show host on WMEX 1510 radio in Boston, and the photo was credited to Boston to boot.

This is a holly grail sort of find for an ardent researcher.

DC

On 2016-03-30 21:56, Dustycajun wrote:
... do you doubt my powers young one?

Doubt? Never! Just trying to learn the methods of the tiki masters. :)

Wow, this place is an enigma...but did find this ad from 1973...sadly no pictures in the ad

This small snippet from the Chicago Tribune on September 12th, 1965 in an article on the new Prudential Center lets us know when the Kon Tiki in Boston opened -