SOCIAL CLIMES : Wiki-Waki in a Clamshell

There are people who spend time checking out America’s premier South Seas-themed restaurants, from the suburban Polynesian palaces of the ‘50s to the big kahuna of them all, the Tonga Room in San Francisco. Call it Tiki Chic.

No local place is more drop-dead Tiki Chic than Kelbo’s in West Los Angeles. It began life as a Hawaiian barbecue stand in the 1940s (“We-Sack-It-You-Pack-It”) and is now a massive shrine to the charms of pu-pu platters and wiki-waki cocktails.

Every square inch of Kelbo’s is filled with Polynesian objets trouves : puffer fish with colored light bulbs in their stomachs, life preservers, pilings, totems and much more. It’s a return to the days when fine dining meant relaxing in “Gilligan’s Island” splendor, sipping a skull ‘n’ bones (served in a ceramic skull) while listening to Martin Denny music.

This is a perfect setting for a club, and Kelbo’s hosts several, including the Underground on Thursday nights and the Spanish Fly on Fridays.

Saturdays, however, belong to Da Butt Club, a favorite of young Westsiders from UCLA and Santa Monica College.

In this South Pacific-meets-Southern California atmosphere, the music ranges from Aretha Franklin to Cheryl Lynn to street sounds of the moment. Like Booteus Maximus, another Saturday night Westside club named for the human posterior, Da Butt Club is made for shaking it. Especially in the Coco-Bowl.

Ah, the Coco-Bowl. It’s the centerpiece of the lounge: a round dance floor overhung with a giant, hollow half-coconut. Supported by faux palm trees and a mirrored ball, the Coco-Bowl is a perfect place to dance, whether your tastes run to disco or the Lindy. (Kelbo’s has a library of more than 10,000 big-band records, which rule the Coco-Bowl until the late-night clubs move in.)

There is also a quieter bar out front, a pool room with a CD jukebox and full dinner service.

Da Butt is neither tattoos-and-piercings underground, nor chic. There are no tricked-out Harleys parked outside, and anyone with $6 and a valid ID is courteously rushed in. You might not see any celebrities, but you won’t be confronted with clubbies throwing attitude, either.

What you will find are groups of guys and girls checking each other out shyly, like clumps of prom-goers. College students in jeans and sneakers pack the dance floor. No one dresses to make a Personal Statement.

One recent Saturday there was a graduation party, and a large group of older folks watched the youthful crowd having a good time to “Last Night a DJ Saved My Life” under the Coco-Bowl.

It’s the kind of club where you might take your parents. Especially if they’re not immune to the charms of a rum concoction served in a giant clamshell.

Name: Da Butt Club, at Kelbo’s.

Where: 11434 W. Pico Blvd., West Los Angeles.

When: Saturdays, 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Doormen: Low-key and friendly.

Prices: Cover, $6. Domestic beer, $2.50.