In the middle of the 19th century, the sailors of the British Navy were given citrus juice rations as a way to avoid scurvy. This in turn led to these sailors being regarded as some of the healthiest of their day. If that’s the case, the good people of San Francisco and surrounding locales must already be amongst the healthiest thanks to the plethora of exemplary Tiki Bars that dot the region. So, when the wind behind your sails is strong, and the rum and the lime are in plentiful supply, what do you do? Well, if you are the Future Bars team you take an underperforming bar and set your sights on creating another standout tiki destination: The Zombie Village!
Located in the North end of San Francisco’s tough Tenderloin neighborhood, The Zombie Village soft-opened just before Christmas and had its official grand opening and mug release event on January 8th. We spoke to Daniel “Doc” Parks, who previously fronted Future Bars’ Financial-District tiki bar Pagan Idol. Parks is the general manager and master of ceremonies at Zombie Village, which presents in many ways a more complete vision of a 21st Century tiki bar. Parks told me about the San Francisco Tiki market, “It’s not a “dry town” for Tiki and in fact it’s one of the premier tiki towns in the world. For us, we just saw the market as ready for more. We can’t be open enough days over at Pagan Idol, and this was a bar that was already owned and operated and we were ready to re-brand and re-concept anyway. The market demands it, and there’s no such thing as too much tiki.”
The Zombie Village pays homage to the classic bar of the same name that was located across the street from the original Trader Vic’s in Oakland. There are homages to additional tiki bars of lore as well. Not just with a fantastic beverage program and awe-inspiring tropical decor but with some unique gathering spaces. The influence is directly made with a series of themed huts, which are available to reserve in advance. Parks says that “they are all different sizes so depending on size of your reservation you’ll be placed in whichever one. We wanted to make each hut an individual experience and an educational experience where you can actually learn about some of these great bars that cultivated what is tiki culture today.” Each one has nods via photographs and artwork, including my personal favorite nicknamed “The Nook” due to it’s small size. The nook features a wonderful Tiki Bob mug velvet painting and two velvet paintings of Wahines. The huts are wonderful because while you can hear the ambient music and sound effects, you’ll be able to easily hear the others you are sitting with. I had a great time visiting with fellow tikiphiles inside the Luau hut during the grand opening event. Here’s the full list of huts in order, starting at the rear of the venue: Zombie Village, Aku Aku, Luau, Tiki Bob (hideaway nook), Mai Kai, Don the Beachcomber, Trader Vic’s, Bahooka.
But don’t think that Zombie Village is a tiki museum; hospitality is still the priority for this bar as it is with other Future Bars venues. “It is a place for people to come and have a great time. It’s designed to be very immersive and a true escape from what’s out there. More than anything we’d like to be known for really delivering and hitting the mark as a true escapist environment. And of course, having great cocktails.”, said Parks.
The cocktail menu oozes Craft Cocktail sensibilities, including fresh takes on old favorites such as the Golden Grog with three kinds of rum, Black Tea Honey, Pineapple, and the mystery ingredient referred to as Doc’s Spice #1. Still, Parks says, “For me it is always tiki being fun.” In terms of the cocktail program there’s something for everyone. “I want to stay true to the classics, the tried and true things you expect from any tiki bar. As far as everything else we’re just trying to have fun with it and push the envelope and do something a little different here and a little different there. Given the name of the bar we wanted to feature a variety of Zombies so that was a thing.” There are over thirty cocktails on the menu, a mix of classics, fresh takes on favorites, and some unique to Zombie Village.
I’ve sampled many of the cocktails and had only a poor experience with the Jamaican Zombie cocktail. However, that’s due to the Scotch Bonnet Chilis that are noted right there on the menu, so your mileage might vary. The Voodoo Zombie is a fresh take on an old favorite and it’s appealing to all palates. Probably my favorite discovery on the menu is Disco Banana, a Daiquiri-inspired cocktail with Martinique Rhum, Jamaican Rum, Lime, Cinnamon Syrup, and Banana. Blended to perfection, even if you don’t always love Bananas in cocktails.
