Post #670116 by tikitonga on Thu, Mar 7, 2013 10:44 AM

I agree with others that there really is only one Trader Vic's that seems to represent to true spirit of Vic, and that is the one in Emeryville. I'm biased because I live in NorCal and can visit there as often as I wish (and I do!) but I have also visited others. Some have been pretty good but most fall short. For me I think it has to do with the location. I just don't think you can stuff a Trader Vic's into a new place and make it work. While it's true that the Emeryville local is a transplant from Oakland (formerly Hinky Dinks), it's been in that local for over 40 years now and the Trader Vic's "vibe" has just soaked into the place. I think that's always been missing from the other locations. On the flip side, places like Smugglers Cove and Forbidden Island have achieved that sacred feel as well and they are both relatively new.....so I guess I'm just blowing hot air! But seriously, it's kind of like Disneyland. There can be only one. Sure, Disneyworld and EuroDisney are pretty cool, but they'll never duplicate the feel of the original, no matter how good they may be.