Hale Pele

LitClique
visiting on
Sunday, September 1, 2019
for the first time

I'll be in Portland (first visit!) the entire week, and I plan to visit Hale Pele several times. Please contact me if you'd like to meetup!

Reply

Sign in to reply

Regulars & Visitors

View all 370 Hale Pele regulars & visitors

Humuhumu’s description

Hale Pele is a tiki bar in Northeast Portland, opened by Blair Reynolds, who also has a home bar represented here in Critiki: Reynol�s Galley

. Blair Reynolds has another claim to fame in the world of tiki mixology: his line of flavored syrups sold under the name B.G. Reynolds.

Hale Pele opened in late August 2012, in a space that had previously held a tiki bar named Thatch

. At the entrance, you cross a bridge past a small water feature, and are greeted by a large, sunken bar�this allows seated bar patrons to be at eye level with their bartender. Behind the bar are a trio of large cannibal tiki carvings, these originated at Portland's Kon-Tiki

and also lived for many years at the Jasmine Tree

. At the very back of Hale Pele is the elevated Chieftain's Hut, a semi-private large booth, which can be reserved in advance.

The drink menu focuses on both classic tiki drinks and new creations. The bar has a small kitchen, so food is available in addition to the drink menu.

Comments

rumlocker

rumlocker has visited Hale Pele.

March 5, 2019, 10:54 AM

I absolutely love the low bar and sunken well behind the bar. i don't know why that fits so well with the tiki theme, but it does for me.

I don't have much more to add, have been a half dozen times or so and have never been disappointed. I also love the rum selection to enjoy pours of my favorite spirits as well as the menu of tiki drinks.

TikiScout

TikiScout has visited Hale Pele.

December 15, 2018, 9:13 AM

Hale Pele was my 11th tiki bar this year and I would put it up in the top 2-3 of all that I�ve visited. The atmosphere and quality of the decor is wonderful, plenty to feast your eyes on all night. The large display of rums behind the bar is equally enjoyable. The night I was there they were doing a benefit for the victims of the Camp Fire in California. Kudos to Hale Pele for helping out, they raised nearly $8,000!

But back to the review. The drinks really hit the nail on the head, I started off with the tradition Mai Tai and I�ve got to say they nailed it, I�d say it was the best I�ve had. Just strong enough without being over powering, good flavors throughout. I followed up with the Zombie Punch and it was damn good too. Throwing caution to the wind I ordered their Cannibal Trio mug and signature drink that for the life of me I can�t remember the name of, it was good as well. The online menu is only a sample of what they have available, so don�t worry their drink menu will keep you busy for a while.

The Hale Pele Cannibal Trio mug is pretty freaking amazing on its own, its a very solid heavy three sided mug with three great designs around it and it holds a whole lot of beverage!

The food menu is equally as good; Coconut Shrimp and the Lumpia were both very tasty and the right potion size for a small plate item. The Poke looked good as well. Like the drinks the menu at the bar is much larger then what you find online.

A big shout out to the crew that was working. Part of what makes a Tiki Bar good is the interaction with the bar tenders and staff. Each of them was very good about talking with the customers, and not just the regulars. The put on a good show all night, but their attention to the customers is what makes it amazing.

GrognardGourmand

GrognardGourmand has visited Hale Pele.

November 26, 2018, 4:43 PM

My wife and I visited Hale Pele last September, and we have to say it served the best Tiki drinks we have ever had. The decor is out of this world. We went on a Sunday evening, which is mostly locals night there - it was busy but not over crowded. The food was very good, but again, the drinks were world class. If we ever make it back to Portland, we will definitely visit again!

View all 33 comments