Kahiki Supper Club menu

The Kahiki Supper Club of Columbus, Ohio, was one of the largest, most spectacular faux-polynesian restaurants in America. It opened in 1961 and was torn down in 2000 and replaced with a Walgreen’s. You can read more about the rise and fall of the Kahiki in this article on Columbus Underground.

Below, from our collection, is one of the Kahiki’s large, fold-out drink menus (16 inches tall). We aren’t sure exactly which year this one was printed, but the cover design and prices are consistent with a 1969 specimen.

The interior is particularly interesting for the detailed depiction of each drink as it was served. The Kahiki was not particularly influential for its drinks, but the Port Light (bourbon, lemon juice, passion fruit syrup, and grenadine) by Kahiki bartender Sandro Conti, has retained some cachet, in part for its ingenious nautically-inspired serving glass.

The back cover offers an inventive cutaway diagram of the restaurant’s singular building along with some explanatory text.