Mauna Loa, Mexico City, Mexico (restaurant)

Pineapple spoon with Mauna Loa inscription

Vintage ad.

Fantastico! A keeper!

Bigbro, you betcha!

Palm tree swizzle stick

Aloha Amigos!
Luck, longevity and Wealth...
Who wants to translate?

Visit Mexico!

Found this beauty in "la lagunilla" Mexico City's flea market... paid 4 dollars for it.

I'm almost positive it is the (never seen before) scorpion bowl from Mauna Loa Mexico... who can confirm?
Hasta la vista amigos!

Confirmed. That looks like an older mold version of the Bali Hai bowl on the left, sans Maori moko:

Grouping together a few more images from other threads:

:up: Nice Sidewinder's Fang-style mug there. Wonder if one has ever been found.

:down: Mimi's large-format pic of the interior. Check out the winged figure on the far wall:

:down: A similar figure at the Mai Kai in Florida has been identified by GatorRob and Bob & Leroy at Oceanic Arts, as based on this Papua New Guinea carving "Representing a heron carrying away a woman — a classic Sepik River creation figure."

Sabu

Here are a few more images from the Mauna Loa.

A matchbook.

A drink menu.

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DC

Nice job everyone! DC, do you own that menu? Maybe I could translate it...
Look what I found in a small flea market in D.F.
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Never seen before, Suzie Wong mug... $15 dollars
Hasta la vista...

Zeta,

That was not my menu, did not capture it on ebay but grabbed the images.

Here is a little more ebay-archeology.
This is a great Mauna Loa menu with the graphics and mugs shown.

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DC

Gracias DC! Muy bonito!
Singapur Sling
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Adios, hasta luego.

Zeta,

You are getting a nice collection of the Mauna Loa mugs. From the menu you posted it looks like there are ten custom mugs from here.

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1. Suzie Wong
2. Singapur Sling
3. Escorpian (same as Bali Hai on Svens menu)
4. Guerrero Fiji
5. Buda Sour
6. Geisha
7. Pina How
8. Tahitiana
9. Manila Mango
10. Tonga Tabu

How many do you have now?

DC

[ Edited by: dustycajun 2009-10-05 19:49 ]

DC, only three different ones... But I have 3 different versions of the suzie wong: For example, this one: notice the logo on the bottom? It was probably their give away mug... I Think you could buy them too.
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Trade anyone?

SALUD AMIGOS!
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who wants to translate?

Great to have found that Singapore Sling mug in an ad. I had missed that earlier post in October, what a funny mug!

Translation ~

*You will never find anywhere else in Mexico such variety of drinks. From the international Planters Punch to the exotic and smooth Suzie Wong! .....and of course the best national and international drinks.

Cheers my friend! *

Since Zeta is back today, I thought I would post some Mauna Loa images from an amazing brochure on Mimi Payne's website.

Great graphics.
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Awesome interior scenes.

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Check out those bar stools!
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Is that a Barney Tiki??
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DC

Gracias DC! You are such a gentleman! but this menu belongs to the other Mauna Loa in Mexico... The Hamburgo (Zona Rosa) location.

Found this review on the internet today:

Tiki in Mexico — Mauna Loa is a delightful Polynesian nightclub. Live music for dancing, as well as a Polynesian floor show. Shows Tuesday-Friday 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., Saturday at 11:45 p.m. and Sunday morning at 10:15 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. Reservations required. M$60 cover charge.

• Ave. San Jeronimo 240 (Copilco Metro station). Phone: (52 55) 5616-2777.

Now I am all confused with the two different Mauna Loa Mexico Locations... I need your help guys.

On 2010-03-31 15:15, Tikinomad wrote:
Found some great pieces over the weekend...
Super rare find for Jersey or the U.S. for that matter, a Singapore Sling mug from the Mauna Loa in Mexico that I found at "Cobweb Corner" outside of A.C....
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A nice early start to the flea market season here in Jersey...happy hunting! :)

Who there?
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Tiki.

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OK, next, push the foliage aside and move in, like in Bladerunner. :)

Review I found on the internet:

Comer en Mauna Loa es una grata experiencia, pues se trata de uno de los lugares más originales de la ciudad. Todos los elementos de su decoración transportan a una exótica isla del Pacífico, en donde espectáculos de bailes hawaianos y polinesios hacen más placenteros sus alimentos (despues de las 21h). La especialidad del lugar es la comida china; el pato Pekín es muy recomendable. Ofrece desayunos de 7.30 -12.30h y menú ejecutivo en el transcurso de la semana. Sus mesas, diseñadas a manera de "privados", lo hacen tambien una buena opción para cenas románticas.

Translate please

I found and emailed the architect who designed this Mauna Loa plaza in Mexico City. He replied and told me he's looking for the blueprints and any additional info picture anecdote about this legendary place. Also told me to be patient because he did that 40 years ago!
What else should I ask him?
Help me out fellow tiki urban archeologists!
Tikiphiles of the world, unite!

Alright Zeta, you're on a roll! Right on, wake'em up, the sleepy heads, gettem into it!

Fantastic to hear the guy is still alive. Did he just do the PLAZA or also the restaurant? I assume he did the restaurant first then? And if so, I wonder WHO came up with the Mauna Loa concept, who did the carvings, who was the graphic artist that did the menu?

