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Barfly Jason Genegabus |
RONEN ZILBERMAN / RZILBERMAN@STARBULLETIN.COM
You don't have to be a tourist to enjoy Tiki's Grill & Bar. The Barfly makes a stop at the Waikiki joint and finds a pretty view and good grinds. The restaurant makes its 1-year anniversary this weekend. And for you Halloween fans, patrons who dress like a tiki on Halloween will be able to eat for free (up to $20 in value). Awarding of the meal will be based on creativity and the effort it took to prepare the costume. For information, call 923-TIKI (8454).
Tiki’s marks
1 year in Waikiki
EVERY once in a while, I like to roll through Waikiki and find a place to grab a drink and play tourist for a bit.Sometimes the places I'll find are the type that cater mostly to folks on vacation, with menus that almost require you to take out a mortgage just to order off of them. Other times, I'll discover a true neighborhood bar that caters solely to those who live and work in the area.
This week the Barfly landed at Tiki's Grill & Bar. It's an establishment that walks the fine line between being a tacky tourist trap and a place where both visitors and locals can come together to feel the aloha, just steps away from the beach in Waikiki.
This weekend marks the one-year anniversary of Tiki's, an open-air restaurant and bar that recalls an era when "Polynesian Pop" was in favor throughout the continental United States and Hawaii. While La Mariana is the veteran in Honolulu when it comes to all things tiki, this new kid on the block takes its cues from a Florida restaurant called Mai-Kai, which has been open to the public since 1956.
Just as Mai-Kai strives to recreate an authentic Polynesian village on the East Coast, Tiki's did their research and spent the money to make its space in the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel seem like the South Pacific oasis that tourists would expect to find amid all the concrete and ABC Stores that already call this part of the island home.
TIKI'S GRILL & BAR
Hours: 10:30 a.m. to midnight daily
Location: 2570 Kalakaua Ave. (second level
of the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel)
Phone: 923-8454
Hand-carved masks and clubs join numerous wooden tiki on the walls in the restaurant. There are items that represent not only Hawaii, but Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Papua New Guinea and the Cook Islands. Over at the bar, a 30-foot man-made volcano is a pretty impressive sight to behold, and there are even tiki carved into the beer taps! There's also a generous amount of fake lava rock, fishing nets and those big glass balls that fishermen use scattered throughout the 10,000 square feet of space that Tiki's occupies.
Sitting at the bar with tiki aficionado Fil Slash earlier this week, I realized that while Tiki's might not be the best spot for locals to go for a few drinks, it does hit the mark as a place you might visit for a special occasion or when playing host to friends visiting from out of state.
The first indication of this comes with the name -- by calling the place Tiki's Grill & Bar, it places the emphasis on food instead of drinks. Other places might focus on the bar first, and then take the food menu into consideration; at Tiki's, it's the other way around. And that's not really bad, but rather something to keep in mind when deciding what type of place you'd like to visit.
Second, sitting at the bar isn't necessarily your best bet in order to fully enjoy the ambience of Tiki's and the beauty of the Pacific Ocean just across Kalakaua. Almost 20 barstools are available at the bar which wraps around a wall that separates the restaurant's main entrance from the lounge area. Every one of them, however, faces away from the ocean. The service might be a bit faster here, but you sacrifice any kind of decent view of the beach and/or live entertainment that may be taking place at the time.
Finally, the tourists themselves may end up keeping some kamaaina from visiting more than just once every now and then. After a hard day at work, the last place you want to go is a bar filled with malihini in matching aloha attire getting belligerent because they've knocked back too many mai tai's in those funny looking glasses with the umbrellas sticking out.
But like I said, if you've got friends visiting Oahu, or are looking for someplace different to spend the sunset hour, Tiki's does a good job delivering a retro vibe in a contemporary setting. Next time you're in Waikiki for Sunset on the Beach, or over at the Waikiki Shell for an afternoon concert, keep Tiki's Grill & Bar in mind for a bit of kitsch to go with a cold drink.
How much for a Bud Light?The Barfly drank $3 Bud Light drafts while at Tiki's Grill & Bar; add a buck to the price and you can upgrade to Sam Adams, Red Hook, Steinlager or the Kona Brewing Company's Longboard Lager. Want to play tourist? Open up your wallet and order a mai tai or a shot in a souvenir glass, or a pina colada in a special Tiki's coconut that you can take home at the end of the night.
Get things to do?
A single television set occupies space over one end of the bar. Otherwise there's the live entertainment featured nightly from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. and from 9 to 11 p.m. (10 p.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays). Local musicians scheduled to perform this month include Mel Amina, Del Beazley, Kapena, the Ka'ala Boys and Vaihi.
What about the grinds?
Pupu selections here seem to be reasonably priced -- until the food is actually placed in front of you. The ahi sashimi ($9.95) was incredible, but you only get six pieces of fish per order. Tiki's Spiced Chicken Tenders ($6.95) were the same way; nothing to complain about at all in terms of taste, but you only get three pieces of chicken. What's up with that? Other pupus on the menu include a kalua pig sandwich ($8.95), fresh poke sampler ($8.95) and coconut shrimp ($8.95). A full lunch and dinner menu is also available.
And the help?
Being located in Waikiki does have its advantages when it comes to the speed of service -- I counted no less than a half-dozen employees working on the night we stopped by Tiki's, and the customers I watched never had to wait very long for a drink refill or to order some pupus.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Barfly appears every Friday in Star-Bulletin Weekend.
E-mail Jason Genegabus at jason@starbulletin.com with suggestions of neighborhood bars to visit.
