Skip to content
BusinessesGrow
Mai Kai Restaurant, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Photo: Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Eat & DrinkIconicDate Night

Mai Kai Restaurant

3599 N Federal Hwy · Fort Lauderdale, FL

Why you should go…

Mai-Kai is a Polynesian-themed restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, Florida that has operated since 1956, known for its tiki cocktails and themed dining rooms. The venue reopened in November 2024 after a four-year, more than 20 million dollar restoration that added an outdoor bar and refreshed menus across eight themed rooms. Mai-Kai presents twice-nightly Polynesian dance and fire-dancing shows alongside dinner service.

  • #polynesian
  • #tiki
  • #live show
  • #dinner
  • #historic

Good to know

General eat & drink guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Go early or go late

    The simplest way around a wait at a popular room is to sit down before the rush or after it.

  • Reservations open on a schedule

    Where bookings are taken, tables tend to be released a set number of days in advance, often at a fixed hour.

  • Menus move with the season

    Treat any dish you read about online as a maybe, not a promise, especially anything local and seasonal.

  • Ask what the place is known for

    Staff will point you at the thing worth ordering faster than any list will.

Maps and brochures

Mai Kai Restaurant: menu

What's around here?

The closest stops to Mai Kai Restaurant, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Attractions
    Family Favorite

    Xtreme Action Park

    $25–$50

    South Florida's largest indoor entertainment venue with go-kart racing, bowling and arcade games.

    2.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Museums
    History Buff

    Bonnet House Museum & Gardens

    $25–$50

    A historic artists' estate on Fort Lauderdale Beach with a plantation-style house, nature trails and orchid gardens.

    2.7 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Sightseeing
    Local Gem

    Lauderdale-By-The-Sea

    Free

    A small beach town north of Fort Lauderdale known for its walkable pier, reef diving, and low-key charm.

    2.8 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Stay
    Local Gem

    Sheraton Suites Fort Lauderdale at Cypress Creek

    $50+

    An all-suite hotel in the Cypress Creek business district with a waterfall atrium, outdoor pool and hot tub.

    2.9 mi awaySwitch it up: Stay

  • Eat & Drink
    Iconic

    Joe's Stone Crab

    $50+

    The 1913 South Beach institution where chilled stone crab claws, mustard sauce, and Key lime pie have drawn crowds for over a century.

    28 mi awayMore like this

  • Eat & Drink
    Foodie Favorite

    Versailles Restaurant

    Under $25

    "The World's Most Famous Cuban Restaurant", Little Havana's landmark for roast pork, cafecito and politics.

    29 mi awayMore like this