The Location

Only a block away from the famous Musso & Frank Grille on Hollywood Boulevard and right next to a frat bar is a discreet palm tree painted on white brick with a skinny inset lobby. Once you get inside you will notice what used to maybe be a fireplace at the front that allows some light through the middle but mostly keeps things dark and comfortable inside. Greenery adorns the walls and touches of nautical embellish throughout. In the back, and only open on Friday and Saturday, is a large open atrium bar. There is plenty of booths and seating throughout and ample space all around, especially on this Sunday afternoon.

The Pearl Diver

I tried a bunch of different things the couple times I went here. Let’s start with the Pearl Diver. A difficult drink to make, the best I have ever had was at Latitude 29 in New Orleans and I can safely put this one right at the top as well. Really well made with a nice good froth with the perfect amount of buttery taste. It’s served in a wine glass so the froth doesn’t last for too long, but still great.

The Macadamia Mai Tai

Lono’s Mai Tai is one of the most unique ones I have had. It is very creamy which may be lent to the custom Vanilla Demerara Lime mix they use. A gentle Macadama flavor also rounds this out making it a hint sweeter than most Mai Tais but not too much. I really recommend having this one as your first when you go here. I love the taste and haven’t found anything like it anywhere.

Many More Tasty Things

So yes the Mai Tai but also yes to everything else. The bartender here really loves some Tiki and makes all these beverages with a great deal enthusiasm. He tried his best to convince the two white wine drinkers with reservations to a Tiki Bar to maybe try one of the MANY great options (sadly to no avail). The Curse of the Lono, one of their signature drinks is basically a pineapple heavy Rum Barrel. Big and fruity, it hides its rum well. The A’ole Pilikia, a super complex Painkiller with rum Pisco and flavors of banana and coconut. Finally the two staples, Navy Grog and Zombie. Navy grog on my first trip was a little heavy on the grapefruit but the second trip delivered a perfect mix with the right honey balance. The Zombie had lots of nice spice notes but was very orange flavored for some reason.

Overall

Lono takes reservations and you will probably want to take advantage of them if you are looking at going on a busy weekend night. I would like to go back some time and brave the crowds to enjoy that back room on a summer day. Looks like a great experience back there. But don’t ignore a chill Sunday afternoon at Lono. The menu is fantastic. They have a good PuPu menu as well. Tiki is back on Hollywood Boulevard!

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Santa Cruz

The Santa Cruz location, is in an area that I somewhat assume is a downtown-esque sort of place. We walked there from the Wharf, and noticed a multitude of little eateries and clubs peppered about the area. Now it’s not super close to the Wharf but it is walkable. When you approach there is a nice little street side area that looks nice for lunch along a quiet street. Inside is reminiscent of more of a surf bar than tiki. It wasn’t too busy but we opted for the bar since we were in for a quick snack and beverage. Popping my head around the corner of the bar I saw a moderately decorated “Tiki Room” that was a little more in line with what I thought the rest of the restaurant was going to be. If you came back on Friday or Saturday, I’m sure they use this room, maybe.

Monterey

In Monterey, Hula’s is only a few blocks up from the water and a few over from Cannery Row, all very walkable. The main eating area here is a little more “woody” in theme. There isn’t room for a patio out front but out back there is a quaint little space with several small tables and a larger couch area for a group. There is also a satellite bar back there I have never seen used both times we have been here. The several times I have been to this location, we have always sat in the back patio and I think I would actually prefer it to the inside anyway (as long as the heaters are on – Brrrr!).

The Drinks

The menu is not very large and there are a few classic beverages on the list. Looking at the menu, you’ll see that the ingredients are not true to classic recipes as Hula’s has added their own twist to most of them. Where this did not work was the Zombie. It was really just a sweet tropical passion fruity drink with some forgettable rum that was pretty watered down by the juices. Unless you want something sweet and juicy, I’d give this one a pass if you’re looking for something Zombie-esque.

