Mai Kai, Fort Lauderdale, FL (restaurant)

Wow!!! These are some of the best photos of the Mai Kai I've seen. Thanks!

whoa.

WOAH!

Thank you so much for these... we have been to the Mai Kai a bunch of times, and our pictures
on our crappy point-and-click are always dark and blurry... I'm gonna swipe these riiiiight.... now.

--Pete

Great photos SilverLine!

What a fabulous place, thank you for all the beautiful pictures, wish we could see more. Just wondering, I have never been there, is everything inside original?

Nice photos. Thanks for sharing. Any more?

Excellent work Silverline! This is how I like to see a tiki joint presented! Only thing that would make it better would be having the room names for the various photos (hint hint).

thanks and aloha

So much Wow! Thanks for sharing your amazing photos Silverline!

GROG second that.

Finally the Mai-Kai in full digital HD splendor, GREAT!

On 2014-06-19 18:59, hiltiki wrote:
Just wondering, I have never been there, is everything inside original?

Mostly.

Some of the stuff outside is replica, for example some of the outside tiki's have been molded and then cast in concrete. Florida weather eats tiki's in very short order.

The insides are almost all original. It is about 50% original oceanic artifact and about 50% stuff made for, or at, the Mai Kai.

And Silverline..... some of the nicest shots I have seen of the place, thank you.

There is, however, one minor thing wrong them..... not enough happy people enjoying cocktail in them. :wink:

The term "oceanic" really stood out there for me. It's amazing to think of a self-contained civilization living on a chain of remote islands. That is truly cool.

I have an album by that title - "Oceanic" by Vangelis. It contains some of my most-favored down-tempo and relaxing music of all time. I highly recommend giving it a try, especially if you're in your dimly-lit tiki bar and sipping something good and need reflective and relaxing background tracks to "get in the zone."

Oh yeah, one more thing, VERY NICE PICS!

**SilverLine...**truly excellent photos...though I'm certain you already know that. Many Thanks for posting them. Makes me want to hop on a plane and visit again!

I join the chorus in saying Silverline's photos are spectacular.

The sheer amount of artifacts is staggering. And there's also a bunch of stuff in storage. When a large tiki in the gardens collapsed a few years back, they just brought out another vintage Tiki that had not been seen in decades.

And to EPCOTExplorer's question about the status of the museum artifacts: I assume the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art's Thornton collection is safely stored with the many other private collections, awaiting a future exhibit. I can't speak to the Stanford University collection. Perhaps someone in that area can see if it's on public display.

Add my name to the list of people that are drooling over those photos…

And that's interesting, Hayward. Hope they make a re-apperance, soon. I assume we would be the first to know. :)

Thanks everybody for the kind words. This is what I do for a living, so it really means a lot to me.

Thanks is due to the Mai-Kai management who let me wander through and shoot these before everybody poured in!

What a PLACE!

Holy Smokes, I knew the place was amazing, and have always loved pics people have posted. But those take the cake. Do you have any more?

if you did a whole book of pics on the place Id buy it.

Jeff(btd)

Here are a few photos of the artifacts that were on display in the Tahiti room during the final day of The Hukilau. I've never seen so many old costumes on display before. Also some carvings, scrapbooks, calendars, etc.

More in my flickr album from the event:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/28078283@N05/sets/72157645008150739

I also just posted a major update on all my continuing cocktail research over on this thread:
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=47293&forum=10&vpost=721620

Oh, AWESOME. WIsh those were always out.

Looking for someone to cater your BBQ?

How about having the Mai Kai cater your event.

Backyard BBQ with a Polynesian Twist
Delight your guests with a delicious Barbeque prepared by the Mai-Kai!

$30/person for 3 hours Catering Service with 1 chef and 1 waiter
30 people minimum. Additional charges apply for Dade and Palm Beach County.
A 6% Sales tax will be added to the bill. Suggested gratuity of 18-20%
or
$25/person for Pick Up service
A 6% Sales tax will be added to the bill.

APPETIZERS: Pick 2
Cantonese Fried Shrimp
Fried Dumplings
Egg Rolls
Shanghai Chicken
Chicken Wings Mai-Kai

ENTREES: Pick 2
BBQ Baby Back Ribs
BBQ Chicken
Marinated Pork

SIDES: Pick 2
Hawaiian Fried Rice
Mac & Cheese
Stir Fried Garden Vegetables

DESSERT: Pick 1
Coconut Ice Cream or Brownies

For the ultimate Backyard BBQ Party: Add entertainment!
15 to 20 minute mini show at $695.00 to include 2 female dancers, 1 male dancer + 1 MC

Please contact JOHN GELARDI at 954-563-3272 or [email protected] for more information

Above prices not valid with any other discounts or promotions

Its too bad I don't live in Florida.

