(Posted with notes from 2018)

Went in cold to find Pacific Seas at Clifton’s, not fully in the dark, but didn’t check for pictures on where to find it. Yes it is at Clifton’s Cafeteria in DTLA, however where exactly the entrance is, is easy to pass. Anyway, head to the top of Clifton’s and find the mirrored wall, there is a hidden door behind the mirror, enter there. Once you do make your way in and up the stairs, you are rewarded with a lovely themed environment, though usually insanely crowded. Make sure to go early to avoid the clubbing crowd that will migrate there after figuring out it’s up there.

The menu was pretty limited and the drinks weren’t the best or most memorable, it is still was a good time.

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Located at the Caliente Tropics Resort in Palm Springs, The Reef is a medium sized pool bar. Sorry, that’s a little rough, it’s more than a pool bar, in fact if every bar next to a pool was like this, we should be so lucky. As far as tiki goes, it makes a solid standing. It’s worth a single visit to make a notch on your tiki bar list but otherwise the drinks were just ok. With Bootlegger and Tonga Hut at your call further up the street, I would just stay near to those two.

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Here are some pics of the place.

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The beverage menu is deep and varied as you would expect from Trader Vic’s. To be honest though, given my usual limited time and rarity that I frequent this location, I only end up getting the original Mai Tai. It goes without saying that their Mai Tai is the gold standard – that is – as long as you don’t get the Happy Hour version, which is made with the premade syrup that Trader Vic’s Worldwide sells. I wouldn’t go for that unless you were looking for a cheap Happy Hour beverage. Just go for the original.

Oh yeah, and there are some great pupus. Do not pass up the BBQ Ribs.

Trader Vic’s Emeryville is a 20-25 minute ride across the bridge if you are in the city (worse if there is afternoon traffic), but it is so worth it if you are a tiki beverage fan. Make the trip soon though, while their lease has been extended to 2025, there is a worry that they could lose it after that.

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Not too far from Chinatown in San Francisco, Pagan Idol greets you with the insides of a ships hull that has been scuttled to the bottom of the ocean. The walls and ceiling fully sell the illusion. Portholes displaying fish swimming by also seal the deal. The rear room is palapa standard but also boasts a pretty fiber-optic star field ceiling.

The menu is fun and the drinks are solid. For a town with many to choose from, Pagan Idol is high on the list.

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The Tiny Tiki Hut (Now called The Lost Tiki) A fun little bar sandwiched in a residential area away from the main promenade. Walkable but still a bit of a ways away from the normal tourist zone. Was lovely in warm weather with the big windows and high ceiling. Recommended when you want a break from cheap cervezas!

Some of the drinks I had here:

-Papaya Project
Watermelon and Papaya. Thickness but not a huge amount of flavor.
-Mai Tai
More like an orange drink. Very sweet and high on orange. Triple Sec.
-Freaky Tiki
Smooth and tasty. Crunchy! Seeds of some sort added a great crunch like rice crispy.

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Last time I was here, spotted an older bottle of Lemon Hart 151 that we were able to get a little nip of. So tasty! The older bottles definitely have a different taste than the new style that are produced. The new run of Lemon Hart isn’t awful mind you, it’s just not exactly the same flavor as what it used to be. These days I tend to go toward using Hamilton 151, also a guyanese (Demerara) rum, but has a better flavor. Sorry for the deviation, hah!

Every drink I had here was fantastic. Of particular note were their Swizzles (I had a queens park) and the Corn ‘n Oil. It’s quite a raw drink, the Corn ‘n Oil, but a really great beverage that highlights falernum.

The presentation of all these beverages was so great. I mean look at these pics! Also the staff was excellent and accommodating. I look forward to going to Rumba every time I’m in Seattle.

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The Location and Interior

Down on J Street in the middle of the bustling night life of Downtown Sacramento, Jungle Bird is a quintessential tiki bar. They hit all the best things I love about them. A nice standup bar, general tables, and little private areas.

