In Italy, we recently had the opportunity – thanks to the tip from a friend – to take a break from our antiquities death march and kick back at a Tiki bar in the Eternal City!
Really, the Makai Surf & Tiki Bar, as its name suggests, is two tropical-themed bars in one – above, and open earlier, is their Surf Bar; down a couple flights of stairs in the basement is their Tiki Bar. So really, this is a two-for-one deal, and we spent time in both.
The upstairs Surf Bar, with its long outside deck, is brightly painted and cheerful, with a fun take on a California Surfin’ beach hut. Surfing paraphernalia, thatch umbrellas, neon, and decorative signs make up the lion’s share of the décor here, and a surf vintage rock ‘n roll vibe prevails on the sound system.
We were seated outside, and since it would be awhile before the downstairs opened up (though when the staff understood we were in Rome only a short time, and had made a trip out specially to see their bar, they opened the downstairs an hour and a half early for us) we started ordering food and drinks.
The food menu skews towards seafood – with choices like salmon and shrimp, and those Italian favorites, tuna and octopus cropping up in many different forms on the menu. Deli meat and pork make a few appearances as well. There were offerings of sushi, filled, steamed Bao buns, and even hot dogs or bagel sandwiches, though some were not your usual fare — literally, one of the hot dog options advertised a grilled octopus tentacle in a bun instead of the usual tube of mystery meat.
We ordered the “Tentacle Temptation”, which proved to be a sushi roll made with a whole octopus tentacle, and wrapped in a Vietnamese rice wrapper instead of the customary nori seaweed wrap.
Served on a thin bed of creamed potatoes, with halved cherry tomatoes, siracha hot sauce (spicy!), and huge pickled caperberries, it was utterly unlike anything in a U.S. Tiki bar we’ve ever encountered … and quite delicious. The octopus was perfect – a bit crispy outside, meltingly tender inside.
We tried three Surf Bar drinks. Real banana was harmed in the making of the Banana Temptation (went with the tempting octopus, I suppose), – and it was well balanced with a gently tart finish, and garnished with a banana chip.
The Ma-Kai – clearly a signature drink, so I had to order it – was nicely rummy with J. Wray and Nephew gold rum, Bermuda overproof rum, falernum, their “tropical mix” (which clearly included guava nectar) and Angostura bitters. I thoroughly enjoyed it; of the three drinks we tried upstairs, it was the winner.
The Virgin Sunset, as a non-alcoholic option, was also enjoyable – fruity and not cloyingly sweet, made with quality ginger beer, orange juice (good-quality citrus is an Italian standby, especially their oranges) and their mystery “red fruit syrup”.
Presently the Tiki bar was opened and we were invited down…
Compared to the upstairs, this bar was night to the Surf Bar’s day, a flickeringly-lit, jungle-y, dark underbelly to the bright beach party upstairs; Exotica, old-school swing band music, and Caribbean tunes, with Harry Belafonte prominent in the soundtrack, were the order of the day here.
The ceiling was shrouded in fishing nets and floats, the walls were covered in jungle motifs, and there was plenty of carved wood – one statue I recall especially well was a 4’ (or so) carved seahorse – it was a nice piece I wouldn’t mind owning. The menu – a rolled-up, old-looking piece of parchment stuck in a bottle at our table, proved to be a pirate map, where the destinations were the various drink offerings.
And there are mugs! Jeanie got talking to our waitress, named Ava, and we learned (unsurprisingly) that she loves Tiki stuff and has a mug collection herself, including a Cobra Kai mug and some souvenir Tiki mugs from a trip she took to Vienna (Note to self; there are Tiki bars in Vienna). She and the bartender are fans of the Karate Kid movies and the Cobra Kai series, so the Makai has its own cobra mug as well, in which said serpent is crawling itself through a ruined motorcycle helmet.
There is also an amusing Moai mug – dressed in a toga, with a laurel wreath on its tall head. We purchased both, and they were pretty reasonable pricewise. These were not mass-market mugs, but limited-run mugs handmade by a local artist.
We’d eaten upstairs, so downstairs it was just drinks – there is no food menu in the downstairs Tiki bar in any case.
Richard’s virgin Jungle Parrot involved mango, lime, and orange juice, ginger beer, and was sweetened up with honey syrup – overall a bit sweet for my taste, but with enough going on it was a decent virgin drink, and had a most excellent garnish.
My Zombie, while not the best I’ve ever had (and I’ve had many) was nonetheless enjoyable, and I was happy enough with it. On the other hand – and this proved a theme – the Makai’s house drinks were as solid in the basement as they had been upstairs. Jeanie ordered the Tiki Milf – a blend of rum, Muscat, bitters, and cream – and for our Tiki basement experience, it was best of show, as the Ma-kai signature drink had been in the Surf Bar. Finally, I tried their Hurricane – again, an enjoyable take on a classic – and whatever passion fruit mixer they were using, it was a standout in the well-made drink.
At this point, it was late and our son Richard had dozed off in his comfortable rattan chair while waiting for the adults, so it was time to bid farewell to the friendly staff.
In Sum? Two tropical bars in one, the upper a light, bright California beach, the lower more of a traditional Tiki experience. The food upstairs had variety and what we tried was good; seafood lovers will rejoice.
Downstairs, the vibe is more relaxing and exotic. Makai’s takes on standards are competent and enjoyable, but it is on their own house recipes – upstairs or down – where they truly shine. Either way, the staff was very helpful and friendly, though clearly, they were not slammed while we were there as guests, so probably had more time to chat than they might normally. The place had heated up by the time we were leaving.
When in Rome … check out Makai!
Here is the Makai Website