Post #275265 by monkeyskull on Thu, Dec 28, 2006 9:56 AM

Name:Hulahula
Type:bar
Street:106 First Ave N
City:Seattle
State:WA
Zip:98109
country:USA
Phone:206 284-5003
Status:operational

Description:
Hulahula opened last week and I visited it with Poi Polloi last night. It is adjacent to Tini Bigs martini bar and under the same ownership. It's fairly spacious and has a generous amount of bamboo, thatch, and Witco-like bas reliefs. The dance floor of the previous venue now features lounge chairs and a blacklight tiki mural that runs the length of the room. The drinks were mediocre, I had a below average mai tai and a worse pina colada before we had better luck with a navy grog and some punch type drinks (I watched the bar tender refer to the instructions to make some of them). Poi Polloi was very pleased with his appetizer, a shrimp, bacon, and hot pepper combo.

I think they've done a fairly good job on the decor -- it's much more seriously devoted to tiki than any Seattle establishment except the Luau. It did feel a tiny bit sterile -- e.g. the wall decorations were too evenly placed, rather than giving the sense I like in a bar that the decorations have been slowly accumulating over many years. The bartender was friendly, but the place had very few patrons when we went -- granted in the dead week between Christmas and New Years. I'd like to see what the ambiance is like when it's more full (Tini Bigs is perhaps my least favorite Seattle bar).

It's well worth a trip for any locals or visitors to the area, though you may have to go soon if business doesn't pick up considerably. For me it's a very welcome addition to Seattle's tiki world.

[ Edited by: monkeyskull 2006-12-30 16:22 ]