Article excerpt from Critiki News:
No. 1: Mai-Kai, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Any list of the best tiki places that isn’t topped by the Mai-Kai is to be ignored. There’s simply no matching the Mai-Kai, in either the grand scale, or the minute attention to detail in the decor. The Mai-Kai has multiple dining rooms, each themed for a different island group, a literal ship-shape bar, a gift shop, winding tropical gardens, musicians, dancers, and an array of Oceanic art and culture on display every way you turn. The rich history of the Mai-Kai, a family-run institution for 60 years (not counting the years more that much of the original staff spent at Don the Beachcomber in Chicago) means that no other venue provides such a transporting experience to the heyday of American Polynesian fine dining.
