Hula's Modern Tiki in Phoenix, AZ

. The concept here is a bit different�while the Monterey and Santa Cruz locations have more of a surf-meets-tiki feel, the aesthetic here is a mix of midcentury modern and tiki.

The dominant feature of the space is a massive, hexagonal window that looks straight out of a '70s sci-fi film set (the building actually dates to 1965). The interiors are all sleek, but executed with a variety of organic materials to bring a sort of barely-primitive feel. The indoor area features a large bar, and there is outdoor dining.

There is at least one large Tiki tOny tiki. Tiki mugs, especially from Munktiki, fill cases around the restaurant. Volcano bowl drinks are available, and drinks are served in glassware with the Hula's tiki logo. Like the other Hula's locations, it has won raves for its food.

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khaos2012

khaos2012 has visited Hula's Modern Tiki.

February 10, 2019, 4:27 AM

This location is closed

Monster A GoGo

Monster A GoGo has visited Hula's Modern Tiki.

January 31, 2019, 11:39 PM

Back in November, I visited Phoenix. I knew about 5 different locations to visit...but ended up visiting SIX instead. What was the sixth? It was the "speakeasy", The Captain's Table right next to Hula's Modern tiki-Phoenix.

Hula's actually owns and operates The Captain's Cabin, a tiny nautical-themed tiki bar. I was thrilled to get to experience it, but the experience was just sort of ...eh. The drink menu was limited and the cocktails I tried were too nouveau--not the traditional tiki taste at all. But the place is new. Maybe it just needs a little more time to get its "sea legs"?

Hula's Modern Tiki-Phoenix itself was okay. The drinks were good, but I was no fan of the "modern" aspect of the place. Heck, half (or more) of the fun of going to a tiki bar is the imaginative decor. There were some wall art tikis and a few tikis outside the place....but it was very sterile. And you could almost feel the place wanting to be a sports bar (big screen TVs at the bar were all tuned to sports stations.) The one saving grace, besides the drinks, was the small, token tiki room almost hidden off to the side. For photos and a full look at HULA'S MODERN TIKI-PHOENIX and THE CAPTAIN'S CABIN (and other tiki haunts in the Phoenix area), feel free to visit my blog here:

https://monsterago-go.blogspot.com/2019/01/im-freaky-for-tiki-18-by-time-i-get-to.html

CHEERS!

JP has visited Hula's Modern Tiki.

December 12, 2018, 11:06 AM

Important note: The location in Phoenix moved to a new location earlier this year... the new address is near 7th Street and Camelback Road - 5114 N 7th St, Phoenix, AZ 85014

For a modern slanted tiki place, Hula's was pretty nice! It's very sleek and modern (I mean, it's in the name!) - the staff was incredibly friendly, the food was very tasty and my drinks were pretty great!

Inside Hula's, I had a Mai Tai. It's more of the Hawaii / Oahu style (if you use the Total Tiki app, it's very close to the 1971 Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai) - now, I have friends who stick their noses up at this style of Mai Tai, but it's my personal favorite one (is it better than what you can get on Oahu? No. But, honestly, what is?)

Next door, there's an unmarked door which is Hula's hidden speakeasy called The Captain's Cabin, which has a smaller menu, but is definitely tiki heavy. I only found my way in there because a bunch of Hawaiian shirt clad folks were heading in there! In fact, I followed them in, and they bought me a drink (Turns out, I was crashing their company's holiday party...Phoenix people are nice!)

I had the Pele's Punch, which is white rum, dark rum, falernum, x-rated fusion liqueur, pineapple juice, firewater bitters... very good! It tasted even better because it was free!

I would suggest you check this place out. It's not a hardcore hole in the wall like some tiki places, it's not "authentic," but the atmosphere, drinks and food make for a nice place to start your evening.

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