Post #743049 by Kahiki Guy on Fri, May 15, 2015 11:35 AM

Was interested in checking out some DC area bars a while ago. Did some research and didn't really find anything that was a "Tiki Bar", although there were a few places (like Bar Charley) that had a limited Tiki cocktail menu. We really wanted to check out Hogo, but they were already closed by the time we'd thought about going to DC. So I decided to expand my search a little and came upon Whitlow's on Wilson, which is technically in Alexandria, VA, but is only a 10-15 min drive from the heart of downtown DC. Looked like fun (rooftop open-air bar, bamboo and thatch everywhere, carvings, etc), so my wife and I decided to give it a try. I asked the bartender, who was very nice, for a cocktail menu, and was told "we don't have a cocktail menu, but just shout out anything you want and I'll know how to make it". The first thing I usually do when I got to any tiki bar is order a Mai Tai. I figure any bar calling itself a tiki bar should offer, at least an average, Mai Tai. First piece of advice...do NOT order anything that requires more than 1 liquor here. It's a cool looking bar, in a fun neighborhood, with very nice bartenders and average bar food, but it's more of a college bar that's covered in thatch than a real tiki bar. My Mai Tai came out pinkish-purple, and I'm pretty sure I saw pineapple and tequila go in it. It was pretty terrible. So my wife stuck to cider and I switched to canned beer. All-in-all, we're glad we went, and we definitely enjoyed people watching once it got crowded, but we probably won't go back, at least not for anything tiki.