Trader Vic's, London United Kingdom, London, United Kingdom (restaurant)

Name:Trader Vic's, London United Kingdom
Type:restaurant
Street:22 Park Lane
City:London
State:
Zip:W1Y 4BE
country:United Kingdom
Phone:020 7208 4113
Status:operational

Description:
The London branch of Trader Vic's opened in 1963 and has delighted unwary hotel guests,
Tiki-philes and late night revellers ever since. Decor is a classic mix of South Pacific carvings, fishing nets, outriggers, glass fishing floats, and the like, while a large carved Tiki statue guards the entrance. Drinks are expensive, as it's located in the basement of a 5 star hotel, the Park Lane Hilton (Around $12 a drink is the norm).Trader Vic's is a classic Tiki bar, though,and no visit to London can be complete without descending the stairs into this Polynesian paradise.

For an article about the lure of Trader Vic's, London check out http://www.traderwoody.iwarp.com/Tradervics.html

Trader Woody

During my trip to Athens and London, I made a point of exploring the tiki establishments in these cities. Trader Vic's was high on my list - not only because of it's milestone in Tiki history - but also because I've heard such wonderful things about it.

The decor certainly lived up to it's reputation - Tiki statues and Polynesian paraphanelia almost covering every inch of the establishment.

Unfortunately, I found the drinks fairly weak and the service rather lacking. The waitresses seemed downright bored, as they chatted among themselves and paid hardly any attention to the needs of the patrons. Whether we were trying to order another drink, order an appetizer or request the check, I had to leave my chair and summon a server. The bartender seemed quite disturbed when I took a photo of the bar - maybe that's just not done in London?

With regard to the menu, it looks like they took the US menu and kept the same prices (just changing the dollar sign to the pound) As a result, the drinks are very pricey. The appetizer platter we shared was so-so, with the exception of the pork ribs, which were very tough and for the most part, inedible.

On the positive side, they did have exotica playing in the background and the ambience was unaffected by a large screen TV playing sports (which unfortunately, always impedes on the ambience of several US Tiki establishments (Trader Vic's in Emeryville, being one of those)

Come on guys ! You've got a good thing going, what with the Vic's name and the rekindled interest in all thing Tiki, Just train your staff a little better in order to ensure a pleasant experience for your patrons.

I agree with Conga Mike. The decor was great, the service and attitude was kind of stuffy corperate, like a snooty TGIF's. I went on 4/25/04 and was really looking forward to it. I stood in front of the hostess podium for a few minutes while 3 hostess talked among themselves until I asked for a menu. After seeing the entrees were $40-50US, I decided to sit at the bar for an appetizer.
It was a nice Sunday evening and the bar and restaurant were nearly deserted except for me and this fat wheezy man with two bored hookers. The hookers were sucking down daddy's drinks (garnished with live flowers--a plus). The music being played was Latin Salsa, which I like, but I was hoping for exotica fitting the decor.
I paid $18US for about 2oz. of chicken on a stick and another $14US for a non-alcoholic beer. The bartender acted as if I was annoying him by being there and I had to wave him down to order.
Overall, I was disappointed but I did enjoy the decor. More interesting than Vic's was the Indian wedding going on in the hotel lobby. All the Indian women in thier beautiful saris were much more colorful and exotic than the restaurant.

I have to say that my experience differs somewhat from those above. I went to Trader Vic's in London just before Christmas. The atmosphere in the bar was fantastic and the waitresses couldn't have been more attentive. Obviously great decor. The drinks were a little pricey, but that's the UK for ya, but they were plenty strong enough for me. I took a few photo's in the bar and the staff seemed really pleased that we had a true interest in the place. Later in the evening we ate in the restaurant, and the food was excellent. Much, much better than I had expected. Again the staff were really friendly and even showed us the best places in the restaurant for photo's and gave us a quick tour.
Maybe it was because we had on aloha shirts or maybe it was my huge grin I had all evening, but I thought the staff were attentive and the drinks and food were all fantastic. I would really recommend it.

