Category: Tiki Bar

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The Lucky Tiki Lives Up to the Hype

The Lucky Tiki is a new tiki bar that has been generating buzz for months so we decided to see if the hype was worth it. It is folks, it is.

Located upstairs from Tail o’ the Pup in West Hollywood and run by 1933 Group (Formosa Cafe, et. al.), this small tiki bar requires reservations that include the instructions on how to enter, speakeasy style. There are a few seats at the bar, several two or four-top tables, and one booth that we were seated in for our party of five.

Mai Tai

Hot Dogs can be ordered from Tail o’ the Pup downstairs, plus a few traditional tiki items, though note that if you want mustard or ketchup that you have to indicate that on the order. I had the Lucky Tiki Pop with a glaze sauce and pineapple that was delicious.

Most cocktails have a unique garnish or presentation, such as the Old Fashioned that’s presented from a smoke-filled box or the Ghost of Jim Morrison where thyme is set on fire. We thought the cocktails were very good, definitely not for hardcore craft cocktail nerds but more than adequate for folks looking for a fun time. Mrs. Mai Tai loved her Elvis in Hawaii that uses Peanut Butter Whiskey and a jelly-like Cabernet float. The Captain’s Inner Circle is their Navy Grog riff.

Elvis in Hawaii

The Mai Tai uses Flor de Cana 15 aged in sea-soaked barrels. We tasted the rum neat and there’s a bold saline flavor that’s just hinted at in the cocktail. It’s perfectly fine for this venue, but I challenged Skipper Christian Diaz (ex-Trader Sam’s) who was working to come up with an “impress me” Mai Tai and he absolutely killed it with an amazing one that used Planteray Fiji and Xaymaca, plus Smith & Cross rum. Mahalo!

Our service throughout was top-notch, very friendly and responsive to our repeated drink orders. Thanks to David and team. The decor and lighting is gorgeous and music is just want you want in a good tiki bar, relaxing and retro. Lucky Tiki has merch available and really lived up to the hype. Check it out.

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Kamala-palooza at Forbidden Island

Forbidden Island brought together tikiphiles with members of the City of Alameda Democratic Club for a fundraiser and social. Raffle tickets were available for prizes donated by local businesses and tiki mugs donated by some of the local Ohana. Plus a silent auction for some tiki related items and a bit of Kamala swag including lawn signs and hats.

As with Forbidden Island’s Ukraine fundraiser from 2022, the team had two featured cocktails for the event.

The Kamalatai featured rums from Jamaica, India, and Oakland (“in case anyone needs reminding of her roots”) and was really well done, featuring Hamilton Pot Still, Amrut, and Wright & Brown rums. I’d love to see this punchier rum blend stick on the menu, it was that much better than the standard FI Mai Tai. Added to the list of top Mai Tais of the year.

Out of a Coconut Tree featured Jamaica rum, coconut water, pineapple, and honey. This leaned a little light but I thought it was really great. They don’t all have to be complex spice bombs.

The patio area was quite full during the evening, and the FI crew did a good job keeping up with demand. Thanks to Michael, Justin, Sara, and Jarrod for fab service.

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Tiki Tom’s is Still Killing It

Things were hopping on Saturday night for dinner at Tiki Tom’s, where we took our sons for a family night out at Walnut Creek’s amazing tiki bar and restaurant. There aren’t reservations on Fri/Sat and we arrived a little before 5:00, being seated after about a 15 minute wait. The exotic and Hawaiian music is still going strong here.

Three of us had Quesabirria Tacos featuring beef and a crispy cheese outer shell. Very filling and an interesting approach to the taco. We also tried the Loco Moco Dumplings, a beef and spice-filled delight. Mrs. Mai Tai enjoyed the Green Coconut Curry once again, and we find the food here to be pretty good and reasonably priced for the portions.

Tiki Tom’s still has the Ultimate Mai Tai on the menu, a $5 premium over the standard Mai Tai but totally worth it. They continue to do a great job with this, and boy the bold flavors of that Jamaican-led four rum blend really hit me in the right way. I have this all the time at home, of course, but Tiki Tom’s did it so good.

