You could forgive the owners, management and staff of the Mai-Kai for taking a deep breath and resting on their laurels in early 2026 after a spectacular 2025, the first full year back in business after a four-year hiatus and $20 million restoration of the historic South Florida restaurant. Luckily for fans of the 69-year-old Polynesian palace, that’s not the case. Not by a long shot.
Business is booming as the Mai-Kai remains laser-focused on improving the cocktails, food and entire guest experience. Last year ended with a bang, culminating with a memorable anniversary celebration featuring more than 20 past on-stage performers from the Mai-Kai Islanders. This came on the heels of elaborate themed overlay and creative cocktail menu for the Christmas holidays.
• 2025 Mai-Kai recaps: Exclusive ongoing coverage | Bar and cocktail news
The new year brought a new selection of modern tropical drinks, plus some creative takes on old classics. Also in January, the Mai-Kai launched a weekly schedule of themed specials, including In the Biz Mondays, Tiki Tuesdays, Wahine Wednesdays, and Karaoke Night on Thursdays. Live bands continue to entertain Molokai Bar guests on Fridays, and more activities for kids are part of the early Sunday festivities (along with a monthly meet-up for classic car owners.)
Jump to the latest news below
• Cocktail menu: Modern tropics added, classics enhanced | New drink ratings
• Food menu: Breaking down the latest updates
• Preview, recap: Weekly and special events
A new food menu was introduced in February, updated with a half-dozen new dishes from chef Justin Sherrer. The Mai-Kai hosted several high-profile events, starting with a Miami Rum Congress pre-party featuring multiple rum brands and special tastings. During the nationally acclaimed South Beach Wine & Food Festival, Sherrer participated in Miami while general manager and beverage director Cory Starr hosted a sold-out Tiki cocktail master class in the Bora Bora Bar.
This story will cover all of the above while also offering a preview of upcoming events, plus more. Stay tuned for stories on other major projects around the Mai-Kai property, including the restoration of a 60-year-old tiki icon and construction of a new event center and back-of-house facilities.
The Mai-Kai Trading Company gift shop has also received an upgrade with an updated layout and new merchandise. It’s also the exclusive seller of Mai-Kai Rum No. 1, the ground-breaking spirit introduced in November and now featured in many of the Mai-Kai’s cocktails.
More stories coming soon
• Mai-Kai Rum No. 1: Everything you need to know about signature spirit
• Historic carving restored, Mai-Kai reimagination continues
Also in the works is an update to the Polynesian Islander Revue, the oldest continually-running authentic South Seas stage show in the United States (including Hawaii). Lono Hanohano, the show emcee and restaurant’s Polynesian cultural director, offered some insights in a video posted on Instagram in late January.
Cocktail menu: Modern tropics added, classics enhanced
Historically, the main cocktail menu at the Mai-Kai has rarely changed, offering up dozens of historic cocktails that date back to the 1956 opening. [See opening year menu] There were updates every five years or so, major changes perhaps once a decade. The reason was simple: These drinks have stood the test of time. Many are classics created in the 1930s and ’40s during the early days of Tiki mixology by Don the Beachcomber. [Mai-Kai cocktail ancestry, circa 2018]
When the restaurant closed in 2020 for its multimillion-dollar refurbishment, the menu was literally frozen in time. That changed in 2024, when Cory Starr came aboard as beverage director, bringing a modern sensibility but also a reverence of the past to the bar program.
Starr’s opening-day menu in November 2024 included not only 38 of those seminal rum drinks, but also 12 of his own creations that added much-needed variety to the rebooted Mai-Kai, which features its first-ever front-of-house bartenders in the Bora Bora Bar. A unique menu for that bar was introduced in February.
Starr and his team also took advantage of special events, such as The Hukilau, to push the envelope further. As the months went on, they used the Bora Bora bar to experiment, introducing a series of new drinks in late summer.
Two of these (The Cannibal and Saturn) would later make their way to the main menu. In the fall, a new Bora Bora menu was put on hold, but the creativity got more extreme. Hulaween cocktails took over the entire Mai-Kai in October, and both bars touted distinct menus of ghoulish delights.
The main cocktail menu remained consistent through the first 12 months of the rejuvenated Mai-Kai. That ended end December, when the holidays ushered in a flurry of seasonal fun that included a special mug and the Twelve Drinks of Christmas. These new festive cocktails (plus a Christmas Mystery Bowl) took over the center spot on the large tri-fold menu, replacing the new drinks that had been introduced in 2024.
