Pub Tiki: Philadelphia's Beloved Polynesian Bar

In the middle of Philadelphia, there was a place that felt like nowhere near Philadelphia. Pub Tiki was a Polynesian-themed bar that transported its guests — through bamboo, thatched ceilings, tropical drinks, and the particular magic of mid-century tiki culture — somewhere warmer, stranger, and more exotic than South Philly.

The Tiki Era

Tiki bars were an American phenomenon born in the 1930s and reaching their peak in the 1950s and 60s. They were inspired by Polynesian culture — loosely, romantically, and often inaccurately — and they offered something that postwar Americans craved: escapism. After the Depression and World War II, the fantasy of a tropical paradise, complete with rum drinks served in ceramic skulls and walls covered in fishing nets, was enormously appealing.

Pub Tiki was Philadelphia's version of that fantasy. In a city known for its cheesesteaks, its rowhouses, and its no-nonsense attitude, a Polynesian bar was a genuine anomaly — and that was exactly the point. You went to Pub Tiki to leave Philadelphia behind for a few hours.

The Drinks

The cocktails were the heart of the tiki experience. Rum-based, fruit-forward, often served in elaborate ceramic vessels — they were designed to be festive, potent, and unlike anything you'd find at a regular bar. Pub Tiki's menu was a journey through the tiki canon: mai tais, zombies, scorpion bowls, and house specialties with names that promised adventure.

The Legacy

Tiki bars faded from American culture in the 1970s and 80s as tastes changed and the mid-century aesthetic fell out of fashion. Many closed. A few survived. And in recent years, tiki culture has experienced a genuine revival — a recognition that the escapism, the craft cocktails, and the sheer fun of the tiki bar experience are worth preserving.

The Pub Tiki Philadelphia Retro T-shirt and Rocks Glass are for everyone who remembers. Find them in the Philadelphia collection.