The Saturn Room - Tulsa, Tulsa, OK (bar)

Name:The Saturn Room - Tulsa
Type:bar
Street:209 North Boulder
City:Tulsa
State:OK
Zip:
country:USA
Phone:
Status:operational

Description:
this is getting ready to open in the next few weeks i believe - the guys already have a craft cocktail bar here in town, they're big into tiki and know what they're doing

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Saturn-Room/809929069080744

I'm looking forward to it!

http://tulsatvmemories.com/tulstiki.html

I've been told opening night is this Friday, April 10 at 4pm.

it's awesome! - went to soft opening last night - great drinks - Friday April 10th (tonight) is actual opening - and talking to the owner, they're going to have 2 roast whole pigs and a giant chrome rocket outside that shoots flames!
their drinks are on the more craft side of tiki styled drinks - ask for a negroni colada (not on the menu, but they made it up special for us) - you can buy the mugs, but they don't have custom ones yet - they're working with Tiki Farm to get some designs finalized and get them produced.

The Saturn Room is open and great. They need to get their own personalized mug for tiki tourists. Drinks are fabulous and the area where it is located is home to numerous other bars, restaurants, and entertainment venues such as The Brady Theater and the world famous Cain's Ballroom. I highly recommend this place and Tulsa will soon be the home of the Margaritaville Casino and Hotel once construction is complete. There may not be much water in OK, but the trade winds sure do blow!

Any more experiences from this place? Their Instagram hasn't been updated in a month and the FB page isn't that active. Haven't seen any pictures of the interior posted anywhere. I may find myself driving through Tulsa before long and wondering if it's worth a stop.

They have a web page that contains their menu, but no pictures. http://www.saturnroom.com

yelp.com has some up to date reviews and pictures and they're all positive.

Pic from yelp.

From their instagram page.

-Lori

[ Edited by: tikilongbeach 2015-06-19 16:30 ]

High probability I'll be going here Sunday night. Anyone in town wanna meet up for a drink?

I'm curious the parking situation. Are they in a downtown area with ample street parking? I'll be driving a large cargo van pulling a 12' trailer. Maybe I should just get an Uber? Assuming Tulsa has that as an option...

would love to meet up, but will be fishing in the keys - parking a cargo van with a trailer may be. problem - sunday night shouldnt be too bad though - we do have uber, the bar opens at 4

Sorry to miss you but have fun in the Keys!

If I'm only able to get 2 or 3 drinks, which would you recommend?

On 2016-05-19 10:47, mikehooker wrote:
Sorry to miss you but have fun in the Keys!

If I'm only able to get 2 or 3 drinks, which would you recommend?

the Chairman Mao (hasit's own mug)
Angostura Tea Punch
and if lesley is there, she does a tamarind punch thats awesome

Was clearing some old pics off my phone when I came across this Saturn Room Mai Tai and remembered I never gave the place a review following my visit a couple months ago.

So here's my lengthy, honest assessment, as best I can recall...

I found out earlier that day it was Hanson fest weekend and downtown would be overrun with people so I decided to get a hotel two miles away rather than deal with parking. I walked to the bar along a nice trail beside the highway. Figured I'd make a night of it, drink all I want and Uber back to the hotel. The noise from the outdoor festival was loud from a mile away. As I got closer I saw that there was a stage literally right across the street from the bar and I actually had to enter the festival and go through a cordoned off area to get in. I was hoping for a quiet, intimate visit and assumed the place would be packed. But it wasn't! There might have been a couple people on the patio but only one other group inside. So I grabbed a seat at the bar, took in my surroundings, and gotta say, it was very disappointing. Some fish floats and a plethora of toothy grin home depot tikis. I would have been more impressed if they had spent their entire tiki budget on one or two quality carved pieces than seeing 30+ generic ones. Overall there wasn't much decor to take in. And the big window to the patio was open so the music from the fest was blaring in.

I always enjoy sitting at the bar and conversing with my bartender to get to know their background, talk rum, tiki, and watch them in action. I wasn't really given the opportunity. I started with (I think) a Cobra's Fang. After it was served the bartender said to one of the barbacks he was going out for a smoke. He was gone well over 10 minutes. I had finished my drink before he returned to the bar. Drink was OK. Not bad, not great. Decent enough. When he finally came back I asked him what rums he used. He was like, I dunno, it's like four rums, they batch it. But he went the extra mile to find out for me and confirmed it was actually only two rums. Was surprised the bartender didn't what two rums went into the drink and why it's necessary to batch that. I know some places (like Lei Low) pre-batch their 3-4 rum blends for Zombies and such, and I get that. It's a handy time saver on a drink with a million ingredients. It also allows you to make a proprietary blend if you wanted to keep it secret. I don't think that was the case here.

