The retro tiki movement has been enjoying a renaissance of late, thanks to creative bartenders who reimagine all the lovable kitsch, island-inspired flair, and deliciously fruit-forward cocktails in a modern way.
They’re interpreting tropical imbibing through all kinds of different lenses, from heavy metal to Upper West Side brunch. The result? A choose-your-own-adventure journey winding across the boroughs, promising a memorable tiki experience at whichever destination you land–no plane needed.
Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost is not just a bar, it’s a transportively lush and tropical experience. But it also removes tiki drinks from a problematic history of cultural appropriation and instead, grounds the retro, beachy vibes and tropical fruit flavors in a more rock-and-roll atmosphere. Open since 2023, every inch of this bar is thoughtfully decorated. No matter if you’re at the bar, in a booth, or at a lush banquette, you feel invited to the surf rock, psychobilly party. While there, you may as well enjoy tiki-style drinks upgraded in creativity and complexity.
Think classics like a Mai Tai, Hurricane, Piña Colada, Zombie, and Chartreuse Swizzle, plus King Ghidorah’s Kaiju Kooler with botanical and melon liqueurs, Venezuelan rum, cognac, vermouth, soursop, coconut, and bitter cherry cardamom foam. Or the Call of Ciguapa, made with queso blanco-washed rum, sotol, guava, cilantro, and red bitter. The bar even serves a martini, though it comes with wasabi-pea infused aquavit, seaweed-infused gin, vermouth, green chartreuse, and coconut water.
Sip responsibly and fortify yourself with Krab Rangoon Dip, wings, musubi, dumplings, and pork or chicken sandos. 100 2nd Ave., East Village, paradiselost.nyc.
Otto’s Shrunken Head
Rock-and-roll attitude is also on the menu at East Village fixture Otto’s Shrunken Head. Here, tiki takes a bit of a fun, divey turn. Having opened in 2002, for a long time the bar remained the island of Manhattan’s lone tropical destination. Inside, it feels even older thanks to the 1970’s home-tiki-bar vibe–and we mean that in the best possible way.
Potent rum-forward tiki classics, frozen concoctions, and originals like Otto’s Octane—pineapple rum, coffee liqueur, and banana—are made with real, fresh ingredients and never too sweet. They come in all different statement-making tiki mugs you can return to receive your $10 deposit back, or keep, which you’ll want to. Also expect a sizable non-alcoholic menu, shareable scorpion bowls, and frequent live surf rock, ska, and comedy. 538 E. 14th St., East Village, ottosshrunkenhead.com
Zombie Hut
Zombie Hut has been holding down the tiki fort in Brooklyn since 2002. Unlike most NYC tiki bars, it boasts a backyard, which perfects the whole temporary-vacation atmosphere. With a classic tiki theme that doesn’t overwhelm, Zombie Hut manages to feel like a neighborhood bar where you can play board games, gather with a big group, or just read a book; all with a well-made Singapore Sling, Mai Tai, Bahama Mama, Blue Hawaiian, or Planters Punch in hand.
Zombie Hut does not serve food, but you’re free to bring your own. With that in mind, pop into the Carroll Gardens hot spot and settle into a back patio seat among the many plants with a frozen Zombie; and you can almost forget you’re still in the city. 261 Smith St., Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, no website
Sunken Harbor Club
Take the idea of a tiki bar but give it a Gilded Age era makeover. That’s what the maritime-themed Sunken Harbor Club feels like. Find the bar tucked up a creaky stairway in Gage & Tollner, Brooklyn’s famed 1879 steakhouse, which only adds to the charm.
Officially the bar began as a pop-up in 2013, but dropped anchor at this location in 2021. Mad scientist and maker of all manner of vividly flavored extracts, essences, sodas, and more, Garret Richard steers the cocktail program with heightened, complex odes to tropical drinks.
Look out for the Noble Pursuit with watermelon, pistachio, and basil eau de vie; Planter’s Potion with a blend of Jamaican rums, assam tea, and spiced lime; Donkey Conga with bourbon, aged cacaça, banana, Cynar, and sweet vermouth; and more. Classic drinks include a Mai Tai and Zombie Punch, as well as a martini spiked with sesame oil and red pepper. In modern fashion, the zero-proof options are just as good, such as The Elixir with gentian, sarsaparilla, and wintergreen.
For food, tuck into Cold Sesame Noodles, Broiled Miso Oysters, and fries with a kimchi ranch. Pro tip: Sunken Harbor Club doesn’t take reservations, it’s small, and it’s popular, so show up before it opens in order to snag a spot. 372 Fulton St., 2nd Fl., Downtown Brooklyn, sunkenharbor.club
Tiki Chick
Tiki Chick takes tiki into more modern territory, with a vibrant decor and the social media feeds filled with colorful bursts of tropical prints, mixed-and-matched pastel furniture, and cheeky neon signs. It’s less retro-island and more brunch-with-the-girlies. The cocktails also strike a fun balance between the getaway-inspired fun of tiki and contemporary trends. Think frozen Piña Colada, Margarita, Hurricane, Caipirinha, and a Pickle Painkiller that reimagines the classic drink with Jacob’s Pickles Hot Sour Brine.
Tiki Chick creates seasonal cocktails too, such as Chicks Go to Montauk with rum, kumquat and golden kiwi oleo, acidified tamarind nectar, and Montauk Tropical IPA. A year-round original to add to your list is the low-ABV Aloha Kiss, crafted with non-alcoholic gin, amaro, botanical liqueur, hibiscus, lemon, sparkling wine, and non-alcoholic Polynesian Kiss bitters. To go with the beverages, there’s a menu of fried chicken, falafel, and spam sandwiches. 517 Amsterdam Ave., Upper West Side, tikichick.com
Rockaway Tiki Bar
What’s a beach without a tiki bar? One of NYC’s most popular seaside destinations has its own cocktail oasis, a cherry on the sundae that is a day at the shore. It’s actually open all year, should you find yourself in desperate need of a brief escape in the dead of winter.
The ocean-adjacent locale helps set the scene here, which the bar complements with fun yet low-key tiki gear. Sip on the Zombie, Mai Tai, or Navy Grog; plus Laka’s Nectar, a mixture of mezcal, rum, ginger syrup, honey, and lime. Or go for the Poseidon’s Punch with agricole rum, passion fruit syrup, butterfly pea tea, and bubbles. There are also frozen drinks like the Passion Fruit Margarita and the “Painchiller,” zero-proof drinks, wine, and beer.
For food, Rockaway Tiki keeps the mood going with poke bowls, bao buns, arepa sliders, kimchi fries, spring rolls, and dumplings. 6720 Rockaway Beach Blvd/, Averne by the Sea, Queens, rockawaytikibar.com
