Post #38280 by Humuhumu on Tue, Jun 10, 2003 11:20 AM

The Regrade: Haven't heard of it. Unless this is a reference to the Denny Regrade neighborhood, which isn't actually much of a neighborhood at all. Where did you hear of it?

Dragonfish: Not my personal favorite, it was a big hit when it opened. They use tiki mugs, but that's the beginning and the end of the tiki here, as far as I'm aware, but I haven't been in many years.

Lava Lounge: Funky little beer bar, but not tiki. Worth a pop in since it's close to some other places you'll want to check out, just don't have high expectations. Right down the street is Roq La Rue Gallery, which is often worth a visit.

Leilani Lanes bowling alley: Once upon a time, this place was probably pretty tiki. Now, it's not. There ain't a single tiki in the place, the only one you'll find is the one on the sign. Way the hell north, not worth your time unless you actually want to bowl.

The Luau: Great little neighborhood restaurant, this is one of my favorites. Has more of a surf feel than a tiki feel, but the food & drinks are good. It's kinda tucked away & not super-easy to find.

Ohana: Check this one out, it's not too far from Lava Lounge. I really need to go back and take a closer look at it. Again, not nearly as tiki as the places you'll find in San Francisco or LA, but this is about as close as you're going to get here. The drinks are good (haven't tried their Mai Tai yet, so I can't vouch for it). They have really good Bananas Foster.

If you're looking for good food, my personal favorite is Palace Kitchen, which is in Belltown, not too far from Lava Lounge & 'Ohana. Also worth a visit, I think, are Hawai'i General Store in Wallingford and Archie McPhee's in Ballard.

As an alternative to the Space Needle, I prefer the water tower at Volunteer Park. Volunteer Park has a terrific conservatory, and the water tower is free & I like the view better than the one from the Needle. Also, Bruce Lee is buried in the cemetery nextdoor.