Dowtown at the Tiki Café

Blue Rain by the Islanders

I don´t even know WHY I love Tiki, I haven´t been to the "Enchanted Tiki Room" at an early impressionable age and where I grew up, Tiki was the last thing anybody would ever have heard of. So it can´t have anything to do with nostalgia for early childhood memories. But here it is: I feel myself magically drawn to it. I sleep with the "Book of Tiki" under my pillow and make sure to check the brilliantly titled and very helpful Critiki website to find out Tiki Bars at every new place I plan to visit.

But despite a constant presence of Tiki in tourist shopping-traps (I always wonder if plastic tiki-mugs, pagan goddess-ashtrays and weird, kitschy, christian merchandise are actually designed and manufactured in the same sweatshops in some 4th world countries?!) there is a rapid evaporation of Tiki on the internets. More and more links are suddenly dead and the number of closed Tiki places on Critiki almost outnumbers the thriving bars.

Just a few years ago some devoted people opened up the spectacular Tabou Tiki Room in Berlin. But the dream lasted only for a few years and the place is already closed.

A very nice Tiki Bar is the original Trader Vic´s in Hamburgs SAS Radisson Hotel (next to Dammtor Station). Located in a sleek 60s high-rise it still features "authentic" decoration and on some nights you will even hear some fitting music. It´s the only hotel bar I like to visit in my hometown.


Downtown by Aidan McNally & his Aidenaires

So, I am in Vancouver for a few days and I was thrilled to see that Critiki listed 4 tiki-locations. On closer look it turns out that two of the bars are already closed, one is only available for private bookings and the last one is "Funhauser" a decor store in Chinatown. Oh well, better than nothing. I think I will get me some tiki-mugs.