Post #514721 by Thortiki on Wed, Mar 3, 2010 6:00 AM

On 2010-02-22 11:08, congawa wrote:
I went to Smugglers Cove the weekend before last, and there was nary a pirate theme to be seen. Big Bro's description of the difference between smugglers and pirates should suffice, but in my mind the "smuggler" aspect even seems to be meant more tongue-in-cheek. Really, the overlying theme I experienced was of the industrial area of a port of call (tropical or not) where cargo is loaded and unloaded from ships--specifically, fine rums being exported to destinations where the wares are eagerly-awaited. And since this is a bar which stands out for the seriousness of its rums, and for presenting rum as a distilled beverage worthy of the same respect as fine scotch and bourbon, the decor seems exactly in line with that concept. And I say the smuggler aspect is tongue-in-cheek (which of course is redundant for me to even say, because almost everything related to the polynesian pop concept is intended on some level of tongue-in-cheekness, hence its beauty) because smugglers don't do their business in the open, with visible barrels in netting. Rather they drop anchor off-shore or seek secluded caves (as seen in Big Bro's illustration).

I wouldn't pay too much attention to what is said on Yelp, based on the crowd I experienced on the day I went--which may or may not be characteristic of a typical night. It was a Sunday, but Valentine's Day with a Monday President's Day holiday the next day. And listening to and observing the other people in line (it was about a 25 minute wait to get in that night, at about 10:30pm) and inside the bar, it was definitely a young "club kids" crowd, who were trying to hook up, were discussing other hipster bars they just came from or were going to next, and didn't sound fully clear on the concept of SC. This bodes well for SC's success in an urban mecca such as SF, as long as the kids don't treat it as a "flavor of the month" thing. However, based on the night I was there, the general ambiance of the crowd made it a little harder to get into the theme, whereas my visit to Forbidden Island two nights earlier put me right in the correct mood with its crowd who was obviously at one with the concept. However, I'm sure if I'd gone there earlier in the day, or on a week night (which unfortunately as a weekend tourist I couldn't do), the mood might have been different. I definitely give Smugglers Cove a big thumbs up, though, and look forward to going again on my next trip north.

[ Edited by: congawa 2010-02-22 11:08 ]

Smuggler's Cove MY Take

We visited SC this past Monday night for the 1st time arriving @ 5:00 PM when the club opened. Located very close to SF City Hall it is easy to find. A compact three level club with a nice Tiki/Nautical decor, we did not see the so called Pirate vibe in the decor. The club controls the exotica music which I much prefer to the juke box over @ FI.

Martin was there to greet the customers, the drinks were TERRIFIC & yes they do take time to make & they are worth the wait. Regarding the drink menu, Martin has created a World of Rum, NOT just limited to Tiki drinks. I thinks this is a smart business move.

Regarding the patrons, yes there was younger crowd mix, but IMO this is a GOOD thing. This is a business & if your just going to wait around for JUST a Hula shirt wearing customer base I think your going to have a problem.

SC WILL be a repeat visit for us!

Thortiki

PS "YELP" is currently under a lawsuit regarding it sales staff forcing business owners to buy ads or face negative reviews!