Most cocktail fans don’t usually associate the Hub with tropical beverages, but you actually don’t have to look far in order to find a great Boston tiki bar. In fact, there are a number of local hotspots serving up tasty tiki drinks. Here are six you have to check out this season.
Boston tiki bar: Where to get your tiki on in the city
A4cade
This Cambridge bar isn’t just a great place to get your game on, it’s also one of the best places in the area to sip on tiki cocktails. A4cade has a whole menu dedicated to the tropical libations, including funky beverages like the Land Shark, made with Privateer tiki, Angostura seven-year rum, cognac, sherry and passion fruit; and the Princess Peach’s Downfall, made with Rumson rum, peach, pineapple, mint and citrus.
292 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, areafour.com/locations/a4cade
Kowloon
While this local restaurant is a bit of a trek away from the city, you can’t make a round-up of local tiki drink spots without including Saugus’ Kowloon. An institution along Route 1 for decades, Kowloon serves up an array of delicious Polynesian cocktails alongside a massive menu of Asian-inspired dishes.
948 Broadway, Saugus, kowloonrestaurant.com
Shōjō
A gem of the Chinatown food and drink scene, this fan-favorite bar and restaurant has all kinds of great tiki-style drinks to sip on. Shōjō’s cocktail menu includes items like the Loneliest Monk, crafted with rum, pineapple, lime, and Frangelico; the Kamehameha, featuring Thai chili-infused vodka, lemon and coconut milk; as well as the traditional Mai Tai.
9A Tyler St., Boston, shojoboston.com
Tiger Mama
Tiffani Faison’s Fenway hotspot has quite the tiki drink menu thanks to bar manager Brian Callahan, who took inspiration from Italy, Japan, the Middle East and other parts of the globe to come up with this version of the tiki beverage list. The offerings at Tiger Mama, which come in fun glassware like porcelain duckies and tiki skulls, range from the Legend of Kon Tiki, made with brown butter washed aquavit, pisco, chicha morada, coconut, banana, passion fruit, lemon and makrut lime; the Aloha Ctrina, featuring reposado tequila, navy strength rum, mezcal, coconut horchata, fassionola, almond, cacao, lime and grapefruit; as well as the Silk Sling, made with aged Demerara rum, overproof St. Lucian rum, kiwi, amaro, Italian falernum, lemon, pineapple and soda.
1363 Boylston St., Boston, tigermamaboston.com
Tiki Rock
This Boston tiki bar definitely lives up to its name. A new addition to the local drink scene, Tiki Rock has a slew of tasty cocktails to match its funky decor. They also have large format drinks for multiple people dubbed luau libations, including the Painkiller, featuring Navy rum, pineapple, orange, coconut and nutmeg; as well as the Ohana Punch, featuring Absolut Elyx, aperol, pineapple, orange, lime and passion fruit.
2 Broad St., Boston, tikirock.com
UNI
Ken Oringer and Tony Messina’s acclaimed izakaya at the Eliot Hotel recently got into the tiki game courtesy of beverage director Vikram Hegde. UNI has all kinds of fun tiki beverages on its menu, including one that pays homage to the DC superhero the Flash dubbed the Barry Allen, made with tiki gin, cherry liqueur, pomegranate, yuzu and bitters.
370A Commonwealth Ave., Boston, uni-boston.com