That brings us to 2026, and the third iteration of Starr’s main cocktail menu. We’ll break down all the changes below, followed by our ratings of the all the new drinks.
The first difference you may notice is the change in color of the cover from the traditional brown. The front and back are now “Mai-Kai blue,” which makes the menu much easier to spot next to the brown food menu, which is the same size but features a bi-fold. We’ll cover the new food menu below, but be assured that the designs remain classic, with the iconic images of the cannibal trio adorning both.
The cocktail menu also retains its classic artwork (reintroduced in 2024) and vague but charming drink descriptions. There was only one major change to the list of classic cocktails: The Hidden Pearl was retired from the list of “medium tropical drinks” to make way for a slight reconfiguration. If you’re a fan of this throwback from the 1956 menu, we’re told it should still be available as an off-menu option.
The four non-alcoholic and 11 mild drinks remain the same. The medium section dropped from 12 to 10 with the Hidden Pearl’s retirement and a move by the Moonkist Coconut to the strong section. Boasting 3 ounces of rum, this was far and away the strongest of the medium options and fits better with its boozier brethren.
The number of strong drinks remains 14 since the Sidewinder’s Fang, which serves two, was moved to a new “group drinks” section. A classic from the 1950s served in a “colossal snifter,” this cocktail now features an enhanced presentation featuring dry ice, along with the addition of Mai-Kai Rum No. 1.
Starr and former bar manger Michael DeMahy, who assisted with the new menu, made a conscious effort to increase the menu’s wow factor with three group drinks. The Mystery Drink, created by the Mai-Kai in the late 1950s, needs no extra oomph. Serving four and presented by a silent and alluring Mystery Girl (or Boy), the cocktail has established itself as an all-time classic.
The third, Rites of Passage, is a welcome addition. Guests are presented with a smoking treasure chest (similar to the Halloween menu’s Mutiny Chest) containing shots (priced at $10 each) that are not only delicious, but also reverential. I’m told that the drink is a play on a lost classic, Last Rites, which was created for the 1956 menu by original mixologist Mariano Licudine.
There are nine “modern tropics” in the space formerly occupied by the Christmas menu. One is a holdover from that menu, the outstanding Aloha Old Fashioned (formerly known as Eh-Loha Old Fashioned). Two (Hula Girl Martini and Witchcraft) are returnees from the 2024 re-launch. The Cannibal and Saturn also now have a permanent home here. The remaining four are new cocktails that DeMahy detailed for us in January. (He and the Mai-Kai parted ways in early February.)
Also note that the Witchcraft is now served in a metal swizzle cup instead of a mug. Three cocktails that fell off the menu (The Marquesan, Hala Kahiki and Tahitian Drum) were served in new mugs manufactured by Tiki Farm when the Mai-Kai reopened. The mugs were sponsored by spirits brands under a limited-time deal and will apparently not return anytime soon.
On the bright side, these mugs (designed by artists Bill Collins, Donella Vitale, and Joe Vitale) can now be considered collector’s items and will likely increase in value and collectability. The Cannibal and all of the Mai-Kai’s standard mugs will remain in use, and are also usually available in the gift shop.
Starr also confirmed that like the classic “retired cocktails,” not all of the new drinks that were dropped off the menu are gone forever. They may reappear in the future, perhaps featured on special menus. Valentine’s Day offerings included the Tahitian Drum and a Rum Barrel riff with whiskey and Rum No. 1. Also look for special menus during nightly promotions in the Molokai Bar.
For those keeping score, the main menu now features 51 drinks (four non-alcoholic, 47 alcoholic). Of the latter, 37 are classics and 10 are new drinks introduced since the reopening.
The Bora Bora menu remains as it was in late 2025, featuring 12 drinks (eight strong, four medium) that can be made by the bartenders in that satellite bar. (Note that guests seated outside can still order from the main menu; it just may take a few more minutes for the cocktail to arrive from one of the inside service bars.)
Eight are classics while four are new drinks added in 2024 and 2025. Of the new drinks, one (Hula Girl Martini) is also on the main menu while three (Paniolo Old Fashioned, Painkiller and Mexican Mara Amu) are unique to this menu. The old fashioned may move to a new after-dinner drink menu, while the other three should remain when an expanded Bora Bora menu gets back on track.
It will be bigger (both in design and number of drinks) and feature the return of some of the cocktails that were offered in late summer and fall. Plans call for it to be split evenly between classics from the regular menu and new cocktails available only at that bar. It likely will be full-sized, like the main menu, just not a tri-fold. It will also feature a full page of beer and wine lists.