Worth nothing that @themaikai is now on Instagram and posting great stuff. :)

I suspect you meant ....worth Noting. That little h sure changes the meaning.

FYI, the Mai Kai is a finalist in this year's Cintas' America's Best Restroom contest, which is taking votes through the end of October.

http://www.bestrestroom.com/us/vote.asp

So's the Tiki Lounge in Pittsburgh, by the way.

some better shots of my kanaloa, which now lives in the tiki room behind the stage,

big mahalos to Kern and the nice folks at the Mai Kai for giving him a place of honor, and for uplighting him correctly so he "comes to life" at night...

say hello to him next time you visit... 8)

We just booked a family trip to Ft. Lauderdale over Christmas break. This is my first time going to South Florida.

You folks on here will appreciate what this means. :)

Scheduled to be there Wed. & Thurs. nights THIS week. Haven't been for close to 2 years! (:

Went to the Mai Kai last night. I'm only in south Florida once or twice a year anymore so I very much cherish these visits to my old favorite haunt. But I must say, it was a very disappointing experience this time. We went for happy hour as usual and met with a couple old friends with the plan of sharing a mystery drink which I'd never gotten before. We were told the drink doesn't have happy hour pricing which we didn't mind, but were saddened to find out the mystery girl couldn't come out til 8:45 (nearly 3 hours later). Mystery drink at full price with no dance? No thank you. So we order up individual drinks. I start with a 151 Swizzle and it was wonderful. My better half gets a Jet Pilot and it was delicious. All is well in the world. Then everything went wrong with the second round. I go for the Zombie and it did not taste good at all. Chelsea got a Moonkist Coconut, one of her favorite drinks there, and it was downright awful. We asked for a replacement for hers, something we've never had to do in ten years of visiting the place and the waitress was back in under a minute with a new drink. She tossed it on the table and said "hope this is better" and storms off. The drink was still bad and for how quickly she came back with it, I think the bartender maybe splashed a bit of cocunut in the old one because there's no way he could have mixed another drink that quickly. We both sipped our way through our bad drinks, with the waitress never checking to see if it was any better. The situation wasn't improved any when the "artist" performing in the Molokai bar started singing Stevie Nicks and "Margaritaville". It would almost be comical if we were actually enjoying ourselves but the wretched soundtrack coupled with the poorly mixed cocktails, bad service, and over 50s singles meet-up group completely shocked my system. This isn't the Mai Kai I remember, with two guys playing traditional Hawaiian music through a shoddy PA in the Molokai bar and beautiful maidens serving us the most delicious libations on the planet, helping us forget all the problems outside those rain drizzled windows. I've been touting Mai Kai as the greatest place on earth to any who will listen for as long as I can remember. It's why we chose it as our wedding destination this coming April. But I left with a very bad taste in my mouth (literally). I hope it was just an off night and not indicative of things to come. I'll revisit them tonight and report back.

Thortiki, how was your experience assuming you were there last night as well?

After a hairy SW flight to Fort Lauderdale, we were ready for the Mai Kai. Got there right @ 5:00 PM opening, sat at a two person table just at the bar entrance. The greeter/seater said the Meet Up group was in the back of the bar. Our server was really nice she's been there awhile since we had her on a prior visit. Started off with a Hidden Pearl & Black Magic which were both really good. Had a mix of 1/2 price appetizers & the pork/sushi @ the buffet behind the singer. The place was really packed by 6:00 PM, We expected a more Aloha Shirt/Tiki crowd & felt in the minority. YES, the singer was terrible expected Hawaiian music or a decent surf band, she detracted from the atmosphere. Our second round of drinks was a Zula (just ok) & a Jet Pilot (A+). The Mai Kai owner was in the bar last night up front. On a side note IMO the Gift Shop has really gone downhill from years ago in what they are now offering. We are going again tonight for drinks & dinner (no show) will see how that turns out Mahalo

Went back tonight and had a better overall experience, although some of the drinks still seemed off to me. Perhaps my palette has changed over time but the Jet Pilot I got was nearly undrinkable. I got about a third of the way through it and had to stop and order something else, a 151 Swizzle, which was really good, but not as great as it was the night before. I don't understand how there could be such inconsistency on something that should be an exact science. Chelsea had a Black magic which was good followed by a Special Reserve Daiquiri that we agreed was the best overall mixed drink of everything we had. All the flavors blended perfectly together. The service was much better this time (we sat at the bar) and although the same singer was there butchering songs I already hate, it seemed easier to ignore this time. I'd be curious to know if they've brought new bartenders in lately or maybe my senses are just off.

