Tiki-Ti | Silverlake, CA
9/10

This has to be some sort of record. Two posts in two days? Unbelievable!

The impetus for this post is the same one that led me to head for another tiki establishment so soon after the great Tonga Hut debacle: I needed to wipe that sour taste out of my mouth. By proxy, this post is meant to wipe away the sourness left by that very same adventure.

Really, there is very little to embellish upon about the Tiki-Ti because it is so very awesome. Long posts are usually the result of peculiar circumstances and my over-active imagination, and the only thing that is truly peculiar about the Tiki-Ti is the people. They’re nice.

The thing about bars in LA is that people are not friendly. I’ve been to many bars, and it’s often not worth the energy you have to output in order to get a decent conversation going with other bar patrons, or sometimes even the bartender. Hell, I can barely get a “thank you” out of people when I hold doors open for them. But on three—three!—separate occasions, bar patrons here were not only openly courteous, but downright considerate. It was both shocking and heartwarming, and set the precedent for an excellent evening.

For those who haven’t been lucky enough to experience the Tiki-Ti, it is situated on Sunset Boulevard and is about the size of my kitchen. You could safely fit the entire place on the back of a large flatbed truck. However, as the saying goes, it’s not the size that matters, it’s what you do with it. Tiki-Ti is owned and operated by a father and son (the son and grandson of the original proprietor, Ray Buhen), who are still running the same bar that opened in 1961.

TB and I wrangled a couple of friends and set off for the bar around 7 PM—early by bar standards, though not early enough if you want to guarantee a table or a seat at the Ti’s bar. We were very, very lucky and managed to wrangle a table for four as soon as we walked in. (I will mention it here again—the people are so nice.) Once situated, we settled into the serious business of the first round.

A common complaint I hear about the Tiki-Ti is that drinks are expensive—which they are, though not terribly so compared to other bars in LA. If you really think about it, a $10 drink at the Ti is worth two of the $7 appletinis or Ketel-and-sodas that are dished out at other bars. In reality, you’re getting a bargain. < /rant>

That nitpick-y issue aside, we managed to put a pretty fair dent in the menu, getting in eight drinks between the four of us before deciding that any more would mean squeezing four very happy drunks into the back of a cab—not a very appealing option on a work night. All in all, we ordered: Navy Grog, Missionary’s Downfall, Never Say Die, Zombie, Shark’s Tooth, Tiki-Ti Special, Space Pilot and a Suffering Bastard (my favorite of the night).

So, long story short, this is probably my favorite bar in Los Angeles. The only thing working against it is the size, but even that isn’t a big complaint (I only knocked off a point for it), so if you get a chance you should really stop by and experience it first hand.

Then again, I won’t be upset if you don’t. More room for me!