Tiki Tuesday: Tiki Tatsu-Ya
/Are y’all (yes, y’all) ready for a brand new Tiki Tuesday adventure? It’s been along time since we’ve ventured outside of California, but we have finally made our epic return to Austin, Texas to celebrate or dear friend Derek’s birthday, but also to conduct some some official tiki business.
We had the great fortune of getting a reservation to Tiki Tatsu-Ya, Austin’s newest tiki bar brought to us by chef/owner Tatsu Aikawa, who has opened a number of successful authentic Japanese projects in Texas. His latest is described as “an immersive experience that transports travelers to an island paradise!” which we have to agree with. It was 100% paradise!
This speakeasy tiki might be a little hard to find, when we drove up to the lot we were confused to find this retro looking travel agency with a Myspace sticker in the window. You might think that this door is the entrance to the bar, but the entrance is actually in the back of it’s sister restaurant, Ramen Tatsu-Ya.
Once we checked in, we were escorted up the stairs to our booth, which had a great view of the bar and the feature wall.
Once we settled in we started to comb through the menu. It’s always hard to choose what to order when you’re outside the comfort zone of your local tiki spots. We really appreciated this menu because it wasn’t too extensive, but had a ton of variety. It was also fun that they had a seasonal menu with fun holiday cocktails. We started off the festivities with their Sleigh & Nephew shots, which were STRONG. Made with candy cane infused overproof Jamaican rum, lime, and evaporated cane. After we shot that back, our first round came shortly after.
Here’s what we ordered:
Port Light
Bourbon, tawny port, passionfruit, pomegranate, and lemon.
Three Dots and a Dash
R(h)ums from Martinique and Guyana, 5-spice, honey, pholernum, and tangerine.
Cobra Kai
Overproof rums, Armagnac, clairin, baijiu, passionfruit, fassionola, citrus, and spices.
As for food, we pretty much ordered the entire menu because it all sounded SO good. And let us tell you, the food did not disappoint. It’s very rare that a tiki bar has food that is just as good if not better than their drink selection. We absolutely recommend getting the Pu Pu Platter if you’re unsure what to get, as it has a little bit of everything. The highlights were the Taro Tots and, of course, the Spam Musubi !
Spam Musubi
Housemade Spam, Pineapple Teriyaki Jam, Chicharron Furikake, Koshihikari Rice, and Nori.
Mushroom Musubi
Grilled Trumpet Mushroom, Mango Kimchi, Tare, Koshihikari Rice, and Nori.
Pu Pu Platter
Selection of BBQ Beef Skewers, Mochiko Wings, Yokozuna Ribs, Crab Lagoon, Taro Tots, and House Pickles.
And even after all that we were still excited for more, so we got their take on the Loco Moco, with Beef Tsukune, Gravy, Soy Cured Egg Yolk, Ube and Forbidden Rice Furikake.
Drool over the photos below:
We took a little break to do some exploring because this bar also has a downstairs area with all kinds of nooks and crannies for seating. The designers did not spare any expense when it came to decorating this space. Every detail was well done and always something to look at in every area of this bar. We tried our best to capture it, but it really doesn’t do it justice, so you’ll have to go check it out for yourselves!
We ended the night with the Skeleton Cruise, made up of Japanese whisky, rum, Chartreuse, guava, lemon, pineapple, and pomegranate. They put on a full show every time they bring out a bowl to a table. Lights, sounds, and even projections on the feature wall, which we have in a video down below. As if the boat itself wasn’t cool enough, this whole experience was really unique.
In Austin there are a million of bars and restaurants to choose from. Despite Tiki Tatsu-Ya, we really tried some great cocktail bars, speakeasies, and eateries all over. We may be biased based on the nature of this blog, but the drink and food really were outstanding. A huge shout out to the staff as well, they were so kind, knowledgeable, and fun to talk to throughout our whole 90min experience. You bet that will be our first stop the next time we visit!
LOCATION
1300 S. Lamar Blvd.
Austin, Texas 78704
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HOURS
Monday
4PM–12AM
Tuesday
4PM–12AM
Wednesday
4PM–12AM
Thursday
4PM–2AM
Friday
4PM–2AM
Saturday
1PM–2AM
Sunday
1PM-10PM