Anything great in the Santa Cruz area?

The wife and I are leaving tomorrow morning for a quick trip to Santa Cruz California. Are there any great tiki spots or sources for tiki wares in that general area?

I saw the thread about the Zen Trading Post, but haven't found mention of anything else...

There are a couple of good antique stores that occasionally have stuff down on Pacific Street. The prices are antique prices though if they do have something.

I never went into the Zen Trading post. Way too hippy looking for me.

a few ideas, that work if you have a car:

Dinner with Tiki Decor:
Hula's
622 Lighthouse Avenue
Monterey, CA 93940
Phone: (831) 655-4852

Hukilau
230 Jackson Street
(Japantown)
San Jose, CA 95112
408-279-4888

polynesian cocktails in tiki cups (orchids of Hawaii style) they let me buy a few!
Golden Buddha
3678 The Barnyard
Carmel, CA 93923
Phone: (831) 625-1668

lots of tiki mugs for sale, expect antique store prices.. (20+)
Time Tunnel Vintage Toys
532 S Bascom Ave
San Jose, CA 95128
Phone: (408) 298-1709

I probally responded to this post too late but here ya are anyway:
Unfortunately Santa Cruz is pretty dry when it comes to Tiki. Zen Trading Post is about as good as it gets for tikis wares. Across the street at chill out, there is a tiki hidden in the back seating area. And if you go down into Capitola Village you can find a few tikis hidden on the back streets.
(Sorry, I dont know the street names.)
There is a Japanese restaurant called Takura that calls itself a tiki bar, but dont be fooled there is nary a tiki to be found just plenty of Bamboo. If you like Bamboo decor, The Golden Buddah restaurant in Soquel has got some pretty good ambiance and there is a Bamboo Nursery out on Freedom Road that is pretty big has lot of different bamboo and bamboo items available. Kinda Spendy though.
Have a fun trip the weather is nice today.

Hey Dogbytes, Have you been to Hukilau yet? The grinds are tasty and the drinks are killer!
Chongolio

On 2003-04-05 14:59, Chongolio wrote:
Hey Dogbytes, Have you been to Hukilau yet? The grinds are tasty and the drinks are killer

hey Chongo
i moved to seattle in november'02, right before hukilau opened! argh!!! but i'm planning on going the next time we visit..

elicia

Well, we're back! We hit the Hukilau (nice-but-sparse décor, decent food—not much vegetarian though, which is the major failing of tiki-places, in my opinion. I realize that vegetarian food isn’t really authentically Polynesian, but still!)

We did check out Time Tunnel Vintage Toys, but declined to pay the prices that the rather surly owner was ransoming his tikis for. We had better luck at the Zen Trading Post, where I found a bunch of furniture that I covet (but didn’t purchase), and Tikitronic bought some Tikifarm stuff.

We would have gone to the Golden Buddha (a separate, all-vegetarian menu!!!) but it was closed on the night we would have gone. Instead, we discovered the Omei Restaurant at 2316 Mission St, Santa Cruz, which has really tasty Chinese food, with good vegetarian options, inside an unassuming-looking restaurant in a little strip mall. The décor is more pseudo-Chinese than tiki, but there is some bamboo, and Tikitronic was quite taken with the wall artwork, featuring old Chinese print ads. (He’s a designer, and he really loves old advertising.)

While in San Francisco, we did, of course, go to the Tonga Room and Trader Vic’s. I loved the Tonga Room, and our waiters were very friendly and attentive, which made up for the maitre d’, who was extremely snotty while being simultaneously very polite. (He later confirmed our feeling that he was a toady by dancing sycophantically around some obviously-wealthy old people who looked perpetually-ill-tempered.) The waiter at Trader Vic’s was not so nice, and I was glad to leave. Personally, I think the Tonga Room’s vastly-superior décor and not-too-much-higher prices make it a better place to be glared at by waitstaff than Trader Vic’s, if one must be glared at by waitstaff. As an added bonus to the evening, while we were driving around in circles looking for a parking space on the vertical hillsides near the Fairmont Hotel, we unexpectedly drove past the former Tiki Bob’s! Tikitronic nearly hyperventilated with excitement, and he managed to snap a couple of pictures while we were waiting for the traffic light to change.

He took a ton of photos with the new digital camera… I don’t know if he’s planning to put up a few or not, so you should bug him, if you want to see ‘em!

