Revisiting Tacoma’s Tiki Trio: DA TIKI HUT, OLD HANGOUT, and DEVIL’S REEF

The tiki scene in Tacoma, Washington is a healthy one. The city serves up three distinct spots to get your tiki fix. Although I have visited them all, I recently had a chance for a revisit. I was curious if my thoughts about them would change at all. Had they gotten better? Worse? Had they stayed the same? With these tantalizing tiki thoughts in my head, I set out to rediscover all that Tacoma had to offer.

DA TIKI HUT:

I really like this little “mom & pop” place. They have transformed a simple eatery into a little tiki paradise. And just as they were on my first visit, Steve and Tamara Lerma were just as warm and friendly as ever. Steve actually came over and sat and chatted with me a bit. He is still finalizing plans for tiki-fying the bar area. I really look forward to seeing it when it’s done.

Things were pretty much what I expected after my last visit. The menu features Hawaiian-inspired food and there are tiki cocktails available. I was delighted to see that there were several people enjoying the restaurant in its “speakeasy”-like tiki dining room.

This time, Steve and Tamara’s son Nathan was there as well.  I had met him briefly at Tiki Kon in late July. I was very impressed with the handsome, young man. He has started to gravitate towards tiki, following in his parents’ footsteps. He is fascinated by the complexities of tiki cocktails and has been working on new creations to serve up at the restaurant’s bar. While my notes taken that day have disappeared and I do not remember all of the particulars, I really was thrilled by his intense passion for mixology and the whole tiki thing. He even whipped up one of the cocktail creations he is working on. That was an unexpected delight (and a mighty tasty one at that).

With the welcoming greetings, samples of various things on the menu, and warm, genuine conversation, I felt almost like a friend of the family visiting Da Tiki Hut instead of just another customer. Although I do not get to Tacoma often, Da Tiki Hut is on my short list of places I will always stop and visit when there.

Da Tiki Hut
4427 6th Ave. suite 101
Tacoma, WA 98406
(253)625-7690
https://www.datikihut.com/

THE OLD HANGOUT:

The Old Hangout in McMenamin’s Elk Temple has a nice buildout. However, my previous visit had left a sour taste in my mouth. The staff had been utilitarian—not very friendly at all. The drinks had just been okay. However, what really killed the experience for me on that first visit had been the music being played. It was a cross between punk and grunge. It had been loud and awful, making conversation (or even just sitting and contemplating what to order) impossible.

Since that visit, several people have told me that they liked the place. Had I just been on an off night? I was willing to give the place the benefit of the doubt and check it out again. Why not?

When I arrived, it was mid-afternoon. It wasn’t very busy. The bartender did have orders now and again, but seemed intent on mostly doing prep work. I, an old, heavyset, handicapped man alone, had to wait for service until she was done prepping something. Once I’d ordered something (Voodoo Brew), she made it, set it down without a word, and went back to her prep stuff. Golly, talk about feeling unwelcome or in the way. I realize she needed to get these chores done, but really? Have some personality or at least smile. And she wasn’t even working alone. There was another bartender at the far end of the bar.

The drink was fine. The music was, again, not. While it wasn’t the head banging mess of before, it was still all wrong for the space. The Elk Lodge has five other bar-like spaces within the building (plus a rumored “secret bar” I have not seen). If they’ve included a tiki bar, they should keep it a tiki bar. They can play the loud, awful stuff elsewhere.

I did stay for a second drink though, a Funky Monkey. I had hoped that with my continued presence practically right in front of her, the bartender would at least say something, anything. She didn’t ask if I wanted another cocktail. I just said I’d like to try the Funky Monkey. She dutifully made it, set it down, and went back to her tasks.

Good times. Not.

I had had enough of The Old Hangout and didn’t need to hangout there any more.

The Old Hangout at McMenamin’s Elk Temple
565 Broadway
Tacoma, WA 98402
(253) 300-8754
Website: https://www.mcmenamins.com/elks-temple/home/

THE DEVIL’S REEF:

The Devil’s Reef is definitely the tiki bar in the greater Tacoma area. Although it is not a traditional tiki bar (It has an H. P. Lovecraft theme and all of the cocktails were created by the bar’s owner, Jason Alexander. There are no Chi Chis, Painkillers, or Mai Tais to be found on the menu.), it still ranks as the best in town.

On my initial visit several years ago, the place had just opened—and I’d had the worst evening. Flash forward to last year. A second chance gave me a full on 180. I couldn’t praise this place enough.

I have had occasion to visit a few more times since that revisit. Each time I am more and more impressed. These last few times were no exception. It has been my experience now that every drink I’ve had there has been masterfully prepared. The food has been really good—and amply portioned—as well.

Every time I do visit, I forget for a moment that the bar is Lovecraft themed. While Lovecraft’s dark “old god” Cthulu isn’t evident and hasn’t made any appearances (that I know of), I always am reminded of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland for some reason. Perhaps it is the canons sticking out of the walls of the upper seating area and the general, murky, old sea port atmosphere? Either way, it is still a nifty and immersive space.

Owner Jason Alexander also got bumped up another notch on the respect-o-meter on my most recent stop. On the day I’d gone back to give the bar a second chance, he had been there, behind the bar, mixing drinks with the other bartenders. (In fact, while I didn’t know it at the time, he was my bartender that evening.) That impressed me. On my most recent visit, I spied him busing tables as well. Wow! Good for him not just leaving that chore to the hired help. He really is an all-around hands-on guy with a creative talent for concocting incredible drinks and building out an amazing space. The Devil’s Reef is not to be missed.

Devil’s Reef
706 Court C.
Tacoma, WA 98402
(253) 983-7850
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=197363251002105