The Downtown Tiki Lounge in San Mateo, CA

The Downtown Tiki Lounge was opened by two friends, Jim Wilkinson and Dennis Romero, in 2010. The decor in the bar is a mix of beach, Caribbean and Polynesian (many of the carvings appear to be Indonesian imports), and the music is typically reggae. The place is full of surfboards provided by Seven Tiki Rum (who also provide the glassware). There is a comfortable seating area near the front, and the rear has a small raised seating area.

The drink menu appears at first glance to have a few classics, including a Sidewinder Fang from the long-gone San Mateo power palace, The Lanai

history

The Lanai

San Mateo, CA

Bar & Restaurant

. The tribute is a wonderful gesture, but sadly anyone who is excited to have that great drink will be disappointed: what they are serving has the same name, but not at all the same recipe. The drinks tend strongly to the sweet and chemical side, and could perhaps use an upgrade in ingredients.

If one is seeking to recreate a modern Hawaiian bar experience, this does line up fairly well with what one encounters in the islands: sweet drinks, reggae, beach decor. If that's what the owners want, they're probably very happy, and that's what some folks are looking for. But the average Critiki reader may find this falls short of the standard for tiki in the Bay Area.

Comments

Burritoboy

Burritoboy is a semi-regular at The Downtown Tiki Lounge.

April 29, 2012, 3:44 PM

The Downtown Tiki Lounge is an acceptable tiki location if you can't get up to San Francisco or to Palo Alto's Trader Vic's. The drinks are hit or miss: the rum runner was good, but the "2 tickets to paradise" was only passable.

Warning: they are never open Sundays, even though their website says they are.

Tiare

Tiare has visited The Downtown Tiki Lounge.

March 4, 2012, 4:20 PM

We were eating at the Curry Up Now across the street and I saw this newish tiki bar. I had a sprite, my husband a Longboard lager. Both were flat. The drink selection was a little scary. It isn't bad looking inside. I didn't see the food menu so no comment on that.

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Regulars & Visitors

Burritoboy
Will Hawkins
Humuhumu
Tiare
bobtiki
Malakina Kalei
Tiki Mark
pyrothiakit
joncx
Fmatthes
Laguna
Bungalow Robb

View all 12 The Downtown Tiki Lounge regulars & visitors