Point Moreea, Los Angeles, CA (restaurant)

Name:Point Moreea
Type:restaurant
Street:Wilshire Blvd at Figueroa in the Wilshre Grand Hotel
City:Los Angeles
State:CA
Zip:90017
country:USA
Phone:(213) 688-7777
Status:operational

Description:
Point Moorea is an contemporary, metropolitan tiki oasis in Downtown Los Angeles. You will recognize this fact the moment you gaze upon the neon palm trees and the neon tiki face sign.

Inside, the floor is illuminated with a red lava flow. Upon entering, you gaze upon a Gaugin themed tropical painting in the rear of the martini bar. There is also a free standing light fixture reminiscent of tiki torches tied together.

Tikis surround you from inside circles on the brightly colored wall.

Point Moorea is more lounge, as opposed to a bar like Tiki-Ti, but it is a truly beautiful environment in which to enjoy a neo-tiki vibe.

It is a bar/restaurant which is the place to go after work to watch the game or to visit the Martini bar for attitude adjustment. $2 appetizers during Happy Hour.

There is also dancing on Saturday nights.

Tiki Teeshirts and tanks (for wahinees) depicting the Point Moorea tiki face are available for purchase.

However, their MaiTais really need help.

[ Edited by: christiki295 on 2004-02-09 20:04 ]

[ Edited by: christiki295 on 2004-11-22 18:59 ]

Yuck. Certainly not the best Tiki place in L.A., by a long long shot. But, it's the only one in the immediate downtown L.A. area. That said, it reeks of a lame chain hotel bar desperately trying to be hip. They have very few tiki drinks, and the ones they do have are highly ineffectual. It wouldn't surprise me if you told me they changed a few of the wall hangings and turned the place into a sports bar overnight. Horrors! Only for the desparate.

Thanks for your post - it provides a more balanced perspective, i.e., half full vs. half empty.

It is not like Purple Orchid or the Tonga Hut, with large tikis for ambience, nor is it like Trader Vics (or Purple Orchid) with a numerous selection of tiki mugs. And possibly due to the location, I have never seen to many Hawaiian shirts there.

However, I think the feeling is similar to Tiki Ti in that it can have a happy hour all night long or happening vibe.

I also think you may be undervaluing the TIPSy factor. There is the tiki face on the outside, there are tikis, albeit not always polynesian style, which line the rear of the dancefloor and other tiki style hangings and island themed prints throughout.

You are not the only one to raise the issue that tiki bars should not show sports. Being a Laker fan and play-off time approaching, I like being able to catch the game in a tiki environment.

Also, I don't mind a tiki bar showing sports if that is what it takes to draw a larger audience to keep the taps flowing. (I'm still sensitive to Tahiti/The Hula Lounge closing).

Nevertheless, the effect of the television is mitigated because there is no volume and the bar has music (and no, not Martin Denny) blaring.

While I would prefer a true polynesian pop-over the top decor (like the Tonga Room), I still belive the neo-tiki style of Ponit Moreea renders it a tiki bar worth visiting.

Name:Point Moorea Downtown L.A.
Type:restaurant
Street:930 Wilshire Blvd
City:L.A.
State:CA
Zip:90017
country:USA
Phone:213-833-5100
Status:operational

Description:
Has anyone in L.A. checked this out yet? It looks new? It also looks like they have a big screen T.V. that might put a damper on the Atmospere? Looking forward to the first review. Here is a link with more info & directions

http://losangeles.citysearch.com/profile/11517190?cslink=roundup_name_cust&ulink=roundup__roundupentity1-7_1__1_profile_5_1

[ Edited by: LavaPants on 2004-07-28 12:19 ]

[ Edited by: LavaPants on 2004-07-28 12:20 ]

[ Edited by: LavaPants on 2004-07-28 12:23 ]

sounds like it has some potential, I'll have to check it out next time I'm in LA.
T

Here's a link to the hotel itself.
http://www.wilshiregrand.com/english/restaurants/pointmoorea.html

Check out the drink list. A couple of tropical themed martinis and a lot of high falootin' rich folk drinks. The polynesian artifacts sound intriguing, but I don't think the Tiki Ti has anything to worry about. Sounds like a place to make the suits feel like they have imaginations. I'll swing by and post some pics later.

Yeah, I'm afraid to check it out for the same reasons. Let us know how it was.

LP

Hmmm....

looks like a double post. More info here:
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=7601&forum=2&vpost=75024

from our very own urban archeologist christiki...

"Hey, at least I'm housebroken."

[ Edited by: Polynesiac on 2004-07-28 19:09 ]

Here's a pic of their drink menu and a matchbox:

[ Edited by: spy-tiki on 2004-07-28 22:19 ]

I stopped in tonight and realized that I had passed it many times, but the neon palm tree sculpture had always kept me from really paying attention to it. It isn't a bad place, but it isn't a tiki place. it's a martini bar with some polynesian touches. That said, it wouldn't be a bad place to have a drink or two if you're downtown for the theater or what have you. needless to say I was the only one with a Hawaiian shirt. I spoke briefly with the manager (nice guy) who is going to email me some interior shots that I will put over in Chris tiki's post. Some of the decor is worth seeing. (I've already added their matchbook and drink menu cover.) The pool tables are thankfully tucked out of the way. There are some Budha heads and other asian influences around, but also a couple of nice authentic looking tikis. I also got a ticket for not having a front license plate, but that's another story.

[i]The polynesian artifacts sound intriguing, but I don't think the Tiki Ti has anything to worry about. Sounds like a place to make the suits feel like they have imaginations. I'll swing by and post some pics later.

Actually, the crowd is more diverse. At happy hour, the place has more "suit" types, although there is a mix of the non-suit downtowners (possibly members of the Santa Fe Art Colony/Brewery or random PIBs making their first stop of the night).

Around 11 pm, it turns into a dance oriented crowd, with women of various types sporting their Nordstroms "hoochie" best and guys dressed accordingly.

Tikis abound, but not the Hawaiian, Marquesean or moai type. In the words of Tiki Bar, it is a "neo-tiki" style bar, as evidence by the neon palm tree, lava flow floor and generous splashes of color.

It also has tropical Gaugin inspired murals like Damon's of Glendale and, tropical martini's like the beloved Purple Orchid (Alas, no tiki mugs)

As Spy Tiki noted, tiki shirts & tops for sale.

(PS: Humuhumu or others may wish to combine these threads).

I want to visit there.

Aloha, danielrigano"

Once you go, be sure to post your evaluation.