The Zombie wasn’t quite what I expected. The Mai Tai too would be highly suspect but thankfully I was surprised! While on the surface it seems like you may be getting a Hawai-Tai, it was and it wasn’t. (Hawaiian style Mai Tai, mostly pineapple juice with some almond syrup and white rum, floater of dark rum)

surprisingly tart version that actually wasn’t too sweet or pineapple-ey and was pretty well balanced with a tasty float of JWray Gold atop! A treat!

If you check the website, it shows there are two other restaurants in the family of Hula’s Island Grill located in Phoenix and Scottsdale (Both named Hula’s Modern Tiki). They both have similar drink menus to their California cousins, though the food menu looks to be a little more refined. The food at both the California locations was great and I would classify it as Thai, not bad.

Summary

Both Hula’s Island Grill offer up some nice Tiki and while I didn’t approve of the Zombie, the Mai Tai brought me around and I look forward to what other concoctions they have to offer on the next time I’m around.

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The Mai Tai

The Mai Tai is made by Hale Pele to the Vic’s standard of perfection and had a great frost on the outside on the glass. A good tell right away that you’re going to have a good experience in your Mai Tai is some frost on the glass, mint, and the spent half of the lime adorning the top. That’s the way it should be! Nom. Second beverage was the 151 swizzle. The 151 swizzle is quite close to the Queen’s Park Swizzle which is slowly becoming one of my favorite beverages. Strong and not too sweet, heavy on the bitters, bitters, and more bitters. This one was great. Swizzled perfectly as to require the necessary ‘bib’ on the outside as to not freeze your digits.

The Menu

Look at this menu though! So many fun things to explore through. Sad I could only come here the one night. Not only was this menu great, service warm and friendly, but whenever someone ordered, what I’m guessing were bowl style drinks, there would be several show events that would happen in the whole bar. For one the lights would start flickering into red and the tiki gods would start chanting; A second had a tropical storm approaching then arriving with thunderous lightning (with lightning fx to boot!). Super fun.

Overall

Don’t pass this place up. Tell me how the rest of those drinks are!

…and here is the rest of the menu, good stuff!

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Red Rackums Revenge

Because I had to avoid anything with grapefruit for a while (tragedy!), I skipped on the Zombie this time. Having been here before though I wasn’t too disappointed as I have had this particular Zombie and recall it being quite good. So, I ventured into original drink territory, which has been, in my experience, a mixed bag in places. The Red Rackums Revenge was my choice for beverage #1 – and it did not disappoint. It really was an explosion of all the things I love about a very layered Tiki beverage. Cherry Liqueur, All Spice, Cinnamon, and Ginger all working together here with Demerara and Jamaican 151 rums. Finally the concoction is flash blended to produce a frothy top. This is one that I’m going to have to try and reproduce at home. They have come up with something really exceptional in this beverage.

The Mai Tai

Vic’s Mai Tai was up second, and I knew this one would be a slam dunk, and it was. A perfect blending off the proper mixings. They actually have three available here (two displayed on the current menu). There is the Vic’s version, they also happily have the DTB version which is less sweet than the Vic’s and a bit more heavy on the booze – also it has grapefruit in it so it is quite tart. Finally they have the Bitter Mai Tai, which is, heavy on the bitters! But boy is it good. I didn’t have it this trip, but if you are looking for a non sweet Tiki – then try the Bitter Mai Tai. Really good.

We have never come here in the evening hours and I don’t think that it would be the best idea as the place is quite small. There are three booths inside and only about 10 or so seats about. There is an outside patio that has much more seating, but being Palm Springs, can get pretty hot out there (even though they have misters). It has been my experience that coming around dinner time yields the best chance to get a seat inside as it is crowded in the afternoon and certainly at late night. It is a bit out of the zone of the restaurant area of the strip, but I find that walking up there isn’t a big deal (and then taking a Lyft on your way out).

Overall

Bootleggers is the second Tiki bar of note in Palm Springs and makes going to PS all the sweeter.