On 2003-04-16 17:12, Kim wrote:

We would have gone to the Golden Buddha (a separate, all-vegetarian menu!!!) but it was closed on the night we would have gone. Instead, we discovered the Omei Restaurant at 2316 Mission St, Santa Cruz, which has really tasty Chinese food, with good vegetarian options, inside an unassuming-looking restaurant in a little strip mall. The décor is more pseudo-Chinese than tiki, but there is some bamboo, and Tikitronic was quite taken with the wall artwork, featuring old Chinese print ads. (He’s a designer, and he really loves old advertising.)

While in San Francisco, we did, of course, go to the Tonga Room and Trader Vic’s. I loved the Tonga Room, and our waiters were very friendly and attentive, which made up for the maitre d’, who was extremely snotty while being simultaneously very polite. (He later confirmed our feeling that he was a toady by dancing sycophantically around some obviously-wealthy old people who looked perpetually-ill-tempered.) The waiter at Trader Vic’s was not so nice, and I was glad to leave. Personally, I think the Tonga Room’s vastly-superior décor and not-too-much-higher prices make it a better place to be glared at by waitstaff than Trader Vic’s, if one must be glared at by waitstaff.

(Sorry to ressurect these old posts. I'm playing serious catch-up.)

Just as an aside (and if anyone here remembers this)- In the same strip mall as Omei Chinese food, there used to be a restaurant called Zanzibar. It was tropical themed with a thatched roof bar. I used to love going there as a little kid and dragged my parents there as much as I could. I consider it now the birthplace of my obsession. Wish it was still there.

Also, while Tonga may have the looks, in steel cage death match of Tiki, Vic's will always crush Tonga hands down when it comes to the drinks.

-martin

On 2003-04-16 17:12, Kim wrote:
While in San Francisco, we did, of course, go to the Tonga Room

My wife and I are going to Santa Cruz for a few days in June, but we're going to San Francisco first. We have reservations at the Tonga Room for June 21. What is the "dress code" there? Hopefully Hawaiian shirts are acceptible...

Hawaiian shirts are OK- just don't wear shorts or anything too casual. The nicer you look there, the better you'll be treated. Most people there will not look aloha.

Post again as you get closer to your trip- I'm sure some bay area TC folks can show a bakersfield boy a good time.

have fun,

-martin

I'm in Santa Cruz till Tues. If anybody else is there, post here and I'll hit an internet cafe to hook up. Gone surfin'! Yee ha! JT

Hey Jungle Trader,
Hulas is kinda cool. They finally got a liquor license and they use Trader Vics mixes. They have a cool (but small) tiki room they just built too.
Hula's (thanks Dogbytes)
622 Lighthouse Avenue
Monterey, CA 93940
Phone: (831) 655-4852
Why don't you stop by and check out my new tiki bar. My friends tell me, it's better than Hulas. Drinks on the house (full bar)for fellow Tiki Centralites.
I live toward Big Sur (been to Fullers?- great surf spot for those who don't know)
Enjoy your trip

A Tiki Cheers To You

[ Edited by: Unga Bunga on 2004-07-31 12:33 ]

I Also forgot,
You can check out the Munktiki Pottery Studio. http://www.munktiki.com
The guys are cool and will give you a quick mini tour. Bring your girl friend, and maybe they will let you do that pottery scene from the movie "Ghost", TIKI STYLE BABY!

I love Golden Buddha .. it's my favorite Chinese place in town. Next time you come back you definitly have to check it out. If you're into vegetarian fare try the gan bian beans .. my personal fave. Spicy green beans with just enough kick. If you order the "Lover's platter" it includes the beans but also egg rolls, won tons, several types of kebabs and BBQ pork. yummmmm

Thanks Unga Bunga and CruznTiki.
I just checked out Aloha Santa Cruz the shop. Lotsa tiki stuff and some tikis too. I'm wondering who carved them. They have one I believe that is carved from coconut palm and 2 others carved from bamboo. Does anyone have any idea who may have carved them? The kid behind the counter knew nothing.
I like it here.
I will have to make another trip to see your bar Unga Bunga. Later, JT

Maggie and I were at Hula's just about a month ago and really enjoyed it. The bartender was great, the mai tais were excellent and the ambiance was fun. The front room is kinda surf/tiki fusion, but the back dining room is all tiki and very dark and mysterious. Far more tiki than many other tiki bars I've been to. I recommend it to anybody who is in the area.

