Updated Jan. 19, 2025
NOTE: This blog post will feature continually updated information from official sources at the historic Mai-Kai restaurant in South Florida. It will also include in-depth coverage and photos from journalist Jim “Hurricane” Hayward, along with information gathered from other reliable sources. Bookmark and return for the most accurate and complete guide to the reopening of the Tiki landmark, est. 1956.
Latest news below: January 2025 update: Tiki gardens and new dining options open as Mai-Kai menus get a refresh NEW
More Atomic Grog coverage
• Mai-Kai Restoration & Reopening: Full story and photo archive
See also: Okole Maluna Society – The Mai-Kai Cocktail Guide
Official sites and social media
• MaiKai.com | Facebook page | Instagram
Facebook group: Join more than 22,000 Friends of the Mai-Kai
• Instagram: Classics of the Mai-Kai NEW
The Atomic Grog: AtomicGrog.com | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
UPCOMING EVENTS
Event preview: Inuhele, Atlanta grow together into a Tiki powerhouse NEW
The sixth annual weekender returns Jan 24-26 with expert symposiums, artists and vendor marketplace, live music and entertainment, authentic luau, plus more.
• Mai-Kai seminar, more event highlights
Friday, Jan, 31, 2025: Miami Rum Congress
Reexamining Golden Era Rums of the Mai Tai, Mai-Kai, and Beyond
• Seminar details | Tickets | Schedule, more
Jump to more news below
• Mai-Kai timeline, 1956-2024: Iconic restaurant marks 68 years of Polynesian Pop history
• Is it 1956 or 2024? Forward-thinking Mai-Kai menus sport retro flair
• Mai-Kai grand reopening: Answers to frequently asked questions
• Mai-Kai celebrates grand reopening, return of signature dinner shows
• Mai-Kai hosts preview of bars in advance of grand reopening
• Mai-Kai welcomes Cory Starr as new chief mixologist
January 2025 update: Tiki gardens and new dining options opening as Mai-Kai menus get a refresh NEW
Posted Jan. 19
Guests attending the Mai-Kai’s 68th anniversary celebration on Dec. 28 got a special treat with the unannounced reopening of the restaurant’s lush tropical gardens. The immersive walking path through paradise was totally refurbished with new water features, all new themed pavement (no more steps), new plants and landscaping, rebuilt wooden bridges and railings, themed fencing with carved poles and tikis, more flaming torches, seating and secret nooks for guests, plus a new secluded corridor for special events in the southwest corner of the property
• See video, photos, more anniversary coverage below
Within a few weeks, the water features were fully operational, waterfalls and streams throughout the massive rockwork rounding out the experience, along with the enveloping Polynesian soundtrack. It’s a totally sensory experience with some work still remaining, but it’s looking great. A traditional wedding spot will be added, along with table seating in the nooks and event space.
By mid-January, dinner service had resumed in the Lanai, the romantic area adjacent to the gardens. These tables are all under cover from the elements, offering a perfect view of the gardens and waterfalls. Tables are available both to the right (on the wooden deck) and to the left (in front of the Tahiti Room) as you walk out the back door.
If you’re looking for an alternative to the Polynesian show or don’t want to eat in the bars, ask for a table on the Lanai. Just note that happy hour prices on cocktails (half-priced every day until 7) apply only to the Bora Bora and Molokai bars. The Lanai is a great place to relax and enjoy a cocktail or small bite anytime in the evening.
The next space to return will be the 56-seat Tahiti Room, the rear indoor dining area with windows looking out into the gardens and vintage decor that dates back to the Mai-Kai’s 1970 expansion. As a non-showroom, it offers a more private spot to dine and also is perfect for large groups.
When it reopens, you can say goodbye to the white tablecloths, which were actually hiding the not-so-attractive old tables. “We’re making brand-new tables for the Tahiti room,” general manager Kern Mattei told us on Jan. 16. Custom-made using Hawaiian acacia wood, they will match the style of tables in the showroom.
The booths and chairs will remain the same, he said, and the tables will be set up in the same configuration. “The plan is to have a different type of wood for Samoa,” he said of the tables in the other rear dining room that has yet to reopen. Restoration of these rooms is otherwise complete. The reopening of Samoa, with its signature shrunken skulls and other exotic decor, must wait until restoration is completed on the area behind the showroom stage and its walking path is reopened.
