No bar promises escape like a tiki bar.
It doesn’t matter what you wish you could leave behind — a nagging boss, the not-quite-right Tinder date, the garden that needs weeding — a good tiki bar is a micro-vacation, without the need for airports or luggage or even plans.
Tiki bars have been selling a fantasy of the islands since Trader Vic and Don the Beachcomber opened restaurants in California in the 1930s. The fad for tiki bars has waxed and waned over the years, even as signature drinks, such as the Mai Tai, have been recognized as classics and found popularity at cool, hip cocktail venues. But a Suffering Bastard or a Zombie doesn’t belong in a dark, speakeasy-inspired space, fussed over by an exacting bartender wearing arm garters. They are best enjoyed somewhere cheesier and more cheerful.
