#2063 - Smuggler's Cove, San Francisco - 2/25/2013

Few people interested in cocktail bars would need a description of Smuggler's Cove -- Martin Cate's celebration of rum and tiki bars past has been cited in various publications as the best bar in San Francisco and one of the best in the world. Stepping past the nondescript exterior into the dark, Disneyesque, tri-level, pirate cave inside instantly provides the kind of escape to another world that characterizes the best tiki bars.

You must try some of the house classics, but in addition to tiki originals, classic cocktails from famous old tiki bars, Caribbean Island drinks, and prohibition-era Cuban drinks, if you would like a break from the sweetness of tiki drinks, the bartenders know their stuff and can create something delicious with a few indications of your tastes (I had a tikified Sazerac with Falernum). If you are ambitious you can join the "Rumbustion Society" and drink your way through the huge list of fine rums. The "Tiki Central" crowd meets there on Tuesdays.

Smuggler's Cove is one of my favorite 2 or 3 tiki bars in the country.

650 Gough St  San Francisco, CA 94102 -  (415) 869-1900               
Est. Dec 8, 2009
Previous bars in this location: Jade Bar
Web site: smugglerscovesf.com - facebook
Best Reviews: critiki - foodography (video) - rumdood - alcademics - eater - thetikichick - sfweekly - tikiroom - sfexaminer - sfweekly - sfist - yahglobal - thrillist - esquire - yelp

#1984 - Tacoma Cabana, Tacoma - 11/30/2012

The Tacoma Cabana

The Tacoma Cabana bills itself as "Tacoma's Premier Craft Tiki Bar." This is a bit like the Green Bay Packers calling themselves the premier NFL team of eastern Wisconsin. There are no dedicated tiki theme bars that make craft cocktails anywhere else in Tacoma -- or for that matter in Seattle or the Puget Sound region (although a few differently themed bars such as Rumba include some fine tiki cocktails, and Hula Hula offers an impressive tiki decor). Both the cocktails and the decor at the Tacoma Cabana are serious tiki (and no, that is not an oxymoron).

Owners Robyn Murphy and Jason Alexander used to run the Villa Caffe and Imbibery across town. They did a swell job converting a fine old space on Pacific Ave into a glowing, thatched hut setting where fresh juices and classic ingredients are used to make fine tiki concoctions, and served with "vacation fusion" appetizers and entrees. Tacoma keeps becoming a better and better bar town, and the Cabana is now a nice part of that.

The Tacoma Cabana

Read more here: http://blog.thenewstribune.com/tntdiner/2012/11/16/tiki-time-tacoma-cabana-brings-rum-fun-and-a-600-pound-marlin-to-downtown-tacoma/#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://blog.thenewstribune.com/tntdiner/2012/11/16/tiki-time-tacoma-cabana-brings-rum-fun-and-a-600-pound-marlin-to-downtown-tacoma/#storylink=cpy

The Tacoma Cabana

728 Pacific Ave Tacoma, Washington 98402 - (253) 222-4184
Est. Oct 17, 2012
Previous bars in this location: On The Rocks, Surreal Ultra Lounge

Read more here: http://blog.thenewstribune.com/tntdiner/tag/tacoma-cabana/#

Web site: tacomacabana.com - facebook  
Reviews: tnt - tiki central - amountainofcrushedice - weeklyvolcano - kevinfreitas - yelp - komonews

#1830 - Trader Vic's, Portland, OR - 8/5/2011

Update: The Portland Trader Vics closed in March 2016.

You will excuse, I hope, a little bitter envy from up north. Seattle may retain a little tiki vibe in HulaHula (and let us politely ignore the ghastly sham called  "Tiki Bob's"). But with the return of Trader Vic's in 2011, Portland has the trifecta: the fine, vintage tiki dive (The Alibi), the modern, classy tiki (Thatch/Hale Pele), and the old classic.