NEW MAI-KAI COCKTAILS
Details on the five new drinks that made their debut in January:
Beyond the Palms – A Negroni-style gin cocktail that’s also a play on the Bijou, served over a large cube. It features gin and sweet vermouth with multiple tropical infusions (coconut, papaya and strawberry).
Chartreuse Swizzle – A reverential version of the classic (green Chartreuse, falernum, pineapple juice, lime juice) with the addition of Mai-Kai Rum No. 1. The Chartreuse and rum go very well together.
Polynesian Remedy – A tropical twist on the classic Penicillin cocktail created by Scotty Schuder (of Dirty Dick in Paris). It includes rum, orgeat, ginger syrup, honey syrup, lemon juice and smoky single-malt scotch. The Mai-Kai version hews closely to the original build (and elaborate garnish) with the addition of a little Mai-Kai Rum No. 1.
Rites of Passage – A “communal shot” experience presented in a treasure chest with dry ice. The flavors echo the Last Rites, but with the addition of guava and a blend of gin and rum.
Tropical Temptation – A frozen, blended margarita that combines mango and mint into an interesting tequila twist on the classic Missionary’s Downfall (or Wahine Delight, as it’s known at the Mai-Kai as an off-menu dessert drink).
Also be aware that The Cannibal has been updated to feature a prominent mango flavor profile. Instead of strawberry shrub, they’re using a mango-infused gin, plus mango puree. We enjoyed the change immensely, moving the drink to the top of our ratings below.
Here are the ratings of all of the non-classics on both menus as of late February. Our ratings of the classics remain pretty much the same as when we posted the full list of cocktails last year. Drinks are listed in order of preference in each category.
4 STARS: The Cannibal, Paniolo Old Fashioned, Aloha Old Fashioned, Polynesian Remedy, Rites of Passage, Saturn, Mexican Mara-Amu.
3 1/2 STARS: Witchcraft, Chartreuse Swizzle, Beyond the Palms.
3 STARS: Tropical Temptation, Hula Girl Martini, Painkiller.
Stay tuned for new reviews and recipes, coming soon.
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Food menu: Breaking down the latest updates
The new dinner menu introduced in February is the fourth update since chef Justin Sherrer took over the kitchen 12 months ago. Sherrer came to the Mai-Kai from Miami, where he operated Little Havana’s acclaimed Doce Provisions (featured on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives). During that time, he has continually improved and enhanced the food while overseeing a major update to the back-of-house facilities.
His first menu, launched last April, revamped and replaced much of the opening-day offerings and applied a more streamlined approach to the the kitchen. In late April, Sherrer quickly introduced the second menu, which added 20 new dishes but kept the classic design and traditional format.
By late summer, work had begun on phase 2 of renovations to the area of the kitchen that was destroyed in the October 2020 roof collapse, which ended up shutting down the restaurant and leading to the eventual sale and restoration. The large area, which remains without a roof, had been the site of temporary buildings that housed kitchen equipment since the November 2024 reopening. Sherrer and Starr are overseeing the reimagination of the space with managing partner Bill Fuller and Mad Room Hospitality, the firm that oversees operations. (Our next story will touch on the ongoing work in that part of the building.)
To help the transition, Sherrer phased out the separate menu used in the bars. He also reopened the small kitchen behind the Molokai Bar, which helps his chefs continue to crank out tasty dishes quickly. A new main menu serving the entire restaurant was introduced in late September. It featured 16 new items and stayed in place for more than four months until this most recent change.
That’s not to say the food became stuck in a rut. Sherrer continually featured regular and ongoing specials that servers would pitch to guests. There were also special menus for many events, from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve. The Mai-Kai also experimented with a late-night Molokai menu.
That brings us to Sherrer’s first new 2026 menu, a moderate update that includes six new items and a variety of small changes. It includes some dishes that had been running as specials, which Starr said is helpful in determining “what works and what doesn’t work.”
Starr said the eventual plan is to have the Molokai and Bora Bora return to having their own food menu after the full back-of-house kitchen is complete. In the meantime, they’re using the Molokai kitchen to knock out some of the dishes on the main menu.
Here’s a quick rundown on what’s new, what changed and what remains the same. It should also be noted that there were essentially no price increases (one dish increased by $1). Overall, the average price likely was reduced after the removal of the most expensive entree. There were no changes to the soups & salads (4 items) and sides (7).
