Post #92452 by woofmutt on Sat, May 22, 2004 8:25 AM

Then Sea-Tiki said "...The Islander is no tiki bar. A pretty place maybe, but not a good bar. "

I agree with it not being a great bar, but it's definitely a Tiki bar...Hell it's called Tiki Bar. C'mon. But seriously folks, for a modern attempt at a Tiki bar they're far and above the lousy quasi-tropical margarita slushy slinging places.

The largest Tiki Central complaint made about the Islander is that it's "nice" . The majority of the long gone Tiki joints of yore were meant to be nice places that offered an exotic experience close to home. The Islander was clearly designed with that idea in mind. They didn't set out to do something kitschy, retro, ironic, or 'fun". It's fairly obvious the experience the Islander is attempting to offer is that of being somewhere you' re not.

That said, I'm hardly in love with the place. For one thing it has windows and I pretty much don't like bars with windows. And, like most the kids here, I like old places and the Islander is still shiny new. Plus the happy hour wells are fifty cents less at Typhoon down below where the bar staff is a lot friendlier.