How was the food? I went to Hula's when they first opened. They only had wine drinks, little to no "Tiki" and the food was an odd Tex-mex/ cajun influenced Chinese/Caribbean combo. It was not "bad" for what it was, but I have not returned. Sounds like it needs revisiting?
I love golden Buddha! I first went there about 6 years ago, and they thought I was crazy, asking for copies of the drink menu, and we carted away a whole box of mugs by the end of the night. We should have a TC get together there. Take the place over some night

http://www.tikiking.com Neat Tiki Stuff
http://www.mp3.com/tiki_king Hear the King sing!

[ Edited by: Tiki King on 2003-06-25 17:20 ]

Here's some picts of tikis in Santa Cruz
Tiki Totem
Bamboo pole, don't look for it, it's not there anymore heh, heh.
Small tiki head
Unga Bunga, here you are my friend, the Tiki Goddess you are looking for. Isn't she just gorgeous,......oh my, to die for.

[ Edited by: jungletrader on 2003-06-25 21:31 ]

Isn’t that a wedding ring I see in her nose? I think I dated her sister (cold hard bitch). That's a nice tiki pole you scored. I should probably pay another visit there.
Hulas is a hell of a lot better now. Yes, it is worth another look.

I thought that you might have bought it...I was just there this morning and it was gone. I got a mini Sufferin' Bastard and a Sven Tiki mug, though. I was tempted to take pictures, but didn't have much time. I wanted to mention this store, too, but had no internet access for 3 days! :o

Biotron, you can access the internet at Kinko's 105 Laurel St. 2 or 3 blocks inland from the wharf. I'm going to try to get back to S.C. in July. Hope to see some of you there. JT

On 2003-06-25 17:14, Tiki King wrote:
How was the food? I went to Hula's when they first opened. They only had wine drinks, little to no "Tiki" and the food was an odd Tex-mex/ cajun influenced Chinese/Caribbean combo.

The food was pretty good - we both had kahlua pork and it wasn't as salty or pungent at the cecipe I make (I added a LOT of salt), but was pretty good. The other food I saw looked tasty. The menu is more surf/hawaiian than true polynesian, but that's o.k. The drinks were some of the best I've had in a public venue - the bartender knew her mai tais and made a mean zombie, too. There are more tikis than I was led to believe, especially in the back room, which is definitely old school.

As far as NoCal tiki hangouts I've visited, it ranks like this:

TV's Emmeryville
Tonga
Hulas
Bamboo Hut

Trad'r Sam's

(note the extra space above Trad'r Sam's - it would be last on my list no matter what else was there. In fact, I'd put Denny's over Trad'r Sam's if they had a fake palm tree in the lobby).

A local hangout, for usre, which makes it better than it would be if it was on Cannery Row. Definitely worth the trip.

Yeah, Trad'r Sams. I started going there in 92. It was pretty unknown at the time, or at least not "popular". The drinks were never great, but decent and strong, and you usually had your pick of booths. The waitress/bartender was the daughter or grand daughter of the owner, and was cocky but friendly. I liked that she could recite the ingredients of the drinks from memory. Also the jukebox back then had a decent amount of good lounge-y music. Last time I went was probably 96 or 97. It had gotten to the point where it was hard to get to the bar through the beer drinking frat boys, and the juke was blaring crap non-stop. It was loud and way crowded, It became too sad to endure, so we stopped going. I have heard that it goes through cycles like that.

On 2003-06-26 08:00, jungletrader wrote:
Biotron, you can access the internet at Kinko's 105 Laurel St. 2 or 3 blocks inland from the wharf.

Well, I'm back home (and at work) now, but thanks for the heads-up!

Where in SC is Aloha Santa Cruz!?!? I have never heard of or been in there. I got to check it out. Hulas too for that matter.
Tiki king I would definately be up for a Golden Buddah T.C. get together. The weather has been so nice lately we could finish off the evening with a bonfire on the beach. Replete with tiki torches and Ukes, that would be Sweet.
Chongolio

[ Edited by: Chongolio on 2003-06-28 14:58 ]

Chongolio, Aloha Santa Cruz is right across the street from the Wharf on Pacific Ave. Ya' can't miss it.

