South Pacific (now Rice Fields), Canton, CT (restaurant)

Name:South Pacific (now Rice Fields)
Type:restaurant
Street:220 Albany Turnpike (Rt. 44)
City:Canton
State:CT
Zip:06019
country:USA
Phone:860-693-9696
Status:operational

Description:
This place used to be a typical Chinese/tiki restaurant with a 1970's style featuring tropical murals, eating under bamboo like canopies, and tropical booths. The main dining room was divided into two spaces and had booths along the walls and chairs/tables in the centers of the rooms.

The most famous part of this place has always been the lounge which is a bar connected to the dining room bar but through another set of doors. Off that room was game room with a pool table and a smaller bar.

South Pacific was the only "tiki place" I knew growing up. Now known as Rice Fields, I went in for a visit today and see that they did a renovation sometime over the last 6 months. They used to have tropical bright blue vinyl booths that have been replaced/reupholstered with black. The front part of the dining room is a sushi bar and some of the old mural/wallpaper has been covered over with some generic Japanese script wallpaper.

The place was empty, except for the bar which seems to have at least 2 people in it from the time they open at 11am till closing every day - a local favorite for many!

All that is left of interest are the murals on the walls in the lounge area and the dining room.

So, someone remind me, does this South Pacific have any relation to the one in Newton, MA?:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=23046&forum=2&start=0

...which surely must have the greatest mural room still in existence:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=23046&forum=2&start=15

I have wondered that myself.

Here is the name signed to the murals.

Here is a postcard from my collection that shows the inside and outside of the South Pacific in Canton.

Not much to look at as far as the building goes.

The bar

The dining room.

Nice to see that the great murals are still there.

DC