Author: Ray

Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #99 The Smoking Monkey Tiki Lounge – Las Vegas NV

Posted by Ray on in Home Tiki Bars

There’s just something about a smoking chimp wearing a fez that really resonates with many people…

It’s lowbrow art at its finest. There’s mugs, paintings and a home tiki bar named in honor of this fez wearing monkey! It’s called The Smoking Monkey Tiki Lounge. It’s Lola and Jimmy’s tiki bar in their back yard and it’s in Vegas Baby! Their story is a tale of punk, tiki and a love of all things mid-century. Read on…

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Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #98 King Kahuna Lounge – Longmont CO

Posted by Ray on in Home Tiki Bars

The seeds of tiki were planted for me when I stepped foot in The Jungle Room at Graceland twenty some odd years ago and the same is true for Grey. Grey’s grandparents took him to Graceland when he was young and it made an impression on him. Grey came to Graceland as a fan of Elvis and after seeing The Jungle Room, he also became a fan of Witco! Grey’s home tiki bar is an homage to The King and Witco. It’s called King Kahuna Lounge and here is Grey’s story…

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Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #97 The Coconut Smuggler’s Lounge – Portland OR

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I’ve known Robbie for a little while now and I remember her talking about building her own home tiki bar. I was excited to see what she would come up with. Not too long-ago Robbie finished her bar and called it The Coconut Smuggler’s Lounge. I saw some pictures posted on Facebook and I knew I needed to see Robbie’s bar in person. I happened to be down in Portland a couple weeks ago, so Heather and Don Waters and I paid The Coconut Smuggler’s Lounge a visit, and I was blown away…

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Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #96 Cap’n Dan’s Dive Bar – Plano IL

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I’m totally surprised that nobody has come up with the idea of using the word “dive” to combine a “dive bar” and a “nautical themed bar” but Dan Mazanec did! Dan combined the aesthetics of a tiki bar, nautical bar and old school dive bar all into one and the end result is a truly unique place! Dan call’s his home bar Cap’n Dan’s Dive Bar and here is his story…

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Dead Man’s Isle – Guest Tiki Bar Review by Tom Hemmen (Astoria OR)

Posted by Ray on in Guest Tiki Bar Review

 

Like many, we’ve been looking forward to the opening of Munktiki’s Dead Man’s Isle now for a long time, and were delighted to finally get to spend a weekend in Astoria, and visit – not once, but twice. Consequently, our notes are a composite of those two experiences…

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Tiki Tom’s – Guest Tiki Bar Review by Stephen Curran (Walnut Creek CA)

Posted by Ray on in Guest Tiki Bar Review, Tiki Bars

 

These days there appears to be a new tiki bar opening every week. Tiki Tom’s in Walnut Creek CA is one of those new bars — but it’s an old bar, too. Tiki Tom’s owners took what was a vaguely tiki-ish dive bar, and, with the help of Bamboo Ben & Son, turned it into a proper tiki bar. And what a tiki bar — an instant classic that feels like it’s always been there.

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Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #94 Lujan Lagoon – Concord CA

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I have a thing for small tiki bars…

Tiki Ti and Hale Pele are at the top of my list and I really love the intimacy that a smaller tiki bar gives. When Julian and his wife Katie decided to turn a backyard shed into an tiki bar, they truly created a tiki experience that is cozy and tiki cool! It doesn’t take much to fill up a smaller tiki space but the Lujan Lagoon is filled top to bottom with incredible tiki décor. Here is how the Lujan Lagoon came to be…

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Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #93 Bloody’s Tiki Bar – Portland OR

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Sometimes, all it takes is a trip to Hawaii to plant the seeds of tiki…

Brain Bloodgood and his wife April flew out to Hawaii to get married and they came back husband and wife and an interest in tiki. That was over fifteen years ago and starting with a Koi pond, Brian slowly started to transform his backyard into a tiki, tropical oasis which includes Bloody’s Tikiroom which is a stand-alone structure that is so cool to relax either day or night! Here is Brain’s story…

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