Anyway, I sipped water for a bit figuring I was staying for the long haul and tried to chit chat but he wasn't really interested, even though I mentioned I had come up from Austin and was really exited to check the place out. The concert ended soon after and people started pouring into the bar. It got loud and obnoxious. The music they were playing in the bar was gawd awful. I don't even know what to describe it as. Maybe it's just what passes for rock these days. Not sure if this is the normal playlist or if they were just catering to the party crowd but it was definitely not what I was accustomed to hearing in a tiki bar.

My bartender didn't pay me much mind once it got crowded so I ended up getting the attention of one of the other guys behind the bar to order my next drink. I couldn't decide where to go so I asked him what his favorite drink was. He said the Mai Tai. I got excited cuz that's one of my favorite drinks to make at home. I've stopped ordering them at most bars cuz they usually disappoint, but hey, if this guy loves theirs, I had to check it out. So wish I hadn't. I won't say it was the worst Mai Tai I've ever had (that distinction belongs to Tiki Tolteca) but it took me about 45 minutes to drink it. When I make a Mai Tai at home, it barely lasts four sips. Small detail, but the upside down lime shell was unsettling to me. The point of the lime and mint garnish is to mimic an island and palm tree. Seeing the pulverized underside of the lime wasn't quite as charming. And he didn't slap the mint.

Anyway, I know I'm nit picking a lot of little details but it's the sum of all these parts that make for a quality experience, and that I did not have. I felt no elements of escapism. Honestly I had a lousy time and decided to cut out. I'm hoping I was just unfortunate to be there on a very off night and the atmosphere is normally more inviting. But as it stands in my memory, I'd rather forget my visit.

[ Edited by: mikehooker 2016-07-30 14:16 ]

I took a recent trip to the Saturn Room and thought I would add my trip views. The last review was over a year ago so hopefully it has improved.

The Brady Art’s District in Tulsa is a very cool, up and coming part of Tulsa with excellent restaurants and plenty of bars. A great location for a tiki bar.

We arrived at 7:00pm and there were maybe 4-5 other people in the bar. We enjoy sitting at the bar and talking to the bartenders so arriving early always helps. The two Gavin's were our bartenders. One of the Gavin's is also the manager. Two great guys who knew there way behind the bar and were very hospitable.

Before I get into the drinks, let’s talk décor. The Saturn Room has a great location with one side of the building having an unobstructed view of downtown Tulsa. There are two large windows that open up to the outdoor patio and also give beautiful view of the city. If at all possible, get the seats at the bar opposite the windows. A lot of thought was put into the décor. There are numerous tiki’s, thatchs, floats and paintings (including a beautiful black velvet painting). The back bar has a great array of tiki mugs and a wonderful selection of rum. I get teased by my significant other about my rum review of each bar / restaurant we go to. If you don’t have the proper rum selection, you can’t make proper drinks. Cough cough – I am looking at you Malibu! The Saturn Room rum selection is everything you expect from a top class tiki bar.

On to the drinks. We started with a Mandalorian and a Port Light. The Mandalorian is one of the house drinks and is a good starter with Bourbon, Pisco and Apricot Brandy (among other things). Since the Mandalorian was so good, we decided to get the signature drink of the Saturn Room – Chairman Mao’s Revival. I was a bit disappointed that they were out of their mugs (turns out they are stuck in customs at a Chinese port) but the drink is excellent. Ingredients include Szechuan Peppercorn, Gin, Blackstrap Rum and Ginger Liqueur. If you like spicy (not hot but with kick) this is the drink for you.

As the night progressed, we ventured into a Zombie (which is another of my favorites), a 151 swizzle, Smoke on the Water (no longer on the menu but can be made by request – Mezcal is the smoke) and a Three Dots and a Dash. This may very well become our tiki bar test. Can they make a Three Dots and a Dash? Also, can they nail the garnish? Yes and yes for the Saturn Room.

The final drink of the night was a Cradle of Life. It is a shared drink normally but we got the single version in a great little bowl. Side note: we actually ordered two of the bowls off of Ebay while sitting at the bar.

Mug wise, beside the impulsive order of the bowls (which are not Saturn Room specific) we took home two branded old fashioned glasses, a Fu Man Ku (Tiki Farm) and a blue parrot. Not a bad haul if I say so myself.

We left he bar around 11:00 and it was packed. The young people of Tulsa love them some Saturn Room. They also love a Macadamia Nut Chi Chi. It is by far the most popular drink for the locals.

While at a tiki bar, I also like to keep track of the "other" drinks that patrons order. These are drink orders that we over heard that made us chuckle. I am fine with you ordering whatever you want at a tiki bar but that doesn’t mean I think it is right. Take a chance and try something different. Anyway, here you go:

• Vodka and Soda. What are you – 50? Wait, I am almost 50. However, I will NEVER order a Vodka and Soda at a bar. Or at a friend’s house. Or at home.
• Rum and Coke. OK, it is technically a Cuba Libre and is on the menu.
• Bud Light. Yes, there are people who only drink beer and that is fine. In this case, that is not what made me laugh. Bud Light was not available and he was offered a Miller Lite. What? A Miller Lite? Yuck! The customer didn’t like that option. He ended up with another beer but at that point I had to walk away. I didn’t realize there was a difference between Bud Light and Miller Lite. Oh wait, I get it now. One is a lite beer while the other is a light beer. My bad.