More pics...

Mai Kai NIGHT 2: we sat at bar 5:30 PM the SINGER ugh had turned her amp up from the prior night it was terrible (we did say something to the staff). Jet Pilots were fine, only there 1/2 hour then dinner back room good food, décor, music and service. Chatted up waitress floor show has changed & they brought in some new performers from a closed show at Universal. Show room areas was packed. Was worth the SW flight for two nights @ the Tiki national treasure.

Of course I see this the day after you guys are in town... which is a shame for all of us because tomorrow (Sept 20) there is going to be a drink-flight presentation in the Molokai bar. Mr Mattei, the General Manager, got himself a copy of Beachbum Berry's Potions of the Caribbean and that gave him an idea for some drinks that needed making. The locals do what we can to support ideas like this when they happen.

There is some information on Facebook, but I am behind a corporate firewall so you'll just have to go look for it.... or just join us tomorrow evening and enjoy an evening at the Mai Kai with a bunch of people in Aloha Shirts.

C&A, we found out about tonight's event right after we decided on the routing for our trip and unfortunately couldn't modify it. I know it would have left us with a different lasting impression. Hope it's a blast and delicious! We'll be back in April.

On 2014-09-20 18:41, mikehooker wrote:
We'll be back in April.

Looking forward to it!

A great time was had by all at tonight's event featuring a flight of cocktails from Beachbum Berry's "Potions of the Caribbean" ...

More photos here:
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=48185&forum=4&start=last&1

Story and more photos coming soon:
http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2014/09/20/special-event-at-the-mai-kai-takes-guests-on-a-flight-back-to-classic-potions-of-the-caribbean/

Okole maluna!

Reading these negative reports is discouraging. I guess I better keep my expectations in line.

David (and Mike),

If you search back through the history of The Mai-Kai on Tiki Central, you'll find some negative comments from time to time, perhaps the price of being under the microscope to such a degree. I've been consistently dining and drinking there at least once a month for the past 10 years, and remarkably I've noticed very little change. The live music in The Molokai bar is still hit or miss, and occasionally the bar staff will not be 100% on their game, but you have to keep several things in mind:

• The Mai-Kai is a very large, high-volume restaurant/bar. The facility includes eight dining areas and a bar/lounge that combined seat more than 700. I was told by the owner that at the restaurant’s peak, they served 1,600 diners a night for seven nights a week in season and that business is not off that much. The kitchen and service bars alone take up 10,000 square feet. The staff of mixolgoists, servers, performers and other staff totals more than 150 workers. There are obviously a lot of moving parts, and though amazingly the place usually operates like a well-oiled machine, there's bound to be inconsistencies in food, service and even cocktails from time to time. (Just for a frame of reference, the Tiki Ti and Smuggler's Cove each seat around 50 and neither serves food.) A few years also I posted a photo tour of The Mai-Kai's behind-the-scenes operation, which is fascinating to see:
  http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2011/12/28/behind-the-magic-a-backstage-tour-of-the-mai-kais-mysterious-bars-and-kitchen/

• Regarding the cocktails, it sounds like most of the recent bad reports are directed at The Molokai, which is actually not the main bar. It's typically staffed by less experienced bartenders and more subject to inconsistencies in drinks and food. I wish this weren't the case, but it seems to be true. I've sent back perhaps one drink per year, always in that bar. If you sit in one of the dining rooms, you'll almost never get a bad drink. Of course, that's small consolation if you're there for happy hour or spending the night in the bar, but still the odds are pretty good you won't be disappointed. I spent most of The Hukilau drinking with folks like Beachbum Berry and Martin Cate, and I heard very few complaints.

