The very large group of people who joined me at the Mai-Kai had a very different experience than the negative one described below. There were over 300 of us at the Mai Kai, and we enjoyed the drinks, the food, and, of course, the Polynesian Show!

The show blew me away. The costumes and the dynamic performances of the dancers were outstanding.

The food was excellent. The drinks, even the ones advertised as moderately strong, were poured with full ounces and tasted delicious. Compared to a drink that you'd get at a normal bar or restaurant, the drinks would be described as very large and very strong.

But, of course, we were not at a normal restaurant or bar . . . we were at the magical Mai Kai Restaurant.

This place is special. If you'd like to experience a piece of rare, genuine Americana, go there.

Finally, the Mai Kai gardens are spectacular.

My husband and i went to the mai kai for our anniversary. HUGE mistake!!!!!!!!! When we got there, it was so dark we could not see our hands in front of our faces. We were cramed in there, i could put my arm around the people at the next table. My husbands food almost made him throw up, the steak tasted very gamey. His huge drink had no alcohol in it. The people next to us sent thier pinacolodas back because they tasted very sour. My chicken was charred and burnt and had no taste. I could barely cut through it. My husband was seated behind the stage so could not see much of the show at all. When she show began, there was a terrible odor in the whole place. It was warm in there, and when the flame throwing began, sweat from one of the dancers flew off and landed on my husbands face, and my key lime pie. We were so grossed out, then when waiting for the bill, a huge roach ran down the wall behind my husbands back. We did not make a scene, as there were people all around us. When we got to the car, i called the manager and told him about our night. he just said it was too bad and to come again and he would make it up to us. I would never go back. Our bill was 102.00. We felt sick about losing that much money on such a terrible night.

Mai-Kai is definitely what I expected a Polynesian-themed dinner experience to be. We created our own tapas-type sampler of appetizers and sides, and all of the food we tried was very good. Not the best that I have had, but still very good (especially the crab rangoon). The show was also very entertaining. The best part, however, was the drinks, which are strong, even under the moderately-strong section of the drink menu. Overall, it was a nice evening out and a good experience, though admittedly, to me it seems like a one-time thing and I would probably choose to try a different dinner show/experience next time around.

Made a special long distance trip here after reading about it in Sven Kirsten's 'Tiki Road Trip'. If you are into retro Tiki - this is the place! Did happy hour in the bar first, then had meal and show. Not cheap, but good quality. Cocktails were a little pricey but pretty good. Food was surprisingly good. Great experience. Make sure you visit the garden too.