LA Restaurant Closings

The Last Trader Vic's in LA Has Closed After a Legendary 62 Year Run

The tiki bar was on its last iteration inside the Beverly Hilton

by Farley Elliott Feb 7, 2017, 10:15am PST

If you buy something from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy.

Drinking Every Tiki Cocktail at Twin Dragon Chinese Restaurant — A tiki drink

It’s the end of an era in Beverly Hills, as LA Magazine is reporting that tiki-loving Trader Vic’s has officially ceased operations inside the Beverly Hilton hotel after more than six decades.

The quiet shutter came just a few days ago, though it’s hard to argue with anyone who notes the place’s downturn over the past decade. An ill-fated “remodel” back in 2007 left the Trader Vic’s without a true place to call home, really, with the hotel shuttering the larger mid-century location on property in favor of a more truncated lounge option near the pool.

Still, guests were able to grab those famous Mai Tais and Polynesian-inspired appetizers lunch through late night daily, but that’s all now gone away. After some 62 years, operating on land owned for decades by Merv Griffin and playing host to everyone from Hugh Hefner to the Rat Pack, Trader Vic’s in Beverly Hills had become a beloved staple for that side of town — but now it’s all been scrubbed away, with ownership telling LA Magazine the plan is to revamp the place entirely and move on.

Of course, that’s not the end of the line for Trader Vic’s as a company. There are still locations worldwide (in fact most are overseas) with the closest domestic option up in Northern California. Trader Vic’s was also far from the only place to get tiki drinks in greater Los Angeles, with Tonga Hut, Tiki-Ti, and Downtown’s newer Pacific Seas all still carrying the banner.

Until this, bask in some vintage photos of the original Trader Vic’s in Beverly Hills: