New Wave of Tiki

The Nolen

The Nolen, has a tiki menu with five colorful refreshers like their Painkiller on draft with pineapple, orange, rum, coconut and freshly grated nutmeg. Or order up an off-menu Junglebird from their spirit savant, bar lead Andrew Larson. He will create a little fire element to the rum and Campari drink by igniting cinnamon. Bar grub like carnitas-jalepeno-salva-verde flatbreads or chili-glazed meatballs over Idaho potato frites soak up the rum.

Where: 453 6th Ave, San Diego, CA 92101
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Kindred

South Park's revved-up vegan restaurant Kindred hosts "Permanent Vacation" Thursdays, a pop-up, tiki takeover with tropical elixirs and eats. Expect a rotating menu of nuclear rum drinks with fresh juices from bar whiz David Kinsey and Polynesian bites like orange miso-glazed seitin with grilled pineapple and a mango sweet potato aioli dipping sauce. Orchids and mid-century Exotica music add to the ambiance.

Where: 1503 30th St, San Diego, CA 92102

The Grass Skirt

Hidden behind Pacific Beach restaurant Good Time Poke, this Polynesian-style speakeasy takes its cues from classic spots like Trader Vic's and Don the Beachcomber. Beverage director Stephen Tuttle's menu includes classics (Painkiller, Mai Tai) and original creations, like The Tipsy Tentacle (black rum, biscotti liqueur, lime, pineapple, coconut, banana). And when you order one of the three punch bowls, the whole restaurant is treated to the sounds of a tropical rainstorm.

Where: 910 Grand Ave #101, San Diego, CA 92109

False Idol

Hidden inside Little Italy restaurant Craft & Commerce, False Idol's design is a trip. Martin Cate - the guy behind San Francisco's Smuggler's Cove - joined forces with Ignacio "Notch" Gonzalez and San Diego tiki artist Bosko Hrnjak to create an interior so full of clever details, you'll have to visit multiple times to take it all in. Consortium Holdings' head bartender Anthony Schmidt worked with Cate on a 38-cocktail menu that's part classics and part modern interpretations of classics. The menu also pays homage to San Diego tiki bars of yore, with cocktails from spots like the Barefoot Bar at Vacation Village, the Islands Bar at the Hanalei Hotel, and the Hotel Del's Luau Room.

Where: 675 W Beech St, San Diego, CA 92101

The Hive

Located in a large, warehouse-like space, Hive is a self-described "mega-restaurant." But keep an eye open for the guy behind the bar wearing a Hawaiian shirt. That's Ram Udwin, one of San Diego's finest tiki-cocktail makers (and founder of Boy Drinks World). For the first Sunday of the month, he comes up with a special menu of tiki cocktails, served from 5:00 to 9:00 PM. Stop by any other Sunday for some of his fancy rum drinks and to geek out on all things tiki.

Where: 4428 Convoy Street, San Diego, CA 92111

Miss B’s Coconut Club

“Miss B” is short for Mission Beach, and also a reference to the attractive woman who decades ago adorned marketing materials luring folks to San Diego beaches. While this bar and restaurant isn’t decked out in tiki decor, it pays homage to Mission Beach’s resort-town past with tropical libations like The Coconut Club (house rum mix, house orange-pineapple cordial, Coco Lopez) and The Lusca (house rum blend, guava-mango kombucha, nocello, citrus, honey, papaya).

Where: 3704 Mission Blvd, San Diego, CA 92109