This is the former Myna Bird Tiki Bar location in the food court at the International Marketplace. There was an ownership change for the food court and this bar was rebranded as being part of the La Pina Cantina next door. So I was surprised to see a new name here and also a new menu.
And, friends, I’m here to tell you that Tipsy Tiki is fantastic. Our bartender Lee told us his Mai Tai is made from fresh ingredients and while I’m no Island Mai Tai fanatic, this one was pretty great. One of the best I’ve ever had. Mahalo Lee!
Mrs Mai Tai had the Cool n Fresh with Tequila, lavender syrup, cucumber syrup, lime, and coconut water and it was really amazing. We will return to try more of the menu.
This venue may not scratch the itch for the hardcore tikiphile, but I’m always ready to welcome a new tiki place when the cocktails are outstanding. Check it out in Waikiki!
We’re staying at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani and stopped by the Splash Bar for lunch. I enjoyed my beef skewers but felt the Mai Tai was just so-so.
Plenty of tikis on the grounds and we enjoy the central Waikiki location. At least we can see the ocean peeking over the Moana across the street.
We ventured across the street from Aulani for dinner at Monkeypod Kitchen. Their Mai Tai has honey-lilikoi foam, as well as Kula silver and dark rums, Macadamia Nut Orgeat, and Bots Orange Curacao. When I tried this in 2019 I didn’t love it, but I have to say that this time it was a better experience. The foam overlowed everywhere, like lava from a Hawaiian volcano, but once we mixed the foam and rum float together with everything then this was a pretty good cocktail.
Even better for me was the Fifty-Foot Pole, with Ko Hana Kea Hawaiian rum, Smith & Cross Jamaican rum, Joto Yuzu, Mango Shrub, and Ango. One of the best cocktails I’ve had in a while. Meanwhile, Mrs. Mai Tai loved Gin/coconut cocktail White Walker again, and then tried Ai’ono with Bourbon, pineapple, and cinnamon syrup. It was a good cocktail night.
And dinner was even better, since the Mahi fish sandwich I had was probably the best fish sandwich I’ve ever had. Julie’s Macadamia crusted Mai Tai was also excellent. The Strawberry Cream Pie was delightful. We had a slight issue with the meal, but our server went overboard to address it, with our appreciation. We really had a great time.
Mrs Mai Tai and I landed in Honolulu and made our way over to Disney’s Aulani Resort for a one night stay. We love the grounds and atmosphere but it is so pricey it doesn’t warrant a long stay. We enjoyed the lazy river, pools, and even a quick dip in the ocean.
The Tropical Mai Tai (Hawaiian Mai Tai 1) was nothing special but I liked the Tropical Itch a lot better.
The world’s best airport bar is celebrating its first birthday today. It was a long time coming but Trader Vic’s San Jose Airport has been slinging cocktails for one year now. We didn’t plan on being here specially for this but it was a happy accident with our flight to Hawai’i leaving at 7:30 and we still had time for breakfast.
Breakfast Mai Tai? Absolutely. It is 6:15 am somewhere, right?
Mrs Mai Tai had a Shirley Temple and we both had the Island Parfait. So good.
For those scoring at home this does NOT count for the Hawaiian Mai Tai contest.
Mrs Mai Tai and I made a special trek to the City to have dinner at the Tonga Room. We were last here in 2019, and we’ve missed the incredible atmosphere and dining at the historical tiki bar at the Fairmont Hotel. There’s always a line when the place opens (was told they don’t offer reservations anymore, even to hotel guests), and even more so this week after a nice writeup in the local SFGate news site.
Unlike our last attempt before a Go-Go’s show a couple months ago, traffic was light and so we arrived super early and were first in line. Definitely a big difference between the “Tonga line” 30 mins before opening and 15 mins before. We were seated poolside, which is always our favorite place.
The food menu is a little more limited than in our previous visits, and noteworthy doesn’t offer much for kids or picky eaters. I ordered the spam appetizer which I expected would be like sliders – but it most certainly wasn’t. This was very tasty, but difficult to eat and would be hard to share. Even better was my Grilled Miso Salmon over fried rice that was really delicious. Julie loved her Coconut Curry Seafood, though I had to convince her to try the Calamari.
There’s something off in the tart Mai Tai (I’m guessing cheap orgeat), though we loved our other cocktails including the coffee-coconut Tonga Kong and the lemon-coconut Adult Swim (normally served with vodka, I asked for rum to be subbed). The cocktails here are very pricey and the quality is okay – but balanced with the friendly service and amazingly immersive decor inside.
The Tonga Room is very expensive and hard to get in, but for special occasions or just as an occasional treat we think it is worth it. There’s no doubt that the business is booming, though an upcoming three-week closure for refurbishments will be a bummer for some. The rain and thunderstorms that happen every 15-30 minutes are a big hit with customers, and the decor and artwork is a sight to be behold.
I’m leaving Wednesday for 11 days in Hawaii (June 8-18). We’ll be at Aulani for one night, then in Waikiki for five nights, then in Kauai for four nights.
The contest is simple: guess how many Mai Tais I’ll drink while I’m in Hawaii or while in transit in the air.
Any cocktail with “Mai Tai” on a menu or packaging counts, as does any cocktail handed to me when I ask a bartender for a “Mai Tai.” RTD Mai Tais count as one per can or bottle. If I order but don’t finish the Mai Tai it still counts.