(although I guess some nights are better than others and Sunday ain't the best for atmosphere).

Cheers

[ Edited by: kon-hemsby 2006-02-14 00:28 ]

I had a great service given by the barman when i get there last year.

But when i asked for merchandise that was supposed to be on sale (like shirts, drink mix, all with price tags), they couldn't sell it to me for no reason.

i went there several times & usually the service was fine. there was one older waitress (asian w/ glasses) who was always super nice.

before my wife & i moved back to the states, we had our going away party at tv's. i felt the staff was very accomodating.

I've lost count of the times I've been there, but have always had a great time. Perhaps it's because of the decor - just let me wander around the bar and restaurant looking at all the stuff I missed last time and I'm a happy man.

The service has always seemed very good, though us Brits are amazed if someone smiles while serving us. The front desk as you walk in is perhaps frostier than it could be, but not too bad.

The drinks do seem a little random in terms of strength. I've walked out of there sober as a judge once or twice, while on other occasions, I've ended up disgracing myself on various floors of the hotel itself. I guess it depends on whether the bartender had a bad day or not.

And Tiki Chris' bash there was a peach. A fine night.

Trader Woody

On 2004-04-28 11:32, Trader Woody wrote:
... just let me wander around the bar and restaurant ....

... us Brits are amazed if someone smiles while serving us ...

yeah, one great thing was that they never seemed to mind me roaming the floor to gawk & photograph.

& maybe, if one is not accustomed to the oxymoron that is british service, then i can see where complaints may arise.

Steve took me here for my birthday last year, and I have to say i was pretty ill a few days before so I was feeling a little uncomfortable to start with.

First impressions were good, although we were sat next to someone in the bar smoking the biggest cigars and blowing the smoke in our direction!We shared one of their Tiki-bowls whilst waiting for our table.

There were lots of tiki style artifacts, I didn't notice that many tikis...the waitresses were all dressed in oriental print uniforms....slit up to the thigh....

Bar snacks are on offer and they looked pretty tasty (and less pricey than eating in the restaurant)

We were taken through to the restaurant, but no one asked us smoking or non smoking...and although the restaurant was practically empty we were sat uncomfortably in between two tables of heavy smokers/mobile phone abusers!So not as romantic a meal as we had intended.....recommend that you ask to sit in non-smoking should it be your style...!

I can't remember the names of the cocktails I had although one came with a parrot on a stick!...nice momento...sitting on out mantlepiece in tiki mug as I speak!!

I had crab parcels to start and veal for main (very nice and tender) all arrived fairly promptly although hideously pricey!Meal for two was well over £100 with a starter but no dessert.

We got some more drinks in the bar after wards, mine was a hot cocktail served in a skull mug with a cinnamon stick. I loved the idea of it, but I think i'll give it a miss next time!You can buy some of the mugs in the bar.

We took photos, without any odd looks, but maybe the alcohol was having affect by then!

Definitely one for splurging on, as it was almost laughable it was so expensive, but I guess that's what you get for being located in the Hilton!

I still had a great time, and would recommend it to anyone, but this was my first tiki experience!

This has always been a dream of mine since I got into Tiki to visit a genuine Trader Vic's location. For months I was anticipating the visit ever since my wife anounced we were going to London this March to visit her brother. Tuesday, March 8th was the big night. We both got dressed up in our Sunday Best. Thanks to all of you and The Tiki Roadtrip who let me know that this resturant was 1. expensive and 2. not really casual so there were no surprises. We found the staff genuinely pleased to see us and very attentive. We ordered a complete meal from 'soup to nuts' and had plenty of drinks. My wife started out with the Samoan Fogcutter while I stuck with the one and only Trader Vic's Mai Tai. We also tried the Trader Vic punch which was delicious. You do need to be attentive to which drinks are strong. Ours certainly were! I weigh in at 244 lbs and two Mai Tai's had me sailing! The Samoan Fogcutter put my wife in a giggly mood that added to the evenings fun later on. (thanks guys!) The decor did not disappoint! What a classic room! The carvings were superb as well as the rest of the decor. Since the place was somewhat empty we got to walk around and see everything. Unfortunatly both of us forgot to bring our cameras in all the excitement. Bummer! We finished the evening with Pina Colada's (I know, its not a Tiki drink) at the bar in honor of Warren Zevon and to become honorary Werewolves of London. It was a magical night. I bought one of the handpainted ashtrays as a token of my trip. It has great mana and juju and sits now on my desk in a place of honor. One small problem. They were playing Carribean Salsa music all night. I don't think the staff really understands the Tiki culture to a large extent. They returned blank stares whenever I would wax on about the decor and the whole Tiki culture. Anyway it was fun. If you plan to go plan on dropping about $230.00 for two for the complete experience!

