Tiki Central / Locating Tiki
South Pacific Restaurant, Chicago, IL (restaurant)
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Dustycajun
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07/01/2008
Name:South Pacific Restaurant Description: |
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Dustycajun
Posted
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07/01/2008
I found this menu for the South Pacific Restaurant in Chicago. I had never heard about this place on TC or anywhere else and was wondering if anybody has any other information? Here is the menu.
Check out these drink names from the menu. Pretty creative stuff before Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic came up with all of the modern day standards.
The choices seem to be either wanton lust with exotic women or lost at sea on a deserted island! |
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TM
Tipsy McStagger
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07/01/2008
chicago was host to not only the big names in tiki like vics, kona kai and the beachcomber, but also alot of little "one-off" places like south pacific, tradewinds, the polynesian, tong's tiki hut, jimmy wong's, pago pago, shanghai-lil's, shangri-la (which is where the cook and the decor of chef shangri-la came from), sneaky tiki(aka paradise club), cyril's house of tiki and many more...it's amazing to think of what a hot bed of tiki this town was back at it's peak of polynesian themed places...you couldn't hit all the places in one weekend of drinking, but it would have been fun trying... |
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JC
Jeff Central
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07/01/2008
Great news!!! :) Now where's that blasted time machine? Cheers and Mahalo, |
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Swanky
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07/01/2008
If not for the Chicago Don's and Trader Vic's, we would not have the Mai Kai and Kahiki and probably 50 more Polynesian restaurants across the east and south east. |
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bigbrotiki
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07/01/2008
Arrrgh, each time I get reminded of THE Tiki crime of the decade, the razing of the Chicago Trader Vic's, I get mad. A minute of silence please...
Chicago was THE classic Old World-style bustling metropolis were the concept of the tropical hideway as escape from the concrete jungle really hit the spot and flourished. Three of ten restaurants on the page below are South Seas themed:
These ads are from a 1958 Schubert Theatre stage bill.
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TM
Tipsy McStagger
Posted
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07/01/2008
ahhh yes..honolulu harry's waikiki....almost forgot!! |
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uncle trav
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07/01/2008
Thought I'd add this from my collection. |
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Dustycajun
Posted
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07/02/2008
Tipsy - You, of all people, could have done Chicago in one weekend. It's all in the planning. You start at Don's for Lunch on Saturday and work your way through three or four more spots the rest of the day. On Sunday, its up early for Brunch at Trader Vic's and that gives you the rest of the day and night to knock of the other 4 or 5 locations. Think of the challenge! Uncle Trav, thanks for posting the matchbook from the South Pacific, I knew there had to be some other items from this place out there. I have never seen a postcard?? Bigbro, A moment of silence will be offered over tonight's Mai Tai in honor of the Traders demise. In keeping with a broader Chicago theme, here are postcards etc. from a few other restaurants that were mentioned by Tipsy and Bigbro. Trader Vic's Palmer House with the nice Tiki by Barney West
Kon Tiki Ports Papeete Room, Macao Room, Singapore Joes Tavern and Saigon Room in the Sheraton Hotel
Shangri-La Restaurant postcard and drink menu
Shanghai Lil's
Nobody mentioned the Tropics Restaurant in the Chicagoan Hotel
Honolulu Harry's Waikiki Restaurant oversized postcard. I have a lot of paper from this place so I will make a separate post under Locating Tiki.
The Windy City, my kind of town. |
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Dustycajun
Posted
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07/06/2009
[ Edited by: Dustycajun 2009-07-05 18:20 ] |
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Dustycajun
Posted
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09/30/2009
Another matchbook from the South Pacific.
The bar looks like it was called the Guam Outpost and the owner was Harry Eng. DC |
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Dustycajun
Posted
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04/11/2010
Here is a cool little ashtray from the South Pacific that was on ebay.
DC |
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GK
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Grand Kahu
Posted
posted
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04/11/2010
Interesting - the address is right next to - an part of the same building as - the Oriental Theater (c. 1926), so they would have had a whole exotic theme going on in the day... GK |
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MC
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Maui Chimes
Posted
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04/01/2011
Thought that i would document this photo alblum and photo to the "Guam-Outpost" here before this item goes on the chopping block . (See the marketplace for e-bay link) :drink: Aloha! MC
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Swanky
Posted
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01/06/2012
Faalia, who was the original fireknife dancer at the Mai-Kai was working here at the South Pacific when he was hired to move down south. The menu is in his collection. |
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Dustycajun
Posted
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01/21/2012
I found some photos online of the South Pacific sign.
And an old ad from Pumana.
DC |
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TM
Tipsy McStagger
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01/21/2012
interesting obit for wayne sit...... http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2006-10-30/news/0610300006_1_chinese-immigrants-lincoln-square He eventually opened Hoe king lo ( which had a killer looking building and sign which I found a picture of online awhile back but cannot seem to locate it now. I remember driving by the place on thrifting expeditions in my teens.) Hoe king lo is one of the few bumatay mugs that has the name of the place on it (see ooga mooga) [ Edited by: Tipsy McStagger 2012-01-21 07:18 ] [ Edited by: Bora Boris - Cleaned up. - 2012-01-22 18:16 ] |
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BB
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Bora Boris
Posted
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01/23/2012
Here's a few more images Big and scratchy! A couple "Borrowed" from Flicker ~
Here's a cool * "Then and Now"* page on Chicago's WTTW site. http://interactive.wttw.com/loop/loop-then-now/randolph-street-east-dearborn-street and one that's depressing. http://interactive.wttw.com/loop/loop-then-now/randolph-street-west-dearborn-street As usual it's sad to see any cool signage that is gone. |
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TM
Tipsy McStagger
Posted
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01/23/2012
...and on that walking tour, a pic of the Hoe Sai Gai where mr. sit first worked before moving onto the south pacific.....
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TM
Tipsy McStagger
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01/23/2012
oh hell yeah.... interior of hoe sai gai via postcards....
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BB
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Bora Boris
Posted
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01/23/2012
Great Glowie Signage!
I think the signature above the name is "Joey Engs". [ Edited by: Bora Boris 2012-01-22 19:13 ] |
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TM
Tipsy McStagger
Posted
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01/23/2012
now back to topic.....
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Swanky
Posted
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11/27/2013
[ Edited by: Swanky 2013-11-27 13:03 ] |
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UT
uncle trav
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09/21/2014
Here is a pic of the exterior of the restaurant from the 60s from the Chicago Tribune. And a link to an article with some background of the restaurant. |
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Dustycajun
Posted
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11/21/2018
This great photo of the sign and the carved panels outside showed up on facebook today.
DC |
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TP
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The Professor
Posted
posted
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01/06/2025
Adding photos of another version of the South Pacific menu, from my collection, which appears to be later than those posted so far.
[ Edited by The Professor on 2025-01-06 11:46:45 ] [ Edited by The Professor on 2025-01-06 11:47:47 ] |
Pages: 1 25 replies