The Tiki Bar

I just don’t get it. I mean it was packed and everyone seemed to be having a good time, but I thought it was overpriced and not very good. We had to pay $ 5 a head to enter at 6:30 PM on a Monday. Yeah right lol. Next time I will just get a 2 lieter of the cheap fruity vodka drinks and save a few bucks.

I was here last night for the Mondo Exotica burlesque show complete with fan dancing, bongo drums, and hot women taking it off.
You can’t beat the icy cool 50s vibe, the bamboo paneling and the ceiling painted as a twilight sky. The drinks were reasonably priced and stiff. With the go-​go girls and titays all over the place, the drinks are not the only stiff ones.
Good times!

This is one of the nicest Tiki-​style bars I have ever gone too. It’s a real shame they’re about to tear it down.
Parking is available in the back, but watch out if you have a low car as most of the ways in and out of this lot are raised.
The bar itself is a semi-​circle, but mirrors make the place look like a large round room. There are fake palm trees, a dark blue sky, and even the stars in the ceiling flicker. Photos don’t do this place justice at all.
The only thing is that this place closes early. The day I went (Sunday), it closed 2000.
I really wish I had known about this place earlier. It will be missed.

I came here with my sister-​in-​law and another friend on a Friday night. The Tiki Bar has a really neat vibe. It feels like you stepped out of East Van and into a tropical paradise. There’s a super cool starry sky ceiling, lots of palm trees, and bamboo all over the place. It’s really dark in the bar, which makes the starry sky ceiling look even cooler. The Tiki Bar also has a really retro bathroom, complete with pink sinks!
We had previously eaten dinner at Café Nuba right next door, so we were able to enter the bar at 9:30 PM without paying cover. The bar was really quiet when we entered, but got absolutely packed about 45 minutes later. Come early if you want to grab a table! The dance floor was full, but no one was really dancing, even when we left around midnight.
Our main goal here was to try out the coconut cocktails. For $ 16, you get a young coconut and a cocktail mixed with coconut water. You also get a slice of pineapple, a cocktail umbrella, a straw, and a spoon to scoop out the coconut meat afterwards. The coconut water definitely gave the drinks an interesting taste that we couldn’t explain. The drinks themselves were actually really strong, but you’d hope so for $ 16. I also had a Blue Hawaiian for $ 9, which was pretty strong and tasted exactly as you’d expect. My friend tried to order a Hurricane, but was given a 0.5% alcohol root beer instead, which we kind of just went with. Judging from other Unilocal reviews, maybe the bartenders just have issues hearing you order over the music?
I really enjoyed the atmosphere of this bar, and even though drinks were pricey, I’d definitely come back here. If you come here, definitely order a cocktail in a coconut, it’s worth it just for the experience.

It’s been said that you can’t eat atmosphere, and that’s pretty much true. But you definitely can drink it. The Tiki Bar at the Waldorf proves this point to perfection.
Inside, you’ll find a bar that is a throwback to the tiki bars of the 50s, complete with the wood panel walls and the faux Tahitian sunset ceiling. The music inside though lets you know that this is a hipster bar, with a wide selection of punk and new wave being played the night I went.
You can order a drink out of a coconut. But even if you just grab a beer, it feels tropical.

I am out of words to describe this place. I have had my fair share of night life, all around. Probably been to thousands of bars, clubs, venues and festivals.
Waldorf’s Tiki bar is ”THE GREATEST JOINT” I have ever been on face of earth. Where can I even start; the vinyl, the people, the staff, the room, the music. Just perfect… I usually end up here every Saturday night. Quick chat with my favorite bouncer ever, Roda (don’t get mad at me Roda if I am spelling your name wrong), a beautiful and a lovely human being rather than meat heads you will find around with bad attitude.
Some nights this place would become one with the thump of the music on the dance floor. The crowd is very pleasant when compared to Granville strip, downtown. No screaming teenagers or bar fights. The cocktails look interesting, but I usually stick to whiskey, so I can not comment. Very rarely you would come across to joints like this that truly syncs with everything. Words are not enough, just go and see for yourself. Maybe it is me, but I feel lucky to find a place to go with no debating, thinking or alternatives on my Saturday night.
We are missing Steve and Scott from their former staff though…

During the summer months a couple of my friends sometimes have a balcony Tiki party, complete with a bamboo Tiki bar, colourful lights on strings, and fruity cocktails adorned with those little paper umbrellas. Sadly the balcony Tiki bar is currently in hibernation, so I’m glad that I can still get my Tiki fix at the Waldorf.
I love everything about this place: the dim lighting, the twinkly starry-​night ceiling, the palm trees, the music, and of course the tropical drinks. What can be better than going here on a rainy night and imagining you are on vacation in the South Pacific!