One of the few classic cocktails on the menu is the Mai Tai. Parks says, “The Mai Tai is something you have to have. I am a firm believer of giving the people what they want. Folks are going to come in and order a Mai Tai anyway and my impression is that it is exciting to see what you were going to order on the menu. In our house Mai Tai, we are using Appleton Signature and Clement Premiére Canne rums.” It’s a very formidable Mai Tai, and I’ve been known to pick nits on this particular subject.”
Zombie Village features a smaller second floor as well. The upstairs Voodoo Lounge is open Thursday through Saturday right now, and Parks says it is also available for private events. “It’s a perfect space for 25-30 people with a private bartender and an elevated experience. We are also set up to showcase live music from up there for the whole house”, Parks says. The grand opening party featured music from the legendary Fisherman Trio.
The features that seem to set Zombie Village apart from other destinations are a set of elaborate carved art pieces that are combined with spectacular visual effects. Parks went into details about the vision and how it all came together:
The vision behind that was in creating a collaborative piece. Often times tiki bars are known for one person or maybe two involved. And in the years that I’ve been doing tiki I’ve met so many great artists and become friends with them. The idea was to be inclusive to some of my favorites at the time. I felt lucky that we were able to pull off what we were able to, given the time, because many of these guys are super booked-up. Bamboo Ben is a good example of someone that’s done more bars than you can count right now. Bamboo Ben, Crazy Al, Bosko, Woody Miller: these are all guys that I respect and enjoy their work and look up to. And of course, our own Ivan Mora is just amazing to work with. He helped with Pagan Idol and did the lighting and the Lono tiki. And he and I really concepted the entire space here and pieced together who would be best fit to do what sections. And I think we ended up with a really cool result.
The projection effects really came as an opportunity that came our way unexpectedly. It wasn’t part of the original design plans. Lightform (https://lightform.com) is the name of the company and they have a device that attaches to a projector and it will map out the surface you’re projecting onto. And they have some really cool filters and effects that they can put onto those surfaces. They are great guys to work with and it’s been fun to bring them in on the project. We have these great carvings from these amazing artists and it’s great to see that work collaborated with what Lightform can do.
What does the future hold for Zombie Village? Parks told us about their ideas for a loyalty program. “We are thinking about doing a cocktail-based loyalty program. Maybe a tie-in to flights of rums but not necessarily what we’ve seen at other bars. But we definitely want to do something cool for folks who come in again and again, so they can check off some boxes and have some perks and benefits. We’re kicking around some ideas such as pins for specific cocktail achievements. But those things are still in the works.”
Guests can definitely anticipate a number of mug releases in the coming months. The first mug from the launch event is from John Mulder at Eekum Bookum. Parks says that, “the design is based around the original menu art from the original Skipper Kent’s Zombie Village. Only 250 were made and we anticipate they will go pretty quick.” The inclusive approach to the art in the venue also applies to mugs. “And after that we are looking forward to a mug from Tiki Diablo. Soon after that, Woody Miller is going to be doing one for us. Again, that embracing all the artists in this community and bringing them in to make them a part of it was a big part of what we’re trying to do”, Parks enthusiastically describes.
With great Tiki Bars, you want to feel the positive energy when entering. But if the venue is small that does present some practical issues that impede regular visits. Thankfully, Zombie Village does seem to have the customer capacity to reduce these risks, and a reservation system for group excursions. The open floor and bar area has plenty of standing room, plus seating around half of the bar. Combined with the huts and the lounge, there should be little risk at not getting in. Despite the Tenderloin zip code, Zombie Village is only three blocks from Union Square and therefore is in a great location if you’re doing other things in The City. If one was going to draw lines on the map between Smuggler’s Cove, The Tonga Room, and Pagan Idol then Zombie Village sits smack dab in the middle, which sort of puts it at ground zero for tiki in San Francisco.
To finish where we started, Zombie Village is a great example of the old adage that “a rising tide lifts all boats”. The strong debut of Zombie Village will only require other bars in the area to keep up and introduce new ways of attracting guests. We the tikiphiles are only the better for it!
Here is the Zombie Village website
And Facebook page
The write up and all photos by Kevin Crossman. (Mug/Menu photo by Brenda Gadow)
Follow Kevin’s adventures on Instagram! The Search for the Ultimate Mai Tai