Tiki Tolteca in New Orleans, LA

When Tiki Tolteca opened in May 2013, it was the first tiki bar to operate in New Orleans in decades. It sits within a Mexican taqueria called Felipe's, and as such is a blend of Tiki and Latin American influences. They make their own syrups and use fresh juices, and incorporate south-of-the-border spirits like mezcal, pisco and cacha�a beyond the expected rum. Food is available from Felipe's below.

The space blends exposed brick with bamboo and thatch, and there are many beachcomber lamps. Drinks are served in tiki mugs, or in the heavy, blue-rimmed glasses that are familiar in Mexican restaurants.

Beachbum Berry's Latitude 29

New Orleans, LA

Bar & Restaurant

9.2

is located right next door.

Comments

Always An Adventure

Always An Adventure has visited Tiki Tolteca.

October 25, 2018, 8:12 PM

We arrived at opening, walked up the stairs accompanied by Martin Denny, and knew we were in for an awesome night. The decor from one end of the space to the other was perfect, and the lighting took us away from the bright light outside to another place entirely. Everything from the thatched roof over the bar to the light fixtures, from the bamboo accents to the curtains lining the back wall were spot on.

We ordered a couple of standbys (Mai Tai and 3 Dots and a Dash), and they were delicious. The presentation of each was gorgeous. The attention to detail from the preparation of the drinks to them arriving in front of us was exactly what you would expect from a bar that cares about what it does.

We followed those drinks up with several (SEVERAL) others, each one meticulously prepared and wonderful in its own way. Throughout the course of the night, we carried on a conversation with the bartender, and it elevated our already amazing experience. He cares about his drinks, and it shows.

We�re only in town for a few days, but we made time for another stop the following night. On our second visit it was really busy, but still every single drink that left the bar was beautiful and carefully crafted. We don�t know if we�ll ever make it back to New Orleans, but this bar alone would make it worth the trip.

Missmaelaroux

Missmaelaroux has visited Tiki Tolteca.

October 17, 2018, 11:55 AM

I never leave comments but this one deserves it. Pretty crappy experience. It was a Sunday and an hour before close, so I try to take that into consideration. But I don�t think that should matter if your doors are open. Plus it�s Nola. Everyone drinks every day, every hour. Went up there, no music playing. I hate that people go to all the effort to be �tiki� but play top 40 pop music. Why get lazy with that? So I asked out of curiousoty what they play and his response was �good music�. I asked if it was top 40? Exotica? Hawaiian? Just said, �nope. Good music.� Eventually got an answer out of him, it was essentially Nola style music. Which don�t get me wrong, I love it. But if I�m going to a tiki bar I want the full escapism. He could tell my friend and I were tiki people and persisted to say that he doesn�t care about tiki, there�s only one person that works there that even remotely gets it. *facepalm* You can tell they are competent industry bartenders, and think �it�s JUST tiki, how hard can it be?� I ordered a navy grog, he handed me a half, IM NOT EXAGGERATING, half empty glass with barely a shard of ice in it. It tasted fine. My friends Hurricane was fine. Going to be in Nola? Want my advice on how to have the best time at Tiki Tolteca?

GO SEE THE BUM A COUPLE DOORS DOWN. <3

UnreachableShelf

UnreachableShelf has visited Tiki Tolteca.

June 25, 2018, 5:28 PM

Went there just after opening on a Monday and was the first person in the bar except for a tour of some kind that seemed to be getting started on the other side of the divider. I had a seat at the bar and was happy to establish that it was possible to get food from Felipe's Taqueria there (from my online research I wasn't sure if statements like "food is available from Felipe's downstairs" meant "food from Felipe's downstairs is available at Tiki Tolteca" or "food is available downstairs from Tiki Tolteca at Felipe's). The bartender said this was a recent development. I decided to keep things simple and have a mai tai, and it was good, as were the tacos which quickly arrived from downstairs. The atmosphere was dark and relaxing. The music was 80s rock, which was a bit odd. For me, the bartender's service was sufficient, but I was in the mood to be left alone with my drink, the atmosphere, and a book (at the bar it was light enough to read- it probably wouldn't have been in much of the rest of the room). While I was drinking, another customer came in and had a seat at the other end of the bar. I overheard him asking for recommendations and the bartender simply said he always recommends the most expensive thing on the menu because he didn't know what the customer likes. The customer then said he didn't like coconut, and the bartender named the one cocktail on the menu with coconut and said to order anything else. As somebody in a profession that also sometimes has to make suggestions that vary widely based on taste, I can understand not wanting to make one size fits all recommendations, but would think that the more appropriate course of action would be to ask what kind of thing the customer likes or is in the mood for, or perhaps to describe a favored drink and then ask if it sounds like the kind of thing the customer likes. (Note: were were the only two people in the bar area at this point and the bartender had just taken a tray of whatever drink the tour was having over to them, so he had some time to chat.) So while I got the service I wanted at that moment, somebody who wanted a more personal touch or to discuss the drinks would be likely to have been disappointed.

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