WOW. This place is gorgeous! An original 1950’s Polynesian Tiki Bar, can it get anymore cool than this? It’s so great to see this room restored to it’s original beauty, along with the rest of the Waldorf hotel.
The drinks in the Tiki Bar seemed pretty steep, but it was worth it for the atmosphere.

Tropical drinks with hard liqour, starry night ceiling, palm trees and bamboo walls… I have fallen in love with the place already. How I can say no to this fabulous place?
The drinks already drew me into the place, as I was having a coconut drink and some heavy hard liquor cocktails. I found myself dancing already in the middle of the dance floor. With Café Nuba food served here as well I was having the time of my life.
Me and my girls and guys was just dancing in the middle of the room going all out, and just swinging our hair around. It was such an epic night. The good thing was we made it in before it got so crowded. When people started to roll in, the place was bouncing up and down with amazing hipsters and just dancing to really heavy beat songs. Yes, it was fag night: D
I love the décor, how the walls are all plated with dried palm trees stems, and the bar stools were perfect height to the bar itself. I loved it. The art work was stunning, with very women showing breast of empowerment, and the men in old nostalgic white suites.
Loved the place. Will go back again for an amazing night.

Did you know that you can drink out of a COCONUT? It’s a magical adventure!
I first spent time at the Tiki Bar long before it was cleaned up. There were TVs in there. It was weird. Now it’s a sexy retro spot and the star-​lights in the midnight blue ceiling are really shining. If they cranked up the heat in this room I would happily dance in a bikini on the regular.

I went there for the first time since the reno last night and it was suuuuper cool. So cool in fact that even after the show I went there for (the pack ad polaris interview) we stayed for some tunes (dj lisa delux) and sat under the stars drinking very inexpensive beer and pretending we were on vacation.

It may be a tiki bar, but its also a hipster haven! I showed up drunk around 2am with a posse of peeps, and unfortunately still had to pay the ten dollar cover (for an hour) but had since thought it was a good idea to take a cab down from Granville to escape the douchebaggery that erupts at 3am when all of the bars empty, so since I already dropped $ 15 or so on cab fare, what’s another ten bucks? Besides, what else am I gonna do on East Hastings Street at 2am?
Got stamped and came in and the upstairs was pretty empty… bummer. The setup in the room was pretty dope-​ass though, there was a blue-​lit sky and bamboo bar with twinkling stars above, or maybe that was my drunk glassy twinkling eyes, either way the twinkling was impressive. We found the other half of our posse, after staggering around mouths open and drool practically slobbering down our chins, and headed downstairs. (I think there were stairs? Or down a hallway?) I can guarantee it was definitely another room at least. I know this because there was hip hop playing and everyone was dancing and it looked like the place was packed but it was really all an optical illusion, and even though I was completely shitfaced I was able to see through the façade. There is a mirror that runs down the hall across from where everyone is dancing so it looks like the room is not only twice the size, but twice as packed, and when you’ve had a couple you may not be too clever to notice that those girls are all dancing with their twins, only they’re not!
Then, there was another room! This room was the average room, I felt like Goldilocks and that I had finally found the porridge that was just right. The music was good, albeit strange choices at times (Tears of a Clown by Smokey Robinson???) and just enough people to make it cozy and not cramped. I bought a round of drinks, cuz there was a bar at the back of the room, and was pleasantly surprised by the prices, I know I ordered three drinks, and it was about $ 15, so that made me happy. And that pretty much sums up my experience at the Waldorf. I’d like to check it out again, perhaps before I am too drunk to remember most of it… so I’ll be back at some point!