I just read in Maxim (Aug 05) that heiress Nicky Hilton's favorite Hilton hotel is the London one because it has a Trader Vics (!)

I'm not quite sure what to make of it.

On 2005-09-21 10:40, dangergirl299 wrote:
I'm not quite sure what to make of it.

This quote not only describes my impressions of the Hilton sisters' notoriety, but also the idea of DangerGirl reading Maxim.

Touche Tikibars..too funny! Why is dangergirl reading frat happy Maxim?
Why be mystified? Everybody love's Trader Vic's. Do you honestly believe that only hard core tikiphiles enjoy Mai Tai's and Polynesian kitsch? If that was the case, every Tiki bar in this country would be out of business. Do only Movie Producers and Actors eat at Planet Hollywood? Okay, I concede that is a very bad analogy, but you get my point. I am not surprised at all that Nicky likes Trader Vic's in London, apparently so did Warren Zevon. He drank enough Fog Cutters to see werewolves. I have never been that drunk...my dog does talk to me..in Aramaic..but he does not turn into a wolf.
I digress. Trader Vic's has a distinct different vibe to the American Vic's, as does the German Vic's I have been too.
I was the only goof-ball in an Aloha shirt and kukui nut necklace last time I was there! I also saw many Brits sipping Gin and Tonics and non-tiki cocktails around the bar.
Although Tiki Culture is strong with tens of thousands of devotee's, it probably pales to hobbies like bowling and hot rodding. We probably are numerically equal to the people who still wear old school roller skates and love Disco and rhinestone studded denim. Now, if I just figure out where my secret Tiki Decoder ring is?
...my demon Aramaic speaking dog, Toby, probably ate it!

Before the Revolution, the per capita consumption of RUM in the Colonies was 3.7 gallons PER person. We have become a Neo-temperant nation of wimps and quitters! We must rise, Tiki Nation, and raise our ceramic mugs in resistance to teatotaling!

[ Edited by: Rum Numb Davey 2005-09-21 11:45 ]

It's simply because it IS the best!
(awaiting torrent of disagreement :wink: )

I liked it. The service was good, the drinks were pretty good... the Taipei TV makes better mai tais though.

Here's a picture (Aug 11, 2003) of the wahini and the front door. It's in the London Hilton if I remember correctly:

Here's a picture of their Mai Tai, and the wahini again:

[ Edited by: tikigap 2006-08-25 09:11 ]

It's my birthday today and I went to Trader Vics London at the Hilton early tonight. I had been wanting to go for years but somehow I had never made it before. Sad to say that while the decor was fantastic, the music was so awful and oppressively loud that I left without having a drink. Kind of super loud peppy Marc Anthony style latin music. I would have slipped them a Martin Denny CD but I didn't have one on me. Is there a night or any time at all when they play classic exotica, or am I living in the wrong century?

Unfortunately this is too true, not that it hasn't been tried to change. Jay Strongman (Oasis DJ) has made up a couple of compilation CDs for them, but unfortunately they felt "it didn't have enough Salsa".

I shot a batch of photos at TV's London a couple months ago and have a question as to the purpose of the numbers on the tapa in the "Tiki Room" which they use for banquets and such - what are they for?

I don't think they correspond to seating places.

