I had the day off and decided to check out the World Cup madness in San Pedro Square, arriving late in the USA vs. Australia match. The street has been pedestrian only for several years but during the World Cup drinks can be brought out onto the street as well so that you could watch on the big screen erected in the street or on the TVs on the patios of several venues. Street vendors were selling flags, hot dogs, and even street Margaritas and beer amidst the chaos. We even saw a giant tour bus decked out for fans of Turkey who are playing at Levi’s Stadium tonight.
I found my way past the crowd and landed in an empty portion at the bar of Dr. Funk, whose patio was crazy crowded and who had a TV showing the match as well. By and large this indoor crowd was more sedate than some of the wild fans outside, though we did see quite a few people wearing jerseys for their favorite country and some really going all-out with their outfits.
Somehow the sea of crowd parted and there was a lull in the orders, just as Justin asked for an order. Dr. Funk had a small menu offered but I didn’t even need to look at it, ordering a Mai Tai which was just as great as usual except being served in a plastic cup that I could travel with if I chose to. The USA match ended shortly thereafter, scattering some of the crowd.
Tiki purists don’t love sports on TVs in a tiki bar, but it would be financial malpractice if the good folks at Dr. Funk didn’t take advantage of this once in a generation opportunity to stay open later and serve the throngs of fans. And I have a lot of respect for the crew who I can tell are working very hard and even longer hours to accommodate this special event. Look for some of the crowds to die down in a couple weeks especially once teams are knocked out of the tournament.
There’s some good news for the tiki fans, though, as there are still plans to update the menu and make some interior improvements to coincide. So there’s plenty of traditional tiki bar stuff to be had soon at San Jose’s best tiki bar.
