Review of Tiki's Grill & Bar in Waikiki

Hi All,

Here is a review of the new Tiki's Grill & Bar on Kalakaua ave in Waikiki:

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2002/Nov/08/en/en12a.html

From the pic the decor looks kinda lame, not very tiki at all. But the food sounds pretty good. I'll defiantly check it out when I'm next on Oahu.

Mahalo!

[Edited By Hanford to get turn off email delivery, becuase his email address is bouncing]

[ Edited by: hanford_lemoore on 2002-11-13 14:53 ]

Looks more like a Margaritaville inside - eeesh!

Where exactly is the "retro decor"????

We had the good fortune to be in Hawaii the first week in November—our 2nd trip to the islands. We spent the week in Kauai, but had to spend a night in Waikiki before going home.

On Kauai we visited Tahiti Nui an old school tiki bar in Hanalei on the North shore. Tahiti Nui was very cool with a nice totem out front by the sign and tiki barstools inside. It showed its age a bit but the Mai Tais rocked (though not cheap) and the live Hawaiian music and low-key local crowd on a Friday Night was refreshing. Besides the Mai Tais, we had Hinano (Tahitian) beer and from then on we were hooked. If you have a good liquor store with a selection of beer from around the world, try a Hinano, you'll be hooked too!

Now, back to the Tikis... We heard about the Tikis before we even got to Oahu, so we knew we had to check it out. They had recently opened—in mid-October, I believe. We walked from our hotel, the Hawaiiana (the coolest old hotel with several BIG hand-carved tikis!), and were impressed with the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel (newly re-modeled?) where the Tikis is located. There were huge torches all around the lanai on the 2nd floor welcoming us from the street below. Once upstairs, we had to wait for a seat, but that was OK since it gave us a chance to look around. The first thing you see upon passing the hostess stand is a big tiki on your right and the giftshop on your left. Now before you get all worked up, the gift shop sold mostly t-shirts with their cartoony logo and Accoutrements tiki mugs (frankly there was a more awe-inspiring array of tiki kitsch souvenirs at the DFS Galleria down the street). The decor of the Tikis is pretty much what you'd expect from a themed restaurant in Waikiki. Very nicely done, sparing no expense, but a little squeaky clean and manicured ala Disney World's Polynesian Village.

That said, they had lots of nice big tikis and artwork by all your favorite Juxtapose artists—Shag, Bosko, Crazy Al... etc. arranged nicely and some very cool interior design with bamboo, lava rock and very well done lighting. Every detail was considered. The food seemed like average fare for a big restaurant serving lots of tourists: good portions, not insultingly pricey, but nothing too wild. The Mai Tai was surprisingly tasty, quite large, and a fair price ($5 instead of the $8 we pay at Vic's). The service was also great; all the staff was super friendly and attentive. We even found out that there are more and larger tikis on the way, so it would be interesting to see how the place evolves.

The Tikis is a new place and they are in an expensive location where they depend on the tourist dollars, which undoubtedly is going to dictate some of their choices. But before you make a dismissive snipe, check out some photos or go for yourself if you make it to Hawaii. I can definitely recommend hitting the bar for one of their Mai Tais and having a look around.

Regardless of any shortcomings it may have or any ideas I might have about how I would create a Tiki bar from scratch, I can say I would rather visit the Tikis instead of some stupid-ass Jimmy Buffet, parrott head, cover band (playing Jimmy Buffet!) cheeseburger peddling craphole! I would think that tiki enthusiasts should be grateful that there are new tiki bars and restaurants opening. I am sick of watching our favorite hangouts closing!

[ Edited by: boutiki on 2002-11-13 10:59 ]

Here are 2 pages of photos
from the Tikis
http://www.geocities.com/boutiki/Tikis1.html
http://www.geocities.com/boutiki/Tikis2.html

On 2002-11-08 11:58, Tangaroa wrote:
Where exactly is the "retro decor"????

Well, there it is! A fine job, boutiki, thank you. The photos make one wonder what you are so defensive about in your description, it looks great to me... but then you probably shot only what we at TC would like.

Leroy did a great job with the Hawaiian Tikis, and I really like the concept of seperating them against the lava rock with that lava-red paint, like you cut the rock open and it's glowing inside.
What about the rumour that there is a Don The Beachcomber section (or at least a wall with pictures dedicated to him?)

Well - I stand corrected! Looks pretty good! I was basing my earlier statement on this pic....

Hey, thanks for the pics boutiki. Defiantly on the list after La Mariana for my next visit.

Also, email should be fixed now. Sorry for the bounces.

Mahalo!

Boutiki,
Thanks much for posting links to those pics. The place looks much better than in the photo Tangaroa put up (no offense Tangoroa). Looks like they did a pretty nice job!

I know, that first pic looks like an 80s Mexican Disco club...just shows that the Restaurant photographer and the web designer they hired are behind the times...or the proprietors do not know what they got.

I just found out that Tiki's grill & bar has their own tiki mugs. That was my favorite restaurant when on my honeymoon. I don't know if I will ever get back there soon.

Does anyone have these mugs they are willing to sell me so I can remember my time there. I also need them for my home bar. Here are the ones I only want.

Mahalo Michael- Orange
Max Moai- Purple
Toby Moai- Green or Orange
Tropical Itch- Blue
Sebastian Tiki- Orange

If you have one that is not chipped or cracked and will sell me yours, please message me. I have Paypal. This will complete my mug collection.

Tikichaz (Chuck)