Tapa Cloths of this size, and probably from Tonga or Samoa are always numbered, I'm not quite sure why exactly but I think it corresponds with the panels in the Tapa.
I will ask my samoan freind if he would know more.

Trader Vics , London now have their own website
Check out that cool looking Mai Tai Canoe! :wink:

http://www.tradervicslondon.com/

Friday evening before heading back to Mahiki I took my buddy Rob to the Trader Vic's in London to celebrate his new job at St. Thomas Hospital there. Here are some photos for those who haven't been there recently:

The main entrance (this one is also below ground):

There is also a lobby entrance (ala TV Berlin)

The foyer and stairway:

Enjoying the specialties of the house:

I was at the London Hilton Trader Vic's in May and it has lost none of its luster. Despite an extensive renovation of the hotel, the Trader Vic's is as wonderful as ever and each original piece of the decor has been lovingly preserved. The drinks were excellent, the food was superb and the presentation was truly grand. My waiter boned a fish with such expertise, I was reminded of the great restaurants of my youth when waiters all did such things.

I will never miss going to Trader Vic's when I'm in London. Oh, if only the Beverly Hills one was as good!

I thought the doorman was a little rough!

Good drinks, well appointed,

Friendly staff,

Good food, largest Trader Vics tab to date,

It was a great experience and I was getting a bit full on all the pints and was ready for rum.

I was in London this past May. I brought my in-laws and my wife to their first Trader Vics experience. I have been to the TV in Atlanta numerous times and I knew that I could not pass up the opportunity. That night the service was great. My mother-in-law got lit on numerous Mai Tais, my father-in-law got to tell his suffering bastard story when he was a student in Egypt and I had a great steak. A good time was had by all.
My Mother-in-law Shirley with one of her Mai Tais.

Took the family to TV this week, during half term.

First time for my 7 year old - Ben.

What boy doesn't like to cook his own food over a roaring flame...

Simone enjoying the usual great TV service, food and drinks.

On a busy schedule we ended up falling into TV at 3.00pm for lunch and pretty much had the place to ourselves. Nice.

TV London - one of my most fav places on earth.

Man, would I love to visit this place...

Alas, all I have is a CD full of images someone let me borrow/copy. I've seen some of these in news articles so I'm assuming these are the "official" images used by the location and/or Trader Vic's Corporate. The date on these is 2001.

Every corner of that location looks awesome!!
Thanks for posting the pics!!

TabooDan

Great pictures everyone! Mahalo!

Now it's fez monkey time to share:

On 2006-11-05 14:29, fez monkey wrote:

Unlike the London location, they were proud and happy to have me take photos of the place. (I'll post my highly illicit London photos another time.)

Enough blather! Where are the pics?

• SV

C'mon fez monkey! Don't be a tease! :wink: where are the pics?
...what If I say please?
Please?

Thanks to Zeta's prodding here is my addition to the fine photos already in this thread. They're not up to my usual standard but keep in mind I had to take most of them on the sly since I was told it was policy to not allow photo taking.

Um, okay. Whatever dude. Clearly, that seems to be an inconsistently applied policy.

Staff lore: even though this place opened in 1968, people still sometimes complain about the 'fishy" smell
emanating from the shell lamps which are made from real shells.

I tend to go to Vic's overseas when it's quiet so I can take photos and talk to the staff but I've been here on a Friday night and it was packed to the gills so I think they'll be around a while longer.

LIke all of the UK, prices are steep. Take the US drink menu and change the dollar sign to a British pounds sign and there you go.

As someone else mentioned, salsa and latin/Caribbean seems to be the music of choice just as in Taipei and the now defunct Shanghai location. Can't have everything I suppose.

This place is rich in history and decoration and seems to (either intentionally or otherwise) hire a lot a good looking servers. All in all, a definite must-do when in London.

• fm

1963 original Trader Vic's photo at the Hilton Hotel in London

Jackie,

Nice photo, I just got that in the mail this weekend from cheery old England. What a great shot of the Trader Vic's bar area when if first opened.

Here a full scan of the original photo which is 8 X 6.

A close up of the table with the great lamps and napkins.

