North Hollywood: Tropical Cocktails at Tiki No

 

While out in North Hollywood, we couldn’t resist the tropical allure of Tiki No. I don’t make it out to the Valley much but knew if I ever was nearby, I had to stop at Tiki No since I love tiki bars. Compared to nearby Tonga Hut, Tiki No feels a bit more new-school like Trader Sam’s down in Orange County. The menu is focused on tiki/ rum drinks but the back bar suggests the locals might prefer a good whiskey or tequila as well.

There are a few standards I base my tiki experience on — a mai tai or a pina colada? Pina colada won this night. And bonus, without booze, it’s a great drink for your designated driver.

Pina Colada – silver rum, cream de coconut, pineapple juice, pineapple

A new-school tiki drink or what I call “neo-tiki” is the Jungle Bird. Since I enjoy Campari very much, I wanted to like this drink but it turned out it wasn’t quite there. I thought a tad more black strap rum would help it out.

Jungle Bird – black strap rum, Campari, pineapple juice, lime

 

I enjoyed the Suffering Bastard much more. Now if you think tiki drinks are only about rum, you should head on down to Tiki Ti in Silver Lake and take a gander at their menu. Gin and brandy show up just as much.

Suffering Bastard – gin, cognac, falernum, ginger, Angostura bitters

 

The Bastard was going to be my last drink until I saw the greatest ice sculpture in a drink ever. Tiki No serves their Navy Grog with a hand-packed cone of ice they pack a la minute. This was worth a detour to North Hollywood.

Navy Grog – demerara rum, silver rum, dark rum, grapefruit, honey, lime

What I love about tiki bars is the fact everyone is having a good time. And people are respectful of others. People made sure complete strangers had their personal space and offered their seats to said strangers when they leave. Although the bartenders aren’t wearing cheery Hawaiian shirts, Tiki No still felt pretty “authentic.”

Tiki No

4657 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91602  —  (818) 766-0116

© The Minty  2015