Thanks bigbro, and please help me wake them up! I need feedback and support. This is tiki archeology right now. Work to do right now. If we don't do it now, when? The clock is tiking...
A famous Covarrubias collector/intelectual/city historian who I know was into tiki died this year and I never managed to ask him vital things... I tried, but not enough... Vital shining tiki truths lost forever...

I myself have neglected my investigation, I contacted this architect almost two years ago but didn't follow trough on the investigation and it was forgotten until now...

He (and his architecture firm) did the restaurant, the plaza and everything... I don't know about the graphics or tikis... but I'll ask him. What do we know about this particular tiki style? Is it unique to this particular place? Influences?

He also did the "?" tiki bar in Cancun that I know nothing about and have never seen anything of.

Sabu, Dusty, Kate (R.I.P. :( ) and everyone else (that's you KC) I want to translate everything on menus and paper ephemera about this place. (and any other latin tiki establishment: Aku Tiki, Acapulco etc...) From Spanish to English and viceversa.
Please help me if you can somehow.

Yeah I know, help help help... too much asking, but hey! Do it for tiki! You will receive your credit.

Right you are, I share your pain. Did you ever hear from that CoolRaul guy again that told us about the Cancun location? He wanted to ask his mom about photos...

In California, architects like Armet & Davis also hired and worked closely together with the decorators and graphic designers, so he might know who they were.

I finally got me a Singapor Sling mug, such as silly, unique design!

No news from CoolRaul...
Nice score on the Singapore sling! where from? not a common at all... also, I think it's handles are unique, and easy to break too!

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"The sacred and the mundane"
Photo by me

Zeta,

Great photo, how long do you think that Tiki had been hiding there?

DC

Gracias Dusty,

It's been hiding there since the mid sixties... waiting to tell his story, but nobody seems to care.

But you know EYE do! :D

I have a mug question: Having been fortunate recently to find a Singapore Sling mug, I began to take a closer look at the ones up here, and the paper ephemera I could find. It became apparent that there are different versions:

Here is Tiki Nomad's:____________________________________________________and here is mine:

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The paint job is different, though the same concept. The handles on mine seem thicker, and it seems to be a tad more indented.
It looks like the one in this ad:

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But when we look at the one on this placemat menu:

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...we can make out a completely different paint scheme, one that looks much more like an authentic Papua New Guinea drawing, more like the one on this menu:

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Does any one here have this PNG version of this mug, and could they post an image of it please?

Bigbro - I don't have an image of the earlier mug, but I just wanted to say; excellent research, collation and presentation of existing images! You've given a great example of the de-evolution of a tiki mug from classic to cartoony in that series of pictures.

Thanks! That's what I was thinking, that since some PNG art has cartoony aspects to it (like grinning mouths) the artists of the later mugs were ignorant of the original PNG art that had inspired the first mug and just went off on the cartoon concept. Would be great to see a shot of the first generation mug to compare. Frank?

Sven,

Will post a pic of a third version when I get a chance. It's not the original version which means there are at least 4 varieties.

Splendid! Could you perhaps post a closer shot/scan of that mug on the place mat with your mug, then? Can't believe you don't have it! :wink:

I love how the same mug design can become so varied over time...it helps fuel our passion for collecting and keeps us urban archaeologists digging in the field! Great pictures and research guy's, as always....thanks for sharing and happy hunting!

On 2009-01-18 07:59, uncle trav wrote:
Here is a nice photo of the interior...The s & p shakers appear to be generic and not the Trader Vic type in this pic. The large Tiki in the postcard from TabooDan is not in the photo either...

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This is quite an early photo - taken December 1st, 1958 by Frank Scherschel for Life Magazine.
Perhaps a lot of mugs/products evolved over the following decades.

Here's my Singapur Sling mug for comparison:

On 2009-10-05 06:00, Zeta wrote:
Gracias DC! Muy bonito!
Singapur Sling
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Adios, hasta luego.

In other news, a never seen before on ebay Suzie Wong mug is on sale right now...

Here's the link to the auction:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Mauna-Loa-Mexico-Suzie-Wong-tiki-mug-vintage-rare-/270679286099?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f05be2153

Here's the picture of the Suzie Wong mug:

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I have seen this one before but it is a rare mug. Reminds me of an Oriental Kimono vase or something along those lines.

TabooDan

(31-Jul-1998).-

Festivales

Air New Zealand

Restaurante Mauna Loa

Fecha: Del 1 al 31 de agosto

Dirección: Av. San Jerónimo 240.

Colonia Jardines del Pedregal

Tel: 616-0122

Horrible video with few interiors and Tongolele with tikis! :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s13d9SP8zEA

Yes indeed, that was hard to watch. :lol: HOW long was the Mauna Loa open? At the beginning, that bamboo/rattan ceiling with the lamps looks real, but the rest of the video could very well have been shot in the studio...or yes, on a stage in the restaurant. The Tikis around Tongolele are really nice, and authentic, they could be from a restaurant ...or a prop house. But given the porthole windows in the mens room, and the rock walls and drinks with long straws, and this looking like it was a one day shoot, it seems likely to have been shot all in the restaurant. And I am sure you have your reasons WHY you think it was shot at the Mauna Loa, and, let's say, not at the Aku Tiki. WHO is this Kokin guy? He perhaps comprendes Mendes, but clearly non-comprendes Polynesian pop. :D

Any idea what the Suzie Wong mug ended up going for?
thanks for any info

On 2011-03-30 18:09, fezgirl wrote:
Any idea what the Suzie Wong mug ended up going for?
thanks for any info

Hola, are you interested in selling or in buying?
Adios