Overall, the Saturn Room is well worth the stop if you are anywhere near Tulsa. Our experience is that it is a nice little gem in the state of Oklahoma. It sure is better than any tiki bar we have in Dallas. Of course, we also don’t have any tiki bars in Dallas. At least none that bears mentioning. It all comes down to personal preference but I give the Saturn Room a thumbs up.

For what it's worth, they will be having a Luau in early April, roast pig (or two) and all. Hopefully I will be able to make it to that event.

Rick

Thanks for the report! I saw your photos on FB and appreciate your detailed writeup here. And I sympathize with your plight--the unmentioned Dallas place was my first "tiki" experience, and while it didn't turn me off of the whole thing, it did leave me wondering what the fuss was about. :wink:

We recently checked out the Saturn Room for their annual birthday luau event. It's about a three hour drive for us, but we had several friends willing to share the drive and we had Mr. Tiki visiting, so we had a good excuse to hit the road.

When I called the bar several days before, they said that they were opening early (at noon) and that the event would run until 2am. Seeing as we didn't intend on spending the night in Tulsa, we decided to go early in the afternoon.

I think we arrived around 2:30pm. There were very few people there, and there was no sign of the food trucks that they had said would be outside (which was a problem because we had all skipped lunch and figured we would eat when we got there).

Arriving inside, they handed us free tshirts and showed us the mugs they had for sale, including a signature mug for a new drink called the Tulsa Driller. Their stir sticks are cool.

Mr Tiki approves!

We were told to sit wherever we wanted, so we grabbed the large booth nearest to the entrance. The decor is nice - classy and well-layered, though the overall room layout feels a little strange. It's basically a huge line of booths that sit across from the bar. They have large doors by the bar that they open to the outside, so during the day there is bright light (glare) spilling in. While we were there, they were playing a (hip?) mix of funk and more modern lounge tunes. It was more upbeat than I expected, but I figured it was supposed to be a party, right?

Our waiter was friendly, as were the bartenders who agreed to pose with Mr. Tiki. Is that Dexter?

We started off by ordering a Scorpion Bowl and some of their new Tulsa Driller cocktails in their take home mug. The Scorpion Bowl tasted sweeter than I expected for a tiki drink, but went down easy enough. The other drink, however, wasn't a hit. In fact, none of the six people at our table liked it very much. It seemed to have a strange sour flavor that we couldn't quite identify. Could that be Worcestershire sauce? We asked the waiter and he said no, just a "very funky tasting rum" for the Tulsa Driller cocktail. As something of a novice in rum drinks, I just sorta nodded. The mug is cool enough, though once someone pointed out the overall phallic shape I couldn't quite look at it in the same light. Plus, it's called a "driller". :wink:

The waiter surprised us with a free Blue Hawaiian that he said the bartender had made by mistake. It was tasty, but again much sweeter than anticipated. At this point we were all starving and still waiting for some food. A single food truck had finally arrived in the parking lot, but wasn't ready. We waited a bit longer, stopped ordering drinks, and were about to ask for the bill when our waiter told us the food truck had opened for business. We ordered Cuban sandwiches and empanadas and brought them inside to eat.

With food in our bellies, we then ordered Mai Tai and Suffering Bastard, shots of plantation pineapple rum (a favorite of our friend), as well as another signature Saturn Room drink... Chairman Mao's Revival.

The first two drinks were well balanced and our favorites of the evening. Although the Mao came highly recommended, we all felt that the strong peppercorn flavor was a bit much, and that the best part of that drink was the cute mug.

We stayed a few more hours, enjoying our drinks, the company and overall atmosphere. However, the "luau" party never really seemed to arrive and so we left by 7pm having enjoyed the overall "tiki bar" experience, but feeling like the party wasn't going to start until later than we could stay.

If we go back next year, we'll have to arrive and stay later. I think the atmosphere will be better in the dark, anyways. Maybe then we can also catch the live music and pig roast!

I realize I'm late to the party on this post, but if anyone on this thread happens to be in Tulsa this Friday the 21st, I'll be at the Saturn Room with my comrade who are both flying in from Vancouver, Canada and San Francisco, respectively.

We are a pair of tikiphiles who are looking to meet up with others like us who are into trading loot, specifically swizzle sticks. Apparently the original house swizzle stick at this location is all but a memory, but I'm determined to find it at any cost. If you or anyone you know we can get in touch with has one for sale or trade, we have loads of ours from all over California and elsewhere to trade (see photo). Get at me if you'd like to connect!