Frankie's TIKI Room ...Las Vegas

I wouldn't miss it. See you there Ben.

Wish I could have made it !!!

This years 5th anniversary.... .....

p.s...

http://better.tv/view/food--amp--recipes2-food--amp--recipes-liquid-vacation-tropical-drinks

too bad P Moss was in NYC taping this. He missed a great 5th Anniversry party!!!

On 2013-12-12 20:45, RevBambooBen wrote:

This years 5th anniversary.... .....

This should happen more often.

Jeff btd

Sorry I missed you Jon. I went early and picked up mugs for my Bro, David and for friends. Was in Vegas from Friday through Thursday and went to Frankies everyday for 1 or 2 except for today as we left at 6am.

Mahalo,

TikiVato

[ Edited by: TikiVato 2014-03-27 20:12 ]

Next time bruddah

Frankies gets a mention in today's LA Times article on comedian Doug Stanhope.

Your eyes take time to adjust when you step into Frankie's Tiki Room at 3 p.m. Windowless, with scant lighting, the place resembles an urban cave with a scattering of wood-carved odes to pagan gods. You can just barely discern the pair of disheveled drinkers making out at the bar, elbows flailing like two enraptured trolls..

The joint is precisely the kind of dive-bar comedian Doug Stanhope prefers — no, demands — for his midday booze binges and chain-smoking sessions.

Surrounded by a few cronies, he stands in the gloom, nursing two packs of Marlboros and a tumbler of vodka adorned with a splash of juice. He switches to a Three Rum Scum, a kitschy concoction advertised as "a brisk inbreeding of three different rums," before moving on to a series of Miller Lites, downed from the bottle.

DC

Wow....just got back from SEMA....spent every evening at Frankie's after the show. I had been to the Mai Kai, Trader Vic's, and Kahikki ...but this place was different. It's not trying to be anything but a cool place to walk in and have a drink or 3! If this place was in Detroit my Wife would no where to find me after the kids went to bed! Great drinks, the decor is awesome, great folks behind the bar, great tunes in the box, the video screens not showing sports or election rants....highlight for me was meeting Bud Guagh original drummer of Sublime at SEMA, chatting for a bit, told him about the place and he says, dude let's meet up there tonight...didn't have to twist my arm..he's got a great surf band called Del Mar...we spent the next 3 hours laughing, talking cars, music, family...truly a great guy that has overcome some of life's challenges and came out better for it....he dug the place! You can keep the Vegas Strip.....I'm going to Frankie's...my mugs made it home and are now safely on the shelf and the Tshirts in the wash!

Thats funny Mattiki. He ( Bud) sent me a text while he was there saying, BB guess where I am? With a close up of the back bar. Glad you enjoyed Frankie's!

New anniv mugs on the web site...

[ Edited by: hang10tiki 2014-11-26 15:49 ]

Another great anniv bash
6 yrs

I love Frankies! My only gripe is the cigarette smoke. I had to hang the t-shirt that I bought there out in my back yard for a few days to air out.

Good times at this years 6th anniversary! Added a new painting by Doug Horne and a couple other tune ups. 13 purse hooks for you ladies on the bar face now and Benzart and C'Al's outside tikis got a little spar. Not bad for 6 years in the Vegas sun. ( Benzarts lono was made in the 90's for the Tropicana! ) And a little Swank Bastards action. See y'all next year! Lucky 7 baby!!!

I got married in Vegas last September and the first place we hit when we landed was Frankie's. Then two days later, the first place we went to after the wedding was Frankie's. And guess where the last place we went before we flew home the next day was?...Here's some mug and interior pics. Enjoy!

This was our bartender 2 out of the 3 times we went. This guy's good. Been there since the beginning. Watching him mix drinks is nearly as enjoyable as drinking them...nearly.

Congrats on the wedding! My last time in Vegas, we also started and finished at Frankie's. Almost missed our flight home...

I hope Shag's Love Meter is still in the place? I didn't see it in your photos, so hope it's still there.

Go buy their cocktail recipe book, it's beautifully photographed and has many of their recipes in it.

Cheers to you and your bride!

On 2015-05-21 13:23, AceExplorer wrote:
Congrats on the wedding! My last time in Vegas, we also started and finished at Frankie's. Almost missed our flight home...

I hope Shag's Love Meter is still in the place? I didn't see it in your photos, so hope it's still there.

Go buy their cocktail recipe book, it's beautifully photographed and has many of their recipes in it.

Cheers to you and your bride!