The bar area sporting some nice old Trader Vic's mugs.

Have some other stuff from London that I will post later.

DC

As promised, here is an early postcard I have from the London Trader Vic's.

The entrance

Close up of the dinning area with a glass wall looking into the Chinese Ovens.

The dinning room by the bar.

And, a Menehune matchbook.

DC

Went by the other day and noticed a sign saying "Closed for Refurbishment", the Barney West Ku is no longer outside.
Lets pray to the Gods they do it right

According to their web site they will be closed for refurbishment from July 28th through August 16th. The Emeryville refurbishment in 2010 (also an "old school" location having opened in 1972, around the same time as London, Munich and Atlanta) was a big success so hopefully the London Trader Vic's will be better than ever.

http://www.tradervicslondon.com/

I stopped by the London Trader Vic's last summer on my way back from Paris after seeing Sven Kirsten's Tiki Pop exhibit. The place was amazing with all of the old original décor intact!

Love that tapa carpet!

It was during World Cup, so we watched some soccer in the Tiki Room over Mai Tais.

I recently acquired this old super size matchbook from the Trader Vic's in London. Never seen one like this before.

DC

On 2015-05-08 18:15, Dustycajun wrote:
I stopped by the London Trader Vic's last summer on my way back from Paris after seeing Sven Kirsten's Tiki Pop exhibit. The place was amazing with all of the old original décor intact!

Love that tapa carpet!

DC

Now that's some carpet I can get behind.

Kevin

I was here last month. Will try to post pics soon. No mugs for sale and though she said she was "waiting for a shipment from San Francisco" I'm not sure if that was really the case or if they just didn't sell the mugs any longer. I literally would not leave the bar until they figured out how I was going to leave with one of the coconut mugs. They finally found one with a slight chip in the inner rim and just gave it to me. Hostess thought I was nuts. I thought she was beautiful. It all worked out. Had a nice dinner in the main dining room and drank two Mai Tais. Really great place.

Just been to Trader Vics in London and thought I would update you on what's happening there as the last post seems to be a while ago. Went on a Saturday evening at around 6.30pm. A group of five people. We had pre booked for a meal in the restaurant. When we arrived it was not very busy, so we ordered drinks at the bar and I took the chance to have a good look around and took lots of photo's. Will not post as already lots of pics on the site. Staff were very friendly and the atmosphere was very good. I would definately pre book if you want a meal but OK to just walk in if having drinks or bar food. This would only apply if arriving early as you would not get in later without booking or are a resident at the Hotel. Door staff are big and very strict. Dress code is smart but casual (no trainers or tee shirts, and would not recommend a Hawaiian shirt as you would not get in and would look very out of place as nearly all the people in there do not really seem the slightest bit interested in Tiki). It is just another themed bar to most people. Throughout the evening I did not see another person who seemed slightly interested in the decor.

The decor is as to be expected and you will not be disappointed. The background music is Latin/Mexican and spoils the atmosphere completely. Our meal was very good and all waiting staff were excellent. The drinks were rather disappointing. We had five cocktails each throughout the evening and as already stated we were a party of five, so we gave the cocktail menu a good bashing. The drinks came in a variety of mugs, glasses and bowls so no complaints. The drinks all tasted quite different, but thats about it. About 80% of the drinks arrived with a straw, a chunk of floating lime and a sprig of mint. When ordering the same drink again it tasted completely different. I am not a heavy drinker by any means but after having five cocktails I walked out not feeling the effect of the drinks at all. Three decent cocktails is normally my limit.

The food and drinks are expensive but is to be expected when in Mayfair, London. Our bill for meals and five drinks eack came to £654.00 If you visit just for the TIKI appeal then I suggest you arrive early, preferably mid week and just have a drink, plus a bar meal, if you want to spend that little bit extra.

