This Guy Greets You at the Front Door
I live in Columbus, Ohio; tiki aficionados the world over know Columbus is significant. That’s because Columbus was the home of the Kahiki, which was one of the most renowned destination restaurants in the country. If only it hadn’t been torn down in 2002 to make way for a Walgreens. Go figure…but, let me continue.
Tikiphiles are giddy knowing that interest in Polynesian pop is on the rise and tiki locations are either opening or re-opening across the globe. The question floating on Columbus streets for a long time was “when is C-bus going to get a tiki bar again?” Well, as of September of this year, that question was answered. The fortunes shined on us once again, and Columbus can proudly proclaim once gain that it has a tiki destination!
Mind you, this is not just another sports bar done up in bamboo and
Another Great Tiki Statue Inside
cheap Asian imports. This is a real-deal tiki bar doing honor to Columbus’ rich heritage with the Kahiki. The place is called the Grass Skirt Tiki Room, located at 105 N. Grant Avenue just east of downtown. That’s adjacent to the campus of The Columbus College of Art and Design which may prove useful as I’ll point out momentarily.
As I mentioned, this isn’t a droll island-inspired look slapped on an otherwise pedestrian hotel bar. This is a well-executed revival – the kind of place that used to define a tiki bar was back in the day. Inside you’ll find accoutrements from Witco, Ocean Arts, and all manor of vintage Polypop gracing everything from the entrance to the bar. Vintage exotica, lounge, and surf music is the resident soundtrack, stemming from their huge collection of vintage vinyl, some of which local exotica music legend Jeff Chenault had his hand in. The staff decks themselves in vintage clothing – heck, so do half the customers.
There is a lava wall, and waterfalls, and every imaginable size and type of tiki statue and mug throughout the place. If you like tiki, it’s almost a museum of collectibles, some of which was happily donated by local customers. The owners state that they want to dedicate an area of the restaurant to spotlight some significant vintage items they have from the Kahiki. Oh yes…and there’s not a plasma TV to be found anywhere. This is the kind of place, that when the door closes behind you, the modern world is shut out and you are transported to another world. It’s one of the few places anywhere where you don’t see people glued to their smart phones (with the exception of them taking photos of the place)!
So, what about the drinks? You can’t have a good tiki bar without good drinks, and Grass Skirt’s are stellar! I really don’t like the word mixologist, but these guys know what they are doing, so it’s a fitting tile. Their creations are handmade, and mainly from vintage recipes – no corn syrup-based swill from a bottle here. And, yes, you can get your libations in a tiki mug (yours to keep) for a small extra cost. Currently, they are using collectible, but restaurant-grade tiki mugs. The word is, they might enlist artists from the Columbus College of Art and Design to design signature mugs for the restaurant.
The food menu is brief and leans towards Hawaiian and Cantonese as you would expect. I’ve tried the Loco Moco (that’s a Hawaiian lunch plate comprised of two hamburgers topped with fried egg and gravy over rice), along with their egg rolls, and dumplings. They were all good and complimented the Pacific island theme. My wonderful server explained to me that the menu is a work in progress and they are going to be bringing out more Asian-Pacific inspired dishes as they settled in.
I never had the opportunity to visit the Kahiki because I moved to Columbus a mere year too late. I wish I had; it’s clearly my misfortune. But, I count as a new blessing that the Grass Skirt Tiki Room has opened here in town and I can go there. It’s a fun, amazing place to patronize, and they are doing good justice in a town with a bit of a Tiki Pedigree.
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