No matter what time of the year it is, Britain isn’t famous for its tropical weather. Fortunately, London is home to a great selection of restaurants and bars that capture tastes from sunnier climates across the world. That includes tiki bars, which use the popular aesthetics and exotic ingredients from Pacific islands to create a unique experience for customers.
The Appeal of Tiki Bars
Tiki Bars have had a presence in London for quite some time, best represented by Trader Vic’s at Park Lane. However, Trader Vic’s closed in 2022, never reaching what might have been its 60th birthday. For those decades, it was London’s foremost tiki bar, but not the only one.
In Britain and beyond, there has always been an appreciation for tropical lifestyles that don’t match our own. In fact, tropical themes can be found in many non-restaurant industries too, for entertainment or marketing reasons. In iGaming, where slots get themed after many historical and cultural favourites, there are also games like Paradise Reels that lean into tropical stereotypes. For some, the tropics represent getting away to somewhere exciting. For others, they just like the sweet drinks.
The Beachcomber Bar
After Trader Vic’s closed, many would consider The Beachcomber on Queensway to be the city’s new tiki champion. Sandwiched between Notting Hill and Mayfair, its central location makes it accessible to visitors from all over the city. Even still, it’s a dimly lit basement bar that’s lined with bamboo and other tiki décor, creating an intimate and laid-back space.
As a bar, it specialises in French Caribbean Rhum Agricole. However, the bar sets its sights much further than the western tropics, featuring a Thai kitchen and a menu filled with curries and rice dishes. It combines features from the Caribbean, Polynesia and coastal Asia to bring all of the tropics to London.
Laki Kane
In north London, the Laki Kane in Islington is a great alternative to The Beachcomber. This is partly because it features many of The Beachcomber Bar’s attractions – a chill cocktail bar, a Thai restaurant, and late-night DJ events on the weekends featuring reggae beats.
There are six main rooms in Laki Kane, four of them named after famous tropical cultures. Those would be the Polynesia room, the Caribbean room, the Thailand room, and the additional Indonesia room. The other two include a bookable private dining room and a distillery tour room.
Trailer Happiness
Located deeper into Notting Hill, Trailer Happiness is a smaller tiki den on Portobello Road. While it may be small, it has won several awards for its tiki cocktail bar which has been in shaking since 2003. Like the other bars here, they also host DJs every weekend to liven up the place.
It lacks the formal restaurant that the other two bars have, though it offers bar snacks to keep patrons filled up. Those include spicy wings, Jamaican patties, and nuts that have all manner of honey, lime and chilli dressings. Between Trailer Happiness and the other tiki joints mentioned above, Londoners should have no problem tasting the tropics in 2024 and beyond.