Tiki Boyds, Denver, CO, Denver, CO (bar)

Name:Tiki Boyds, Denver, CO
Type:bar
Street:1150 E. Colfax Ave in the Ramada
City:Denver
State:CO
Zip:80204
country:USA
Phone:303.830.1382
Status:operational

Description:
After a long drought, Denver boasts a Tiki bar again. Designed and assembled by Tiki aficionado Boyd Rice (see Taboo: The Art of Tiki). Not fully together yet, but open for business and well on its way.

Very good to see you Denver Boys holding aloft the Queen of the West standard on your end!
Between all your saloons and dive bars it was good to see a Polynesian gem pop up in camp. Now, if you just fix fix the Broncos, as they got worked by Miami last week.
Will drop into Boyd's place next time I need a Rocky Mountain High...is Sam Arnold of the Fort still alive?
By the way, loved the last issue...big fan of Kingsley Amis. Like Cyril Ray, not many YANKS know sage and wry wit of professional British drinks philosophers. Not since Oscar Wilde, has there been such an eloquent writer on drink.

FKR- are there pix or a website for Tiki Boyd's? We'd love to see it.

YOu bet. I'll take some pics this weekend and post them.

A Tiki Bar designed by Boyd Rice? That's great!!! I have been a big fan of Boyd's music going all the way back to his lock groove vinyl recordings with the multiple hand drilled holes. I must admit that if it wasn't for his chapter in the Industrial Culture Handbook I might not be here now! And his articles in MDM are not to be missed!

The next time I'm in Denver I will be sure to drop in.

Thanks!

Tiki Boyd's is an oasis of calm, beauty and happenin' - I oughta know since I live right around the corner and have seen the glorious evolution --- highly recommend, and as it is evolving, come with a little patience.

Welcome to all out-of-towners ---

Looks like they're open for business and have a good eye for detail, I can't wait for the offical Tiki Boyds mug.

http://www.tikiboyds.com/

[ Edited by: roland 2006-03-12 21:10 ]

I don't think one can expect Tiki Boyd's to be another Trader Vic's, and write about it like a restaurant reviewer. Yes, if they plan to survive, they gotta be able to compete, but maybe they can, as a low budget dive. From what I have seen on their website, I view it more like Tiki concept art, in a good way.

What would you do if you had no money, no backers, and only a small group of friends with a love for Tiki and no place to go? Make a nice home bar, or, what Boyd apparently did, lend your expertise and objects to a space that is public, to help create SOMETHING like a Tiki Bar.

If the intention is correct, it is better than doing nothing at all, and hopefully it will grow and develop.

Years ago some Denver nightclub owner opened a Tiki "Club" using "borrowed" Bosko art and O.A. stuff, and it bombed, so let's hope this more personal attempt will work.

The fact that Denver finally has a Tiki bar is a cause for celebration in itself. I agree with Bigbro, that one should not expect every little Tiki bar to be on the scale of Trader Vics, with Pu pu platters and waiters etc. Most bars are not even licenced to serve food. Sure, things did seem a little disjointed, but hell, they've only been open for a couple months - give them a chance !!
Secondly, the fact that they've taken a former sports bar (in the Ramada Inn) and gave it a Tiki make-over is a bold move, especially on a street that has a bunch of bars !! One less Sports bar and one more Tiki Bar in Denver - I'll drink to that !!

I was in Denver this last weekend and thought I'd check it out. I didn't know what to expect, having heard some negative things about Boyd and the neighborhood. On the way, we got lost and I called the number on the website. "Is this Tiki Boyds ?" I asked. They replied "No, East Coast Restaurant" I all but gave up at this point. Finally arrived at the Ramada, amid a rain storm. Walking through the lobby, I immediately noticed the tell tale signs of a bamboo entrance. The strained, scratchy vinyl sounds of "We're going to the Hukilau" eminated as I walked in, and I was happy!! We sat at the bar, ordered crinks as introduced ourselves as being from the Bay Area. Almost immedialtely, we were approached by the GM, Aaron Specht who toured us aroung the place and explained the work in progress, that included a recently opened "private booth" area, which is killer. He also explained that the controversial Boyd, a well know and respected figure in the Denver underground, was called on to undertake the decor, but he does not have a financial or managerial stake in the bar at all.
Downside... The bar really needs a cocktail menu. Also the tables and chairs (overstock from the restaurant next door) seem out of place, as do the sports TV sets.
Upside...Exotica vinyl played on that old relic - the turntable. Awesome Black Velvet paintings, cool light fixtures and Tiki masks. The decor needs to come together, which I'm sure it will. (When we opened Conga Lounge, it took us a full year before we had the bar looking the way we had intended)
I'm sure these guys will be rocking a few months from now. Give them a chance - they definitely deserve it. Good luck Aaron. Here's hoping Tiki Boyds will revive Tiki in Denver - long live Tiki Boyds!!