The cocktails were all wonderful, even with the crush of the patrons in the bar. We really liked the Crimson Tide, served flaming and a sweet blend of tequila, strawberry, and hibiscus. Mrs. Mai Tai’s favorite is the Ohana Punch with green apple and walnuts, a chewy and delightful blend. The Blue Hawaiian was a good option for our sons who don’t drink much, sweet and approachable. There are some new menu options from mixologist Jenn Crider, so we need to return soon to sample them.

Crimson Tide
Loco Moco Dumplings
Quesabirria Tacos
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Cane Juice Mai Tai from Mexico and Hawaii

We’ve got to thank Chris Parker for recommending this rum blend for a Mai Tai at The Kon-Tiki. It combines two cane-juice rums, one from Mexico and one from Hawai’i.

KōHana Kea is a 40% ABV rum from O’ahu, which we’ve had before and covered before. It is delicious and KōHana is greatly expanding the size of their sugar cane fields, poised to be the largest sugar cane grower on the island. Kea is their unaged expression and each bottle is made with a different cane variety, though I neglected to check which one on the label. I’ve yet to find any Kea that isn’t totally delicious.

Dokabend is a single varietal Aguardiente de Caña from Oaxaca, a pot still rum issued at 51% ABV. There’s a lot of very interesting cane spirits coming out of Mexico and this one comes from fields that are nearly 4000 feet high in the Sierra Norte mountains.

The end results was a very flavorful Mai Tai with traditional vegetal flavors but just a hint of smoke that I assume comes from the Dokabend, but not too smoky like the Mezcal from the same region. Definitely different than the cane rums I had from Haiti earlier in the evening and one of the best Mai Tais I’ve had at Kon-Tiki this year, which means it is the one of the best at any location.

This was my 100th visit to Kon-Tiki, which I guess maybe isn’t a lot since they opened in late 2017 but its more than any other tiki bar during this period. This visit was representative of why I love going here, being able to try different spirits neat or in a cocktail, fun retro-leaning music that isn’t always exotica but never Top 40, and great engagement with the crew.

That’s me on the wall
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Haitian Mai Tais

Despite what you may have heard on television, no dogs or cats were harmed in the making of these two fabulous Mai Tais made with rum from Haiti. The Kon-Tiki in Oakland has a large collection of cane spirits and it took me a while to choose for these two Mai Tais.

Clairin Vaval is a traditional clairin with light grassy notes, and a cocktail that presented these notes in balance with the lime and sweeteners.

Rhum Barbancourt is aged for eight years and has a less-assertive body that many rums aged for this length. The Mai Tai turned out to prominently feature the fresh zest of lime as a focus, not tart at all but certainly the most forward flavor.

They’re still making great Mai Tais at The Kon-Tiki. Quite an energetic crowd for Wednesday’s Ohana night, plus many non-tiki people as well.

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“Impress Me” Mai Tai with Monymusk Special Reserve

You can’t do this at every bar, and even at some bars where they know you it can be a dick move if they’re completely slammed, but sometimes it’s amazing when you ask the bartender to riff on something or use a special ingredient for drink. Such was the case on Friday when I popped into downtown Oakland’s Kon-Tiki while on my way to a party.

Kon-Tiki is now using a somewhat pared down menu, though it still includes the Grog, Zombie, Uma Uma, and Virgin’s Sacrifice that have been on every menu since day one. There’s also their standard Mai Tai, which is a steal at $14 and remains one of our Top 10 Mai Tais in the world. There’s also a $44 Mai Tai using some rare Samaroli rum, if you want to spoil yourself.

The bar was busy but not yet overly so, so I asked for an “impress me” Mai Tai. What came back was a really great one using Monymusk Special Reserve Jamaica rum, a blend of rums aged for at least 10 years. Comparable to Appleton 8 or 12, with a tad more funky taste. This was a rich Mai Tai that was perfect for a one and done visit. We thank Carlos for making a great choice.

Kon-Tiki was playing a nice mix of soul-leaning tunes, nothing too familiar or poppy and nicely giving off 1970s vibes. A couple big groups came in as I was finishing, and it really remains a place where the guests and staff give off a lot of great energy.