Trader Vic's, of course, started it all. Not just the tiki bar, but the tiki movement, resurgent now after a couple decades of decline.  Starting as "Hinky Dink's, across from his parents' Oakland grocery store, Victor Bergeron spread his vision of exotic, idealized Polynesian escape across the country and eventually the world. Of course many others contributed (and some contend Vic's claim on the invention of the Mai Tai), but Don the Beachcomber et. al. were never as expansive and iconic.

 In Seattle we had the very first franchised Trader Vic's (long called "The Outrigger"), from 1948 to 1991, in the Benjamin Franklin / Westin Hotel, then recently had a brief, abortive attempt across Lake Washington in Bellevue. The large thatch lamps from the old Seattle place hung for years in the Crocodile Cafe, before disappearing altogether with the recent change in ownership. I never made it to the old Portland TV's (in the Benson Hotel from 1959 to 1996). But the new one feels just as right and enduring as the Bellevue one felt out of place and fragile. It is large (250 seats) but feels intimate, it looks terrific, and has drinks good enough to make you almost forget all the horrific attempts at tiki drinks you get almost anyplace else.

1203 NW Glisan St (at NW 12th Ave), Portland, OR 97209 - (503) 467-2277
Est. July 28, 2011

Web site: tradervicspdx.com - facebook
Ranked Reviews: oregonlive - portlandmonthlymag - critiki - flickr - eater - tikicentral - portlandmonthlymag - oregonlive - rumconnection - barfly - urbanspoon

#1722 - The Hut, Tucson, AZ - 3/24/2012

The Hut is really more of rock club than a tiki bar, and the vibe is less exotic than college beach party. But it does the college beach party well, with a large patio and filling an airy, old metal fabrication plant which once turned out bomb casings for World War II with tiki mugs, a raffia-topped bar, and various tropical themed trappings.  But what dominates the place from the moment you see it is the 42 foot Moai head that now serves as the entrance -- the largest replica of the Easter Island figures in north America.

In 2009 the Moai, constructed in 1969 and weighing in at a reported 55,000 lbs, was rescued from Magic Carpet Golf, and relocated with considerable effort and tens of thousands of dollars of donations.  (The Hut owners and other supporters used the slogan "Keep Tucson uniquey, save the tiki.") 

The Hut also has a special connection to Seattle Mariner fans like myself.  The M's current closer, Tom Willemsen, worked there as a bartender after leaving baseball and the Milwaukee Brewers, and before hooking up with Mariners management to try and get back into the game.


The drinks are hit and miss and the Hut does not serve food, but it's a fun place and fits in great with Tucson's undeniably uniquey vibe.

305 N 4th Ave. (8th St.), Tucson, AZ 85705 - (520) 623-3200
Est. 2001

Web site: huttucson.com - facebook
Best reviews: metromix - critiki - tucsoncitizen  - yelp - tiki central - espn - urbanspoon - tucsoncitizen - tucsonazrealestateblog

#1710 - Cocomo Joe's, Cave Creek, AZ - 3/20/2012

Update: Cocomo Joe's closed in April 2014

A big sports bar in the guise of a tiki bar.

28244 N. Tatum Blvd, Cave Creek, AZ 85331 - (480) 538-8008


cocomojoes.com - facebook - critiki - yelp - azcentral -

#1707 - Bikini Lounge, Phoenix, AZ - 3/18/2012

I had few expectations of the Bikini Lounge -- I envisioned just a dive bar with a cardboard thick devotion to the tiki theme. I was delightedly surprised.

It certainly is divey, as many of the best tiki bars are, and it has its insensate, day-glo tiki after-thoughts. But it also has aged charm and quirky appeal. Duane, the bartender (and member of the band Iconoclast, although I imagine they spell it differently), happily told us a few stories of the place, with many of the items dating back to its 1947 founding. The centerpiece hula girl painting behind the bar is said to be to have the head of the original owner's wife and the body of his mistress. While it was owned by a gay couple, the hula girl apparently had her breasts painted over and the grass skirt added, then the subsequent owner restored the bosom to its former glory.