The Oasis in the Ramada

I especially liked the velvets and the lights

Myself with the MG/partner Aaron Specht (left)

[ Edited by: Conga Mike 2005-11-11 14:01 ]

Hey Conga Mike - I fixed the formatting of the [img] tags, but it looks like the location of the images on your server isn't right, and I can't fix that, I'm afraid!

Conga Mike emailed me his pictures, and I've added them to his post.

I spent a very pleasant evening at Tiki Boyd's last night, chatting with Mr. Rice about a wide range of topics, both tiki and Fortean, and sampling the excellent drinks. I'm very impressed at how much they've gotten right in the short time they've been open.

They have drink menus now (although I couldn't read them because the lights were so low...:D), and Boyd assured me that they are looking for ways to tikify the shabby barstools and tables, along with building a new waterfall similar to the one that graced the original lounge. The music was wonderful, and the place was quite busy by the time I left.

My only suggestion was that they add a few cocktails that are a bit less fruity than their current offerings, since I prefer drinks with multiple rums, lime juice, and just a smidge of syrup or liqueur, but that's just my personal taste.

I think that place is great. I'll be a regular there.

.

[ Edited by: RockstarDenver 2005-11-13 13:37 ]

i heard that Tiki Boyd's is run by this guy who HATES homosexuals? Is this true?

I suspect you're referring to Boyd Rice, who contributed extensively to the decor and record collection, which is why the bar is named after him. He hangs out there occasionally, and serves in sort of a consulting role to the owners, but he doesn't run the joint.

Boyd is a pretty controversial figure. He's a self-admitted misanthrope, prankster, and chauvinist who likes to challenge groups that he perceives as having a political agenda. He is often accused of being a fascist, and he used to be a follower of Anton LeVay, founder of the Church of Satan.

It would probably be a good idea for you read this interview on his website in which he discusses his opinions freely, and decide for yourself whether or not he's Hitler, Satan, or just some misunderstood attention-seeking crank, and if his presence at Tiki Boyd's would be a big enough turn-off to keep you away.

I found him pretty easy to chat with for the most part, but I deliberately chose to stick to topics of mutual interest like tiki, lounge music, the early punk scene in Southern California, The Holy Grail, and the influence of the occult on the counter-culture movements of the 60s.

Weblog: Eye of the Goof

[ Edited by: MrBaliHai 2005-11-13 08:55 ]

I will be presenting two different tiki slideshows here in the bar on December 1st and December 15 documenting tiki history. See my other thread in Tiki Events for details.

Here's an excellent reason to visit Denver:

Local publications and pundits have long found pleasure in labeling Denver a Cow Town, an oversized burg with big-city pretensions but lacking the sophistication and culture to back it up… those decriers may have had a foot to stand on. But no more. Denver is now a real city. A full-fledged metropolis. And if you think I'm saying this because of the recently opened opera house, you couldn't be more wrong. I'm saying it because Denver finally has a Tiki bar… Tiki Boyd's [is]… a portal to another world, a better world, where the shackles of modern life can be traded for the trapping of savage sophistication. Where a man can drink rum from a pinapple, listen to Martin Denny and drift into Polynesian Paradise."

-- Frank K. Rich
Modern Drunkard Magazine, 10/1/05

To quote Mr. Samual Jackson, "I'm goin' man, I'm just f----n' goin"

[ Edited by: Mr. Dale 2005-12-01 16:07 ]

Looks like they're moving, that was quick.

From the tikiboyd's website-

Tiki Boyd's has moved! Yes, that's right folks, we're no longer located inside The Ramada Inn on East Colfax Avenue, or associated in any way with the East Coast Bar (E.C.B.) contained therein.