If you walk back to the Lanai and gardens, be sure to check out the hut-like building that used to contain the Mai-Kai’s signature Chinese ovens. Since the old adjacent kitchen was moved to a new location, this room has been redesigned by creative director “Typhoon Tommy” Allsmiller, complete with a new bridge that connects it directly to the garden’s walking path (all ADA-compliant). Note the work done on the exterior to make the walls and roof look distressed, a feature Allsmiller is still in the process of restoring. Coming soon: The return of the exterior lettering, upgraded with a special message.
• Previous coverage: Chinese oven space has vintage look, new purpose
Inside the room, Allsmiller kept the Chinese theme with beautiful red wallpaper and bamboo, accented by dark wood trim. It’s still being built out, but when it’s complete, the walls will include historic Mai-Kai photos and artifacts. “Guests can come in here and learn the story of the Mai-Kai,” Allsmiller said during a tour. “A lot of people don’t even realize what this place is.” Newbies will find it interesting, he said, and “our ‘ohana will love it.”
In the future, the room will also be used for special events and parties. During the holidays, it hosted the Mai-Kai’s Christmas tree. [See video] Tucked away in a back corner is one of the Mai-Kai’s vintage black velvet paintings along with a historic piece from Papua New Guinea that’s reportedly a sacrificial chair from the 1800s. The latter was earlier spotted in the gift shop.
More recently, the room has been flanked by four new tikis by Tom Fowner, the South Florida artist who created the trio of cannibals that bids you adieu as you leave the Mai-Kai driveway. [See previous coverage] Like the cannibals, he completed these carvings on-site, leaving the wood to rest before adding the finishing. The new tikis will likely find homes elsewhere around the property. Look for a future update on the new carvings by Fowner, plus another large tiki due to be installed soon.
We spotted the bricks from the old ovens stacked neatly in the back-of-house space where the old 1970s-era kitchen was located. They were carefully removed when the room was renovated, saved for a hopeful reassembly during a planned phase 2 of the restoration project that should include a kitchen expansion. This may also feature a window for guests to once again see them in action.
The current kitchen and service bar were built in old staff and office space that was not impacted by the roof collapse in October 2020, when the Mai-Kai was forced to shut down. Still without a roof, the old kitchen area in the southwest corner of the building contains large storage and freezer units, as well as mobile kitchen equipment in self-contained buildings that have recently been enhanced with wood plank facades similar to the outside of the building. Even beyond the view of guests, theming is important.
With the ovens gone, the burden falls on executive chef Ferdinand Ortiz and his team to step up with new flavors and dishes to meet the needs of both the modern diner and those looking for a classic Mai-Kai experience. The new kitchen employs combi ovens and other state-of-the-art equipment in addition to woks and other more traditional means to prepare the dishes on the Asian fusion menus.
• Previous coverage: Food menus offer a modern take with traditions intact
As we noted in our story on the vintage design of the menus (see link above), both the bar and main dinner menus were scheduled for an update after the initial rush of the November grand reopening. The rush continued through the holidays, but updated menus were in place by early 2025. We got our first peek on Jan. 3 (see images below). Please note that the expansive cocktail menu has not changed since the reopening, though the special menu for the signature after-dinner drinks is still in the works. [Previous coverage]
These “v2 menus” are not a major change from the originals. The retro design remains, and only one new dish was added. Mattei confirmed that the updates mainly were done to remove the low-selling items and to streamline the menus so that the kitchen could perform at peak efficiency. This goes hand-in-hand with the addition of more dinner seating as noted above. There were also some price adjustments, which we’ll note below.
Managing partner Bill Fuller echoed Mattei’s comments when we asked him about the food menus, calling them a “work in progress” as the offerings evolve over time. The Molokai Bar kitchen is still not fully operational the last time we checked, so a return to some of the traditional apps that defined the bar’s offerings in the past could be still in the works. As for the dinner menu, we’ve been impressed with the quality and integrity of the food, as well as the modern plating, especially considering how many guests the Mai-Kai serves with such complex logistics.
In addition to the 300+ seats in the showrooms, with orders hitting the chefs in waves up to three times a night, there are 150 seats in the Molokai and another potential 100 guests in the new Bora Bora Bar and restored outdoor Lanai seating. All have access to all of the food, no matter the location or time. This is an under-appreciated upgrade from the old days, when it was rare to see people eating dinner in the bar.
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