There is a diplay cabinet near the entrance of the bar with a really nice display of mugs coasters, bowls and lots of other items, but no prices on anything. It was obvious that they really were not interested in selling any items. I went to the bar near the restaurant which only opened later in the evening and asked the barman if they had any mugs for sale. He pointed to two at the far end of the bar and said you could buy those two if you wanted. I said how much and he looked puzzled and said £30 each. As I knew the evening was going to be expensive I said that was a bit too much for me. I said do you sell the Aloha Coconut mugs. He said yes, £20 each. I said Ok I will have one, and do you sell the Mai Tai glasses. Again he said yes £15 each. Again I said yes, I will have one. I spotted a jug of swizzle sticks at the back of the bar (none in your drinks) and asked if I could have one. He took out two and put them in the glass for me. At the same time another barman watching walked over and put two paddle stirrers in the glass, I was very impressed. He explained that they are told not to push the selling of mugs as that is not what they are really for and it is just an inconvenience for them to sell them. The barmen told me he would wrap the items and bring them to my table which he did in a carrier bag with a receipt.

We returned to the bar area after our meal and was found a table by the 'front of house' as the bar was really starting to get busy by now. At approx 9pm a female singer and man on guitar arrived in the other area of the bar and played very modern music, and the floor started to fill with people dancing. We stayed untill approx 11.30pm and by this time it had turned into a very very busy dancing and music bar. If this is what is needed to keep it open then I have no complaints.

I went to the bar to pay the bill and asked the waitress if I could have a couple of the 'drink mats' for my Tiki bar at home. She said sure and gave me a wad of them and then said hold on a minute and went under the bar and pulled out a Trader Vics ashtray, saying have this as we dont use them any more. (You are not allowed to smoke inside anywhere in the UK anymore apart from your own home). I paid the bill and gave her a decent tip. She gave me the ashtray and coasters and said 'here, quickly, put this in your bag' and gave me a drinks menu and bar food menu. I was over the moon..... (I know you wouldn't but I would not suggest trying to 'borrow' mugs and menu's as there are lots of staff about and lots of people in dark suits wandering around. Also many security cameras.)

So my trip to Trader Vics..... Very expensive, but the decor outstanding. Would I go there again, HELL YES...... I plan to go back soon... I'm regretting not buying those other mugs already.

Nice story Chris, nice gifts from the staff, you were luck I'm sure this doesn't happen often.

I was also at Trader Vic's London last week for my first visit. We got there on Wednesday night around 6:30. We were just going to have drinks so got a table off the bar in the side room. It was pretty busy in the room we were in and a further back party that was having bottles of champagne and super dressed up.

We got 2 1944 mai tais and a classic mai tai. They all tasted like they were suppose to and were pretty strong. Also ordered some crab Rangoon which was very good. No swizzles in the drinks and forgot to look at the bar for them.

I walked around and took loads of photos but since I forgot my real camera they are all kinda dark on my iPhone. The space looks great as I knew it would.

There were only 2 people eating in the dining room but then I saw another large party off to the side of the bar.

The display case didn't have too much in it. Maybe 2-3 mugs? And no prices. Though I was glad the display case didn't have as much stuff as the Emeryville location or else my pocketbook would be crying.

When leaving, the hostess asked us if we wanted a photo in the peacock chair so that was nice. We chatted a bit and I said I was from San Francisco and always have to go to trader Vic's.

As we were walking out she chased us down and asked if I wanted to meet the manager since I've come so far. So we met the manager Andras who was very nice and seemed happy I was so into Trader Vic's. I said I go to the Emeryville location and he said folks from that location where just there the other week. He then said he'd look around to see if he had anything for me. He gave me an ashtray and this glass which I assume the London sour comes in. I was stoked to get it and didn't know it existed since it wasn't in display case.

What is interesting in reading Uk_chris123 post and my experience is that the staff seem genuinely happy when us tiki folks roll through which seems like not that often. They seemed very proud of their location and its place in TV history which was cool. It seemed to be doing well there so hopefully the location won't meet the same fate as many of the US locations.

It was a fun night and I got to take my recently turned 21 niece to her very first tiki bar. Will be hard for her to top TV London!

