Post #275307 by Dr. Bamboo on Thu, Dec 28, 2006 2:24 PM

Just a quick review from a first-timer to the Tiki Lounge (I'm ashamed it's taken me this long to finally stop in!)

Anyway, I only was only able to drop in for a short time, so my impressions are based on an admittedly brief visit). I stopped in early on a Wednesday night mainly to avoid the weekend crowd.

DECOR: Really nice! Lots of tiki-centric sculpture, thatch, murals, mood lighting and misc. architectural elements. A highlight is a multifloor waterfall-type feature. There's several cozy booths of various sizes and a large area in the back containing a pool table. The lower levels contain neat li'l nooks and a secondary bar. A lot of time, money & energy clearly went into tiki-fying the place.

DRINKS: Pretty good. As I was only staying a short time (and driving) I only had one drink- the Suffering Bastard. Pretty tasty, decently strong, and I even put a crowbar in my wallet to splurge and keep the mug. They have several different souvenir mugs for sale and you can buy them with or without any drink on their menu...nice for collectors!

STAFF: The bartender was very friendly and quick. Seemed like a nice guy, and I got the impression that the regulars enjoy a good relationship with the bar staff.

MUSIC: The only negative for me. They have a jukebox with a pretty wide-ranging selection, but I would have liked to see it stocked with more theme-appropriate tunes (lounge, exotica, surf, rockabilly, etc.). Also, a minor complaint...but they had it cranked pretty loud, which made conversation difficult given the size of the place and how close to the tables the speakers were positioned (Yeah, I know...I'm old).

Overall, as was mentioned above, the Tiki Lounge has to cater to people other than tiki fanatics to pay the bills. As the evening wore on, I noticed what seemed to be their core customers (hipster-ish twentysomethings) gradually filling the place, so they must be appealing to more than just us retro-minded folks.

If you don't mind being at the mercy of a jukebox, I'd highly recommend checking it out (early on weeknights if possible). If this is our only tiki oasis in the 'Burgh, we could do a lot worse.

Cheers n'at!