A new tiki hotspot in Fort Lauderdale promises plenty of escape on the menu. From concocted cocktails to delish dishes, at Hula Kai, a trip to Hawaii feels much closer. When times get tough, there’s almost nothing better than the escape you find inside a themed tiki bar. Hula Kai, which just opened on 17th Street, brings a new take.
Sometimes you need a vacation. Other times you just need dinner somewhere that feels like one.
Guest: “I love it. I feel like I was transported over to Hawaii.”
Welcome to Hula Kai, Fort Lauderdale’s newest tiki restaurant and bar.
James Flanigan: “A contemporary take on a tiki bar, although it still harkens back to all of the old tiki culture.”
Where getting away starts with simply getting a table.
James Flanigan: “We made it a point to create different spaces inside one restaurant, so outside it’s garden-style, inside you get the full immersion, go to the rooftop – you have a very Palm Springs vibe and view of the Fort Lauderdale skyline, which is iconic.”
Now this is tiki, so first item on the agenda: cocktails.
Alex: “At the core of a good tiki restaurant is a fantastic tiki cocktail.”
James Flanigan: “The cocktail here is a masterpiece. The presentation has been brought up.”
Guest: “I loved the fun additions of the colorful straws and umbrellas and added things to the drinks, so it definitely made a really fun experience.”
James Flanigan: “We’re gonna make you first a Zombie.”
Ricky: “So we’re gonna do a light rum, dark rum, grapefruit juice, falernum, then we do a float of Wray & Nephew right before we light it on fire and sprinkle cinnamon.”
Alex: “I love it. And this is dangerous ’cause I could have a few of these.”
James Flanigan: “A My Kind of Rye, which is a WhistlePig rye-based cocktail.”
Ricky: “Served in our lovely pig tiki mug.”
Guest: “It was delicious; it’s almost gone.”
Alex: “The little pigtail. I mean, it had me.”
Guest: “That was 100% what got me.”
James Flanigan: “It’s also very important, if you’re gonna have the tiki cocktails, which I consider very high octane, you need to eat some food.”
Alex: “They better be. James, don’t play with me.”
James Flanigan: “You need to eat food.”
Alex: “I already told James. I’m gonna be Ubering here.”
Over on the food side, the menu takes its inspiration from across the Pacific, including tiki classics like the pupu platter.
James Flanigan: “It’s a mixture of crab Rangoon, it’s got lumpia, it’s got everything in it.”
Guest: “Delicious, best crab Rangoon I’ve had in a long time.”
James Flanigan: “We have a pineapple fried rice and we are gonna make you a pork belly.”
Guest: “Ribs, incredible. Everything was really good.”
Alex: “The ribs were next level!”
Now to take your evening to another level, literally, upstairs is the Ohana Rooftop Lounge.
Nicolette Bonkowski: “Aloha and welcome to the Hula Kai Rooftop Bar, our Ohana Lounge. I’m going to make you guys a Say When, and I say we make it right now. We’re going to start off with an egg white, Roku is a nice gin, some lemon juice, some passionfruit liqueur, what makes it really special is our house meat orgeat. Shake the heck out of it. A house made Jell-o shot. Enjoy!”
James Flanigan: “We are open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 5 p.m. until you feel like leaving.”
Hula Kai plans on adding lunch service very soon. They anticipate sometime in November.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Hula Kai
1075 SE 17th Street
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316
Website
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