Great story, sounds like you had a great time. You could try to top TV's London by taking her to TV's in Munich -- during Oktoberfest!

uk_chris123 and Tiare, awesome trip reports! Thanks for taking the time to write them up and for posting the pictures. I hope I'll get to see this Trader Vic's someday.

Pleased you enjoyed your visit Tiare. Very jealous of your 'London TV glass'. Would love to own one for the rarity value although living in UK makes the scene on the front rather less interesting. I have never seen one before. It seems they may have a collection of ashtrays available to give to customers with a good story, or good tip. New visitors to TV London might like to take note...

I finally tracked down the Trader Vic's London postcard with the great Sake barrels in the lobby. One of the last ones to elude me.

DC

Now that I'm posting here I should add my trip report for Trader Vic's. We took our first trip to London in mid-March not specifically to celebrate my birthday but it coincided. So my wife and I went and had dinner at Trader Vic's for my birthday on our first night in London. We flew in that morning and spent midday getting SIM cards and lunch in Leicester Square before going to the hotel in Vauxhall. Then we watched the sunset from the top of the Shard before heading over to the Hilton.

We got there about 6:45 and based on this thread and looking at the menu we had already decided to just go to the bar and eat there. It was dead for the 75 minutes we were there. It was a Thursday night so I'm not that surprised but I expected more than the couple of other parties we saw. I had signed up for their Mai Tai club and they had my card waiting. I started with their London Sour which, big thumbs up and then had a Rangoon Ruby. My wife had a Rusky Mai Tai and I think a Trader Vi'cs Grog. We also had some bar bites. Nothing amazing but nothing we regretted either.

After I finished my London Sour I asked if they sold the glass which they do, for 20 pounds. They have a white and a black ink version. Our waitress also threw in a bunch of coasters, swizzle sticks, a couple of paddles, and the flags that were in the drink. I asked if I could get a menu too and she kind of hesitated, then said yes, and even went and got me one that was in better shape than the one I had been using. On the way out we took a couple of pictures. I looked into the restaurant area and it was just as dead as the bar.

Both my wife and I enjoyed the dinner and with the Mai Tai club card giving us 25% off the order (not the glass though) it wasn't even that expensive. We'll be back on a future trip. Our waitress took very good care of us and I sent the manager an email complimenting her (I had emailed before we went to make sure the Mai Tai card was setup correctly) and thanking them for the good time.

[ Edited by: JasonMa 2017-06-06 14:40 ]

Have a business trip to London scheduled for late November, planning to hit up the TV. Any additional insight besides the excellent commentary above?

Hi, Hope you enjoy your visit to Trader Vics. I suggest going early evening to make sure you can walk around and take photo's etc.
On my last visit on a Saturday evening it was really empty up to about 10.30pm.
We keep going back as I really cannot see it surviving for much longer.
I tried to buy mugs etc from staff but as usual none for sale.
Also no swizzles with drinks.
Go to bar behind main area (in the restaurant) and see staff for swizzles etc. They are bored from not serving and more likely
to give you extras. I tried desperately to buy a mug from them and they would not budge but gave me, free of charge, a coffe mug. (I did tip them)
The only other thing I got was the Parrot swizzle which is marked Trader Vics. This was in one of the ordered drinks. See the menu for which one.
The female bar servers in the main bar area not really interested and seemed totally fed up when we were last there.

Whilst in London it is well worth visiting THE BRITISH MUSEUM. Many museums in London make sure you visit the correct one.
Free to enter and lots to see.



Look up online if you do not know the history of the Easter Island Moai in the museum.

On 2018-06-19 02:14, uk_chris123 wrote:
The female bar servers in the main bar area not really interested and seemed totally fed up when we were last there.

We had the exact opposite experience in the bar last year (see my post a few posts above). The waitress was very happy to help with my requests and threw in all kinds of extra swizzles and paddles and such when I bought the London TV's glass.

On 2018-06-19 02:14, uk_chris123 wrote:

Just to point out, these are totem poles from Pacific Northwest tribes (specifically from the Queen Charlotte Islands of Canada) and have nothing to do with tiki. They are gorgeous though.