KAPU HUT in Eugene, Oregon: Afterthought or missed opportunity?

The McMenamins chain in the Pacific Northwest is a fascinating mix of hotels, restaurants, bars, breweries, music venues, theaters, shopping outlets and there’s even a pool. Each venue is different. Each venue is unique. Tucked away in the smallish (for McMenamins) North Bank restaurant in Eugene, OR, is the tiki-themed bar, the Kapu Hut.

The restaurant, which has a bit of a modern Pacific Northwest feel to it, boasts that every seat in its dining room and patio has a view of the Willamette River. The website for the place even says that “the 1979 building has the retro-cool feel of a lounge-y steakhouse with warm woods and booths tiered and tucked at all angles to capture the views.” That’s all fine and good, but doesn’t explain the tiki bar tacked on to the side.

As tiki bars go, this may be one of the weakest ones around. I’m not slamming it. (I would love to have this place near me as it takes me literally hours to get to the nearest tiki bar.) It’s just that there is so little about it to praise. The entrance off of the lobby is virtually unhearlded. There are just two tikis standing guard in front of if. That’s it.

Even the drink menu is tiny. The few tiki drinks on it are almost crowded out by the other alcoholic offerings. You’ll find a wide selection of ales, ciders, and wines. Tiki drinks? There are only a handful.

Tuesday is Tiki Tuesday and there are a few drink specials. But for a tiki bar, shouldn’t every day be tiki?

One thing that was interesting on the menu were the flights. There are two offered, the Rum Flight and the Tiki Flight. The Rum Flight features samplings of three rum-based cocktails that are only quasi-(at best) tiki–a Caipirinha, a Dark & Stormy, and a Daiquiri. The Tiki Flight consists of a Jungle Bird, a Mai Tai, and a Singapore Sling. But these are just samplings of cocktails. I tried the Tiki Flight. While I can’t be certain, I am guessing they were pre-mixed and poured from a batch.

The decor is commercial bar tiki-lite. When I visited, it was October and there was some Halloween decor up. If anything, the decorations helped the otherwise sparse tiki atmosphere.

They also had some nice light fixtures (among which was the de rigueur puffer fish lamp).

Again, while not a bad bar (Move it near me. I’ll take it. There’s nothing tiki around for miles!), it just wasn’t very dynamic. It was almost as if Kapu Hut was created as an afterthought or a quick cash-in on the current tiki renaissance. I really don’t know why anyone would bother with Kapu Hut (unless they were dining at the North Bend restaurant) when The Monkey’s Paw is less than five miles away.

Kapu Hut at the North Bank
22 Club Road
Eugene, OR 97401
(541) 343-5622
Website: https://www.mcmenamins.com/north-bank/home/
Critiki: https://www.critiki.com/location/kapu-hut-eugene-853/