Is A VERY TAKI TIKI BAR really a tiki bar? Or is it just a taki bar?

I was literally in the process of moving to Washington–not at my old home and not at my new one either, but in route–when I heard from one of my former co-workers, Kristen. Kristen was having surgery on her wrist and would be recuperating at her parents’ house in Lynnwood, Washington –about 1 1/2 hours from my new place, over on the mainland, not too far from Seattle. Could we meet up for a visit? Sure, that would be swell.

One of the enticing things about moving to Washington was that I’d be closer to tiki bars than I had been at my old place in California. I was no stranger to the Seattle tiki scene, but it has been a while since my last visit. There have been some changes—some closures and some new additions since then. If possible, I wanted to hit one to check it out. But with daylight hours minimal and the state being such a damp, rainy mess, for now (until the weather changes and the days grow longer), I had to find something that opened early enough for our visit, yet still give me time to get home (or almost home–another 1 1/2 hours’ drive) before dark. The only place I could find that fit the bill was A Very Taki Tiki Bar in Edmonds.

I had stumbled on the place online a few years earlier when searching tiki in the Washington area, but had never visited. I was a bit dubious about it. Although it is relatively new, I have heard zip-nada-nothing about it in the tikisphere. Was this going to be an undiscovered gem…or something that should have been best avoided? I didn’t know…and neither did Kristen, who had never been to a tiki bar before.

Granted, visiting a place that is supposed to inspire visions of a balmy, tropical paradise in the gray, wet, c-o-l-d of a Washington November may not have been the optimal choice. It was hard to ignore the large heat lamps and thick, plastic sheeting enveloping the place. But I wanted to see Kristen and I needed a tiki fix. I was not about to wait until the spring thaw to get one.

As I looked for a place to park, I got a peek at the town of Edmonds (which seems like a nice place and in need of further exploration). I arrived at the Taki Tiki before Kristen, so I took the time to have a look around.

The place screamed “sports bar.” There were large TVs all over. There were two over the bar, one over the entrance to the kitchen (!) and others scattered about. I had sort of expected that, but was hoping I’d be wrong.

But Kristen soon arrived. It was great to see her and it looked like she was doing well post surgery. We looked at the drink menu. There was plenty of beer available (on tap and in bottles), but what about cocktails? Of the 8 drinks listed, only 5 of them were tiki (or tiki-ish).

Hmm. For me, it was a toss up between the Tom Tai and the Surf Rider. (The Lava Flow sounded really good as well, but I wasn’t in the mood for sweet.) I went with the Surf Rider, which was tasty.

Kristen opted for a Tom Tai. Ooooo. She also gave her beverage a thumbs up.

As we sat and talked, I got a chance to look around the bar some more from my seat. While there were tiki items, the place had more of a shack-at-the-beach feel than that of a tiki bar.

The menu was mostly hamburgers and sandwiches–and that was fine. Kristen had a turkey club with fries and, as she later said, it was definitely “not a skimpy sandwich.” It was pretty big.

“I thought the food was tasty,” she told me later.

I wasn’t in a sandwich-y mood, so I opted for the fried shrimp. It was pretty yummy and there were plenty of pieces.

As we chatted and ate, gasp! Our drinks went dry. We ordered more, only this time I had a Tom Tai and Kristen went for the Surf Rider. Mmm. Good choices both times.

As delightful of a time I had, I probably won’t revisit A Very Taki Tiki Bar — but it was fine for what it is. If I lived in Edmonds, I’d be there often. It was a fun, casual place. The service was very good. Our waitress was friendly and very enthusiastic. The food and drinks were also very acceptable. It just wasn’t very tiki –and more of a sports bar than not. Still, it was better than the tiki bars where I live. (There are none.) A Very Taki Tiki Bar is a place for friends go to meet and have a good time. That’s just what Kristen and I did. We got together had a very nice, enjoyable afternoon. It served its purpose.

CHEERS!

A Very Taki Tiki Bar
518 Main Street
Edmonds, WA 98020
(425) 778-3548
Website: https://www.takitiki.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AVeryTakiTiki/