Tiki Central / Tiki Travel / Any Tiki Bars or Destinations in Houston?
Post #643186 by Tiki Wachee on Sun, Jul 8, 2012 3:14 AM
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Tiki Wachee
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Sun, Jul 8, 2012 3:14 AM
Just came across this thread, and I can't believe no one has posted here yet. I was in Houston on business last summer and it took me a while to find anything tiki, but I kept digging until I did. I can highly recommend Sig's Lagoon, a record store on the 3600 block of Main St. The shop has a very good tiki mug section and quite a few tiki-related books. Artwork, too...Sam Gambino, Derek Yaniger, etc. Wonderful shop...DO NOT MISS IT! Sig's Lagoon
Sig's Lagoon's owner, Tomas Escalante (above), was a great guy and recommended that I check out the Menil Collection, an art gallery about a mile away from Sig's which, at the time, was running a temporary installation entitled "Ancestors of the Lake: Art of Lake Sentani and Humboldt Bay, New Guinea." It was an excellent exhibit, but the good news is they also have what I believe is a permanent collection of African, Pacific Island and Pacific Northwest artifacts. Absolutely worth seeing! Sadly, they do not allow photographs to be taken inside the gallery. If I recall correctly, there was no entrance fee, although I believe they did accept donations because I remember that I paid something to enter. The Menil Collection
That part of Main Street around Sig's Lagoon appears to be a pretty happening spot, small in area but a very high density of trendy looking places. A foodie's paradise, for sure. I'll mention a few of them, but you should definitely explore this area if you've got the time. There's a nightclub across the street from Sig's on Main St. called the Continental Club with live music from acts that would probably sit well with many tikiphiles, although it's got more of a retro vibe...no tiki from what I could tell. Tomas at Sig's does a lot of music cross-promotion with acts that play at the club, and I guess the Continental is an institution going way back. There was a rockabilly band playing the night after I left town…sorry to miss it. :( The Continental connects to an open-air, quasi-beach-themed bar called the Pachinko Hut. The Continental Club & The Pachinko Hut
Next to that is a great Mexican place that you absolutely must try for lunch called Tacos A Go-Go. Again, not tiki, although there is some very cool Día de los Muertos artwork here and there, funky skeletons and such. The food is unbelievably good and service is pretty fast, as long as you aren't stuck in a long line to get in. Even if there is a line, it is well worth the wait. Google Map has a panoramic VR of the restaurant's interior. Tacos A Go-Go
The artist who designed the current logo for Sig's lagoon, Chazbro, also had some of his artwork on display in Tacos A Go-Go. You've got to check out his work! A lot of psychedelic and rock-oriented stuff, but all of it very bold and amazingly detailed. What is even more amazing is that he is legally blind. Chazbro
There's a place on the other end of the block (next to the Pachinko Hut) called t'afia, home to local celebrity chef Monica Pope. I got a peek of the inside through one of the windows. Not tiki, but very swank. It was the one place that I really wanted to go into, but it caters to the evening crowd and I was too early. Google has a multi-node panoramic VR of the restaurant's interior that allows you to fully explore the first floor (a pretty good indication of this place's importance on the food chain). Monica Pope's t'afia
There's also a brand new bar next to Sig's called Double Trouble Caffeine & Cocktails. It was still under construction when I was there (opened last December), but it sounds pretty promising. They're billed as a "swanky mid-century tiki lounge" in a Houston Chronicle article, although from the pictures I don't see much evidence of anything even remotely tiki-esque other than some bamboo wall coverings. It has the "swanky mid-century lounge" part down cold, though. Couldn't find a website, but here's the article and you can also find out more about them on Yelp, Urban Spoon, etc. Double Trouble Caffeine & Cocktails One of the owners, Robin Berwick, used to work at a fantastic craft cocktail bar in Houston called Anvil Bar & Refuge. No tiki decor and it's located about a mile from the 3600 block of Main street, but I did go there and the drinks are excellent. I believe it used to be an old automotive shop, and the retrofit of the place looks great. Found out about that one on Humuhumu's blog, which mentions that they serve tiki drinks and rely on Beachbum Berry's grog log as a ready reference. You'll be glad you went there, trust me. Google Map has a panoramic VR of the bar's interior. Anvil Bar & Refuge There's also a place called Hula Mamas in Humble, which is about 20 miles north of downtown Houston near the George Bush International airport. I never got to attend as it was pretty far from where I was staying, but at the time they were doing Polynesian dinner shows. I see on their website that they are temporarily closed and working on an expansion, and during this time only doing their dinners & shows off-site. I guess that means they expect to be around for a long time to come, but unless you've got a big event organized where you can afford to have them come out to cater and perform, you may need to wait until the Grand Re-opening. Probably best to call them to confirm before making the trek. Hula Mamas I hope this makes your time in Houston more enjoyable. Would love to see what other places people know of, as I expect I'll probably find a good reason to schedule another business trip there soon. :wink: [ Edited by: Tiki Wachee 2012-07-08 19:58 ] |