After our designer, Boyd Rice, converted the floundering, ill-conceived sports bar known as the E.C.B. into a Polynesian paradise (out of his own pocket), the management of that establishment enjoyed many months of prosperity, success and renown; but following irreconcilable differences between the E.C.B.'s management and the main movers and shakers behind Tiki Boyd's (designer Boyd Rice; head mixologist and bartender Lorin Partridge; bartender and webmaster Brian Clark; and the assorted Modern Drunkard Magazine liasons employed there), it was decided that Tiki Boyd's ought to be moved to greener pastures.

We have since pulled-out of the E.C.B. and left them to re-design their bar as they see fit. But fear not tiki enthusiasts - Tiki Boyd's will be back before you know it, in a new bigger, better, gr00vier location, with far more financial backing and much larger design budgets! If you thought Tiki Boyd's at E.C.B. was a happenin' locale, our new location will absolutely blow you away!

Until then… Aloha!

• Tiki Boyds, L.L.C.

M

[ Edited by poptiki on 2022-10-12 05:33:00 ]

The E.C.B. location had a lot of cool tiki history behind it, but since almost nothing remained of the original bar, nothing's really going to be lost by moving.

The clientele that wandered in from the Ramada while I was there left a lot to be desired as well; I certainly didn't appreciate the clueless bitching about the drinks and complaints that the music sucked. Hopefully, the new location will be standalone.

It is a kind of blessing in disguise that Tiki Boyd's closed as early as it did. Quite frankly there was an overwhelmingly obvious limit to what could be done with the space at the E.C.B.@ the Ramada Inn. I would liken it to trying to decorate a modern hotel room to make it feel more homie. At the end of the day what you have is a Hotel room that looks like you decorated it to look more like an apartment. Simply put, dispite the best efforts of Boyd and his team, Tiki Boyd's looked more like a bland hotel bar decorated for a Tiki party. This is not to say that Boyd is not capable of creating something special, on the contrary, is is abundantly clear that to have done A+ job on E.C.B. would have cost a shitpile of tealeaves.

As a result of having made this first brave attempt it was discovered that there is indeed a market for Exotica in Denver which is comforting to know. The last attempt of creating a "Tiki" bar was a disaster called Tabu. This place had a truly ass kicking interior but they neglected the most important factor. THE CULTURE. Instead of Denny or Drasnin and the like, the music was nothing but techno. They even had adds done by Shag for Crissakes.

What Tiki Boyd's had in spades and will have again is the culture. I for one am glad that no more effort was wasted at the E.C.B. location. I have a feeling that when the right venue avails itself Tiki Boyd's will become the institution that is is destined to be. An A+++ Classic Tiki bar destination that people will travel to see.

For my part, I am still good for a bunch of cool tiki stuff when they get settled.

P.S. Dave Flomberg is still an idiot! Go MDM!!

Tiki Fink

Any chance the new Tiki Boyd's will be open in September? I will be in Denver then and would love to check it out. Been a follower of Boyd's for many years, since his involvement with ReSearch, his faux Art Gallery opening and noise performances.

Latest word is that Boyd and his crew are pursuing other interests and that the tiki bar is on hold indefinitely. There's another tiki attempt in the works, The Hut, but they're not supposed to open till around October.

If you happen to be visiting during the weekend of September 16th, I'd like to encourage you to consider the Denver Ohana's Tiki Links mini-golf tournament. You can find the event listed in the "other" section of "events".

Local publications and pundits have long found pleasure in labeling Denver a Cow Town, an oversized burg with big-city pretensions but lacking the sophistication and culture to back it up… those decriers may have had a foot to stand on. But no more. Denver is now a real city. A full-fledged metropolis. And if you think I'm saying this because of the recently opened opera house, you couldn't be more wrong. I'm saying it because Denver finally has a Tiki bar…

Denver IS a cow town! I just got back from San Francisco (had a GREAT time at the Tong Room) and after that I realize how the majority of this place is so under cultured it isn't even funny. All that's out here are sports bars. There isn't even a good place to dance anymore!

[ Edited by: progrocktv 2007-10-24 20:23 ]

Anyone have pictures of this place? I would really like some shots of of the bartenders (Melon, Lorin etc) because I am making my own Tiki Boyd's drink book. Miss this dive.

bump