Tiki no more: Montreal Polynesian-themed institution closing

The Jardin Tiki Polynesian restaurant on Sherbrooke E. has met its end. (Photo: MontrealGram on Instagram)

Montreal’s largest and greatest surviving tiki bar will sling its final umbrella drink Saturday, as the Jardin Tiki serves its last customers.

The spacious establishment has - for the last few decades - served exotic Mai Tais, Aku Coconut and Tiki Grog drinks at 5300 Sherbrooke St. E. but that tradition will come to a close as the building is slated for demolition and replacement with condos.

The restaurant, one of many that dotted the city following the Polynesian-inspired craze of the 1950s, was known for its coconut, flaming and umbrella-clad drinks served in custom drinking vessels that many clients were unable to resist taking home, in spite of warnings from staff.

The Montreal Tiki Appreciation Society, in its Mai Tai magazine, described the Jardin Tiki in 1998 as “probably the biggest Polynesian restaurant in the province of Quebec (possibly even the biggest in Eastern Canada).”

Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre was one of many on hand Wednesday evening to give tribute to what he described as a "kitsch institution."