Tiki -Ti for the first time - any tips?

Aloha! I will be going to the Tiki-Ti for the first time this Saturday to celebrate getting a great new job. There will be 3 of us total. Is it best to get there right at 6 if you would like to get a seat? Any drink suggestions? I will definetly try the Ray's Mistake. What are the drink prices? I expect to pay a premium, just need to know how much cash to bring. Any tips you can give me would be much appreciated. I make my own Hawaiian shirts and my newest one just needs its coconut buttons - then I will christen it at the Tiki-Ti!!

The Tiki-Ti website has tips for first timers http://www.tiki-ti.com

Drinks are $8.00 to $15.00.

Early is definitely a good idea.

Absolutely get there before 6. It seems that on the weekend it is pretty rowdy and your chance to have a quiet drink at the bar and talk story is only possible if you beat the crowd.

Their website is just attitudinal and snarky especially on the FAQs. I loved reading it! These are my kind of people!

Definitely the early bit - a colleague of mine works right near there, and she says the door is often open wide before 6, sometimes as early as 5:30-5:45.

I'd also recommend the BLOOD & SAND, as it's a bit of an interactive experience!

Enjoy!
~Rupe

Seeing as the Tiki Ti was one of the main reasons my wife and I came from the east coast, we always got there early! There was never a problem getting in, but I believe we were there on weekdays as well. You can't go wrong with any drink; make sure to admire the artistry and care with which they are created. And don't forget to pick up a sweet Tshirt so you can make everyone jealous back home!

I just want to echo the "Get there early" bit. Its the size of my closet, so it fills up quick.

Also, they don't take credit cards, so bring plenty of cash.

I took a group of people from work and the overwhelming favorite drink was the Bianihan (hope I spelled it right).

try the "blood and sand" or "ray's mistake" drinks. .....don't forget to bring an offering for mike to put behind the bar in the way of a small tiki or necklace or anything.....there are several tiny tikis and what not behind the bar that i donated during each of my visits..i usually mark the date and sign my name on it somewhere.....no particular reason i do this...just good tiki karma....

the drinks are potent so beware!!! cab it if you can, but you may have a hard time catching one home...unless things around there have changed since my last visit...

have fun!!!

Take a gun.
Get the Ray's Mistake recipe by force and post it here.
You'll be a hero to everyone except Jeff Berry and, of course, your victims.

Good luck and have fun standing up for 3 hours.

On 2007-07-06 15:42, pablus wrote:
Take a gun.
Get the Ray's Mistake recipe by force and post it here.
You'll be a hero to everyone except Jeff Berry and, of course, your victims.

Good luck and have fun standing up for 3 hours.

Let me make a note .....get gun, ray's mistake, post on tiki central ..... Done! I will post it Sunday!

Hey everyone, thanks for all your replies - I cant wait!!

Bring Cash!!!

On 2007-07-06 15:42, pablus wrote:
Take a gun.
Get the Ray's Mistake recipe by force and post it here.
You'll be a hero to everyone except Jeff Berry and, of course, your victims.

Good luck and have fun standing up for 3 hours.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Lots of great suggestions here...and that website is a hoot. WHAT!!!! No credit cards.....that is...uh....uhhhh.....unbelievable.

Bring a photo I.D., like your drivers license. They will most likely have someone carding at the door on Saturday, since it's a busy day at the Tiki Ti. And guess what? No I.D., no drink for you, no matter how old you look!

Bring lots of cash. If you buy three drinks, a t-shirt, and a coconut mug, then that's gonna cost you well over $50 bucks including tip, actually more like over $60 bucks.

You mentioned that you and your friends want to sit down. If you want to sit at a table, then I suggest you get there when they open. It will become very packed in a short amount of time on a Saturday evening, and then there will be a wait to get into a crowded bar. You could get there a little before 6pm, and should be fine.

Smoke 'em if you've got 'em. Cigars are okay there as well. But if you don't smoke, then be prepared for the others that are gonna smoke 'em if they got 'em, including cigars.

I haven't been to the Tiki Ti as much as others around here, but the four drinks I would recommend for a first timer are the Ray's Mistake, the Bayanihan, the Blood and Sand, and the Uga Booga. Those should give you a good dose of Tiki Ti spirit.

Lastly, try to grab something to eat right before you get there at opening. They do have a snack food mix there, that they call kibble, but that's about it. Or be prepared to hit some place afterwards like Pink's to help sop up all that alcohol. Or both.

Have fun, it's a great place!!!

On the subject of food, there are several restaurants within easy walking distance of Tiki Ti. Next door (toward Vermont) there is El Chavo, a Mexican restaurant that also has an ATM inside it. Across Sunset is Acapulco, another Mexican restaurant. At the other end of the block at Fountain there is a Pioneer Chicken, a donut shop, a McDonalds and a little easy to miss place called The Kitchen. The Kitchen is a better quality of food, although a smaller place than El Chavo or Acapulco (or even McDonalds). To find it, start from the Pioneer chicken, walk toward Fountain, cross Fountain and walk a few feet to your right.

As far as everything else you are getting good advice. The Ray's Mistake is a must. After that, just about all of the drinks on the menu are great. The Anting Anting is the drink that Ray was making when he made his famous "mistake" and it is still on the menu. Bayanihan is another great Ray Buhen concoction. Other drinks of note are the Jim's Special, 151 Rum Swizzle, Great White Shark, Suffering "B" and, of course, the Zombie - which is about as close to a real Don the Beachcomber Zombie as you will find anywhere other than the Mai Kai.

The other best bit of advice is: resist the temptation to try all the drinks. They are stonger than they seem.

Wow Guys! Thanks for all the advice. The drink menu is especially overwhelming - thanks for the tips!

Aloha!
Wow, have a great time. It's a tiny place, but really awesome. Matt & I drove from Sacramento (from our humble home, the Keno Kai)! We got there really early on a Friday in Winter, just took in the ambiance and had a drink. Left, went to dinner, found a motel nearby (walking distance, which was a GREAT idea!!).. Then went back when it was crowded and sat at the bar. We stayed a few hours and tried a few drinks (it's fun when the whole place shouts out Ooga Booga or Toro, Toro!)...

Enjoy your visit there, it's great! Sitting at the bar was fun, talking with Mike & Mike. Al-ii from TC was there with some friends too. Only wish I had brought my camera!!

But we only drove down so we could shop at Oceanic Arts on Saturday Morning!

Now you make me want to do it all over again!!

Cheers!

Mookie

Greetings,

Two notes on the Tiki Ti.

They now have an ATM inside, so no more side trips to El Chavo or Vons are necessary to buy great drinks.

You can blame the fact that the Tiki Ti is open a little before 6pm on me. My knocking on the door early got them to let me in, and when I was in, they figured they might as well open up and let everybody in. A wise guess for opening times would be 5:45 on Wed and Thurs, 5:35 on Fri and Sat. Plenty of room for the first 30 or so. For those that don't smoke, this bar starts with no smoke when they open, and has pretty fair ventilation and a newly added air conditioner to help out on the hottest days. Jah bless,

Eight Ray's Mistakes, ANYBODY?

Jim's Special c/o the Tiki Ti website at Tiki-Ti.com
Jah Jim

AAAAAAAAAUG!!!! I'm going to be RIGHT THERE in a couple of weeks but only Sunday, Monday and Tuesday when The Tiki Ti isn't open! The tiki god of poor planning is laughing at me!

FYI..... TIKI TI will be CLOSED until Weds., Sept 19th :(

I 2nd the Pioneer for food, and the Zombie and Jim's Special for the drinks recomendations.

Jeff(bigtikidude)