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Vic’s History

Back in the 50’s and 60’s, Trader Vic’s ballooned to about 25 locations – but then along with the dying out of tiki, so did Trader Vic’s. A few hung in there, the quasi-original location in Emeryville, Ca. and the Mai-Tai bar at the Beverly Hilton for example. The Tokyo restaurant opened when the New Otani opened back in 1974. The original-original was in Oakland, Ca. but finally had to relocate due to what reads to have been a necessity as the building was neigh on being condemned. In 2009 they tried opening a bunch of new locations and some of them still exist, like a bunch in the Middle East.

Anyway, while the Japan location was built in 2009, the vibe in there is that it could have easily been built in the 60’s and never moved on from there; And that’s a good thing! When I first visited this place I thought it was closed, greeted by a host wearing what I thought was her purse, leaving for the day – but she was not, that was just part of their costume. When I was taken back in to the restaurant I was surprised by a large throwback to classic tiki and the standard Trader Vic’s menu of great beverages.

The Location

I should note that it was a little hard to find this place. When you exit Nagatacho station (Exit #7, then turn right over the bridge, New Otani is first high rise on your left) and get up to the New Otani complex you need to skip the first entry you come to otherwise you’ll be in the office complex with a bunch of escalators and in the wrong place. You need to go through the second set of doors into something looking vaguely mall-ish – pass the escalators and look for red elevator doors on the left. Also a little of a challenge is reading the menu – while the titles of the drinks are in English, the descriptions are not. I did cheat and look up the Emeryville menu online which is almost identical.

The Mai Tai

If you have never been to Trader Vic’s then you will have to start with the classic Mai Tai.  While technically Don The Beachcomber had something called the Mai Tai Swizzle before Vic did, Vic definitely made the Mai Tai popular with his version of it. If someone says Mai Tai and you immediately think of pineapple, then you haven’t had aclassic Trader Vic Mai Tai before. Vic Bergeron invented the Mai Tai while working as a bartender at the Royal Hawaiian on Waikiki. Since he left, the Mai Tai evolved there into it’s Pineapple sweet version. Anyhoo, start ith the Mai Tai here and you’ll get treated to the original fantastic version as it was meant to be made. Everything works about this drink and the presentation is flawless.

The Grogs

My next favorite beverage here is the Navy Grog. While created originally by Don The Beachcomber, the version here is probably the best I’ve had anywhere and I especially love that it comes with a rock candy swizzle so that you can ‘set’ your own sweetness in the drink. All the ingredients are really balanced well in their version and it truly is a gold standard of how they should be made.

Another great tiki standard is Trader Vic’s Grog. Completely different than the Navy Grog, the Trader Vic Grog is a much sweeter, not very potent beverage but highly drinkable and tastes great. Plus the glass it comes in is so great! Look at that thing!

Last couple things to mention; The Zombie – I don’t think they should call it that because it really has hardly any resemblance to what a Zombie is and is more akin to a Trader Vic Grog than anything. I give it a 2 out of 5 because well, it still has rum in it and rum is good, but yeah – nothing like what a Zombie should be. Second thing, sorry I didn’t take a pic of the menu – but it’s in Japanese anyway and if you look up Trader Vic Menu online you can find pretty much what they have at the restaurant.

Overall

So Trader Vic’s, a big win and something to look forward to when you’re in the middle of an extended stay in Japan and looking for a tiki retreat!

Update: Corrected opening date to 1974.

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The Location

As is the case with several tiki bars I have been to, The Golden Tiki is in a strip mall and pretty easy to miss. Once you get to the porthole covered door, you enter into a small cave room replete with faux rock walls and “Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a pirates life for me” playing from the speakers. Upon entering the second door you are presented with a very long L shaped bar with plenty of seating.  Some small high tables are at one side, a few large booths and then a private back room. While it didn’t feel crowded it really was as every seat was taken.