The interior is dominated by a big rock wall that overlooks the main seating area that includes a couple tiki thrones (wicker chairs, thrones, whatever) and some tables. This area is right next to the bar which has some high tables and stools. It looks great with all of the Japanese fishing buoys hanging from the ceiling. Finally in the back there are some corner tables and then some private booths. There is some limited seating out in the back as well. I didn’t get out there but I’d imagine it would be nice in the summer.

The Menu

A fun menu that includes the greatest hits. I really dug the Zombie. It was note perfect in staying true to Don’s original. The menu does have a few original beverages on it and Spooky’s Lagoon caught my eye as it seemed to have a bit of the same ingredients as a Zombie but since they already had one on the menu, surely this wasn’t just the same thing – and boy it wasn’t! This thing was a heavier, spicier, Zombie. Really tasty. I’ve been back to Jungle Bird a few times now and this beverage is always my first goto.

Overall

Lots of good food. Lots of good drinks. Reservations are available here and I suggest you use them. Getting a nice comfortable booth here is the way to go to enjoy a great night out.

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The Location

Not too far from downtown but still requiring a car to get there, Mutiny Bar is quite small. In fact I would almost put it in the size class of Tiki-Ti in LA, maybe a tiny bit bigger but not by much. The ceiling is festive with Christmas lights strung about, though this could have been because I was visiting so soon after the holidays. It was really crowded when I was there too, and I ended up standing next to the door while we there – coldness! At the time there didn’t seem to be any way to make a reservation, but I don’t expect that to change.

The Menu and Drinks

Not really big as you can see from the picture here.  All of it originals with the exception of the Painkiller. Quite a lot of the drinks don’t actually feature or include rum, which is fine, but not exactly in line with my tiki world view of Tiki = Rum. But I digress, I was game to try. I tried the Monkey Punch, right at the top of the list. Scotch, Rum, Passionfruit, Lime, and Grapefruit. An odd one this. Scotch and Rum were a weird pairing, but it was still tasty. For my next beverage I went off book and had them make a Mai Tai. There do have the inventory to make some of the favorites and this proved as such. The bartenders were very knowledgeable and once you got their attention, they were able to whip things up quick.

Overall

Mutiny is a little bit dive-y but it’s still a solid tiki bar. I’m not a fan of the menu so much with the focus on Gin and Scotch and Whiskey having equal footing with rum, but to each their own!

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Floral Lounge

Nicely lit and very inviting, Wahtiki is reminiscent of Waikiki Beach, with deco of wicker and wood patterns. A long window against one side with high tables all around hide that you are actually overlooking LKF just down below. There are a few semi-private rooms off to the sides for larger groups. Plenty of hosts here to make sure you are taken care of.

The Menu

A modest menu has a few greatest hits, including Planters Punch, Mai Tai, and Suffering Bastard. Most are originals that remind of some standards but with perhaps some non-standard ingredients. They do have a drink (Shark’s Tooth) with a crushed ice glass, always a fan of that! Our bartender told us that Wahtiki’s main bartender was formerly of Trader Vic’s London for many years and brought over a variant of the Vic Mai Tai, so let’s see how it does!

The Drinks

Not too many drinks that I recognized as classic here, mostly all originals except the Mai Tai. Overall it was pretty good. Smooth and balanced but they did use a very forward dark rum. Not quite Black Strap but something close. Next up was Wahtiki’s Own Punch. This was basically a Beachcomber Mai Tai but without the absinthe. They added a little more almond flavor and then quite a bit of either Curaçao or Cointreau. It was really orange heavy with a little bit of sour. Lastly, followed it all up with the Tonga Tonga. This one I would avoid. Tasted like Hawaiian Punch with some orange juice. Maybe there was some silver rum hiding back in there. After the previous two beverages, couldn’t really tell.

Overall

Added with the fact that Wahtiki has food, it’s not a bad place to spend an evening in action packed Hong Kong. Their drinks were not my favorite but solid. On subsequent visit here I gave the Mai Tai another spin and felt it has evolved into something not super noteworthy, but still ok. Wahtiki is worth a visit if you are looking for one stop food and Tiki.

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