Thanks!

yeah, it's still there. We did take pics of us using the meter, but they came out a little blurry...that tends to happen a lot later in our evenings...not sure why............

Oh we absolutely bought their book. I've been making their drinks at home ever since. My favorite is the "Kahiki Kai"...hence my TC nickname. :wink:

That's awesome! Try their Fink Bomb - it layers VERY nicely, especially if poured slowly over a round ice ball in a double-old-fashioned glass. Your guests will be impressed.

Have you bought your bottle of Stroh's yet? heh...

On 2015-05-21 13:35, AceExplorer wrote:
That's awesome! Try their Fink Bomb - it layers VERY nicely, especially if poured slowly over a round ice ball in a double-old-fashioned glass. Your guests will be impressed.

Have you bought your bottle of Stroh's yet? heh...

I had the fink bomb at Frankie's, and loved it! I've made it here at home, but haven't purchased the stroh 80 yet, and opted to use goslings in its place. Not a perfect match by any means, but a tasty concoction nonetheless. Thanks for your suggestions and comments!

Cheers

I've been meaning to ask this for awhile, and now seems to be the perfect time - how would you all rate the book of Frankie's drinks? I've heard mixed reviews, ranging from "the drinks aren't great" to "ingredients are hard to find/random/uncommon etc." Similar to Kahuna Kevin's books I guess (no knock on you there Kev). Three Rum Scum looks and sounds pretty delicious, but not sure if the rest of the recipes are worthwhile.

I've got mixed feelings about the book for the very reasons you've listed. I have a fairly well stocked home bar (not nearly as good as some here), and I'm only able presently to make about 4 of the cocktails in the book, typically because of lacking one particular flavor of obscure syrup or tropical fruit soda. There are some pretty obscure ingredients in there, but a lot of them repeat themselves throughout the book, so once you've got them, you'll be able to make a lot of what's in there, but there are also some really helpful recipes for making your own syrups and such that are required for some of the cocktails. In all, I'd say the book is well worth owning, and is filled with beautiful illustrations, cool vegas/tiki facts, and, like i said before, some good recipes for syrups and other mixes, as well as some particularly tasty beverages.

On 2015-05-21 17:39, kkocka wrote:
...how would you all rate the book of Frankie's drinks?

I have mixed feelings about EVERY cocktail recipe book. And I have more books and more recipes than I can possibly go through in my lifetime. (I only have one liver, sadly...)

Every book has drinks you like and drinks you don't like. But as Kahiki Guy said, there are some good things about syrups and a few other things in their book. Remember also that they are innovators, so you'll get some very refreshing new approaches.

To me, the whole point behind owning a collection of cocktail books is to be able to do some research. Because there are so many variations to making drinks, and syrups, and bitters, and infusions, I try to compare methods and ingredients from several sources (and from several time periods) whenever I strike out to do something which is both new and important for me to "get right."

So I would recommend buying the Frankie's book, especially if you are committed to making drinks on a regular basis. I think you will enjoy looking at the photos, trying a handful of drinks that look and sound appealing, and you will likely find a few that are winners to you personally. The Frankie's book has led many (myself included) to discover some new things. Also, it's a nice book to keep handy, as it can draw non-experienced friends into a colorful world of new cocktails, and it can act as a gateway to traditional cocktails.

A couple thoughts on Frankie's Fink Bomb - you can sub the rum and still be very successful. Avoid subbing the Midori, all other melon liqueurs which I have tried (to save money for a friend who threw a low-budget tiki party) do not deliver the same good and rich melon flavor as the Midori.

One more thing - the photography in the Frankie's book is also good for looking at garnishes. Serving a drink is one thing. Serving a drink with a good garnish is another.

All good points and very well stated. I agree 100%.

Went to Frankie's on Friday at 3pm, left around 8 with 8 mugs. What a PLACE! Tania was taking care of me most of the night and hooked me up with some real good drinks. Met some of the locals talking about Boston, and chatted em up, and met some other folks who had never been and we became fast friends. I didn't really like Vegas all that much, but I sure loved Frankie's!

Recently we added some more Art to Frankie's Tiki Room!

Now you Can't Not say what bathroom is what. :wink:

Marina the Mermaid donated one of her Coco Nut Bras!!!

Frankie's is becoming a Museum of Tiki Icons :wink:

Going next week. Can't wait to finally check this place out!

On 2015-12-09 08:25, arriano wrote:
Going next week. Can't wait to finally check this place out!

Have fun. Bring quarters for Shag's "Love Meter." Then share one or two photos of your visit. Let us know what your fave drink is.

