Ahoy, Matey: STRAY PIRATE Gets a Big Thumb’s, er…Paw’s Up!

Several months ago, noted tiki bar builder extraordinaire, Bamboo Ben, was posting images on his Instagram page of some new bar he was building in Las Vegas. In my little corner of the tikiverse, I was hearing poo-pooings and rumblings about this new place. “It looks small.” (So? L.A.’s Tiki Ti is tiny and amazingly popular.) “It’s in a strip mall.” (And? Las Vegas’ very popular Golden Tiki is in a strip mall. You can’t get in without a reservation.) “It’s not a tiki bar. It’s a pirate bar.” (Well shiver me timbers and blow me down. Who cares? It’s immersive and “tiki adjacent.”) I wasn’t going to let these gripes (from those who had yet to visit the place) deter me from go-going. Besides, if Bamboo Ben built it, I am sure it would be cool. When a trip to Las Vegas opened up to me—I was going. Stray Pirate was on the top of my very crowded list of “must sees.”

My trip was in December and as is my usual want, I went to the bar not only during off season, but during the week and right after it opened. I wanted to experience the bar—not hordes of other people experiencing it. When I arrived, it was fortunately not very crowded at all. 

My friend Eric Tallman from Orange County had traveled to Vegas to hang out with me. He’s a big tiki fan and was gung-ho to set sail on the Stray Pirate with me. 

I had seen the façade of the place in Bamboo Ben’s posts. It’s clearly nautical, but sort of subtle so as not to be too garish on a public street (and annoy the neighboring businesses). I really dug the window with the green skull wall behind it. That alone was a great enticement for me to go in.

Perhaps because of the naysayers and those who had been poo-pooing the place (without having been there), I really wasn’t expecting all that much when I walked in. Maybe they were right? However, when I actually set foot inside, I was literally blown away and speechless. Oh my stars! What a beauty! Bamboo Ben’s work never fails to amaze and impress.

Imagine, if you will, being in the hull of a sunken ship. Portholes look out along both sides of the bar and sea life can be seen swimming about beyond them. On one side stands an impressively long bar.

Across from it are an array of regal-looking, bench-seated tables. Standing room only tables occupy the middle of the space. The clever lighting is supplied by old-looking lanterns and lamps and a few lighted glass fishing floats. It’s murky and atmospheric, yet very classy and inviting. 

Along the front wall, there are a couple of booths. They kind of resemble cargo holds on an old Spanish galleon. A large captain’s wheel dominates the wall on the other side of the door.

The story behind Stray Pirate, as I recall, is that a crew of pirates were cursed, turned into dogs, and got shipwrecked at the bottom of the briny sea. (Hence the clever double meaning in the bar’s name.) Numerous paintings of the canine crew adorn the walls. Indeed, the first page of the menu dedicates the bar to the owner’s “favorite furry first mate Sarge the Schnauzer and all pets who bring mischief and magic into our lives.” A bar in memoriam of man’s best friend is a noble idea… especially with this one’s immersive slant. 

Diving into the drink menu, I was a little dismayed to see that it was rather limited as far as cocktails were concerned. While there were plenty of beer options, there were only nine cocktails listed. I do understand the place is new, though. Hopefully the list will grow over time.

Eric and I both started off our drinking adventure with the bar’s signature cocktail, Stray Dog Grog. It was a combination of Sarge’s Blend rum, lime and grapefruit juices along with Demerara. It was tasty and just what we needed to get the evening started. 

At some point in my visit, I got up to use the bathroom. Of course, I was going to check them out anyway. There were located in a back alcove, beyond a small cave. At the back of the cave there is this fantastic Stray Pirate photo op. Beneath a sign with the name of the bar etched into it is a pirate-y looking bench with gold bars and jewels scattered about beneath it. It looks like something straight out of “The Goonies.” 

The bathrooms themselves weren’t that exciting, but the nautical theming was carried through within them. At least it was in the bathroom I used. They were unisex bathrooms, so I decided to take a gander into the other. It was very different, as if Bamboo Ben were originally designing the typical men’s and ladies’ restrooms. The other featured a chandelier, wall papering, and more portraits of the canine crew.

Visiting the bathrooms also gave me the chance to poke around and look at the place a bit more. At the back of the bar were two display cases. One housed artifacts and other items from the ship’s voyages. The other contained Stray Pirate swag that was for sale. Among the things up for offer, I was delighted to see the bar had tiki mugs. It’s been my experience that new bars often forget to have mugs available when they launch. Stray Pirate had two to chose from. While I liked both, I was won over by the bottle-shaped mug, and one did end up going home with me.

Ready for Round #2, Eric had something called Swig & Berries, while I went with a Goonies Never Say Die. (Aha! There was a “Goonies” tie-in after all!) For some reason, I did not get any photos of Eric’s drinks. His Swig & Berries featured vodka, aquavit, with a mixture of strawberry, rhubarb, and lemon. My drink, Goonies Never Say Die, was a lively inventive concoction of rums, lime, orange, grapefruit, pineapple, honey, and Angostura bitter.

Two drinks in, I was already feeling a buzz—which was very unusual for me. But then, all I’d had to eat that day was a salad. I was hungry. The bar unfortunately did not sell food. However, I was just down the block from Nightmare Café, a horror-themed eatery I’d visited earlier. Would it be okay if I went and brought back something to eat? I was given the okay and was soon back in the booth munching on a shrimp Po-boy sandwich and fries. 

To go with it, I’d need another drink. As our last drink of the night before sailing off into the sunset, Eric went for the unusual sounding (but he loved it) Million Doubloons, which consisted of gin, vermouth, Amaro del Campo, lemon, pomegranate, egg white, and Lovelady 9^th Island Redux (which is from a local brewery. I’m not sure just what it is, though.).

I had a Get It Kraken, which was a wild blend of Novo Fogo Bar Strength cachaca, passion fruit, calamansi, coconut, lime, and lime-kaffir. Wowzer!

Before setting sail on our next Vegas adventure of the night we thanked our bartenders, Isaiah and Adam, for such a delightful evening. 

The next time I make port in Las Vegas, you wouldn’t have to make me walk the plank to return to Stray Pirate. I’ll be going back willingly.  

Stray Pirate

1321 S. Commerce St.

Las Vegas, NV 

(725) 254-2769

http://www.straypirate.com