Had a great night here for my friend’s hen night. As soon as we walked in the place, it felt like I was at a bar in England. Not 100% sure why but probably the ratio of men to women had something to do with it; I can’t remember the last time I was in a bar in Vancouver where there were so many guys. The age range was good too. I’m in my late 30s and I didn’t feel like I was out with a bunch of college students. In fact, the crowd was great; people didn’t seem to have their heads stuck up their asses, full of their own self-​importance. Very refreshing.
The music is really loud so trying to have conversations is challenging. However, once you have a few drinks in you, it doesn’t really matter. Plus, the music was awesome (Motown, classic rock, surf, etc.); so good, we danced just about all night. Gotta love that they played Patti Smith too.
Drinks didn’t seem too expensive. I bought a round at one point and four beers and three highballs cost less than $ 50 before tip.
It’s REALLY hot in there so be prepared to be a sweaty mess by the end of the evening. And, also be prepared to wait for your drinks. They only had two bartenders on duty.
Glad I tried this place. Will for sure be back.

Just came back from the Tiki Bar at ye olde Waldorf Hotel.
I left after one drink. I am now back home, alone, my ears are ringing and my throat feels scratchy from all the screaming. If the volume was a few notches down and properly equalized I have no doubt my party and I would still be there, talking and drinking and enjoying the other fantastic aspects of this room.
Saturday night and the DJs were (purportedly) spinning all vinyl, 60s stuff mainly, which is great. (Although too much 60s Motown and surf music has me feeling like I’m in China Beach and looking out for Charlie, who is hiding out in the sh! t. Incoming!!!)
Needless to say I kept my «war face.» The atmosphere here is undeniably awesome — from the woven walls to the indigo faux night sky with teensy little lights. The cocktail menu is fantastic and suggests an evening of drunken adventure. I was a little perturbed that there’s not a single Canadian or BC wine on the menu though (I may be mistaken, but I don’t think I am. That’s a minor point deduction for me — besides being great, they are often a wee bit cheaper and it’s nice to have that option, ya know?).
Our server was delightful and smiley, attentive but not overly so.
But big — and I mean BIG — marks off for the sound.
Firstly, it was far, far, far too loud. Part of the appeal of a Tiki «lounge» is that people might actually, oh,… interface. Dialogue. Speak to one another. This was impossible at our table. We were literally screaming into each others’ ears and practicing rudimentary sign language to communicate.
I approached one of the DJs (yeah, I’m «that girl») to ask them to turn it down from 11 to, say, a 9 or maybe an 8. The DJ actually told me that people ask them to turn it up — really? I mean, really?! The three (yes, three) guys spinning were standing beneath and central to large speakers which are overhead — meaning, that what they hear isn’t the same as what people around the rest of the room hear. The room is round with a not entirely domed ceiling and on the opposite side of the biggest speakers is a wall of mirrors — acoustically, this is not a great room. Furthermore, if you are going to be spinning vintage vinyl all night proper equalization is imperative, and the high end sounds (say, horns, female voices) were definitely hitting the reds. All. Night. Long.
This, to me, is a shame. And sort of a waste of a great atmosphere. Blasphemy, really.
When did «loud» become the new anti-​social? How about encouraging people to engage in dialogue, talk, have more drinks, get socially lubricated enough that their brains get turned on so that they want to bed the person they just met… like, maybe in one of those *fabulous* rooms… in the hotel?!? Does anyone else see this as a no-​brainer?
There’s so much about this place that’s so freaking sexy. But for me, tonight, the unnecessary loud volume was a total turn-​off.

Okay, based on my last experience here, i am upping this to a five-​star establishment. I came here a bit ago with a friend who can’t say no to fun (aka: liquor and meat) and it ended up being a way more epic night than we imagined. We ordered crazy-​delish sausages and squid (SO DAMN GOOD), plus intensely good bread to dip into the meat’s fatty juices. Despite only ordering two tapas to share, we were pretty stuffed by the end of the meal! The tapas are decent portions and are super filling because of the bread, and i totally felt like i had more than my money’s worth!
After the food, the serious drinking began. We started out discerningly, trying to select drinks that sounded like unique things we’d never tried before, but it soon degenerated into us asking the waitress to ‘bring us the most blue drink you have!’ (imagine a lot of slurring in that sentence). By the time my boyfriend showed up, we were already drunk enough to have to tell him more than once that we were offended that the coconut drink didn’t actually come in a coconut. Still, i could tell that even if we weren’t completely smashed, every single drink would have been delicious! The Mai Tai was definitely my favorite!
I now drink enough that i have a built in mechanism that enables me to suddenly start drinking ridiculous amounts water around 2am, but my poor friend texted me the next day saying she was on her deathbed. Be sure to drink plenty of water if you come here, cause every drink is a tasty, wonderful, sugary delight!
*ETA: Oh look, my friend who can’t say no to a good time is on Unilocal now! That’s right Tristan R, now everyone knows your dirty little secret: You love booze and meat! (wait, that isn’t much of a secret is it?!)

