Post #21620 by tikibars on Sat, Feb 1, 2003 12:34 PM

Damon's, 317 N. Brand Ave., Glendale (Los Angeles), CA (818) 507-1510

Damon's opened at 118 S. Central Street in 1937, and moved to it's current location in 1990. Located just a few feet from the street, Damon's facade is promising, with plenty of thatch and bamboo, a colorful Tiki pole, and no windows. A lack of windows is a key architectural feature in any classic Tiki Bar, since a lack of windows is also a lack of reminders that the ‘real’ world is just a few yards away.
Damon’s heavy doors lead into a dark entryway, and then into two spacious dining rooms. While there is definitely a fair amount of bamboo present (augmented by floral seat cushions and carpet, plenty of aquariums, and a generally exotic atmosphere), you'd be hard pressed to find any of the most exciting Tiki Bar elements, such as carved Tiki Gods, blowfish, or Tiki Mugs at Damon’s. The only actual Tiki in evidence is near the hostess stand, and at about 18" tall, it isn't much to write about. There are a few nice vintage Hawaiiana prints above the arch leading to the bar area, and the murals on the back wall of the bar area are interesting too. They were done in 1987 by Bettina Rakita Byrne in the style of Eugene Savage.
A collage of newspaper clippings about the original location can be found near the solitary hostess stand Tiki. The collage is notable not only for the information on the original Damon's location, but for some great 1930's-1950's advertising preserved alongside the Damon's articles.
The bar manager mixes up a mean Lava, the house drink. Basically a Mai Tai with a splash of something red that seeps into the drink like (you guessed it) hot lava, it is unique, and pretty strong. All of the drinks are made fresh. The actual Mai Tai is a little bland but not bad; made with traditional ingredients, it comes garnished with a cherry, a pineapple chunk, and the obligatory umbrella. The Blue Hawaiian stinks, but it is tough to find one that doesn’t. The novelty is the color, and few Tikiphiles usually bother with the wretched things.
Your Mai Tai may be interrupted by a football game on the television in the bar (which sometimes drowns out the faint traces of exotic music barely audible on the muzak system).
The crowd at Damon’s is mostly families and middle-aged couples, and the place definitely feels more like a typical modern restaurant than a classic Tiki Bar. Steak and potatoes is the fare. Lots of seafood too, and although the TiPSY Factor isn’t anything special, the food is very good, and priced fairly. Given the pricey nature of the Trader Vic’s over in Beverly Hills, Damon’s might be your best Los Angeles choice for a good meal in a quasi-Tiki atmosphere.