I'm game for a TC gathering on July 18th, at Golden Buddha or "Tiki" place, Santa Cruz? This is without consulting my wahine, she may or may not have other commitments so I may bring my son only. Don't know yet. Some surfing will be in order for us. Can't wait ya'll. What's good for everyone else?
Once we get a few others in on this we can move it to the Events Forum eh?

[ Edited by: jungletrader on 2003-06-28 10:29 ]

[ Edited by: jungletrader on 2003-06-28 10:31 ]

[ Edited by: jungletrader on 2003-06-28 10:40 ]

Hey, sounds like a plan!
And to officially induct myself into the T.C. regime, Pre Golden Buddha \Hula's reception at my place, happenin Tiki bar included!
It only makes sense, I live 2 miles away from Golden Buddha, 8 miles from Hula's.
I called Paul and Miles Nielsen (The Munktiki mug artist family)
http://www.munktiki.com
They said they would definitely make it.
Can we shoot around the third or fourth week of July? Party On!

Jeez, what a dork I am. I know where Aloha Santa Cruz is, I drive by it all the time. I wrote it off as being a another gift shop with loads of "Ron Jon" style of surfy tourist crap. I will have to make a point to stop in there and check it out.
As for the get together, I will be around the last week of July. The rest of the month I am pretty booked. Sure would like to make this get together. How abouut August?

Chongolio
Chongolio

Chongolio, can you do the 25th, 26th of July? That's the last weekend. If that doesn't work, maybe 8/2, 8/8 or 9th. I like the pre-Buddha/Hula's at Unga Bunga's. Would definitely like to meet the Nielsen's too. Cool, let's get it together. Anyone else?

[ Edited by: jungletrader on 2003-06-28 14:11 ]

JT,
Any of those dates will work for me.
Chongolio

The Santa Cruz get-together sounds great! Anytime in August works for me. I haven't been to a beach bonfire in ages ... I'll bring the tiki torches.

just went to hula's last week while in Monterey, i like it the food was good and the drinks weren't bad, acutually good. as others have said the front is more surf style but i peaked in the back and it looked good. i would recomended it, for all that is worth.

As for me the 9th of Aug. works well. It turns out I won't be going to see my hoity toity friends down south till the 16th. My wahine says I made a mistake. She's standing by the phone with her arms crossed waiting for me to say "I made a mistake". So I say it. Because if I don't say it.....I'll hear it for the rest of my life.
Anyway, I'd like to do this the 9th of August if that works for everyone else. Really looking forward to this. Hopefully that date works for everyone else.

On 2003-06-29 00:19, jungletrader wrote:
It turns out I won't be going to see my hoity toity friends down south till the 16th.

JT, if you're going to be in town that weekend, I would love to have you and the Mrs over for my daughters birthday bash. Its going to be a big one! Check it out:

https://tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=3797&forum=4

Went to Golden Buddah last night, not a Tiki Mug or Tropical drink to be found. They now serve only beer and wine. The food was good, but no more Tikis!
RIP Golden Buddah!
On the other hand, Hula's Tiki Hut in Santa Cruz is worth a Visit. Ask to sit in the Tiki room.
Here's a thought
Anyone up for a T.C Night at Hula's?

http://www.tikiking.com Neat Tiki and Ukulele Stuff
http://www.download.com/tikiking Hear the King sing!

[ Edited by: Tiki King 2007-02-22 08:51 ]

For furniture, tiki stuff and occasionally some cool t-shirts (got one with a tiki on fire playing ukulele) go to the store called ELEMENT in Santa Cruz. I always stop there and check out their stuff when I am in SCruz.

Element Home Furnishings
"Island Style Home Decor"

723 Soquel Avenue
Santa Cruz
831-426-6102

Zen Trading company in Capitola is also on my shopping pilgrimages. They have bars, art, mugs, etc.

I'm planning to visit Hula's this Sat night with my tiki partying mom. :)

By the way--she tells me there is a ukulele jam fest every Saturday morning down at Twin Lakes beach harbor by the Crows Nest and the coffee shop there.

Where's Santa Cruz?

Huh?
Santa Cruz, California, hellooooo? Just about 50 miles south of San Francisco.
Home of the Big Dipper roller coaster at the Beach Boardwalk. And now Hula's-- its on your tiki tour now.