When I go to the Tiki Bar, I can’t help but think that I’m waiting for Gilligan to show up with Ginger and the Professor. It’s probably not going to happen, but with its long crescent-​shaped, bamboo covered bar, starry ceiling, and full-​on palm trees throughout the room, the set is just so impressive that it’s hard not to play into the part.
‘When in Tiki’ is what I always say — which generally means downing a couple of *very* serious tropical coconut-​based drinks (you know, as serious as a drink in a coconut can be), followed by what I can only describe as a flash-​back hangover.
The Tiki Bar is Vancouver’s answer to nostalgic kitsch without the camp. There’s no pretension here that might normally be associated with bou-​TIKI joints. No, this little Polynesian Tiki Paradise nestled within a rad hotel is straight up class all the way.
… even with their extra-​strong Mai Tais. Yeesh.

LOVE it! Starry night sky ceiling, palm trees, tropical drinks… It’s like travelling to somewhere new!
Came on a night of jazz, and we were seated at a great location that overlooked the bar. Their drinks menu has a comprehensive selection of classic and tropical drinks.
Of course, I had to order the coconut drink with dark rum. It was served in a whole coconut, with a tiny umbrella too! Also tried out the desserts that are usually served in the Leeteg Room. Got the Torrijas: Crispy Spiced Cinnamon Bread with Goat Cheese Cream. This was delicious! A light dusting of cinnamon, and the goat cheese cream balanced out the flavours perfectly!
Our waitress was attentive and helpful, and never too pushy. She allowed us to chat as we needed. Again, love the atmosphere, and this place will be frequented again very soon!

I love the Tiki Bar. It’s a fun hideaway with good drinks and atmosphere. A bunch of us gathered on a random Tuesday night for kitschy drinks by resident bartender specialist Steve da Cruz formerly of The Corner Suite Bistro. He brought with him his big black book of signature cocktails which is a little daunting and overwhelming upon first glance.
It’s fun coming to the Waldorf with its unique décor and ambience. The Tiki Bar is a great place to chill out, relax, and drink with friends. Everything about it screams character. Sufficed to say, it was a little sparse when we arrived fairly early on this weekday, but the good drinks and friendly company made the night a charming one.
The drinks are good, specifically the young coconut with rum. It goes down well. I had a mai tai and a ramos gin fizz. I like the fizz’s milky egg texture and taste. Everything combined, the Tiki Bar makes for a great go to spot despite its out of the way location, but that sort of adds to its charm.

This place is so much fun! We loved the retro music and the djs digging their vinyl. There were no Ed Hardy shirt wearing dudes here, but we did see one ripped guy in shades. (Well, whatever).
We quickly found a cute little table in the perfect spot. We enjoyed the tiki art. The waitress was friendly and efficient. The bathrooms were decorated in pink (at least the women’s was) and were quaintly divey. The crowd was eclectic.
I stuck with my wine, but the coconut drinks looked awesome. My glass was a bit small, but hey it’s Vancouver.
I am surprised that this place hasn’t been reviewed more than once. It brought back memories of the Lizard Lounge days when Buble would swoon there – 15 years ago!
I will definitely be back.
Also, the female bouncer was so nice and refreshingly different from the traditional monkey dudes you usually see out there.

Reasons to visit The Tiki Bar at the Waldorf:
–It’s a Tiki bar. In BC. Do you need any other reasons? Oh you do? Ok.
–Bartenders who take their mixing seriously, but not «pretentious mixologist» seriously.
–Best «The Last Word» cocktail (Chartreuse represent!) in the city
–You can order appy selections from Café Nuba (ok to great) and Leeteg room (so-​so)
–Fantastic DJs
–Good, social crowd
Groups of 10+ may have trouble finding good seating, but The Tiki Bar is perfect for 2 – 6.