• The report of bad service is a bit out of the ordinary since that's one thing that is the most consistently good, though the bar is perhaps the most laissez faire. Same as the advice you would get regarding any establishment, I would urge anyone who has inferior food, drinks or service to clearly let the server(s) know and explain why. I'm sure they get lots of drinks sent back by tourists who just don't care for them. But if you can tell them, for example, that the Cobra Kiss has way too much Pernod or the steak is undercooked (both of which recently happened to me), perhaps the message will get passed along. And feel free to take your criticism/critique to a manager. I'm sure they'll want to correct the problem. My rare steak issue was certainly addressed. Related to that is the unique bar configuration that dates back to Don the Beachcomber (explained in my story linked above). You'll never see a bartender and you'll never be able to walk up to a bar and watch them make your drink. It's all done in back bars, hidden from view. And while this is very cool to all us cocktail geeks, it sort of isolates the bartenders with little or no feedback from the public. So anytime you have an issue, do try to let them know. Like any business, constructive feedback can only help.

• There's also a wildcard factor for some of us that's hard to deny. We set the bar very, very high for places like The Mai-Kai, sometimes unfairly. Its certainly within our rights to hold everyone to a high standard, and I'm probably partly to blame because of my glowing cocktail reviews. But it's always good to try to take a step back and not judge too harshly. Certainly there are many aspects of The Mai-Kai that will always live up to our standards. If they fall short here and there, I'm sure the issues can and will be corrected in due time.

Okole maluna!

Very good points, HH!

Hey Jim, thanks for the insightful response. Like I said earlier, I rave about the Mai Kai to people all the time which is why I was so surprised to have poor experiences two nights in a row. I spent many a happy hour in the Molokai bar in the early 2000s and ever since moving to Austin around 8 years ago I always make it a point to go there whenever I am in town visiting, usually once or twice a year. And while the majority of our food and drinks are ordered from the Molokai rather than the main dining areas, I've never once had a complaint about something served to me.

As you mentioned, despite the magnitude of their operation and how high we've set the bar, it's a very well-oiled machine and those drinks are typically mixed to perfection. I did point out to the waitress exactly what was wrong with Chelsea's Moonkist Coconut (tasted way too strongly of honey) and I don't believe the bartender addressed the issue properly. There is no way he remade that drink that quickly, I believe he just diluted it with something else that made it barely passable and certainly not tasty as it usually is (It's one of Chelsea's favorites).

I guess the point of my earlier post was to see if anyone has sensed any sort of downward trend happening. I've seen posts lately about DJ nights, and bingo, and singles meet-ups... perhaps they need those things to drum up new business these days, or maybe those antics have always been in place and I've managed to block it out since the drinks were always so damn good. All I know is we were very sad to not have the relaxing and delicious experience we are accustomed to and I truly hope it was just a couple off nights and not a sign of things to come.

Edit: I just finally read the event thread about tiki bingo and how the proceeds go to different animal charities each time and it actually sounds fun and is for a great cause so disregard above if I sounded like an asshole. I'm glad they let you organize that.

[ Edited by: mikehooker 2014-09-25 00:27 ]

On 2014-09-24 23:33, mikehooker wrote:
I guess the point of my earlier post was to see if anyone has sensed any sort of downward trend happening.

No.

There are the seasonal ups and downs, full house most every night of the week in the winter, closed on Mondays during the summer. It is pretty creepy to be in the Molokai at 9 o'clock on a Tuesday and be the only person at the bar, but that only happens in the heat of the summer. And doesn't take into account the fact the bar was standing room only during happy hour and then everyone was seated for the dinner show.

I've seen posts lately about DJ nights, and bingo, and singles meet-ups... perhaps they need those things to drum up new business these days, or maybe those antics have always been in place and I've managed to block it out since the drinks were always so damn good.

Yes. To both. The antics have always been around and they are pretty easy to block out with a jet pilot or two.

South Florida is tourist driven and the Mai Kai runs at a minimum during the summer. There is usually only one dinner show during the week and they are closed on Monday's. This means there is lots of room for the antics you mention. Hukilau is during the summer and for that weekend they pretty much take over the place. Tiki Bingo takes over one of the back dining rooms that otherwise wouldn't have anyone in it. The various Meet-Up groups do their things throughout the summer because there is room for them to do whatever it is they are doing. At doing it at the Mai Kai is so much more awesome than doing it anywhere else.

The nice lady singing in the Molokai... I'll just say she is a very nice lady and leave it at that.

All I know is we were very sad to not have the relaxing and delicious experience we are accustomed to and I truly hope it was just a couple off nights and not a sign of things to come.

It sucks that you didn't get the great experience you were expecting. Even more so because the chance to make it up with a really great night might be a year or more away for you. That is a long time to have the bad memory sit around waiting to be replaced with a good one.