 The New Times claims that this is the oldest bar in Phoenix.  Basically, it has an earnest quantity of tiki, and everything a you need for a dive bar of integrity, including the location in a dicey neighborhood. I don't imagine that I will ever go to Phoenix again without stopping in.

1502 Grand Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85007 - (602) 252-0472
Est. 1947
thebikinilounge.com - tikicentral - critiki - azcentral - yelp

#1706 - Hula's Modern Tiki, Phoenix, AZ - 3/18/2012

Hula's is a swank, mid-century place with good tiki drinks and very good food.  We met fellow tiki aficionados Mike M. and his wife, who were very friendly, as tiki people generally are, and compared notes on Phoenix and Tucson (from whence they had just come and we were just heading).

Hula's has some familiar sites for the tiki crowd -- glass cases of Munktiki mugs under the bar, a Tiki Tony carving, a Bosko shield.  It's romantically lit and as full of mid-century shapes and angles as a Shag painting.  The concept is well executed and the people are friendly.  It's a great exception to the strip mall, chain store dreariness of so much of the valley of the sun.

4700 North Central Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85012 - (602) 265-8454
hulasmoderntiki.com - facebook - critiki - thetikichick - backpage - centralphoenixfood -  phxrailfood - phoenixmag - yelp
Est. 2009

#1680 - Tiki Joe's Wet Bar, Kirkland, WA - 2/15/2012

"Are you going to start your own tiki bar?" the bartender asked me, and I walked around taking photos.  I didn't have the heart to tell her that I have more tiki stuff in my basement.  Tiki Joe's is a small dive that serves strong drinks to a crowd in their lower 20s and wearing popped collar polo shirts.

106 Kirkland Avenue Kirkland, WA 98033 - (425) 827-8300
Est. 2004
Previous bars in this location: Smokie Jo's
tikisbarandgrill.com - facebook - critiki - yelp

#1626 - Frankie's Tiki Room, Las Vegas - 11/26/2011

 Frankie's is an all-out tiki bar a short cab ride from the strip.  Upon entering you are immediately greeted by pleasing darkness and a towering tiki by Crazy Al, above a faux fire that occasionally emits smoke.  The decor is largely designed by Bamboo Ben, with works by leading tiki carvers like Bosko, LeRoy Schmaltz, Ken Pleasant and Tiki Ray.  The drinks include tiki classics in custom-made mugs, and it is open 24 hours.

 Frankie's is one of the best tiki bars in the country and should not be missed on any Vegas trip.  The one shortcoming for many of us here a half century past the mid-century era it evokes is that it quite genuinely replicates the heavy cigarette smoking of the era.

1712 W Charleston Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89102 - (702) 385-3110
frankiestikiroom.com - facebook - critiki - tikicentral - vegas.com - urbanspoon - yelp

#1211 - The Bahooka, Rosemead CA - 8/24/2010

Update: The Bahooka closed in March 2013

This may be my favorite tiki bar I've ever been to.  Yes, the Mai Kai is grand, and perhaps holds an edge thanks to the gardens.  But inside Bahooka Ribs & Grog has the dark, ramshackle, non-corporate vibe that I love in a tiki bar.

The food is fairly plain and the drinks do not compete with the best tiki joints (though they are better than average), but the fact that there is nothing fancy about their food somehow makes it all the more likable.

Then, of course, there are the aquariums (over 100 of them) and the alluring feeling of being lost in the labyrinth hold of a sunken ship.  Each booth is surrounded by fish and seafaring paraphernalia, dark and woody with the tables hanging by a large iron chain.

It is out of the way enough to have a shack ("bahooka") feel to it from the outside, and the small bar, where a turtle paddles under your drinks, preserves the vibe of an old neighborhood joint.

I love this place.

(More photos)

4501 Rosemead Boulevard, Rosemead, CA 91770-1476 - (626) 285-1241
Est. 1967 - Closed March 2013
bahooka.com - critiki - myspace - facebook - tikizone - yelp