Appetizers (11, down from 12): The section that changed the most saw four new dishes introduced: Cantonese Eggplant Dim Sum, Wagyu Beef Gyoza, Fresh Coconut Calamari, and Bigeye Tuna Tataki. The Luau Smoked Baby Back Ribs was moved from the entrees to once again become one of the best apps. Six dishes were unchanged while six were removed, including the pork belly buns, coconut shrimp and seafood dumplings. Several of the removed items are redundant. Fans of the Island Guac can still order Tostones as a side dish. There are still two options for dumplings, and the new tuna dish replaced the old. Also of note: Three of the additions are gluten free. The previous apps had no GF options.
Main entrees (still 10): There are two new items: Kalua Suckling Pig Confit (slowly cooked, pressed & crisped, bacon, orange marmalade, roasted baby beet “poke”) and 48-Hour Braised Short Rib (Chinese broccoli, Maui onion soubise, shishito chimi) show off Sherrer’s affinity for creative meat dishes. At $48 and $36 respectively, neither breaks the bank. The pricey lobster dish was removed, as noted above. The only other changes were minor. Mai-Kai Beef has a simplified name and tweaked ingredients, while the Mai-Kai Prawns description also changed. Nine of the 10 dishes are now gluten free.
Among the budget-friendly entrees (most priced from $24 to $29), Pad Thai (5) and Fried Rice (5) are the same. Teriyaki (4) now features Angus Beef instead of tenderloin (same as the Mai-Kai Beef entree). The only change to the Mai-Kai Luau section is a new name and a few swapped items in the Typhoon Shelter Seafood Platter. The Suckling Pig and BBQ Mix remain options for groups of three or four.
Servers will reveal the dessert options, which have remained consistent (and consistently decadent and delicious) during Sherrer’s tenure. A stand-alone menu (also featuring the signature after-drinks such as the Kona Coffee Grog and a selection of rums) is in the works, but not likely to appear until after the kitchen renovations are complete, Starr said.
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Preview, recap: Weekly and special events
The Molokai and Bora Bora Bars are always a hot spot during happy hour, which runs from 4 to 7 p.m. every day, featuring most signature cocktails for half price. It’s also a popular gathering place for guests before they flock into the showrooms for dinner and the Polynesian Islander Revue.
Now, there are many more reasons to frequent both the indoor and outdoor watering holes after the Mai-Kai launched weekly specials on Mondays through Thursdays. Hospitality workers get 25% off food and drinks on In the Biz Mondays. Simply wearing an aloha shirt will earn you 50% off cocktails after 7 p.m., plus 15% off mugs, pendants and aloha shirts on Tiki Tuesdays.
Ladies can enjoy a special $10 cocktail menu all day on Wahine Wednesdays. And from 7 to 11 p.m. every Thursday, Karaoke Night takes over the Molokai. That promotion is gaining traction and expanding the Mai-Kai crowd, Starr said. “Some people are becoming regulars.”
Friday night remains the domain of live music in the Molokai. Follow the Mai-Kai on Facebook and Instagram to see each week’s schedule, including the bands. Here’s the latest official list of upcoming musical guests:
Fridays in the Molokai Bar
March 6 – Jackie Colada – Jazz standards, bossa nova, Latin
March 13 – Slip and the Spinouts – Rock ‘n’ roll, rockabilly, swing, surf
March 20 – Skinny Jimmy Stingray – Instrumental surf
March 27 – Mala Onda and DJ Bad Wave Dave – Experimental surf rock
Other upcoming events include the monthly classic car Mai-Kai Cruise-In with the 5 Points Motor Club on March 8 from noon to 4 p.m. An added bonus this Sunday is the Bora Bora Bar Takeover during happy hour featuring guest bartenders from Otto’s High Dive in Orlando, plus the Luau Lads from Jacksonville.
Join the Lads (Kurt and Michael) plus Justin from Otto’s as they team up with Starr and the Mai-Kai crew behind the bar. Each of the three will mix two special cocktails featuring Jamaican rums from sponsor Worthy Park. Another bar takeover is planned for March 30 as part of a special after-party event for Tiki-a-Go-Go.
The Mai-Kai will host pop-ups during the sold-out Orlando event, happening Friday-Sunday (March 27-29). Back home on Monday, Starr said he’ll host guest bartenders including Adam Rains (The Golden Tiki, Las Vegas) and Scotty Schuder (Dirty Dick, Paris).
Further down the road, the Mai-Kai is preparing to participate in the second Tikitaly on May 29 through June 1. The Atomic Grog will join Starr (who also attended last year) and others to bring a dose of Mai-Kai magic to Livorno on the west coast of Tuscany.
