Jade Island

I wanted to love this place, and it is cool, but why is the entire planet obsessed with 1980s top 20 hits? In a Tiki bar? Really?? I hate 80s music and do not want to hear it at a cafe in Little Italy nor anywhere else, especially a classic Polynesian place. Thank God about halfway though my visit they turned it off and nothing was playing.

The ribs are to die for, as is the beef skewers. The rest of the food I would pass on, especially the Paradise Chicken and the rest of the stuff in the pupu platter.

As for the drinks, they were good, but I could almost swear they were using sweet & sour mix, much less fresh fruit juices. The wait staff is friendly and patient, but next time I come I will stick with just an order of ribs and give some of the other cocktails a chance.

So I finally made it to Jade Island a few weeks ago. I had seen Anthony Bourdain go there on his show, and knowing it was one of the few original tiki restaurants left in the NYC area, I rented a car on a slow day and took a drive to check it out. After paying the annoyingly high $15 toll for a bridge to take me from Brooklyn (gasp) to Staten Island (double gasp!), I arrived at Jade Island. A cool vintage look from the outside (and in a strip mall), I went inside. I was pleasantly surprised by the vintage, untouched decor and promptly took a booth, pulled the waiter aside and asked for a Pina Colada. No Hawaiian shirts here, and more annoyingly was the music they played in the background. If I wanted to listen to Nickelback, I would have bought a house in the suburbs, had kids, bought a minivan and given up. So sadly, no tiki music was playing. But the pina colada came in a nice tiki mug and we ordered a mixture of chinese food. There were no polynesian specialties on the menu. I will say I do not go to these places for the food at all, but it was not good here. I still would come back, to support them in keeping the institution open, or maybe have cocktails, but pass on much of the menu. The interior was cool, all original and you could see it once was the refuge for many work a day Staten Island families. Definitely worth 1 trip, but unlike a Michelin 3 star, do not go out of your way. I give it a 5/10.

Update on How to Find It: In the strip mall, the K-Mart has closed and is now a Target.