And another new artwork..........

"Nana" welcomes you into the hut at Frankie's Tiki Room!! You can get her and her friends at the link below.

Tell them Bamboo Ben sent you.

http://shramek.bigcartel.com/

Nana with Flash

Nana Au Natural :wink:

We're heading for our third visit to Frankie's at the end of the month, can't wait!

Thanks for the link BB! Now which one to get first?!? Frankie's is awesome!

Last month we went to Frankie's on a Friday night and were practically asphyxiated on cigarette smoke. Nice décor, drinks and people, but I prefer Golden Tiki where I can breathe.

Is Golden Tiki non-smoking?

I've been to Frankie's a few times and the smoking varied greatly. You may have been there on a bad night, or has the place started to become this way on a routine basis?

I don't mind some smoke, but you're right, if it's too intense it takes away from the fun.

On 2016-01-11 09:21, AceExplorer wrote:
Is Golden Tiki non-smoking?

I've been to Frankie's a few times and the smoking varied greatly. You may have been there on a bad night, or has the place started to become this way on a routine basis?

I don't mind some smoke, but you're right, if it's too intense it takes away from the fun.

There is smoking there, as everywhere in Vegas. But Golden Tiki is MUCH bigger, both is square feet but also cubic feet, with much higher ceilings. So there is more air in there, and with cigarette smoke rising, is has someplace to go, not so much at Frankie's.

Thanks, Loki, good to know. I've got both places on my list for my next trip out.

I like the intimacy of Frankie's and hope the Golden Tiki has done some things to achieve that same feel.

Frankie's has the "Tiki Bandit" mug back in stock in case anyone is interested. Get em while the getting is good! :wink:

My wife has asthma, so (in the off chance we end up down there) is there typically a time of day when the smoke is lighter? Ending a night at the bar with a trip to the hospital isn't as fun as it might sound :P

We have been lucky each time at Frankies, not many smokers
on our times there, I can see it being an issue, one of the reasons I quit bartending
was the smoke was really getting to me (back when smoking was still allowed in bars in Calif.)

We usually go mid-afternoon, partially for that reason. I'd avoid busy times like Friday & Saturday nights when it can get pretty crowded.

Our tradition is also to go early on Monday mornings, for one last visit before heading to the airport to go home. We're often the only customers at that time, which is nice. The problem is, people have been smoking in that building 24 hours a day for decades. So even if no one is actively smoking while you're there, it still stinks and I can still feel it.

On 2016-01-26 20:22, bamalamalu wrote:
...for one last visit before heading to the airport to go home.

I'm a proud member of the "I almost missed my flight because I was drinking at Frankie's" club.

I love to go in the afternoon, less people and less smoke. (the smoke gets on my clothes so when I go home I have to wash them)The morning is nice too...there is nothing like ordering a zombie at 10am :wink:

Breakfast of Champions! :)

On 2016-01-27 10:36, bamalamalu wrote:
Breakfast of Champions! :)

Plus you get the people who work all night in the casinos and shows coming in the morning.
They always have the best stories of the nights happenings.

I'm fairly sensitive to smoke too. I've been there on a mid-week evening and it was very smoky and I couldn't stay as long as I would've liked. But when I went at 9:00am on a Tuesday, there were only two other people there and although they were smoking, they were at the other end of the bar and it didn't really bother me. Just go for a liquid breakfast and take advantage of the opportunity to see the room, both because of less smoke and fewer people.

On 2016-01-28 11:16, JenTiki wrote:
I'm fairly sensitive to smoke too. I've been there on a mid-week evening and it was very smoky and I couldn't stay as long as I would've liked. But when I went at 9:00am on a Tuesday, there were only two other people there and although they were smoking, they were at the other end of the bar and it didn't really bother me. Just go for a liquid breakfast and take advantage of the opportunity to see the room, both because of less smoke and fewer people.

The exhaust fan aka smoke eater is where the chairs and tables are. Kinda towards the entrance of the hut.
That's the best place to be for non smokers. :wink:

Just a quick update: we were back at Frankie's this past Weekend and the smoke was less bothersome this time.
As usual, we went earlier in the day and it wasn't super crowded but it seemed better than in previous early visits. In the past, even early on Monday mornings, I'd feel like I was hitting a wall of smoke & ash as soon we opened the door. This time I really didn't have that problem.

There's certainly still smoke, but it seems like that smoke eater has been working overtime. :)

New mug (color) on the web site

And the 1st shot they have put out