Just one week later, The Hukilau invades the Mai-Kai for its 19th Tiki weekender on June 4-7. Expect a Wednesday night pre-party, Friday main event (featuring multiple bands and dinner show seatings), plus Sunday grand finale (with guest bartenders and more live music). Follow The Hukilau on Instagram and Facebook for updates.
2025 coverage: The Hukilau returns to the Mai-Kai for five days of Tiki festivities
• The Hukilau brings special events, guest bartenders, unique cocktails
As usual, we’ll share the latest news on all events here on The Atomic Grog and our social media pages (Facebook and Instagram). We also invite you to join the more than 24,000 Friends of the Mai-Kai in the Facebook group.
Past events: Miami Rum Congress pre-party, South Beach Food & Wine Festival cocktail class
There wasn’t a better way to kick off this year’s Miami Rum Congress festivities than an evening at the Mai-Kai with not one, but two stellar tastings. The Feb. 5 event was presented in association with the Florida Rum Society and Planteray Rum.
Rum fans filled the Molokai Bar for a talk by master blender Alexandre Gabriel along with complimentary tastings of six different unique rums, including Mai-Kai Rum No. 1. Among the other outstanding sips were Planteray’s Mister Fogg Sail No. 2 and Hogo Monsta.
Afterward, we enjoyed special cocktails served by the Mai-Kai and special guests from Hidden Harbor in Pittsburgh: Co-owner Adam Henry and his wife, Shaunna. Our favorite was Gattor Bait, which Henry said is a version of one of his staple drinks, Sign of the Four. Named for the spirited Sherlock Holmes tale, it combines four foundational tropical ingredients (passion fruit, coconut, coffee, banana) that are rarely seen all in one drink. I found that the sherry and coffee combined with the punch of Planteray’s O.F.T.D. and funk of Xaymaca to create a taste explosion.
Speaking of a taste explosion, we then ventured out to the Bora Bora Bar, where owner Mike Streeter of Down Island Spirits was celebrating the release of a special rum, labeled simply Tahiti Rum / T.I.E. 2020. This single-cask release was distilled in 2020 at the T.I.E. Distillery in Punaruu, Tahiti, and bottled in 2025 in Florida, where Down Island is based.
Jay Cocorullo and the Florida Rum Society joined forces with Streeter on the barrel selection, then hooked up with Starr and the Mai-Kai to host the event. The powerful 124.4-proof column-still rum is molasses-based, aged for three years in French oak in Polynesia, then two years in England. It was produced with no additives or chill filtration.
It’s believed to be the first Tahitian single barrel rum ever sold in the United States. Launching at the Mai-Kai makes perfect sense considering the restaurant’s history. Mireille Thornton, the matriarch of the founding family and show choreographer from the early 1960s through 2020, is a native of Tahiti. Artwork and cultural references to the island nation are all over the property.
The rum is an unadulterated treat featuring a deeply intense flavor profile, a little grassy and earthy, but with tons of nuanced notes. I taste licorice and a slight saltiness around the edges of the dark molasses base. There’s also a tongue-numbing spice that really makes this rum special.
As part of the promotion, the Bora Bora bartenders served two special cocktails featuring the rum. If you ordered the Tahitian Shark Bite or Down Island Manhattan ($35 each), you also received a 750 ML bottle of the rum. It was arguably the rum deal of the century. Don’t go looking for it, the small batch bottling is now sold out, though we can hope the Mai-Kai set some aside for the upcoming rum tasting menu, which will be included with the desserts and after-dinner drinks.
Two weeks later, Starr and the Mai-Kai bar team hosted a sold-out Tiki cocktail master class Feb. 21 as part of the 25th South Beach Food & Wine Festival. Participants gathered in the Bora Bora Bar for hands-on instruction in making and garnishing three elaborate cocktails featuring sponsor Rhum Barbancourt.
The featured cocktails were the Bora Bora (the Mai-Kai classic reconfigured with Barbancourt 8), Pandan Painkiller (a twist on the Caribbean staple starring Barbancourt 3), and Spades in Paradise (a potent riff on the Jet Pilot that employed both Barbancourt 15 and the 110-proof Haitian Proof Rhum Blanc).
The festivities included a Samoan fire-knife dance performance by the Mai-Kai Islanders. After enjoying the drinks and an exclusive swag bag, the special guests adjourned to the showroom to taste chef Justin Sherrer’s latest creations and watch the authentic Polynesian show. By all accounts, a good time was had by all.
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