Trust the locals when we say you just had the misfortune of an off-night and what you experienced is not a sign of things to come.

... so disregard above if I sounded like an asshole. I'm glad they let you organize that.

No offense was taken so no worries. And we're glad they let us organize it as well. Like I said above, it is a seasonal thing with the Mai Kai, this October will be the last Bingo until next spring. Well, we might do one more in November, but the place is getting busy as the tourist season spins up and our goal was to have some fun, not be in the way of the paying guests celebrating special evenings or enjoying a nice dinner with a date.

We were there the same two nights as MikeHooker, the NO. 1 reason we flew to Fort Lauderdale was the Mai Kai. For those fortunate enough to be much closer one can base their experiences on a larger pool of visits to Tiki heaven. The Jet Pilots we had over 2 nights were mixed differently, but even the lesser one was still good. We didn't care for the bar singer & the 2nd night it was a real problem. We didn't stew about it, we gave feedback to the staff right then & there. Overall we had a great time & envy those who get to the Mai Kai more frequently than we can!

While looking at a few of my many vintage food/restaurant magazines I came across this interesting blurb circa 1964...ironically NO mention of the word TIKI! Sooo, please take it easy on me Sven and ATP. :)

The deadline is coming up in the 2014 Cinta's America's Best Restroom Contest. The last day to vote is Oct. 31. You can vote as many times as you want until then at http://www.bestrestroom.com/us/vote.asp

I've heard that Longwood Gardens is currently in first place with The Mai-Kai trailing close behind. Let's get out the vote!

On 2014-10-11 12:58, Or Got Rum? wrote:
While looking at a few of my many vintage food/restaurant magazines I came across this interesting blurb circa 1964...ironically NO mention of the word TIKI! Sooo, please take it easy on me Sven and ATP. :)

But why would I not? This blurb beautifully proves my contention again that in its own heyday, the genre was not defined or named as "Tiki" by writers and critics.

Support the Mai Kai, vote for best bathroom!

The Mai-Kai will be featured on a new Cooking Channel show, "Offbeat Eats with Jim Stacy." From the description of the show, titled "Day at the Beach" ...

"At Ft. Lauderdale, Florida's, iconic Mai Kai, Jim is taken away to a Tahitian beach and Tiki heaven with their eye-popping decor, inventive cooking techniques, and -- of course -- flaming drinks."
http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/shows/offbeat-eats-with-jim-stacy/100/day-at-the-beach.html

Here's the schedule (all times Eastern) listed on the link above:
November 20, 2014 10:30 PM
November 21, 2014 1:30 AM
November 21, 2014 9:30 PM
November 23, 2014 3:30 AM
December 06, 2014 10:00 AM
(Note that my cable guide lists some of these differently, so you'll want to check your local listings)

There's also a web-only video that features a short clip of Stacy being served a Kona Coffee Grog by The Mai-Kai's Roro ...

http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/shows/offbeat-eats-with-jim-stacy/offbeat-eats-videos.html?channel=/content/cook/shows/o/offbeat-eats-with-jim-stacy/extra-bites--web-only-videos

The official blog of The Hukilau

Featuring The Mai-Kai Cocktail Guide

[ Edited by: Hurricane Hayward 2014-11-19 23:44 ]

[ Edited by: Hurricane Hayward 2014-11-22 22:44 ]

Caught the Offbeat Eats segment last night and enjoyed it. Loved seeing SST Jeff's Big Kanaloa Tiki in the opening shot and it was fun to get a better look at food preparation in the Chinese ovens.

The Mai-Kai opened on Dec. 28, 1956. The annual Customer Appreciation Party, celebrating The Mai-Kai's 58th birthday, will be held on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2014.

More details to come!

Enjoyed dinner and the show at the Mai Kai last Sunday. Only my second time there, but I had already fallen in love the very first time I was there. Enjoyed several rounds of drinks with my girl- all of which were delicious. Pics below, including one of their mega-cocktail menu. My Yeoman's Grog actually had the ice cone, too (apparently they make as many as they can up front, but are not guaranteed to be in your drink later and the evening goes on, or so my server told me.)

Round 1: the inside of the fabulous drink menu, with a Yeoman's Grog and the Mai Kai Rum Barrell in front

Round 2: Cobra's Kiss and a Black Magic (with a splash of coffee!)

Round 3: Shrunken Head (rum floater on the side) and Rum Julep

Cheers!
:drink: