The Polynesian

The Polynesian is an upscale modern restaurant in midtown Manhattan, near Times Square. It is located on the third floor of The Pod Hotel 42, and opened in May 2018. The space is sleek and airy, with more subtle nods to Polynesian art and culture. Seating dividers are made from sticks, clearly inspired by traditional Oceanic sailing maps; graphic repeating patterns on the floor and behind the bar appear to be very-abstracted echoes of tapa or quilt designs of the Pacific. The dominant colors in the space are warm wood and ocean blue, and select pieces of Oceanic art are on display.

The restaurant has been created by New York's Major Food Group, with help from bartender Brian Miller, who had been hosting regular tiki drink nights around New York for several years. Miller's menu includes not just nods to drinks from the history of tiki bars, but incorporates nods to actual Polynesian history. The food menu is limited and tends toward the snack end, with some classic fare like Crab Rangoon.

Comments

mehrm

mehrm has visited The Polynesian.

January 7, 2020, 9:48 AM

We went to The Polynesian early last night at 5 pm and had a lovely experience. Not crowded, so we had attentive , friendly service. The atmosphere is "chicy-tiki", beautiful and sophisticated decor. Love the teal/turqouise upholstery! If you're looking for the classic tiki bar with grass hut roofs and pagan idols, this is not the place for you. But if you want a relaxed, elegant atmosphere that still has an island vibe, and you want really good craft tiki cocktails, this is a must. The menu is a work of art, beautifully illsutrated. The Pina Colada was perhaps the best I've ever had in forty years,
and the Rita Hayworth was also delicious. I wish they had more reasonably priced souvenir mugs....the three that they sell are beautiful but all $125 each, which is rather steep.....
Look forward to returning here for more delicious drinks.

JayTiki

JayTiki has visited The Polynesian.

October 29, 2019, 7:53 AM

As others have stated, The Polynesian is exactly what you'd think of when you say New York Tiki Bar. It's slick and sophisticated with more of a focus on high-concept than traditional Tiki.

Considering that's what it's going for, then it's well-done. I just prefer my Tiki bars more traditional. Plus the Motown-heavy playlist, while fantastic in its own right, just felt out of place and didn't help set the appropriate atmosphere. The drinks were great, though expect to pay $17 and up for what's more typically $12-$15.

Although it was only about a quarter full (early on a Monday evening), they had quite a few staff members both behind the bar and milling about the rooms. However, we felt rather invisible the entire time. In fact, one bartender started to come our way when another bartender stopped him to engage in a conversation. That lasted for a couple minutes until I could get a third bartender's eye to motion him down so we could finally order. That was rather disappointing, especially considering the drink prices.