Post #704610 by TikiTomD on Tue, Jan 14, 2014 3:38 PM

Fu-Lama Gardens was the site of a Fall 1975 fashion shoot; unfortunately, the newspaper microfiche is so bad that one can’t infer much about the décor…

The Daily Herald September 1, 1975

When it comes to cooking, make sure your wok is an iron one, according to Fu-Lama Gardens owner, Robert Eng…

The Daily Herald October 23, 1975

Here is a review of the food served at Fu-Lama Gardens and also the Kona Kai at the Chicago Marriott Hotel… the “Tiki Nests” at Fu-Lama Gardens sound intriguing…

The Daily Herald November 14, 1975

In this section, we learn that there really is a large Witco fountain at the restaurant entrance…

This article highlights specialty drinks at some of the local area Chicago bars and restaurants… Fu-Lama Gardens’ Pina Colada seems rather tame against the Pussy Bumper from Fiddler’s Restaurant and Lounge…

The Daily Herald June 19, 1976

So, what happened to Fu-Lama Gardens? I don’t find any further mention in the news archives after 1976… it just vanished into obscurity so complete that it didn’t even make it into Tiki Road Trip. I’m hoping one or more of you Tiki Centralites is in possession of some bit of flotsam from this lost temple.

Searching on the address, I found that a House of Hunan restaurant occupied the same location in more recent times, though it evidently closed circa 2008.

-Tom