We stood close at the bar for a little while (there isn’t much room to hover around the bar as the aisles are very small) while I figured out the reservation system. If you check online at their site, they do take reservations through an online form, and if you ask the host at the front entry, they will also try to accommodate you (which thankfully they did with us in what turned out to be a large party of 8 or so).

The inside decor is really quite great. A high ceiling includes a fiber optic night time star effect that gives the whole room a fanciful charm. The lighting levels are perfect. The walls, booth, and bar are all adorned with fun tiki and Polynesian pics and props.

The Drinks

So the drinks; Lots of great ingredients and a pretty big menu. The service time was pretty long. They were quite busy, but at least once I think our order was completely lost. Even our server didn’t know what happened to it, but she was nice to bridge us over with some complementary shots. I ended up having a Mai Tai and the Navy Grog that night. Both had good flavors but were very very light on the booze. Thankfully they weren’t completely sweet. Pretty much everyone in our party that night who I polled all agreed that the drinks were light on the booze. Heavy on the juice.

Overall

The Golden Tiki gets high marks for it’s decor and ambiance and while the drinks were not really awesome or ‘leaded’, they were still okay – and maybe it’s a good thing that they weren’t too strong, you are in Vegas after all, and this probably wasn’t going to be your first or last stop of the evening.

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Update 10-01-2017: New menu. Lots of options compared to before. Haven’t had a crack at anything new yet but looks pretty awesome!

Continuing a trend of new tiki bars opening, the Royal Hawaiian in Laguna Beach originally opened way back in 1947. it closed a few years ago and, after a renovation, has reopened as a pretty great destination for any tiki fan. The decor is of island style, palm fronds, lots of flowers. The restaurant has a soft seperation from the pretty crowded bar area which is fairly modern. The food menu is small but varied (I dont partake of the seafood and there were plenty of options). Now with all that out of the way, lets get to… the Drinks!

The Menu

I was pleasantly surprised by the menu. When I had originally looked up this place, I had found a menu which now I think may have its past life, right before it closed and only had a couple tiki style drinks on it. The current menu isn’t huge but there are some good options. This place is known for the Lapu Lapu. I cant find info to say that definitely that this drink originated here at the Royal Hawaiian, but my extensive research (of typing the name into the search bar; Hard work) only references either the Royal Hawaiian or “polynesean restaurants”. So lets just say, one of the first!

The Lapu Lapu

Right. So… The Lapu Lapu (also known as the Chief Lapu Lapu) is their most featured drink and both the people at my table who ordered it both enjoyed it. I had a quick taste of one of theirs and I would agree with the general characterization that it is a slightly sweeter Mai Tai. It comes served in the traditional snifter that a Lapu Lapu requires. For my usual main tasting drinks, I went right to the Zombie and Mai Tai.

The Zombie

The presentation of the Zombie is great; Garnish is well done; Its tiki glass is huge and fun. My first swig of this massive concoction was, woah, very creamy – perhaps the creamiest I’ve had, almost as if there were egg whites in it. Quite odd. Additionally, this drink was very sweet. Not something I would really expect from a drink as storied as a Zombie. It is definitely a potent drink though. Not lacking there. The rums are exceptional as well. It was quite a large drink for sure and with it being so sweet and creamy, actually made it a bit hard to get through. I wouldn’t write it off though – just know that this dude is more up in the dessert category with something like a Painkiller. Maybe they should have called this drink the “Double Tap – It’ll finish you off!”

The Mai Tai

The Mai Tai was done in the Trader Vic style (orgeat, curaçao) and wasn’t particularly flavorful. Presentation was great and there was clearly some care that went into making it, but there wasn’t anything to notable about it. I would have expected a little bit of tartness to it but I wasn’t getting that at all, maybe a little light on the lime and bitters. I do love that they use fresh flowers in just about all of their beverages. Always a great touch.

Overall

I am looking forward to going back here again to try the others on the list and for no other reason than it is a pretty cool place to hang with good food and good beverages right on the California coast!

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