Our long national nightmare is over.
The 10th most populous city in America finally has a real tiki destination now that Dr. Funk has soft-opened in Downtown San Jose. We visited Tuesday during a soft-open for Tiki Ohana, and we’ve been told that Thursday is the first day open to the general public with next Monday being the official grand opening.
Situated at San Pedro Square, Dr. Funk is an immersive tiki bar with decor buildout by @topnotchkustoms + @m_p_o_r_i_u_m_ and bar program by @kenwongdejanan + @bondtylerbond44. The interior is first class, with seven huts, a long bar, and plenty of tables inside. Outside there are more seats on the tiki patio. There are lots of little nods to the actual doctor named Dr. Funk, including some bubbling potions above the bar. Service was great during our soft-open experience. Food was not yet being served, so stay tuned for further developments.
And the cocktails? FAN-TASTIC.
The namesake cocktail is quite good, leaning into Absinthe which is the signature ingredient. More unexpected was the creamy Dead Man’s Isle featuring Ube, Coconut Creme, and several rums. It had a very unique taste and was a big hit among all who tried it.
And the Mai Tai? Maybe one the best anywhere.
We need more samples before we’re able to add this amazing Mai Tai to our Top 5 worldwide, but it is a very strong candidate. Using Appleton 12 and Smith & Cross Jamaican rums, the Mai Tai was perfectly balanced including a creamy and sweet house-made Orgeat. And, if you’re so inclined, you can order it in a souvenir glass designed by local favorite B-Rex.
No longer a wasteland, San Jose finally has the tiki destination it fully deserves.
lol! The menu did look good. I stopped in the day before St. Paddy’s. They wouldn’t serve a “shaken” drink. Just premixed green stuff off of a small paper card menu. Too bad. They had some nice lamps I guess.
Refusing to make a guy a Mai Tai in a Tiki bar? lol. Glad you got good drinks when you went though.
Also, Thanks for the Navy Grog section you did here. I enjoyed it.
If this was early in the day before regular service in the evening, then I will be willing to cut them a little little bit of slack on this. They used to have a limited menu when they did brunch back a couple years ago as well. These are special hours and so a full menu may not be applicable. Disappointing to be sure though.