Catch the island spirit at Hermosa Beach’s new tiki bar

The laid-back island spirit has landed in Hermosa Beach with the opening of a new tiki bar right by the ocean.

“We wanted to create an escape for the locals and also pay homage to tiki culture,” said Alex Osorio, the operating partner for Tiki Kai, which opened its doors on Nov. 5.

The new spot, located at 73 Pier Ave., is a classic tiki bar with some modern touches and a list of traditional cocktails for the purists plus a Polynesian-inspired food  menu.

“We wanted to refine tiki itself and give it more of an elevated feel,” Osorio added.

The dimly lit dining room features a 30-foot bar plus tables and booths and an LED lit lava-flow path along the bar floor. The tiki bar is traditionally decorated with custom carvings, black lava rock walls, thatched-roof booths and more than100 lanterns hang from the ceiling. There’s also a patio with tropical plants and fire pits.

“It’s really an escape. It really transports you to a tropical paradise,” Osorio said.

Drinks are just as traditional with classic Mai Tais and other offerings like the Navy Grog, which blends  rum, honey, grapefruit and lime, and the Blue Hawaiian, made with vodka, rum, Blue Curaçao, pineapple and lime. One of the stars of the drink menu is the The O.G. ‘44 Mai Tai, which is made with a secret rum blend, Curacao, orgeat and lime.

“It’s just a classic traditional drink,” he said.

The food menu meanwhile includes dishes like Sticky Ribs, Hamachi Crudo, the Pule Hu Steak, which is a rib eye with Hawaiian herbs and  Kona Coffee, and seafood dishes like Octopus, Miso Black Cod, Macadamia Mahi Mahi and Tiger Shrimp Scampi.

“Our menu pays homage to ocean dishes. It’s a combination of all sorts of island fare offerings,” he said.

“Our whole goal is to transport you to an island feel,” Osorio said.

Tiki Kai is located at 73 Pier Ave., Hermosa Beach, https://www.tikikai.com/